William Finn News

Kaufman Center's Broadway Close Up takes you behind the scenes of musicals old and new with eye-opening interviews and inspiring performances by some of Broadway's greatest talents.

For one night only, stage and screen star Linda Lavin brought POSSIBILITIES to Barrington Stage Company, with Billy Stritch on the piano. Featuring an eclectic mix of Broadway standards and cabaret songs, Tony and Golden Globe-winning actress Linda Lavin's new cabaret shows you why Stephen Holden of The New York Times calls her "…a human tornado who lets nothing stand in her way…She has a jazz side, can swing and scat and even growl like Louis Armstrong, and displays a special fondness for Brazilian bossa nova."

Bay Street Theatre presents the final production of the 2013 Mainstage Season with A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, beginning August 6 and running through September 1. The show stars Peter Scolari with Conrad John Schuck and Jackie Hoffman. The book is by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart with lyrics and music by Stephen Sondheim; music direction by Ethyl Will; and directed and choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge.

MAC Award-winning vocal group Marquee Five will star in 'Broadway By The Letter: Act One', directed by Lennie Watts with Dan Feyer on Piano on Sunday, August 4, 2013 at 7pm at the South Orange Performing Arts Center One SOPAC Way, South Orange, NJ.

The hilarious Broadway musical THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE opens July 18th at Ocean County College.

Barrington Stage Company (BSC), the award-winning theatre in downtown Pittsfield, MA, under the leadership of Julianne Boyd, Artistic Director, and Tristan Wilson, Managing Director, presents the BSC Musical Theatre Lab (William Finn Artistic Producer) world premiere production of Southern Comfort, a new musical with book and lyrics by Dan Collins and music by Julianne Wick Davis, directed by Thomas Caruso (Associate Director of Broadway's Matilda).

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director) has found its LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE. Nine-year old HANNAH ROSE NORDBERG will play Olive Hoover, who aspires to the coveted title of 'Little Miss Sunshine,' in this new musical comedy from Tony Award winners JAMES LAPINE (book/direction) and WILLIAM FINN (music and lyrics).

Today we are talking to a passionate and prolific performer who has appeared in a number of impressive properties over the course of his career thus far - Milky White in the most recent Broadway revival of INTO THE WOODS to his starring roles in MEMPHIS and beyond - the charming Chad Kimball.

On Sunday June 23 consummate singer Eileen Barnett brought a new version of her night club show to Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal entitled You Must Believe in Spring with superb musical direction from John Boswell and crisp direction from Kristen Benton Chandler.

Second Stage Theatre's (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director) upcoming 35th Anniversary Season will kick off with the previously announced new musical LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, by James Lapine and William Finn, and will continue with the New York premiere of Quiara Alegria Hudes' THE HAPPIEST SONG PLAYS LAST, the follow-up to last season's acclaimed Pulitzer Prize-winning, Water by the Spoonful, and the final play in Ms. Hudes' Elliot trilogy, directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson. The season will also include the New York Premiere of Laura Eason's provocative play,SEX WITH STRANGERS, directed by David Schwimmer.

The show's Tony Award-winning creative team has created the unlikeliest of hit musicals about the unlikeliest of heroes: a quirky yet charming cast of outsiders for whom a spelling bee is the one place where they can stand out and fit in at the same time. Check out a first look below!

Premiere Stages is proud to present the New Jersey Premiere of Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris from July 11th through July 29th in the Zella Fry Theatre at Kean University. Directed by Wes Grantom, this Tony Award-winning play is an exceptionally witty and deliciously dry satire that explores the reactions of Clybourne Park's 1950s all-white community when a couple unknowingly sells their house to a black family. The tables of gentrification turn when - fifty years later - the now all-black community greets the news of an impending sale to a white family with the same level of apprehension.

Playhouse Jr., Point Park University's family and children's theatre company and the nation's second oldest continuously running children's theatre company, will celebrate its 65th season with three engaging productions that can be enjoyed by all ages.

Completing the programming for the 10th annual New York Musical Theatre Festival, NYMF announced several additional concerts, a series of educational workshops, and a "Musicals on Television" screening series in partnership with the Paley Center for Media. This year's Festival will begin July 8th and continue through July 28th. Single tickets are currently on sale.

Barrington Stage Company, the award-winning theatre in downtown Pittsfield, MA, under the leadership ofJulianne Boyd Artistic Director and TriStan Wilson Managing Director, presents the Bernstein/Comden/Green musical On the Town now through July 13 on the Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, 30 Union Street, Pittsfield. The show just opened and you can check out photos from opening night below!

The New York Musical Theater Festival will present a one-night-only staged concert featuring the music and lyrics of the 2013 Kleban Award-winning writer Daniel Mate on Monday July 15th with performances at 6:30pm and 9:30pm.

Barrington Stage Company, the award-winning theatre in downtown Pittsfield, MA, under the leadership of Julianne Boyd Artistic Director and TriStan Wilson Managing Director, presents the Bernstein/Comden/Green musical On the Town now through July 13 on the Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, 30 Union Street, Pittsfield. The press opening was last night, June 16 at 5pm. The show just held a post show talk-back with Amanda Green and William Finn and you can check out photos from the event below!

Today we are talking to an exceptionally accomplished actress known for her many leading and featured roles in a number of illustrious musical theatre properties - among them, part of the original Broadway casts of FALSETTOS, CITY OF ANGELS, PARADE, LESTAT, THE ADDAMS FAMILY, SCANDALOUS and many more - the gifted and genuine Carolee Carmello. Discussing many aspects of originating roles in those aforementioned shows as well as her replacement gigs in everything from KISS ME, KATE to SISTER ACT and MAMMA MIA!, Carmello sheds some light on her process in bringing such a striking series of characters to life onstage eight times a week, including creating roles Off-Broadway in ELEGIES, HELLO AGAIN and JOHN & JEN. Additionally, Carmello shares stories from the set of NBC's musical drama series SMASH as well as comments on other potential roles she would like to pursue someday. Most importantly, Carmello previews her highly anticipated performance at this Monday night's NIGHT OF A THOUSAND JUDYS and comments upon her affection for the iconic Ms. Garland. Plus, Carmello shares behind-the-scenes stories involving many of her notable collaborators and inspirations such as William Finn, Stephen Sondheim, Kathie Lee Gifford and she also expresses enthusiasm for her upcoming turn in the new musical TUCK EVERLASTING, set to premiere later this season. All of that, early Broadway and touring memories from CHESS, LES MISERABLES, CITY OF ANGELS, observations on the newly-released SCANDALOUS cast recording and much, much more in this career-spanning conversation.

In 'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee', set to open today, June 15 at the Washington County Playhouse Dinner Theater in Hagerstown, Maryland, all of the hilarious and heartwarming events you wish had happened at your own childhood spelling bee actually occur, and they are turned into musical numbers!

Here's a listing of the top ten places that are really burning it up in theater this summer, in Chicago and the region nearby. Seek them out, and enjoy!