Lucille Lortel News

What do you get when you throw six quirky kids bubbling with adolescence, three frazzled school administrators trying to relive their glory days, a live band, and four new audience members each night into a spelling bee? Magic. Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT) will present The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee onstage at the Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre tomorrow, November 20th, through December 7th. Winner of Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Theatre World and Tony Awards in 2005, Spelling Bee will delight audiences. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Rachel Reiner Productions will present the World Premiere of Victor L. Cahn's Villainous Company, directed by Eric Parness. The show will begin performances on January 9, and open on Monday, January 12 running through January 31, 2015 at Theatre Row's Clurman Theatre (410 West 42 Street). Tickets are $19.25 (including a $1.25 theatre restoration charge) and can be purchased at www.Telecharge.com or by calling (212) 239-6200.

Today, Wednesday 19 November, the cast of the multi Tony award-winning musical Urinetown, directed by Jamie Lloyd shows support for the UN recognized event: World Toilet Day.

Classic Stage Company presents its new production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's ALLEGRO, directed by Tony Award-winner and CSC Associate Director John Doyle, at CSC (136 East 13th Street) through Sunday, December 14. The official opening night of ALLEGRO is tonight, November 19.

After a year of traveling and performing all over the country, singer/songwriter Shaina Taub - winner of the 2014 Jonathan Larson Grant - returns home to New York to present an evening of her original songs with her band, tonight, November 19 at 7:00 PM at Joe's Pub at The Public Theater.

ONCE, winner of eight Tony Awards including Best Musical and winner of the 2013 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, will play Bass Performance Hall for a limited engagement February 18-22. Tickets go on sale at 10:00 a.m. Friday, November 21. The show is presented by Performing Arts Fort Worth.

MCC THEATER has announced that the critically-acclaimed Punk Rock will extend by popular demand with performances now through December 14, 2014.

MCC Theater presents Douglas Smith, Pico Alexander, Lilly Englert, Lortel Award winner Annie Funke, Five-time Obie winner David Greenspan, Colby Minifie, Will Pullen, and Noah Robbins in the New York premiere of Punk Rock, a new play by Simon Stephens and directed by Trip Cullman. The show just opened last night at theLucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street, NYC). Tickets are now on sale. For information, visit www.mcctheater.org. BroadwayWorld was there for opening night and you can check out photos from the special night below!

MCC Theater welcomes film and TV star Douglas Smith, Pico Alexander, Lilly Englert, Lortel Award winner Annie Funke, Five-time Obie winner David Greenspan, Colby Minifie, Will Pullen, and Noah Robbins, to star in the New York premiere of Punk Rock, a new play by Simon Stephens and directed by Trip Cullman. Punk Rock opens tonight, November 17, at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street, NYC) and will run through December 7, 2014. Let's see what the critics had to say...

Happy Birthday Daphne Rubin-Vega! Rubin Vega is a two-time Tony and Drama Desk nominee and recipient of the Theater World, Obie, Blockbuster awards and was recently nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her role in Jack Goes Boating. She is perhaps best known for the roles she originated, including Mimi (RENT) and Conchita (Anna in the Tropics), both Pulitzer Prize winning Broadway shows for which she was nominated for the Tony award. She also originated the role of Rahmi (Gum), Sofia (Nilo Cruz' Two Sisters and a Piano), Canary Mary (Suzan-Lori Parks' f**king A, Lucille Lortel nomination) and Lucy (Jack Goes Boating) at the Public Theater, as well as starred in the Broadway revivals of The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Magenta) and Les Mis, ('Fantine') and most recently, The New Group's Blood From a Stone ('Yvette') opposite Ethan Hawke.'

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (CSC) will present its first indoor production as Theatre Company in Residence at Babson College, Samuel Beckett's classic Happy Days featuring Brooke Adams* (Lend Me A Tenor, CSC's The Last Will) and Tony Shalhoub* (Act One, Monk) tonight, November 18 - 23 at the Carling-Sorenson Theater at Babson College.

After a year of traveling and performing all over the country, singer/songwriter Shaina Taub - winner of the 2014 Jonathan Larson Grant - returns home to New York to present an evening of her original songs with her band, on Wednesday November 19 at 7:00 PM at Joe's Pub at The Public Theater. Shaina will be joined by her bandmates bassist/singer Mike Brun (Mr. Burns, Old Hats) and drummer/singer Jacob Colin Cohen (One Man, Two Guv'nors; Old Hats), pianist David Farrell Melton and singer Grace McLean (Bedbugs!!!), Catherine Brookman (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812) and Starr Busby will make special guest appearances. The set list will features selections from Old Hats, There's A House, Robin, songs from Taub's two EPs, and many brand new songs as well.

Vineyard Theatre today announced that the world premiere of the musical BROOKLYNITE, helmed by Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer (HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, SPRING AWAKENING), would begin performances Friday January 29th, with an opening night set for Wednesday February 25th. This limited engagement continues through Sunday March 22nd.

Theatre luminaries will gather tonight, November 17, 2014, to to honor acclaimed playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis as he receives the 2014 Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award at the Steinberg Playwright Awards, presented by The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust. Scenes highlighting his work will be presented at the 7th Annual 'Mimi' Awards, which will take place at Lincoln Center Theater's Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater.

MCC Theater welcomes film and TV star Douglas Smith, Pico Alexander, Lilly Englert, Lortel Award winner Annie Funke, Five-time Obie winner David Greenspan, Colby Minifie, Will Pullen, and Noah Robbins, to star in the New York premiere of Punk Rock, a new play by Simon Stephens and directed by Trip Cullman. Performances for Punk Rock began at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street, NYC) on October 29, 2014. An official opening is set for tonight, November 17, 2014 and it is currently scheduled through December 7, 2014.

DOGFIGHT, the hauntingly beautiful musical by Pasek and Paul (Edges, James and the Giant Peach, A Christmas Story) and Peter Duchan, will receive it's Toronto debut in the form of a staged reading, December 1st and 2nd at TRANZAC (292 Brunswick Avenue), produced by Kelly Holiff and Jason Spetter.

MCC Theater welcomes film and TV star Douglas Smith, Pico Alexander, Lilly Englert, Lortel Award winner Annie Funke, Five-time Obie winner David Greenspan, Colby Minifie, Will Pullen, and Noah Robbins, to star in the New York premiere of Punk Rock, a new play by Simon Stephens and directed by Trip Cullman. An official opening is set for November 17, 2014 and it is currently scheduled through December 7, 2014 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street) . BroadwayWorld brings you highlights from the show below!

Christopher Marlowe's 1587 epic Tamburlaine, Parts I and II, edited and directed by Olivier Award-winner Michael Boyd and starring John Douglas Thompson, opens Sunday, November 16, at 1:00pm at Theatre for a New Audience, Polonsky Shakespeare Center, 262 Ashland Place.

From Broadway debuts to stage veterans, this season is swarming with big screen stars. Below, BroadwayWorld brings you the backstory on this year's film-to-stage transplants. Scroll down to learn more, and be sure to let us who you're most excited to see on the Great White Way, plus which actors you'd like to make the leap!