Peter Mumford News

In the history of the Roman Catholic Church, one papal election curiously stood apart. After Pope Paul's death in 1978, a compromise pope was elected, Albino Luciani, who named himself Pope John Paul I. His reign lasted a mere 33 days when, in apparent good health, he died suddenly, creating the suspicion of murder. The Last Confession by Roger Crane explores this time period in Roman Catholic history with a keen eye for details and propelling fine dramatic exchanges. Headed by resourceful actor David Suchet as Cardinal Giovanni Benelli, the cast, mostly from England, is a sturdy lot, and most likely only those repulsed by religion and/or politics will find the action less than intriguing, through July 6 only.

The exclusive U.S. engagement of 'The Last Confession,' a gripping new play of intrigue and mystery by Roger Crane, starring David Suchet, opened June 11 at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre. Directed by Jonathan Church, 'The Last Confession' began previews, June 7, 2014, continues through July 6. Following the engagement at the Ahmanson, 'The Last Confession' will tour cities around Australia. Check below for photos from the opening night!

The exclusive U.S. engagement of "The Last Confession," a gripping new play of intrigue and mystery by Roger Crane, starring David Suchet, opens June 11 at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre. Directed by Jonathan Church, "The Last Confession" begins previews tomorrow, June 7, 2014, continues through July 6. Following the engagement at the Ahmanson, "The Last Confession" will tour cities around Australia. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the show below!

Drama Desk and Tony Award winner Laura Benanti ('The Sound of Music Live!', Gypsy, Women On The Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) will host the 59th Annual Drama Desk Awards tonight, June 1, 2014 at 8:00 PM at The Town Hall (123 W. 43rd Street). BroadwayWorld will be updating you with winners throughout the night. Check back later for the full list!

Top Hat, winner of three Olivier Awards, for 'Best New Musical', 'Best Choreography' and 'Best Costume Design' from a total of seven nominations and winner of the Evening Standard Award for 'Best Night Out', is setting off on an epic 47-week UK tour, visiting 24 theatres nationwide. Opening at New Wimbledon Theatre on Tuesday 12 August 2014 the production will tour until Saturday 25 July 2015.

In an interview with the Telegraph, Andrew Lloyd Webber says there's a 'strong possibility' that his next musical, School of Rock, will premiere on Broadway instead of the West End due to more relaxed laws on child performers in the United States. The West End requires the hiring of 3-4 child actors for one role, which makes casting difficult.

Marking the thirtieth anniversary of the Miners' Strike, Beth Steel's political drama presents the full sweep of the turbulent events that transformed the country - from the corridors of Westminster, to pitched battles with the police, to the coal faces of Nottinghamshire. Hampstead Theatre is delighted to announce the full cast.

Eligibility and award category designations for the productions under consideration this season were determined by the Drama Desk board of directors with recommendations from the nominating committee. Because of the abundance of great work throughout the season, the Board also authorized the increase in the number of nominees allowed in select categories.

By this time in the Met's season, audiences can be a little “been there, done that”--but not when it came to Latvian soprano Kristine Opolais, singing the title role in Puccini's MADAMA BUTTERFLY for the first time in New York. They nearly stormed the stage when she came out for her curtain call, and with good reason. She was spectacular.

The Last Confession, the acclaimed mystery thriller by Roger Crane set in the Vatican, begins its world tour in Toronto tonight, April 19, 2014 at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, before touring to Los Angeles, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, Australia.

The Olivier Awards 2014 are presented this evening - keep an eye on this page, updating live, for the results. Established in 1976, the Laurence Olivier Awards celebrate the world-class status of London's theatre and are Britain's most prestigious stage honours.

The Last Confession, the acclaimed mystery thriller by Roger Crane set in the Vatican, begins its world tour in Toronto on April 19, 2014 at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, before touring to Los Angeles, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, Australia.

Modernist composer Arnold Schoenberg's landmark work, Pierrot lunaire, was recently the focus of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's award-winning Beyond the Score® series. That performance has been added to a selection of other Beyond the Score® presentations which can be streamed at no cost at the CSO's online magazine, Sounds & Stories (www.cso.org/sas).

The West End production of Stephen Ward will complete its run at the Aldwych Theatre today, 29 March 2014.

Jon Robin Baitz's Pulitzer-nominated OTHER DESERT CITIES is the latest Broadway hit to transfer to the Old Vic under Kevin Spacey's soon-to-finish tenure. It's also the start of a season of plays being performed in-the-round for the first time since 2008.

Maybe Richard Eyre's new production of WERTHER for the Metropolitan Opera, with strong performances by German tenor Jonas Kaufmann and French mezzo Sophie Koch, should have been called WERTHER: THE BACKSTORY or WERTHER: A FOOL'S GUIDE. Eyre took what was otherwise a beautiful and interesting interpretation of the opera and added a prologue and other details (including action leading up to a self-inflicted shot in the chest)--just in case the audience needed some hand-holding to better understand what was going on.

Maybe Richard Eyre's new production of WERTHER for the Metropolitan Opera, with strong performances by German tenor Jonas Kaufmann and French mezzo Sophie Koch, should have been called WERTHER: THE BACKSTORY or WERTHER: A FOOL'S GUIDE. Eyre took what was otherwise a beautiful and interesting interpretation of the opera and added a prologue and other details (including action leading up to a self-inflicted shot in the chest)--just in case the audience needed some hand-holding to better understand what was going on.

The nominations for The Olivier Awards 2014 with MasterCard - the most prestigious event in the UK's theatrical calendar - were announced today (Monday, March 10) by Nigel Harman and Leigh Zimmerman with the full list of nominations available below and online at www.olivierawards.com.

As previously reported, following a successful run in Melbourne, the producers of KING KONG were planning to bring the mega-musical to Broadway in December 2014. Due to the 'huge scale of the production' and to allow the creative team necessary time to implement changes, the producers have decided 'to not rush in before the end of the year.'

In a letter to The Daily Telegraph, Andrew Lloyd Webber refuted the idea that his latest West End musical, STEPHEN WARD, is closing early because 'he was too much of a 'lone ego' on the project'. The West End production of STEPHEN WARD will complete its run at the Aldwych Theatre on 29 March 2014.