Audra McDonald News

The New York Philharmonic will present a semi-staged production of Kern & Hammerstein's Tony Award-winning musical Show Boat, November 5 - 8, 2014. Vanessa Williams will star as Julie, Julian Ovenden will star as Gaylord Ravenal, and Lauren Worsham will star as Magnolia, all in their Philharmonic debuts. Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

A Woman on Top , the new musical for both sides of the aisle inspired by Hillary Clinton, has announced the complete cast for a special industry reading next week. Reathel Bean (Caroline, Or Change) will join the previously announced star Karen Mason, Drama Desk-nominated Broadway star of Wonderland, Mamma Mia and Sunset Boulevard, as well as Frank Vlastnik (Broadway: Big, The Sweet Smell of Success, A Year with Frog & Toad), Marni Nixon (Broadway: Nine, Follies; Film: The King and I, West Side Story, My Fair Lady) and Sarah Cetrulo (The Black Suits by Joe Iconis).

The National Alliance For Musical Theatre (NAMT) announced today its selections for the 26th Annual Festival of New Musicals. Beautiful Poison, Cubamor, Great Wall, How To Break, Mary Marie, The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes, String and Stu For Silverton make up the eight new musicals that will be presented at the 26th Annual Festival of New Musicals on Thursday, October 23, 2014 and Friday, October 24, 2014 at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street).

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Today's big news: LADY DAY marks the big 1-0-0, Ariana Grande debuts songs from her new album on MTV, and JUNE MOON starts this year's festival in Williamstown!

This July and August 54 BELOW presents an exciting lineup of the brightest talent from Broadway and beyond. Located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street.

Tony and Grammy Award winner, Steve Kazee brings his guitar and southern charm to Indianapolis for an intimate evening of original alt-country songs as well as songs he originated in the Tony Award winning musical, Once. The concert is set for August 23 at 7PM and 9:30PM.

Principal casting has been announced for the upcoming world premiere production of AN AMERICAN IN PARIS. The cast will include Robert Fairchild as Jerry Mulligan, Leanne Cope as Lise Dassin, Veanne Cox as Madame Baurel, Jill Paice as Milo Davenport, Brandon Uranowitz as Adam Hochberg, and Max Von Essen as Henri Baurel.

The Public Theater presents the free one-night event, PUBLIC FORUM: SHAKESPEARE IN AMERICA, tonight, June 30 at 8:00 p.m. at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Whitney Bashor, Annette Bening, Jessica Chastain, author E.L. Doctorow, Jackie Hoffman, Justin Levine, Equal Justice Initiative founder Bryan Stevenson, and Micah Stock join this exciting evening, which will celebrate Shakespeare and the newly released Library of America book, Shakespeare in America, edited by Public Theater Shakespeare Scholar in Residence James Shapiro.

Andrea Martin is a two-time Emmy Award winner for the critically acclaimed sketch comedy series SCTV, and is also a two-time Tony Award winner. She won her second and most recent Tony Award last June of 2013 for her performance as Berthe in the Broadway revival of "Pippin" directed by Diane Paulus and her first award was for the musical 'My Favorite Year.' She is currently starring on Broadway at Lincoln Center in "Act One" by James Lapine opposite Tony Shalhoub. She is also filming a new television sitcom "Working The Engels" written by Katie Ford ("Miss Congeniality," "Desperate Housewives") which is now filming in Toronto. On June 28 and 29, this comic star of stage and screen returns to Broadway@ The Art House for the first time since its inaugural season in 2011. SiriusXM radio star Seth Rudetsky joins her as pianist and host for an evening of music and hilarity. For tickets please visit www.markcortalepresents.com/the-art-house or call 508-487-9222.

On Twitter Watch, Norm Lewis wrote 'Since Christine turned me down I went back to my ol flame Bess. @sierraboggess @AudraEqualityMc '

Jinkx Monsoon, the alter ego of Jerick Hoffer and season five winner of RuPaul's Drag Race, will star in Off-Broadway's hit production 'The Vaudevillians' at one of New England's most prestigious music and comedy venues summer of 2014. Hosted by Provincetown's Art House Theatre, the drag-comedy sensation will reprise her role as Kitty Witless, alongside co-star and co-writer Richard Andriessen, better known as Dr. Dan von Dandy. Extended for the fifth time in New York, the show will leap to this popular Cape Cod summer destination from today, June 27 through September 20, 2014.

This April, teen performers came from throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey to participate in a rigorous audition for the much-anticipated Bucks County Playhouse Youth Company. For the first time, the Playhouse proudly offers a free, intensive, six-week musical theatre training program for young actors, culminating in two weeks of performances of Disney's Beauty and the Beast Jr. on the legendary stage at Bucks County Playhouse July 28th through August 9th.

The Public Theater announced additional casting today for the free one-night event, PUBLIC FORUM: SHAKESPEARE IN AMERICA, on Monday, June 30 at 8:00 p.m. at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Whitney Bashor, Annette Bening, Jessica Chastain, author E.L. Doctorow, Jackie Hoffman, Justin Levine, Equal Justice Initiative founder Bryan Stevenson, and Micah Stock join this exciting evening which will celebrate Shakespeare and the newly released Library of America book, Shakespeare in America, edited by Public Theater Shakespeare Scholar in Residence James Shapiro.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Today's big news: SHOOT ME, the doc about the legendary Elaine Stritch, is now on Netflix, 'CURIOUS INCIDENT' returns to the West End, Constantine Maroulis and Marilu Henner lead readings of a new musical and more!

BroadwayWorld has just learned that Phoenix Entertainment has on its agenda a touring revival of RAGTIME to commence in the Fall of 2015. It will be helmed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge, who received a Tony Nomination as Best Director for the 2009 Broadway revival. This new tour will be much in the spirit of that production which was nominated for 7 Tony Awards in 2010.

BROADWAY BARKS announces their 16th annual star-studded dog and cat adoption event featuring celebrities from the hottest shows on Broadway to benefit New York City animal shelters and adoption agencies. Founded by Mary Tyler Moore and Bernadette Peters, the event, produced by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS will take place on Saturday, July 12 in Shubert Alley (located between 44th and 45th Streets, between Broadway and Eighth Avenue). The festivities begin at 3:00 p.m. where you can meet all the adoptable dogs and cats; celebrity presentations of pets from animal shelters citywide will take place between 5-6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

A Woman on Top , the new musical for both sides of the aisle inspired by the current political climate, will have a special industry reading next month. The reading will star Karen Mason -- Drama Desk-nominated Broadway star of Wonderland, Mamma Mia and Sunset Boulevard, as well as a prolific concert and recording artist -- and be directed by Dan Knechtges (Lysistrata Jones, Tony Award nominee for Xanadu choreography). The show has music by Rhonda Kess, and lyrics by Rhonda Kess and Dale Kiken and a book by Dale Kiken. The reading will take place on Wednesday, July 9 at 3:00 PM and Thursday, July 10 at 2:00 PM at The New 42nd Street Studios (229 West 42nd Street). Industry members interested in attending should email AWOTrsvp@gmail.com and indicate their affiliation.

Jinkx Monsoon, the alter ego of Jerick Hoffer and season five winner of RuPaul's Drag Race, will star in Off-Broadway's hit production "The Vaudevillians" at one of New England's most prestigious music and comedy venues summer of 2014. Hosted by Provincetown's Art House Theatre, the drag-comedy sensation will reprise her role as Kitty Witless, alongside co-star and co-writer Richard Andriessen, better known as Dr. Dan von Dandy. Extended for the fifth time in New York, the show will leap to this popular Cape Cod summer destination from June 27 through September 20, 2014. For tickets and information, please visit www.ptownarthouse.com, or call 1-800-838-3006.

Bucks County Playhouse has announced Marsha Mason has joined the cast of its new production of Ira Levin's Deathtrap, directed by Evan Cabnet. Mason, who is currently directing the Playhouse production of Neil Simon's Chapter Two that begins performances tonight, will play the role of the mysterious Helga Ten Dorp. The comedy thriller begins performances tonight, June 19.

This summer, the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival marks its 31st season in the beautiful seaside setting of Long Island's East End. The Island's longest-running classical music festival this year features 12 concerts from July 30 to August 24, featuring the signature mix of renowned and up-and-coming artists and classic and new music that has made it one of the most noteworthy summer music festivals in the country.