Jenifer Lewis News

Today's top stories: watch the full Obie Awards ceremony and check out the winners list!

Today, Ben's 'All Beef Patti' is The Robber Bridegroom a?oeOriginala?? Broadway Cast Recording and Daniel's Who Do You Think You Are is Jenifer Lewis a?oeLook At Mea?? from Jackie's Back. Tune in today, July 14 at 10:30am to watch live!

In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk about the 1999 Lifetime TV movie 'Jackie's Back,' starring legendary actress Jenifer Lewis. They also discuss Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie O'Donnell, Tim Curry, Liza Minnelli, Bette Midler, Penny Marshall, Joan Rivers, Kathy Najimy, Marc Shaiman, Julie Hagerty, 'Sunset Boulevard,' 'Hello Dolly' David Hyde Pearce, Loretta Divine, and Kathy Griffin.

Rodney Earl Jackson Jr., Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of The San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company has penned an article exclusively for BroadwayWorld, discussing his personal journey in the world of theater, how The San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company came to be and more.

Today, BET announced the second season pickup of Lena Waithe's breakout hit “Twenties”, as well as an FYC partnership with Showtime, which will air season one starting July 6th.

Roundabout Theatre Company just announced that the current theatrical season will resume in Spring 2021, and has added the Broadway debut of Alice Childress's Trouble in Mind, directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, to its roster of upcoming shows. Childress was a Founding Member of the American Negro Theatre and the first African-American woman to be produced professionally in New York (Gold Through The Trees in 1952); Randolph-Wright is a celebrated director and writer whose play Blue had an acclaimed run at Roundabout in 2001. Trouble in Mind will premiere on Broadway at the American Airlines Theatre in Winter 2021/22.

Disney Channel has ordered a third season of its frog-out-of-water animated comedy, 'Amphibia' ahead of the series' season two premiere, SATURDAY, JULY 11 (8:20 p.m. EDT/PDT), on Disney Channel and DisneyNOW.

SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK and Laudable Productions present a virtual concert and conversation on Friday, June 19th at 8pm in honor of Juneteenth 2020. The event will pay homage to this day in 1865 when news of emancipation reached the last group of enslaved Black people in Galveston, TX - two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, making slavery illegal.

Having just solidified its position as the No. 1 network in entertainment among Adults 18-49 for the first time in four years, ABC is announcing its 2020-2021 programming slate, which includes renewals for 19 series and two straight-to-series orders from its current crop of pilots

In this difficult time three more crowdfunding pages have been created to help the employees of cabaret rooms and nightclubs on their feet.

Today's top stories: Today is Women's Day On Broadway! Plus, a look at Rob McClure in Mrs. Doubtfire, pre-Broadway runs announced for A Strange Loop and Some Like it Hot, and more!

In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to actor and singer Nathan Lee Graham about Lena Horne's 1981 live album 'Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music.' They also discuss André De Shields, Billy Porter, 'Mame,' Robin de Jesús, 'Showboat,' Angela Lansbury, 'Jesus Christ Superstar,' Judy Garland, Jenifer Lewis, James Brown III, Hal Prince, Susan Stroman, and Eartha Kitt. Nathan talks about social activism through art and how performers like Lena and Eartha have influenced his career. Nathan has starred on Broadway in beloved shows such as 'Priscilla, Queen of the Desert' and Michael John LaChiusa's 'The Wild Party.' He's appeared in the hit films 'Zoolander,' 'Sweet Home Alabama,' and 'Hitch,' and on TV shows such as 'The Comeback,' 'Absolutely Fabulous,' and 'Katy Keene.'

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater has announced Cornelius Smith Jr. (ABC's Scandal and All My Children) will perform in Arena Stage's 2020/21 Season.

We're taking a in-depth look at some of the country's most prestigious college theatre programs to help students learn all about the variety of options they have at their disposal to further their education. With the help of the schools' faculty, we're highlighting everything from audition advice to real world experience and more. Today we're looking at Webster University's Conservatory of Theatre Arts, including its association with professional theatre companies and more.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater announces the world-premiere musical American Prophet, directed and co-written by award-winning playwright Charles Randolph-Wright (Broadway's Motown The Musical) and featuring new music by Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and co-script writer Marcus Hummon. The musical chronicles the life and legacy of one of the most notable human rights leaders of the 19th century, Frederick Douglass. Known as one of the greatest leaders of the abolitionist movement, Douglass was a prominent activist, author, orator and statesman. His own words power the soaring new melodies and original script. Directed by Randolph-Wright, American Prophet runs July 10 - August 16, 2020 in the Kreeger Theater.

Peter Sargent, the founding dean of the Webster University Leigh Gerdine College of Fine Arts, a mentor to some of the biggest stars on Broadway and in Hollywood, and a recognized local, state and national leader in the performing arts, passed away this afternoon, a statement from his family said.

ABC has shared two clips from the 'O Mother Where Art Thou' of blackish.

Emmy Award winner Debbie Allen in association with The Annenberg Foundation, David Kobrin Foundation, the Rhimes Family Foundation and the Debbie Allen Dance Academy celebrates their 10th Anniversary 'Hot Chocolate Nutcracker' with a special 6pm performance on Saturday, December 7 at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center.

Filmmaker Robert Townsend has truly had a singular career ever since coming to prominence with his groundbreaking 1987 film a?oeThe Hollywood Shuffle.a?? That satirical comedy about Black actors dealing with racial stereotypes in the film and TV industry was famously self-financed by Townsend maxing out his credit cards. Perhaps even more remarkably, he has successfully maintained simultaneous careers over the ensuing decades as an actor, director, writer and producer working in both film and TV, narratives and documentaries, with the occasional mockumentary thrown in for good measure. Along the way, he has worked with a virtual galaxy of stars - Beyoncé, James Earl Jones and Morgan Freeman to name just a few a?" while surviving the inevitable ups and downs of a career in show business. Townsend is now returning to his roots as a stage performer with his solo show a?oeLiving the Shufflea?? at The Marsh Berkeley.

On this day we celebrate legendary composer of stage and screen, the great Marc Shaiman!