Jerome Robbins News

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. Two national tours in the Loop, two shows at the Royal George, three more Christmas musicals, 'Look, I Made A Hat,' that 'Variety' article about us, and more....

THE JACK COLE PROJECT, a new musical entertainment by director/choreographer Chet Walker, is being developed and will be presented at Queens Theatre in the Park (located in Flushing Meadow Corona Park) opening May 3, 2012.

Performance Space 122 is set to present the New York debut of Chicago performance collective Every house has a door in the New York premiere of Let us think of these things always.

The producers of the international hit comedy My Mother's Italian, My Father's Jewish & I'm in Therapy! by Steve Solomon, currently running at Toronto's Bathurst St. Theatre, have announced that the show has been extended due to popular demand through to January 29, 2012.

Ballet NY presents its 2011 Season, including the Company Premiere of a duet from Agnes de Mille's The Other and the World Premiere of Artistic Director Medhi Bahiri's In Twilight, from November 18-20, 2011 at the Ailey Citigroup Theater, 405 West 55th Street, NYC (at Ninth Avenue).

Music Theatre of Connecticut MainStage, Fairfield County's Professional Theatre Company, will open the 25th Anniversary MainStage Season with one of the most popular and beloved American musicals of all time, 'Cabaret.'

Ballet NY presents its 2011 Season, including the Company Premiere of a duet from Agnes de Mille's The Other and the World Premiere of Artistic Director Medhi Bahiri's In Twilight, from November 18-20, 2011 at the Ailey Citigroup Theater, 405 West 55th Street, NYC (at Ninth Avenue).

The 2009 Tony Award Winning Musical Revival HAIR: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical, will play Philadelphia's Academy of Music for a limited engagement Jan. 3 - 8 as part of the Broadway Season, which is presented by The Kimmel Center and The Shubert Organization. The press opening is Tues. Jan. 3 at 7:30 pm.

The Concord-based Summer Stages Dance at Concord Academy is celebrating its 15th anniversary, and as part of the celebratory lineup of events throughout the season will present Misters and Sisters ? A Love Story in Song and Dance, a new dance theater cabaret by David Parker and Jeffrey Kazin of The Bang Group for two performances only, Wednesday January 11 and 18, 2012 at OBERON, corner of Arrow Street and Massachusetts Avenue, Harvard Square, Cambridge.

Dance Theatre of Ireland (IRL) and Soul Steps (NYC) premiere an original collaboration combining African-American Stepping, Irish and modern dance, rhythm and storytelling.

To those who've seen the Oscar-winning screen adaptation of WEST SIDE STORY, the recollections of George Chakiris' performance as Bernardo remain vivid. His acting is top notch, his singing is superb and his dancing comes darn close to burning up the celluloid it is preserved on. He was awarded an Oscar as 'Best Supporting Actor' for his work on that film and now, fifty years later, he is about to imprint his handprints and signature outside of the famed Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood. Sometimes the film industry can be a little slow on the uptake, won't you agree?

On Monday, November 14, Sonnet Repertory Theatre hosted its Tenth Annual Benefit and Cabaret. The event brought together a diverse and talented group of performers and composers at Joe's Pub to honor award-winning director and teacher, Gerald Freedman. Celebrating Freedman's career, this evening featured some of Broadway's greatest talents and legends, including Brian d'Arcy James, Jennifer Ferrin, Penny Fuller, Hal Holbrook, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Jeremy Jordan, Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Terrence Mann, John Mauceri, Estelle Parsons, Austin Pendleton, Bryce Pinkham,Wesley Taylor, Alfred Uhry, Price Waldman, and Emily Young, and including special video tributes by Olympia Dukakis and Chita Rivera. BroadwayWorld was on hand for the concert and brings you full photo coverage below!

We'll have photo coverage up shortly, but couldn't resist bringing you a quick preview 'Freeze Frame' from Sonnet Repertory Theatre's Tenth Annual Benefit and Cabaret on Monday, November 14 of Patti LuPone and Kevin Kline.

Theatre legend & Academy Award winner Estelle Parsons will direct a rare concert reading of Paul Green and Kurt Weill's Johnny Johnson, with Ken Marks serving as Musical Director.

Hottest Articles on BroadwayWorld.com from this weekend Sunday, November 13, 2011 - Sunday, November 13, 2011.

Sonnet Repertory Theatre will present their Tenth Annual Benefit and Cabaret on Monday, November 14, bringing together a diverse and talented group of performers and composers at Joe's Pub to honor award-winning director and teacher, Gerald Freedman.

WEST SIDE STORY is definitely back in a big way - in the last two weeks alone it has had its very own tribute episode on GLEE featuring four of the show's most famous songs, and, also, Fathom re-released the new HD remastering of the film in movie theaters nationwide for a one-night-only showing - so, given its 50th anniversary, the time has definitely come to pay tribute to one of the finest American movie musicals ever manufactured, which itself was based on one of the most innovative, controversial and progressive Broadway shows in history. From 'A Boy Like That' to 'Tonight' to 'Somewhere' and beyond, this is a score that has enraptured two or three entire generations - with very, very good reason; these songs are simply musical and lyrical magic. Truly, this is as good as musical theatre gets, and, furthermore, the 1960 film version by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise is just as good. The combination of the two? Transcendent. No, never before has WEST SIDE STORY presented the power, potency, prescience and put forth the plosive overall 'pow!' to the system - heart, mind and body - than it does, here, now, on the absolutely sensational new 3-disc 50th Anniversary Blu-ray edition, which will be released on Tuesday. I was lucky enough to get a copy early and I was simply blown away in every single imaginable way. A red, hot and blue all-American movie masterpiece given its full, magnificent, ecstatic due on Blu-ray. Be prepared to be blown away. Bam!

As 'Chicago' celebrates 15 years on Broadway, we profile its longest-running cast member.