James Lapine News

Mercury Theater Chicago, 3745 N Southport Ave., presents The Hypocrites' production INTO THE WOODS, directed by Geoff Button* with Musical Direction by Matt Deitchman, previewing February 6, opening Tuesday, February 11 at 7:30 p.m. and running through Sunday, March 30.

A Tony Award-winner straight from Broadway, a 20th century classic and a beloved tale from Shakespeare paired with a tour de force musical by Stephen Sondheim will highlight the 2014-2015 Mainstage Season from PlayMakers Repertory Company.

Congregation Beit Simchat Torah and Honorary Hosts, Betty Buckley, Andy Cohen, Carmel Dean, Harvey Fierstein, Moises Kaufman, James Lapine, Harriet Leve, Jordan Roth, Seth Rudetsky and Jeffrey Seller present a concert celebrating the music of two-time Tony Award winning Composer and Lyricist WILLIAM FINN, featuring some of the most beloved songs from Falsettos, The 25th Annual Putnum County Spelling Bee, A New Brain, Elegies, and more.

Main Street Theater has added 2 performances of its current production of Into the Woods, James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim's exploration of everyone's favorite fairytale characters. The new performances are on Wednesdays, February 5 and 12 at 7:30pm. Other remaining performances are on Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 3pm through February 16 at Main Street Theater - Rice Village, 2540 Times Blvd. Performances are. Tickets are $39 - $20, depending on date and section, and are on sale in person at the Main Street Theater Box Office, 2540 Times Blvd., via phone at 713.524.6706, or online at MainStreetTheater.com.

Classic Stage Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Greg Reiner, will present BRECHT FEST, a special series exploring the songs, poetry and stories of Bertolt Brecht, to be presented on Monday, February 3 and Monday, February 10 at CSC (136 East 13th Street). CSC is currently presenting Brecht's A MAN'S A MAN, directed by Brian Kulick and with a new score and new songs by Tony Award-winning composer Duncan Sheik, continuing the company's exploration of the works of Brecht, which began in 2011 with the sold-out production of Galileo and was followed by last season's The Caucasian Chalk Circle.

Artes de la Rosa is proud to present, as part of their "American Classics" Initiative a new staging of the Stephen Sondheim musical Into the Woods at the historic Rose Marine Theater in Fort Worth Texas. One of Sondheim's most popular works, the Brothers Grimm hit the musical stage with an epic fairytale where worlds collide and wishes come true. James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim take everyone's favorite storybook characters and bring them together for a timeless yet relevant modern classic that explores what it means to be a family. Featuring a live orchestra and an exciting new take on the material, Into the Woods opens with a Gala Opening Night event on February 22nd and runs through March 16th. The production runs 2 hours and 30 minutes with a 15 minute intermission.

Hottest Articles on BroadwayWorld.com from this weekend Sunday, January 19, 2014 - Sunday, January 19, 2014.

Internationally recognized screen superstar Chris Pine is part of the impossibly accomplished cast assembled for director Rob Marshall's big budget big screen adaptation of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's celebrated fairy tale-themed musical INTO THE WOODS and the actor opens up about the finer points of his role in the film as part of a new interview.

One of the most hotly contested roles on Broadway and in Hollywood last year was that of Little Orphan Annie - for the recent James Lapine-directed Broadway revival of the hit Charles Strouse/Martin Charnin tuner, as well as the radically reconceived and rewritten new feature film adaptation of the property, produced by Will Smith and Jay Z - and front-runner for the film, Willow Smith, opens up about why she passed up the chance to play the title role in a new interview.

When it comes to modern musical theatre, Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's INTO THE WOODS is definitely among the most beloved. The show had its world premiere in 1986, opened on Broadway in 1987, and won the 1988 Tony Awards for Best Score, Best Book, and Best Actress in a Musical in a year that was otherwise dominated by Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. With a handful of revivals and countless regional productions, INTO THE WOODS is a show that both audiences and theater companies love, and Main Street Theater's beautiful production of the classic perfectly illustrates why.

Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods will run at the Main Street Theater - Rice Village, today, January 16 to February 16, 2014.

On March 21, 2014, The New York Pops continues its 31st season at Carnegie Hall with On Broadway, an evening celebrating some of Broadway's most unforgettable hits from the past and present, featuring Tony Award nominees Stephanie J. Block and Andrew Rannells. Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley were previously slated to perform but are unable to appear due to scheduling conflicts.

Lincoln Center Theater has announced that Bill Army, Will Brill, Laurel Casillo, Chuck Cooper, Steven Kaplan, Will LeBow, Mimi Lieber, Charlotte Maier, Andrea Martin, Deborah Offner, Matthew Saldivar, Matthew Schechter, Bob Stillman and Amy Warren will join Santino Fontana and Tony Shalhoub in the cast of its upcoming production of ACT ONE, a play written and directed by James Lapine from the autobiography by Moss Hart. The production is scheduled to begin previews Thursday, March 20 and open on Thursday, April 17 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater (150 West 65 Street).

Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre's production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Passion will feature three Jeff-Award lauded performers in its lead roles, Artistic Director Fred Anzevino has announced. The role of Fosca, the sickly woman obsessed with a handsome young soldier in 19th Century Italy, will be played by Danni Smith, who just last year was honored with the Jeff Award for Actress in a Supporting Role for her work in Bailiwick Chicago's production of the musical See What I Wanna See. Smith's win came after two previous nominations in the same category, for Theo Ubique's Pump Boys and Dinettes and Bohemian Theatre Ensemble's The Glorious Ones. Playing Giorgio, the military officer who is the object of Fosca's affections, will be Peter Oyloe, a three-time Jeff Award winner. Oyloe's recent win as best leading actor in a musical for 2013's Hank Williams: Lost Highway was preceded by wins for his leading role in Equus and supporting role in The Pillowman, both at Redtwist Theatre. Collette Todd, Jeff-nominated for her role as Giulietta in Theo Ubique's Aspects of Love and recipient of critical and audience raves for her leading roles in Light Opera Works' productions of Man of La Mancha, Oliver! and Annie Get Your Gun, will play Clara - the third member of Passion's love triangle. Ms. Todd will also understudy the role of Fosca.

Second Stage Theatre will continue to celebrate its 35th Anniversary Season by once again offering its popular retro prices ($19.79 - the year in which the Company was founded) as well as audience perks for all of the productions this season. When these tickets went on sale for the season's first production, Little Miss Sunshine, the entire allotment sold out in under 2 hours.

Main Street Theater begins 2014 with Into the Woods, James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim's exploration of everyone's favorite fairytale characters. Main Street Theater's production will return the material to its storytelling roots with a small company and simple accompaniment on its intimate Rice Village stage.

Muny Executive Producer Mike Isaacson announced today the directors, choreographers and music directors for the Muny's 2014 Season, which opens on June 16 with Billy Elliot The Musical. "We're so happy these exciting artists are creating our 2014 season," said Isaacson. "This is a challenging season, one with incredible variety and power. We're fortunate that such extraordinary talents will be creating our 'Muny Magic.'"

Broadway star N'Kenge (Motown) is performing with the Naples Philharmonic, now through January 11, 2014.

Kelrik Productions will present THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE playing February 14 - March 1 at the Monroe Forum Theatre, bringing children's programming to the historic El Portal Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Blvd. in the heart of the NoHo Arts District.

The Brown Paper Box Co. is excited to announce the cast for their upcoming production, A NEW BRAIN, with music and lyrics by William Finn and book by Finn and James Lapine. The show will run Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM from February 21-March 9 at Rivendell Theatre in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood (5779 N. Ridge Ave.). Ticketing information and more will be posted at www.brownpaperbox.org.