Richard Rodgers News

By Disney standards the year and a half run of the original Broadway production of The Little Mermaid was a bit of a disappointment.  In theory, a competently created musical based on the hit animated film would probably run for a year and a half based on the title recognition alone.  My opinion of that show was higher than most of my colleagues.  I enjoyed it, but mostly for the vaudevillian pleasure of seeing a cast of terrific Broadway performers each getting a star turn or two.  But after some script revisions and a whole new visual concept, director Glenn Casale's production of the new Mermaid that just opened at Paper Mill is a well-crafted, delightfully designed and performed charmer.

Washington National Opera (WNO) will present the world premiere of Approaching Ali tonight and Saturday, June 8-9, 2013 in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. Approaching Ali features music by composer D.J. Sparr and a libretto by Mark Campbell and Davis Miller, based on Miller's own autobiographical novella. This new work is the first hourlong opera created under the auspices of the American Opera Initiative, WNO's new commissioning program for contemporary American opera, and will be directed by Nicole Watson in her WNO debut.

CINDERELLA -- the Rodgers + Hammerstein musical now at the Broadway Theatre (1681 Broadway) -- played its 100th performance on Wednesday evening, May 29. The cast celebrated with a cake from Carlo's Bakery, home of TV's 'Cake Boss.' The musical began previews on January 25 and had its official opening night on March 3. Written for CBS-TV in 1957, this production of Rodgers + Hammerstein's CINDERELLA marks the musical's first-eve Broadway production, now in its 5th month of performances. In the video below, the cast parodies the 90's classic 'Baby Got Back' with their own version- 'Glass Slippers Are So Back.' Check out the hilarious music video below!

The Melbourne Cabaret Festival has launched a professional development program alongside its diverse performance program.

Adelaide Cabaret Festival Artistic Director Kate Ceberano has upped the ante at this year's Festival with not one, not two, not even three leading ladies making their Adelaide Cabaret Festival debut but four divas will reign supreme, including both the good and bad witches of Broadway smash hit Wicked, Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel as well as Cassandra Wilson and Molly Ringwald.

The Colony Theatre has announced that the final production of its 'Season of Premieres,' the World Premiere of FALLING FOR MAKE BELIEVE, will have a return engagement starting tonight, June 6th, after a brief hiatus, to accommodate the demand for tickets.

Please join SDCF for an upcoming One-on-One Conversation with Pam MacKinnon and Kathleen Marshall on Wednesday, June 12, 8:00pm - 9:30pm at the Axis Company, 1 Sheridan Square, New York, NY.

Philadelphia Young Playwrights has kicked off its 25th anniversary celebration by announcing the launch of the Paula Vogel Mentors Project, a living award honoring the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and teacher and extending her mentorship legacy. The three-year pilot program will bring together five acclaimed professional playwrights as mentors for five promising young playwright fellows, who will embark on yearlong playwriting journeys.

Producers Steven Van Zandt and Maureen Van Zandt, Marc Brickman, Larry Magid and Base Entertainment have announced that following a critically acclaimed, sold-out Broadway engagement, THE RASCALS: ONCE UPON A DREAM will embark on a tour to play venues across North America. The tour kicks off May 24, 2013 at Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. THE RASCALS: ONCE UPON A DREAM will play in the Academy of Music tonight, June 5-6, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. and June 8 at 8 p.m. for three performances only.

Adelaide Cabaret Festival Artistic Director Kate Ceberano has upped the ante at this year's Festival with not one, not two, not even three leading ladies making their Adelaide Cabaret Festival debut but four divas will reign supreme, including both the good and bad witches of Broadway smash hit Wicked, Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel as well as Cassandra Wilson and Molly Ringwald.

The national tour of Roundabout Theatre Company's ANYTHING GOES, the new Broadway revival of Cole Porter's timeless classic musical theatre masterpiece, will make its Orange County premiere September 24 - 29 at Segerstrom Center for the Arts as part of the Curtain Call Series.

Ghostlight Records announces that the Original Broadway Cast Recording of RODGERS + HAMMERSTEIN'S Cinderella CD hits stores today, June 4.

The Tony-nominated stars of the Broadway musical Rodgers + Hammerstein's CINDERELLA -- Laura Osnes (Cinderella) and Santino Fontana (the Prince) --will host the 5th Annual National High School Musical Theater Awards (NHSMTA) on Monday, July 1 at the Minskoff Theater on Broadway. Student winners from 31 regional awards will compete in the national event for the Jimmy Awards, named after Broadway theater owner and producer James M. ("Jimmy") Nederlander.

Today in 1975, Chicago opened at the 46th Street Theatre (now the Richard Rogers Theatre), where it ran for 936 performances. Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago, with music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the 'celebrity criminal'. The original cast starred Chita Rivera as Velma Kelly, Gwen Verdon as Roxie Hart, Jerry Orbach as Billy Flynn and Barney Martin as Amos Hart.

Hottest Articles on BroadwayWorld.com from this weekend Sunday, June 2, 2013 - Sunday, June 2, 2013.

Bay Area Cabaret will conclude its 2012-2013 season by honoring the memory and legendary career of composer Marvin Hamlisch. Selections from his work (A Chorus Line, The Way We Were, They're Playing Our Song) will be performed by special guests including Broadway stars Lisa Vroman (The Phantom of the Opera, Sweeney Todd) and Karen Mason (Mamma Mia!, Sunset Boulevard), Grammy Award winner Billy Stritch, 2012 Bay Area Teen Idol winner Bobby Conte Thornton, Academy Award-winning songwriters Alan and Marilyn Bergman, and other guest artists to be announced. Having performed with Bay Area Cabaret for the grand re-opening of the Venetian Room in 2010, Mr. Hamlisch will always hold a special place in Bay Area Cabaret's history. This tribute to his legacy will take place on the late composer's 69th birthday, tonight, June 2, 2013, at 8pm in the historic Venetian Room of the Fairmont San Francisco (950 Mason Street). Tickets ($75 - $100) are available at www.bayareacabaret.org or by phone at City Box Office (415) 392-4400.

Today in 1954, Carousel opened at City Center, where it ran for 79 performances. Carousel is the second stage musical by the team of Richard Rodgers (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (book and lyrics). The work premiered in 1945 and was adapted from Ferenc Molnar's 1909 play Liliom, transplanting its Budapest setting to the Maine coastline. The story revolves around carousel barker Billy Bigelow, whose romance with millworker Julie Jordan comes at the price of both their jobs. He attempts a robbery to provide for Julie and their unborn child; when it goes wrong, he has a chance to make things right.

BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge was thrilled to sit down and speak with nearly all of this year's Tony Award nominees at the official Tonys Meet & Greet on May 1, 2013, and we will be bringing you special coverage on all of them throughout the awards season. Today we bring you Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, nominees for Best Score for A Christmas Story. Check out what they had to say below!

BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge was thrilled to sit down and speak with nearly all of this year's Tony Award nominees at the official Tonys Meet & Greet on May 1, 2013, and we will be bringing you special coverage on all of them throughout the awards season. Today we bring you Victoria Clark, a nominee for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical for Cinderella. Check out what she had to say bel

BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge was thrilled to sit down and speak with nearly all of this year's Tony Award nominees at the official Tonys Meet & Greet on May 1, 2013, and we will be bringing you special coverage on all of them throughout the awards season. Today we bring you Santino Fontana, a nominee for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for Cinderella. Check out what he had to say below!