Ethel Merman News

The Drama Desk Award-winning Celebrity Autobiography returned to Stage 72 (formerly the Triad Theater), 158 West 72 Street, with its new edition, Celebrity Autobiography: The Next Chapter, on March 11, 2013. The cast featured Mario Cantone, Rachel Dratch, Janeane Garofalo, Carla Hall, Eugene Pack, Dayle Reyfel, Michael Urie, and Alan Zweibel. BroadwayWorld has photos from the show below!

York Theatre Company's Winter 2013 Musicals in Mufti Series presentation of the 1956 musical hit, Happy Hunting, with book by Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse, lyrics by Matt Dubey and music by Harold Karr, is currently in rehearsals to prepare for an opening tomorrow, March 15. Directed by David Glenn Armstrong and with music direction by David Andrews Rogers, the cast stars KLea Blackhurst, and will feature Janine DiVita, Joy Franz, Jessica Grove, Sean Martin Hingston, Michael McCormick, Heather Parcells, Andrew Samonsky, Eric Sciotto, Michael Sharon and Lynne Wintersteller. Check out photos of the cast in rehearsal below!

Gerard Alessandrini's, FORBIDDEN BROADWAY: ALIVE AND KICKING, which received unanimous raves from critics and audiences alike, broke all box-office records at the 47th Street Theatre, and won spots on the Top Ten Lists of Time Magazine and the Associated Press, will wind up its current edition at the 47th Street Theatre on Sunday, April 28, in order to make room for The Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre's own season, as required by the show's lease agreement with the theatre. In a statement, Mr. Alessandrini said, "We knew from the start that the theatre could only be ours until the end of April. Although we hate to leave town when we're a hit, I actually think this is a perfect time for us to wind up "Alive and Kicking", which has been a thrilling return to New York for us, to take a brief break; and to begin plans to return with another edition later this year." The show, which has recently added extended parodies of Cinderella and the movie version of Les Miz, is also a Critic's Pick for The New York Times, The Daily News and New York Magazine. This edition stars Lindsay Nicole Chambers, Natalie Charle Ellis, Scott Richard Foster, Marcus Stevens and David Caldwell on piano. DRG Record's cast recording FORBIDDEN BROADWAY; ALIVE AND KICKING! The UN-Original Cast Album, is available in stores, on iTunes and Amazon.com.

Meet the cast and creative team for York Theatre Company's Winter 2013 Musicals in Mufti Series presentation of the 1956 musical hit, Happy Hunting, with book by Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse, lyrics by Matt Dubey and music by Harold Karr. Directed by David Glenn Armstrong and with music direction by David Andrews Rogers, the cast stars Klea Blackhurst, and will feature Janine DiVita, Joy Franz, Jessica Grove, Sean Martin Hingston, Michael McCormick, Heather Parcells, Andrew Samonsky, Eric Sciotto, Michael Sharon and Lynne Wintersteller. Scroll below for photos of the company!

The Drama Desk Award-winning Celebrity Autobiography returns to Stage 72 (formerly the Triad Theater), 158 West 72 Street, with its new edition, Celebrity Autobiography: The Next Chapter, tonight, March 11 at 8pm. The cast is scheduled to include Mario Cantone, Rachel Dratch, Janeane Garofalo, Carla Hall, Eugene Pack, Dayle Reyfel, Michael Urie, and Alan Zweibel.

The York Theatre Company continues the Winter 2013 Musicals in Mufti Series with the 1956 musical hit, Happy Hunting, with book by Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse, lyrics by Matt Dubey and music by Harold Karr. Directed by David Glenn Armstrong and with music direction by David Andrews Rogers, the cast stars KLea Blackhurst, and will feature Janine DiVita, Joy Franz, Jessica Grové, Seán Martin Hingston, Michael McCormick, Heather Parcells, Andrew Samonsky, Eric Sciotto, Michael Sharon, Eric Sciotto and Lynne Wintersteller.

The company of A CINDERELLA just celebrated their opening with the Gypsy Robe ritual with the company's recipient Linda Mugleston. BroadwayWorld was on hand for the event and brings you full photo coverage below!

The Drama Desk Award-winning Celebrity Autobiography returns to Stage 72 (formerly the Triad Theater), 158 West 72 Street, with its new edition, Celebrity Autobiography: The Next Chapter, on Monday, March 11 at 8pm. The cast is scheduled to include Mario Cantone, Rachel Dratch, Janeane Garofalo, Carla Hall, Eugene Pack, Dayle Reyfel, Michael Urie, and Alan Zweibel.

'Let us entertain you!' That's just what the award-winning J*Company Youth Theatre, a program of the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, JACOBS FAMILY CAMPUS, is getting ready to do as they prepare to stage the third show in their musical theatre line up for its 20th Anniversary Season tribute to Barbra Streisand.

Pierrot Productions will entertain audiences with the classic musical fable about the road to stardom with 'Gypsy,' coming to Mercer County Community College's Kelsey Theatre. Dates and times are Fridays, March 15 and 22 at 8 p.m.; Saturdays, March 16 and 23 at 8 p.m.; and Sundays, March 17 and 24 at 2 p.m. A reception with the cast and crew follows the opening night performance on March 15.

Critically Acclaimed Tribute Artists Peter Mac and DJ Schaefer have a new weekly home in Studio City, CA in a new cabaret room built atop the world famous Oil Can Harry's aptly called Peter Mac's Upstairs at Oil Can Harry's. Currently playing in repertory are Golden Girls LIVE: A Drag Parody and Judy Garland Takes Broadway with Ethel Merman. Golden Girls marks the 10th Anniversary revival of the runaway hit which played at Roses Turn in NYC for over 154 performances in 2003. At a recent performance of Golden Girls original Co-Producer Marsha Posner came out to support the drag troop on February 23, 2013. See a picture of her with the cast below!

She's back! Brassy Broads of Broadway featuring Kathy Halenda comes to Sarasota for a limited engagement beginning tonight, February 19, 2013 in the Goldstein Cabaret. From wistful ballads to show-stopping Broadway classics, Ms. Halenda combines her powerful vocal style and energetic personality to create a performance that will touch as well as tickle her audience.

The Drama Desk Award-winning Celebrity Autobiography performed in San Francisco on February 9 and 10 at Marines' Memorial Theatre as part of SF Sketchfest. For the show's fifth visit to SF Sketchfest, co-creators Eugene Pack and Dayle Reyfel were joined by Maria Bamford (Comedians of Comedy) (Sunday only), Roger Bart ('Desperate Housewives'), Jennifer Coolidge (Best in Show) (Saturday only), Rachel Dratch ('Saturday Night Live'), Janeane Garafalo ('The Ben Stiller Show'), Andy Kindler (Sunday only), Laraine Newman ('Saturday Night Live'), Maya Rudolph ('Up All Night') (Saturday only) and Fred Willard (Waiting For Guffman).

Times have certainly changed but it's funny how they have yet to diminish our fondness for the old-fashioned musical. Roundabout Theatere Company's revival of Cole Porter's Anything Goes, is living proof we still love the pure escapism of the original American musical tradition.

Today in 1946, Annie Get Your Gun opened at the Imperial Theatre, where it ran for 1147 performances. Annie Get Your Gun is a musical with lyrics and music written by Irving Berlin and a book by Herbert Fields and his sister Dorothy Fields. The story is a fictionalized version of the life of Annie Oakley (1860-1926), who was a sharpshooter from Ohio, and her husband, Frank Butler. Songs that became hits include 'There's No Business Like Show Business', 'Doin' What Comes Natur'lly', 'You Can't Get a Man with a Gun', 'They Say It's Wonderful', and 'Anything You Can Do.'

The Drama Desk Award-winning Celebrity Autobiography performs in San Francisco tonight, February 9 at 8pm and Sunday, February 10 at 5pm, at Marines' Memorial Theatre as part of SF Sketchfest.

The legendary theatrical composer and lyricist took to the Susquehanna University stage to present his own inside history of American musical theatre and its creators and stars

San Francisco's 42nd Street Moon will celebrate 20 years of presenting musical theatre with IT'S DE-LOVELY, a gala fundraising evening with special guest star, two-time Tony winner Sutton Foster, 6pm, tonight, February 7 at the Palace Hotel, 2 Montgomery Street, San Francisco.

Once in a generation, if we are lucky, an extraordinary talent like no other arises - one who can ceaselessly, effortlessly caress the loftiest heights of comedy and drama onstage (and sometimes onscreen), while, simultaneously, imbuing musical theatre roles with the same skill set, plus a powerhouse, quintessentially unique and resplendent vocal instrument; and, of course, that indescribable 'it' factor, too - such is the tale of Broadway's grand dame, Patti LuPone. Ms. LuPone is a part of that great pantheon of leading ladies of lore led by Ethel Merman, Mary Martin, Angela Lansbury, Elaine Stritch and Bernadette Peters - that is, musical theatre royalty. Taking a look back at many moments in her long and varied career thus far, LuPone candidly opines about a vast array of topics and opens up about many of the remarkable figures who have played roles in her astounding time spent on Broadway, in Hollywood and on TV - among them: Stephen Sondheim, Hal Prince, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman, Steven Spielberg, David Mamet, Ryan Murphy and many more. Most importantly, LuPone discusses various aspects of her ever-expanding new solo show upon which her sensational live album, FAR AWAY PLACES, is based - the songs, the stories, the themes, the collaborators and her future plans for the piece (such as her series of 54 Below shows coming up in February). Additionally, LuPone addresses appearing on GLEE, reflects on working with Jennifer Lopez and Jason Statham on PARKER, shares her thoughts on her favorite films of the year, expounds upon what roles she would like to pursue and teases about her concert with David Yazbek and the debut of her new Carnegie Hall concert as well as a return to London where she made her mark with her Olivier-winning original Fantine in LES MISERABLES - all of that and much, much more!