Christopher Gattelli News

Paper Mill Playhouse will open its 2011-2012 season with the premiere of a new Disney stage musical, Newsies. Featuring music by eight time Academy Award®-winning composer Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Sister Act, The Little Mermaid), lyrics by Jack Feldman and a new book by four-time Tony® Award winner Harvey Fierstein (La Cage aux Folles, Torch Song Trilogy), Newsies is adapted for the stage from the live-action Disney feature film musical. The production is being directed at Paper Mill by Tony® nominee Jeff Calhoun (The Will Rogers Follies, Grey Gardens). The show begins performances on Thursday, September 15. The official press opening is scheduled for Sunday, September 25. Recently, BroadwayWorld stopped by the Newsies open call in New York City and went inside the audition room. Click below to watch the men's dance call and hear from Calhoun and the show's choreographer, Christopher Gattelli!

Now an official Equity Principal Audition notice, which notes that 'all roles are available (i.e. not yet offered and accepted)'. Click here for the full audition notice.

Broadway favorite Brent Barrett and Jenn Harris are set to head the cast of SILENCE! The Musical, the unauthorized parody of The Silence of the Lambs, with book by Hunter Bell, music & lyrics by Jon and Al Kaplan, and direction and choreography by Christopher Gattelli.

Broadway's Brent Barrett, most recently seen in CHICAGO will play the lead role of Hannibal Lecter in the new Off Broadway production of the spoof hit, Silence! reports Variety today. Jenn Harris will play the role of detective Clarice Starling in the parody of the hit 1991 thriller, 'The Silence of the Lambs.' The paper also reports that Stephen Bienskie, Deidre Goodwin, Jeff Hiller, Harry Bouvy, Howard Kaye and Alysha Umphress will be in the cast as well.

BroadwayWorld.com has learned that the Broadway-bound revival of Godspell, which is now aiming for the Great White Way in the 2011-12 theatre season will likely play in the Circle in the Square Theatre, which is currently home to the open-ended run of LOMBARDI. No official announcement has been made and the production, which held its first event last week for the show's investors, had no comment as well. The production will be directed by Daniel Goldstein and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli.

Paulo Szot, who has recently emerged as one of the most exciting voices in opera and who won a Tony for his performance as Emile de Becque in the Lincoln Center Theater (Andre Bishop, Artistic Director, Bernard Gersten, Executive Producer) production of SOUTH PACIFIC, will be recreating the role of the French plantation owner at the Barbican Centre in London, where the production will run for a limited season of 7 weeks only from 15 August to 1 October, with an opening night on 23 August.

Talked about for months and now finally official, Paulo Szot, who has recently emerged as one of the most exciting voices in opera and who won a Tony for his performance as Emile de Becque in the Lincoln Center Theater (Andre Bishop, Artistic Director, Bernard Gersten, Executive Producer) production of SOUTH PACIFIC, will be recreating the role of the French plantation owner at the Barbican Centre in London, where the production will run for a limited season of 7 weeks only from 15 August to 1 October, with an opening night on 23 August.

Baz Bamigboye has revealed in the UK Daily Mail today that Daniel Koek will take the stage as Lt. Cable when South Pacific hits the Barbican Theatre in London this summer. The Bartlett Sher production, which opened at Lincoln Center in 2008 and is currently on tour, will also star original Bloody Mary Loretta Ables Sayre and Paulo Szot as Emile DeBecque. The UK's Samantha Womack will play Nellie Forbush.

WaterTower Theatre today announced the cast for Little Shop of Horrors, running July 22 - August 21, 2011 at the Addison Theatre Centre.

Tony winner Paulo Szot is set to return to SOUTH PACIF as Emile de Becque in the upcoming London transfer of the 2008 Broadway revival. The production opens at the Barbican Theatre AUgust 15 before beginning a UK tour. Samantha Womack will play Nellie Forbush.

The La Jolla Playhouse is presenting a world premiere musical based on the 2006 Academy Award winning film "Little Miss Sunshine". And while the show had its shining moments and a cast that matched the subtlety and charm of the original sleeper hit, on the whole it needs a bit of a jump start if it's going to make it down the road to Broadway.

The 2011 Garland Award recipients were announced today, honoring the best of Los Angeles theatre. Under the voting system each Garland winner was named on at least three critics' 'Best of 2010' lists. Each critic listed up to five nominees for each category except performance, up to 10 nominees for performance in musical productions and 10 for straight plays. Here are the critics' lists, minus the winners. The critics who voted are Jeff Favre, Hoyt Hilsman, Travis Holder, Eric Marchese, Dany Margolies, Dink O'Neal, Melinda Schupmann, Madeleine Shaner, Les Spindle, Neal Weaver, and Jennie Webb. Back Stage thanks them, as we hope you will when you see them this year, for their perpetual devotion to Southland theater large and small.

The La Jolla Playhouse is presenting a world premiere musical based on the 2006 Academy Award winning film "Little Miss Sunshine". And while the show had its shining moments and a cast that matched the subtlety and charm of the original sleeper hit, on the whole it needs a bit of a jump start if it's going to make it down the road to Broadway.

Executive Producer Lou Spisto today announced The Old Globe's presentation of a developmental workshop of Allegiance - A New American Musical. Created by Jay Kuo (music, lyrics and book) and Lorenzo Thione (book), the original musical tells the story of a Japanese American family forced into an internment camp during World War II. Directed by Stafford Arima (Altar Boyz, West End premiere of Ragtime) with musical direction and arrangements by Lynne Shankel (Cry-Baby, Company) and choreography by Christopher Gattelli (South Pacific, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown), the industry-only workshop will take place in New York City on July 27 and 28. Tony Award-winning actress Lea Salonga (Miss Saigon, Les Misérables), television and film icon George Takei ('Star Trek,' 'Heroes') and Telly Leung ('Glee,' Rent) have all participated in past workshops and are expected to return to their roles in July. The creative team includes Donyale Werle (scenic design) and David Zinn (costume design).

Executive Producer Lou Spisto today announced The Old Globe's presentation of a developmental workshop of Allegiance - A New American Musical.

The breathtaking Lincoln Center Theater production which reinvented this classic musical, won 7 Tony Awards, sold out on Broadway for 2 years and is currently selling out across America, will next premiere in the UK at the Barbican Theatre from 12 August 2011 to 1 October 2011 at the Barbican Theatre.

Bob Boyett and NETworks Presentations announce casting for the National Tour of The Lincoln Center Theater Production of Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein's prize-winning musical SOUTH PACIFIC, directed by Bartlett Sher playing PlayhouseSquare in Cleveland; February 1 - 13, 2011.

Lincoln Center Theater's production of the new musical WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN, based on the film by Pedro Almodóvar, with a book by Jeffrey Lane, music and lyrics by David Yazbek and direction by Bartlett Sher opened on November 4 at The Belasco Theatre on Broadway 111 West 44 Street and Broadway Beat was there to talk to the cast!

BroadwayWorld offers highlights of the several productions which will complete their Broadway runs in January.

Lincoln Center Theater (under the direction of André Bishop, Artistic Director, and Bernard Gersten, Executive Producer) has announced that its production of WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN, the new musical based on the film by Pedro Almodóvar with book by Jeffrey Lane, music and lyrics by David Yazbek and direction by Bartlett Sher, will end its run this Sunday, January 2 at the Belasco Theatre (111 West 44 Street). The musical, which was originally scheduled to run through Sunday, January 23, will have played 30 previews and 69 performances.