John Newton News

The Ogunquit Playhouse has created an all new production of the Tony Award-winning musical Ragtime, on stage from tonight, August 2, to August 26.

The Ogunquit Playhouse has created an all new production of the Tony Award-winning musical Ragtime, on stage from August 2 to August 26. This sweeping musical is complete with a cast and creative team of Broadway veterans including Kirsten Scott, Jamie LaVerdiere, Darnell Abraham, Lindsay Roberts, Tony-Award nominee Josh Young, Director Seth Sklar-Heyn and Set and Projection Designer Tim Mackabee. The Ogunquit production will also feature the original Tony-nominated costumes by Santo Loquasto.

The Los Angeles Master Chorale puts spirituals at the forefront of a concert called “Wade in the Water” to be performed at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Sunday, April 30 at 7 PM. The concert features 13 songs with the spirituals juxtaposed with other folk music traditions such as early American shape note singing, as well as a contemporary Korean piece, and a pair of European choral masterpieces from the 20th century. The concert will feature 48 singers performing a cappella, conducted by Artistic Director Grant Gershon and Assistant Conductor Jenny Wong. The concert also provides an opportunity to highlight several of the Master Chorale's solo voices on the program.

Broadway and West End star Tam Mutu will star as Archibald Craven in The 5th Avenue Theatre's enchanting Broadway-bound revival of The Secret Garden. Mutu joins a phenomenal cast including Tony Award winner Daisy Eagan, Tony Award nominee Josh Young, Lizzie Klemperer, Charlie Franklin and Sean G. Griffin.

Brian May and Kerry Ellis have announced the forthcoming release of a new much anticipated second studio album, titled 'GOLDEN DAYS'.

BroadwayWorld has just learned that Emily Padgett and Josh Young are engaged! Young popped the question to Padgett during a recent vacation in Bermuda.  We send our congratulations to the happy couple!

Mixed Magic Theatre stages Free Man of Color by Charles Smith and directed by Ricardo Pitts-Wiley from June 16th - 26th; Fri & Sat 7:30 pm | Sun 3:00 pm. ALL TICKETS $20.

It's that time of year, and I can't help but wonder if your CD collection and iPod are Tonys ready. It's just a handful of hours until the 70th annual Tony Awards, and New York City and theatre fans across the world are excitedly buzzing about this year's ceremonies which will be broadcast live on Sunday, June 12, 2016 at 8/7c on CBS. This Broadway season has some exciting contenders in the musical categories, and to get you ready for the big night, I'm recapping the albums you should be listening to (or at least pre-ordering).

MDT Entertainment and Karma Darwin have announced 'Karma Darwin' will be releasing their debut self titled album through all conventional digital distribution methods on Friday, May 20th. This highly unconventional 18 song album was recorded at Dreamland studios in Woodstock, NY. It is the product of local favorites joining forces with some of the industries best. It was produced by superstar drummer Jerry Marotta, recorded and mixed by Matthew Cullen and Mastered by Chris Athens. Album art By Nathaniel Deas. 

The musical about the English slave trader who found salvation and wrote the world's most famous hymn played on Broadway earlier this season.

ArtsBridge Foundation, the producer of the 8th Annual Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards - Shuler Hensley Awards, tonight announced the winners of the 2016 awards during a ceremony at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Award highlights include: Overall Production - Milton High School for Young Frankenstein; Direction - Calhoun High School's Julie Leggett for Oklahoma!; Best Performance by a Leading Actor - Buford High School's Will Davis for his role as Dr. Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde in Jekyll & Hyde; and Best Performance by a Leading Actress - Marietta High School's Shelbea Owens for her role as Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray. Additionally, recipients of five scholarships and one grant were announced.

The recording, a hybrid SACD is out today, Friday, April 8, 2016, is the second in an ongoing series by Music Director Thierry Fischer and the Utah Symphony for Reference Recordings. It follows the release of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 1 'Titan,' recorded live by the Utah Symphony and Mr. Fischer, issued in September 2015. DAWN TO DUST will be available from iTunes, Amazon.com, and other music retailers.

Hal Leonard Corporation has just announced the release of AMAZING GRACE - VOCAL SELECTIONS.

As part of its 75th-anniversary celebrations, the Utah Symphony releases Dawn to Dust, a new recording featuring live performances of orchestral works commissioned from three leading American composers: Augusta Read Thomas, Nico Muhly, and Andrew Norman.

Broadway's 40 theatres aren't the only places to catch performances from your favorite stars! Well after Broadway orchestras begin their overtures, ensemble members take their dance breaks, and performers belt out their eleven o'clock numbers, the party continues at various cabaret venues throughout New York City. Below, BroadwayWorld brings you some cabaret highlights for this week as picked by our theatre editors, including: Josh Young Sings Andrew Lloyd Webber; New Musicals at 54: Sleepy Hollow by Hunter Foster & Paul Gordon; Bianca Marroquin at 54 Below; Katie Rose Clarke at 54 Below; and The Broadway Princess Party Featuring Laura Osnes.

Broadway's 40 theatres aren't the only places to catch performances from your favorite stars! Well after Broadway orchestras begin their overtures, ensemble members take their dance breaks, and performers belt out their eleven o'clock numbers, the party continues at various cabaret venues throughout New York City. Below, BroadwayWorld brings you some cabaret highlights for this week as picked by our theatre editors, including: Show Biz After Hours with Frank DiLella and Special Guests; Turn the Beat Around - 54 Below Celebrates Studio 54; Anita Gillette & Penny Fuller in Sin Twisters, Too!; Michael Zahler & Will Van Dyke in Still It's True; and Josh Young Sings Andrew Lloyd Webber. 

DMI Soundtracks announced today that the Broadway cast album of Amazing Grace will be released on February 26; with digital download pre-orders available on February 12. Amazing Grace will be available to purchase on all digital download and streaming services, as well as in-store. The recording was co-produced and engineered by six-time Grammy Award winner Frank Filipetti and co-produced and arranged by Joseph Church.

Happy New Year, BroadwayWorld! As we eagerly anticipate the amazing musicals and plays coming up in 2016, we're taking a moment to look back at the significant Broadway closings of 2015.

Musicals Tonight! continues its ongoing salute to Broadway and Off-Broadway Standbys, Understudies and Alternates with its next edition of  AT THIS PERFORMANCE… to be held on Sunday, November 1st  at The Lion Theatre, 410 West 42nd Street at 7 PM.

Amazing Grace, the new musical playing at Broadway's Nederlander Theatre (208 West 41st Street), will play its final performance on Sunday, October 25. On that date, the show will have played 24 preview performances and 114 regular performances.