Susan Stroman News

On New Year's Eve, Tony Award-winning director Susan Stroman will make her Metropolitan Opera debut with a new production of Lehar's The Merry Widow, conducted by Andrew Davis.

The Met: Live in HD, the Metropolitan Opera's award-winning series of live transmissions to more than 2,000 movie theaters in 65 countries around the world, will feature ten operas in the 2014-15 season, including all six new productions in the Met season. All ten performances, transmitted live from the Met stage, will feature the world's finest singers, conductors, and theatrical artists.

The Metropolitan Opera's 2014-15 season will feature 26 operas, three of them company premieres, in six new productions and 18 revivals showcasing the talents of the world's leading singers, conductors, and theater artists. The three operas that will have their first-ever Met performances, each staged by a director making his Met debut, are John Adams's The Death of Klinghoffer, conducted by David Robertson and directed by Tom Morris, opening October 20; Rossini's La Donna del Lago, conducted by Michele Mariotti and directed by Paul Curran, opening February 16, 2015; and Tchaikovsky's one-act opera Iolanta, conducted by Valery Gergiev and directed by Mariusz Treli?ski. Iolanta will be presented in a double bill with a new staging of Bartok's one-act Duke Bluebeard's Castle, also conducted by Gergiev and directed by Treli?ski.

Theatrical Rights Worldwide (TRW) just announced that it has earned rights to license BIG FISH. The show, which starred Norbert Leo Butz and Kate Baldwin on Broadway, will be available beginning Autumn 2014.

Join the Des Moines Community Playhouse this spring, May 8-11, and see the new musicals 'Rocky' and 'Bullets Over Broadway.' Registrations and a $400 deposit are now being accepted at the Playhouse. Contact Lee Ann Bakros, trip coordinator, by phone at515-974-5358, or register online at dmplayhouse.com. Total trip cost is $1899 per person, double occupancy. Space is limited and going quickly.

Greg Edwards & Andy Sandberg's acclaimed two-actor, 30-character comedy about travel agents and the people they serve, Craving for Travel, now making its world premiere at the Peter J. Sharp Theater (416 W. 42nd Street, NYC), will close as scheduled this Sunday, February 9. The play is commissioned and produced by Jim Strong, one of America's leading luxury travel agents, and directed by Sandberg.

Broadway Records will release the original Broadway cast recording of the new musical BIG FISH digitally today, February 7, 2014 and everywhere music is sold on Tuesday, February 11, 2014. The album will be produced by Andrew Lippa and Michael Croiter. Sign up to pre-order at http://amzn.com/B00H3UKZ6E. BIG FISH began performances on Thursday, September 5, 2013, officially opened on Sunday, October 6, 2013 and played its final performance on Sunday, December 29, 2013 at Broadway's Neil Simon Theatre (250 West 52nd Street).

If life really is about not taking anything too seriously, as Mel Brooks would have us believe, then do yourself a favor and see 3DT's production of The Producers. It may be politically incorrect but it's the funniest version of this musical I've ever seen and it will push you to have a good time in spite of yourself. Yes, it's another one of my must-see musicals of 2014.

Broadway Records has debuted the artwork and traclist for the original Broadway cast recording of BIG FISH, set for a digital release on Friday, February 7, 2014 and everywhere music is sold on Tuesday, February 11, 2014.

The 2013-2014 Broadway season is particularly notable for its preponderance of screen-to-stage adaptations, ranging from ALADDIN to ROCKY to BULLETS OVER BROADWAY and more - not to mention this week's big announcement of KING KING: THE MUSICAL coming to Broadway soon, as well as BACK TO THE FUTURE hitting the West End - so today we are looking at some of the reasons why these properties in particular are perfect for the boards, and, hopefully, the box office.

Happy Birthday Norbert Leo Butz! Butz made his Broadway debut as Adam Pascal's replacement as Roger Davis in Rent in 1996. Additional Broadway credits include Thou Shalt Not (Camille Raquin, 2001-2002), for which he received a Tony Award nomination; Wicked (the original Fiyero, 2003) and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Freddy) for which he received the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical, a Drama League Award, and an Outer Critics Circle Award. His Off-Broadway credits include The Last Five Years (Jamie), Songs for a New World (Lead Male 2), Saved (Fred), and Juno and the Paycock (Jerry Devine). MOst recently, Butz originated the role of Carl Hanratty in the new musical Catch Me If You Can. For this role he won his second Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical[14] and his second Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.

The world premiere production of the brand new musical comedy Bullets Over Broadway, written by Woody Allen and based on the screenplay by Allen and Douglas McGrath for the 1994 film, will begin preview performances on Tuesday, March 11 and officially open Thursday, April 10, 2014 at The St. James Theatre (246 West 44th Street). Below, BroadwayWorld brings you exclusive interviews with Zach Braff and company on working with the great Susan Stroman!

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts presents An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin February 18 to 23, 2014 in the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater. Appearing together again after their Tony Award winning performances in Evita, Patti LuPone joins Mandy Patinkin onstage for eight performances. Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin are two of Broadway's most venerated performers, having both won a Tony Award for their performances in Andrew Lloyd Webber's groundbreaking Evita in 1980. Since then they have both starred in film, television, the concert stage and back to Broadway. An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin brings them together again - at last. Press opening night is Thursday, February 20, 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

Three time Tony Award nominated Broadway favorite Marin Mazzie sang the National Anthem at Yankee Stadium to open the 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series.

The world premiere production of the brand new musical comedy Bullets Over Broadway, written by Woody Allen and based on the screenplay by Allen and Douglas McGrath for the 1994 film, will begin preview performances on Tuesday, March 11 and officially open Thursday, April 10, 2014 at The St. James Theatre(246 West 44th Street). BroadwayWorld brings you the just-released television spot for the new musical below!

Pacific Northwest Ballet Artistic Director Peter Boal has announced that after a 17-year career with the Company, principal dancer Kaori Nakamura will retire from performing at the end of PNB's 2013-2014 season. Ms. Nakamura joined PNB as a soloist in 1997 and was promoted to principal in 1998. Following her retirement, Ms. Nakamura will be joining the faculty of PNB School.

Three time Tony Award nominated Broadway favorite Marin Mazzie (Passion; Ragtime; Kiss Me, Kate), who will star as "Helen Sinclair" in the world premiere production of the new musical comedy BULLETS OVER BROADWAY this spring, will sing the National Anthem at Yankee Stadium this Sunday, January 26th to open the 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series in New York, the National Hockey League announced today.

Classic Stage Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Greg Reiner, will present BRECHT FEST, a special series exploring the songs, poetry and stories of Bertolt Brecht, to be presented on Monday, February 3 and Monday, February 10 at CSC (136 East 13th Street). CSC is currently presenting Brecht's A MAN'S A MAN, directed by Brian Kulick and with a new score and new songs by Tony Award-winning composer Duncan Sheik, continuing the company's exploration of the works of Brecht, which began in 2011 with the sold-out production of Galileo and was followed by last season's The Caucasian Chalk Circle.

The world premiere production of the brand new musical comedy BULLETS OVER BROADWAY, will begin preview performances on Tuesday, March 11 and officially open Thursday, April 10, 2014 at The St. James Theatre (246 West 44th Street). The musical will feature Tony Award winner Karen Ziemba in the role of "Eden Brent". Ziemba was in attendance at last night's opening for Craving for Travel, and Richard Ridge chatted with the Broadway-bound star about her return the the stage, reuniting with Susan Stroman and more! Check out the exclusive interview below!

Musical Theatre West presents the second production of their 61st season, Davis Gaines (Los Angeles' longest-running Phantom in The Phantom of The Opera) starring as Professor Harold Hill and Gail Bennett (Mary Poppins) starring as Marian Paroo in Meredith Willson's timeless and joyous, THE MUSIC MAN, book, music and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Meredith Willson and Franklin Lacey, musical direction by Corey Hirsch, choreography by John Todd and directed by Jeff Maynard.