Richard Rodgers News

The professional chorus Cantus Columbus and the talented Vega String Quartet will present the fourth in their series of collaborative concerts of show tunes from the American Song Book: Can't Help Singing: The Music of Jerome Kern, at 7:30 PM today, May 31 in the wonderful acoustics of Legacy Hall. Earlier concerts in the series presented works by Cole Porter (2007), Rodgers & Hart (2008), and George & Ira Gershwin (2010). The concert will be preceded by an optional dinner.

South Pacific: In Concert is a special presentation of the powerful music of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's classic musical. Some of the region's best talents backed by a full orchestra come together to perform such landmark songs as "Bali Hai," "There is Nothing Like a Dame," "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair," and "Younger Than Springtime." This will be "Some Enchanted Evening" to celebrate this legendary musical.

BroadwayWorld.com's SHOW BIZ: Rush, Lottery & Standing Room Only Ticketing Policies - updated on 5/30/2014.

Grab the umbrellas! Audiences will be delighted by Pittsburgh CLO's production of Singin' in the Rain, May 30-June 8 at the Benedum Center. A talented cast of Broadway's best and Pittsburgh CLO veterans will take this feel-good movie-musical off the silver screen and on to the Benedum Center stage.

Let's start at the very beginning... Almost sixteen years after first producing the show in 1998, the Castle Craig Players will make the hills come alive again, as they present THE SOUND OF MUSIC for two weekends only - today, May 30 through June 8.

The cast and creative team of the hit Off-Broadway musical Murder for Two are teaming up with some of New York's brightest up and coming composers and BroadwayWorld.com every Monday night for their spring concert series, Murderous Musical Mondays. Composers Sam Carner & Derek Gregor continue the series on Monday, June 2, 2014, immediately following the 7pm performance of Murder for Two at New World Stages (Stage 5 - 340 West 50th Street).

Today in 1951, the first Broadway revival of Oklahoma! opened at the Broadway Theatre, where it ran for 100 performances. Oklahoma! is the first musical written by the team of composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance with farm girl Laurey Williams. The original Broadway production opened on March 31, 1943.

THE KID WHO WOULD BE POPE by brothers Tom and Jack Megan received the 2013 Richard Rodgers Studio Production Award and Ars Nova produced the corresponding workshop presentations. Directed by West Hyler, the reading featured Jeffrey Lodin, Jillian Louis, Alyse Alan Louis, Angela Grovey, Justin Liebergen, Brian Charles Johnson, Dee Roscioli, Henry Hodges and Courter Simmons.

Andrew Carlberg, in association with Ride on Theatre, presents an immersive, all new theatrical experience, The Blind Date Project, created by Bojana Novakovic and Mark Winter and directed by Scott Rodgers (in rotation with Tanya Goldberg and Mark Winter). Coming straight from sell out seasons around Australia, The Blind Date Project will open tonight, May 28 at 8pm and be an ongoing Wednesday night event at the Three Clubs 1123 N. Vine St. (at Santa Monica Blvd.) in Hollywood.

The York Theatre Company celebrates the great American lyricist Marshall Barer (Once Upon a Mattress) with a special concert event, The Marshall Barer Project, a musical tour through the life, career and mind of a man whose songs are shimmering jewels from the American Songbook. Starring BJ Ward with special guest Michael Feinstein. Directed by Gordon Hunt, The Marshall Barer Project will play two performances only on Tuesday June 10, 2014 at 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. The York Theatre Company at Saint Peter's (Citicorp Building, entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue).

Kathy Evans, Founding Executive Director, announced the nine musicals and twenty-six writers selected for the 2014 Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, its fourth year of providing working retreats for musical theatre writers. For nine consecutive weeks beginning June 29th, each writing team will have an individual weeklong residency in Rhinebeck, New York to write their musical. They are provided with a private home, transportation, food, and a stipend. All costs are fully funded by donors including The ASCAP Foundation, The Dramatists Guild Fund, and The Noel Coward Foundation. Writers participating this year include Broadway's Mindi Dickstein (Little Women), this year's Kleban Prize winner Nathan Tysen (Burnt Part Boys), and Peter Mills, past winner of the Kleban, Fred Ebb Award, and Richard Rodgers prize. The musicals' subjects cover 19th century nautical mysteries, 20th century fairy tales, a 1970's gay bar, and modern-day meth addicts. Every score is original and styles include 16th century Renaissance, big band, folk, rock, and electronic music.

Grab the umbrellas! Audiences will be delighted by Pittsburgh CLO's production of Singin' in the Rain, May 30-June 8 at the Benedum Center. A talented cast of Broadway's best and Pittsburgh CLO veterans will take this feel-good movie-musical off the silver screen and on to the Benedum Center stage.

Pittsburgh CLO and the University of Pittsburgh will present the Gene Kelly Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theater. The awards show will take place tonight, May 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the Benedum Center in downtown Pittsburgh.

BroadwayWorld.com's SHOW BIZ: Rush, Lottery & Standing Room Only Ticketing Policies - updated on 5/23/2014.

Today in 1960, Finian's Rainbow opened at the 46th Street Theatre (now the Richard Rodgers Theatre). Finian's Rainbow is a musical with a book by E.Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy, lyrics by Harburg, and music by Burton Lane. The 1947 Broadway production ran for 725 performances. Finian moves to the southern United States (the fictional state of Missitucky is a humorous combination of Mississippi and Kentucky) from Ireland with his daughter Sharon, to bury a stolen pot of gold near Fort Knox, in the mistaken belief that it will grow. A leprechaun follows them, desperate to recover his treasure before the loss of it turns him permanently human. Complications arise when a bigoted and corrupt U.S. Senator gets involved, and when wishes are made inadvertently over the hidden crock.