Ben Brantley News

Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along, the first New York City Center Encores! production of the season, opens tonight, February 8 at New York City Center, and features Colin Donnell, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Elizabeth Stanley, Betsy Wolfe and Adam Grupper. Merrily We Roll Along, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by George Furth, is directed by James Lapine with music direction by Rob Berman and musical staging by Dan Knechtges. Merrily just opened, and will play a two-week run through February 19, 2012.

In addition to the Tony Award for Best Musical, Billy Elliot the Musical received the award for Best Direction of a Musical (Stephen Daldry); Best Book of a Musical (Lee Hall); Best Choreography (Peter Darling); Best Orchestrations (Martin Koch); Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Ian MacNeil); Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Rick Fisher); Best Sound Design of a Musical (Paul Arditti); Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, Kiril Kulish); Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Gregory Jbara).

These days, in the new age of social media revolution, the best source of information is YOU. Each day, fans of BroadwayWorld post tens of thousands of comments on our multiple message boards (main and local), weighing in on the latest news, rumors, reviews, stars and more. Each week, we find a few stand-out threads - those that have sparked particularly interesting discussion that we've decided to shine a light on each week in our newest feature: DID YOU KNOW...The 10 Most Interesting Message Board Topics of the Week, brought to you by YOU! Be sure to check back each week to see if YOUR thread made the list!

PNC Broadway Across America - Pittsburgh, presented by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Pittsburgh Symphony and Broadway Across America, proudly announces the 2011/2012 season. PNC Broadway Across America - Pittsburgh, one of the city's premier entertainment series, is sponsored by The PNC Foundation. This season presents an exceptional array of live entertainment on the Cultural District's world-class stages.

WIT had its New York premiere in 1998 receiving universal acclaim and ran Off-Broadway for over 500 performances. It was the most honored play of the season garnering the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was named Best Play by the New York Drama Critic Circle, the Drama Desk Awards, the Outer Critics Circle Awards, the Drama League, and the Lucille Lortel Awards. What did critics think of the show's Broadway debut? Find out now!

Roundabout Theatre Company recently announced the theatre organization's permanent archives, which document the company's illustrious 46-year production history. The archives are a resource for the theatre community, Roundabout's audiences, students and researchers. The digital archives showcase selections from Roundabout's general collection, featuring items that chronicle and celebrate the company's impact on the American theatre movement, and BroadwayWorld is excited to share featured pieces from the archives. Featured today:

Jackie is just out of jail and trying to stay clean and sober. He turns to his AA sponsor when he suspects his longtime girlfriend, who is still into drugs, of cheating on him. What proof does he have? A man's hat has been left on the nightstand. This Broadway hit, a fast and furious study of lives in collision, is a bruising and very funny dance of love, betrayal and indecision.

Broadway In Chicago today announced that individual tickets for JERSEY BOYS go on sale Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 at 10 a.m. JERSEY BOYS will play in Chicago at the Bank of America Theatre (18 W. Monroe, Chicago), April 5 - June 3, 2012.

Led by Kevin Spacey in the role of Richard III, the company features a British/American cast that includes Maureen Anderman as the Duchess of York; Haydn Gwynne as Queen Elizabeth; Chuk Iwuji as Duke of Buckingham; Gemma Jones as Queen Margaret; and Chandler Williams as George, Duke of Clarence. Find out what the critics thought of the production here!

Broadway In Chicago today announced that individual tickets for JERSEY BOYS go on sale Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 at 10 a.m. JERSEY BOYS will play in Chicago at the Bank of America Theatre (18 W. Monroe, Chicago), April 5 - June 3, 2012.

Roundabout Theatre Company tonight opened Athol Fugard's THE ROAD TO MECCA, featuring Tony Award winner RoseMary Harris as 'Miss Helen,' Carla Gugino as 'Elsa Barlow' and Tony Award winner Jim Dale as 'Marius Byleveld,' and directed by Gordon Edelstein.

Actors' Playhouse announces the fifth production of the 2011 - 2012 Mainstage Season, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical Next to Normal, which will be presented at the Miracle Theatre January 18 - February 12, 2012.

NETworks Presentations, LLC brings the multi-award-winning Billy Elliot the Musical to the Aronoff Center from January 17 - 29 as part of the Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Cincinnati 11/12 Season.

Jackie is just out of jail and trying to stay clean and sober. He turns to his AA sponsor when he suspects his longtime girlfriend, who is still into drugs, of cheating on him. What proof does he have? A man's hat has been left on the nightstand. This Broadway hit, a fast and furious study of lives in collision, is a bruising and very funny dance of love, betrayal and indecision.

The Gershwins' PORGY AND BESS opened tonight, Thursday, January 12th, 2012 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre starring Audra McDonald as Bess, Norm Lewis as Porgy and David Alan Grier as Sporting Life. Let's see what the critics had to say!