Meredith Willson News

CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, the most fantasmagorical Broadway musical in the history of everything, flies into Pittsburgh's Benedum Center beginning Tuesday, March 10, 2009, for eight performances only! Based on the timeless novel by famed James Bond author and creator Ian Fleming, the production features the music and lyrics by the legendary Sherman brothers, composers of Mary Poppins. The national tour features an original script and fresh adaptation directed by Ray Roderick.

Tony Award winning stage and screen star Kristin Chenoweth is set to appear at the Lincoln Triangle Barnes & Noble to celebrate the release of her upcoming memoir, 'A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages,' at 7:30 PM April 15th, 2009.

KD Studio and Imagination Players present Meredith Willson's THE MUSIC MAN Junior. Ages 8-18, camp begins March 14, 2009 through May 2, 2009. Saturdays 10am til 2pm. Performances Friday May 8 at 7pm. Saturday, May 9 at 2pm and 7pm Sunday, May 10 at 2pm

The Tony Award-winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival opens its 74th year the weekend of February 20-22 and celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Elizabethan Stage. In honor of that milestone, OSF is dedicating the 2009 season to principal theatre and scenic designer, Richard L. Hay, acknowledging his creative work that spans more than 50 years at OSF and includes the design of all three theatre spaces, beginning with the current Elizabethan Stage in 1959, half a century ago.

Tony Award winner and recent Encores! 'Music In The Air' leading lady Kristin Chenoweth is set to perform a special benefit concert for L.A.'s Reprise Theatre Company on Monday, February 23 at the UCLA Freud Playhouse.

CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, the most fantasmagorical Broadway musical in the history of everything, flies into Pittsburgh's Benedum Center beginning Tuesday, March 10, 2009, for eight performances only! Based on the timeless novel by famed James Bond author and creator Ian Fleming, the production features the music and lyrics by the legendary Sherman brothers, composers of Mary Poppins. The national tour features an original script and fresh adaptation directed by Ray Roderick.

The Tony Award-winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival opens its 74th year the weekend of February 20-22 and celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Elizabethan Stage. In honor of that milestone, OSF is dedicating the 2009 season to principal theatre and scenic designer, Richard L. Hay, acknowledging his creative work that spans more than 50 years at OSF and includes the design of all three theatre spaces, beginning with the current Elizabethan Stage in 1959, half a century ago. 'I am deeply moved as I reflect on the achievement and commitment of our extraordinary theater artist, Richard Hay,' OSF Artistic Director Bill Rauch said, 'whose dedication to our artform and to OSF is an inspiration to all of us. The remarkable spaces he designed allow for a connection between actors and audiences that make OSF's theater experience unique and richly satisfying. And he remains an unstoppable creative force, designing scenery for two world premiere adaptations this season: The Servant of Two Masters and Don Quixote.' The 2009 season opens at 8:00 p.m. Friday, February 20, in the Angus Bowmer Theatre on the battlefields of Scotland with William Shakespeare's tragic play, Macbeth, directed by guest artist Gale Edwards. On Saturday, February 21 at 1:30 p.m. in the Angus Bowmer Theatre, theatergoers will have the opportunity to see the rarely produced Death and the King's Horseman,, written by Nigeria's Nobel Laureate playwright Wole Soyinka and directed by Goodman Theatre resident artist Chuck Smith. At 8:00 p.m. that evening, audiences will be treated to Meredith Willson's classic American musical The Music Man, directed by Rauch.

Tony Award winner and recent Encores! 'Music In The Air' leading lady Kristin Chenoweth is set to perform a special benefit concert for L.A.'s Reprise Theatre Company on Monday, February 23 at the UCLA Freud Playhouse.

The Denver Center Theatre Company has announced casting for the 2009 Colorado New Play Summit readings, which includes top talent from Denver and across the country. The Summit, which will gather theatre enthusiasts and industry professionals in Denver February 12-14, will feature the reading of a new adaptation of the classic musical THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN and readings of four new plays - EVENTIDE, WHEN TANG MET LAIKA, TAKE ME TO THE RIVER and FLOODED. For more information on these shows, please visit www.denvercenter.org.

The Denver Center Theatre Company continues its climb to the top tier of American new play festivals with the expected arrival this weekend in Denver of nearly 300 theatre professionals and press representatives. Theatre professionals scheduled to attend the fourth annual Colorado New Play Summit February 12 -14 include artistic directors, literary managers, agents, members of the press, actors, dramaturgs and directors.

CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG comes to the Providence Performing Arts Center beginning March 19 for six performances only! Based on the novel by famed James Bond author and creator Ian Fleming, the production features music and lyrics by the Sherman Brothers, composers of MARY POPPINS. The National Tour also features an original script and a fresh adaptation, directed by Ray Roderick. The Providence engagement of CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG also features six local children in the chorus. In October of 2008, over eighty children came to PPAC for the audition, which consisted of them learning choreography from the show, on-site, and singing an up-tempo song of their choice. The show's producers selected Andrew Purdy, of Franklin, MA; Eric Halvarson, of Cranston; Rebekah Philip, of Rehoboth, MA; Carolina King and Virginia King, of Clayville; and Fifer Horwitz of Tiverton as the regulars, and Daniel Perkins, of Bellingham, MA and Maddie Crump, of Norfolk, MA as the boy and girl alternates. The six regulars will appear in all six CHITTY performances at PPAC.

The Denver Center Theatre Company has announced casting for the 2009 Colorado New Play Summit readings, which includes top talent from Denver and across the country. The Summit, which will gather theatre enthusiasts and industry professionals in Denver February 12-14, will feature the reading of a new adaptation of the classic musical THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN and readings of four new plays - EVENTIDE, WHEN TANG MET LAIKA, TAKE ME TO THE RIVER and FLOODED. For more information on these shows, please visit www.denvercenter.org.

The Tony Award-winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival opens its 74th year the weekend of February 20-22 and celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Elizabethan Stage. In honor of that milestone, OSF is dedicating the 2009 season to principal theatre and scenic designer, Richard L. Hay, acknowledging his creative work that spans more than 50 years at OSF and includes the design of all three theatre spaces, beginning with the current Elizabethan Stage in 1959, half a century ago. 'I am deeply moved as I reflect on the achievement and commitment of our extraordinary theater artist, Richard Hay,' OSF Artistic Director Bill Rauch said, 'whose dedication to our artform and to OSF is an inspiration to all of us. The remarkable spaces he designed allow for a connection between actors and audiences that make OSF's theater experience unique and richly satisfying. And he remains an unstoppable creative force, designing scenery for two world premiere adaptations this season: The Servant of Two Masters and Don Quixote.' The 2009 season opens at 8:00 p.m. Friday, February 20, in the Angus Bowmer Theatre on the battlefields of Scotland with William Shakespeare's tragic play, Macbeth, directed by guest artist Gale Edwards. On Saturday, February 21 at 1:30 p.m. in the Angus Bowmer Theatre, theatergoers will have the opportunity to see the rarely produced Death and the King's Horseman,, written by Nigeria's Nobel Laureate playwright Wole Soyinka and directed by Goodman Theatre resident artist Chuck Smith. At 8:00 p.m. that evening, audiences will be treated to Meredith Willson's classic American musical The Music Man, directed by Rauch.

Stage and screen star Kristin Chenoweth, Tony Award winner for 'You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown,' and Tony Award nominee for originating the role of Glinda the Good Witch in 'Wicked,' will now perform her Benefit Concert at Westport Country Playhouse (Joanne Woodward and Anne Keefe, artistic directors, Jodi Schoenbrun Carter, managing director) on March 28th instead of the original date of February 7th, 8 p.m.

The Denver Center Theatre Company's fourth annual Colorado New Play Summit continues its climb to the top tier of American new play festivals with the announcement of four readings of new American plays and a musical that will join the world premieres of Inana by Michele Lowe and Dusty and the Big Bad World by Cusi Cram at the February 2009 event.

Producer Howard Panter for Ambassador Theatre Group and co-producers Tulchin/Bartner/Jenkins, Bill Kenwright, Northwater Entertainment, Darren Bagert, and Tom Gregory announced the complete cast and design team for the new Broadway production of the greatest musical comedy GUYS AND DOLLS. The first joint Broadway project by two-time Tony Award winning director Des McAnuff and choreographer Sergio Trujillo since their collaboration on the Tony Award winning musical Jersey Boys, GUYS AND DOLLS will begin previews on February 3, 2009 at Broadway's newly refurbished Nederlander Theatre (208 West 41st Street). Opening Night is March 1, 2009.

Stage and screen star Kristin Chenoweth, Tony Award winner for 'You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown,' and Tony Award nominee for originating the role of Glinda the Good Witch in 'Wicked,' will appear in a Valentine's Benefit Concert at Westport Country Playhouse (Joanne Woodward and Anne Keefe, artistic directors, Jodi Schoenbrun Carter, managing director) on Saturday, February 7, 8 p.m. A pre-show champagne welcome will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets for the fundraising event are $100, $150, $250.

The Denver Center Theatre Company's fourth annual Colorado New Play Summit continues its climb to the top tier of American new play festivals with the announcement of four readings of new American plays and a musical that will join the world premieres of Inana by Michele Lowe and Dusty and the Big Bad World by Cusi Cram at the February 2009 event.

Producer Howard Panter for Ambassador Theatre Group and co-producers Tulchin/Bartner/Jenkins, Bill Kenwright, Darren Bagert, and Tom Gregory announced today that Craig Bierko (Tony Award nominee for The Music Man; Scary Movie 4) will star as 'Sky Masterson' and Kate Jennings Grant (Proof) will also star as 'Sarah Brown' in the new Broadway production of the greatest musical comedy GUYS AND DOLLS.

Tony Award winners Barbara Cook and Audra McDonald will star in a one night only concert event, Audra McDonald & Barbara Cook: Broadway Voices For Change, to benefit America Votes on Sunday, October 19, at 8pm at Broadway's Al Hirschfeld Theatre (302 West 45th Street).