Frederick Loewe News

Based on the book of the same title by Jaap Polak and Ina Soep Polak, STEAL A PENCIL FOR ME, a new opera with music by Gerald Cohen and libretto by Deborah Brevoort, will have its premiere in Scarsdale and New York City, NY, beginning today, April 28. STEAL A PENCIL FOR ME is a love story set in two concentration camps during World War II. It is based on the true story of Jaap and Ina Polak, whom the composer has known for the last 25 years, and who just celebrated their 100th and 90th birthdays.

A stage door opens for OCPA Studios today, April 27 at 2:30pm - Stage Door Repertory Theatre, that is. The Orange County Playwrights Alliance's full-length play reading series makes its first trip to SDRT with the presentation of Bender, a new play with music by Erica Bennett (with original lyrics by Erica Bennett and music by Karen Fix Curry).

The Planet Connections Theatre Festivity presents Walden, a story-theatre style musical adaptation of Thoreau's best seller, featuring his work on the underground railroad and his star-crossed romance. Six performances for Walden will be held at the Robert Moss Theatre, 440 Lafayette Street, NYC from May 29-June 15 as part of The Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. The Festivity will take place May 29th through June 23rd at Gene Frankel and Robert Moss Theatres in New York City.

Guthrie Director Joe Dowling today announced 12 mainstage productions of the theater's 2013-2014 season. The theater's 51st season includes first-time Guthrie productions of playwrights Beth Henley and Nina Raine, classics on the Wurtele Thrust Stage directed by Dowling and Marion McClinton, WorldStage Series presentations of returning companies Kneehigh Theatre and Out of Joint, as well as a summertime slate of a beloved musical and a Christopher Durang comedy that is currently a Broadway hit.

A packed audience at tonight's opening performance of Hello Dolly! was treated to the official announcement from Artistic Director Robert J. Farley of Georgia Ensemble Theatre's (GET) 2013-2014 Season. The selections are: Almost Heaven: John Denver's America written and adapted by Peter Glazer, Deathrap by Ira Levin, the world premiere of The Only Light in Reno by Topher Payne, F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby adapted for the stage by Simon Levy, and Camelot by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. Georgia Ensemble Theatre is the Official Resident Professional Theatre Company at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center in historic Roswell, Georgia.

A stage door opens for OCPA Studios on April 27 at 2:30pm - Stage Door Repertory Theatre, that is. The Orange County Playwrights Alliance's full-length play reading series makes its first trip to SDRT with the presentation of Bender, a new play with music by Erica Bennett (with original lyrics by Erica Bennett and music by Karen Fix Curry).

Today in 1957, Brigadoon opened at the Adelphi Theatre, where it ran for 47 performances. Brigadoon is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. Songs from the musical, such as 'Almost Like Being in Love' have become standards. The story involves two American tourists who stumble upon Brigadoon, a mysterious Scottish village that appears for only one day every hundred years. Tommy, one of the tourists, falls in love with Fiona, a young woman from Brigadoon. The original production opened on Broadway in 1947 and ran for 581 performances. A 1954 film version starred Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse. A 1966 television version starred Robert Goulet and Peter Falk.

Liz Callaway (Miss Saigon, Baby), Kate Shindle (Legally Blonde, Cabaret), Betsy Wolfe (The Last Five Years, The Mystery of Edwin Drood), F. Michael Haynie (Wicked, Dogfight), Zachary Prince (On A Clear Day…) and Sam Heldt (Junie B. Jones) have joined the lineup of performers for musical theater writer Adam Gwon's upcoming concert at 54 Below tonight April 8, 2013 at 9:30pm. Heading up a five-piece band, Gwon will premiere brand-new songs and share fresh and funny tunes from his musicals Ordinary Days, Cloudlands, The Boy Detective Fails, and String.

Director Vince Legaretta and choreographer Kerry Lambert create a music and dance spectacle you may see once in a hundred years

Liz Callaway (Miss Saigon, Baby), Kate Shindle (Legally Blonde, Cabaret), Betsy Wolfe (The Last Five Years, The Mystery of Edwin Drood), F. Michael Haynie (Wicked, Dogfight), Zachary Prince (On A Clear Day…) and Sam Heldt (Junie B. Jones) have joined the lineup of performers for musical theater writer Adam Gwon's upcoming concert at 54 Below on Monday April 8, 2013 at 9:30pm. Heading up a five-piece band, Gwon will premiere brand-new songs and share fresh and funny tunes from his musicals Ordinary Days, Cloudlands, The Boy Detective Fails, and String.

Vital Theatre Company has announced the return of Pinkalicious, The Musical at Culture Project (formerly Bleecker St Theatre) due to popular demand. Performances are Saturdays 1:30 pm.

Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's beloved musical GIGI will return to Broadway, possibly as soon as the 2013-2014 season, directed by Tony Award-nominee Eric D. Schaeffer (Follies), in a new adaptation by acclaimed British playwright and Emmy-nominated screenwriter Heidi Thomas ('Cranforde,' 'Upstairs Downstairs,' 'Call the Midwife').

Today in 1976, the first Broadway revival of My Fair Lady opened at the St. James Theatre, where it ran for 377 performances. My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons from professor Henry Higgins, a phoneticist, so that she may pass as a well born lady. The musical's 1956 Broadway production was a hit, setting what was then the record for the longest run of any major musical theatre production in history. It was followed by a hit London production, a popular film version, and numerous revivals.

American Opera Projects (AOP) announces the return of its popular Composers & the Voice program for its 2013-14 season. Created and led by Composers & the Voice Artistic Director Steven Osgood, six composers or composer/librettist teams will be selected for a year-long fellowship, working with the company's Reside nt Ensemble of Singers and Artistic Team. Applications and additional information can be found at AOP's website www.operaprojects.org/composers_voice. The deadline for applications is May 17, 2013. All sessions will be at AOP's home base in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.

Vital Theatre Company has announced the return of Pinkalicious, The Musical at Culture Project (formerly Bleecker St Theatre) due to popular demand. Tickets are now on sale now through August 31st, 2013. Performances are Saturdays 1:30 pm.

The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize honors 10 Finalists for its prestigious playwriting award, now celebrating its thirty-fifth year.

Based on the book of the same title by Jaap Polak and Ina Soep Polak, STEAL A PENCIL FOR ME, a new opera with music by Gerald Cohen and libretto by Deborah Brevoort, will have its premiere in Scarsdale and New York City, NY in late April, 2013. STEAL A PENCIL FOR ME is a love story set in two concentration camps during World War II. It is based on the true story of Jaap and Ina Polak, whom the composer has known for the last 25 years, and who just celebrated their 100th and 90th birthdays.

Rising-star musical theater writer Adam Gwon will play 54 Below for a one-night-only concert extravaganza on Monday April 8, 2013 at 9:30pm. Heading up a five-piece band, Gwon will premiere brand-new songs and share tunes from his musicals Ordinary Days, Cloudlands, The Boy Detective Fails, and String.

Today in 1947, Brigadoon opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre, where it ran for 581 performances. Brigadoon is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. It tells the story of a mysterious Scottish village that appears for only one day every hundred years, though to the villagers, the passing of each century seems no longer than one night. Brigadoon then received a West End production opening in 1949 that ran for 685 performances, and many revivals followed. A 1954 film version starred Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse. A 1966 television version starred Robert Goulet and Peter Falk.