Michael Mayer News

It's just been announced that American Idiot will play its final performance on Broadway on April 24, 2011. Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong will return to the show for the final three weeks beginning on April 5, 2011.

Academy Award-winning actress Anjelica Huston has been reported to join the cast of the NBC pilot 'Smash'. She'll be joining the already announced Broadway regulars Christian Borle and Megan Hilty, as well as Debra Messing, Jack Davenport, Raza Jeffrey, and American Idol finalist Katharine McPhee.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts (formerly the Orange County Performing Arts Center) just announced its brand new Broadway Series for the 2011 - 2012 Season, a year which also coincides with the Center's 25th Anniversary. For it's BROADWAY SERIES, the Center will host touring companies of SHREK THE MUSICAL, BLUE MAN GROUP, IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS, MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, LES MISERABLES, and LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, plus 'Curtain Call Series' shows COME FLY AWAY, TRACES and AMERICAN IDIOT.

On Monday March 7th, Dancap productions held a special media announcement to add three new shows to their 2011 Season. We were told there would be some 'very special guests' in attendance, and there were indeed! Both Donny Osmond and Colm Wilkinson came to help announce their shows, and BWW brings you exclusive photos of the event.

At a media announcement today, Dancap Productions added two new shows to their 2011 line-up at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts: DONNY & MARIE and COLM WILKINSON IN CONCERT: BROADWAY AND BEYOND; and one new show at the Toronto Centre for the Arts, the explosive Broadway musical GREEN DAY'S AMERICAN IDIOT.

Academy Award-winning actress Anjelica Huston has been reported to join the cast of the NBC pilot 'Smash'. She'll be joining the already announced Broadway regulars Christian Borle and Megan Hilty, as well as Debra Messing, Jack Davenport, Raza Jeffrey, and American Idol finalist Katharine McPhee.

The producers of the critically acclaimed AMERICAN IDIOT announced today that the GRAMMY® Award winning musical will launch a first national tour in the fall of 2011 in a city to be announced. Open call auditions, for all roles, will be held in Los Angeles, Toronto, Boston and Chicago this spring.

The 2010 - 2011 National Tour of SPRING AWAKENING is coming to Chicago May 8-13, 2011. The 8-time Tony Award® winning Broadway musical featuring, "The most gorgeous Broadway score this decade," (Entertainment Weekly) will play at the Ford Center for Performing Arts Oriental Theatre (24 W. Randolph) during this limited engagement.

Production photos of the new cast of AMERICAN IDIOT have been released! Davey Havok (lead vocalist of the American rock band AFI) has joined for a limited two week engagement as 'St. Jimmy.' In addition, Justin Guarini (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) will play the role of 'Will,' and current and original Broadway cast members Van Hughes and Libby Winters took over the roles of 'Johnny' and 'The Extraordinary Girl,' respectively on March 1, 2011.

The 2010 - 2011 National Tour of SPRING AWAKENING is coming to Chicago May 8-13, 2011. The 8-time Tony Award® winning Broadway musical featuring, "The most gorgeous Broadway score this decade," (Entertainment Weekly) will play at the Ford Center for Performing Arts Oriental Theatre (24 W. Randolph) during this limited engagement.

Lynn Nottage won the Pulitzer Prize for Ruined, a powerful play about the harrowing lives of women in Africa - and now that show's on stage at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. To facilitate further conversation about this thought-provoking script and the important issues it raises, Berkeley Rep is hosting a free event in the Roda Theatre at 7:00 PM on Monday, April 4. Page to Stage will feature four experts in social justice from nonprofit organizations working to promote women's rights in Africa.

The explosive Broadway hit 'American Idiot' will be presented in Los Angeles next spring as part of Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre's 2011-2012 season at the Los Angeles Music Center. The 2010 Tony Award-nominated Best Musical, called 'thrillingly raucous' and 'emotionally charged' by Charles Isherwood of The New York Times, will be presented March 14 through April 22, 2012, at the Ahmanson Theatre, with the opening set for March 16.

2011 National Tour of SPRING AWAKENING is coming to Chicago May 8-13, 2011. The 8-time Tony Award winning Broadway musical featuring, 'The most gorgeous Broadway score this decade,' (Entertainment Weekly) will play at the Ford Center for Performing Arts Oriental Theatre (24 W. Randolph) during this limited engagement.

The 2010 - 2011 National Tour of SPRING AWAKENING is coming to Chicago May 8-13, 2011. The 8-time Tony Award® winning Broadway musical featuring, "The most gorgeous Broadway score this decade," (Entertainment Weekly) will play at the Ford Center for Performing Arts Oriental Theatre (24 W. Randolph) during this limited engagement.

2011 National Tour of SPRING AWAKENING is coming to Jacksonville on Thursday, March 24, 2011 at 7:30pm.

Grammy and Emmy Award winner, Tony Award nominee and multi-platinum recording artist Harry Connick, Jr. will star in a reimagined production of ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER opening fall 2011 on Broadway at a theatre to be announced. The delightful Tony Award nominated score by Burton Lane (music) and Alan Jay Lerner (lyrics) is enhanced by classics from their film scores for On A Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970) and Royal Wedding (1951). With a new book by Peter Parnell based on the original book by Alan Jay Lerner, the musical is reconceived and directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer. Further casting and creative team to be announced shortly.

Broadway Across America - Boston is pleased to announce the upcoming 2011-2012 Broadway Season which will include eight theatrical productions at the Boston Opera House and Citi Performing Arts Center Shubert Theatre. 'International smash hits, screen sensations on stage, ground-breaking musicals and cherished Broadway favorites are what Boston audiences can look forward to,' said Rich Jaffe, Vice President of Broadway Across America - Boston. 'For over 20 years, we've been bringing the best of Broadway to Boston. We are thrilled to continue our tradition of lighting up Boston theatres with world class Broadway entertainment.'

Spring Awakening, the eight-time Tony Award winning Broadway musical - featuring 'the most gorgeous Broadway score this decade,' according to Entertainment Weekly - comes to Nashville's Tennessee Performing Arts Center for the last time on February 27.

Now, Deadline.com is reporting that 'American Idol runner-up Katharine McPhee 'will play a beautiful struggling actress who goes to all lengths (including sexual favors for the producer) to book the role of Marilyn Monroe in the musical. Also recently cast in the pilot, written by Theresa Rebeck and to be directed by Michael Mayer, are Jack Davenport and Megan Hilty. McPhee, repped by Gersh and the Schiff Co., made her TV pilot debut last season with NBC's half-hour The Pink House. She will next be seen in the romantic comedy You May Not Kiss the Bride.'

Spring Awakening, the eight-time Tony Award winning Broadway musical - featuring 'the most gorgeous Broadway score this decade,' according to Entertainment Weekly - comes to Nashville's Tennessee Performing Arts Center for a four-performance run February 25-27.