Laura Michelle Kelly News

THE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, PURCHASE COLLEGE (The PAC) is celebrating its 40th Anniversary with a step into the future and a nod to the past, with a curatorial eye towards honoring our history and prominently featuring the latest cutting-edge performances from artists who have been critical to our 40 years of success.

According to audience reports on both the BroadwayWorld Message Board and on Twitter, Vice President Mike Pence and his wife attended THE KING AND I at the Kennedy Center last night, August 18.

On Monday, August 7th Theater People podcast welcomes Alexandra Silber and Reed Birney in a two-part episode. In the first segment, Silber discusses her new novel 'After Anatevka' which tells the story of Hodel, the middle daughter in FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, after the action of the beloved musical ends. Silber also discusses her career in The West End (THE WOMAN IN WHITE, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF) and on Broadway (MASTER CLASS, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF) and shares how her life journey prepared her to write her book. In the second segment, Tony winner Reed Birney discusses his work in the provocative new production of 1984, a play based on George Orwell's 1949 novel.

On Monday, July 24, Theater People podcast welcomes Broadway favorite Julia Murney. Murney discusses growing up in New York City where she attended La Guardia High school during the year and the famed Stagedoor Manor during the summer.

Lincoln Center's epic and sweeping production of The King and I is Broadway done right and not to be missed!

Ambassador Theatre Group and NETworks Presentations LLC announce that Laura Michelle Kelly (Anna Leonowens) and Jose Llana (King of Siam) will lead the national tour of the Lincoln Center Theater production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's THE KING AND I.

Leaning toward spectacle and theatricality, Bartlett Sher's production of THE KING AND I took me by surprise with its emotional power.

On Monday, July 10, the Theater People podcast welcomes two-time Tony nominee Laura Osnes and Henry Lewis and Jonathan Sayer of THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG. For the first part of the episode, host Patrick Hinds chats with Osnes (who is making her fourth appearance on Theater People) about her work in BANDSTAND. Osnes, who has been with the show since it's very first reading, shares stories about how the show has developed, why she turned down other roles to stay with the piece, and a personal family story about why she feels so connected to the role.

I always find it exciting to see a musical I know nothing about and FINDING NEVERLAND fits that bill. I remember watching Jennifer Hudson sing 'Neverland' on the 2014 Tony Awards and recall watching the cast perform on the NBC 'Thanksgiving Day Parade' in November, 2014. The cast included Matthew Morrison, Kelsey Grammer, Laura Michelle Kelly and Carolee Carmello. However, the Tony Awards snubbed the musical with no nominations. After seeing the show this week, I do not understand why. I found the musical absolutely wonderful and worthy of a Tony nomination for Best Musical. FUN HOME won the Tony for Best Musical in 2015 beating out SOMETHING ROTTEN!, THE VISIT, and AN AMERICAN IN PARIS. There were no nominations for FINDING NEVERLAND.

Broadway In Chicago has announced that Disney's ALADDIN and the Lincoln Center Theater production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's THE KING AND I will make 1776 half-price tickets available through the League of Chicago Theatres' Hot Tix program today, June 28, beginning at 12 PM through Sunday, July 9, 2017.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Today's big news: NAPOLI, BROOKLYN officially opens tonight Off-Broadway!

On Monday, June 26th, the Theater People podcast welcome's ANASTASIA star Derek Klena. For the podcast, Klena tells all about creating the role of Dmitri in the new Broadway production alongside his friend and CARRIE: THE MUSICAL co-star Christy Altomare.

BroadwayWorld presents a comprehensive weekly roundup of regional stories around our Broadway World, which include videos, editor spotlights, regional reviews and more. This week, we feature MATILDA, OKLAHOMA, CHICAGO, and more!

CABRILLO MUSIC THEATRE presents one of the most beloved family friendly musicals of all time with the third and final show in its 2016-2017 season, PETER PAN, with music by Mark 'Moose' Charlap and Jule Styne, lyrics by Carolyn Leigh and Betty Comden and Adolph Green, based on J.M. Barrie's unforgettable story, musical direction by Dan Redfeld, choreography by Cheryl Baxter and direction by Yvette Lawrence. PETER PAN opens on Friday, July 14, 2017 and runs through Sunday, July 23, 2017 at the 1,800-seat Kavli Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks.   

Bartlett Sher's 2015 Tony Award winning revival of THE KING AND I has sailed into Broadway In Chicago's Oriental Theatre in a triumphant touring production.

Relative newcomers Andrew Polec and Christina Bennington were thrilled to land the lead roles in Jim Steinman's musical Bat Out of Hell. Several decades in the making, the show is now playing at the London Coliseum.

BWW Review: THE KING & I National Tour at Durham Performing Arts Center

On Tuesday, May 23rd the Theater People podcast welcomes Tony winner and Broadway legend Betty Buckley. For the episode, Buckley shares hilarious and fascinating stories from her nearly five decades as a Broadway and West End star. She also shares cuts from her new album STORY SONGS.

It is a classic East meets West tale and one that many count as their favorite musical, but when THE KING AND I, the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical plays at the Bushnell in Hartford, audiences will have the chance to experience this story in a whole new way. This production, based on the critically acclaimed version produced at New York's Lincoln Center, will take the Bushnell stage in Hartford May 30 - June 4. Playing Prince Chulalongkorn, the eldest son and heir to the throne, will be Anthony Chan. I had the pleasure of speaking with Anthony and learning about his experience with this beautiful classic.

FINDING NEVERLAND travels to Atlanta with a revamped version since the show debuted on Broadway in 2015.