Michael Cerveris News

First reported by BroadwayWorld back in June when Menier Chocolate Factory Theatre's David Babani told the U.K. Daily Mail's Baz Bamigboye that plans are in progress to produce Stephen Sondheim & John Weidman's ROAD SHOW at the venue. He's now confirmed the news to Variety and included the news that it'll play the theatre next summer.

BROADWAY MELODY MAKERS on Friday October 15th at 8PM, was directed by Scott Coulter, with musical direction by Ross Patterson. The cast also includes Tony Award ® winners Alice Ripley (Next to Normal, Sideshow) and Michael Cerveris (Assasins), along with Nellie McKay (Threepenny Opera), Tom Wopat (Annie Get Your Gun, A Catered Affair), and Mary Testa (Xanadu, On the Town). The concert featured songs by Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, Cole Porter, Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin, and so many others down through the decades to the likes of Jule Styne and Cy Coleman, among others.

Lucie Arnaz (They're Playing Our Song), Sarah Uriarte Berry (A Light in the Piazza), Carole Demas (Grease), Loni Ackerman (So Long, 174th Street) and Nancy Opel (Urinetown), join the cast of The Town Hall's Broadway Originals on Sunday, October 17th at 3:00 PM.

Dead Agenting, a new play that is 'not about Scientology' by award-winning independent filmmaker/playwright Aaron Mark, will receive a private reading in Manhattan on Monday, October 18th.

Judy Kaye Completes the Cast of Broadway Melody Makers on October 15th forTHE TOWN HALL'SAnnual Broadway Cabaret FestivalOctober 15th, 16th and 17th Tony Award ® winner Judy Kaye (Phantom, Souvenir, Mama Mia) completes the cast of THE TOWN HALL's Broadway Melody Makers on Friday, October 15th.

Lucie Arnaz (They're Playing Our Song), Sarah Uriarte Berry (A Light in the Piazza), Carole Demas (Grease), Loni Ackerman (So Long, 174th Street) and Nancy Opel (Urinetown), join the cast of The Town Hall's Broadway Originals on Sunday, October 17th at 3:00 PM.

A friendly giant known best for his devilish and, at times, demonic lead roles in THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW as Frank N. Furter, the eponymous DRACULA and the first replacement cast of THE LION KING as Scar - in addition to his current essaying of the role of the lecherous lawyer Billy Flynn in the smash hit Broadway revival of CHICAGO - time and perseverance has aided Tony-nominated actor Tom Hewitt in carving out a career on Broadway quite unlike most others in existence. In this comprehensive conversation we discuss his many marvelous stage performances on Broadway and beyond thus far, including his new lead role in the New York Musical Theater Festival musical THE GREAT UNKNOWN written by William Hauptman (PUMP BOYS & DINETTES) and Jim Wann (BIG RIVER) and directed by Don Stephenson. In addition to a thorough discussion of that new NYMF musical, we also talk about working with Julie Taymor on the PBS film FOOL'S FIRE and Broadway's THE LION KING, what the insane ROCKY HORROR LIVE experience was like from a stage perspective, his many stints in CHICAGO, as well as working with co-stars like Matt Morrison, Kelli O'Hara, Brenda Braxton, Charlotte D'Amboise and Chip Zien. We also discuss his feelings on Dan Savage's IT GETS BETTER campaign and what he thinks of GLEE taking on the garters, boas and stilettos of Frank & Crew when they do their ROCKY HORROR tribute later this month. Performances of the original bluegrass musical THE GREAT UNKNOWN have already begun so be sure to grab some tickets a the link below and catch the show on Sunday if you haven't done so yet!

Judy Kaye Completes the Cast of Broadway Melody Makers on October 15th forTHE TOWN HALL'SAnnual Broadway Cabaret FestivalOctober 15th, 16th and 17th Tony Award ® winner Judy Kaye (Phantom, Souvenir, Mama Mia) completes the cast of THE TOWN HALL's Broadway Melody Makers on Friday, October 15th.

The Public Theater welcomed the press to the critically acclaimed GATZ, the theatrical adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby created by Elevator Repair Service yesterday, October 3. Directed by John Collins, GATZ will continue through Sunday, November 28. BroadwayWorld was on hand and brings you photo coverage below.

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) in association with David Pugh & Dafydd Rogers and Cineworld opened the Kneehigh Theatre's production of Noël Coward's Brief Encounter, adapted and directed by Emma Rice last night, September 28, on Broadway. BroadwayWorld was on hand for the opening night arrivals and brings you photo coverage below!

Image Entertainment is proud to share a celebration of the life and wondrous work of one of Broadway's greatest legends - the incomparable Stephen Sondheim. For the master composer and lyricist's 80th birthday, scores of the musical theater's brightest stars gathered to perform more than two dozen sensational numbers from Sondheim's unsurpassed canon. Many of these enduring songs are rarely heard and several are performed by the original Broadway cast members. David Hyde Pierce hosts this magical event with Sondheim's longtime collaborator Paul Gemignani conducting the New York Philharmonic. Directed for the stage and television by Lonny Price and filmed live March 15-16, 2010 at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City, this is a must-have addition for every musical theatre aficionado. SONDHEIM! The Birthday Concert will be available at an SRP of $24.98 for the DVD and $29.98 for the Blu-ray; the concert will also be available via digital download. Pre-book is October 19, 2010.

The Irish Repertory Theatre Company launches the fifth season of its NEW WORKS READING SERIES to support new plays and emerging playwrights with a free staged reading of Ursula Rani Sarma's THE DARK THINGS -- a new play that was produced last fall at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh -- on Friday, September 24 at 3:00pm at the Irish Repertory Theatre (132 West 22nd Street).

Michelle Federer (Wicked's Original Broadway Nessarose) spent Sunday, September 19th, mentoring the young talent of Broadway's future as she led a Wicked-themed master class with Broadway Artists Alliance of New York City. Federer inspired, as she skillfully guided a master class in 'Song Interpretation' to a group of eager and talented young performers ages 10 to 21. Students also spent time on cold readings and scene study utilizing scenes from Wicked. Michelle's morning class was followed by an advanced audition technique workshop with a top casting representative from Telsey and Co. Casting.

The Irish Repertory Theatre Company launches the fifth season of its NEW WORKS READING SERIES to support new plays and emerging playwrights with a free staged reading of Ursula Rani Sarma's THE DARK THINGS -- a new play that was produced last fall at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh -- on Friday, September 24 at 3:00pm at the Irish Repertory Theatre (132 West 22nd Street).

Alice Ripley, Tony Award®-winner for her starring role in Next to Normal, and Michael Cerveris, Tony Award®-winner for Assasins and 4-time Tony Award® nominee, join the cast of THE TOWN HALL's Broadway Melody Makers on Friday, October 15th. The evening celebrates legendary composers of The Great White Way and is the first concert in THE TOWN HALL's 5th Annual Broadway Cabaret Festival. This three-concert series, written and hosted by Scott Siegel for THE TOWN HALL, takes place over one weekend and includes Betty Buckley in Concert on Saturday, October 16 at 8PM and Broadway Originals on Sunday, October 17th at 3PM. Tickets are $55 and $50 at Ticketmaster.com, (800) 982-2787, or at The Town Hall Box Office (123 West 43rd Street) between noon and 6PM (except Sundays), 212-840-2824. For more information, visit www.the-townhall-nyc.org.

In a year chock full of star-studded 80th birthday tributes to legendary Broadway composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, the March 15-16 gala evenings with the New York Philharmonic at New York's Lincoln Center stood tall.

On Monday, September 13, The Actors Fund hosted a party for 'The Friends of The Lillian Booth Actors Home' at Gloria Crest, in Englewood, NJ, the former estate of film legend Gloria Swanson and now the home of the evening's hosts Jan and Edward Turen. The Turens welcomed Tony Award-winning actor Brian Stokes Mitchell, and the evening's entertainment host Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress Bebe Neuwirth. Emmy and Tony Award winner Leslie Uggams, Tony Award-nominated actor/singer Tom Wopat and singer-songwriter-pianist Peter Cincotti and his band, among others performed. BroadwayWorld was on hand and brings you photo coverage below.

As BroadwayWorld has reported, The New York Philharmonic's SONDHEIM: The Birthday Concert, which took place on March 15-16, 2010 at Avery Fisher Hall, will be broadcast on THIRTEEN'S Great Performances on PBS on Wednesday, November 24 (check local listings). WNET, Channel 13 in New York City, will air the concert at 9:30 p.m. that evening. Today, it has been revealed that the Image Entertainment will release the program DVD and Blu-Ray on November 16, 2010. The concert includes songs and orchestral pieces from Sondheim musical theater favorites such as Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Merrily We Roll Along, Into the Woods, and Sunday in the Park with George. Today, it has been announced that in addition to the PBS telecast, the concert will be released on DVD in November by Image Entertainment.

The Actors Fund will host a party for 'The Friends of The Lillian Booth Actors Home' on Monday, September 13 at 6 pm at Gloria Crest, in Englewood, NJ, the former estate of film legend Gloria Swanson and now the home of the evening's hosts Jan and Edward Turen. The Turen's will welcome Tony Award-winning actor Brian Stokes Mitchell, and the evening's entertainment host Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress Bebe Neuwirth. Emmy and Tony Award winner Leslie Uggams, Tony Award-nominated actor/singer Tom Wopat and singer-songwriter-pianist Peter Cincotti and his band are scheduled to perform.

The Actors Fund will host a party for 'The Friends of The Lillian Booth Actors Home' on Monday, September 13 at 6 pm at Gloria Crest, in Englewood, NJ, the former estate of film legend Gloria Swanson and now the home of the evening's hosts Jan and Edward Turen. The Turen's will welcome Tony Award-winning actor Brian Stokes Mitchell, and the evening's entertainment host Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress Bebe Neuwirth. Emmy and Tony Award winner Leslie Uggams, Tony Award-nominated actor/singer Tom Wopat and singer-songwriter-pianist Peter Cincotti and his band are scheduled to perform.