Bette Midler News

'Gossip is the lube by which this town slips it in.'

If Betty Comden and Adolph Green were both born in Bombay, Singin' In The Rain might have wound up resembling The New Group's new musical, Bunty Berman Presents….  Not that Ayub Khan Din (book, music and lyrics) and Paul Bogaev's (music) Bollywood-set musical comedy is on the same level as that masterwork, but the spirit of silly 1950s MGM hijinks abounds throughout the evening.  It's got laughs, it's got tunes and it offers a fun, mindless time.

I suppose Richard Foreman doesn't have many talkbacks after performances of his plays because, really, how many times can you respond to an audience member asking, 'What the f***?'

Voting opened on May 2, 2013 and runs through May 31, 2013 for the 11th Annual BroadwayWorld.com Awards! Here are the current standings as of 5/13 with just 17 days to go in voting!

Two record breakers this week, I'LL EAT YOU LAST, Bette Midler's return to Broadway, has broken the box office record at the Booth Theatre. The production grossed $865,144 for the week ending May 12, 2013. This marks the second consecutive week the production has set the box office record at the Booth. The production's previous record of $753,217 was set the week ending May 5, 2013. Also, the new Broadway production of PIPPIN has broken the house record for the Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th Street) grossing $861,513 over eight performances for the week ending May 12, 2013.

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, the performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54thStreet, will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. 54 Below also launched its series of late night events. Joining Tuesday nights' popular "Backstage" with Susie Mosher is the "54 Piano Bar," a new vocal competition - 'The Callback," and more:

Five months…  FIVE MONTHS after their previous musical comedy, Jumbo, opened at the Hippodrome, the trio of Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart and George Abbott had a brand new one at the Imperial.  But far from seeming a rush job, their 1936 On Your Toes can easily be argued to be a huge step forward in refining musical comedy into a sophisticated art form.

Winner's Tally for 2 or more: Pippin 7; Kinky Boots 3; Matilda The Musical 2; My Name Is Asher Lev 2 ;The Nance 2; Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike 2;

Today we are talking to a terrifically talented twosome who are being touted as the next songwriting duo to take New York by storm - and, with DOGFIGHT appearing Off-Broadway at Second Stage last year and A CHRISTMAS STORY setting Broadway alight for a limited run this past holiday season, they are certainly on the fast-track to success - Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Revealing their reaction to last week's 2013 Tony Award nominations for their stupendous score for the screen-to-stage adaptation of A CHRISTMAS STORY as well as all about the creation and ultimate execution of the show itself, Pasek & Paul open up about their creative process and illustrate what makes their music work so well in a theatrical milieu. Most importantly, the songwriters discuss DOGFIGHT - the inspiration for it, writing of it, the recent Off-Broadway production directed by Joe Mantello, and, now, the absolutely spectacular cast album now available on Ghost light - to say nothing of next week's concert celebrating the album release. Additionally, Pasek & Paul share stories of the songs that make up their popular and frequently-produced EDGES, new and old, as well as their plans for future shows. Plus, all about the new material recently written by the duo for NBC's musical drama series SMASH, details about their stage adaptation of Roald Dahl's seminal children's book JAMES & THE GIANT PEACH as well as opinions on fellow songwriting teams and other influential musical theatre icons, as well as much, much more!

After its workshop production at the York Theatre in NYC in Nov. 2011, Chance - A Musical Play about Love, Risk & Getting it Right -will be having the its world premiere staging at The Alcove Theatre in SF. July 5 -28, 2013.

Voting opened on May 2, 2013 and runs through May 31, 2013 for the 11th Annual BroadwayWorld.com Awards! Here are the current standings as of 5/9 with just 21 days to go in voting!

This weekend, WABC-7 airs a half-hour special covering highlights of the spring season on Broadway, including ANNIE, THE ASSEMBLED PARTIES, I'LL EAT YOU LAST, JERSEY BOYS, LUCKY GUY, MATILDA THE MUSICAL, MOTOWN THE MUSICAL, PIPPIN, and more. 'Broadway Backstage: Spring Preview' airs on Saturday, May 18 from 7:00-7:30PM.

Julien's Auctions returns to the Big Apple for the music memorabilia auction of the year at the Hard Rock Café in Times Square on May 18, 2013. Items will be available in person and online for an incomparable auction featuring items from Bette Midler, The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Madonna, David Cassidy, and all of the icons of music past and present.

Producers Darren Bagert, Dan Shaheen, and Ted Snowdon have announced that the hit comedy Buyer & Cellar, starring Michael Urie ('Ugly Betty'), written by Jonathan Tolins, and directed by Stephen Brackett, will transfer to the Barrow Street Theatre for a ten-week engagement beginning Tuesday, June 18, at 7:30pm and opening Monday, June 24. Tickets go on sale today.

The 2013 Billboard Music Awards will be honoring Madonna with the Top Touring Artist Award for her 2012 MDNA tour. Madonna will take the stage to accept the prestigious award which recognizes the highest grossing concert touring act of the year.

Hotel Nikko San Francisco and multi-platinum entertainer Michael Feinstein have announced the opening of Feinstein's at the Nikko. Located within Hotel Nikko (222 Mason Street, San Francisco), Feinstein's at the Nikko will present a wide range of local, regional and national entertainers in an intimate 140-seat cabaret setting. Two-time Tony Award winner Sutton Foster (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Anything Goes, The Drowsy Chaperone) will take the stage tonight, May 8 - 12, 2013 for the inaugural performances.

To celebrate the acclaimed documentary The Girls in the Band coming to Lincoln Center, Mayor Bloomberg has proclaimed Friday, May 10 “Women in Jazz Day.” The date celebrates the legacies of female jazz musicians and marks the first in a weeklong series of screenings of The Girls in the Band at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center at Lincoln Center. Written, directed and produced by Judy Chaikin and produced and executive produced by Michael Greene, the film tells the stories of female jazz and big band instrumentalists from the 1920s to the present day and chronicles their inspired journeys and struggles for recognition. Tickets for the screenings are on sale now at http://bit.ly/10tfvNn; please see below for complete screening schedule. More info on the film can be found at http://www.thegirlsintheband.com/home/.

Welcome to this week's edition of our new WEEKLY GROSSES ANALYSIS, part of our new Industry Insights section that will feature insider industry information, commentary and insights! Read on for all the weekly grosses statistics for the movers and shakers from the latest grosses, 5/5/2013.

Rain Pryor has had many television roles. Most notably, you might remember her on the ABC series 'Head of the Class.' She's now a mom and calls Baltimore home. Nevertheless, New York welcomes her with open arms. Her autobiographical one-woman show, Fried Chicken and Latkes is running now at the Actors Temple Theatre (339 W. 47th Street).