Bob Avian News

The Tony Awards Administration Committee has announced that Jerry Mitchell will receive the 2023 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award in recognition of his outstanding dedication and contributions to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) and for more than three decades of volunteer service through the arts. 

'A Chorus Line' with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante will be performed at The Weston Friendly Society of the Performing Arts this May. Coming off of a successful run of their production of 'The Sound of Music' back in December, WFS will close out their 137th Season with this 9 time Tony Award Winning classic.

Opera Australia has confirmed Cameron Mackintosh's critically acclaimed new production of Boublil and Schönberg's Miss Saigon will premiere at the Sydney Opera House in August 2023.

What did our critic think of A CHORUS LINE at Drury Lane Theatre Oakbrook Terrace, IL? A Chorus Line, Michael Bennett's iconic love letter to performers on the line anywhere, opened last night at Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace. How do I write about this show which holds a special place in my heart? During the late '70s and '80s, I saw ACL 13 times at the Auditorium, Shubert and Blackstone theaters. I was lucky to see Bebe Neuwirth, Robert Lupone and Tony Teague in lead roles. Director Jane Lanier has preserved Michael's vision from 1975 including original choreography by Michael Bennett and Bob Avian and book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante. Jane, I (and countless others) cannot thank you enough. There were a few updates which were subtle and worked perfectly. The costumes designed by Sarah Cubbage and Heather C. Jackson were done with nuance from Theoni V. Aldredge's original Broadway design. Andrew Boyce's recreation of the mirrors was breathtaking. Lighting has been a special part of ACL and Julie Mack's design was awe inspiring. Christopher Sargent conducting the orchestra brought to life once again Marvin Hamlisch's toe tapping, humming and singing along score and Edward Kleban's lyrics.

Broadway vet Lawrence Merritt passed away on January 22, 2023. He succumbed to COVID/pneumonia at the Riverside Rehabilitation and Healing Center in NYC. Read more about Merritt's life and career.

Animation artist Warren Wright has returned with his latest dollcentric tribute to Broadway! This time he's recreating the iconic number 'Turkey Lurkey Time' from the musical Promises, Promises as performed on the 1969 Tony Awards!

Today's question is: Who has worn the most hats on Broadway- director, producer, writer, actor, etc.? Here are a few folks that could hold a record for the 'number of hats' they've worn on Broadway shows. Part one includes those who have worn four or five hats on Broadway shows and part two will include those who have held even more positions than that!

The actors in this production do a magnificent job conveying their characters stories with acting choices that are credible and believable. STAGES St. Louis’ production succeeds because the audience connects with each of the dancers portrayed including those who may not initially seem warm or likeable. By the end of the production, the audience is rooting for all the auditioning dancers to win the job and feels the joy and disappointment for each because their stories have induced a personal connection.

This production of A CHORUS LINE, directed by Mark Lull, is a nod to the original staging and his vision effectively tells the emotional stories of dancers auditioning for a role in the chorus of a show. Kimberly Klick attempts to recreate Michael Bennett and Bob Avian’s choreography from the 1975 production on a small civic center stage. Her choreography is reminiscent enough to satisfy even the biggest of A CHORUS LINE fan. Lull, Klick and the cast do an admirable job with the material and this production is surprisingly delightful for a community theater production.

Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival opens the iconic Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical A Chorus Line. The show previews June 22 & 23, opens June 24 and will run through July 10 at the Labuda Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of DeSales University.

The Mac-Haydn Theatre will present A CHORUS LINE from June 23 through July 3, 2022, kicking off their 53rd season in Chatham.

Joe Papp, founder of The Public Theater, Free Shakespeare in the Park and producer of groundbreaking plays like Hair, A Chorus Line and for colored girls, created a 'theater of inclusion' based on the belief that great art is for everyone.

From November 18th-21st, Judson Theatre Company will be presenting a new holiday comedy by Stan Zimmerman & Christian McLaughlin titled YES, VIRGINIA at Owens Auditorium inside the Bradshaw Performing Arts Center. Actress Arnetia Walker stars in the production opposite Mindy Sterling. She has appeared on Broadway in THE SIGN IN SIDNEY BRUSTEIN'S WINDOW, TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA, RAISIN, THE WIZ, and DREAMGIRLS. Her TV credits include: QUANTUM LEAP, NURSES, THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR, MAD ABOUT YOU, NYPD BLUE, MALCOLM & EDDIE, JUST SHOOT ME!, THE STEVE HARVEY SHOW, TOUCHED BY AN ANGLE, CITY OF ANGELS, JUDGING AMY, EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND, and DYNASTY. Her film credits include: THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS, THE WIZARD OF SPEED AND TIME, SCENES FROM THE CLASS STRUGGLE IN BEVERLY HILLS, LOVE CRIMES, FOR LOVE OF THE GAME, and COLLEGE ROAD TRIP. I had the great pleasure of interviewing her about all of this and more.

This Sunday finds the diminutive talent wearing yet another new hat, as Director for Sunday night’s airing of WICKED In Concert, celebrating the score of the iconic, long-running musical,

The curtain will finally rise on Moonlight Stage Productions' long-delayed 40th anniversary season this summer when it returns to live and in-person entertainment in June with four Broadway musicals.

The Wick Theatre in Boca Raton is no longer dark! The acclaimed venue recently opened for the Tony award-winning musical A Chorus Line, which will run through May 30, 2021. 

On this day in 2017, Cameron Macintosh's acclaimed revival of the musical Miss Saigon landed on Broadway starring Tony-nominee Eva Noblezada. 

Today's top stories: Shakespeare in the Park returns this summer, The Office! A Musical Parody resumes off-Broadway next month, Lin-Manuel Miranda announces new book on In the Heights, and more!

As BroadwayWorld reported earlier this year, Broadway choreographer Bob Avian, known best for his work with Michael Bennett, passed away at the age of 83, but not before one final interview. Watch below as the beloved song and dance man chats with Island City Stage about his book, 'Dancin' Man', just a week before his death.

This week's Theater Stories features the Shubert Theatre! Learn about one of the longest running Broadway shows of all time, A Chorus Line, the incredibly successful production of To Kill a Mockingbird, the star-studded revival of Hello, Dolly! and more.