Betty Comden News

Urban Stages Founding Artistic Director Frances Hill and producer Peter Napolitano present the World Premiere of Character Man as part of its 30th Anniversary season. Jim Brochu's new musical memoir begins an Off-Broadway run at Urban Stages Theatre (259 West 30th Street) February 28th, with opening night set for Wednesday March 5th. This limited run will continue through March 30th only. Robert Bartley directs, with musical direction by Carl Haan. Character Man will have scenic & video design by Patrick Brennan, lighting design by Meghan Santelli and sound design by Sean Hagerty.

Following NBC's announcement of PETER PAN as its next live, mega-TV musical, set to air December 4, 2014, Bill Murray showed us his best singing -- and flying -- chops on LETTERMAN. Check out his 'audition' for the lead role in PETER PAN below!

The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Associate Conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong present Leonard Bernstein's On the Town today, January 31-February 1, 2014 at 8:00 p.m. at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts with soprano Georgia Jarman. The program features Bernstein's Three Dance Episodes from On the Town and On the Waterfront Symphonic Suite, Foss's Time Cycle, and Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Opus 24.

Notable Tony Award-winning actress Randy Graff is set to make her cabaret debut with a brand new solo show titled MADE IN BROOKLYN next month at 54 Below and the triple-threat performer has just added another upcoming performance at the NYC cabaret hotspot to meet demand.

Today, in honor of this week's eagerly awaited announcement that the next live musical event to be presented on NBC will be the classic 1954 PETER PAN, we take a look at some of the highlights from the high-flying history of the family-friendly musical.

Donna Vivino, the rising Broadway and vocal star, will celebrate the release of Beautiful Dreamer - her debut solo album from Ghostlight Records - with a special performance at 54 Below tonight, January 23 at 9:30 PM. The veteran of Broadway's 'Wicked' and 'Les Miserables,' Vivino will reprise her solo concert 'It's Not Easy Being Green' with special numbers from the new recording.

On the heels of an announcement yesterday by NBC that their next live musical would be PETER PAN, speculation has already started on who will play the leads.

Breaking news from the Television Critics Association, NBC has just revealed their next mega-TV musical, executive produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron - PETER PAN! The broadcast has been scheduled for December 4, 2014.

The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Associate Conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong present Leonard Bernstein's On the Town on January 31-February 1, 2014 at 8:00 p.m. at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts with soprano Georgia Jarman. The program features Bernstein's Three Dance Episodes from On the Town and On the Waterfront Symphonic Suite, Foss's Time Cycle, and Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Opus 24.

DONNA VIVINO, the rising Broadway and vocal star, will celebrate the release of Beautiful Dreamer - her debut solo album from Ghostlight Records - with a special performance at 54 Below on Thursday, January 23 at 9:30 PM. The veteran of Broadway's "Wicked" and "Les Miserables," Vivino will reprise her solo concert "It's Not Easy Being Green" with special numbers from the new recording. She will be joined by Musical Director Ken Levinsky on piano and Jeff Ganz on bass. The album was released in stores and via online outlets December 10, 2013.

A new production of Johann Strauss Jr.'s New Year's Eve classic, the comedic operetta Die Fledermaus, will open at the Met tonight, December 31, with two Broadway stars appearing.

A new production of Johann Strauss Jr.'s New Year's Eve classic, the comedic operetta Die Fledermaus, will open at the Met on December 31, with two Broadway stars appearing. Check out a preview video below!

A new production of Johann Strauss Jr.'s New Year's Eve classic, the comedic operetta Die Fledermaus, will open at the Met on December 31. Jeremy Sams, writer and creator of the Met's Baroque pasticheThe Enchanted Island, makes his company debut as director with the new staging, which is set in Vienna at the turn of the 20thcentury. Sams also contributes new lyrics for Strauss's work, which will be performed entirely in English; Tony Award-nominated playwright Douglas Carter Beane makes his Met debut with new dialogue. Adam Fischer conducts a cast of rising opera stars and Broadway performers. The cast is led by Susanna Phillips and Christopher Maltman as the unhappily married Rosalinde and Eisenstein; Jane Archibald as Rosalinde's feisty maid, Adele; Anthony Roth Costanzo as Prince Orlofsky; Michael Fabiano as Rosalinde's former lover, Alfred; Paulo Szot as the bumbling Dr. Falke; and Patrick Carfizzi as the prison superintendent, Frank. Broadway stars Danny Burstein and Betsy Wolfe make Met debuts as the drunken jailer, Frosch, and Adele's sister, Ida. Robert Jones is set and costume designer for the production, with lighting design by Jennifer Schriever and choreography by Stephen Mear in their Met debuts.

Follow Lyrics & Lyricists over the rainbow to the West Coast and the glory days of MGM. On January 11, 12and 13 Tony Award® winner Kathleen Marshall makes her L&L debut as guest artistic director for Going Hollywood, a singing, dancing, Technicolor celebration of the silver screen's greatest musicals, featuring Cameron Adams, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Joshua Henry, Jeremy Jordan, Rob McClure and Rachel York.

Today in 1991, the second Broadway revival of Peter Pan opened at the MInskoff Theatre, where it ran for 48 performances. Peter Pan is a musical adaptation of J. M. Barrie's 1904 play Peter Pan and Barrie's own novelization of it, Peter and Wendy. The music is mostly by Mark 'Moose' Charlap, with additional music by Jule Styne, and most of the lyrics were written by Carolyn Leigh, with additional lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. The original 1954 Broadway production, starring Mary Martin as Peter and Cyril Ritchard as Captain Hook, earned Tony Awards for both stars.

Donna Vivino, who starred for two years as 'Elphaba' in the First National Tour of WICKED and also in the role on Broadway, just released a jazzy new album called 'Beautiful Dreamer' via Ghostlight Records. This is Donna's first album, which came about in a spur-of-the-moment collaboration with her father, Jerry Vivino, who is part of Conan's Basic Cable Band -- the house band for O'Brien's late night show on TBS. Donna recently spoke with BWW about working with her father, her current project off-Broadway, and the upcoming third season of 'Submissions Only'.

A new production of Johann Strauss Jr.'s New Year's Eve classic, the comedic operetta Die Fledermaus, will open at the Met on December 31. Jeremy Sams, writer and creator of the Met's Baroque pastiche The Enchanted Island, makes his company debut as director with the new staging, which is set in Vienna at the turn of the 20th century. Sams also contributes new lyrics for Strauss's work, which will be performed entirely in English; Tony Award-nominated playwright Douglas Carter Beane makes his Met debut with new dialogue. Adam Fischer conducts a cast of rising opera stars and Broadway performers. The cast is led by Susanna Phillips and Christopher Maltman as the unhappily married Rosalinde and Eisenstein; Jane Archibald as Rosalinde's feisty maid, Adele; Anthony Roth Costanzo as Prince Orlofsky; Michael Fabiano as Rosalinde's former lover, Alfred; Paulo Szot as the bumbling Dr. Falke; and Patrick Carfizzi as the prison superintendent, Frank. Broadway stars Danny Burstein and Betsy Wolfe make Met debuts as the drunken jailer, Frosch, and Adele's sister, Ida. Robert Jones is set and costume designer for the production, with lighting design by Jennifer Schriever and choreography by Stephen Mear in their Met debuts.

Anyone who's seen a production of Peter Pan, or at least one of the televised versions starring Mary Martin or Cathy Rigby, knows that there's a moment late in the evening in which Peter turns to the audience and begs everyone to clap their hands if they believe in fairies. It's a moment that easily measures the success of the production. If the show isn't connecting with the audience, Peter's pleas are met with a smattering of golf claps. But at the Georgetown Palace, that iconic moment is met with deafening applause and cheers.

Theatrical licensor Music Theatre International (MTI) has acquired the rights to license one of Broadway's most iconic and beloved musicals,PETER PAN.