Stephen Schwartz News

On Sunday September 11 Cristina and Matthew Ballestero, real-life siblings, presented their first cabaret Sibling Rivalry @ Sterling's Upstairs at Vitello's to a packed house of screaming fans. Both Cristina and Matthew were in LA's Next Great Stage Star 2011 and came exceedingly close to being runners-up. Each has a distinct personality and an enormous talent...and those talents are every bit as different as their personas. Combined there was enough energy to blow the roof off Vitello's. Cristina's voice has a tremendous range, but she is concentrating her efforts in the pop field; Matthew has a big bold baritone/tenor instrument that is perfectly suited to Broadway standards.

As we move toward the middle of September and beyond, I trust you will want to take in a couple of the theatre and live performance productions that are presently showing at any one of the numerous entertainment establishments that make their home here on the amazing Central Coast of California!

A day-of-performance lottery for a limited number of orchestra seats will be held daily for WICKED, which will be performing from September 14-October 9 at The Fox Theatre as a special to the Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Atlanta 2011-12 season. Each day, 2½ hours prior to show time people who present themselves at the Fox Theatre box office will have their names placed in a lottery drum and then thirty minutes later, names will be drawn for a limited number of orchestra seats at $25 each, cash only. This lottery is available only in-person at the box office, with a limit of two tickets per person.

Carole Demas, star of TV's The Magic Garden and Broadway's original 'Sandy' (Grease) announces two performances at NYC's famed Laurie Beechman Theatre (September 19 and October 17).

Just before GLEE returns to airwaves this September 21, Darren Criss can be seen at the Festival of New American Musicals in Los Angeles. The actor, who's set to take over for Daniel Radcliffe in HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING for three weeks this January, will perform at the September 10th closing party.

Many of Broadway's best and brightest talents will perform in Westport Country Playhouse's one-night-only fundraising gala, 'Playing Our Songs: Celebrating 80 Years of Musical Theater,' a fully orchestrated and choreographed retrospective of musicals that have been produced at the Playhouse since its founding in 1931, on Monday evening, September 19.

Walk-on appearances in Broadway's biggest hits, a backstage champagne toast with a two-time Tony Award winner and exclusive behind-the-scenes theatre keepsakes are among the priceless lots now available for pre-bidding as Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS presents the 25TH Annual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction.

Re-discover both new and classic musical theatre numbers as they are turned upside down in Un-Type Cast: A Broadway Backwards Cabaret, performed at Davenport's Piano Bar & Cabaret from October 3-24, 2011. Reservations can be placed at www.davenportspianobar.com.

BoHo Theatre kicks off its 2011/2012 Season with Pippin, Stephen Schwartz (composer of Wicked and Godspell) and Roger O. Hirson's musical experience about the search for meaning, significance, and love.

After breaking box office records and selling out in record time in 2005 and 2008, WICKED, Broadway's biggest blockbuster, will return to the Benedum Center on September 7-October 2, 2011, as part of the PNC Broadway Across America - Pittsburgh Series.

There have been many theatrical re-imaginings of fairy tales, but hardly a more enchanting one than Stephen Schwartz's new musical My Fairytale now receiving its US premiere in Solvang. A PCPA production which first previewed in Santa Maria, My Fairytale is charming, brilliantly creative fare brought to life by a wildly exciting production team that includes Flemming Enevold, who originally conceived it.

As we move beyond the Labor Day weekend and toward the middle of September, I hope you have plans to take in one or two of the live performance and theatre productions that are currently running at one of the several entertainment venues here on the beautiful California Central Coast!

The Vagabond Players, 806 S. Broadway in historic Fell's Point, is pleased to announce its 2011-2012 Season. America's oldest continuously existing little theatre, the 2011-12 Season is the Vagabonds' 96th consecutive Season.

Theatre Under The Stars' Humphreys School of Musical Theatre is pleased to announce their debut in to the music recording industry with the production and release of their first album, VOTE! A New Musical, The Original Cast Recording.