Joe Mantello News

The musical WICKED will make a stop in Montreal this summer as part of its North American Tour. The show will play at Place des Arts from tonight, August 1st to the 26th.

Center Theatre Group has announced that Robert Egan is set to direct Jon Robin Baitz's immensely entertaining "Other Desert Cities" at the Mark Taper Forum. The play that received a 2012 Tony nomination for Best Play will be presented in its West Coast premiere at the Taper and will close out the Taper's 45th season at the Los Angeles Music Center.

Center Theatre Group has announced that Robert Egan is set to direct Jon Robin Baitz's "Other Desert Cities" at the Mark Taper Forum. The play that received a 2012 Tony nomination for Best Play will be presented in its West Coast premiere at the Taper and will close out the Taper's 45th season at the Los Angeles Music Center.

Marilyn CASKEY has such a sweet and reassuring voice; hard to believe that she plays this larger-than-life role. The phone line was bad from her hotel in Ottawa, but she took time out of her busy schedule to talk about her path as an actress. The actress has been with the North American tour for 3 years. Fifty american cities later, she crosses the Canadian border, and she is thrilled about it.

Wicked, the hit musical now in its sixth year at London's Apollo Victoria Theatre, welcomes Keith Bartlett to the role of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from today, Monday, 30 July.

The company of the first North American tour of WICKED welcomes Kim Zimmer as Madame Morrible and Cliffton Hall as Fiyero on Tuesday, August 14 and Patti Murin as Glinda on Tuesday, August 21 in Salt Lake City, UT.

Beginning performances on Tuesday, July 31, KYLE DEAN MASSEY will return to the role of Fiyero in the Broadway company of WICKED. He joins a cast which currently includes Jackie Burns as Elphaba, Chandra Lee Schwartz as Glinda, Randy Danson as Madame Morrible, Adam Grupper as The Wizard, Etai BenShlomo as Boq, Jenny Fellner as Nessarose, and Tom Flynn as Dr. Dillamond. Richard Blake, who is currently playing the role of Fiyero, will play his final performance on Sunday, July 29.

According to Deadline.com, stage veteran Liev Schreiber has joined the cast of the upcoming Lee Daniels film The Butler, as Lyndon B Johnson. Danny Strong wrote the script with Daniels.

Broadway star Rachel Potter will be among the upcoming performances this week at Joe's Pub.

Mario Cantone, star of TV's Sex and the City, Comedy Central's Chappelle's Show, and Broadways Assassins and Laugh Whore, for which he was Tony-nominated, will join the Broadway at The Art House series for two shows only, on Aug 4 & 5, joined by host Seth Rudetsky at the piano.

America may have abruptly lost its Camelot on the afternoon of November 22nd, 1963, but in the extraordinarily rich and tender new musical Dogfight, it was the night before that a pair of drops in the great blue motion of the sunlit sea began to sparkle.

Second Stage Theatre presents the world premiere musical, DOGFIGHT. The cast features Nick Blaemire (Godspell), Annaleigh Ashford (Rent, Wicked, Legally Blonde), Becca Ayers (The Addams Family, Avenue Q), Steven Booth (Glory Days), Dierdre Friel (Leap of Faith), Adam Halpin (Glory Days), F. Michael Haynie (Carrie), Derek Klena (Carrie), Lindsay Mendez (Godspell, Second Stage's Everyday Rapture), James Moye (Million Dollar Quartet), and Josh Segarra (Lysistrata Jones). The show just opened last night, July 16, and BroadwayWorld's own Richard Ridge was there to speak with the cast and creative team. Check out what they had to say on the big opening night below!

Second Stage Theatre presents the world premiere musical, DOGFIGHT, which just opeed last night, July 16. Featuring music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, a book by Peter Duchan, and choreography by Tony winner Christopher Gattelli, the show is directed by two-time Tony Award winner Joe Mantello and runs at Second Stage's Tony Kiser Theatre.

Second Stage Theatre presents the world premiere musical, DOGFIGHT. The cast features Nick Blaemire (Godspell), Annaleigh Ashford (Rent, Wicked, Legally Blonde), Becca Ayers (The Addams Family, Avenue Q), Steven Booth (Glory Days), Dierdre Friel (Leap of Faith), Adam Halpin (Glory Days), F. Michael Haynie (Carrie), Derek Klena (Carrie), Lindsay Mendez (Godspell, Second Stage's Everyday Rapture), James Moye (Million Dollar Quartet), and Josh Segarra (Lysistrata Jones).

Second Stage Theatre presents the world premiere musical, DOGFIGHT. The cast features Nick Blaemire (Godspell), Annaleigh Ashford (Rent, Wicked, Legally Blonde), Becca Ayers (The Addams Family, Avenue Q), Steven Booth (Glory Days), Dierdre Friel (Leap of Faith), Adam Halpin (Glory Days), F. Michael Haynie (Carrie), Derek Klena (Carrie), Lindsay Mendez (Godspell, Second Stage's Everyday Rapture), James Moye (Million Dollar Quartet), and Josh Segarra (Lysistrata Jones). The show opened last night; view photos from the star-studded arrivals below!

The Ringwald Theatre just celebrated its 5th Birthday and what better time to take stock and think about where they've come from and where they are headed? It is with those questions of existence that the company has decided to retire their original production company, Who Wants Cake?, and to move forward solely as The Ringwald!

Think of it as a newfangled take on our venerated Southern hospitality-my mama raised me right, for goodness' sake-and what's more Southern than welcoming newcomers into our community? Whiskey and barbecue, of course, but until then this column will have to suffice, even if the ensemble's Patrick O'Neill has suffered through some 20 years of barbecue deficiency. Until we can rectify that situation, this is just gonna have to do…

The company is seeking Stephen Daldry to helm WICKED; Daldry - who has received Academy Award nominations for his work on BILLY ELLIOT, THE HOURS and more - most recently received a 2011 nomination for EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE.