Henry Krieger News

A homely songbird seeks success as a superstar swan. Imagine American Idol with a zany animal characters and song contests and it's Lucky Duck, a new musical at the Coterie Theatre in Crown Center June 22 to August 8.

Producer John Breglio and The National Theatre announced casting today for the national tour of DREAMGIRLS, coming to Washington, D.C., July 28 through August 8.

Bill Russell directs Nick Cearley in 'still bill - lyrics and poems by Bill Russell' at the Canal Room, June 9th with special guests Alice Ripley and Lauren Molina.

Today, we are taking a look at a clip from the 1982 Tony Awards and one of that season's hottest and most acclaimed shows, the rightfully unforgettable DREAMGIRLS directed by Michael Bennett. In this clip we can surely see why Jennifer Holliday earned her Best Actress In A Musical trophy and why Michael Bennett's Tony-winning musical staging is so well-remembered to this very day. No musical looked quite like this before...

A homely songbird seeks success as a superstar swan. Imagine American Idol with a zany animal characters and song contests and it's Lucky Duck, a new musical at the Coterie Theatre in Crown Center June 22 to August 8.

TheatreWorks, the nationally-acclaimed theatre of Silicon Valley, has announced the line-up for its 2010-2011 season. Founding Artistic Director Robert Kelley and Managing Director Phil Santora announced a 41st season that will include three world premieres (bringing the company's total to 56); three regional premieres including the newest play by the author of AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, Broadway's quirky hit musical about writers writing a quirky hit musical and a spell-binding mystery about a Japanese-American veteran charged with murder; and two Broadway favorites. The company will once again lead off with an extensive New Works Festival.

TPAC is located in the James K. Polk Cultural Center at 505 Deaderick Street in downtown Nashville, occupying an entire city block between 5th and 6th Avenues and Deaderick and Union Streets. Also housing the Tennessee State Museum, the cultural center adjoins the 18 story James K. Polk Office Tower.

Goodspeed Musicals, the only two-time Tony Award winning theatre in the country, has announced that they will produce three new musicals at The Norma Terris Theatre in Chester, Conn. Kicking off the season is Band Geeks!, the homegrown smash hit from Goodspeed's 2009 Festival of New Artists. This feel-good musical comedy will run from May 13 through June 6. The darling Radio Girl, based on the much loved classic Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, will charm audiences July 29 through August 22. The third new musical, which will be announced soon, is scheduled to run October 21 through November 14.

Producer John Breglio and The National Theatre announced that tickets for the smash hit musical DREAMGIRLS will go on sale Sunday, June 13. DREAMGIRLS will play The National Theatre for two weeks only, July 28 through August 8.

Bill Russell directs Nick Cearley in 'still bill - lyrics and poems by Bill Russell' at the Canal Room, June 9th with special guests Alice Ripley and Lauren Molina.

LAByrinth Theater Company (Co-Artistic Directors Stephen Adly Guirgis, Mimi O'Donnell and Yul Vázquez), has announced that the roster of performers for its Annual Spring Benefit will include Carlo Alban, Ivette Dumeng, Bill Evans, Ivan Hernandez, Sal Inzerillo, Andy Karl, Angela Lewis, Mark Linn-Baker, Orfeh, Ina Marie Smith and Mary Testa.

Tennessee Performing Arts Center has announced its event calendar for the 2010-2011 season.

To celebrate DREAMGIRLS' upcoming visit to the Center, Bloomingdale's South Coast Plaza is creating a special 'Get the Look' boutique inspired by the stunning costumes from the sensational new stage production direct from Harlem's world-famous Apollo Theater in New York City.

Playwrights Horizons (Artistic Director, Tim Sanford; Managing Director, Leslie Marcus) and Vineyard Theatre (Artistic Director, Douglas Aibel; Executive Director, Jennifer Garvey-Blackwell) have announced complete casting for their co-production of the New York premiere of the new musical THE BURNT PART BOYS by Mariana Elder (book), Chris Miller (music) and Nathan Tysen (lyrics).

To enhance Orange County theater-going when the national tour of the smash hit musical DREAMGIRLS visits April 21 - May 2, the Center has scheduled two post-performance talkbacks with cast members on April 22 and 29. During the talkbacks, which will follow the performances in Segerstrom Hall, audience members can speak to the cast and ask questions. The talkbacks are free, but tickets to the April 22 and 29 performances of DREAMGIRLS are required.

This fresh, entertaining reboot of the Tony® Award-winning stage musical DREAMGIRLS (now playing at the Orange County Performing Arts Center through May 2) is exquisitely vintage, yet surprisingly modern all at the same time. It's a reverent homage to the soulful musical roots of pop music, displayed with a knowing wink and a contemporary eye that aims to be enthralling to both longtime fans of the original stage production and to new fans that have discovered it recently, thanks to Bill Condon's splashy Oscar®-lauded 2006 film adaptation. The iconic, memorable score that accompanies its all-too-familiar story, performed by truly gifted actor-singers within a vividly-conceived backdrop, all mesh together to make this new DREAMGIRLS quite a satisfying revamp.

The sixth season of the acclaimed Monday Nights, New Voices series continues April 26th at the Duplex Cabaret Theatre. Rent's Darius de Haas will host an evening of new Voices, featuring the talents of Sarah Aili, Sarah Corey, Drew Pournelle, Stuart Matthew Price and Tricia Tanguy. Show time is 7 PM.

TheatreWorks, the nationally-acclaimed theatre of Silicon Valley, has announced the line-up for its 2010-2011 season. Founding Artistic Director Robert Kelley and Managing Director Phil Santora announced a 41st season that will include three world premieres (bringing the company's total to 56); three regional premieres including the newest play by the author of AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, Broadway's quirky hit musical about writers writing a quirky hit musical and a spell-binding mystery about a Japanese-American veteran charged with murder; and two Broadway favorites. The company will once again lead off with an extensive New Works Festival.

To enhance Orange County theater-going when the national tour of the smash hit musical DREAMGIRLS visits April 21 - May 2, the Center has scheduled two post-performance talkbacks with cast members on April 22 and 29. During the talkbacks, which will follow the performances in Segerstrom Hall, audience members can speak to the cast and ask questions. The talkbacks are free, but tickets to the April 22 and 29 performances of DREAMGIRLS are required.

During what was called 'Andrew Lloyd Webber week' of the seventh season of the hit TV talent competition American Idol, Webber predicted to an audience of millions that Syesha Mercado will 'bring the house down' with a sexy, splashy take on one of his many musical hits. And that, she did. Then 21, she eventually lasted on the show to become the second runner-up. Fast forward two years later, and she is now in the midst of a multi-city national tour of the rebooted DREAMGIRLS stage musical, where she nightly plays Deena Jones, the beautiful and eventual front-woman of the semi-fictional musical group The Dreams. Before she takes the stage of The Orange County Performing Arts Center (April 21-May 2), Mercado spoke with BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos about life on the road, her American Idol roots, and what it takes to become Deena Jones night after night.