Lesley McKinnel News

Casting has been announced by producer Joey Parnes for the first national tour of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical "A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder."  The musical opens at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre on March 23 and playing through May 1, 2016. (There is one preview on March 22.) 

Producer Joey Parnes just announced that casting for the First National Tour of the Tony® Award-winning Best Musical, A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder,is complete. John Rapson will play the role of the eight D'Ysquith heirs and Kevin Massey will portray the role of Monty Navarro.

Drew Fornarola and Marshall Pailet's musical comedy is a gleeful valentine to Nintendo video games.

Just yesterday, Justin Guarini hosted The New York Musical Theatre Festival's Annual Press Conference at Urbo (11 Times Square, New York, NY 10036). As a part of the special presentation, cast members from Acappella, Claudio Quest, Deep Love: A Ghostly Rock Opera, Manuel versus the Statue of Liberty, The Calico Buffalo and Tonya & Nancy: The Rock Opera performed excerpts from the productions. BroadwayWorld brings you photos from inside the special day below!

CLAUDIO QUEST, a super new musical, receives its New York premiere this July as part of the 2015 New York Musical Theatre Festival. With a book, music and lyrics Drew Fornarola and Marshall Pailet and direction by Tony Award nominee John Tartaglia (Avenue Q), CLAUDIO QUEST begins performances July 7, 2015 at the Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at the Pershing Square Signature Theatre and runs through July 14, 2015.  Individual tickets go on sale Monday, June 15 and can be purchased at www.claudioquest.com. 

Good Theater, the professional theater in residence at the St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress Street, Portland, closes its 13th season with HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN - Streisand's 60's Songbook. The show is created and directed by Brian P. Allen, Good Theater's Artistic Director. It stars Lesley McKinnell a veteran of the national tour of Wicked where she played the leading role of Glinda. Victoria Stubbs is the musical director/arranger and pianist for the show. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Good Theater, the professional theater in residence at the St. Lawrence Arts Center, 76 Congress Street, Portland, will close its 13th season with HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN - Streisand's 60's Songbook. The show is created and directed by Brian P. Allen, Good Theater's Artistic Director. It stars Lesley McKinnell a veteran of the national tour of Wicked where she played the leading role of Glinda. Victoria Stubbs is the musical director/arranger and pianist for the show.

After the success of her HALLOWEEN SPOOK-TACULAR, Bar Thalia at Symphony Space brings back Ruby Powers, the drag persona of Brent Lomas, for a cabaret of pop songs and comedy tonight, December 31st starting at 9:00pm and going until midnight.

After the success of her HALLOWEEN SPOOK-TACULAR, Bar Thalia at Symphony Space brings back Ruby Powers, the drag persona of Brent Lomas, for a cabaret of pop songs and comedy on December 31st starting at 9:00pm and going until midnight.

Sean Michael Flowers and Marya Spring Cordes' new musical, Guarding Gold Street, will be presented on Saturday afternoon, June 28th at 2pm as part of the 4th Annual "The Puzzle: Marble's Theatre Festival" at the historic Marble Collegiate Church.

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.54Below.com or call (646) 476-3551.

Craving a show after the show? 54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, is expanding its popular late-night series with fresh faces and hot new performances to keep the party buzzing into the wee hours. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.54Below.com or call (646) 476-3551. 54 BELOW welcomes you to loosen your tie and embrace the night at its upcoming events:

After a sold-out run at the Canal Room, 'The TRL Generation' brought its wildly successful 'Broadway Loves the Spice Girls' concert uptown to 54 Below on January 13th. The 'Girl Power'-filled song and dance extravaganza was musically directed by Benjamin Rauhala, directed by Kyle Fox, and produced by Shoshana Feinstein. Click below and scroll through the videos to watch all of the performances from the show!

After a sold-out run at the Canal Room, 'The TRL Generation' brought its wildly successful 'Broadway Loves the Spice Girls' concert uptown to 54 Below on January 13th. The 'Girl Power'-filled song and dance extravaganza was musically directed by Benjamin Rauhala, directed by Kyle Fox, and produced by Shoshana Feinstein. BroadwayWorld brings you photos from the star-studded concert below!

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, the performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond:

After a sold-out run at the Canal Room, 'The TRL Generation' brings its wildly successful 'Broadway Loves the Spice Girls' concert uptown to 54 Below on Monday, January 13th. The 11:30PM 'Girl Power'-filled song and dance extravaganza is musically directed by Benjamin Rauhala, directed by Kyle Fox, and produced by Shoshana Feinstein.

After the wildly successful 'Broadway Loves Britney' and 'Broadway Sings The 90's' concerts, 'The TRL Generation' returns to the Canal Room on Sunday, November 10th with 'Broadway Loves the Spice Girls,' a 'Girl Power'-filled song and dance extravaganza paying tribute to the Fab Five. The 9:30PM concert is musically directed by Benjamin Rauhala, directed by Kyle Fox, and produced by Shoshana Feinstein.

The Ogunquit Playhouse is delighted to announce the casting of John Bolton in the role of Dr. Frederick Frankenstein in this summer's production of Mel Brooks' hysterical musical comedy Young Frankenstein, on stage July 10 through July 27. Mr. Bolton takes the lead in this wickedly inspired re-imagining of the Frankenstein legend, based on Mel Brooks' film masterpiece, as he attempts to bring a corpse to life with plenty of scary and hilarious complications. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the production below!

It's hard to imagine the existence of the modern musical comedy without the likes of Mel Brooks. In 2001, his first major foray into the art form premiered on Broadway: The Producers. It went on to win a record 12 Tony Awards, and solidified his role as someone to be reckoned with in the genre. 6 years later, arguably his best, funniest and most popular movie YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN was transformed into a musical on the Great White Way. And if you are lucky enough to see the Ogunquit Playhouse's amazing production of YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, you'll wonder why the Broadway production ever closed.