Charles Strouse News

The ever-popular Broadway musical Annie will light up Sydney's Lyric Theatre from 29 December in an exciting new production produced John Frost.

The Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre presents its Children's Studio Theatre production of Annie Jr. from February 10- 18, 2012.

The Shakespeare Theatre Company continues celebrating its 25th Anniversary Season with the second installment of the Bard's Broadway series with the Tony Award winning musical Two Gentlemen of Verona (a rock opera) performing January 27-29, 2012 at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW). Galt MacDermot, John Guare and Mel Shapiro come together to create the music, lyrics and book that add a spicy, funky twist to Shakespeare's work of the same name.

The new collection, EVERYONE HAS A STORY: THE SONGS OF ADRYAN RUSS, offers Broadway, pop, cabaret - even a holiday song - by this lyricist/composer of Inside Out, the award-winning off-Broadway musical about five women in group therapy that played New York's Cherry Lane and many theaters country-wide.

Theatre Aspen, an award-winning professional theatre in the Rocky Mountains, announced an encore presentation of the beloved musical Annie, by Thomas Meehan (book), Charles Strouse (music) and Martin Charnin (lyrics).

Lincoln Center's American Songbook Week Two runs January 18-21, 2012 at The Allen Room, at Frederick P. Rose Hall, located at Broadway at 60th Street.

The last few shows I've attended have featured, in part, a terrific, young cast. The members of the company of "Annie" at CM PAC in Oakdale, NY were no exception. Timothy Pappalardos' adaptation shows a bright future for Long Island theater and a true team coming together to put on a fun show running now through January 15th.

Jason Graae returns to NYC with his acclaimed tribute to Jerry Herman, "PERFECT HERMANY" for two performances only on Wednesday, December 7 at 7 PM and Thursday, December 8 at 10 PM at The Laurie Beechman Theatre in West Bank Cafe, 407 West 42nd Street.

Lincoln Center's acclaimed series American Songbook returns to the elegant Allen Room in January for its fourteenth season celebrating the diversity of American popular song. For 16 nights the series will explore the best of the golden age of musical standards through to today's most dynamic songwriting. Week One of the 2012 season will start off with a relatively new composer on the scene, multiple Tony-winning Lin-Manuel Miranda (In the Heights) who will be bringing his new rap composition about American historical figure Alexander Hamilton called The Hamilton Mixtape. Next up is the just-nominated-for-a-Grammy Award duo Chris Thile and Michael Daves, who play a dazzling, modern form of bluegrass that nonetheless references legendary bluegrass artists from the past. From the rock canon will be J.D. Souther, performing songs he wrote for Linda Ronstadt and the Eagles as well as newer compositions. To close out Week One, composer William Finn (Falsettos, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), along with guest vocalists, will be performing a song cycle inspired by the poetry of William Blake.

JASON GRAAE, the L.A. DRAMA CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD winner and Broadway and cabaret star who debuted his acclaimed tribute to Jerry Herman, "PERFECT HERMANY" in NYC in October, returns to The Laurie Beechman Theatre in West Bank Cafe, 407 West 42nd Street, on December 7th for two more performances: Wednesday, December 7 at 7 PM and Thursday, December 8 at 10 PM.

JASON GRAAE, the L.A. DRAMA CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD winner and Broadway and cabaret star who debuted his acclaimed tribute to Jerry Herman, "PERFECT HERMANY" in NYC in October, returns to The Laurie Beechman Theatre in West Bank Cafe, 407 West 42nd Street, on December 7th for two more performances: Wednesday, December 7 at 7 PM and Thursday, December 8 at 10 PM.

Dallas Theater Center's A Christmas Carol opens today at the Kalita Humphreys Theater and runs through Dec. 24.

The award-winning York Theatre Company just honored Tony and Grammy Award winner Barbara Cook with the 20th Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre on Monday, November 21st, 2011 at the Edison Ballroom.

Dallas Theater Center has announced the return of A Christmas Carol at the Kalita Humphreys Theater Nov. 25 - Dec. 24.

The award-winning York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director) will honor Tony and Grammy Award winner Barbara Cook with the 20th Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre on Monday, November 21st, 2011.

I can now feel the tiny pin pricks of the needles piercing the flesh of the Jef Ellis voodoo dolls held about the neck by various members of the cast and crew as they exact their revenge while they continue reading this review. I say: Bring it on! Sticks and stones and all that...

On the heels of the decision to extend Chanhassen Dinner Theatres' production of HAIRSPRAY through May 26, 2012, the theatre has announced the next two Main Stage productions to follow.