Cirque du Soleil News

Producers of Finding Neverland are thrilled to announce today the highly anticipated return of Emmy-winner and Tony-nominee Kelsey Grammer to the show for seven-weeks only, from January 19 – February 28. 

On yesterday's THE TALK, Leakes spoke about her return to Broadway and even performed a sampling of her character's show-stopping number, 'When You're Good to Mama.'

There are the warhorse musicals of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Cole Porter, and Irving Berlin; there are the lavish productions befitting Phantoms in opera houses and French revolutionaries and revisionist fairy tales (and you know the ones I mean); there are the Disney powerhouses; and . . . there are musicals of a quaint, mind-nudging nature that don't quite fit into any category. Certainly THE FANTASTICKS comes to mind, and -- at least in the previous productions I have seen -- Stephen Schwartz's PIPPIN. Somewhere in my video collection is a filmed version of the musical with William Katt, and just a few years ago PIPPIN was the first musical staged at the shiny, new Playhouse on the Square (with Alvaro Francisco stepping in for a sidelined Jordan Nichols). I sometimes think that small-scale musicals are better suited to venues less grand than the Orpheum; I needn't have worried, however, as PIPPIN has acquired the kind of theatrical, Cirque du Soleil-style atmosphere that perfectly suits the show's opening number, 'Magic to Do.'

Below, check out an all-new promo featuring the joyous number 'A Brand New Day'

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Today's big news: Rosie's Theater Kids get a shout-out from the First Lady and more!

The yellow brick road will keep on leading fans to the magic of Oz after NBC airs its live production of THE WIZ on December 3. BroadwayWorld has learned that Broadway Records and Masterworks will be releasing THE WIZ LIVE! Original Soundtrack of the NBC Television Event on December 11 (digital) and Decmebr 18 (physical). You can pre-order the album now!

Below, watch cast members Ne-Yo, newcomer Shanice Williams, Stephanie Mills, Amber Riley and David Alan Grier rehearsing the classic number 'Ease on Down the Road'!

BroadwayWorld has just learned that Cirque du Soleil - PARAMOUR's Ruby Lewis and over twenty other Cirque artists will bring their Broadway-Bound magic to the 89th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday, Nov. 26, airing from 9 AM - noon on NBC.

Broadway and Disney veteran Douglas Ladnier will be reunited with other Disney Royalty as the stars of the Aladdin show, Jonah Ho'okano and Mark Gagliardi join the Christmas Wonderland cast from Disneyland where they starred as Jafar, Aladdin and Genie.

Finally! We've got a new trailer for NBC's upcoming broadcast of THE WIZ LIVE!, featuring the song, 'Brand New Day,' with a first look at Queen Latifah and more. Check it out below!

Pitch Me This Productions has done a great job bringing THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW to life for this year's annual dose of absolute pleasure and sins of the flesh. The circus idea is fun, even if it doesn't truly make a ton of thematic sense with the Gothic material.

Break The Floor Productions and Portland Ovations are pleased to announce that North America's hottest new dance show --  SHAPING SOUND -- will perform one night only at Merrill Auditorium in Portland, Maine, Today, November 13th at 8PM.  Tickets are on sale now. Experience the exhilarating collaboration of North America's newest dance visionaries as they mash-up music genres and dance styles in an explosive dance theater experience perfect for all ages.

The cast of NBC's THE WIZ LIVE is putting in 8-hour-a-day rehearsals for the highly anticipated December 3rd live broadcast. Today, Essence has shared a photo new gallery by Lance Gross. Check it out here!

The new Cirque du Soleil touring show inspired by James Cameron's record-breaking movie AVATAR, TORUK - THE FIRST FLIGHT, will be presented in New York and New Jersey next fall. Engagements will be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on September 7-11 and at Prudential Center in Newark on September 16-18, as part of a global tour in arenas around the world starting November 2015.

The Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival (NDSF) has announced the titles and audition dates for its upcoming 2016 summer season. In order to explore and celebrate Shakespeare's final plays, NDSF has selected two works that embody the playwright's voice at the close of his career. The 2016 season is named "Shakespeare's Last Words" and will feature adventure, exhilaration, and redemption.

Below, watch two Dorothies, Shanice Williams, who portrays the young girl from Kansas in the upcoming holiday special, and Stephanie Mills, Broadway's original Dorothy who takes on the role of Auntie Em, performing the classic number 'Home.'

Access Hollywood went behind-the-scenes of NBC's THE WIZ LIVE to speak with the cast of the highly anticipated live broadcast. The show will air live on NBC on Thursday, Dec. 3.

Broadway Across Canada announced today that individual tickets for the Calgary premiere of Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage will go on sale Monday, November 16 at 10am.

Harvard University and the Board of Trustees of the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) announced today that Diane Quinn will join the 35 year old institution as its new Executive Director and assume the role beginning December 1, 2015.  In this new position, she will work with Diane Paulus who continues as Artistic Director of the A.R.T.

The National Circus and Acrobats of The People's Republic of China were founded in 1958, and since that time the company has been dedicated to the innovation of and excellence in the circus and acrobatic art. It has produced a large number of excellent circus and acrobatic acts with distinctive Chinese national style and characteristics. Direct from Beijing, the pioneering troupe brings its unique show "Peking Dreams" to the State Theatre today, November 6.