Ben Brantley News

Walnut Street Theatre opens its landmark 205th season with the groundbreaking 21st century musical IN THE HEIGHTS. Directed by Bruce Lumpkin, with choreography by Michelle Gaudette, this exhilarating musical about chasing your dreams and finding your true home is currently in previews and opens on September 11th, running through October 20th on the WST Mainstage. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

New Worlds Theatre Project has announced that it will present the English language premiere of Peretz Hirshbein's Yiddish play, Carcass, beginning tonight, September 7 at 7pm at HERE, 145 Sixth Avenue. The opening night is set for Thursday, September 12.

Taking a cue from last season's artistically (and commercially!) successful 'Season of Family', the 2013/2014 Ringwald season also adheres to a theme: the power of words.

Center Theatre Group announced that Justin Bartha will be joining the cast of Neil Simon's 'The Sunshine Boys' at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre replacing the previously announced David Krumholtz who needed to leave the production for personal reasons.

Walnut Street Theatre opens its landmark 205th season with the groundbreaking 21st century musical IN THE HEIGHTS. Directed by Bruce Lumpkin, with choreography by Michelle Gaudette, this exhilarating musical about chasing your dreams and finding your true home begins previews tonight, September 3rd, opens on September 11th and runs through October 20th on the WST Mainstage.

In March 2011, Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone's joyfully irreverent, soulfully blasphemous, and wholly scandalous comedy THE BOOK OF MORMON took Broadway by storm, going on to win 9 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Score. The musical quickly developed a ravenous parish of fans that simply couldn't get enough of the bawdy spectacle, and left many around the nation counting the days until the First National Tour kicked off. After a short two-and-a-half year wait, Houston audiences are getting their chance to experience the production, and judging by last night's reaction, we couldn't be more enthusiastic or pleased. Now holding a coveted spot as one of the best musicals I have ever seen, this show was definitely worth the wait!

Mint Theater presents Philip Goes Forth by George Kelly. Jerry Ruiz (Love Goes to Press, Basilica) directs a cast that includes Cliff Bemis, Teddy Bergman, Bernardo Cubria, Jennifer Harmon, Carole Healey, Christine Toy Johnson, Natalie Kuhn, BrIan MacDonald, Jennifer McVey and Rachel Moulton. Philip Goes Forth will have scenic design by Steven C. Kemp, costume design by Carisa Kelly, lighting design by Christian DeAngelis, and sound design by Toby Algya. Performances begin tonight, August 24th and continue through October 20th. Opening Night is set for September 16th at Mint's home (311 West 43rd Street).

Actor's Actors Inc.'s The Necessary Theatre, in cooperation with the U.P. School of Economics Alumni Association, will transfer the 2010 Tony Award-winning play 'Red' from the College of Saint Benilde-School of Design and Arts in Taft Avenue, Manila to Teatrino, Greenhills, San Juan today, August 23, to Saturday, August 24, at 7 p.m.

Two years into its second half-century, La MaMa, under the artistic direction of Mia Yoo, continues the omnivorous work of its founder, the late Ellen Stewart. The institution's fall 2013 season is a mixture of established artists and forms La MaMa has long supported (Lee Breuer, Dario D'Ambrosi, puppetry) and celebrated artists and programs new to La MaMa (Irina Brook, Chiori Miyagawa and Alice Reagan, Pascal Rambert, Maureen Fleming, Dan Fishback and Max Steele, and many others). Show-by-show descriptions are below.

Broadway/San Diego ~ A Nederlander Presentation is taking audiences on an amazing theatrical journey with their upcoming 2013-2014 season, packed with Tony Award Winning, world-class productions of musicals presented at The San Diego Civic Theatre -and they have just added a few more! From the creators of "South Park" and winner of nine Tony Awards, THE BOOK OF MORMON will play a limited two-week engagement May 27-June 8, 2014. The New York Times calls it "the best musical of this century" and Entertainment Weekly says it's "the funniest musical of all time.'

Theatrical licensor Music Theatre International (MTI) www.mtishows.com, has secured worldwide licensing rights to three of Broadway and Off-Broadway's most recent hits, SISTER ACT, AMERICAN IDIOT and MURDER BALLAD. The three shows are the newest productions to join MTI's global theatrical licensing catalogue.

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts announces its Inaugural Season beginning with performances by the Martha Graham Dance Company, which open the 500-seat Goldsmith Theater on November 8 and 9, 2013, followed by the play Parfumerie by Miklos Laszlo, adapted by Edward P. Dowdall and directed by Mark Brokaw, from November 26 to December 22, 2013. The romantic tale Parfumerie inspired the films The Shop Around the Corner, In the Good Old Summertime, and Nora Ephron's You've Got Mail, as well as the Broadway musical She Loves Me. As a special program, an exhibition on perfume entitled Timeless Scents: 1370-2013, a history of iconic fragrances through the ages is being created especially for The Wallis by Chandler Burr, former New York Times scent critic.

The producers of Buyer & Cellar have announced that the hit comedy's star, Michael Urie, has extended his run in the play through Sunday, January 5, 2014. Tickets are now on sale through that date.

New Worlds Theatre Project has announced that it will present the English language premiere of Peretz Hirshbein's Yiddish play, Carcass, beginning Saturday, September 7 at 7pm at HERE, 145 Sixth Avenue. The opening night is set for Thursday, September 12.

The critically acclaimed revival of Horton Foote's American masterpiece, THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL, will host a special free talkback following the performance on Wednesday evening, August 14th. Focusing on the creative process of THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL, this one-night only event will feature stars VANESSA WILLIAMS, CUBA GOODING JR, TOM WOPAT and ADEPERO ODUYE and will be moderated by writer and critic, CARYN JAMES. All ticket holders for the evening performance on August 14th are invited to stay for the talkback. THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL talkback series kicked off last week with a panel featuring Betty Buckley, Ellen Burstyn, and Hallie Foote as they discussed the appeal and challenges of appearing in a Horton Foote play.

The Public Theater's production of the new musical LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST, the second show of The Public's 2013 free Shakespeare in the Park season at the Delacorte, opens tonight, August 12, 2013. Directed by Alex Timbers, the show features songs by Michael Friedman, with book adaptation by Timbers, and will run through Sunday, August 18. Let's see what the critics had to say...

On the heels of its successful first season in 2012/13, the Broadway @ NOCCA concert series has already updated the lineup for its second season. Five of New York theater's leading ladies (one of whom is famously a man in disguise) will perform in New Orleans in 2013/14 as the popular series leaps again to NOCCA's Lupin Hall from its original summer home at The Art House in Provincetown, MA. The series is hosted again by Sirius/XM radio star Seth Rudetsky at piano. The 2013 - 2014 Broadway @ NOCCA Season is made possible by the generous support of The New Orleans Hotel Collection and Gambit.

Walnut Street Theatre opens its landmark 205th season with the groundbreaking 21st century musical IN THE HEIGHTS. Directed by Bruce Lumpkin, with choreography by Michelle Gaudette, this exhilarating musical about chasing your dreams and finding your true home begins previews on September 3rd, opens on September 11th and runsthrough October 20th on the WST Mainstage.