Audra McDonald News

BEAUTY & THE BEAST is in production in the UK!

One of the fabulous things about living in the Washington, DC Metro Area is that opportunities to see theatre - and good theatre at that - exist throughout the year. The summer is no exception.

The New Amsterdam Singers (NAS), led by Music Director Clara Longstreth, will present its final concert of the season, titled Poems, Letters, and Premieres, tonight, May 28, 2015 at 8:00 P.M. at Saint Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church, 554 West End Avenue (at 87th Street).

BEAUTY & THE BEAST on Snapchat!

In an exciting recent announcement from Visit Sarasota County, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall was ranked the #1 tourist attraction in Sarasota County during the January-March quarter. This is the first time the hall has appeared at the top of the ranking, with 36% of tourists considering the hall a must-see destination during their stay in Sarasota. St. Armands Circle, which usually tops the ranking, was a close second. Additionally, the Van Wezel is ranked as the #1 Performing Arts Hall in North America, in the 2000-seat category in the June edition of Venues Today Magazine. Van Wezel Executive Director, Mary Bensel stated, "This has been the Van Wezel's most successful season since I arrived at the hall 9 years ago, both artistically and financially. I really believe that the depth of the diversity of our programming and our great partners such as the Sarasota Orchestra and Van Wezel Foundation are the main factors in these latest achievements. This great news is the perfect way to cap off our 45th Anniversary Season featuring some of the best shows I have ever seen including Ringo Starr, Sarah McLachlan, Harry Connick Jr., Audra McDonald, Chris Botti, Phillip Phillips, Jersey Boys and so many more. I want to thank the staffs of the Hall, the Van Wezel Foundation, our partners, the City of Sarasota, our sponsors and volunteers. Together we made this happen!"

Josh Groban stopped by yesterday's ELLEN to perform the Chorus Line classic, 'What I Did For Love', from his new album 'Stages.' Below, check out his spectacular performance!

Sutton Foster will officially replace Audra McDonald at the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall on June 2-3, the company announced on their official website.

Pack your picnic, grab your friends, and get ready for cool shows on star-filled summer nights! Summer officially begins this Friday for Washington-area music lovers, when Wolf Trap opens the Summer 2015 season on the Filene Center stage at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts.

Alan Cumming headlines The Cabaret's 2015 Summer/Fall Season with his one-man show Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs. The Scottish actor-singer unveils a naughty and comical evening of song on September 12th and 13th.  

Bucks County Playhouse (BCP) announces Bucks County's own John Augustine to return (The Hummingbird's Tour, 2014, Director) to the Bucks County Playhouse stage as 'Larry' in Stephen Sondheim's COMPANY, running May 29-June 21. Augustine will play alongside Broadway's Candy Buckley (Scandalous, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Cabaret) as 'Joanne'.

International superstar Josh Groban stopped by CBS's THE TALK to discuss his new album 'Stages' and performing with the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. Watch the appearance below!

Josh Groban covers a FANTASTICKS standout!

Josh Groban sings a CAROUSEL classic!

Summer 2015 kicks off with star-power in Provincetown this Memorial Day Weekend. Leading off for Producing Artistic Director Mark Cortale's inaugural Broadway @ Town Hall season is comedian-actress Rosie O'Donnell with Sirius XM radio star Seth Rudetsky as pianist and host, for one show only on Sunday, May 24 at 9:00 PM, and featuring opening guest, indie rocker Melissa Ferrick. Rosie's stage credits include the Broadway productions of "Grease," "Seussical," "Fiddler on the Roof," "Love, Loss and What I Wore," and the Encores! production of "No, No, Nanette." In addition to her acclaimed stand-up comedy and film careers, she is perhaps best known on television as the host and Executive Producer of the Emmy Award winning talk/variety series "The Rosie O'Donnell Show," and more recently for her return to daytime television as co-host of ABC's "The View." Memorial Day weekend also includes the one-two punch of Indie Rock star Melissa Ferrick back for her fifth consecutive season with two shows on May 23 at 6:30 PM & 9:00 PM, and the hysterical brand new drag comedy "Designing Women Meets The Golden Gals" starring Varla Jean Merman, Ryan Landry, Olive Another and Liza Lott will open for a summer-long run on May 23 and 24 at 7:30 PM (running through September 5). For Tickets visit www.ptownarthouse.com  or call 800-838-3006.

BEAUTY & THE BEAST is coming to the big screen again in a whole new way, with brand new songs!

What's more exciting than the Tony Awards? Your wedding day, perhaps? The birth of your first child, you say? WRONG! The answer is, in fact, nothing. The Tonys are the most exciting thing ever to happen in life, and they are just weeks away! So, to celebrate Tonys season and to help get you pumped for the big day, I've comprised an official list of the Greatest Tony Awards Moments Ever, according to me (and therefore according to you, too.)

The Drama League welcomes the star of Broadway's smash production of Hand to God, Steven Boyer, 2015 Drama League Distinguished Performance nominee, as the host of the 81st Annual Drama League Awards, alongside his special guest Tyrone. One of the high points of the season, the Drama League Awards Luncheon will be held today, May 15, 2015 at the Marriott Marquis Times Square (1535 Broadway) beginning at 12:00 p.m.

Palm Beach Dramaworks concludes its fifteenth anniversary season with Lanie Robertson's Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill, a moving and surprisingly joyous look back at the too-short, turbulent life of the legendary Billie Holiday. Lady Day opens at  the Don & Ann Brown Theatre tonight, May 15 and continues through June 7.

Audra McDonald Shines at the Tilles Center

Taye Diggs will return to Broadway this summer in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the 2014 Tony Award winning Best Musical Revival. Diggs will play the title role in the acclaimed musical for a limited 12-week engagement starting Wednesday, July 22 at the Belasco Theatre (111 West 44th Street).