Thomas Meehan News

LIMELIGHT: THE STORY OF CHARLIE CHAPLIN has Music and Lyrics by Christopher Curtis and a Book by Christopher Curtis and Thomas Meehan. The show is Directed by Michael Unger and is Playing September 7 - October 17, 2010

The award-winning York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director) has announced preliminary casting for its upcoming Musicals in Mufti Concert Series-the York's acclaimed series of musical theatre gems in staged concert performances taking place in September and October 2010.

Thrills, Chills and Music are all part of the Sands Theater Company's 2010-2011 Season. Here is what we have planned.

Carole W. Nussbaum, Cabrillo Music Theatre President and Chief Executive Officer, proudly announces CABRILLO MUSIC THEATRE'S 2010-2011 SEASON.

SAN DIEGO REPERTORY THEATRE in partnership with THE SAN DIEGO SCHOOL OF CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS (SCPA) is proud to present Southern California's first regional production of the hit musical comedy HAIRSPRAY. For the first time in local theatre history, high school students from SCPA will join professional actors on stage for this big fat, gorgeous musical. Directed by San Diego REP Artistic Director SAM WOODHOUSE with assistance from SCPA's Artistic Director RICHARD TRUJILLO, the REP's presentation of HAIRSPRAY will mark the first time the musical has been produced as a regional theatre production in Southern California. Performances continue through Sunday, August 15, 2010.

BroadwayWorld has just confirmed that comedian Wanda Sykes will be leading the Media Theatre's production of ANNIE as 'Miss Hannigan' this holiday season. Sykes will open the production on November 23 and close the production on January 16, 2011 following a Christmas absence. The theater today released an audition notice and are seeking all roles, including a cover for Sykes while the star fulfills her holiday commitments. The production will be directed by Media Artistic Director Jesse Cline and musical directed by Tom Fosnocht.

The 2010 2011 Kravis On Broadway season boasts a powerful line up which includes The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein and straight from the great white way, a revival of West Side Story. Add to this, NETworks Presents Disney's Beauty & The Beast, Dreamgirls and The Color Purple, all making their West Palm Beach debut at the Kravis Center. 'The upcoming Kravis On Broadway season promises a world of excitement and escape for our audience,' said Lee Bell, the Kravis Center's Senior Director of Programming.

The New Mel Brooks Musical YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, the new musical comedy from the creative team of the 12-time Tony Award® winning smash The Producers, will celebrate its Los Angeles premiere at the Pantages Theatre with a limited two week engagement from July 27 - August 8, 2010.

HAIRSPRAY, Broadway's musical comedy phenomenon that inspired a major motion picture is coming to The Earl Smith Strand Theatre (117 N. Park Square, Marietta) July 23 - August 8! This fantastically fun musical, winner of eight 2003 Tony Awards including Best Musical, celebrated over 6 record-breaking years during its Broadway run.

HAIRSPRAY is set to hit Atlanta from July 23rd until August 8th at the Lyric Theatre. Winner of eight Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Direction and Best Male and Female Lead to name a few, it's 'Hairspray!' The year is 1962 and Baltimore's Tracy Turnblad is going to do whatever it takes to dance her way onto TV's most popular show. Can a big girl with big dreams-and even bigger hair-turn the whole town around and still have time to win the boy she loves? Don't miss this dancing, romancing musical-comedy treat based on John Waters' 1988 film classic, with a book by Mark O'Donnell and two-time Tony Award-winner Thomas Meehan and a brand-new score by five-time Oscar-nominee Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

Cape Playhouse will present the Tony Award-Winning musical, HAIRSPRAY featuring Christopher Sieber, Liz Froio, Jim Walton, Patti Murin, and more! The hit musical is scheduled to run July 19-August 7.

La Jolla Playhouse announces the cast of its world-premiere musical Limelight: The Story of Charlie Chaplin, music and lyrics by Christopher Curtis, book by Christopher Curtis and Thomas Meehan and directed by Michael Unger, running September 7 - October 17, 2010 (media night: Sunday, September 19 at 7:00 pm) in the Mandell Weiss Theatre.

DLC Summer Stage is pleased to announce their upcoming production of Mel Brooks' mega-hit musical The Producers. Performances will be held at the Drama Learning Center from August 5-14 (complete schedule is below). The Producers once again sets the standard for modern, outrageous, in-your-face humor. With a truly hysterical book co-written by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan (Annie) and music and lyrics by Mr. Brooks, The Producers skewers Broadway traditions and takes no prisoners as it proudly proclaims itself an 'equal opportunity offender!' The 2001 Broadway Production broke all records and won a record 12 Tony Awards - including BEST MUSICAL - More than any other musical EVER!

Producer Jonathan Randall announced today that a brand new stage production of Broadway's musical comedy phenomenon that wowed Toronto for a fun-filled 33 weeks in 2004 and inspired a major motion picture is returning to Toronto's Bathurst Street Theatre for 5 performances only - September 30 - October 3, 2010.

Opening Thursday, DLC Summer Stage is pleased to announce their production of Mel Brooks' mega-hit musical The Producers. Performances will be held at the Drama Learning Center from August 5-14 (complete schedule is below).

Audiences will be whisked away to 1960s Baltimore when Pittsburgh CLO presents Hairspray July 20 - August 1 at the Benedum Center. Adapted for the stage from John Water's 1988 film, Hairspray ran on Broadway for over six years and has since become a toe-tapping hit all over the world.

BROADWAY BY THE BAY (BBBay), the Peninsula's premiere musical theatre company, continues its 45th season with a production of the classic Broadway musical ANNIE, running Thursday, July 15 through Sunday, August 1 at the San Mateo Performing Arts Center (600 N. Delaware Ave., San Mateo). Press night is scheduled for Friday, July 16, 2010.

Legacy Theatre's next mainstage production will be BABY, with a book written by Sybille Pearson, music by David Shire, and lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr. BABY will play from April 16 through May 2, 2010.

Writing on her blog today, Rosie O'Donnell answered a reader question about what Broadway role would interest her...

There is no denying that Mel Brooks is a comedy legend. Brooks' oeuvre--particularly his hilarious film work--harkens back to a time when getting laughs meant less cynical snark but, rather, more outlandish farce and the endless use of double-entendres and wordplay. YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, Brooks' stage musical iteration of his cult hit film--now performing at the Pantages Theatre through August 8--features plenty of Brooks' signature silliness, now paired with several relatively amusing songs, all penned by Brooks. However, the show somehow just stops short of becoming the universally beloved musical that Brooks' earlier show (The Producers) managed to be so much more effortlessly. But rest assured, this show will still coax a lot of smiles and many loud bursts of laughter out of you.