Joan Marcus News

Manhattan Theatre Club announced today that it has extended for their acclaimed Off-Broadway productions of THE EXPLORERS CLUB and CHOIR BOY at New York City Center (131 West 55th Street).

MATILDA THE MUSICAL's performance on “The Late Show with David Letterman” will be rebroadcast on Thursday, July 4. Led by Bertie Carvel as Miss Trunchbull, the cast initially appeared on June 11. “The Late Show” airs on CBS at 11:35 PM (Channel 2 in New York). Check local listings.

Manhattan Theatre Club's American premiere of Tarell Alvin McCraney's Choir Boy, the new play featuring gospel music directed by Trip Cullman opens tonight, July 2 at MTC's The Studio at Stage II. Let's see what the critics had to say...

The 33rd annual broadcast of A CAPITOL FOURTH on PBS will feature over thirty cast members from Broadways' new smash hit MOTOWN THE MUSICAL, including Tony Award nominee Brandon Victor Dixon, Saycon Sengbloh and 2013 Tony Award nominee Valisia LeKae. The company's medley of legendary Motown hits from the Broadway musical will include "Stop in the Name of Love," "Get Ready" and "Dancing in the Street" arranged and orchestrated for the majestic National Symphony Orchestra by 2013 Tony Award nominees Ethan Popp and Bryan Crook.

The Off-Broadway production of MURDER BALLAD will close on Sunday, July 21 at the Union Square Theatre (100 East 17th Street). On that date, the show will have played 17 preview performances and 70 regular performances. MURDER BALLAD began previews on Tuesday, May 7 and opened Wednesday, May 22.?

THEATER TALK goes Off Broadway to feature the creators of two of the hottest tickets in town, Sontag: Reborn at New York Theatre Workshop and Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 at Kazino.

Manhattan Theatre Club's American premiere of Tarell Alvin McCraney's Choir Boy, the new play featuring gospel music directed by Trip Cullman begins previews tonight at 7:30 PM in preparation for a Tuesday, July 2 opening at MTC's The Studio at Stage II - Harold and Mimi Steinberg New Play Series at New York City Center - Stage II (131 West 55th Street). Check out a first look below!

LUCKY GUY, starring two-time Academy Award-winner Tom Hanks, is now in its final performances on Broadway. The production, the final work by three-time Academy Award-nominee Nora Ephron and directed by two-time Tony Award-winner George C. Wolfe, was extended by popular demand through Wednesday, July 3 when it ends its record-breaking limited engagement at the Broadhurst Theatre (235 West 44th Street).

Andy Blankenbuehler spoke exclusively to BWW about the new PBS documentary - ANNIE: It's the Hard-Knock Life, From Script to Stage, which follows the cast and creative team of the 2012 Broadway revival as they prepared for the production of the iconic musical number 'It's the Hard-Knock Life.'

THEATER TALK goes Off Broadway to feature the creators of two of the hottest tickets in town, Sontag: Reborn at New York Theatre Workshop and Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 at Kazino.

Though I'll admit it strikes the ear rather oddly to hear a character referred to as another one's slave in a play set in 1930s upstate New York, that's just one of the risks involved when transporting Shakespeare into a more modern setting. Nevertheless, director Daniel Sullivan's zippy new Delacorte Theater production of The Comedy of Errors hits the ears and eyes just right for 90 minutes of good laughs and snazzy dancing.

Today we are talking to a spectacularly talented composer/lyricist noted for his incredibly impressive and accomplished oeuvre thus far, having collectively composed more than twenty full-length musicals, operas and specialty performance pieces - Michael John LaChiusa. Discussing his vast array of projects from BUZZSAW BERKELEY to FIRST LADY SUITE, HELLO AGAIN and THE PETRIFIED PRINCE Off-Broadway through to his double-header in the 1999-2000 millennial season with MARIE CHRISTINE and THE WILD PARTY both on Broadway to his Off-Broadway, regional and international successes since, ranging from LITTLE FISH to another two-show-season in 2006 with BERNARDA ALBA and SEE WHAT I WANNA SEE as well as THE HIGHEST YELLOW and the recent Americana-themed epic musical pseudo-trilogy of LOS otros, QUEEN OF THE MIST and GIANT. Additionally, LaChiusa touches upon some of his lesser-known work, such as his musical revue HOTEL C'EST L'AMOUR, various operatic pieces, additional material he provided for pieces such as THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS and his previous and upcoming solo musicals for continuing collaborator Audra McDonald, such as SEND (who are you? i love you) and MARLENE DIETRICH'S ABCs OF LOVE. Most importantly, LaChiusa takes us behind the scenes of the sparkling new deluxe cast album for GIANT, starring Brian D'Arcy James, and discusses the themes, ideas and adaptation of the Edna Ferber novel itself in a fascinating and revealing analysis of the vast, enveloping and vivid score he has composed for GIANT. Also, LaChiusa offers the 411 on this year's Tony Awards specialty song composed for host Neil Patrick Harris and some starry cohorts (Megan Hilty, Laura Benanti and Andrew Rannells), as well as previous Tony show one-offs penned for Hugh Jackman and others. Plus, LaChiusa clues us in on his upcoming projects - including FIRST DAUGHTER SUITE - and much, much more in this career-spanning conversations with one of modern musical theatre's most daring and prolific artists.

Jenny Schwartz's Somewhere Fun, receiving a splendidly performed and whimsically mounted production from director Anne Kauffman at the Vineyard, is one of those plays where an author's traditional response to the traditional post-viewing question is, 'Well, what do you think it means?'

Manhattan Theatre Club's world premiere of THE EXPLORERS CLUB, the new play by Tony Award nominee Nell Benjamin, directed by Marc Bruni, opens tonight, Thursday, June 20 at MTC at New York City Center - Stage I (131 West 55th Street). The production began previews on May 28.

MOTOWN: The Musical, which charts the life of Motown mogul, Berry Gordy, has another hit in store for them - ice cream! The explosive new musical featuring almost 60 of the most beloved hits in the Motown musical catalogue, will count a new "hit" when Serendipity 3, the landmark NYC ice cream parlor, presents them with the new MOTOWN: The Musical Sundae. The sundae will be unveiled on Friday, June 21, 2013 at 11:00am at Serendipity 3.

Murder Ballad's Caissie Levy & Will Swenson will be on NY1 'On Stage' this weekend beginning Saturday, June 22 and repeated 5 times over the weekend on channel 1.

The Public Theater's THE COMEDY OF ERRORS, the first show of The Public's 2013 season of free Shakespeare in the Park, opened tonight, June 18, at the Delacorte. Directed by Daniel Sullivan, THE COMEDY OF ERRORS features Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Hamish Linklater as Dromio and Antipholus respectively and will run through Sunday, June 30. Let's see what the critics had to say...