Barbara Siegel News

There's something very endearing about watching a couple of old pros like Bernie Kopell and Lou Cutell exercise their finely tuned comedic chops as a pair of elderly widowers looking for a night of excitement; especially when that excitement comes in the form of Teresa Ganzel, who displays ample comic skills herself as the shapely blonde goodtime girl with a heart of gold.  Add another actor and this trio could deliver a very enjoyable production of The Sunshine Boys.  But alas, the vehicle they ride into the Little Shubert, Viagara Falls, is an anaemic sex comedy that wastes their talents and the audience's patience.

If you had to choose just one song to represent an entire Broadway year, what would you pick?

Last night, June 14, The Town Hall celebrated the Broadway By The Year® 10th Anniversary Celebration - Broadway By The Year 1990-2010, Created, written and hosted by Scott Siegel for the Town Hall, the Broadway performers included Norm Lewis (The Little Mermaid, Sondheim on Sondheim), Karen Mason (Mama Mia!), Astaire Award-winner Spencer Liff (Cry- Baby), Michael Winther (Mama Mia!), Douglas Ladnier (Jekyll & Hyde), Ann Harada (Avenue Q), four-time Tony® Award nominee Gregg Edelmann (Tale of Two Cities), Alexander Gemignani (Les Miserables), Tony® Award winner Debbie Gravitte, Kendrick Jones (The Scottsboro Boys), three-time Tony® Award nominee Mark Kudisch (9 to 5), Tony® Award nominee Bobby Steggert (Ragtime), Julia Murney (Wicked), Max Von Essen (Xanadu national tour), Tony ® Award nominee Barbara Wash (Company) and Lari White (Ring of Fire). Broadway by the Year 1990-2010 was directed by Nightlife Award winner Scott Coulter, who also performed in the show.

It was announced yesterday that the Tony Awards overseers (members of the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League) had decided to withdraw the nomination for Best Costume Design from Santo Loquasto for his work on Ragtime on the basis that he, along with his team, created similar designs for the original 1998 production. Now, the Drama Desk has followed suit. In a letter to voters and members,William Wolf, President and Barbara Siegel, Chairperson, The Nominating Committee write that

The Town Hall's critically acclaimed Broadway by the Year's®10th Anniversary Season presented The Broadway Musicals of 1966, a year that brought us iconic shows such as, Cabaret, Mame, I Do! I Do!, Sweet Charity and The Apple Tree, last night, May 10. Overflowing with famous songs from major hit shows, the evening featured more dance numbers than any other Town Hall Broadway by the Year® concert this season. The evening was directed, choreographed and starred Jeffry Denman (who will be going to Broadway next season with this year's Off-Broadway hit musical, Yank!, which he also choreographed).

This morning, May 3, Broadway vets Cady Huffman and Brian Stokes Mitchell announced the nominees for the 2010 Drama Desk Awards. BroadwayWorld was on hand for the announcement ceremony. The 55th Annual Drama Desk Awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, May 23, 2010 at the F.H. LaGuardia Concert Hall at Lincoln Center. Former Drama Desk Award winner Patti LuPone will host the awards ceremony.

Patti LuPone, the winner of three Drama Desk Awards as Outstanding Actress in A Musical for her performances in Evita (1980), Anything Goes 1988) and Gypsy (2008), will host this year's 55th Annual Drama Desk Awards ceremony on Sunday, May 23, 2010, at 9 PM, it was announced today by Robert R. Blume, Executive Producer of the annual awards show, and William Wolf, President of the Drama Desk.

Tthe 55th Annual Drama Desk Awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, May 23, 2010 at the F.H. LaGuardia Concert Hall at Lincoln Center. Former Drama Desk Award winner Patti LuPone will host the awards ceremony.

Boyd Gaines, Cheyenne Jackson, Martha Plimpton, Anna Gasteyer and Jesse L. Martin have joined the roster of stars who will serve as presenters at the 55th Annual Drama Desk Awards ceremony on Sunday, May 23, 2010 at the F.H. LaGuardia Concert Hall at Lincoln Center. Other presenters, previously announced, include Mitzi Gaynor, Michael Cerveris, Matthew Modine, Brooke Shields, Rosie Perez, Leslie Jordan and Corbin Bleu.

Mitzi Gaynor, Michael Cerveris, Matthew Modine, Brooke Shields, Rosie Perez, Leslie Jordan and Corbin Bleu were announced by Executive Producer Robert R. Blume as the first group of presenters lined up for the 55th Annual Drama Desk Awards ceremony on Sunday, May 23, 2010 at the F.H. LaGuardia Concert Hall at Lincoln Center.

Patti LuPone, the winner of three Drama Desk Awards as Outstanding Actress in A Musical for her performances in Evita (1980), Anything Goes 1988) and Gypsy (2008), will host this year's 55th Annual Drama Desk Awards ceremony on Sunday, May 23, 2010, at 9 PM, it was announced today by Robert R. Blume, Executive Producer of the annual awards show, and William Wolf, President of the Drama Desk.

Three of the shows represented in last Monday's concert really need to come back to Broadway...or at least get an Encores! revival...

Carole J. Bufford sings Randy Newman Don't Tell Mama March 29th

Patti LuPone, the winner of three Drama Desk Awards as Outstanding Actress in A Musical for her performances in Evita (1980), Anything Goes 1988) and Gypsy (2008), will host this year's 55th Annual Drama Desk Awards ceremony on Sunday, May 23, 2010, at 9 PM, it was announced today by Robert R. Blume, Executive Producer of the annual awards show, and William Wolf, President of the Drama Desk.

Grammy Award-winner and platinum-selling recording artist Melissa Manchester joined the cast of The Town Hall's Broadway Musicals of 1948 on Monday, March 22. Continuing the 10th Anniversary celebration of The Town Hall's Broadway by the Year ® concert series, Manchester joined the cast of musical theater performers celebrating shows that graced Broadway stages in 1948, including Cole Porter's classic Kiss Me Kate and Frank Loesser's Where's Charley?. The show was hosted, created and written for The Town Hall by Scott Siegel.

Tom Andersen, Scott Coulter and Tim Di Pasqua will perform their award-winning show, 'Southern Comfort: A Down-Home Country Music Jamboree!,' on Friday, March 12, at 7 p.m. at the Schwartz Center for the Arts, 226 S. State St. in Dover, Delaware. The trio will sing classic and contemporary hits by Glen Campbell, Patsy Cline, Vince Gill, George Jones, Alan Jackson, k.d. lang, Dolly Parton, Randy Travis and Hank Williams.

The Drama Desk, the organization of professional writers, critics and columnists who cover all sectors of New York theater, will present its first Panel Discussion of the 2009-2010 theater season on Thursday, February 25, 2010, from 5:30 - 7:30 PM in the BMI offices at 320 West 57th Street, it was announced by William Wolf, President of the organization.

The 55th Annual Drama Desk Awards will take place on Sunday, May 23, 2010, at 9 PM at the F.H. LaGuardia Concert Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City, it was announced by Robert R. Blume, Executive Producer of the annual Drama Desk Awards ceremony, and William Wolf, President of the Drama Desk, an organization of theater critics, writers and editors that honors excellence in all areas of New York theatre, including Broadway, Off Broadway, Off Off Broadway and not-for-profit theater. The nominations will be announced at a news conference on Monday, May 3, at 9:30 AM at the New York Friars Club, 57 East 55th Street. There will be a continental breakfast at 8:45 AM.