John Doyle News

From tonight, February 5, through February 14, Musical Theatre Factory (MTF) will present BOYS WHO TRICKED ME, the first fully staged showcase production to hit the Factory floor. The show, with book, music, and lyrics written by Ben Bonnema, is musically directed by Max Mamon, and directed by MTF Artistic Director, Shakina Nayfack.

?From February 5-14, Musical Theatre Factory (MTF) will present BOYS WHO TRICKED ME, the first fully staged showcase production to hit the Factory floor. The show, with book, music, and lyrics written by Ben Bonnema, is musically directed by Max Mamon, and directed by MTF Artistic Director, Shakina Nayfack.

Additional Broadway casting was announced today for the highly anticipated musical, The Visit, soon to open on Broadway. The Visit will begin performances at the Lyceum Theatre (149 West 45th Street) on Thursday, March 26 with an Opening Night set for Thursday, April 23. General on sale will begin on January 31, 2015.

Classic Stage Company welcomes Emmy Award-nominee and Golden Globe-winner Anthony Edwards ('ER'), Annabella Sciorra ('The Sopranos') and Tony Award-winner Elizabeth Franz (Death of A Salesman, Brighton Beach Memoirs), alongside Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister on HBO's Game of Thrones) and Taylor Schilling (Piper Chapman on Netflix's Orange Is The New Black) in Ivan Turgenev's A Month in the Country, opening at CSC (136 East 13th Street) tonight, January 29, for a limited engagement through Sunday, February 22.

Broadway shows, other scheduled events and most of New York City shut down last night in preparation for the blizzard predicted to be one of the City's worst winter storms ever. This did not deter Broadway icon Chita Rivera, her musicians or the producers at THIRTEEN who had previously scheduled a concert taping for January 26. THIRTEEN is producing Great Performances: Chita Rivera, a special retrospective to celebrate Ms. Rivera's extraordinary career then and now for broadcast as part of PBS' Fall Arts Festival 2015.

Check out new artwork for the musical below! When asked about working with Chita Rivera to shoot the image, photographer Frank Ockenfels told NYT: 'She's a grand dame.There are not a lot people left like her. She was so present and giving. There was no, "We're done." She said, "Is there more I can do?" Sometimes with someone of her age, they are conscious of being overlit. But she was more about what makes sense for the photograph, which is tremendously helpful. It was amazing to see her work with other actors and how she moved gracefully and beautifully. She had to step up on a piece of steel and she got up and there were no complaints. She moves around like a 20-year-old.'

Producers Tom Kirdahy, Tom Smedes, Hugh Hayes and Judith Ann Abrams announced today that the highly anticipated musical, The Visit, soon to open on Broadway, will have an exclusive presale for Audience Reward members beginning January 26, 2015. Please visit AudienceRewards.com to sign up and purchase. General on sale will begin February 1, 2015 and tickets will be available on Telecharge.com.

SAN FRANCISCO, January 20 - 2-time Tony and 2-time Grammy Award-winning vocalist Patti LuPone brings her new concert Far Away Places to San Francisco on Monday, February 23 at Davies Symphony Hall. Joined by her five-piece band, LuPone's performance features renditions of songs by an eclectic list of songwriters including Stephen Sondheim, Cole Porter, Willie Nelson, Kurt Weill, Edith Piaf, Frederick Hollander, and the Bee Gees. The original live show of Far Away Places opened the Manhattan music venue 54 Below in 2012, a live recording of which was released in 2013.

Following rumors earlier today that Jennifer Hudson would be making her Broadway debut in a revival of THE COLOR PURPLE, producers have now confirmed that the Oscar winner will indeed head to the Great White Way. Beginning next fall, John Doyle's critically acclaimed Menier Chocolate Factory production of The Color Purple, the landmark musical will come to Broadway with the Grammy, Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA Award winner in the role of Shug Avery, despite earlier reports that she'd be taking on the role of Celie.

According to the New York Post, Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson will soon make her Broadway debut in an upcoming revival of THE COLOR PURPLE. Produced by Oprah Winfrey, who also produced the original 2005 production, this version of the show started at London's Menier Chocolate Factory, directed by John Doyle. Michael Riedel writes that Winfrey called Hudson personally to ask her to play Celie in the musical.

Producers Tom Kirdahy, Tom Smedes, Hugh Hayes and Judith Ann Abrams announced today that John Kander and Fred Ebb's final Broadway musical, The Visit, featuring a book by four-time Tony Award winning playwright Terrence McNally, will open on Broadway this Spring, starring two-time Tony Award winning Broadway legend Chita Rivera and Tony Award winner Roger Rees. Helmed by Tony Award winning director John Doyle and choreographed by Tony Award nominee Graciela Daniele, The Visit will begin performances at the Lyceum Theatre (149 West 45th Street) on Thursday, March 26 with an Opening Night set for Thursday, April 23.

The Collegiate Chorale presents the New York City premiere of Eric Idle and John Du Prez's Not The Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy) at Carnegie Hall, tonight and tomorrow, December 15-16, 2014 at 8pm.

According to the New York Post, John Kander and Fred Ebb's The Visit, which has been long-rumored for a Broadway run might be on its way to New York in 2015. Michael Riedel writes that book writer Terrence McNally, whose IT'S ONLY A PLAY is currently selling out the Schoenfeld Theatre, might be in the position to acquire funding from the play's producers and a theatre from the Shubert Organization.

The 26th annual edition of Gypsy of the Year raised a record-breaking $5,229,611 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS thanks to six weeks of fundraising by 64 Broadway, Off-Broadway and national touring companies.

The Collegiate Chorale presents the New York City premiere of Eric Idle and John Du Prez's Not The Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy) at Carnegie Hall, December 15-16, 2014 at 8pm.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Today's big news: Sting treads the boards tonight in THE LAST SHIP, AUGUST RUSH comes to NYC, BLITHE SPIRIT kicks off its tour in LA, DINER begins in D.C. and more!

Producers Southpaw Entertainment (Richard Lewis, CEO) and CJ E&M (Byeong-seok Kim, Senior Vice President) previously announced that August Rush, a new musical based on the critically acclaimed and Oscar nominated 2007 motion picture, which starred Robin Williams and Freddie Highmore, will have a developmental lab presentation today and tomorrow, December 9 and 10, 2014.

The feature film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's beloved fairy tale musical INTO THE WOODS is coming to movie theaters nationwide on Christmas Day and BroadwayWorld celebrates the man behind the music and lyrics with a new series highlighting the work of the iconic composer and lyricist, finishing today with a look at his work in the 1990s and 2000s.

The official opening is Thursday, January 29. The cast will also include Peter Appel, Ian Etheridge, Mike Faist, James Joseph O'Neil, Elizabeth Ramos, Thomas Jay Ryan, Frank Van Putten and Megan West. A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY will be directed by Erica Schmidt.