Michael Strong News

Island Stage Left is excited to present their spring show - 'A Number' by Caryl Churchill - a taut, psychological thriller, set slightly in the future and centred around the themes of father/son relationships, genetics and cloning.

BroadwayWorld is thrilled to present its latest feature series: The Performer of the Week! Get to know these amazing talents as they share a bit about themselves, their work and life. This week's featured performer is Michael Manuel soon to be on stage in HAMLET at Yale Rep!

Island Stage Left is excited to present their spring show - 'A Number' by Caryl Churchill - a taut, psychological thriller, set slightly in the future and centred around the themes of father/son relationships, genetics and cloning.

MATILDA THE MUSICAL, produced by The Royal Shakespeare Company and The Dodgers, will begin previews tonight, March 4 and open on April 11, 2013 at Broadway's Shubert Theatre (225 West 44th Street). Meet the company of the new musical with videos of them from past productions and roles below!

Ten new dramas and comedies, absorbing and entertaining, are featured in the second year of the Barrington Stage 10X10 NEW PLAY FESTIVAL. Ten minutes each and playing for just ten days, the offers provide a tasty sample of what is new in the regional theatre community today.

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to New York. Barbra, the 'Seasons Of Carols' CD release, a sing-along 'Xanadu,' 'I Love Lucy' extends, a 'Fifty Shades' parody, 'Fugitive Songs,' BET's season, 'Miss Saigon,' 'Rent' and more....

There may have been 40 cabaret performers strutting their stuff this past week at the 23rd New York Cabaret Convention at the Rose Theater at Lincoln Center, but the true star of the three-night extravaganza (October 17-19) was the late Donald Smith, the cabaret impresario and guru to the genre's luminaries, who died this past March at 79. Sponsored by the Mabel Mercer Foundation, which Smith founded in 1985, this year's Convention featured numerous homages to Smith from the performers, many of whom had their career's supported and advanced with the help of the colorful and beloved cabaret producer and promoter. Early in Wednesday's Gala Opening Night show, the 'first lady of the American keyboard' Barbara Carroll called her friend Donald Smith 'the quintessential New Yorker,' and when Mark Nadler closed night one with George and Ira Gershwin's 'Our Love Is Here to Stay,' he said, 'Everybody who cares about the myths of these songs are in this room tonight.' Well, it was clear that anyone who cared about Donald Smith was at the Rose Theater for at least one of the three shows.

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. The Equity Jeffs, 'Sunday' at Chicago Shakes, 'Hoodoo Love,' the new musicals 'Clear' and 'The Verona Project,' concerts of operetta and cabaret, a Chicago original cast album and more!

On a beautiful Tuesday evening, I visited with the cast and crew of SRO Production's [TITLE OF SHOW], written by Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen. They were hard at work in their intimate rehearsal space, and I was luckily enough to see them rehearse the rousing "Nine People's Favorite Thing" and "Die Vampire! Die!" If the small preview I saw, the camaraderie shown in the interview, and sheer amount of fun the cast and crew are having are any indication of what Houston audiences are in for, this is sure to be a stellar production.

Tito Jackson took a moment from his busy schedule to chat with BWW about the group's current Unity Tour as well as why he thinks a Broadway show based on the music of the Jackson 5 is a 'great idea.'

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. Our Tony Award wrap-up, all that 'Rock Of Ages,' three musical tribute shows, two operettas, a stellar TYA 'Beauty' and Kristin Chenoweth, plus more!

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. 'Hairspray' at Oakbrook, two projects from Team StarKid, 'Rise Of The Numberless' from Bailiwick and New Colony, a new theater in Naperville, 'Bab Fab' and so much more!

As we inch closer and closer to the Broadway's biggest night on Sunday, today we have the choreographic centerpiece of our extensive Tony Award countdown with a focus on the genius of Michael Bennett. While we have already featured his shows COMPANY, FOLLIES, A CHORUS LINE and DREAMGIRLS - and even took a look at the recent smash hit revival of PROMISES, PROMISES starring Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth - today's triple dose of clips (with a few surprises) is undoubtedly as close as one can get to theatrical crack cocaine: "Turkey Lurkey Time" from the original Broadway production of PROMISES, PROMISES, "Fifty Percent" from BALLROOM performed by Dorothy Loudon and - one of the most elaborate numbers in Tony Awards history - "Always Mademoiselle" from COCO starring Katharine Hepburn. So, see some of the reasons why these are the best of the best of Bennett and, therefore, the best of the best of Broadway right here!

First Night: The Tony Concert, presented by Keeping Scores Concerts at Franklin's Boiler Room Theatre on Monday, June 6, at 7:30 p.m. Featuring some of Nashville's biggest and brightest theater stars performing songs from Tony Award-winning musicals, the concert is the kick-off of the 2011 First Night Season, culminating with First Night, The Nashville Theatre Honors, which will be presented at Belmont University's Troutt Theatre on Sunday, September 4.

Last weekend marked the opening of his new vampire-centric horror film STAKE LAND, and you can catch him every week on FOX's hit series FRINGE, but Michael Cerveris is certainly best known for his series of stunning performances in some of the finest musical theatre productions of the 21st century - John Doyle's SWEENEY TODD and Joe Mantello's ASSASSINS chief among them - as well as for originating the title role in Pete Townshend's singular Broadway foray, The Who's TOMMY. With a captivating new double-disc concept album - NINE LIVES - out now, it seems that Cerveris has found a way to juggle it all. In this extensive two-part conversation, we take a look back at his experiences in the aforementioned Sondheim musicals, as well as his series of performances in Sondheim shows under the direction of Lonny Price at the Ravinia Festival co-starring Audra McDonald and Patti LuPone, and also touch upon his work in plays, such as his recent Kent in Kevin Kline's KING LEAR at The Public, HEDDA GABLER opposite Mary Louise Parker, and Sarah Ruhl's IN THE NEXT ROOM (OR THE VIBRATOR PLAY) with Laura Benanti. Additionally, he shares his Tony memories, singing SWEENEY TODD at the recent SONDHEIM! Celebration, HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH, TITANIC and much, much more in this compelling and comprehensive conversation - plus, first news on his upcoming TREME appearance and FRINGE renewal confirmation. His new feature film STAKE LAND is in selected cities now!

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. Gavin Creel tonight!, plus Matthew Morrison, the 'Chicago Sings' fundraiser, cabaret shows at Davenport's, 'Charlotte's Web,' dueling 'Secret Gardens,' dueling 'Brigadoons' and more....

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. A benefit for Japanese disaster relief, the Paramount Theatre's season, Donny and Marie for Christmas, Porchlight and Billy Stritch at Mayne Stage, 'A Chorus Line,' 'Always, Patsy Cline' and other suburban productions, 'The Magic Flute' in English, more....

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. Various happenings at Broadway In Chicago, new musicals at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, 'Follies,' 'Into The Woods,' 'Porgy And Bess,' more....

I am sure you've heard by now that BroadwayWorld is currently running a contest, asking readers to send in their first memories Les Miserables. I've been lucky enough to get a sneak peek at some of these touching stories. I have been so moved by these that I thought they must be shared! I've taken snippets from many of the entries, and edited them together into a chorus of recollections of this beautiful musical.

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. 'Les Miserables,' 'Memphis,' 'Showboat' at Lyric Opera of Chicago, a double dose of 'Glee,' Darren Criss's 'Starship, 'Meet John Doe,' more....