William Finn News

Philadelphia Theatre Company will present PTC@Play, a two-week festival of new work on February 2-March 11 at PTC's home at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre (Broad and Lombard Streets).

At a press conference held at Barrington Stage Company's Stage 2, Artistic Director Julianne Boyd announced the complete season of performances that will take place in Downtown Pittsfield in the Mainstage, Stage 2 and Youth Theatre venues in 2012. Single tickets will go on sale February 15. Mainstage Flex Passes and Stage 2 Passes are on sale now by calling 413-236-8888 or online at www.barringtonstageco.org.

On Wednesday, January 25 at 7 p.m., the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust will present the New York premiere of The Chosen, a staged reading of the play based on the 1967 novel by Chaim Potok.

Bay Street Players will present the Tony Award winning musical, THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE from February 3rd through February 26th.

"The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" a musical about six youngsters competing in a spelling contest, begins a two-weekend run at Multi-Cultural Arts Center in downtown Merced on Friday, January 20 at 7:30 pm

Casting has been completed for New York City Center's upcoming Encores! production of Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along, the first New York City Center Encores! production of the season. Merrily We Roll Along, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by George Furth, will be directed by James Lapine with music direction by Rob Berman and musical staging by Dan Knechtges. Merrily has been extended for a two-week run and will play for 15 performances, February 8-19, 2012, at New York City Center, 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues.

The John W. Engeman Theater at Northport has announced the cast and creative team for the Neil Simon comedy, The Sunshine Boys.

After several readings in 2011 (and a hiatus to perform in Cathy Rigby's PETER PAN), Steven Strafford is bringing back METHTACULAR! for another set of newly work-shopped presentations at TACT Studio.

Lincoln Center's acclaimed series American Songbook returns to the elegant Allen Room in January for its fourteenth season celebrating the diversity of American popular song. Closing out Week One of the series was composer William Finn (Falsettos, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), along with guest vocalists, performing a song cycle inspired by the poetry of William Blake. BroadwayWorld was there for the concert, and we bring you full photo coverage from the event below!

Broadway's Betty Buckley will bring her solo show 'Ah, Men! The Boys of Broadway!' to Sunset Center in Carmel, CA on February 4.

The erstwhile jazz singer has such musical theater heavyweights as Michael Mayer, Tom Kitt and William Finn in her corner.

Classic Stage Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Kulick, will next season present new production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Tony Award-winning musical PASSION, to be directed by John Doyle (the Tony Award-winning revivals of Sondheim's Sweeney Todd and Company). PASSION is slated to begin performances in February, 2013.

TV: Lin-Manuel Miranda & Mandy Gonzalez Perform 'Empire State Of Mind' at AMERICAN SONGBOOK! Lincoln Center's acclaimed series American Songbook has returned to the Allen Room for its fourteenth season celebrating the diversity of American popular song. For 16 nights the series is exploring the best of the golden age of musical standards through to today's most dynamic songwriting. The series kicked off last night, January 11, with a concert by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The evening opened with a surprise appearance by his In The Heights co-star, Mandy Gonzalez, for a remix of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' Gotham anthem, 'Empire State of Mind'.

Starving Artist Studios, a new performing arts training facility in Central Florida, brings Tony-Award winning composer and lyricist Jason Robert Brown to Orlando for a Concert and Master Class.

"The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" a musical about six youngsters competing in a spelling contest, begins a two-weekend run at Multi-Cultural Arts Center in downtown Merced on Friday, January 20 at 7:30 pm

Michael Riedel reports in today's New York Post that both LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE and LEAP OF FAITH are considering making Spring bows on Broadway as they evaluate both potential available theatres and 'Best New Musical' competitors. Talking to producers for LEAP OF FAITH, Riedel reports 'When I asked about their plans, they said: " 'Leap of Faith' is planning to open [in] fall 2012. If we were presented with the possibility of a spring opening, we would strongly consider it, but many pieces would have to fall into place to make that happen." But I can tell you from sources inside the "Leap of Faith" revival tent, we're comin', praise Jesus, we're comin'

On Wednesday, January 25 at 7 p.m., the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust will present the New York premiere of The Chosen, a staged reading of the play based on the 1967 novel by Chaim Potok.

One More Sleep 'Til Christmas, an evening of new holiday songs to benefit Toys for Tots, features the talents of Charlie Brady (The Burnt Part Boys/South Pacific), Claybourne Elder (Bonnie and Clyde), Hannah Elless (Mamma Mia!), Gideon Glick (Wild Animals You Should Know), Jaclyn Huberman (I Love You Because), Rebecca Naomi Jones (American Idiot/Passing Strange), Alyse Alan Louis (Mamma Mia!), Christianne Tisdale (On a Clear Day…), Taylor Trensch (Little Miss Sunshine), and Paul Wyatt (Sessions) on Monday, December 12 at 9:30pm at the Laurie Beechman Theatre (at the West Bank Café), 407 West 42nd Street.

'Spelling Bee is a hilarious tale of overachievers' angst chronicling the experience of six adolescent outsiders vying for the spelling championship of a lifetime,' explains TheatreZone founder and artistic director Mark Danni.