City Center News

This fall, Carnegie Hall launches UBUNTU: Music and Arts of South Africa, a month-long festival from October 8 to November 5, 2014, featuring an exciting array of events to be presented at Carnegie Hall and partner venues throughout New York City, inviting audiences to explore the incredibly dynamic and diverse culture of South Africa. Single tickets for all festival events at Carnegie Hall will go on sale to the general public on Monday, August 25 at 8:00 a.m.

Camille A. Brown & Dancers (CAB&D), recognized for its visceral movement and unflinching approach to comedic and controversial themes, announces Black Girl Spectrum, a multi-faceted community engagement initiative. The new yearlong initiative, lead by Bessie-nominated choreographer Camille A. Brown, uses dance as a means to address civic, educational, and economic struggle through cultural and creative empowerment. Aimed to explore the spectrum of identities among African American females, the initiative will also serve as participatory research to mold and inform Brown's new work-in-progress, Black Girl (working title), which is slated to premiere in September 2015.

The Old Globe today announced the full cast and creative team for the World Premiere of Bright Star, a new American musical featuring music by Edie Brickell and Steve Martin, lyrics by Brickell, and book by Martin, based on an original story by Martin and Brickell. Directed by Walter Bobbie, Bright Star will run September 13 - November 2, 2014 on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Globe's Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Preview performances run September 13 - September 27. Opening night is Sunday, September 28 at 7:00 p.m. Single tickets go on sale on Friday, August 8 at noon.

At the beginning of this year, a new theatre-centric podcast debuted, and has been supplying extremely insightful and heartfelt stories ever since. One of the show's charms is the amount of love and appreciation that host Patrick Hinds shows each guest. For their most recent episode, Hinds interviewed Tony-winner Karen Olivo, and what resulted was a moving hour of conversation. Olivo has been one of Broadway's most talented stars for over a decade, but in 2013, she decide to 'retire' and leave New York City.

the cell, A Twenty-First Century Salon, along with the 1st Irish Theatre Festival, A Celebration of the Best of Irish Theatre presented by Origin Theatre Company, presents THE MCGOWAN TRILOGY, a series of one-act plays by award-winning writer Seamus Scanlon. Directed by Kira Simring, Artistic Director of the cell, THE MCGOWAN TRILOGY will play a strictly-limited engagement from September 11th - October 5th at the cell (338 West 23rd Street). The press opening is Saturday, September 13, 2014.

Manhattan Theatre Club's world premiere of WHEN WE WERE YOUNG AND UNAFRAID, the new play by Sarah Treem ("House of Cards," "In Treatment"), directed by Tony Award winner Pam MacKinnon (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Clybourne Park), begins the final week of its run today, Tuesday, August 5 at MTC at New York City Center - Stage I (131 West 55th Street).

ROLEX presents NEW YORK NEW YORK a helluva town - Career Transition For Dancers' 29th Anniversary Jubilee on Monday, October 6, 2014 at 7:00 pm at New York City Center, 131 West 55 Street (btwn. 6th & 7th Aves) NYC followed by dinner at The Grand Ballroom at The Hilton New York. Angela Lansbury will receive the 2014 Rolex Dance Award.

Two-time Tony Award winner Patti LuPone has just signed with the Paradigm Agency.

DBD PRODUCTIONS will present the world premiere of HALFWAY, NEBRASKA as part of the 18th Annual New York International Fringe Festival - FringeNYC, written by Briandaniel Oglesby (She Gets Naked in the End - Latinidad Award) and directed by Daniel R. Melnick.

Just when audiences thought it was safe to go back to the movie theater… they will get a fresh dose of scares and laughs as Syfy's “Sharknado 2: The Second One” hits cinemas nationwide for a one-night event

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.54Below.com or call (646) 476-3551.

Currently co-starring with Idina Menzel in IF/THEN as 'Josh', James Snyder makes his 54 Below debut with 'A Road Most Traveled' tonight, August 4, 2014 at 7 p.m.

On Monday, August 4th the Theater People Podcast welcomes Tony-winner Karen Olivo. Olivo made headlines in 2013 when she announced on her blog that she would be taking a step back from acting and leaving New York City in order to move to Madison, Wisconsin to pursue other interests and passions.

Staten Island Ballet opens the 13th New York International Choreographers Festival at St. George Theatre with 'Dance Across Waters', featuring seven choreographers of ballet, modern and contemporary works, with original music and a live appearance by Vernon Reid of 'Living Colour'.

Following the enormous success of the semi-staged performance of My Fair Lady at the Proms in 2012, John Wilson returns to perform Cole Porter's Tony Award-winning musical Kiss Me, Kate. Joining John Wilson and the John Wilson Orchestra, Broadway stalwarts Ben Davis, Alexandra Silber, Tony Yazbeck and West End star Louise Dearman lead the cast in an irreverent reworking of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew -- a play within a play. This is the BBC Proms debut for all four performers as they sing the energetic score in its original 1948 arrangement.

Camille A. Brown and Dancers, recognized for its visceral movement and unflinching approach to comedic and controversial themes, announces the return of Camille A. Brown's acclaimed Mr. TOL E. RAncE at Lincoln Center Out of Doors tonight, August 2 at 7:00 p.m.

Broadway's 40 theatres aren't the only places to catch performances from your favorite stars! Well after Broadway orchestra's begin their overtures, ensemble members take their dance breaks, and performers belt out their eleven- o'clock numbers, the party continues at various cabaret venues throughout New York City. Below, BroadwayWorld brings you some cabaret highlights for this week as picked by our theatre editors, including: James Snyder, The Trevor Project, Judy Kaye Sings Bernstein & Sondheim, Remembering Elaine Stritch, and 54 Sings The Wiz.

Yazbeck, who is currently in rehearsals for a concert version of KISS ME KATE at London's Royal Albert Hall, recently took the time to chat with BroadwayWorld about the concerts, preparing for ON THE TOWN, and much more. Check out the full interview below!

"Best Independent Producer" Kate Nordstrum and "Best New Venue for Classical Music" Amsterdam Bar & Hall (Star Tribune, Best of Minnesota 2014) team to bring Reykjavik-based electronic musician and composer Ben Frost to Saint Paul on the heels of his recently released, acclaimed album A U R O R A, out now on Mute / Bedroom Community. Already a critics' favorite, A U R O R A has been featured heavily in the "Albums of the Year (So Far)" lists and is described by The Wire as "Frost's most fully realized work to date." Resident Advisor called A U R O R A "the darkest and most powerful recording of his career."

A great, big Broadway season is on its way, with fourteen productions already slated to open in the next few months. With several weeks until the craziness begins, there is still plenty of time to catch up on what's been going on at Broadway's already occupied theaters . BroadwayWorld will be profiling the hits of the Great White Way that continue to draw crowds after months, years, and (in some cases) decades. Meet the current cast of Broadway's The Lion King below!