Marc Shaiman News

MusicalTalk - the UK's top independent musical theatre podcast is to have new and classic episodes broadcast on Global City Radio (http://www.globalradio1.com.)

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) has announced the winners of the NYMF 2011 Awards for Excellence. Awards will be presented at the Eight Season Awards Gala taking place on Sunday, November 6th at The Hudson Theatre (145 W. 44th Street) beginning at 6:00pm. As previously announced, producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan will also be honored for their work in bringing musical theatre to a worldwide, pop-culture audience.

Musical Theatre West is set to announce that it will open its 59th Season with the mega-hit HAIRSPRAY at the beautiful 1,070-seat Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach.

It's time to let your hair down and dance the night away! The 1960's are coming back to Washington as the Broadway sensation Hairspray will begin performances at the Tony Award-winning Signature Theatre on November 21st - just in time for the holidays. Directed by Signature's Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer, the production will star national radio host Robert Aubry Davis (WETA's 'Around Town' and Sirius/XM Radio), making his musical theater stage debut in the iconic role of Edna Turnblad. The impressive cast of DC favorites is headlined by Carolyn Cole (Tracy Turnblad), Nova Y. Payton (Motormouth Mable), Sherri L. Edelen (Velma Von Tussle), Patrick Thomas Cragin (Link Larkin), and Harry A. Winter (Wilbur Turnblad). Hairspray will play at Signature's MAX Theatre from November 21, 2011 through January 29, 2012. Tickets are now on sale.

With one of the most refreshingly unique career trajectories in recent show business history, the quirky late-80s/early-90s film star known for her outlandish John Waters comedies - HAIRSPRAY, CRY-BABY and SERIAL MOM included - parlayed her big screen success to a decade-long running eponymous talk-show in the 90s and early 00s that is still talked about to this day - look no further than Nicki Minaj's verse on the remix of Britney Spears' "Hold It Against Me" for proof - and, now, with news of the 2012 syndicated return of a new iteration of her show, a new memoir, as well as her current compelling casting on the new season of DANCING WITH THE STARS, Ricki Lake has clearly reached a new career high. Imparting her contagious energy and enthusiasm and amply displaying why she is the foremost queen of gab, Lake generously shares her thoughts on a range of topics - Broadway, Hollywood, GLEE, Sondheim, BOOK OF MORMON and much more included - and reveals details about her many upcoming projects and passion, as well as her ongoing star turn on TV's hottest reality competition, DANCING WITH THE STARS. While in rehearsal on Friday night, talking to me from the backstage costume fitting for DANCING/STARS - tutu included - and on the road back to her LA home - before attending Chaz Bono's party later that evening - Lake and I cover it all and she shows why she has been a TV fixture in millions of homes for twenty years and most likely will continue to be so for the next twenty or more - if we are lucky, that is. Plus, she also happens to be a big BroadwayWorld fan, to boot! Who could ask for anything more?

The recipient of the first-ever ELLEN STEWART AWARD -- the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Sam Shepard -- has chosen young playwright Matthew Paul Olmos as the initial participant in the new award being presented this season by La MaMa, it was announced at La MaMa 50th Gala celebrating the start of the internationally-renowned theatre's 50th anniversary season, held on Monday, October 17 at the Ellen Stewart Theatre (66 E. 4 St.) in Manhattan.

HOWL! Arts Project 2011 and The Actors Fund welcome Robert I. Rubinsky, a member of the original Broadway cast of HAIR, for one night only - Wednesday, October 19 at 8pm - to Theatre 80 (80 St. Marks Place) in the autobiographical musical comedy BOBBY THE MIDDLE-AGED CELEBRITY: THE NRV 2 L8 2 B FAMOUS MUSICAL. Natalie Mosco directs.

Cincinnati Music Theatre (CMT) welcomes the public to the 60's! Join us November 4 - 12, 2011 at the Aronoff Center's Jarson-Kaplan Theater for our larger-than-life production of Hairspray: The Broadway Musical.

Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane, known for producing acclaimed, innovative and classic musicals and comedies, announces its 2012-2013 season featuring five glorious films brought to new life on stage.

Musical Theatre West has announced that it will open its 59th Season with the mega-hit HAIRSPRAY at the beautiful 1,070-seat Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach.

HOWL! Arts Project 2011 and The Actors Fund welcome Robert I. Rubinsky, a member of the original Broadway cast of HAIR, for one night only - Wednesday, October 19 at 8pm - to Theatre 80 (80 St. Marks Place) in the autobiographical musical comedy BOBBY THE MIDDLE-AGED CELEBRITY: THE NRV 2 L8 2 B FAMOUS MUSICAL. Natalie Mosco directs.

NBC's upcoming anticipated show SMASH will be premiering on February 6, 2012 on Mondays at 10/9 C. The show will star Debra Messing, Anjelica Huston, Katherine McPhee, Brian d'Arch James and Megan Hilty. Watch Katherine McPhee speak about the upcoming show!

NBC's upcoming anticipated show SMASH will be premiering on February 6, 2012 on Mondays at 10/9 C. The show will star Debra Messing, Anjelica Huston, Katherine McPhee, Brian d'Arch James and Megan Hilty.

It's time to let your hair down and dance the night away as Hairspray, Broadway's musical comedy phenomenon that inspired a major motion picture, opens at the Miracle Theatre on October 14.

On Wednesday, November 9th, DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS will present a 'Tribute to Honor David Rockwell,' DIFFA Board Chairman and world-renowned New York based architect and designer, for 12 years of commitment and dedication to the organization.

It's time to let your hair down and dance the night away as Hairspray, Broadway's musical comedy phenomenon that inspired a major motion picture, opens at the Miracle Theatre on October 14.

According to published reports, Nick Jonas, who will soon return to Broadway in HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING, has joined the long list of theatre stars who will guest star on NBC's upcoming SMASH series.

Join the party! Tease it up. Throw on your best A-line and go-go boots...or that shagadelic wide tie - and put on your dancin' shoes. On Saturday, November 5th at 8:00pm, Signature Theatre will be transforming their theater into a Hairspray-style dance party with ‘The Big Hair Ball.'

Musical Theatre West is proud to announce that it will open its 59th Season with the mega-hit HAIRSPRAY at the beautiful 1,070-seat Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach. HAIRSPRAY previews October 28 and runs for fourteen performances through November 13, 2011

Wesley Taylor (Rock of Ages, The Addams Family, Tales of the City) is rumored to play a recurring role in the Broadway-centric NBC mid-season replacement, SMASH, exec. produced by Steven Spielberg, according to a post on Facebook. Also rumored to play a recurring role is Savannah Wise (Ragtime, Rock of Ages). According to varied sources, Taylor and Wise are rumored to play dancers in the chorus who become friends with Katharine McPhee's character.