Ira Gershwin News

Florida Studio Theatre will open By Gershwin: A Tribute to George and Ira in the Goldstein Cabaret on Friday, March 1, 2013 at 7:30pm. By Gershwin will be an elegant and spirited rendition of the music from greatest songwriting team of the 20th Century. Tickets for this premiere music revue will be on sale through June 2, 2013 and can be purchased by phone at (941) 366-9000, online at FloridaStudioTheatre.org, or by visiting the Box Office.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre has announced a limited engagement of George Gershwin Alone, a play with music that invites audiences to enjoy an evening with a great composer. This celebrated production plays two weeks only - June 8 through June 23 - on the intimate Thrust Stage. Tickets for these 18 performances go on sale today to Berkeley Rep's subscribers; the public can access seats beginning on Sunday, February 10. This special presentation features music by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin with a book by Hershey Felder. Starring Hershey Felder as George Gershwin, it has been staged by acclaimed director Joel Zwick.

The astounding musical legacy of George and Ira Gershwin can hardly be summed up in a news article. But, suffice it to say that Here To Stay: The Gershwin Experience, playing at the Van Wezel on February 10, 2013, paints a beautifully deep and intriguing picture of the dynamic duo, and immerses the viewer in a concert environment that has not been replicated since the performance of the original orchestration.

This week's THEATER TALK focuses on both the new PBS documentary Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy and the 100th Anniversary of the Actors' Equity Association. Guests are filmmaker Michael Kantor, producer of the PBS film, followed by Nicholas Wyman, President of Actors' Equity, and Robert Simonson, author of Performance of the Century: 100 Years of Actors' Equity Association and the Rise of Professional American Theater, which chronicles the powerful union's history.

Jazz singer Mark Winkler has written a new album dedicated to fresh interpretations of the work of his own favorite singer/songwriter Laura Nyro, which is set to be released on April 16.

Warner/Chappell Music, the global music publishing arm of Warner Music Group, today announced that it has extended its partnership with superstar Barry Gibb. Under the agreement, Warner/Chappell will continue to administer the rights to Gibbs' incredible catalog of songs, dating from 1967 to the present.

On Sunday January 27 singer/TV executive producer Joe Lupariello brought his musical show Where or When to Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal. Lupariello has had a background in musical comedy, but chose a mix of contemporary and traditional pop standards for Where or When, some of which worked better than others. Backed by great versatile Brian Graden at the piano, Lupariello worked like a charm with his SRO crowd, bringing the set in at under 60 minutes.

Celebrity Series of Boston will present An Evening with Christine Ebersole tonight, January 26, 8pm at Sanders Theatre, Memorial Hall, Harvard University, 45 Quincy Street, Cambridge. This is the Celebrity Series of Boston debut for Christine Ebersole.

Today in 1942, the first revival of Porgy and Bess opened at the Majestic Theatre, where it ran for 286 performances. First performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, libretto by DuBose Heyward, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward, it was based on DuBose Heyward's novel Porgy and subsequent play of the same title, which he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy Heyward. All three works deal with African-American life in the fictitious Catfish Row in Charleston, South Carolina, in the early 1920s. Originally conceived by George Gershwin as an 'American folk opera', Porgy and Bess premiered in New York in the fall of 1935 and featured an entire cast of classically trained African-American singers-a daring artistic choice at the time.

The smash-hit Gershwin musical comedy, CRAZY FOR YOU, tap dances onto the West Fargo High School stage for six performances, February 15, 16, 22, & 23 at 7:30pm and February 17 & 24 at 2:30pm.

Nine time Grammy Award winner, Natalie Cole will return to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall on January 24, 2013. Fresh out of the studio, Natalie is excited to be back on tour in support of her new album, which will be released in the Spring of 2013, and will mark her exciting debut as a Latin artist. She recently presented the Latin Grammy Award for "Album of the Year," at the 2012 ceremony.

The Encores! 20th Anniversary season opens on January 30, and Encores! alums have been sending in their best wishes. Below, check out a video of Stephen Wallem, Victoria Clark, Mylinda Hull, Chuck Cooper, Elizabeth Stanley, Judy Kaye, Mayor Bloomberg and more riffing on their Encores! experiences!

Emmy and Tony Award winner Blythe Danner has joined the cast of Nice Work If You Can Get It for 12 weeks only, continuing through March 10th. Ms. Danner assumes the role of Millicent Winter, the mother of Matthew Broderick's character Jimmy Winter. The role was originated on Broadway by Academy Award winner Estelle Parsons, who played her final performance on Sunday, December 16. Check out photos of Danner in action below!

The Ocean Professional Theatre Company have announced their 2013 season. Tickets are now onsale for S'Wonderful, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Anything Goes, Cats, and much more!

The producers of the Tony-winning hit musical comedy NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT have announced that Tony Award nominee Brad Oscar will perform the role of ‘Cookie McGee' beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, January 8th during Michael McGrath's two month leave of absence. This reunites Mr. Oscar with Matthew Broderick for the first time since they starred together in the original cast of The Producers.

Celebrity Series of Boston will present An Evening with Christine Ebersole on Saturday, January 26, 8pm at Sanders Theatre, Memorial Hall, Harvard University, 45 Quincy Street, Cambridge. This is the Celebrity Series of Boston debut for Christine Ebersole.

As Sir Robin carols merrily to King Arthur in Monty Python's Spamalot, 'In any great adventure, if you don't want to lose...you won't succeed on Broadway if you don't have any Jews.' Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy is a new, 90-minute documentary by Michael Kantor, creator of the Emmy-winning series, Broadway: The American Musical. The special just aired on Great Performances yesterday, January 1 on PBS. Click below to watch!

As Sir Robin carols merrily to King Arthur in Monty Python's Spamalot, 'In any great adventure, if you don't want to lose…you won't succeed on Broadway if you don't have any Jews.' Eric Idle's cheeky lyric, which unfailingly generated knowing guffaws from Broadway audiences, proves to be more than a little grounded in truth, as BROADWAY MUSICALS: A JEWISH LEGACY convincingly attests.

A look at some of the musicals and operas South Africa had on offer in the 2012 season.