Michael R. Douglass News

The diner is a?oeOpening Upa?? with a full cast for the upcoming National Touring Production of WAITRESS, the Hilarious Hit Broadway Musical from Grammy nominee Sara Bareilles (composer of a?oeLove Songa?? and a?oeBravea??), inspired by Adrienne Shelley's 2007 motion picture.  

Mandy Murphy's VALER will receive a staged reading for Lone Star Theatre Company on October 17. Directed by Daniel McGowan, the new play centers around Burnett Family: three generations of born and bred small-town Texans. Whether they've bought into life in Paducah or have chosen to run from it, all of them have long been set in their ways, but an untimely death of a young cousin forces everyone to reevaluate. Will they soldier on as before, or will they change?

On Tuesday, ANYTHING GOES opened the final stop on its National Tour at Orlando's Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts; you can check out my review here. After Opning Night, I sat down with Tracy Bidleman, who plays Evangeline Harcourt, to discuss about what makes this show feel-good show such an enduring classic.

Beloved theatre standards, tap-dancing sailors, chorines in sequins, a farcically silly plot; what more could you want from a Cole Porter musical? After winning three Tony Awards in 2012, including Best Revival of a Musical, the National Tour of ANYTHING GOES ends its delightfully giddy run at Orlando's Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts this week, concluding on Sunday, May 31st. This non-Equity tour boasts Kathleen Marshall's direction and choreography, the latter of which earned her a third Tony. A joyful celebration of old-fashioned musical theatre, the delightful cast will leave you with a smile on your face, but this ANYTHING GOES lacks the sharpness and playfulness to make you fall out of your seat laughing and/or cheering, which most certainly can happen when this classic is at its best.

The national tour of ANYTHING GOES, the new Broadway revival of Cole Porter's timeless classic musical theatre masterpiece, will make its Fort Lauderdale premiere tonight, May 5, 2015 at The Broward Center for the Performing Arts for a limited two week run.

The national tour of ANYTHING GOES, the new Broadway revival of Cole Porter's timeless classic musical theatre masterpiece, will make its Fort Lauderdale premiere Tuesday, May 5, 2015 at The Broward Center for the Performing Arts for a limited two week run.

The national tour of ANYTHING GOES, the new Broadway revival of Cole Porter's timeless classic musical theatre masterpiece, will make its New Hampshire premiere April 23rd for one night only at Concord's Capitol Center for the Arts!

There's no question that Reno Sweeney, the bad girl with a good heart and a big voice is steering the madcap cruise known as Anything Goes, on the stage of The Warner Theatre for two nights, February 25-26 '15. The ship (show), currently sailing (touring) around the country, is based on the 2011 Broadway revival, directed and choreographed by the venerable Kathleen Marshall, and does a good job of bringing Cole Porter's irresistible songs, a good dose of slapstick comedy and lots of true (or not?) love together into an evening of song and dance fun, led by the charismatic Reno.

The national tour of ANYTHING GOES, the new Broadway revival of Cole Porter's timeless classic musical theatre masterpiece, will make its Columbus premiere tonight, February 3-8 as part of the PNC Broadway in Columbus Series.

The more he plays Luke, the Chinese convert and reformed gambler in the musical ANYTHING GOES, the more Roy Flores discovers how much he and his character have in common.

The national tour of ANYTHING GOES, the new Broadway revival of Cole Porter's timeless classic musical theatre masterpiece, will make its Fort Lauderdale premiere Tuesday, May 5, 2015 at The Broward Center for the Performing Arts for a limited two week run.

The national tour of ANYTHING GOES, the new Broadway revival of Cole Porter's timeless classic musical theatre masterpiece, will make its Columbus premiere February 3-8 as part of the PNC Broadway in Columbus Series.

The national tour of ANYTHING GOES, the new Broadway revival of Cole Porter's timeless classic musical theatre masterpiece, will make its Cincinnati premiere February 17-22 as part of the 2014-2015 Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Cincinnati Season presented by TriHealth. Tickets are on sale now and available at the Aronoff Center Box Office downtown at 650 Walnut Street, online at CincinnatiArts.org or by phone at 513.621.ARTS. Group orders of ten or more may be placed by calling 513.369.4363.

The national tour of ANYTHING GOES, the new Broadway revival of Cole Porter's timeless classic musical theatre masterpiece, opens tonight, October 14th in Houston at the Hobby Center's Sarofim Hall. For more information and a complete tour route, please visit www.anythinggoesontour.com.

The national tour of ANYTHING GOES, the new Broadway revival of Cole Porter's timeless classic musical theatre masterpiece, launches in Houston tonight, October 14, 2014 at the Hobby Center's Sarofim Hall.

The national tour of ANYTHING GOES, the new Broadway revival of Cole Porter's timeless classic musical theatre masterpiece, will make its Milwaukee premiere on January 6-11, 2015 as part of the BMO Harris Bank Broadway at the Marcus Center and Broadway Across America-Milwaukee series.

Full casting has been announced and rehearsals have begun for the upcoming national tour of ANYTHING GOES, the new Broadway revival of Cole Porter's timeless classic musical theatre masterpiece, which will launch in Houston October 14, 2014 at the Hobby Center's Sarofim Hall. For more information and a complete tour route, please visit www.anythinggoesontour.com.

The original cast recording for the new musical adaptation of William Shakespeare's LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST as seen in the Public Theater's Shakespeare In The Park production last summer is now available on iTunes.

Ghostlight Records will release the original cast recording of The Public Theater's production of LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOSTthis summer. The album will be available in digital format on June 3 with physical CDs available online and in stores on July 8. The production was recently nominated for three 2014 Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Lyrics and Outstanding Choreography. Directed by Alex Timbers, LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST features songs by Michael Friedman with book adaptation by Timbers. Two tracks from the upcoming album - 'Young Men' and 'Hey Boys' - are available to stream at www.sh-k-boom.com.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST takes a bow in the Park, The Matilda's have a Potter experience, FIRST DATE hits the recording studio and so much more!