Stephen Sondheim News

Today, BroadwayWorld is thrilled to kick off a brand new weekly column celebrating some classic celluloid moments from theatre history - whether culled from TV, film, vintage footage or even more obscure sources - with a very special focus on the best and brightest stars of yesteryear, thusly titled THEATRICAL THROWBACK THURSDAY!

The original Broadway cast recording of iconic musical thriller SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET has been officially added to the Library of Congress national recording registry this week and composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim has issued a statement on its inclusion.

Longtime theatreWashington Board Chairman Victor Shargai will be honored with the Helen Hayes Tribute at the 30th Annual Helen Hayes Awards on Monday, April 21, 2014 at the National Building Museum. In addition to serving as theatreWashington's board chair since 1997, Shargai has been instrumental in advocating for the entire Washington theatre community. As a board member and patron of several flagship theatres, he played a leading role in the area's artistic renaissance, which saw the number of professional theatres grow exponentially, creating an environment that now supports more than 200 productions annually.

Long Wharf Theatre, under the leadership of Artistic Director Gordon Edelstein and Managing Director Joshua Borenstein, will present The Last Five Years, written and composed by Jason Robert Brown, from May 7 through June 1, 2014 on the Claire Tow Stage in the C. Newton Schenck III Theatre.

Soubrette Productions presents Assassins by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman at the Carver Center's Boyd Vance Theatre. With an all-star cast of local actors including Nathan Brockett, Andrew Cannata, and Julia Lorenz-Olson, Soubrette is a community theatre run by a husband and wife team.

Mary Moody Northen Theatre, the award-winning producing arm of the St. Edward's University professional theatre training program, continues its 41st anniversary season with the hilarious and touching musical Merrily We Roll Along, book by George Furth, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, based on the play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. This delightful production runs today, April 3 - 13, 2014.

Producers Paul Blake and Sony/ATV Music Publishing announced today that Beautiful-The Carole King Musical, about the early life and career of the legendary and groundbreaking singer/songwriter, will offer a special added performance to benefit The Actors Fund on Sunday, April 27 at 8:00 PM. The company of Beautiful will donate their time and talent for the performance, for an audience which will include cast members from current Broadway shows and other areas of the entertainment community. All proceeds will go to The Actors Fund, which helps all professionals in performing arts and entertainment. Beautiful opened on Broadway at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre (124 West 43rd Street), on Sunday, January 12, 2014, where it's playing to sold-out crowds and has broken multiple box office records.

Recipients of the 73rd Peabody Awards were announced today. The awards will be presented on May 19th at a luncheon hosted by Ira Glass at New York's Waldorf-Astoria in New York.

A new dawn. A new day. Best day? Best episode in… forever! GLEE made the official move to the Big Apple with this week's ep and with it came a revitalized, fresh new tone, style and locale while still providing some sensational musical sequences as we have come to expect - except now, in a whole new milieu. FUNNY GIRL, too!

BLACK SAPPHIRE PRODUCTIONS presents LIZ ROBERTSON in SONGS FROM MY TRUNK, April 20th in the Matcham Room, The Hippodrome, Leicester Square 6.45pm & 9pm.

Virginia's Tony-Award winning Signature Theatre announces the cast for The Threepenny Opera, Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's cutting and enduring critique of capitalism and corruption. Directed by Signature Theatre's Associate Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner (Tender Napalm, Dreamgirls, Really Really), the production stars Mitchell Jarvis (Broadway's Rock of Ages) as the charismatic Macheath, known to popular culture as Mack the Knife.

In the video below, go into the recording studio with Broadway's Jessie Mueller (Carole King), Anika Larsen (Cynthia Weil) and Jarrod Spector (Barry Mann) as they discuss and record 'You've Got a Friend' for BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL's cast album!

The Original Broadway Cast Recording of Beautiful - The Carole King Musical, now available for digital download via iTunes and Amazon, is the #1 Cast Recording on the iTunes Charts. The album, produced by Jason Howland, Steve Sidwell and Billy Jay Stein, with Kurt Deutsch serving as Executive Producer, is #4 on iTunes Top 10 Soundtrack and #41 album. The Original Broadway Cast Recording will be available in-stores on May 13, 2014.

PlayMakers Repertory Company will conclude its Mainstage Season with the Tony Award-winning musical 'Assassins' by Stephen Sondheim, onstage today, April 2-20.

Don't miss your chance to see Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's multi award winning musical fantasy Into the Woods, arguably the composer's most successful show, at the Bridewell Theatre this April - the first time the show has been staged in Central London for a number of years and just a couple of weeks after the composers 84th birthday.

Theatre 20's highly-anticipated production of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's Company will play the Berkeley Street Theatre Downstairs from June 21 to July 13, 2014. This show has not been seen in Toronto in almost 30 years.

Actor Daniel Radcliffe, who is set to begin previews in Broadway's “The Cripple of Inishmaan,' on April 12th, participated in a TimesTalk event on Monday night and revealed which plays and musicals he would love to do in the future.

Urban Stages Frances Hill, Founding Artistic Director and producer Peter Napolitano, announced the final week of the World Premiere engagement of Character Man. Jim Brochu's new musical memoir at Urban Stages Theatre (259 West 30th Street). This limited run will continue through April 6th only. Robert Bartley directs, with musical direction by Carl Haan. The Final Post-Show Talk will take place on Wednesday, April 2nd with Special Guest Karen Mason (Mamma Mia, Sunset Boulevard, Hairspray), moderated by Peter Filichia.

Faust meets Baseball in the FRINGE PREMIERE of the classic Broadway musical. As middle-aged baseball fan Joe Boyd trades his soul to the Devil in order to help his favourite baseball team beat the New York Yankees, hell literally breaks loose. Transformed into baseball sensation Joe Hardy, he takes the Washington Senators to new heights whilst discovering the true worth of the life he was so quick to leave behind.

The cast and creative team of the hit Off-Broadway musical Murder for Two are teaming up with some of New York's brightest up and coming composers and BroadwayWorld.com every Monday night for their spring concert series, Murderous Musical Mondays. Composers Brett Ryback and Alexander Sage Oyen contine the series on Monday, April 7, 2014, immediately following the 7pm performance of Murder for Two at New World Stages (Stage 5 - 340 West 50th Street).