Craig Salstein News

Winners for the 2022 Chita Rivera Awards have been announced! In keeping with the mission of the Chita Rivera Awards, nominators considered outstanding choreography, featured dancers, and ensemble in shows on Broadway and Off Broadway, as well as outstanding choreography in film that opened pre-Covid as well as in the 2021-2022 season.

Nominations for the 2022 Chita Rivera Awards were announced today. In keeping with the mission of the Chita Rivera Awards, nominators considered shows and films that opened during the 2019-2022 theater season. See the full list.

American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School at Segerstrom Center for the Arts has announced a singularly prestigious faculty for its April and May live virtual masterclasses.

The acclaimed revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein's classic musical Carousel, directed by three-time Tony Award® winner Jack O'Brien and choreographed by 2018 Tony Award winner Justin Peck, announced today that the show will play its final Broadway performance at the Imperial Theatre (249 West 45th Street) on Sunday, September 16, 2018. Preview performances began on Wednesday, February 28 and Carousel officially opened on Thursday, April 12, 2018.

Carousel and The Actors Fund announced today that the new hit revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein's classic musical will host a special Mondaymatinee performace on Monday, May 14, 2018 at 3:00 PM at the Imperial Theatre (249 West 45th St.), with proceeds to benefit The Actors Fund.

Carousel is headed back to Broadway and its cast leaves nothing to be desired; get to know the cast below as they begin Broadway performances!

BroadwayWorld has just confirmed that stage star Lindsay Mendez has joined the revival of Carousel!

The revival of Carousel is on its way to Broadway and it looks like stage star Lindsay Mendez may be joining the cast. No official announcement has been made, but an eagle-eyed viewer caught the actress's name up on the Imperial's marquee.

Scott Rudin said, We wish Betsy well and are enormously disappointed she won't be able to join the company at the Imperial.

Producers Scott Rudin and Roy Furman will soon present Rodgers & Hammerstein's classic musical Carousel, directed by three-time Tony Award winner Jack O'Brien and choreographed by Justin Peck. Carousel will begin preview performances on Wednesday, February 28, 2018, and will officially open on Thursday, April 12 at the Imperial Theatre (249 West 45th Street). 

It was recently announced that Carousel will begin performances at the Imperial Theatre next spring, starring Betsy Wolfe as Carrie Pipperidge, Alexander Gemignani as Enoch Snow, and Margaret Colin as Mrs. Mullin. This is in addition to the previous casting announcement that includes  Joshua Henry as Billy Bigelow, Jessie Mueller as Julie Jordan, Renee Fleming as Nettie Fowler, Amar Ramasar as Jigger, and Brittany Pollock as Louise. Check out some videos of what the stars were doing before Carousel!

Producers Scott Rudin and Roy Furman announced today that Rodgers & Hammerstein's classic musical Carousel, directed by three-time Tony Award® winner Jack O'Brien and choreographed by Justin Peck, will play the Imperial Theatre (249 West 45th Street) when it makes its return to Broadway next spring in one of the most deeply anticipated productions of the new season.

On Saturday morning, May 20, 2017, ABT gave an hour length performance designed to introduce children to the ballet, as they do every year. The Metropolitan Opera House was full of excited young ones. I had a running commentary from a boy of about 4 years old, sitting next to me on his father's lap. It is a performance composed of excerpts from several ballets.

On Saturday morning, May 20, 2017, ABT gave an hour length performance designed to introduce children to the ballet, as they do every year. The Metropolitan Opera House was full of excited young ones. I had a running commentary from a boy of about 4 years old, sitting next to me on his father's lap. It is a performance composed of excerpts from several ballets.

Casting for the third and fourth weeks of American Ballet Theatre's 2017 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.

 The Performing Arts School at bergenPAC announces the 2017 Master Class series in residence with Principal Ballet Dancers. The classes will be held at The Performing Arts School at bergenPAC-1 Depot Square, Englewood, NJ 07631. 

Alexei Ratmansky's 2015 version of 'Sleeping Beauty,' based on the Stepanov notation of the original 1890 version, as well as Diaghilev's production in 1921, has always posed a problem for me. I saw it last year with a friend, and our reaction was the same: why do we need this new 'Sleeping Beauty?' It's beautiful to look at, lavish to the extreme, but is there anything really new in this 'Sleeping Beauty' that we have not seen before? With every new version of this classic we want to see the choreographer's mind and heart at work; why was this warhorse tackled again? What speaks to the soul, how can the ballet literally take wings and have us fly with it? That is the problem with 'Sleeping Beauty.' For all its beauty, it remains earthbound. It's better to read about than view. History is indeed interesting, but not at these prices, especially if you're trying to build a new audience as the baby boomers are now in their sixties and moving on. Who will take their places at the ballet, especially at these prices?

Halfway through the bedroom scene (Act III, Scene I) I thought to myself, 'They're playing the music too quickly!' I was wrong. The tempo was fine; it simply felt faster than normal because the dancing was so wonderful. It's to be expected. Alessandra Ferri was guest starring in American Ballet Theatre's production of Kenneth MacMillan's 'Romeo and Juliet' nine years after she'd retired from the company in the same role.

Casting for the seventh and eighth weeks of American Ballet Theatre's 2016 Spring Season at the Metropolitan Opera House was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.

'La Fille mal gardee', Frederick Ashton has given us folksy innocence, clever games, and sunny smiles. That smile was perfectly embodied by soloist Jeffrey Cirio, making a splendid debut as Colas in the opening performance of this life affirming ballet. He is more than ably assisted by a cast of tremendous artists who give of themselves completely to making these simple country characters sparkle. And what characters! With an opening danced by five chickens -- four hens and one manic rooster -- how could it be otherwise?