Tom Kitt News

Symphony Space pays exuberant homage to the Great White Way with Project B-way/95, a two-week celebration comprising 14 events, now through April 20. A particular highlight is this year's installment of Symphony Space's signature event, WALL TO WALL STEPHEN SCHWARTZ (tonight, April 16).

Goodman Theatre has announced Broadway stars John Dossett and Douglas Sills will join the cast of War Paint, a new musical starring two-time Tony Award winners Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole as Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden, respectively. Dossett will portray Tommy Lewis, Miss Arden's husband and chief marketing officer, and Sills will portray the ambitious Harry Fleming, Madame Rubinstein's clubby confidante and faithful ally.  

If/Then, a musical from the creators of Next to Normal and the director of Rent, opened last night at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto. The show, which was written as a star vehicle for Idina Menzel, is one of the most exhilarating new musicals I've seen in a decade – and mere moments in any concerns that the show lacks something without a celebrity in the lead were put to rest.

Ghostlight Records will release the world premiere recording of the acclaimed musical JASPER IN DEADLAND online and in stores on Friday, May 20.

Today in 2009, Next to Normal opened at the Booth Theatre, where it ran for 733 performances. Next to Normal is a rock musical with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt. Its story concerns a mother who struggles with worsening bipolar disorder and the effect that her illness has on her family. The musical also addresses such issues as grieving a loss, suicide, drug abuse, ethics in modern psychiatry, and suburban life. It was nominated for eleven 2009 Tony Awards and won three, Best Original Score, Best Orchestration and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Alice Ripley. It also won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, becoming just the eighth musical in history to receive the honor.

Vassar & New York Stage and Film have announced a few of the projects tapped for the upcoming 32nd Powerhouse Season, the annual summer season which stages full productions of new plays, workshop presentations of new plays and musicals, and readings of other works in progress, among other developmental programming. 

Broadway In Chicago and The SpongeBob Musical have set complete casting for the Chicago engagement, announcing that Carlos Lopez has joined the cast as Mr. Krabs.

Grammy Award winning Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records - the premiere force in theater music and cast recordings - have added a slew of new performers to its all-star concert to celebrate the label's landmark "Sweet 16" Birthday on Thursday, April 14 at 7:30 PM.

For community theatres, producing a musical can be ambitious for any number of reasons; the difficulty of the music, the complexity of the dramatic content, the number of settings required, the size of the cast needed, but it is difficult to imagine a more ambitious project than the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center's recent production of BRING IT ON THE MUSICAL. Though the stage adaptation's story, script, and score are completely original, they do draw inspiration from the series of teen films of the same name set in the high-stakes world of competitive high school cheerleading. Against that backdrop, the story is a funny, surprisingly touching tale of female empowerment and friendship.

Ghostlight Records has released the original cast recording of the world premiere musical FIRST DAUGHTER SUITE -- written by Michael John LaChiusa and directed by Kirsten Sanderson. The physical CD will be online and in stores today, April 1.

Symphony Space pays exuberant homage to the Great White Way with Project B-way/95, a two-week celebration comprising 14 events, April 7 - 20. A particular highlight is this year's installment of Symphony Space's signature event, WALL TO WALL STEPHEN SCHWARTZ (Saturday, April 16).

John Jay College of Criminal Justice has just announced it will honor Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tony- and Grammy Award-winning composer, lyricist, performer, and 2015 MacArthur Foundation Award recipient, as part of its Educating for Justice Gala on Monday, May 23, 2016.

The National Tour of IF/THEN, which was named the 'Best Musical of the Year' by New York Magazine, will perform a limited engagement at Detroit's Fisher Theatre, March 29 - April 10, 2016.

Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer and Managing Director Maggie Boland announce the full lineup for Signature Theatre's 2016/17 season, including the previously announced production of Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey's FREAKY FRIDAY.

Symphony Space pays exuberant homage to the Great White Way with Project B-way/95, a two-week celebration comprising 14 events, April 7 - 20. Curated and Produced by Joel Fram andAnnette Jolles, and named for the intersection where Symphony Space stands, Project B-way/95 salutes Broadway with an exciting array of concerts, tributes, film screenings, discussions, workshops, and more. Anchored by three starry concerts in the Sharp Theatre - an evening with the incomparable Patti LuPone (Tuesday, April 19), the cheerfully nepotistic "All in the Family" with Kelli O'Hara (Monday, April 11), and this year's installment of Symphony Space's signature event, Wall to Wall Stephen Schwartz (Saturday, April 16) - Project B-way/95 offers something for every lover of American musical theater. Tickets for all events are available at symphonyspace.org.

The American Theatre Wing celebrates its 2016 Jonathan Larson Grants recipients: Cesar Alvarez (book, music and lyrics), Nikko Benson (music and lyrics), Carson Kreitzer (book and lyrics), and Sam Salmond (book, music, and lyrics).

After a landmark year which yielded an unprecedented Centennial Season and the coveted Regional Theatre Tony Award®, Cleveland Play House (CPH) is following up on the heels of the past year's success with a dynamic, stimulating and engaging 2016-17 Season.  CPH staff, led by Artistic Director Laura Kepley, announced the titles of the new season today on the Allen Theatre stage to a full house.  The theme of this season is "moving forward" and audiences will have plenty to look forward to with a season that encompasses history, mystery, comedy, drama and even a brand new Disney musical.  CPH's 101st Season would not be possible without CPH's generous sponsors, donors, patrons, and community partners.

Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey's new musical adaptation of FREAKY FRIDAY is set for a second regional production at the Cleveland Playhouse for the spring of 2017. This announcement confirms that FREAKY FRIDAY will not be heading to Broadway and will continue to follow the MTI trajectory. As BroadwayWorld previously reported, the musical will also play the Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA this fall.

TheaterWorks under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero has announced its 2016-2017 Season. Rob said, 'I couldn't be more excited. We've got a great line-up of wonderful stories with new works by audience favorites Mark St Germain, Jacques Lamarre and David Lutken. I'm excited to introduce a new playwright to TheaterWorks in SUNSET BABY'S Dominique Morriseau - one of the most distinctive voices in America. I am also thrilled that we'll be producing our most ambitious and challenging musical to date - Pulitzer Prize winning NEXT TO NORMAL. This is a season to that will entertain, inspire and touch your heart.'

The Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning Keen Company will present a benefit reading in honor of the Tenth Season of Keen Teens on Monday March 21st at The Clurman Theatre, Theatre Row.   Casts will feature current Keen Teens, KT alumni, and professional actors including Heidi Armbruster, Laura Esterman, Peter Jay Fernandez, Autumn Hurlbert, Ted Koch, KK Moggie, Lauren Molina, Chris Perfetti, Jay Russell, Conor Ryan, and Keen Artistic Director Jonathan Silverstein as 'Principal Forsman.' All proceeds from the 10th Anniversary Readings will help support the continued growth of the Keen Teens program.