Ethel Merman News

Broadway's biggest luminaries both current and classic, including Ethel Merman, Frank Loesser and Zero Mostel were the featured subjects in more than 2 dozen performances and presentations aboard Crystal Cruises' 'Film and Theatre' themed voyage from San Francisco and Tinseltown to New York City from August 25 to September 13, 2011.

The new production of FOLLIES opened on Broadway on Monday night, September 12, 2011 to multiple rave reviews. Before the show, we were there for long-standing opening night tradition on the Great White Way, the fabled Gypsy Robe, which is bestowed upon a veteran Broadway chorus member for each opening production. In what has now become a theatrical ritual, originating on Broadway 60 years ago, FOLLIES cast member Jennifer Foote received the Gypsy Robe and BroadwayWorld was there for the celebration.

McCarter Theatre Center will open its 2011/2012 season with John Doyle's Ten Cents A Dance: The Music of Rodgers and Hart Friday, September 16 and runs through Sunday, October 9. Ten Cent A Dance is a co-production with Williamstown Theatre Festival where it recently completed a successful run. The show previews Friday, September 9 through Thursday, September 15.

Lakewood Theatre Company's 59th season is right on target as it continues with the classic American musical, Annie Get Your Gun. The production, directed by Ron Daum, presents the story of rough and tumble Annie Oakley and her rise to fame and romance with headliner Frank Butler. Irving Berlin's memorable songs make this a bull's-eye hit for everyone.

Stephen Sondheim's second book, a follow up to his 'Finishing The Hat', is now available for pre-order. Entitled, 'Look, I Made a Hat: Collected Lyrics (1981-2011) with Attendant Comments, Amplifications, Dogmas, Harangues, Wafflings, Diversions and Anecdotes,' Amazon is taking pre-orders here. The book was scheduled for release on October 25, 2011, but has now been moved to November 22, 2011.

With its many supporting roles for older performers, one of the great pleasures of productions of Follies is the opportunity to see some of the theatre's senior members making a triumphant return to the Broadway stage.

This year's New York Musical Theatre Festival will host the New York premiere of The Big Bank, a timely musical about a bank that loves to foreclose, written by Daniel and Jacob Seligmann, directed by David Glenn Armstrong.

The obligatory Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark spoof that everyone figured would be a part of the 2011 New York International Fringe Festival obviously did not benefit from a series of workshops and readings before making its debut at the Bleecker Theatre. This one had to be a rush job.

Theatrica Ltd, in association with The Landor Theatre, is delighted to announce that Arthur Laurents, Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim's classic musical, Gypsy, will play for four weeks as part of the theatre's Autumn season, with iconic musical theatre actress Rosemary Ashe as the formidable Rose.

A powerhouse of a performer like Sutton Foster comes along only once a generation or so - the last of her likes on these shores was undoubtedly grande dame EVITA diva Patti LuPone and, across the pond, original EVITA and CATS headliner and current FOLLIES revival star, Elaine Paige - and in her debut lead performance in THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE more than ten years ago Ms. Foster set Broadway babies' hearts aflutter and tongues a-wagging with her steam train take on the title role and nabbed a well-earned Best Actress Tony Award for her considerable efforts. After that, starring roles in LITTLE WOMEN, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN and SHREK followed - as well as a stupendous turn in the Encores! ANYONE CAN WHISTLE opposite Raul Esparza and Donna Murphy - but it was not until this very last season on Broadway that Sutton Foster truly received her shot to tap, strut, belt and, well, blow, in the old big Broadway Diva fashion. Make that even more to the point - in true Ethel Merman fashion. The new Tony on her mantle bespeaks Sutton's power in the theater, yet what about on the fresh new 2011 Broadway revival recording out this week on PS CLASSICS? And, what about her co-stars like Oscar-winner Joel Grey, Broadway stalwarts John McMartin and Adam Godley and the newer generation of Broadway hoofers like Colin Donnell, Jessica Stone and Laura Osnes? Come on aboard the S.S. Broadway World and find out for yourself!

Lakewood Theatre Company's 59th season is right on target as it continues with the classic American musical, Annie Get Your Gun. The production, directed by Ron Daum, presents the story of rough and tumble Annie Oakley and her rise to fame and romance with headliner Frank Butler. Irving Berlin's memorable songs make this a bull's-eye hit for everyone.

In the video below, writer Jonathan Marc Sherman interviews the iconic Stephen Sondheim at the 2011 Broadway Teachers Workshop in New York City, where he share feelings and wonderful stories about the personal impact teachers have had on him throughout his life. Click below to check it out!

All aboard for laughs when Cole Porter's Anything Goes sets sail at Music Circus July 26-31. With mistaken identities, long-lost loves, and a bevy of tap dancers aboard a luxury cruise liner, Anything Goes is a guaranteed good time.

They say timing is everything. Well, with the success of AMC's 'Mad Men' and the pending release of the retro series for ABC entitled, 'Pan Am' as well as NBC's recently announced 'Playboy Club', it seems like the perfect time for the woman who opened for Sinatra and headlined at each and every one of the Playboy Clubs, Barbara Van Orden, to re-emerge, like Dolly Gallagher Levi in Jerry Herman's hit 'Hello Dolly!', in the public eye.

All aboard for laughs when Cole Porter's Anything Goes sets sail at Music Circus July 26-31. With mistaken identities, long-lost loves, and a bevy of tap dancers aboard a luxury cruise liner, Anything Goes is a guaranteed good time.

Reservations for the memorial performance celebrating the life of former Theatre By The Sea producer Tommy Brent, are now being accepted. The general admission seating passes can be reserved online at www.theatrebythesea.com, on the phone by calling (401) 782-TKTS (8587) or in person during normal box office hours. Each individual patron will be limited to four passes.

West Coast Ensemble and director Richard Israel get ready to for a much-anticipated GYPSY that will run May 13 - July 3 at the Theatre of Arts Arena Stage in Hollywood.

A long-standing opening night tradition on the Great White Way, the fabled Gypsy Robe is bestowed upon a veteran Broadway chorus member for each opening production. In what has now become a theatrical ritual, originating on Broadway 60 years ago, SPIDER-MAN cast member Luther Creek was the recipient at the Foxwoods Theatre in New York City.