Marvin Hamlisch News

ANNIE, the new production of the Tony Award-winning musical, went into rehearsal today in New York City with its full company. The production begins previews October 3, 2012 and opens November 8, 2012 at the Palace Theatre (Broadway at 47th Street). Meet the full cast below!

2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the iconic James Bond film franchise, and in conjunction with EON Productions and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Capitol/EMI is proud to join the world's celebration of 007. BEST OF BOND...JAMES BOND, a new commemorative collection of the legendary films' digitally remastered music, will be released in two configurations on October 9th (October 8th outside of North America).

Well here we are at my last blog entry! This month went by unbelievably fast! The past few days have just been business as usually. I spent them running around to voice lessons, acting class rehearsals and understudy rehearsal.

What He Did For Love, a tribute concert to the late composer Marvin Hamlisch will be presented at DROM on October 29th at 8pm. The concert will feature some of Hamlisch's award winning songs, as well as some of his lesser known songs; the show will also feature stories from National Tour members, as well as testimonies from Mr. Hamlisch's close friends. The concert is a must for all musical theatre lovers, and will provide the perfect homage to the late great composer!

Philadelphia Theatre Company was the top winner of this year's Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre with seven awards, the most of any Philadelphia-area theater company. This brings PTC's total number of Barrymore Awards to 53 cumulative wins and 155 nominations.

Paper Mill Playhouse will present A Chorus Line, the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical conceived, choreographed and directed by Michael Bennett, with book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante, music by Marvin Hamlisch, and lyrics by Edward Kleban. The production will be directed and choreographed by Mitzi Hamilton, one of the dancers in Bennett's original taped workshop that inspired the 1975 Musical. John O'Neill will serve as Music Director/Conductor. A Chorus Line will begin performances on October 3. The cast just met the press, and BroadwayWorld was there for all the festivities. Check out complete photo coverage below!

Paper Mill Playhouse will present A Chorus Line, the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical conceived, choreographed and directed by Michael Bennett, with book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante, music by Marvin Hamlisch, and lyrics by Edward Kleban. The production will be directed and choreographed by Mitzi Hamilton, one of the dancers in Bennett's original taped workshop that inspired the 1975 Musical. John O'Neill will serve as Music Director/Conductor. A Chorus Line will begin performances on October 3. The cast just met the press, and BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge was there to chat with the whole gang. Check out what they had to say by clicking below!

On Sunday, September 23 Chelsea Emma Franko, LA's Next Great Stage Star 2012, debuted her cabaret evening The Girl from Apple Valley to a warmly enthusiastic SRO crowd at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal. Like most young performers, who present their life. so. far in a 60 minute set - Chelsea amazingly did it in 50 - Franko's was one of the very best I've seen. She's beautiful with a truly great vocal instrument and knows how to rivet her audience with just the right amount of pleasurable banter. She doesn't prolong the unnecessary nor is she excessive in any way. Super talented James Lent served as musical director at the piano, except when Chelsea's uncle Craig A. Meyer accompanied her as she sang his delightful piece 'Fly'.

Sweet Smell of Success, with music by Marvin Hamlisch and directed by Mehmet Ergen, will gets its UK professional premiere production at Arcola Theatre for six weeks from Friday November 9 - Saturday 22 December.

ELA WEISSBERGER, one of the few living Holocaust survivors of the Terezin (Teresienstadt) Concentration Camp and star of the children's opera, "Brundibar," will be a special guest of Rabbi David Baron at Yom Kippur High Holy Day Services on the Eve of Yom Kippur (Kol Nidre) today, September 25, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. at the Beverly Hills Temple of the Arts at the Saban Theatre; 8440 Wilshire Boulevard; Beverly Hills, Calif.

Bay Area Cabaret, the local non-profit organization devoted to presenting audiences with top performers who expand the definition of cabaret, has announced its lineup for the 2012-2013 season. Opening the season Sunday, October 28, 2012 is Motown legend and founding member of "Supremes," Mary Wilson, followed Sunday, November 11, 2012 by 9-time Tony Award winning singer/dancer/director/choreographer Tommy Tune, and December 9, 2012 by television, film, and Broadway star Peter Gallagher. The series continues in 2013 with "Broadway's golden couple," Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley on February 17, 2013, "Britain's first lady of musical theatre" Elaine Paige on March 1, 2013, and a performance by singer/actress Nellie McKay featuring San Francisco's Grammy-winning a capella male chorus Chanticleer on March 23, 2013. Rounding out the season is a tribute to the late Marvin Hamlisch, with special guests to be announced, on June 2, 2013, which would have been the legendary composer's 69th birthday, with special guests to be announced.

Thirteen's acclaimed BROADWAY: THE AMERICAN MUSICAL will return to PBS for a show-stopping encore on Sunday, October 7 at 10 pm/ET.

Today, with musicals such as The Book of Mormon enjoying phenomenal box office success, revivals like The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess delighting new generations, and musical stage versions of popular films such as Once and Newsies dominating the Tony Awards, Broadway is proving yet again that its vitality and magic endure. Nominated for five 2005 Primetime Emmy Awards and winner of two, including Outstanding Nonfiction Series, THIRTEEN's landmark Broadway: The American Musical returns Sunday, October 7 at 10 p.m., and continues on six consecutive Sundays through November 11 (check local listings).

Sometimes once is just not enough, so, today, we have a super-special encore conversation with a recent InDepth InterView participant who shares even more candid tales from her impossibly colorful, genre-spanning career on Broadway and in Hollywood - star of properties as diverse as the Broadway musicals MR. PRESIDENT, KELLY and THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SONG, to movies like MOONSTRUCK and SHALL WE DANCE to her numerous TV appearances on everything from MATCH GAME to QUINCY to 30 ROCK - chameleon-like comedienne and actress Anita Gillette. Discussing some of the more ribald and hilarious stories from her idiosyncratic showbiz career - such as the riotous backstage goings-on out of town at the tryout of one of Broadway biggest bombs, KELLY - as well as spine-tingling "you had to be there"-type memories of the Golden Age - like Irving Berlin stopping by the Winter Garden every Wednesday just to see her Act One showstopper in ALL AMERICAN - Gillette paints a vivid picture of an era gone by, and, also, looks ahead to exciting future endeavors - especially the upcoming Ed Burns-directed feature film, THE FITZGERALD FAMILY CHRISTMAS, opening wide later this year. Of course, Gillette returns to the NYC stage the next two Mondays - September 24 and October 1 - with her new Birdland show, AFTER ALL, so in this all-encompassing conversation we also discuss the themes, style, songs and stories we can anticipate from that intimate solo piece, as well, and she generously shares her recollections of working with some of the men who penned many of the sensational songs she will be performing and figure in to some of the tales she will tell - Charles Strouse, Marvin Hamlisch, Jule Styne, Neil Simon, Woody Allen, Mel Brooks and the aforementioned Irving Berlin included. All of that and much, much more!

As part of the global 50th anniversary celebration of James Bond, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present 'The Music of Bond: The First 50 Years,' on Friday, October 5, at 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. Held 50 years to the day after the U.K. opening of the first Bond film, 'Dr. No,' the evening pays homage to the memorable title songs and indelible scores that have become as celebrated as the films themselves.

Today, Nancy Rhodes, Artistic Director announced that the Honorary Chairs, Sheldon Harnick and Maury Yeston join Encompass New Opera Theatre in celebrating Alan Menken's life in the American theatre, film and recording world on Sunday, October 21, 2012 at the National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South, New York City.

The Path Fund, Inc. has announced that Tony Award nominees John Tartaglia (Avenue Q) and Chad Kimball (Memphis) and Tony Award winner Alice Ripley (Next to Normal) along with Jeremy Kushnier (Jersey Boys) and Tituss Burgess (The Little Mermaid) will appear in the upcoming "ROCKERS ON BROADWAY - BEHIND THE MUSIC" concert scheduled to take place on Monday October 15th at the newly re-designed Cutting Room reopened at its new location (44 East 32nd Street, NYC) at 8:00PM.

Principal Guest Conductor Leonard Slatkin will lead the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) in a weekend of BNY Mellon Grand Classics concerts that feature the world premiere of Arlington Sons.