Vanessa Williams News

A staged reading of SHARPIES, a new comedy by Eugene Pack, is set for Guild Hall's Staged Reading Series in East Hampton tonight, August 20th at 8 p.m.

A staged reading of SHARPIES, a new comedy by Eugene Pack, is set for Guild Hall's Staged Reading Series in East Hampton on Thursday, August 20th at 8 p.m.

The acclaimed Broadway @ Town Hall concert series in Provincetown, MA, produced by Mark Cortale, will welcome Audra McDonald -- the historic 6-time Tony-winner and star of Broadway's LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR AND GRILL, PORGY AND BESS, RAGTIME, MASTER CLASS and TV's PRIVATE PRACTICE -- for one show only on Monday, August 24 at 6:30 PM. She will be joined onstage by a very special guest, her husband and fellow Broadway star Will Swenson.

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) presents this year's spectacular Spotlight Gala of the Women's Association of NJPAC features a glittering lineup of Tony Award winners and nominees in a salute to the songs of Stephen Sondheim. Stars include Judy Kuhn (Fun Home), James Monroe Iglehart (Aladdin), Vanessa Williams (Into the Woods) and Tony Yazbeck (On the Town), all under the musical direction of Seth Rudetsky. Note: This 90-minute program includes a 15-minute awards ceremony. Saturday, October 3, 2015 7:00 PM at Prudential Hall. Get your tickets now at NJPAC.org or 888.GO.NJPAC (888.466.5722)

The Art House in Provincetown, MA recently announced that Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker will join his inaugural Broadway @ Town Hall series featuring SiriusXM radio's Seth Rudetsky as pianist and host for one night only tonight, August 17th.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Today's big news: MERCURY FUR and DROP DEAD PERFECT start off-Broadway, OCTOBER SKY hits the Windy City stage, and the Industry Dance Awards recognize Broadway talent!

Tony Award Nominee Kerry Butler, star of 'Xanadu,' 'Rock of Ages,' 'Hairspray' & 'Catch Me If You Can' will make her Provincetown debut this weekend, August 14 & 15 at 7:00 PM, featuring series host and SiriusXM radio star Seth Rudetsky at the piano.

Mark Cortale, Producing Artistic Director of The Art House in Provincetown, MA recently announced that Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker will join his inaugural Broadway @ Town Hall series featuring SiriusXM radio's Seth Rudetsky as pianist and host for one night only on August 17th. Broderick and Parker will both sing and be part of an unforgettable evening that includes hilarious conversation and great songs. They have not appeared together on stage for nearly two decades since the Broadway revival of 'How To Succeed...' Parker actually began her career on Broadway in the title role of Annie and also starred in the Broadway musical 'Once Upon A Mattress.' Matthew Broderick is a two-time Tony Award winner for Neil Simon's 'Brighton Beach Memoirs' and for 'How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.' Sarah Jessica Parker won four Golden Globe Awards, three SAG Awards and two Emmy Awards as Carrie Bradshaw on the long-running HBO series 'Sex and the City'. The couple will be appearing for one night only in Provincetown on August 17th at 6:00 PM and 8:30 PM. The Broadway @ Town Hall concert series will benefit the Tyler Clementi Foundation. For Tickets visit www.ptownarthouse.com or call 800-838-3006.

Tony Award Nominee Kerry Butler, star of 'Xanadu,' 'Rock of Ages,' 'Hairspray' & 'Catch Me If You Can' will make her Provincetown debut on August 14 & 15 at 7:00 PM, featuring series host and SiriusXM radio star Seth Rudetsky at the piano.

In May of 2014, Norm Lewis made history as the first African American Phantom in 'The Phantom of the Opera' on Broadway. This summer, this weekend, August 7 & 8 at 7:00 PM, he makes his debut in the critically acclaimed Broadway @ The Art House concert series in Provincetown, MA, hosted by SiriusXM star Seth Rudetsky at the piano.

PBS has announced their lineup for this year's Arts Fall Festival, and theatre fans will be excited. Performances range from SHOW BOAT to ACT ONE, and feature performers such as Chita Rivera, Vanessa Williams, Norm Lewis, Kate Baldwin, and many more familiar Broadway names.

 In May of 2014, Norm Lewis made history as the first African American Phantom in 'The Phantom of the Opera' on Broadway. This summer, on August 7 & 8 at 7:00 PM, he makes his debut in the critically acclaimed Broadway @ The Art House concert series in Provincetown, MA, hosted by SiriusXM star Seth Rudetsky at the piano. What differentiates this concert series from any other is the seamless mix of intimate, funny and revealing behind-the-scenes stories from Broadway's biggest stars and their stellar singing of musical theatre repertoire. For tickets and information visit www.ptownarthouse.com  or call 800-838-3006.

Mark Cortale, Producing Artistic Director of The Art House in Provincetown, MA has announced that cabaret star Roslyn Kind will join the critically acclaimed Broadway @ The Art House series for two shows only on July 31 and August 1 at 7:00 PM. The production is directed by Richard Jay-Alexander who has directed productions for Barbra Streisand (who is also Ms. Kind's big sister), as well as for Kristin Chenoweth, Il Divo, Bette Midler and Well-Strung. Musical Direction is by Alex Rybeck, with Jered Egan on bass and Dan Gross on Drums.  For tickets and information visit www.ptownarthouse.com  or call 800-838-3006.

Lines are blurring. Gender-bending is seemingly everywhere these days, from high fashion ads to news coverage to I AM CAIT, Queen Latifah as The Wiz and beyond. Furthermore, one of the most provocative and popular stories of last week was the news of a Canadian regional production of A CHORUS LINE casting a male actor in the leading role of Cassie, renamed Casey. With the additional angle of Broadway currently being abuzz with the appearance of stage and screen star Taye Diggs stepping into the iconic high heels of the titular character in the recently multi-Tony Award-winning musical HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH - itself centered on a transsexual character - it seems as though now would be the ideal time to consider some other musical theatre mainstays and how they could be re-purposed and refreshed with a gender-bended twist. Although certain roles seems tailor-made to such treatment, it is illuminating to consider the rich possibilities that could potentially be afforded in the experience of witnessing the right performer of perhaps the perceivably wrong sex tackling a role normally associated with the opposite gender. Who knows, maybe a female Phantom or a make Elphaba are not that wildly spurious or far-fetched to consider given the compelling performances that have been given by unlikely actors in roles traditionally portrayed in a certain way. Theatre is nothing without reinvention and these are my top 10 picks for musicals I would like to see taken on with fresh eyes and a new outlook.

N'Kenge (Motown: The Musical, Sondheim on Sondheim) returns to The Cleveland Orchestra as a featured soloist in Broadway Divas under the direction of Conductor Jack Everly for one night only on August 2, 2015 at 7pm. 

Mark Cortale, Producing Artistic Director of The Art House in Provincetown, MA has announced that cabaret star Roslyn Kind will join the critically acclaimed Broadway @ The Art House series for two shows only on July 31 and August 1 at 7:00 PM. The production is directed by Richard Jay-Alexander who has directed productions for Barbra Streisand (who is also Ms. Kind's big sister), as well as for Kristin Chenoweth, Il Divo, Bette Midler and Well-Strung. Musical Direction is by Alex Rybeck, with Jered Egan on bass and Dan Gross on Drums.  For tickets and information visit www.ptownarthouse.com  or call 800-838-3006.

With breaking news arising late last week of Glenn Close being considered for a return to her Tony Award-winning role in Andrew Lloyd Webber, Don Black and Christopher Hampton's Tony Award-winning Best Musical SUNSET BOULEVARD as well as the show's anniversary of its original West End world premiere opening on July 12, now is an absolutely opportune time to turn back the clock to 1993 and see what precisely makes SUNSET BOULEVARD so spectacular - and muse on some of the major talent that could bring the type of big-time attention that would warrant a major revival of the musical, whether on Broadway, the West End or even the silver screen. Given that the original Billy Wilder film was penned with Gloria Swanson in mind and ultimately became a roman a clef of sorts for the unique star as well as considering the sordid history of original lead Patti LuPone and her odyssey in starring in the show, not to mention the victorious and memorable highs achieved by the leading ladies who have headlined the show - which, post-Close, included Betty Buckley, Rita Moreno, Diahann Carroll, Elaine Paige and more - the role is ripe for a star of epic proportions to introduce one of Andrew Lloyd Webber's most acclaimed musicals to a new generation. And, the time is now. The possibilities are virtually endless, but here are some particularly delectable ideas as we begin to consider who would be absolutely ideal for a new Norma Desmond fit for 2015.

Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) presents Smokey Joe's Cafe, playing tonight, July 14, through July 19 for TUTS' 48th consecutive year of offering FREE musical theatre at Miller Outdoor Theatre.

The Flomenhaft Gallery in Chelsea is proud to host the National YoungArts Foundation Visual Artists Second Invitational, running July 9 - August 15, 2015. Opening Reception: Tonight, July 9, 6 - 8 pm.