John Lithgow News

As a super-special Spring extension of BroadwayWorld's SOUND OFF column, every day until the Tony Awards on June 12 we will be presenting a spectacular new entry in the SPOTLIGHT ON THE 2011 TONY AWARDS series featuring a particularly entertaining, interesting, relevant and exciting Tony Awards-related clip from the last sixty-three years of the ceremonies (and subsequent seasons on Broadway) with a rundown and commentary on the sights, sounds and showmanship on display in each carefully chosen selection - all, of course, coming in anticipation of Broadway's biggest night, which will be broadcast on CBS this year, as always. Once again this year, BroadwayWorld is the official home of the 2011 Tony Awards and we will also be featuring exclusive interviews, articles, photos, video content, interactive features and more in the coming days and weeks leading up to the event so be sure to check back daily for your theatre fix!

Emmy(R) and Golden Globe(R) Award winning actor Edward James Olmos joins recently announced special guest stars, Colin Hanks and Mos (formerly Mos Def) in the cast of the Emmy nominated SHOWTIME(R) drama series DEXTER(TM) for Season 6.

LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS & UPRIGHT CABARET are thrilled to announce the performers for its fourth show of their season, COWBOYS & ANGELS, starring Tony Award-nominee and T.V. star VALARIE PETTIFORD (Film: "Jumping The Broom," TV: UPN's "Half & Half," "Criminal Minds," Broadway: Fosse, Chicago), KARISSA NOEL and DANIEL TATAR (Life Could Be A Dream, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), performing the music of Patsy Cline, Garth Brooks and Loretta Lynn, performing such memorable songs as "Crazy," "I Fall To Pieces," "Friends In Low Places," "If Tomorrow Never Comes," "Coal Miner's Daughter," and more - as well as their own selections, under the musical direction of Gerald Sternbach, in a one night only concert - COWBOYS AND ANGELS which will perform on Sunday, June 5, 2011 at 7:30PM at the NEW Cabaret Lounge at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd. in La Mirada.

In last night's episode of 'The Colbert Report,' Steven Colbert decided that he 'couldn't properly convey the epic genius' that was Newt Gingrich's latest press release, so he invited stage and screen star John Lithgow to the stage for a dramatic reading. Click below to check it out!

The Drama League (Jano Herbosch, President; Gabriel Shanks, Executive Director) is pleased to announce that Academy Award nominee and two-time Golden Globe winner Kathleen Turner will serve as host for The 77th Annual Drama League Awards Ceremony and Luncheon.

The Ethereal Mutt - Limited and AJ Epstein Presents will present a reading of I Was A Teenage B-Movie King starring Alexander Gemignani, Will Swenson, Nicole Parker and Spencer Moses on Thursday, May 19 at 3PM in New York City. This private presentation is open to members of the industry only.

The Ethereal Mutt - Limited and AJ Epstein Presents will present a reading of I Was A Teenage B-Movie King starring Alexander Gemignani, Will Swenson, Nicole Parker and Spencer Moses on Thursday, May 19 at 3PM in New York City. This private presentation is open to members of the industry only.

Radio Bloomsday, the annual 7 hour radio broadcast of artists interpreting James Joyce's Ulysses, will be heard coast to coast on Thursday, June 16th, 2011 on WBAI, 99.5 FM in New York City and on KPFK, 90.7 in Los Angeles. This year's international celebration of James Joyce's novel Ulysses will feature artists from New York City, Los Angeles, London and Dublin. The show will be streamed live on wbai.org

West Coast Ensemble presents GYPSY, with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Arthur Laurents, musical direction by Johanna Kent, choreography by John Todd and directed by Richard Israel.

Award-winning actor John Lithgow hosts the Los Angeles Philharmonic's LA Phil LIVE concert to be simulcast live in theaters throughout the U.S. and Canada, Sunday, June 5, at 2 p.m.

Douglas Sills, a Tony Award nominee for The Scarlet Pimpernel, and Sara Gettelfinger, last seen on Broadway in A Free Man of Color and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, will star as Gomez and Morticia in the upcoming national tour of THE ADDAMS FAMILY, a new musical based on the bizarre and beloved family of characters created by legendary cartoonist Charles Addams. As previously announced, the production will begin performances September 15 at the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts in New Orleans and will continue on to over 30 additional major markets across North America.

Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records is proud to reveal the secret identities of THE LEAGUE OF BROADWAY SUPER FRIENDS -- a five-part harmony-singing group featuring Broadway's brightest stars and biggest talents. Their inaugural concert will present Kelli O'Hara, Lindsay Mendez, Gavin Creel, Greg Naughton and Sherie Rene Scott, joining forces and voices for good: a June 7th benefit concert at Le Poisson Rouge, to raise funds in the fight against Pancreatic Cancer. Tickets will go on-sale at 10am on Monday, May 16h. More details here: http://sh-k-boom.com/leagueofbroadwaysuperfriends/

West Coast Ensemble presents GYPSY, with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Arthur Laurents, musical direction by Johanna Kent, choreography by John Todd and directed by Richard Israel.

It had been reported that the new film Footloose will be expanded into a 'full-blown movie musical' from the earlier film with songs. In addition to starring a young Kevin Bacon, Footloose also starred Lori Singer and John Lithgow. It was originally written by Dean Pitchford and directed by Herbert Ross. A Broadway musical version of Footloose was previously staged in 1998.

The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) announced today that John Lithgow will be performing his theatrical memoir Stories By Heart to benefit the A.R.T. on Monday, May 2 at 7:30pm at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle Street, Cambridge.

The Boston College Theatre Department and Robsham Theater Arts Center will present the hit musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels April 27 - May 1, 2011 on the Robsham Main Stage. Adapted from the 1988 feature film comedy starring Steve Martin and Michael Caine, the musical, with music and lyrics by David Yazbek (The Full Monty) and a book by Jeffrey Lane, tells the story of two con artists battling head-to-head in an effort to swindle an heiress out of her riches.

From her creation of the pivotal roles of Susan in Marvin Hamlisch & Craig Carnelia's simply smashing (if underappreciated) SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS and Clara in Adam Guettel & Craig Lucas's five-time Tony-winning THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, to her effortless essaying of two of the most beloved female roles in the musical theater canon, opposite two of the biggest leading men on Broadway - THE PAJAMA GAME with Harry Connick, Jr. and SOUTH PACIFIC with Matthew Morrison (and Paulo Szot) - in addition to her work in Frank Wildhorn's JEKYLL & HYDE and DRACULA, Stephen Sondheim's FOLLIES and SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, along with her stunning studio albums - all of these are just some of the reasons why Kelli O'Hara is in a very special class of performers. In this all-encompassing conversation we discuss all of the aforementioned shows, as well as working with all of her fabulous co-stars and collaborators, and we also take a look at her recording studio work with Harry Connick, Jr. and take a look ahead to her sophomore solo album, ALWAYS which will be released on June 3. Plus, we have first news on her new roles in the musical versions of THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, written by Jason Robert Brown, and FINDING NEVERLAND by Scott Frankel. We even have dish on working with Liza Minnelli and shooting SEX & THE CITY 2! This is all coming in anticipation of the tribute to Bob Hope at the NY Pops gala on May 2, which will also feature performances by Tom Wopat and Aaron Lazar - both of whom we will continue our SPOTLIGHT ON NY POPS series with later on this weekend. Don't miss them or a special presentation by theatre legend Angela Lansbury! Further information about the NY POPS event - including tickets - is available here.

The Boston College Theatre Department and Robsham Theater Arts Center will present the hit musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels April 27 - May 1, 2011 on the Robsham Main Stage. Adapted from the 1988 feature film comedy starring Steve Martin and Michael Caine, the musical, with music and lyrics by David Yazbek (The Full Monty) and a book by Jeffrey Lane, tells the story of two con artists battling head-to-head in an effort to swindle an heiress out of her riches.

Daniel Beaty, writer, director and co-composer of Tearing Down The Walls, has been nominated for a United Solo uAward for his performance in his acclaimed solo show Through the Night (www.unitedsolo.org).

The Boston College Theatre Department and Robsham Theater Arts Center will present the hit musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels April 27 - May 1, 2011 on the Robsham Main Stage. Adapted from the 1988 feature film comedy starring Steve Martin and Michael Caine, the musical, with music and lyrics by David Yazbek (The Full Monty) and a book by Jeffrey Lane, tells the story of two con artists battling head-to-head in an effort to swindle an heiress out of her riches.