Stephen Sondheim News

This November and December 54 BELOW presents an exciting lineup of the brightest talent from Broadway and beyond. Located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54thStreet. For a detailed schedule of upcoming performances at 54 Below and to purchase tickets, visit www.54Below.com.

BroadwayWorld.com's SHOW BIZ: Rush, Lottery & Standing Room Only Ticketing Policies - updated on 10/31/2014.

Today we are counting down the absolute scariest musicals of all time in honor of Halloween 2014.

GOD HATES THIS SHOW: Shirley Phelps-Roper In Concert, Live From Hell, written and directed by John J. Caswell, Jr. and starring Erin Markey, will play a one night only exclusive public and industry invited engagement at Joe's Pub.

The Eagle Theatre presents a reimagine version of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Tony Award winning blockbuster Into The Woods.

Fresh off their 2014-2015 subscription season opener, the Brevard Symphony Orchestra heads to Titusville for a special fall concert on Sunday, November 9, 2014, at the Titusville High School Performing Arts Center.

The York Theatre Company, dedicated to the development of new musicals and preserving musical gems from the past, celebrates the Fall 2014 Musicals in Mufti Series with the 100th production and the first New York revival of Saturday Night, with book by Julius J. Epstein and music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, based on the play, Front Porch in Flatbush by Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein.

Shelly will bring Incurably Romantic to the Metropolitan Room for three nights, Today, October 30, Friday, October 31 and Today, Dec 4, accompanied by the superb David Shenton Trio.

Now in its 16th season, Lincoln Center's acclaimed series American Songbook will continue to expand its scope in celebrating the best in American singing and songwriting, beginning with a free opening night concert in the David Rubenstein Atrium on Wednesday, January 21, 2015. Live From Lincoln Center, the Emmy Award-winning program broadcast nationally on PBS stations, will shoot two of the first week's concerts by Broadway stars Norm Lewis and Billy Porter in The Appel Room. These performances will be broadcast nationally in the Spring of 2015.

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) continues its 2014-15 season with Colm Toibin's fiercely lyrical solo play, Testament. Originally staged at the Dublin Theatre Festival in 2011-and retitled for Broadway in 2013 as The Testament of Mary-Testament is an incisive, vivid, and deeply human work that recounts in riveting detail a defiant mother's story of her son, who has been taken from her by men she regards as fanatics. Directed by A.C.T. Artistic Director Carey Perloff and starring Canadian leading actor, Seana McKenna (last seen in A.C.T.'s production of Napoli!), Testament has been hailed as 'beautiful and daring' by the New York Times and was a 2013 Tony Award nominee for Best New Play. Testament will perform at A.C.T.'s Geary Theater (415 Geary Street, San Francisco) tonight, October 29-November 23, 2014. Press night for Testament will be today, November 5, 2014. Tickets ($20-$120) are available now and may be purchased online at act-sf.org or by calling 415.749.2228.

The production runs January 22 - February 8, 2015 and is to be directed by The Human Race's producing artistic director, Kevin Moore.

Dramatists Guild Fund Executive Director Rachel Routh and Board President Gretchen Cryer hosted their annual gala Great Writers Thank Their Lucky Stars, last night, Monday, October 27 at The Edison Ballroom (240 West 47th Street). The Gala is the most critical fundraising event for theD ramatists Guild Fund, the public charity arm of the Dramatists Guild of America. The evening paid tribute to legendary writers and recognizes their significant contributions to American theater.

2Y announces casting for Lyrics & Lyricists 2015, the 45th season of the acclaimed American Songbook series. Cady Huffman, Liz Callaway, Kate Baldwin, Peter Cincotti and Jason Danieley are among the performers interpreting the works of Stephen Sondheim; Irving Berlin; Sheldon Harnick; and such songwriters as Cole Porter, Duke Ellington and Leonard Bernstein, who so eloquently illuminated New York City's essence in song. Mitzi Gaynor makes a special guest appearance for the show on Hollywood's Leading Ladies - only the fourth time the legendary entertainer has performed in New York City.

For some inexplicable reason, composer Frank Wildhorn frequently gets a bad rap, accused of copying from other composers or just being a giant step below the quality of say, Stephen Sondheim, Kander & Ebb, or Jerry Herman, among others. Many forget Wildhorn is responsible for the beautiful music of The Scarlet Pimpernel, Dracula the Musical and more recently, Bonnie and Clyde, as well as Jekyll & Hyde. Wildhorn's popular tunes, especially the ballads are glorious, verging on opera and stand on their own as hits, such as 'This Is the Moment', 'Once Upon a Dream', 'In His Eyes' and 'A New Life' all from his Jekyll & Hyde score. Combining talent with great lyricist / book writer Leslie Bricusse is a little miracle, so Wildhorn comes up, in fact, a real winner. And in Candlelight's current stellar revival, the show is a darkly rich feast for the eyes and ears, just in time for Halloween. Jekyll & Hyde will play out its intriguing game of good versus evil at Candlelight through November 23.

Today we are talking to a world famous triple-threat star of stage and screen who first shot to fame in the 1980s as the first African American Miss America and found considerable success as a recording artist and actress thereafter, the divine Vanessa Williams. Sharing sage wisdom from her life and career as well as reflecting on many of her most popular properties to date, Williams reveals some of her many secrets to success while also looking ahead to next month's hotly anticipated all-star concert presentation of legendary Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein musical SHOW BOAT, co-starring Julian Ovenden, Norm Lewis, Jane Alexander and many more along with the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Ted Sperling. Also, Williams shares her enthusiasm for setting out to create new renditions of some of SHOW BOAT's most noted selections, including 'Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man Of Mine'. Additionally, Williams opens up about her multiple musical theatre endeavors highlighting the work of Stephen Sondheim, including the Tony Award-winning 2002 Best Revival production of INTO THE WOODS and the recent original revue SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM. Plus, Williams details her ongoing participation in THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL, after having starred in the well-received Broadway production last season and now finishing up headlining the Los Angeles production before bringing the drama to Boston. All of that, KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN memories, saving Audra McDonald's wedding day and much, much more with one of Broadway's brightest stars!

This Autumn, Caroline Langrishe will play movie star Margot Gresham at Jermyn Street Theatre in the first ever revival of Terence Rattigan's debut play First Episode, beginning tonight, October 28, 2014.

After many successful Broadway productions, a big screen adaptation and over 40 awards worldwide, the highly-praised musical thriller Sweeney Todd will play in one of Canada's greatest venue: Le Capitole de Que?bec. The production will mark the show's world premiere in French and will definitely be Quebec City's EVENT of next fall!

Natalie Arneson and her husband, without securing jobs before landing in the city that never sleeps, packed their bags in the middle of the Great Recession and embarked on the Texas to Empire State journey. The duo came with the soul purpose of allowing Natalie Arneson to chase her dreams and audition for Broadway musicals. Now, in her charming one-woman, solo cabaret, MAMA DRAMA, Natalie Arneson shares her story, her struggles, and her talent.

BroadwayWorld.com continues its partnership with THE SONDHEIM REVIEW. Each month we'll be bringing you special, and exclusive archives from the quarterly magazine dedicated to the work of the musical theatre and Broadway's foremost composer and lyricist, Stephen Sondheim. Each issue contains news, interviews, features, reviews, historical information, upcoming productions in your area, puzzles, and more. Our correspondents in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, London, and all over the world bring you the latest, most accurate information and insights.