Betty Comden News

Arriving on Broadway six years after La, La, Lucille, followed-up by Yes, Yes, Yvette and inspiring Betty Comden and Adolph Green to imagine a musical named If, If, Iphigenia, No, No, Nanette is the kind of delectably frothy musical comedy confection you might not naturally associate with being the stuff of legends.  And yet, quite a bit about this high-spirited romp, now getting a lovingly stylish concert reading from Encores!, has achieved legendary status.

It was announced today that the upcoming previously announced revival of West Side Story will begin previews on February 23, 2009 with an official opening slated for March 19, 2009.

The fifth annual Fall for Dance Festival will run from September 17 - 27, 2008, showcasing 28 national and international companies and choreographers in six unique programs (four programs will be repeated).

Primary Stages (Casey Childs, Executive Producer; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Elliot Fox, Managing Director), Off-Broadway's preeminent theater company, will honor Tony Award-winning actress Patti LuPone and The Baruch-Routh-Frankel-Viertel Group at this year's Primary Stages 24th Anniversary Gala Benefit to be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel (109 East 42nd Street) on Monday, October 27, 2008.

Director Billy Porter and Grammy nominee Ledisi mark their debuts with Reprise Theatre Company in the 1990 musical 'Once on This Island,' opening the 2008-2009 season, September 2 to 14 at UCLA's Freud Playhouse. The press opening is September 3.

WEST SIDE STORY, the landmark American musical, will return to Broadway in a new production directed by two-time Tony Award winning librettist Arthur Laurents.

On June 11th, 2008 COMPOSE YOURSELF! began at the York Theatre Company The music is by Larry Grossman with lyrics by Hal Hackady, Ellen Fitzhugh, Betty Comden & Adolph Green, Buz Kohan, Carol Hall, Fred Ebb,Amanda Green, Drey Shepperd and Michael Korie. The cast boasts Nikki Renee Daniels (Les Misérables), Darius de Haas (Rent), Jason Graae (A Grand Night for Singing), Tony Nomimee Liz Larsen (Hairspray, The Most Happy Fella), Lorna Luft (Guys and Dolls) and Howard McGillin (The Phantom of the Opera). Stuart Ross (Forever Plaid creator) directs the production with music direction by David Snyder. Award-winning composer Grossman is featured at the piano.

The York Theatre Company announces rehearsals have begun for its New2NY series, which will present staged concerts of musicals in their NYC premieres.

The 92nd Street Y announces the 2009 line-up for Lyrics & Lyricists™, the Y's legendary American Songbook series. This is the first season curated by new series artistic director DEBORAH GRACE WINER, who created three shows for L&L over the last five years, and is now taking on responsibility for the overall artistic direction of the series. Her inaugural line-up of guest artistic directors features MARTIN CHARNIN, DAVID ZIPPEL, ROBERT KIMBALL, REX REED, and BILLY STRITCH.

On Monday, June 9, 2008 at 7.30 PM an all-star cast took the stage for a one-night-only benefit gala performance of 'COMDEN & GREEN'S NEW YORK- FROM GREENWICH VILLAGE TO THE GREAT WHITE WAY'. All proceeds from the event will benefit GREENWICH HOUSE MUSIC SCHOOL and will be matched thanks to a challenge grant from the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust.

The 59th season of the Gateway Playhouse opens with the multiple Tony Award winner, 'The Will Rogers Follies, a life in revue'

Andrea Marcovicci returns to 'Lyrics & Lyricists'™ with an evening of gems from the post-1965 repertoire to refute the notion that rock 'n' roll killed the art of songwriting. At the final 'Lyrics & Lyricists' of the 2009 season - Did the American Songbook Really End in 1965?

Gateway Playhouse, Long Island's premiere professional Equity musical theatre, begins its 59th season with the multiple Tony Award winner, 'The Will Rogers Follies, a life in revue' May 21-June 14.

On Monday, June 9, 2008 at 7.30 PM an all-star cast will take to the stage for a one-night-only benefit gala performance of 'Comden and Green's New York'. All proceeds from the event will benefit Greenwich House Music School.

On The Town, the first Broadway musical written by Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, with original choreography by Jerome Robbins, will open the 2008-2009 Encores! season as part of the city-wide Leonard Bernstein 90th Birthday Celebration sponsored by Carnegie Hall and the New York Philharmonic from September through December 2008.

New York City Center announces 16th Encores! Season opening with 'On the Town.'

Craig Zadan and Neil Meron--the producers of film version of Hairpray--will bring a movie musical of Peter Pan to the small screen

Reprise! Broadway's Best presents Broadway, TV and film-star Carol Burnett in Conversation with Philip Himberg, Artistic Director of the Sundance Theatre Program and director of Flora, the Red Menace for one-night-only on Monday, May 12, 2008 at UCLA's intimate Freud Playhouse

Amanda Green begs the musical question 'Does This Song Make My Ass Look Fat?' an evening of her elegant lyrics at The York Theater Company on Monday, March 10 at 7PM.

New York City Center Encores! celebrated the closing night of its 2008 season opener, the 1970 Tony Award-winning hit, Applause, directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall with Music Direction by Rob Berman. Applause played five performances, from February 7-10 at New York City Center.