Lucille Lortel News

The Award-Winning Epic Theatre Ensemble, now in their 12th year presents William Shakespeare's RICHARD III: Born With Teeth, part of Shakespeare for a New Generation, a national program of the National Endowment for the Arts in cooperation with Arts Midwest. The production, directed by Ron Russell, begins previews Off-Broadway tonight, Tuesday, April 16th and opens Saturday, April 20th at 8:00 PM at the Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street). The play will run through May 4th.

Tickets go on sale today for New York City Center Encores! Off-Center, a new series featuring seminal Off-Broadway musicals filtered through the lens of today's most innovative artists, opening on July 10. In keeping with City Center's founding mission to make the arts accessible to all, the majority of tickets will be $25.

Christine Baranski, Kelli Barrett, Walter Bobbie, Jeremy Cohen, Dalton Harrod, Randy Skinner, Shonn Wiley, Karen Ziemba,New York City Ballet Principaldancer Joaquin De Luz and American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Irina Dvorovenkowill star in Rodgers and Hart's On Your Toes, the final Encores! presentation of the 2012-13 New York City Center season. Directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle, On Your Toes will have guest music direction by Encores! founding music director Rob Fisher and will play seven performances, from May 8 - 12 at New York City Center, W. 55th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues). The "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" ballet, originally choreographed by George Balanchine, will be staged by Susan Pilarre, who served as a Ballet Mistress of the show's 1983 Broadway Revival.

On Monday evening, April 8th at the finale of Marty Richards' star-studded-sold-out Memorial to benefit his beloved New York Center For Children, which he co-founded with his wife Mary Lea Johnson Richards, Chita Rivera quieted the crowd to make an important announcement regarding the future of the American Theatre and the New York centric film and television's East Coast community. Dan Gallagher and Michael Milton, Mr. Richards' co-workers and right-hand visionaries for over fifteen years, have power-teamed with Producer/General Manager, Cheryl Dennis, to form the new Producer Circle Co. with offices in Manhattan.

The Award winning Epic Theatre Ensemble announces post performance forums lead by scholars, authors, and entertainers, immediately following several performances of RICHARD III: BORN WITH TEETH at the Pershing Square Signature Center. The production, directed by Ron Russell, begins performances Tuesday, April 16, opens on Saturday, April 20th and continues through Saturday, May 4th. RICHARD III: BORN WITH TEETH begins previews Tuesday, April 16th. The Forum's are presented as part of Epic's goal to inspire vital dialogue about social, ethical, and political issues and to build thoughtful citizenship in local communities.

Long Wharf Theatre concludes its 2012-13 season with Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning play Clybourne Park, by Bruce Norris, and directed by Associate Artistic Director Eric Ting. The play will take place on The Claire Tow Stage in the C. Newton Schenck III Mainstage from May 8, 2013 through June 2, 2013.

Tonight, April 12, 2013, The New York Pops continues its 30th season with an evening celebrating the 65th birthday of Stephen Schwartz and the 10th anniversary of his hit musical Wicked with The Wizard and I: The Musical Journey of Stephen Schwartz. Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke will lead the orchestra as they perform highlights from some of the composer-lyricist's most beloved works. The concert features Tony Award nominee Jeremy Jordan (Newsies), Tony Award nominee Norm Lewis (The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess), Drama Desk Award nominee Julia Murney (The Wild Party), Tony Award nominee Jennifer Laura Thompson (Urinetown), and Judith Clurman's Essential Voices USA.

La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts and McCoy Rigby Entertainment present an all-new revival of one of the greatest musicals of all time, SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS, book by Lawrence Kasha and David Landay, lyrics, music and new songs by Johnny Mercer, Gene De Paul, Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn, based on the MGM Film 'The Sobbin' Women' by Stephen Vincent Benet, originally directed for Broadway by Lawrence Kasha and originally produced on Broadway by Kaslan Productions, Inc., SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS will feature musical direction by Dennis Castellano, choreography by Patti Colombo and will be directed by Glenn Casale.

MCC THEATER (Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, William Cantler, Artistic Directors; Blake West, Executive Director) today announced the first two productions of its 2013-14 Main Stage Season: the Broadway premiere of The Snow Geese by MCC alum Sharr White, which is a co-production with Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC); and the New York premiere of John Pollono's Small Engine Repair, which had previously been scheduled for the MCC 2012-13 Season. An announcement regarding the remaining productions of the MCC Theater 2013-14 Main Stage Season is forthcoming.

Jonathan Lynn will direct the American premiere of Yes, Prime Minister, co-written by Lynn and Antony Jay, one of the most successful London West End plays in a decade, at the Gil Cates Theater at the Geffen Playhouse, opening Wednesday, June 12 (previews begin June 4.) The award-winning British comedy of political power and intrigue has played three sold-out London West End seasons with rave reviews as well as international tours (currently New Zealand and Australia).

Classic Stage Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Greg Reiner, announced today that acclaimed Tony Award-winning director John Doyle will join the company for its 2013/2014 season as an Associate Director. Doyle, who directed and designed the company's current highly-acclaimed production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's musical PASSION, will develop his own projects for CSC, contribute leadership for CSC's new Musical Theatre Initiative (for which PASSION was the launch production) and consult with Artistic Director Brian Kulick over season planning and other creative aspects of CSC's artistic programming.

On April 12, 2013, The New York Pops continues its 30th season with an evening celebrating the 65th birthday of Stephen Schwartz and the 10th anniversary of his hit musical Wicked with The Wizard and I: The Musical Journey of Stephen Schwartz. Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke will lead the orchestra as they perform highlights from some of the composer-lyricist's most beloved works. The concert features Tony Award nominee Jeremy Jordan (Newsies), Tony Award nominee Norm Lewis (The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess), Drama Desk Award nominee Julia Murney (The Wild Party), Tony Award nominee Jennifer Laura Thompson (Urinetown), and Judith Clurman's Essential Voices USA.

The Old Globe will open its 2013-14 Season with The Last Goodbye, a new musical that marries Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and the incendiary songs of the legendary singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley. Conceived and adapted by Michael Kimmel, the rock musical is directed by two-time Tony Award nominee Alex Timbers (Peter and the Starcatcher, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson). Choreography is by Sonya Tayeh ("So You Think You Can Dance"), and orchestrations, music direction and arrangements are by Kris Kukul. The complete creative team and casting, as well as the remainder of the Globe's new season, will be announced at a later date. The Last Goodbye will run on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Globe's Conrad Prebys Theatre Center, Sept. 20 - Nov. 3, 2013. Preview performances run Sept. 20 - Oct. 5. Opening night is Sunday, Oct. 6. Tickets are currently available by subscription only. Tickets can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE or by visiting the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park.

Paul Robeson, Romeo, Juliet, and Ebenezer are just a few of the names - real and fictional - of the dynamic characters audiences will see at Kansas City Repertory Theatre during its 2013-14 season.

Manhattan Theatre Club (Lynne Meadow, Artistic Producer; Barry Grove, Executive Producer) and MCC Theater (Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, William Cantler, Artistic Directors; Blake West, Executive Director) will co-produce the world premiere of THE SNOW GEESE, a new play by Sharr White, directed by Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan, starring Tony and Emmy Award winner Mary-Louise Parker.

Red Bull Theater will present the American Premiere of a new adaptation of August Strindberg's The Dance of Death by Mike Poulton (Tony Award Nominee for Best Play for Fortune's Fool), directed by Joseph Hardy (Tony Award winner for Best Director for Child's Play), for a strictly limited engagement beginning tonight, April 10th and continuing through May 4th only, at the Lucille Lortel Theater (121 Christopher Street, between Bleecker and Hudson Streets). Opening Night is set for Thursday April 18th.