Marc Shaiman News

Ryan Raftery returns to the Laurie Beechman Theatre for Ryan Raftery IS BLACK AND BETTER THAN EVER: A CAUCASIAN CELEBRATION OF THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN SONGBOOK! with very special guest Romelda Teron Benjamin (Catch Me if You Can, Bare) and musical direction by Daniel Lincoln. The show will be presented tonight, May 29 and Wednesday, June 26, at 9:30 pm at Laurie Beechman Theatre.

Here are the first shots of Douglas Hodge as Willy Wonka in the brand-new production of CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY - now in previews at Theatre Royal Drury Lane!

Hottest Articles on BroadwayWorld.com from this weekend Sunday, May 26, 2013 - Sunday, May 26, 2013.

NBC lowers the curtain on SMASH with the series finale tonight, May 26. In anticipation of the show's closing night, Executive Producer Marc Shaiman wrote an in-depth send-off titled 'Goodbye, Norma Jean,' detailing what worked and what didn't throughout the series' two-season history.

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, the highly anticipated West End musical starring Olivier and Tony Award winner Douglas Hodge as Willy Wonka, began May 22, 2013. Watch as the very first audiences share their reactions to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, now in previews until 24 June at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

The roof got lifted off the Birmingham Hippodrome last night with the rapturous audience reaction to Stage Entertainment's UK touring production of Hairspray. With big hair and fun aplenty, you will not find a show with so much energy and attack as this one. With wide appeal across the board due to the 2007 film starring John Travolta as the loveable Edna Turnblad, Hairspray has something for everyone. It is great to see a younger audience drawn to the theatre; very few shows these days have such power. Hairspray is topical, has good morals, catchy music by Marc Shaiman and brilliantly choreographed dance routines by Jerry Mitchell - the show has everything!

Two more sensational songs have been released from the forthcoming series finale of NBC's musical drama series SMASH - no less than covers of Traffic and Queen byway of the dynamic leading ladies, Katharine McPhee and Megan Hilty, and the rest of the cast!

The songs from the final episode of NBC's musical drama series SMASH are now available, including the Marc Shaiman/Scott Wittman showstopper 'Big Finish', performed by Megan Hilty and Katharine McPhee.

SMASH breakout star and beloved Broadway baby Megan Hilty talks about the upcoming SMASH series finale and reveals what her immediate post-series plans will be in a new interview.

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, the highly anticipated West End musical starring Olivier and Tony Award winner Douglas Hodge as Willy Wonka, begins tonight, May 22, 2013. Opening night is set for June 25.

In an interview with The Huffington Post, SMASH star Megan Hilty reacted to the news that her musical NBC drama had been canceled by the network.

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, the highly anticipated West End musical starring Olivier and Tony Award winner Douglas Hodge as Willy Wonka, has been postponed. The first two previews - scheduled for May 17 and 18, respectively - have been cancelled and performances will now begin May 22 instead of May 23.

Today we are talking to a terrifically talented twosome who are being touted as the next songwriting duo to take New York by storm - and, with DOGFIGHT appearing Off-Broadway at Second Stage last year and A CHRISTMAS STORY setting Broadway alight for a limited run this past holiday season, they are certainly on the fast-track to success - Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Revealing their reaction to last week's 2013 Tony Award nominations for their stupendous score for the screen-to-stage adaptation of A CHRISTMAS STORY as well as all about the creation and ultimate execution of the show itself, Pasek & Paul open up about their creative process and illustrate what makes their music work so well in a theatrical milieu. Most importantly, the songwriters discuss DOGFIGHT - the inspiration for it, writing of it, the recent Off-Broadway production directed by Joe Mantello, and, now, the absolutely spectacular cast album now available on Ghost light - to say nothing of next week's concert celebrating the album release. Additionally, Pasek & Paul share stories of the songs that make up their popular and frequently-produced EDGES, new and old, as well as their plans for future shows. Plus, all about the new material recently written by the duo for NBC's musical drama series SMASH, details about their stage adaptation of Roald Dahl's seminal children's book JAMES & THE GIANT PEACH as well as opinions on fellow songwriting teams and other influential musical theatre icons, as well as much, much more!

Ryan Raftery returns to the Laurie Beechman Theatre for Ryan Raftery IS BLACK AND BETTER THAN EVER: A CAUCASIAN CELEBRATION OF THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN SONGBOOK! with very special guest Romelda Teron Benjamin (Catch Me if You Can, Bare) and musical direction by Daniel Lincoln. The show will be presented on Wednesday, May 29 and Wednesday, June 26, at 9:30 pm at Laurie Beechman Theatre.

Acclaimed Tony Award winning Director/Choreographer Jerry Mitchell, whose musical Kinky Boots just received 13 Tony Award-nominations, will be honored with the 2013 'Mr. Abbott' Award for his outstanding artistry and creativity and breadth of his thirty-year career.

A central HIT LIST song sequence from a musical-within-the-series on NBC's musical drama series SMASH has just been released, with Katharine McPhee leading the plucky HIT LIST composition 'Pretender'.

The hot duet between two prominent players on NBC's musical drama series SMASH has finally been released - Katharine McPhee and Mara Davi's scorching 'I'm Not Sorry'.

A new Marc Shaiman/Scott Wittman gem for NBC's musical drama series SMASH has been unveiled, the sexy and sassy 'Grin And Bare It'!