Cole Porter News

Cole Porter's Kiss Me Kate is a timeless, delightful musical romp that can be seen again and again. It's an overblown, joyous account of two egotistical actors, once married to each other, who adore one another but just cannot be around each other very long without catastrophic, calamitous results. It's also a play within a play, as Lilli Vanessi (Merle Dandridge) and Fred Graham (Wayne Brady) are on tour essaying Katharine and Petruchio in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. Above all, the silly contrived story is overshadowed by Cole Porter's divine score with some of the most glorious tunes ever composed. Kiss Me Kate is a showcase to Porter's genius. The current revival at Pasadena Playhouse, although not any better than any of the other local revivals as of late, does boast the comical presence of Wayne Brady and the stunning talent of Merle Dandridge..

42nd Street Moon presents a 20th Anniversary edition of one of its earliest hits -- the hilarious farceSOMETHING FOR THE BOYS, November 26 - December 14, 2014. Press opening is set for November 29. Scroll down for a sneak peek at the cast!

The married, song-writing duo Laura and Dan Curtis has had an exciting past year of work, which isn't slowing down anytime soon. The couple has a concert coming up at the Royal Albert Hall on October 14th, which will feature the music from the popular album, LOVE ON 42ND STREET (For tickets, click here.) Laura and Dan took the time to chat with BroadwayWorld this weekend about their upcoming concert, the amazing work they've done over the past year, and their exciting plans for the future. Read the full interview below, and find access to several video links!

The Pasadena Playhouse presents multi-Emmy Award winning Wayne Brady ("Let's Make a Deal," "Whose Line Is It Anyway?") as Fred/Petruchio in the Cole Porter Broadway musical KISS ME, KATE, directed by Sheldon Epps. The production also stars Merle Dandridge (Broadway's Spamalot and Tarzan) as Lilli/Kate. KISS ME, KATE opened tonightperforms through October 12, 2014. The production opened last night, September 21, and Broadway's original 'Kate', Patricia Morison, visited the show - scroll down for a photo!

The Canadian Opera Company'sFree Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre returns for a ninth season today, September 23, 2014, boasting a varied roster of established artists and rising stars from around the world in a wide range of art forms. The highly anticipated first performance of the 2014/2015 season introduces the young artists of the COC Ensemble Studio in a program of their favourite operatic gems.

The Pasadena Playhouse welcomes Wayne Brady as Fred/Petruchio in the Cole Porter Broadway musical KISS ME, KATE. The multi-Emmy Award winning Brady will head a cast of 17. Epps will direct the 2014-2015 Season opener, which runs from September 16- October 12, 2014 with the official press opening on September 21. The production also stars Merle Dandridge (Broadway's Spamalot and Tarzan) as Lily/Kate. Check out a first look at the cast in action below!

Today we are listening to the hotly anticipated new jazz album by Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett titled CHEEK TO CHEEK.

It was a winning night at Fenway Park for the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company and the hometown fans as they celebrated with an all-star roster for SHAKESPEARE AT FENWAY. The one-night event had comedy, tragedy, and some extra excitement (not unlike the Red Sox) for a great start to CSC's 20th anniversary season.

Paper Mill Playhouse will open its 2014-2015 season with a Broadway-bound, world-class revival of Can-Can starring Kate Baldwin as Pistache and Jason Danieley as Aristide. This fresh new production features direction by David Lee(Frasier, Cheers) and choreography by Patti Colombo (Paper Mill's Peter Pan, On the Town, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers). The show features a book by Abe Burrows (Guys and Dolls, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying) and a re-crafted script by Joel Fields (Ugly Betty, The Americans) and David Lee. The company just met the press to preview the new production and you can check out photos from inside the special preview event below!

Singer, actor, author, and playwright Storm Large is a unique talent whose charms and remarkable voice are quickly creating a buzz within the performing arts world. As the singer in the band Pink Martini, a finalist in the reality show Rock Star Supernova, and as a critically acclaimed performer, Storm Large has taken her voice from rock clubs along the west coast to the Carnegie Hall stage, performing with The Detroit Symphony.

BroadwayWorld.com continues our exclusive content series, in collaboration with The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, which delves into the library's unparalleled archives, and resources. Below, check out a piece by Doug Reside (Lewis and Dorothy Cullman Curator for the Billy Rose Theatre Division) on FIDDLER ON THE ROOF and IN THE HEIGHTS:

Theo Ubique artistic director Fred Anzevino and musical director Jeremy Ramey, who teamed up for the company's Jeff-award Best Musical winner The Light in the Piazza as well as Aspects of Love and Master Class, are collaborating on this collection of songs by the German born classical composer-turned-Broadway-songsmith Kurt Weill, running tonight, September 19 to October 19, 2014.

Theo Ubique artistic director Fred Anzevino and musical director Jeremy Ramey, who teamed up for the company's Jeff-award Best Musical winner The Light in the Piazza as well as Aspects of Love and Master Class, are collaborating on this collection of songs by the German born classical composer-turned-Broadway-songsmith Kurt Weill. Ramey is providing exciting new arrangements as well as musical direction. Christie Kerr is also on the team as choreographer for the cabaret to be performed at the No Exit Cafe, 6970 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago, from tonight, September 19 to October 19, 2014.

Full casting has been announced and rehearsals have begun for the upcoming national tour of ANYTHING GOES, the new Broadway revival of Cole Porter's timeless classic musical theatre masterpiece, which will launch in Houston October 14, 2014 at the Hobby Center's Sarofim Hall. For more information and a complete tour route, please visit www.anythinggoesontour.com.

'Can-Can' will open at Paper Mill Playhouse on October 1st and run until October 26th. New Jersey native, Michael McArthur will be in the ensemble of this exciting show. Michael returns to Paper Mill after being in their 'Newsies' cast. He was also a recipient of the playhouse's prestigious 'Rising Star Award' when he was in high school.

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. '50 Shades' joins the fall-winter lineup at the Broadway Playhouse, 'Stomp' and 'Rain' join BIC, Halloween musicals begin, two sketch musicals at pH, the Muellers and Mason headline FWD's gala, Weill and Porter shows prepare to open, and Barbra goes for six straight decades!

Francis Patrelle, the artistic director/resident choreographer of Dances Patrelle says in a program note that prior to 1982 he had never seen any version of the Romeo and Juliet ballet. It certainly sounds strange to me. Where had he been all that time? It seems that everyone I knew in the dance world had seen some production of it. Even my brothers, who detest ballet, had seen the Fonteyn/Nureyev movie. Be that as it may, I won't hold it against him.

It's the video you've all been waiting for. A frolicking romp echoing back to vaudeville's debauchery, we join Jinkx Monsoon, Fred Schneider, and company for “The Bacon Shake” on BuzzFeed. Schneider explains to Out.com his desire to work with Jinkx, “They go back to another era and different styles of music, which is really refreshing.'

International music superstar Tony Bennett teams up with chart-topping pop icon Lady Gaga for a new duets album containing multiple American Songbook standards, including the recent #1 iTunes Jazz chart-topping single of the Cole Porter musical theatre classic 'Anything Goes', and the next single, jazz standard 'Nature Boy', is now available to hear in full.

Conductor John Wilson talks to BWW:UK about his new show, Cole Porter in Hollywood, the great musicals of the 20th Century and having dinner with Stephen Sondheim.