Vanessa Williams News

? The Kimmel Center in Philadelphia welcomes Kelli O'Hara, one of Broadway's greatest leading ladies, on June 14th for the finale of their season's concert series with Sirius XM Radio Star Seth Rudetsky.  O'Hara won the Tony Award one year ago today for her star performance in "The King and I".  The concert series produced by Mark Cortale began at the Kimmel Center in October with pianist/host Rudetsky and six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald and continued with two-time Tony winner Sutton Foster in February and Tony-nominated star Megan Hilty in May. What differentiates this concert series from any other is the seamless mix of intimate behind-the-scenes stories from Broadway's biggest stars - prompted by the encyclopedic-minded Rudetsky's probing, funny, revealing questions - and their stellar singing of musical theatre repertoire. For tickets and information please visit www.KimmelCenter.org or cal 215-893-1999.

Chad Kimball will share his Tony Award predictions, along with our Hosts, as well as his Broadway journey to the big night.  Mr. Kimball will also give his personal insight to thriving in 'show biz' by profiling his secondary, cross-over ambitions with an honest look at the challenges and triumphs involved.

TODAY'S BIG NEWS: SHE LOVES ME's Jane Krakowski is getting a portrait at Sardi's today, plus the company of YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN celebrates its opening night at the York Theatre!

Mark Cortale, Producing Artistic Director of The Art House in Provincetown, MA, has announced that 6-time Tony winner Audra McDonald will return to Provincetown on August 21 for one show only, joined by husband and fellow-Broadway star Will Swenson.  Matthew Morrison star of "Glee" and "Finding Neverland" is also slated to join pianist & host Seth Rudetsky for the Broadway @ Town Hall series on August 7th.  The Art House's hotly anticipated 2016 summer season will also include artists like Vanessa Williams, Kristin Chenoweth, Patti LuPone, Cheyenne Jackson, the Indigo Girls, Megan Hilty, Judy Kuhn, Gavin Creel and Steve Grand, among others. This summer, the venue's marquee Broadway concert series will again encompass performances at both The Art House as well as Provincetown's Town Hall. The Broadway @ Town Hall concert series will help raise funds for the Tyler Clementi Foundation. For Tickets visit www.ptownarthouse.com or call 800-838-3006.

Producer Mark Cortale has announced that 6-time Tony winner Audra McDonald will join the debut season of Broadway @ The Performing Arts Center on Martha's Vineyard on Monday, August 22 for one show only. She will be joined onstage by husband and fellow-Broadway star Will Swenson, and Sirius XM Radio star Seth Rudetsky as pianist and host

The Syracuse University Department of Drama packs three musicals, a wild comedy, a classic Shaw, and a never-before-produced contemporary comedy into a season full of surprises and infrequently performed theatrical gems. Beginning with the musical Nine, the 2016/2017 season includes Laura and the Sea, Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's Mary Poppins (co-produced with Syracuse Stage), The King Stag, Major Barbara, and From Berlin to Broadway With Kurt Weill: A Musical Voyage. 

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, Drama Desk winners Vanessa Williams and Matthew Morrison announced the nominations for the 61st Annual Drama Desk Awards last week, April 28. However, the 'Best Book of a Musical' category was not included this year. After being shamed on social media for leaving the category out of the initial nominations, the Drama Desk Awards (without announcement) quietly added the category back this afternoon on their web site.

The 'Best Book of a Musical' category was not included in the Drama Desk nominations this year. In response to this development, Doug Wright, President of the Dramatists Guild of America, wrote a letter to the Drama Desk's president saying he and his team are 'painfully aggrieved' this season's book writers aren't being given the credit they deserve.

Gearing up for Tony Award nomination this coming week? Didn't have time to check in on your favorite Broadway stars? Well don't worry BroadwayWorld has rounded up some of the biggest stories from this week from Broadway and beyond with BroadwayWorld's 'This Week in Pictures.'

Drama Desk, Tony, and Emmy Award nominee and Theater World Award and NAACP Image Award winner Vanessa Williams and Drama Desk, Tony, Emmy, Golden Globe, and Drama League Award Nominee and SAG & TV Land Award winner Matthew Morrison announced the nominations for the 61st Annual Drama Desk Awards just yesterday. Check out a look inside the announcement below!

This weekend's big news: Will Swenson joins DISASTER!, the 2016 Lucille Lortel Awards take place on Sunday, and DEAR EVAN HANSEN opens off-Broadway!

N'Kenge (Motown: The Musical, Sondheim on Sondheim), returns to Oklahoma City Philharmonic as a featured soloist to perform in the concert "All That Jazz: A Symphonic Celebration of the Duo Kander and Ebb.' The Philharmonic with conductor Joel Levine will take audiences on a musical journey showcasing the musical genius of this Tony Award Winning Duo featuring songs from their hit shows Cabaret, Chicago, Scottsboro boys and more. N'Kenge will be joined by Tony award winner Beth Leavel, Jersey Boys's Kirsten Scott, Phantom of the Opera's Tedd Keegan and Concert Soloist Ron Remke.

Today in 2002, the first Broadway revival of Into the Woods opened at the Broadhurst Theatre, where it ran for 279 performances. Into the Woods is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It debuted in San Diego at the Old Globe Theatre in 1986, and premiered on Broadway in 1987. Into the Woods won several Tony Awards, including Best Score, Best Book, and Best Actress in a Musical (Joanna Gleason), in a year dominated by The Phantom of the Opera. The main characters are taken from the stories of Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and Cinderella, tied together by a more original story involving a baker and his wife and their quest to begin a family, most likely taken from the original story of Rapunzel by the Brothers Grimm.

Drama Desk, Tony®, and Emmy® Award nominee and Theater World Award and NAACP Image Award winner Vanessa Williams (Into The Woods, The Trip to Bountiful, 'Ugly Betty') and Drama Desk, Tony®, Emmy, Golden Globe, and Drama League Award Nominee and SAG & TV Land Award winner Matthew Morrison (Finding Neverland, Hairspray, The Light in the Piazza, 'Glee') just announced the nominations for the 61st Annual Drama Desk Awards.

Drama Desk, Tony®, and Emmy® Award nominee and Theater World Award and NAACP Image Award winner Vanessa Williams (Into The Woods, The Trip to Bountiful, 'Ugly Betty') and Drama Desk, Tony®, Emmy, Golden Globe, and Drama League Award Nominee and SAG & TV Land Award winner Matthew Morrison (Finding Neverland, Hairspray, The Light in the Piazza, 'Glee') will announce the nominations for the 61st Annual Drama Desk Awards on Thursday, April 28th, 2016 at 10:00 AM at Feinstein's/54 Below (254 W. 54th Street), it was announced today by Charles Wright, Drama Desk President and Gretchen Shugart, CEO of TheaterMania.com.

Below, BroadwayWorld brings you a chart that illustrates the number of Drama League nominees that were subsequently nominated for Tony Awards. Additionally, we calculated the percentage of eligible nominees that earned Tony Awards in the past nine years (discounting Off-Broadway nominations). Check out the chances that this year's DD nominees have at a Tony nod below!

Today's big news: The 2016 Drama Desk nominees will be announced this morning, 'SHUFFLE ALONG' opens on Broadway, and Kelli O'Hara and Victoria Clark star in MasterVoices' DIDO AND AENEAS, starting tonight!

Producer Mark Cortale is bringing his acclaimed Broadway concert series to Martha's Vineyard this summer. Since launching the fledgling Broadway @ The Art House concert series with Sirius XM Radio Star Seth Rudetsky in Provincetown in 2011, the Broadway @ series has become a veritable star-magnet and has exploded beyond picturesque P-Town to launch outposts everywhere from Los Angeles to London.

Hottest Articles on BroadwayWorld.com from this weekend Sunday, April 24, 2016 - Sunday, April 24, 2016.