Stephen Schwartz News

April showers don't bother StoryBook Theater's A Little Mermaid. She is used to being wet--but she dreams of dancing on dry land. Walking and talking aren't easy for a little mermaid and she is determined to trade in her tail for legs. In this original StoryBook Theater version of Hans Christian Andersen's classic, the audience will decide whether the Little Mermaid should keep her legs or high-tail it back to the sea. A Little Mermaid will visit Renton , Kirkland and Seattle tonight, April 28 through May 20 for a total of 19 performances.

The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.), under the Artistic Direction of Diane Paulus, today announced the 2012/13 subscription season, which includes the previously announced world premiere of Marie Antoinette and a bold new staging of Pippin.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: Easter Bonnet earns big money, FOLLIES preps for LA, six shows open, and so much more!

The producers of the Off-Broadway smash SILENCE! The Musical, launched an exciting new website today, April 26th. At the newly revamped and redesigned SilenceTheMusical.com, visitors will now find loads of reviews and updated news about the show, in addition to constantly changing interactive features. There's a direct link to the SilenceTheMusicalNYC YouTube Channel, as well as to their Facebook page and Twitter feed. Click here to check it out.

The Annenberg Theatre will present Upright Cabaret's RHYTHM OF THE NIGHT tonight April 27 at 8:00 pm. RHYTHM OF THE NIGHT is the third installment of Upright Cabaret's "American Icon" Series and will star Olivier Award-Winner Lesli Margherita, Lexi Lawson (Rent, In The Heights)) and Rogelio Douglas Jr. (In The Heights, The Little Mermaid)). This high energy, multi-media Cabaret celebrates the music of Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan and Santana and features pop favorites such as Livin' La Vida Loca, Shake Your Bon-Bon, Rhythm Is Gonna Get You, Anything for You, Smooth, Let It Shine, and more, performed live with the Upright Cabaret band!

Over the Moon: The Broadway Lullaby Project is both a timeless benefit effort and a uniquely compelling multimedia experience. The project-which incorporates a 2-CD, 26-song set; a lavishly illustrated hardcover book of 17 songs from the album; a corresponding e-book encompassing the entire collection; and a documentary film and web series -gathers many of contemporary musical theatre's greatest composers and vocalists, as well as illustrators, all of whom have donated their talent to deliver an emotionally affecting set of new lullabies, some written specifically for this project. Proceeds from sales of the book and 2-CD set will benefit breast cancer research, support and education.

The Music Theatre Company's Jeff Recommended spring production of Pippin by Stephen Schwartz and Roger O. Hirson, directed and choreographed by Founding Artistic Director Jessica Redish, will now run through May 13, 2012 at The Music Theatre Company located in the Karger Center, 1850 Green Bay Road in Highland Park.

Over the Moon: The Broadway Lullaby Project is both a timeless benefit effort and a uniquely compelling multimedia experience. The project-which incorporates a 2-CD, 26-song set; a lavishly illustrated hardcover book of 17 songs from the album; a corresponding e-book encompassing the entire collection; and a documentary film and web series -gathers many of contemporary musical theatre's greatest composers and vocalists, as well as illustrators, all of whom have donated their talent to deliver an emotionally affecting set of new lullabies, some written specifically for this project. Proceeds from sales of the book and 2-CD set will benefit breast cancer research, support and education.

James William Productions and Stephenie Skyllas will present Kurt Peterson and Victoria Mallory in 'When Everything Was Possible, A Concert (with comments),' for one night only, Sunday April 29th (7:30pm) at New York City Center (131 West 55th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues), as a benefit for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. They will be joined by a thirteen-piece band (Michael Rafter, Music Director), playing new orchestrations by Tony Award winner Jonathan Tunick. Larry Moss directs, with musical staging by Joshua Bergasse ("Smash"). Carolyn Wong will provide lighting design, with sound design by Leon Rothenberg and projection design by Telegraphicmedia.

The company of Broadway's first-ever revival of Stephen Schwartz's rock musical GODSPELL last week welcomed a new leading man- stage and screen star Corbin Bleu (Disney's 'High School Musical,' Broadway's In the Heights)- to the starring role of Jesus. BroadwayWorld bring you photos of Bleu in action below!

SCERA Center for the Arts is pulling out all the stops for its production of Disney's My Son Pinocchio.

Legendary Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz will participate in an exclusive post-post-show audience talkback immediately following the Thursday, April 24 performance of the new hit revival of GODSPELL at Circle in the Square Theatre (1633 Broadway at 50th Street).

JULIE REIBER - the singer and actress currently playing Marion in Priscilla Queen of the Desert on Broadway at the Palace Theater - will release her debut solo album today, April 24. Love Travels is a mix of her original tunes, musical theatre favorites by such composers as Jason Robert Brown ('Still Hurting'), Adam Guettel ('Through The Mountain') and Stephen Schwartz (the special bonus track 'Defying Gravity') - each with a special twist - and reinventions of Reiber's favorite artists including Stevie Wonder ('Knocks Me Off My Feet'), Chaka Khan ('Stay'), John Mayer ('Back To You') and Joni Mitchell ('Little Green'). She will celebrate this new recording with a concert at Rockwood Music Hall the following night, Wednesday April 25. The $20 ticket price includes a signed CD. Love Travels will also be available via iTunes, CDBaby.com, Amazon.com and JulieReiber.com

On May 23, the company of Godspell will celebrate their Academy Award- winning writer Stephen Schwartz in a one-night-only concert. Expect songs from Schwartz projects like Pippin, Wicked, The Baker's Wife, The Magic Show, Working, My Son Pinocchio, Children of Eden, Rags, "Pocahontas", "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", "The Prince of Egypt", "Enchanted" and more.

Voices in Unity, the 70 member choir of Unity of New York, with guests Spiritus vocal ensemble, Broadway's Rosena Hill, award-winning cabaret vocalist Marieann Meringolo, spoken word artist Gha'il Rhodes Benjamin and others, will be in concert Celebrating Miracles at Peter Norton Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th Street tonight, April 23rd, 2012 at 7:30 PM. Voices in Unity share their musical diversity with selections ranging from Gospel to Broadway and Pop to Classical. The concert is put together by Music Director Britt Hall, who creates repertoire, dynamic medleys and selects guest artists to perform with the choir.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: MATILDA wins big, Signature Theatre honors Patti, Corbin starts as Jesus, and so much more!

On Sunday, May 20 and Monday, May 21, 2012 at 8pm American Opera Projects (AOP) will present COMPOSERS & THE VOICE: FIRST GLIMPSE 2012, the first public presentation of compositions developed during this season's Composers & the Voice program. Audiences will hear songs written by five emerging composers - Sidney Marquez Boquiren, Mikael Karlsson, Robert Paterson, Rachel Peters, and Ronnie Reshef - and one composer/librettist team, Zach Redler and Sara Cooper, who were chosen by AOP to spend a year creating new works focusing on the operatic voice. The performances will be held at South Oxford Space in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, the home of AOP. Tickets are $15 general admission, $10 for students/seniors and are available at www.operaprojects.org.

Multiple Academy Award winner Stephen Schwartz will be honored with The Desert Ensemble Theatre Company's inaugural Melpomai Award at "When You Believe: A Conversation With and Tribute To Stephen Schwartz" May 19 at 8:00 pm at The Annenberg Theatre. The event will feature a conversation with Schwartz as well as performances of his stage and movie musical hits performed by Tony nominated Andrea McCardle, Kate Flannery (NBC's "The Office") and more.

Mindy Young likes to do imaginative and energetic family shows that children will love but adults will also find witty and appealing. As a guest director for the SCERA Center for the Arts, she believes she has found it with Disney's "My Son Pinocchio," complete with the beloved songs from the Disney film but given even more charm and sophistication with a score of original songs by Grammy and Academy Award-winning composer Stephen Schwartz. Check out production photos below!