Rich Frank News

The MacDowell Colony will award composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim with its 54th Edward MacDowell Medal on Sunday, August 11. The MacDowell Colony, the nation's first artist residency program, has awarded the medal annually since 1960 to an individual artist who has made an outstanding contribution to his or her field. This year marks the first time a luminary has been chosen from the realm of musical theatre and Sondheim's generous offering of his talents to the stage made him a clear choice.

USA Network is launching Evan's Campaign Chronicles, the new interactive webisode series for ROYAL PAINS, which includes the first-ever musical number directed by Paulo Costanzo, who plays Evan R. Lawson. The five-episode series follows Evan on his journey to claim a seat on the Hamptons Village Council - a theme that is also explored on-air in the series' fifth season. Starting tonight, fans can help Evan on his quest to win the election by logging on at VoteForEvan.usanetwork.com via their desktop or tablet.

FX announced presents the third season of its original comedy series WILFRED, premiering tonight, June 20. Viewers will be treated to two new episodes airing back-to-back at 10:00 PM and 10:30 PM ET/PT for the first two weeks of the season, followed by a July 4 hiatus. Beginning July 11, Wilfred will resume airing single episodes each Thursday at 10:00 PM ET/PT.

Ben Rimalower, star of the hit off-Broadway show 'Patti Issues' shares his 10 favorite LuPone moments with Broadway World Chicago

Over 300 guests including current and past New York City high school students, and the performing arts professional mentors who have participated in TDF's Open Doors, the theatre arts mentoring program that TDF founded in 1998 with playwright Wendy Wasserstein, will attend this year's graduation at 5:30pm tonight, June 3 at The Pershing Square Signature Center - Irene Diamond Stage (480 West 42nd Street, NYC).

Despite its Disney pedigree, the NETworks tour of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST runs into difficulties early on.

Over 300 guests including current and past New York City high school students, and the performing arts professional mentors who have participated in TDF's Open Doors, the theatre arts mentoring program that TDF founded in 1998 with playwright Wendy Wasserstein, will attend this year's graduation at 5:30pm on Monday, June 3 at The Pershing Square Signature Center - Irene Diamond Stage (480 West 42nd Street, NYC).

New Line Theatre, "the bad boy of musical theatre," announces its 23rd season of adult, alternative musical theatre, including the regional premiere of the new musical thriller NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, running Oct. 10-Nov. 2, 2013; the Pulitzer Prize winning rock opera RENT, running March 6-29, 2014; and the regional premiere, straight from Broadway, of the new rock musical HANDS ON A HARDBODY, running May 29-June 21, 2014.

The producers of the Tony Award-nominated play ORPHANS announced yesterday that the Broadway production will play its final performance on May 19 after 27 previews and 37 regular performances at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre (236 West 45th Street). The production began performances on March 26 and opened on April 18 starring Alec Baldwin, Ben Foster and Tom Sturridge and is directed by Daniel Sullivan

Today FX announced that the third season of its original comedy series WILFRED will premiere on Thursday, June 20. Viewers will be treated to two new episodes airing back-to-back at 10:00 PM and 10:30 PM ET/PT for the first two weeks of the season

Tomorrow, Thursday April 25, the Strand Bookstore (826 Broadway) will present an in-store discussion with playwright Douglas Carter Beane and director Jack O'Brien, of the Lincoln Center Theater production of THE NANCE, currently playing on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre. The event will be in the store's 5th floor loft from 7:00 - 8:00 pm, and will be moderated by the Strand's Director of Events, Jessica Strand.

Prospect Park/The Online Network has partnered with Snoop Lion, aka Snoop Dogg, and his new Artist IZA whom have signed on to write and produce the new theme song for the serial drama, “One Life to Live,” premiering with all new episodes on Hulu, Hulu Plus and iTunes on Monday, April 29th.

The Emmy(R)-nominated comedy series VEEP kicks off its ten-episode second season TONIGHT, APRIL 14 (10:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

Ron Eldard (Justified, ER), Freddy Rodriguez (Rico in Six Feet Under) and Bill Smitrovich (Drew Thatcher in Life Goes On) are set to appear in American Buffalo, a revival of David Mamet's American classic.

This week's two-part poll asked which Sondheim and Lloyd Webber shows are your favorites, and you can check out your response below!

Deadline reports that 'American Horror Story' actress Frances Conroy will appear in a multi-episode story arc during the upcoming fifth season of USA Network's ROYAL PAINS.

The Emmy(R)-nominated comedy series VEEP kicks off its ten-episode second season SUNDAY, APRIL 14 (10:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

New BroadwayWorld.com Poll - What is your favorite Stephen Sondheim show?

Sondheim is the winner of an Academy Award, eight Tony Awards, including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award. Described by Frank Rich of the New York Times as 'the greatest, and perhaps best-known artist working in musical theatre', his most famous scores include (as composer/lyricist) A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, and Assassins. He also wrote the lyrics for West Side Story and Gypsy. Lloyd Webber has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of variations, two film scores, and a Latin Requiem Mass. He has also gained a number of honours, including a knighthood in 1992, followed by a peerage from the British Government for services to Music, seven Tony Awards, three Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, fourteen Ivor Novello Awards, seven Olivier Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2006. Several of his songs, notably 'The Music of the Night', 'I Don't Know How to Love Him', 'Don't Cry for Me, Argentina' and 'You Must Love Me', 'Any Dream Will Do' and 'Memory' have been widely recorded and were hits outside of their parent musicals.

Daytime sudsers All My Children and One Life to Live will be revived beginning April 29th via Hulu, Hulu Plus and iTunes. Prospect Park, the studio behind the incarnations, has released a first teaser promo for the dramas. Check it out below!