Diana Ross News

It is Theatre Development Fund's belief that future audiences are built by engaging students, first-hand, in the vital and exciting activity of the creative process, as well as providing opportunities to see live performances of great theatre. To that end, 1,500 New York City public high school and middle school students from 20 schools (and one school from East Orange, NJ), who are participating in TDF's Stage Doors Program, attended a special matinee performance of Broadway's smash hit, MOTOWN THE MUSICAL today, April 3 at 1pm at the Lunt Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street, NYC). BroadwayWorld brings you photos from the special event below!

Rubicon Theatre continues the company's 16th Not Your Typical Season with a special run of Love, Loss, and What I Wore -- a witty and wise celebration of womanhood adapted by Nora and Delia Ephron, creators of such hits as 'When Harry Met Sally,' 'Sleepless in Seattle,' 'You've Got Mail,' 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants' and 'Silkwood.'

Omaha Performing Arts' 2014/2015 Season will be a spectacular season of award-winning productions and performers. The upcoming season was announced during a subscriber and patron event at the Holland Performing Arts Center on March 31. Two of the iconic Rockettes helped kick off the night and led a dance demonstration for local youth in the lobby after the event. Cast members from the Broadway musical MOTOWN THE MUSICAL closed the event with a performance that featured a medley of Motown hits.

The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre, the acclaimed comedy/variety show, will make its premiere performance at THE RRAZZ ROOM on Thursday, April 17 at 8:00 PM. After extended runs at 54 Below and Joe's Pub in New York, the show will make its Pennsylvania debut with this show. The Meeting* has been called 'delicious and delightfully droll' by The New York Post, and 'hilarious and sardonic' by The Village Voice. A recent story for Slate.com called the evening 'so deliciously icy that it left me shivering with fear and delight.' The show will feature special guests Colleen McHugh.

Singer/songwriter Evie Archer emerges from a time of doubt, confusion, and a 'Life in Sand,' getting back to her lifelong passion for music on her debut album, an inspiring homage to the power of resilience.

The multi-talented British singer, actress and writer, NINA KRISTOFFERSON, debuted her passionate and exhilarating, self-penned, one-woman show 'Billie Holiday Story' in 2011 at the Edinburgh Festival. Following a sellout season at London's Charing Cross Theatre in the spring of 2013, Nina will now be hitting the road in April and May 2014, taking her critically acclaimed show about the life of Lady Day to audiences around the UK.

Justin Sayre and The Meeting* - known for a signature blend of outrageous comedy, politics, culture and everything in between - were named among the Top nightclub shows of 2013 by Time Out New York, and received the 2012 Bistro Award for 'Comedy Artistry' and a 2011 MAC Award nomination for Best Male Comedy Performance. Each month, the I.O.S gathers to honor an artist or a cultural work that is iconic to the gay community. Justin Sayre, the show's creator, writer and host, serves as the Chairman of the Board of the International Order of Sodomites and brings his singular wit to essential business of the day through such regular features such as 'Letters to the Chairman' and 'New Rulings from the Board.'

PNC Bank is the new title sponsor of Blumenthal Performing Arts' flagship series next season. The 2014-2015 blockbuster Broadway season is titled PNC Broadway Lights and is made possible with support from PNC Bank.

'Happy birthday to you,' MOTOWN THE MUSICAL! The smash hit, which celebrates its first Broadway anniversary on April 14, has released a new montage of show clips set to legendary Motown classics from the musical, including 'I Want You Back,' 'Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours,' 'Get Ready,' 'Dancing In The Street,' and 'Do You Love Me.' Check it out below!

The CSO's last Luken Holdings Pops Series concert of the 2013/14 season pays tribute to the greatest team of collaborators in American music history – George and Ira Gershwin. Here to Stay: The Gershwin Experience is a multi-media concert with a top-notch touring party, including Grammy Award-winning soprano Sylvia McNair. This concert event provides an unprecedented insider view into the legendary duo, and offers rare audio and video footage of the Gershwins.

It is Theatre Development Fund's belief that future audiences are built by engaging students, first-hand, in the vital and exciting activity of the creative process, as well as providing opportunities to see live performances of great theatre. To that end, 1,500 New York City public high school and middle school students from 20 schools (and one school from East Orange, NJ), who are participating in TDF's Stage Doors Program, will be attending a special matinee performance of Broadway's smash hit, MOTOWN THE MUSICAL on Thursday, April 3 at 1pm at the Lunt Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street, NYC).

World-class drummer and percussionist Sheila Escovedo's first CD in 13 years, ICON, is available today at all major digital stores. 'We are excited about the release, particularly of the multi-genre format that reflects Sheila E.'s broad artistry and experience,' stated manager Gilbert Davison. '2014 marks Sheila's 40th anniversary in the music business and what better way to celebrate than to release a new CD.'

The Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts has announced DR. K'S MOTOWN REVUE presented by JJK Productions, LLC on Saturday, May 3 at 8:00 PM. Paul Korman, aka Dr. K, in his visionary quest to create the ultimate Motown tribute band has put together an array of seasoned musicians and singers to form the Dr. K's Motown Revue Band (DKMRB), a professional self contained 11 piece Motown tribute band. Taking you through the Motown experience of the 60s, they perform hits by the Supremes, Temptations, Martha and the Vandellas and many other Motown artists including a special segment each performance devoted to Diana Ross hits as well as the memorable duets of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Dr. K's Motown Revue Saturday, May 3 at 8:00 PM The Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts, 71 E. Main St., Patchogue, NY 11772 Tickets: $20-$40 plus fee; available at patchoguetheatre.com, the box office, or by phone 631-207-1313 Audiences of Dr. K's Motown Revue Band are enthralled because it is not just the songs but the memories associated with them that have left an indelible stamp on the hearts and souls of generations of Motown fans around the world. The dynamic and versatile sound of the DKMRB is the most authentic Motown sound since the original Motown studio band, the Funk Brothers. The band further engages the audience by integrating bits of Motown trivia into the show, offering giveaways, and getting the audience on their feet dancing and singing along to the music ensuring a delightful time for all!

World-class drummer and percussionist Sheila Escovedo is scheduled to release her first solo album in twelve years, 'Icon,' today, March 25 as part of the celebration of her 40th anniversary in the music business,

Heartbeat of Home, the high energy dance show from the producers of Riverdance, closes in Detroit on Sunday. On stage at the Fisher Theatre, the spectacle is part of the Broadway In Detroit entertainment series.

The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, together with Florida Theatrical Association and Broadway Across America, has unveiled the lineup of shows for the Center's inaugural 2014-2015 Broadway season. To celebrate the historic season, Dr. Phillips Center FAIRWINDS Broadway in Orlando is bringing world-class theater to a world-class stage, headlined by the spectacular new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. The season will also include NEWSIES, the smash hit musical from Disney, and the record-breaking sensation MOTOWN THE MUSICAL. Rounding out the 2014-2015 season are the brand new, high-flying production of PIPPIN, the Tony Award-winning revival of ANYTHING GOES, and the hilariously charming I LOVE LUCY LIVE ON STAGE.

ASU Gammage has announced its 2014/2015 Broadway Across America –Arizona season which marks the 50th Anniversary of ASU Gammage and in celebration ASU Gammage is bringing a season of the hottest shows on Broadway and the biggest blockbusters to ever grace our stage. Hot new Award-winning shows direct from Broadway include 2013 Tony Award for Best Musical winner KINKY BOOTS, PIPPIN, MOTOWN and Rodgers + Hammerstein's CINDERELLA!

As previously announced, Clifton Oliver and Allison Semmes will star in the leading roles of Berry Gordy and Diana Ross. Portraying groundbreaking Motown artists, Nicholas Christopher will play Smokey Robinson and Jarran Muse will play Marvin Gaye. Leon Outlaw, Jr. and Reed L. Shannon will portray Berry Gordy's boyhood counterpart and the roles of young stars Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder.

The World Premiere of Stories From the Night Before, a new evening of dance theater created by Maurice Brandon Curry, Chair of the Dance Department of Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts, will be presented on Sunday and Monday March 16 and 17 at 7 PM at New York University's Skirball Center, 566 LaGuardia Place (just off Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village), New York, NY 10012.

On Today, March 13, the Houston Symphony will continue its legendary centennial celebration by performing alongside one of the leading figures in the recording industry, Steve Tyrell. Under the leadership of Houston Symphony Associate Conductor Robert Franz, Tyrell and the orchestra will perform American standards like 'You're So Nice to Come Home To,' 'The Way You Look Tonight' and 'I Get a Kick Out of You,' to name just a few. The Grammy Award-winning Tyrell will also invite his friends Diane Schuur, Judith Hill and Lew Soloff to the stage to share the evening with him as he sings the night away to timeless classics in this one-night only special performance.