Steve Martin News

Squeals of delight and blood-curdling screams of fright will fill the Allen Theatre as Cleveland Play House's (CPH) Centennial Season continues with a humorous and heartfelt production of Little Shop of Horrors. Hearkening back to its very first productions in 1915 that featured sophisticated marionettes, CPH is bringing the cheeky and blood-thirsty plant Audrey II to life in a production that will be every vocal coach's dream - and every hemophobic's worst nightmare!

Imagine some of the finer things in life: a Cashmere sweater, good wine, a soft leather sofa, the sound of the banjo.

The new musical from Steve Martin and Edie Brickell wraps up its Kennedy Center engagement and begins Broadway previews in February.

The third show in Laguna Playhouse's 2015-2016 season will be the U.S. Premiere of ACT 3..., written by David Ambrose and Claudia Nellens and directed by Martin Bergman. Rita Rudner and Charles Shaughnessy will star.

Crackle, Sony's free streaming network, today announced that President Barack Obama will be the first guest in the new season of JERRY SEINFELD'S COMEDIANS IN CARS GETTING COFFEE with an earlier-than-expected premiere date

The Old Globe today announced it will present the Third Annual New Voices Festival, a weekend of readings of new American plays by professional playwrights, January 15 - 17, 2016.

I wish this 'little musical that could' well.

With a handful of new pieces set to bow before the Tony Awards deadline in April, BroadwayWorld brings you a look at those currently set to bow on the Great White Way this year!

The new musical BRIGHT STAR, from Grammy and Emmy winner Steve Martin and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Edie Brickell, will play a limited engagement at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater from December 2, 2015 to January 10, 2016. Directed by Tony Award winner Walter Bobbie, BRIGHT STAR will have its Kennedy Center official opening night on Thursday, December 17. BRIGHT STAR will begin performances on Broadway on Thursday, February 25, 2016 with an official Broadway opening night on Thursday, March 24 at the Cort Theatre. Carmen Cusack will make her Broadway debut as Alice, a role she originated in BRIGHT STAR's world premiere production, and will be joined by co-stars Paul Alexander Nolan, Tony Award nominee Michael Mulheren, A.J. Shively, Hannah Elless, Tony Award nominee Stephen Bogardus, three-time Tony Award nominee Dee Hoty, Stephen Lee Anderson, Emily Padgett, Tony Award nominee Jeff Blumenkrantz, along with Maddie Shea Baldwin, Allison Briner-Dardenne, Max Chernin, Patrick Cummings, Sandra DeNise, Richard Gatta, Lizzie Klemperer, Michael X. Martin, William Michals, Tony Roach, Sarah Jane Shanks, and William Youmans. Inspired by an astonishing true event, the wholly original new musical BRIGHT STAR tells a sweeping tale of love and redemption set against the rich backdrop of the American South in the 1920s and 40s. When successful literary editor Alice Murphy meets an ambitious young soldier just home from World War II, their connection inspires Alice to confront a shocking incident from her past. Together they discover a long-buried secret with the power to transform their lives. With music and book by Steve Martin and music and lyrics by Edie Brickell, BRIGHT STAR is based on an original story by Martin and Brickell and features direction by Walter Bobbie, choreography by Josh Rhodes, scenic design by Eugene Lee, costume design by Jane Greenwood, lighting design by Japhy Weideman, sound design by Nevin Steinberg, hair and wig design by Tom Watson, musical supervision by Peter Asher, musical direction and vocal arrangements by Rob Berman, orchestrations by August Eriksmoen, and casting by Howie Cherpakov. BRIGHT STAR was developed and had its world premiere at The Old Globe in San Diego (Barry Edelstein, Artistic Director; Michael G. Murphy, Managing Director). BRIGHT STAR runs December 2, 2015 - January 10, 2016 in the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater. Tickets starting at $45 are available on the Kennedy Center website, in-person at the Kennedy Center box office, or by calling (202) 467-4600 or (800) 444-1324.

Squeals of delight and blood-curdling screams of fright will fill the Allen Theatre as Cleveland Play House's (CPH) Centennial Season continues with a humorous and heartfelt production of Little Shop of Horrors. Hearkening back to its very first productions in 1915 that featured sophisticated marionettes, CPH is bringing the cheeky and blood-thirsty plant Audrey II to life in a production that will be every vocal coach's dream - and every hemophobic's worst nightmare!

The new musical BRIGHT STAR, from Grammy and Emmy winner Steve Martin and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Edie Brickell, will play a limited engagement at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater now through January 10, 2016. Directed by Tony Award winner Walter Bobbie, BRIGHT STAR will have its Kennedy Center official opening night tonight, December 17.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Today's big news: NOISES OFF begins previews and BRIGHT STAR opens at the Kennedy Center!

Steppenwolf Theatre Company has announced acclaimed film and television star Claire Danes as the guest of honor at the annual Steppenwolf Salutes Women in the Arts fundraising luncheon on Thursday, February 4, 2016 at 12 noon (location TBD). The luncheon features an in-depth conversation with Claire Danes about her incredible career and impact as a leading woman in the arts.

Encores! Artistic Director Jack Viertel today announced the creative teams for New York City Center's 2016 Encores! season. J. Bernard Calloway, Chuck Cooper, Marva Hicks, Carly Hughes, LaChanze, Norm Lewis, Forrest McClendon, and J.D. Webster will star in Vernon Duke and John Latouche's jazz?filled fable Cabin in the Sky, running for seven performances at City Center from February 10-14. The 1940 musical will be directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago?Hudson with choreography by Camille A. Brown.

TV One salutes comedy genius Eddie Murphy with the network premiere of PBS' Eddie Murphy: The Mark Twain Prize tonight, December 4 at 8 p.m. ET.

You may find yourself smirking at the cheesiness of it all as much as gasping at the wonder of it all.

Can YOU feel a brand new day? We're gearing up to ease on down the road with powerhouse newcomer Shanice Williams and the rest of the gang from Oz, when THE WIZ LIVE! premieres Thursday, December 3, at 8pm on NBC.  Of course, as was the case in 2013's THE SOUND OF MUSIC LIVE! and last year's PETER PAN LIVE!, the cast is certainly not short on big-name talent — and most come with Broadway or theatrical credits, no less. As if you didn't already know, be sure to look out for Queen Latifah (of 2002's CHICAGO and 2007's HAIRSPRAY), Elijah Kelley (also of 2007's HAIRSPRAY), Uzo Aduba (of CORAM BOY and 2011's GODSPELL), and David Alan Grier (2012's PORGY AND BESS). 

The new musical BRIGHT STAR, from Grammy and Emmy winner Steve Martin and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Edie Brickell, will play a limited engagement at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater from tonight, December 2, 2015, to January 10, 2016. Directed by Tony Award winner Walter Bobbie, BRIGHT STAR will have its Kennedy Center official opening night on Thursday, December 17.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Today's big news: FUNNY GIRL opens tonight in London, INVISIBLE THREAD bows off-Broadway, and BRIGHT STAR begins in D.C.!