Stephen Schwartz News

Producers Barry & Fran Weissler and Howard & Janet Kagan present the American Repertory Theater's 40th Anniversary production of Roger O. Hirson and Stephen Schwartz's PIPPIN, directed by Diane Paulus, on Broadway in the Spring of 2013.

Mika just released his new single 'Popular Song' which features Nickelodeon star Ariana Grande. The track samples the song 'Popular' from the musical WICKED. It's an inspiring and invigorating pop anthem that encourages the bullied and unpopular to rise above. Check out the single below!

The blockbuster musical WICKED has achieved an unprecedented Broadway milestone as it enters its 10th Anniversary year, becoming the first Broadway musical ever to remain the highest grossing production for a record-breaking nine consecutive years. Since opening in 2004, its first full year at the Gershwin Theatre, WICKED has remained at the top of the Broadway grosses.

On Monday, January 14th at 9:30 three Wicked alumni will present Glitter and Be Green, an intimate cabaret at the Laurie Beechman Theater. The evening, starring Stefanie Brown, Lesley McKinnell, and Stephanie Torns, will feature plenty of trios, medleys and mash-ups, including many Stephen Schwartz tunes, musical theater classics, Disney favorites, and fun pop tunes.

The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) opens its production of Pippin tonight, January 3, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, book by Roger O. Hirson, directed by A.R.T. Artistic Director Diane Paulus. The show runs through January 20, 2013.

As Sir Robin carols merrily to King Arthur in Monty Python's Spamalot, 'In any great adventure, if you don't want to lose...you won't succeed on Broadway if you don't have any Jews.' Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy is a new, 90-minute documentary by Michael Kantor, creator of the Emmy-winning series, Broadway: The American Musical. The special just aired on Great Performances yesterday, January 1 on PBS. Click below to watch!

After locking up its strongest year-on-year growth among the key demographics in 10+ years in 2012, the curtain opened on Lifetime's New Year in true fashion last night when the 90-minute season three premiere of its hit docusoap Dance Moms, starring Abby Lee Miller, hit a series best 2.8 million Total Viewers, a +33% jump versus the program's Summer 2012 season premiere in June. In the first of 26 episodes this season, Dance Moms also averaged 1.4 million Adults 18-49 viewers (+27%), 1.3 million Adults 25-54 viewers (+45%), 1.1 million Women 18-49 viewers (+26%) and 999,000 Women 25-54 viewers (+41%), with a 1.9 Household rating (+19%), according to Nielsen Research.

Entering its 10th Anniversary year, the hit Broadway musical Wicked has set a new Broadway record for the highest one-week gross with a box office take of $2,947,172, for the week ending December 30, 2012. The blockbuster musical has been Broadway's #1 show for an unprecedented nine consecutive years, annually out-grossing all other productions since 2004, its first full year on Broadway.

After breaking Columbus box office records in 2007 and 2010, WICKED, Broadway's biggest blockbuster, will return to the Ohio Theatre June 5-23. Tickets for the return engagement will go on sale to the public at 9am on Thursday, April 4.

After breaking box office records in the three previous engagements, WICKED, Broadway's biggest blockbuster, has once again set records at the Fabulous Fox Theatre. WICKED grossed $2,755,070 for the week ending December 30. The total was not only a new house record at the Fabulous Fox Theatre, but also the highest gross for a week of performances in North American touring history.

Director Diane Paulus' bold new staging of the beloved 1970s pop musical 'Pippin' incorporates daring circus acrobatics with the original Bob Fosse choreography in order to push the theatrical envelope when it comes to being 'extraordinary'

As Sir Robin carols merrily to King Arthur in Monty Python's Spamalot, 'In any great adventure, if you don't want to lose…you won't succeed on Broadway if you don't have any Jews.' Eric Idle's cheeky lyric, which unfailingly generated knowing guffaws from Broadway audiences, proves to be more than a little grounded in truth, as BROADWAY MUSICALS: A JEWISH LEGACY convincingly attests.

SILENCE! The Musical will conclude its current run tonight at the Elektra Theatre, 669 Eighth Avenue (at 42nd St.) Following the announcement that SILENCE! would be ending its long run today, December 30th, ticket sales unexpectedly soared, shattering all previous box office records for the show so far. As a result, the producers determined that performances of the smash hit show will resume after a brief hiatus on January 19th.

By the last August, I had fallen so far behind on writing reviews of cabaret shows from the spring and early summer (I guess it's a positive when there are more performers and shows in New York than days in the week) that I decided to play catch up by combining a bunch of critiques into one big column. I hadn't planned on doing that again, but this fall there were so many shows that once again I couldn't keep up. but at least I've beaten my self-imposed deadline New Year's Eve deadline of posting these reviews of 12 shows, all staged between September-December by lovely, attractive women (okay, so one is a gender-bender) of varying talents and levels on the cabaret depth chart, from established stars to MAC and Bistro Award-winners to comeback 'kids' to interesting beginners and occasional performers who are in the game to follow their bliss. Whether their performances were rave-worthy, earning of qualified praise, or not quite up to snuff, they all deserve kudos for taking the plunge.

Happy New Year, all! To kick off this brand new year, BroadwayWorld looks ahead at all the upcoming productions slated to take the Broadway stage in 2013!

The adapter/director and a featured performer talk about adapting a classic musical for a new generation, and connecting with a new kind of audience.

AOP (American Opera Projects) in partnership with The Walt Whitman Project will be participating in the Brooklyn Public Library's annual free Kwanzaa program today, December 27 at 3pm at the S. Stevan Dweck Auditorium at the Central Library, Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn Public Library (10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, NY 11238). On Friday, December 28 at 2pm, the program will be repeated at the Rosetta Gaston Senior Center in Brownsville (460 Dumont Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11212.) Both performances are free and open to the public. Reservations are not necessary, but seating is first come, first served.

BroadwayWorld brings you the Best of South Bend in the year 2012. Check out the Top Theatre Stories from each month during in the year 2012. We look forward to another exciting year of theatre in 2013!