Chita Rivera News

It was announced today by The Theatre World Awards Board of Directors (Dale Badway, President), and The Dorothy Loudon Foundation (Lionel Larner, Executive Director), Ben Edelman (Admissions) will be honored with the 10th Annual Dorothy Loudon Award at the 74TH Annual Theatre World Awards Ceremony on the set of the TONY Nominated Broadway Revival of Once on This Island on Monday afternoon, June 4, 2018 beginning at 2:00 p.m at Circle in the Square

Andy Karl and Orfeh will host the 2018 Chita Rivera Awards, taking place at NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday, May 20 at 7:30pm.

The Ogunquit Playhouse kicks off its 86th season with the all-new incarnation of the sizzling song and dance celebration Smokey Joe's Cafe: The Songs of Leiber and Stoller on stage May 16 to June 9. This exuberant production of the record breaking Broadway smash hit is directed and choreographed by Emmy Award-winner and Tony Award-nominee Josh Bergasse who will bring new life to more than 30 classic songs including 'Stand by Me,' 'I'm a Woman,' 'Hound Dog,' 'Fools Fall In Love,' 'On Broadway,' 'Yakety Yak,' 'Pearl's a Singer,' 'Treat Me Nice,' 'There Goes My Baby,' 'Love Potion #9,' 'Jailhouse Rock,' and 'Spanish Harlem.' The all-new production heads to Stage 42 (422 West 42nd Street, NYC) following its Ogunquit run.

New Dramatists, Tony® Honor recipient and the nation's premier playwright development laboratory, just honored Tony®and Academy Award-winner Denzel Washington at its 69th Annual Spring Luncheon tribute. Washington, currently starring on Broadway in The Iceman Cometh, directed by George C. Wolfe, received New Dramatists' 2018 Distinguished Achievement Award. Tributes to Mr. Washington and performances were presented by three-time Grammy Award-winner Branford Marsalis with bassist Noah Jackson, Tony®Award-winners George C. Wolfe and Stephen McKinley Henderson, Constanza Romero (August Wilson Estate), and Pulitzer Prize finalist and New Dramatists resident playwright Kristoffer Diaz (The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity).

The new production of THE RINK will play at Southwark Playhouse for a limited season from 25 May to 23 June 2018, with a national press night on Tuesday 29 May. Get a first look at the company in rehearsal below!

The Actors Fund bestowed its Medal of Honor upon four artists last night at its annual gala. BroadwayWorld was on hand at the big event, and you can check out photos below!

If you don't know who Chita is, all you have to do is click here: http:www.playbill.comarticlewarren-beatty-kenny-leon-chita-rivera-uma-thurman-receive-actors-funds-medal-of-honor, and that should get you up to speed, somewhat. As I write this, she is being honored tonight, May 14th, 2018 by the Actor's Fund as one of their Medal of Honor recipients.

Goodspeed Musicals is excited to announce that Sue Frost will be the latest recipient of The Goodspeed Award for Outstanding Contribution to Musical Theatre.

Jump For Joy! The Off-Broadway cast recording of the New York premiere production of the new musical Unexpected Joy, with book and lyrics by Bill Russell (Side Show) and music by Janet Hood (Elegies for Angels, Punks, and Raging Queens with Bill Russell), will be recorded and released by JAY Records. Produced by John Yap, the recording will feature the original cast of The York Theatre Company production who will gather at Sear Sound Studios (353 West 48th Street) on Monday, May 14, 2018 to lay down the tracks for the recording.

Good morning BroadwayWorld! Today's top stories: The Actors Fun holds its annual gala tonight, and Steve Martin, Michael Cera, Tony Yazbeck, and more will appear at Broadway Bets!

A new drama pilot starring multiple Tony Award nominee, Andy Karl, has been passed over for a full season pick up at ABC,

New Dramatists, Tony® Honor recipient and the nation's premier playwright development laboratory, will honor Tony®and Academy Award-winner Denzel Washington at its 69th Annual Spring Luncheon tribute. Washington, currently starring on Broadway in The Iceman Cometh, directed by George C. Wolfe,will receive New Dramatists' 2018 Distinguished Achievement Award on Tuesday, May 15 at the New York Marriott Marquis. Tributes to Mr. Washington and performances will be presented by three-time Grammy Award-winner Branford Marsalis with bassist Noah Jackson, Tony®Award-winners George C. Wolfe and Stephen McKinley Henderson, Constanza Romero (August Wilson Estate), and Pulitzer Prize finalist and New Dramatists resident playwright Kristoffer Diaz (The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity).

Next week, FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club & Private Event Destination, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond.

MonaVision Films will present a private staged reading of Steve Monarque's THAT'S LIFE, a full-length play with music, directed by Mel Johnson Jr.

On Friday, May 11, PBS will present an encore broadcast of their enormously successful Great Performances special Chita Rivera: A Lot of Livin' to Do, a career retrospective of the legendary theatrical icon. The program features interviews, archival performance footage and songs from Rivera's concert repertoire including such numbers as "A Boy Like That," "America," "A Lot of Livin' to Do," "All That Jazz," and "Nowadays."  The encore broadcast will air in the New York area on THIRTEEN/WNET Friday, May 11 at 10:00 PM ET. (Check local listings in your area). 

Steven Hoggett, who is represented on Broadway this season with Angels in America and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, will receive the inaugural Douglas and Ethel Watt Critics' Choice Award at the 2018 Chita Rivera Awards

On Monday, May 7th The League of Professional Theatre Women (Kelli Lynn Harrison & Lisa Rothe, Co-Presidents), an organization which has been leading the gender parity conversation and championing women in the professional theatre for over 35 years, presented the final Oral History event of their 2017-18 season with two-time Tony Award winner Chita Rivera in the Bruno Walter Auditorium at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts (111 Amsterdam Avenue at 65th Street). Ms. Rivera talked about her life and illustrious career with Broadway World's lead correspondent, Richard Ridge, host of Backstage with Richard Ridge. 

The Muny previously announced that Tony and Grammy Award-winning artist Heather Headleyand Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe Award-nominated artist Matthew Morrison will serve as co-hosts for The Muny's historic Centennial Gala show, An Evening with the Stars, May 18, 2018 at 9:15 p.m. at The Muny.

In this episode: Victoria Bailey, Executive Director of TDF, talks about TKTS celebrating 45 years and parent company TDF celebrating 50 years in 2018. TDF (Theatre Development Fund) is an organization that believes the performing arts should be available to everybody. They sell the idea of going to all theatre, not shows in particular and that Broadway is for everyone. Victoria Bailey has been with the company for 17 years, started at Yale, and was the GM at MTC for 19 years. She believes that theatre creates empathy for lives different than our own, that TDF/TKTS has created theatre goers for generations, and is a prime example of having a successful life in the arts separate from the footlights.

For our first fabulous Tony memory, we turn to the incomparable Chita Rivera, who is being honored this year for a lifetime of achievement in the theatre.