Michael Leeds News

'Baking a cake and preparing a chicken with mole sauce on stage are just two of the challenges I'm facing in directing this new play,' says Island City Stage Associate Artistic Director Michael Leeds.

Shaleeha G'ntamobi's stirring new play about an alcoholic black mother and her card sharp son trying to get out of the projects has just been accepted into the nation's preeminent theater festival. Trouble is, Shaleeha G'ntamobi doesn't exist. Except in the imagination of a young gay playwright named Danny Larsen, who created her as a kind of affirmative-action nom-de-plume.

Stage Door Theatre's production of the multi-award- winning Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice musical EVITA runs now through April 24th.

In its fifth anniversary season, Island City Stage continues it's commitment to producing new work in addition to finding unusual selections of LGBT-themed plays from around the country.

These babes would stop a 747 in full flight at thirty-five thousand feet.

Due to popular demand the world premiere of 'Who Killed Joan Crawford' has been extended through February 21. 'Some performances were sold out even before the production opened' said Artistic Director, Andy Rogow. 'The word of mouth has been terrific and we continue to work on the play to make it even more fun and entertaining'.

Tonight, January 14th, WHO KILLED JOAN CRAWFORD? will begin a month-long world premiere run at Island City Stage in Wilton Manors, featuring a cast that includes Barry Marcus, Kevin Reilley, Andy Rogow, Troy Stanley and Christian Vandepas, under the direction of Leeds. Scroll down for a first look at the cast in action!

What do the Everly Brothers, Bobby Darrin, B.B. King, Frank, and Elvis have in common?  Great music... and great hair!  Pompadour, a new musical review by Michael Leeds and Kevin Black features a quintet of 'pompadoured' guys singing and dancing through five decades of unforgettable music.  The production will run at Margate's Stage Door theatre from December 26th, 2015 through January 31st, 2016.

'I remember reading something about Joan Crawford, which wasn't very flattering, and for some reason I thought of the title 'Who Killed Joan Crawford?' saysCarbonell Award winning, Tony Award nominated playwright-director Michael Leeds. 'I liked it so much, I decided to back it up with a play!'

What do the Everly Brothers, Bobby Darrin, B.B. King, Frank, and Elvis have in common?  Great music... and great hair!  Pompadour, a new musical review by Michael Leeds and Kevin Black features a quintet of 'pompadoured' guys singing and dancing through five decades of unforgettable music.  The production will run at Margate's Stage Door theatre from December 26th, 2015 through January 31st, 2016.

terraNOVA Collective and IRT Theater present the New York Premiere of LAST CALL, by Terri Girvin. Directed by Drama Desk Award nominee Michael Leeds (Broadway's Swinging On A Star) with an integrated soundscape by Grammy nominated sound designer Phil Palazzolo (Broadway's Hedwig and The Angry Inch), previews begin October 9 at IRT Theater. Opening night is slated for Thursday, October 15.

Riverside Theatre, led by Producing Artistic Director/CEO Allen D. Cornell and Managing Director/COO Jon R. Moses, begins its 2015-2016 season with Swinging on a Star, the musical revue of the songs by Academy Award-winning lyricist, Johnny Burke.  Created by Michael Leeds, Swinging on a Star is set at several venues throughout various decades and showcases the talent of Mr. Burke. Swinging on a Star performs on the Stark Stage from October 27 - November 15, 2015 and is sponsored by John and Marilyn McConnell and Riverside Theatre's Patron Producers.

terraNOVA Collective and IRT Theater present the New York Premiere of LAST CALL, by Terri Girvin. Directed by Drama Desk Award nominee Michael Leeds (Broadway's SWINGING ON A STAR) with an integrated soundscape by Grammy nominated sound designer Phil Palazzolo (Broadway's HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH), previews begin October 9 at IRT Theater. Opening night is slated for Thursday, October 15.

SHORTS GONE WILD 3 is a satisfying, enjoyable evening. A rarity for the 10 minute play format.

Dishing the Dirt as Hilarious High Art at GableStage. A Chat With Sue Mengers

City Theatre and Island City Stage are proud to present the return of Shorts Gone Wild 3, South Florida's hottest short play festival that celebrates the LGBT and Progressive communities, from August 6 - September 6 at Empire Stage in Ft. Lauderdale and from September 10 - 13 at the Fillmore in Miami Beach.

Gillian Holroyd is a witch.  She can cast spells and perform feats of magic, but she can't fall in love.  And when she casts a spell over her attractive neighbor - partly to keep him away from an old rival, and partly because she is attracted to him - this slight 'imperfection' leads to a number of unintended and somewhat tricky situations.  Although when John Van Druten's supernatural hit, Bell, Book and Candle debuted on Broadway in 1951 it was billed as, and thought of as a light comedy, it delivers a message that is still relevant today.  The play touches on the importance of appearances, on the dynamics of a close circle of friends, on pretending and secrets, and on passing as something one is not.  Bell, Book and Candle will open at Stage Door Theatre on May 15th, and run through June 21st.

Pigs Do Fly Productions will present NO FEAR OF FLYING! - seven brand new humorous short plays - to kick off its second season. The production will run from May 7th through May 24th at Andrews Living Arts in Ft. Lauderdale.

'We haven't seen the finished script yet,' says Jan McArt, Florida's First Lady of Theater, who heads theater development at Lynn University in Boca Raton, FL. 'We won't see it till the first day of rehearsals, when our playwright turns it in.'

Jan McArt's New Play Reading Series presents a new musical, 'OUR TIME,' by Dan Clancy & Lynn Portas, 3/9.