James Earl Jones News

Tony Award-winning director John Rando attended SILENCE! The Musical at P.S. 122 on April 19th, joining a long list of luminaries who have turned up in the audience at the hit show over the past few months including Jodie Foster, Neil Simon, James Earl Jones, Kelly Ripa, Josh Groban, Lisa Lampanelli, Jonathan Demme, Matt Bomer, Joan Rivers, Chita Rivera, Jeremy Jordan, Stephen Schwartz, John Kander, James Lapine, Jonathan Groff, Justin Kirk, Corbin Bleu, Mario Cantone, David LaChapelle, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, TR Knight, Willie Garson, Seth Rudetsky, Steven Pasquale, Telly Leung, Christian Campbell, John McDaniel, Eden Espinosa, Charlotte d'Amboise, Carol Woods, Anika Larsen, and Anthony Heald. See the photo below!

According to NY Magazine, Angela Lansbury, who is currently starring in GORE VIDAL'S THE BEST MAN on Broadway, has signed on to star alongside James Earl Jones in an Australian tour of DRIVING MISS DAISY next winter.

Stage and screen stars Kristin Chenoweth & Jim Parsons will announce this year's Tony nominees tomorrow morning, May 1, 8:30am EST at New York Public Library. The Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards, which are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, will be broadcast in a live three-hour ceremony from the Beacon Theatre, on the CBS television network on Sunday, June 10, 2012. In preparation for the big announcement, TonyAwards.com has released a Cheat Sheet that reminds you of the eligible shows/people of this season. The full Cheat Sheet is as follows:

Musical Momentum, a unique benefit concert series, kicks off with its first event True Colors: A Benefit/Fundraiser for the Trevor Project at the Laurie Beechman Theater in New York tonight, Sunday 29th April at 9:30pm.

The producers of the Off-Broadway smash SILENCE! The Musical, launched an exciting new website today, April 26th. At the newly revamped and redesigned SilenceTheMusical.com, visitors will now find loads of reviews and updated news about the show, in addition to constantly changing interactive features. There's a direct link to the SilenceTheMusicalNYC YouTube Channel, as well as to their Facebook page and Twitter feed. Click here to check it out.

The 78th Annual Drama League Awards will be held at the Marriott Marquis Times Square on Friday, May 18, 2012 at noon. Check out the 2012 Drama League Nominees for Distinguished Production of a Play, Distinguished Production of a Musical, Distinguished Revival of a Play, Distinguished Revival of a Musical, and the much coveted Distinguished Performance Award.

A Memorial Tribute honoring THEODORE MANN, Circle in the Square's Co-Founder, Artistic Director, and Co-Producer, who passed away on February 24 at the age of 87, will be held at Circle in the Square Theatre, 1633 Broadway, at 50th Street, on Tuesday, May 1, at 1 p.m. Seating is open to the general public on a first come, first-served basis.

Theater producer Daryl Roth, who produced last season's Tony Award-winning revival of The Normal Heart and has presented an unprecedented seven Pulitzer Prize-winning plays on the stage, is set to receive two prestigious honors next month. The Family Equality Council will present Roth with the Hostetter-Habib Family Award for her continued support of the LGBT community. The presentation will take place at the organizations Night at the Pier event on May 8. Later in the month, at its Stella by Starlight Gala on May 20, the Stella Adler Studio of Acting will present Roth with The Harold Clurman Spirit Award "for courageous contribution to the culture of the city of New York and beyond." Her fellow honorees at the Stella by Starlight Gala include Harry Belafonte, James Earl Jones, Ed Schultz, and Masa Tanaka.

Nominations Talley for 3 or more: 9 - Nice Work If You Can Get It; 7 - Newsies, Once; 5 - Follies, Death of a Salesman, Evita, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark; 4 - One Man, Two Guvnors, Porgy and Bess, Tribes; 3 - The Best Man, Bonnie & Clyde, Death Takes a Holiday, The Lyons, Queen of the Mist, Sons of the Prophet;

A Streetcar Named Desire starring Blair Underwood as Stanley, Nicole Ari Parker as Blanche, Daphne Rubin-Vega as Stella and Wood Harris as Mitch, began previews for its limited Broadway run at the Broadhurst Theatre on Tuesday, April 3, 2012, and celebrates its opening tonight, Sunday April 22, 2012. The production will run through July 22, 2012.

Musical Momentum, a very unique benefit concert series, will kick-off with its first event True Colors: A Benefit/Fundraiser for the Trevor Project at the Laurie Beechman Theater in New York on Sunday 29th April at 9:30pm.

Gore Vidal's THE BEST MAN began previews on Tuesday, March 6th, 2012, prior to an April 1 opening night at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. Candice Bergen chatted about the show this morning during her visit to LIVE! With Kelly. View a photo below!

Bay Street Theatre is celebrating its 21st season and has announced the 2012 Mainstage productions.

Pine Box Theater Company kicks off its 2012 Season with THE JAMMER by Rolin Jones, directed by Artistic Director Vincent Teninty, playing May 19 - July 1, 2012 at the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago.

The Drama League has gathered together a team of Broadway's best to serve as Honorary Co-Chairs for the 78th Annual Drama League Awards set for Friday, May 18, 2012 at 12:00 p.m., at the Marriott Marquis Times Square (1535 Broadway). The team of Broadway luminaries includes Nina Arianda, Christian Borle, Norbert Leo Butz, Kathleen Chalfant, Raul Esparza, Rosemary Harris, Jeremy Jordan, Christine Lahti, Linda Lavin, Norm Lewis, Judith Light, Audra McDonald, Cynthia Nixon, Denis O'Hare and Blair Underwood. The Honorary Co-Chairs serve as ambassadors for The Drama League Awards and the excellence of the New York theatre season, and welcome the attendees of the Awards Luncheon at a cocktail reception before the event.

The stars of Gore Vidal's The Best Man James Earl Jones, John Larroquette, Eric McCormack, Michael McKean and Jefferson Mays will be joining the play's director Michael Wilson at 92nd Street Y on Monday April 30 at 8pm for a talk event about this fascinating, prescient work, which Vidal wrote in an era when the impact of television and public discussion of politicians' sex lives had yet to be felt. Caryn James, the film and culture critic and author, moderates the discussion.

On April 13th, SILENCE! The Musical received the 2012 Telly Award for Use of Humor in a Television Commercial. The hit Off-Broadway show's new commercial won the prestigious honor at the 33rd Annual Telly Awards over nearly 11,000 entries from around the world. 'The Telly Awards has a mission to honor the very best in film and video,' said Linda Day, Executive Director of the Telly Awards. SILENCE! The Musical's TV commercial illustrates their creativity, skill, and dedication to their craft and serves as a testament to great film and video production.' See the award-winning commercial below!

In honor and celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theater, The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Patrick Willingham) will hold a special one-night-only gala event on Monday, June 18, featuring Kevin Kline as Romeo and Meryl Streep as Juliet in a star-studded staged reading of ROMEO AND JULIET, directed by Daniel Sullivan. For information on tickets for The Public Theater's Anniversary Gala, please call (212) 539-8547 or visit www.shakespeareinthepark.org.

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's star-studded 12th Annual Monte Cristo Awards honored tonight, April 16, the distinguished accomplishments and contributions of long-time Trustee Michael Douglas to the American Theater. The award was presented to Mr. Douglas by his wife, actress Catherine Zeta-Jones. See photos of the honoree Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Angela Lansbury and more below!

The Drama League has announced Drama League nominee Megan Hilty (9 To 5, "Smash") and Justin Long (Seminar) will co-host the announcement of the The 2012 Drama League Nominees for Distinguished Production of a Play, Distinguished Production of a Musical, Distinguished Revival of a Play, Distinguished Revival of a Musical, and the much coveted Distinguished Performance Award on Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. at Sardi's. As in years past, the nominations ceremony will be broadcast worldwide via live stream right here on BroadwayWorld!