Chita Rivera News

'Submissions Only,' the popular webseries, has announced today the return of the show for its third season. After a very successful and record breaking Season 2 on BroadwayWorld.com, in which episode traffic was double to triple its previous YouTube incarnation, it was announced today that Tony Award-Winning Broadway producer Kevin McCollum has attached himself to the project.

The Drama League will honor five-time Tony Award-winner Audra McDonald at The Drama League's 29th Annual Musical Celebration of Broadway, on February 11, 2013 at the famed Pierre Hotel (2 East 61st Street). Amy Eller and Ellen Fox are the 2013 Gala Chairpersons. Tickets and tables are available by calling (212) 244-9494 or visiting www.dramaleague.org/audra.

The Board of Directors and Executive Director/Producer/Founder of THE COLUMN Awards Organization, John Garcia, have announced today that Tony Award nominee, Broadway sensation Orfeh will be their special guest star and Co-host for the 14th Annual COLUMN Awards Gala. The extravaganza event will be held on Monday February 25, 2013 at the Carpenter Theatre at the Irving Arts Center.

As BroadwayWorld.com reported back in October exclusively, Meryl Streep will play the witch in the INTO THE WOODS film. In a new interview with the Litchfield County Times with arranger David Krane confirms, telling the paper that: ...

This year, Roundabout Theatre Company is thrilled to celebrate the seventh successful season of Roundabout Underground and the new play initiative, which illustrates a continued commitment to the nurturing of new artists. Through myriad programs and productions, the young artists associated with Roundabout will see their work presented to a wide audience of theater goers.

Sunday evening (January 27) the official nominations for the 14th annual COLUMN Awards were held with a live telecast. THE COLUMN AWARDS honors excellence in theater within the entire Dallas-Fort Worth Theatre metroplex.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: Chita turns 80, STARCATCHER takes its final bow, ROCK OF AGES starts a party in Vegas, and so much more!

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) presents its annual 2013 Spring Gala "A Celebration of Your Favorites" emceed by Alan Cumming (Cabaret) on Monday, March 11th, 2013 at the Hammerstein Ballroom (311 West 34th Street, NYC). The evening will be a celebration of the company's artistic achievements under Artistic Director Todd Haimes' 30 years of leadership and the future ahead.

Beginning February 12, Andrew Samonsky will join the company and assume the role of "Neville Landless". Original cast member Andy Karl will play his final performance on February 10.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood is playing a limited engagement at Studio 54 (254 West 54th Street) through March 10th, 2013. The original end date was February 10th, 2013. Just yesterday, the cast celebrated the birthday of Broadway legend and cast member Chita Rivera, and BroadwayWorld was there for the celebration. Check out coverage below!

Happy Birthday, Chita Rivera! A two-time Tony Award winner, Rivera made her Broadway debut in 1953 in Can-Can, launching one of the most celebrated and long-lasting Broadway careers. Her electric performance as Anita in the Broadway premiere of West Side Storybrought her stardom. This season, she's getting rave reviews starring as Princess Puffer in the Roundabout Theatre Company's celebrated Broadway revival The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

Beginning this Friday, January 25th, Jeffrey Kuhn will assume the role of Dr. Hannibal Lecter's nemesis, Dr. Chilton, in Off-Broadway's smash hit SILENCE! The Musical. Following the announcement that SILENCE! would be ending its long run December 30th, ticket sales unexpectedly soared, shattering all previous box office records held by the show. As a result, the producers determined that the smash hit show would reopen on January 19th. After opening at Theatre 80 on July 9, 2011 to unanimous rave reviews, SILENCE! was extended numerous times by popular demand and transferred theatres twice, ultimately landing at the new Elektra Theatre which was constructed especially for the show.

Live From Lincoln Center's winter and spring broadcast season kicks off with a special concert from Lincoln Center's 2013 American Songbook series celebrating the legendary songwriting duo of John Kander and Fred Ebb. The broadcast, "RingThem Bells! Rob Fisher Celebrates Kander & Ebb," is hosted by Audra McDonald and will air on PBS stations on Friday, February 15, 2013, at 9 p.m. (ET) (check local listings).

'Ye Olde MZ' found plenty of scandal at the Music Hall Royale. The actors' behavior, complete with scandals, meltdowns, and showmances practically cried out for a league of light chemists (some took to calling them 'paparazzi'). Ye Olde MZ captured a series of these shocking acts on Mr. Eastman's then-recent invention giving you a behind-the-scenes look at The Mystery of Edwin Drood that must be seen (by only the most intrepid of souls) to be believed.

The New York International Fringe Festival (FringeNYC), the largest multi-arts festival in North America, will present the 17th Annual Festival from August 9 - 25, 2013. Each year the festival presents programming by nearly 200 of the world's best emerging theatre troupes and dance companies. General FringeNYC applications are being accepted for participants in all genres (theatre, dance, puppetry, performance art, multi-media, etc.), and separate FringeAL FRESCO (free outdoor events) and FringeJR (children's programming) applications are also available.

Raul Esparza, Jose Feliciano, Juan Diego Florez, Melanie Griffith, George Lopez, Mario Lopez, Rita Moreno, Chita Rivera, Robert Rodriguez, Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner, Ballet Hispanico, Coral Contigas, Coro de Ninos de San Juan, the Esperanza Azteca Youth Orchestra, and the Pan American Symphony Orchestra headlined 'In Performance at the Kennedy Center,' an event that honored the presidential inauguration and Latino arts and culture last night, January 20. You can watch the full concert below, which included performances from a slew of Broadway favorites. Click below to check it out!

Hottest Articles on BroadwayWorld.com from this weekend Sunday, January 20, 2013 - Sunday, January 20, 2013.

Watch the Livestream today of the Latino inaugural concert in Washington DC at 7 pm via Facebook or http://entretenimiento.univision.com!

With news coming late this week of a revised and reworked edition of the Cole Porter/Abe Burrows Golden Age musical CAN-CAN aiming for a reading in October and the possibility of a potential major production thereafter, now seems like a tres bien moment in time to glance back at the underappreciated charms of this alluring, Paris-set show. Plus, from Gwen Verdon, Patti LuPone, Eartha Kitt, Shirley MacLaine and Chita Rivera to Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Kelly Clarkson, MAD MEN's Christina Hendricks and many more, this clip collection has more than just an errant bright bulb or two to add to the already magnificent and romantic sights of the city of lights.