Tom Hewitt News

Olympic gymnast, Cathy Rigby, will once again take flight in her Tony nominated and Emmy Award winning role as the boy who won't grow up, Peter Pan.

Reprise Theatre Company's production of the classic American musical 'Cabaret,' which opens the 2011-2012 Reprise season and plays September 13 to 25 (press opening September 14, 2011) at UCLA's Freud Playhouse, includes a cast of new talents as well as Broadway and West End veterans - Zach Bandler as Ernst Ludwig, Lisa O'Hare as Sally Bowles, Jeff McLean as Cliff Bradshaw, Katrina Lenk as Fräulein Kost, Mary Gordon Murray as Fräulein Schneider, Robert Picardo as Herr Schultz and Bryce Ryness as the Master of Ceremonies.

Olivier Award Winner Lesli Margherita (ZORRO - West End) makes her NYC nightclub debut with her critically acclaimed act ALL HAIL THE QUEEN (HAIL YES!). The show will play Tuesday, August 9th at 10:00pm at The Midtown Theatre (163 W. 46th St. NYC).

Olivier Award Winner Lesli Margherita (ZORRO - West End) makes her NYC nightclub debut with her critically acclaimed act ALL HAIL THE QUEEN (HAIL YES!).

Splash's Musical Mondays is proud to present a very special edition of 'Curtain Call' with funny girl Lesli Margherita. On August 1st, directly following the video clip extravaganza, host Emily McNamara welcomes Lesli as she makes her 'Curtain Call' debut.

Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF), the not-for-profit foundation of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), has opened the nomination process for The Zelda Fichandler Award, which awards an unrestricted grant of $5000 to an outstanding director or choreographer making an exceptional contribution to the national arts landscape through theatre work in a region.

Splash's Musical Mondays is proud to present a very special edition of 'Curtain Call' with funny girl Lesli Margherita. On August 1st, directly following the video clip extravaganza, host Emily McNamara welcomes Lesli as she makes her 'Curtain Call' debut.

Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF), the not-for-profit foundation of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), has opened the nomination process for The Zelda Fichandler Award, which awards an unrestricted grant of $5000 to an outstanding director or choreographer making an exceptional contribution to the national arts landscape through theatre work in a region.

Olivier Award Winner Lesli Margherita (ZORRO - West End) makes her NYC nightclub debut with her critically acclaimed act ALL HAIL THE QUEEN (HAIL YES!).

Following closely on the heels of Shakespeare Festival St. Louis' sparkling 1950's update of THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, audiences at the Muny get the unique opportunity to compare and contrast the original with the musical remake as KISS ME KATE takes the stage in wondrous fashion. The chance to hear a swinging ensemble play Cole Porter's terrific score is reason enough to take in this production of Kiss Me Kate, but when you add in the eye-catching costumes, enthusiastic performances and lively dance numbers, you have the complete package.

The 2011 Muny Season kicked off this week with the Muny premiere of LEGALLY BLONDE (June 20 - 26). Next, the Cole Porter favorite KISS ME, KATE (June 27 - July 3) will grace the stage. Following will be the Muny and St. Louis premiere of Disney's THE LITTLE MERMAID (July 6 - 14), opening Wednesday, and featuring 2 extra performances! Tapping its way across the Muny stage next will be SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (July 18 - 24). Complete casting for KISS ME, KATE has been announced!

Random Unrelated Projects, the first feature film by award-winning independent filmmaker/playwright Aaron Mark (Zbornik Developing, Commentary), featuring a cast of Broadway veterans, will be screened on Saturday, July 2nd at 9:00 PM at Anthology Film Archives as part of NewFilmmakers New York (newfilmmakers.com).

The 2011 Muny Season kicked off this week with the Muny premiere of LEGALLY BLONDE (June 20 - 26). Next, the Cole Porter favorite KISS ME, KATE (June 27 - July 3) will grace the stage. Following will be the Muny and St. Louis premiere of Disney's THE LITTLE MERMAID (July 6 - 14), opening Wednesday, and featuring 2 extra performances! Tapping its way across the Muny stage next will be SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (July 18 - 24). Complete casting for KISS ME, KATE has been announced!

Alley Theatre Board President Rob Reedy, the Managing Partner of Porter Hedges LLP, announced at today's Annual Board Meeting that Artistic Director Gregory Boyd and Managing Director Dean R. Gladden signed new five-year contracts with the Alley beginning fiscal year 2011-2012 and continuing through fiscal year 2015-2016.

The St. Louis Municipal Theatre (Muny), the oldest open-air theater in the United States, has announced their 2011 summer season. Shows include: The Muny premiere of Legally Blonde (June 20 - 26); Kiss Me, Kate (June 27 - July 3); The Little Mermaid (July 6 - 14); Singin' in the Rain (July 18 - 24); Little Shop of Horrors (July 25 - 31); Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (August 1 - 7); and Bye Bye Birdie (August 8 - 14).

THE THREEPENNY OPERA to WICKED to ROCKY HORROR to PASSION onstage - and, before that, believe it or not: THE REAL LIVE BRADY BUNCH TOUR - in addition to SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE to MEAN GIRLS on screens large and small: the multi-talented Ana Gasteyer continues to surprise us with every new venture - and aren't we lucky! Ms. Gasteyer's exceedingly elegant new cabaret show at Feinstein's, appropriately titled ELEGANT SONGS FROM A HANDSOME WOMAN - this coming Monday at 8:30 PM, and also on Monday, June 27 - will give her a chance to show off her considerable singing skills. In this all-encompassing interview we discuss the inspiration and ideas involved in her new cabaret piece and exactly what we can expect on Monday night, plus all about her upcoming multi-episode arc on HBO's CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM and co-starring in a brand new ABC series coming this Fall, SUBURGATORY. Additionally, we parse her stage work with everyone from Joe Mantello to Mary Zimmermann and her experiences working on live TV for six years on NBC's SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE - plus, first news about her role in Tyler Perry's WE THE PEOPLES and her recollections on the fantastic REEFER MADNESS: THE MOVIE MUSICAL - as well as working with Raul Esparza, Lindsay Lohan, Tina Fey, Larry David - and much, much more!

The music from Frank Wilhorn's DRACULA will finally be available to theatre fans everywhere, as GlobalVision Records has just released the Studio Cast Recording of the show. Featuring the talents of Broadway favorites Kate Shindle, Lauren Kennedy, James Barbour, Norm Lewis, Euan Morton, and Rob Evan, the new album is available now on iTunes, and will be available on Amazon.com later this week

Today we are featuring one of Broadway's most accomplished and charismatic leading men who has solidified himself as one of the premiere theatrical interpreters of our age in his performances on Broadway in both musicals and plays, off-Broadway and even in Shakespeare-In-The-Park productions: Raul Esparza. Mr. Esparza can certainly do it all and even though he has yet to take home a Tony Award of his own, he has enacted two of the most memorable recent performances on the yearly telecast: first, in his Broadway debut role as Riff Raff in the 2000 revival of THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW and, most recently, performing a full-bodied, soul-bared "Being Alive" from COMPANY. So, let's take a look back at those two unforgettable performances and perhaps surprise or two, as well!