William Finn News

Spinning Tree Theatre presents MAKE ME A SONG: THE MUSIC OF WILLIAM FINN. The show plays Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, April 1-3 and 8-10, 2011 at the Crown Center Off-Center Theatre (2405 Grand. Blvd.)

GHOSTLIGHT RECORDS is proud to announce the release of the debut CD from LISA HOWARD - one of the Broadway stars of William Finn's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee - on April 12, 2011.

Spinning Tree Theatre debuts with the Midwest premiere of Off-Broadway's hit revue celebrating the music of Tony Award-winner William Finn. The composer of Falsettos and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Finn's songs are passionate, funny, always personal, and soar with intelligence and beauty.

Broadway's elite gathered to honor a most-deserving philanthropist, Paul Libin, executive vice president of Jujamcyn Theaters, at UJA-Federation's Entertainment, Media, and Communications Division's 2011 Excellence in Theater Award Dinner on March 28, 2011, at 6:30 p.m. at the St. Regis New York. The Bernard B. Jacobs Excellence in Theater Award recognizes an exceptional professional who is committed to the theater community and to improving the lives of others in New York, in Israel, and around the world. BroadwayWorld was on hand and brings you photo coverage below!

The Red Door Theatre Company presents William Finn's rarely done, conceptual musical IN TROUSERS, the first of the 'Marvin' musicals. Performances end 3/28 at the Duplex Cabaret Theatre in Greenwich Village. Samantha Saltzman directs.

The La Jolla Playhouse is presenting a world premiere musical based on the 2006 Academy Award winning film "Little Miss Sunshine". And while the show had its shining moments and a cast that matched the subtlety and charm of the original sleeper hit, on the whole it needs a bit of a jump start if it's going to make it down the road to Broadway.

Playwrights Horizons, under the leadership of Artistic Director Tim Sanford and Managing Director Leslie Marcus, is proud to announce the first five productions of its 2011/2012 Season. The World Premiere and four New York premieres will be presented at the theater company's home at 416 West 42nd Street. The five plays will be (in Season order):

The Red Door Theatre Company will present William Finn's rarely done, conceptual musical IN TROUSERS, the first of the 'Marvin' musicals. Performances will be 3/25-28 at the Duplex Cabaret Theatre in Greenwich Village. Samantha Saltzman directs.

Time to dust off the dictionaries and brush up on Scrabble, because One More Productions-one of Southern California's leading musical theater companies-is presenting the hit musical comedy 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee March 24 - April 17 at The Gem Theatre in Garden Grove. The show is directed by Damien Lorton.

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. A benefit for Japanese disaster relief, the Paramount Theatre's season, Donny and Marie for Christmas, Porchlight and Billy Stritch at Mayne Stage, 'A Chorus Line,' 'Always, Patsy Cline' and other suburban productions, 'The Magic Flute' in English, more....

The Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) World Premiere production of KIN, a new play by Bathsheba Doran (Living Room in Africa, her adaptation of Great Expectations at The Lortel) will officially open On March 21.

The Society for the Preservation of Music Hall (SPMH) is pleased to announce its third organ concert in the Music Hall Ballroom - On Broadway with the Mighty Wurlitzer - on Thursday, May 5 at 10:30 AM and 7:00 PM.

The OBIE Award-winning National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO) - now in its 21st season - presents A NUMBER, OBIE Award-winner and 2010 Theatre Hall of Fame inductee Caryl Churchill's acclaimed play about human cloning and identity, starring OBIE Award-winner James Saito and Joel de la Fuente, with previews set to begin March 12 prior to it official press opening March 17 at Cherry Lane Studio Theatre (38 Commerce Street) in Manhattan.

The Broadway community mourns the loss of veteran production stage manager, Beverley Randolph, who passed away from cancer yesterday at age 59. The marquees of Broadway theatres in New York will be dimmed in her memory tonight, March 16, at exactly 8:00 p.m. for one minute.

Veteran Production Stage Manager Beverley Randolph died Tuesday, March 15 at her home in Bloomingdale, NJ, surrounded by family and friends. The cause was cancer. The highly-respected Randolph, 59, stage managed more than 20 Broadway productions over the course of a 30-plus year career. At the time of her death and since 2009, she was Production Supervisor for the musical The Addams Family. Her credits include the Kander & Ebb musical Curtains, the musical Little Women, the 2002 revival of Into the Woods, the 1998 revival of The Sound of Music, Stephen Sondheim's Tony Award-winning best musical Passion, Kander & Ebb's The Kiss of the Spider Woman, William Finn's Falsettos, the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Jerome Robbins' Broadway, Follies in Concert at Avery Fisher Hall, the 1987 revival of Kander & Ebb's Cabaret and Neil Simon's Chapter Two. In the 1980's, she stage managed eight Broadway productions for legendary producer/director Hal Prince.

Barrington Stage Company, under the leadership of Julianne Boyd, Artistic Director, and Tristan Wilson, Managing Director, announced today the complete Stage 2 season- the Musical Theatre Lab premiere of Mormons, Mothers and Monsters, two cabarets Surviving the Avalanche and Hell Raisers, and the Berkshire premiere of Chaim Potok's My Name is Asher Lev-as well as the previously announced productions of Zero Hour and Going to St. Ives.

Barrington Stage Company, under the leadership of Julianne Boyd, Artistic Director, and Tristan Wilson, Managing Director, announced today the complete Stage 2 season- the Musical Theatre Lab premiere of Mormons, Mothers and Monsters, two cabarets Surviving the Avalanche and Hell Raisers, and the Berkshire premiere of Chaim Potok's My Name is Asher Lev-as well as the previously announced productions of Zero Hour and Going to St. Ives.

Two-time Tony Award-nominated Alison Fraser has joined the cast of David Ives' new comedy, THE SCHOOL FOR LIES, from the Molière classic The Misanthrope, directed by Tony Award winner Walter Bobbie, beginning performances Wednesday, April 13 at Classic Stage Company (136 East 13th Street) for a limited engagement through Sunday, May 22. The official press opening is Sunday, May 1 at 2 pm. The cast of THE SCHOOL FOR LIES also feature Mamie Gummer, Jenn Gambatese and Hamish Linklater, as well as Steven Boyer, Frank Harts, Rick Holmes, Hoon Lee and Matthew Maher.

MusicalFare Theatre, Western New York's most awarded and only professional musical theatre company, presents the fourth production of its 2010-2011 Season, the hilarious and acclaimed 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE.

Playwrights Horizons (Artistic Director, Tim Sanford; Managing Director, Leslie Marcus) and New York Theatre Workshop (Artistic Director, James C. Nicola; Managing Director, William Russo) have announced complete casting and creative team for THE SHAGGS: PHILOSOPHY OF THE WORLD, a new musical with book by Joy Gregory; music by Gunnar Madsen; lyrics by Ms. Gregory and Mr. Madsen; and story by Ms. Gregory, Mr. Madsen and John Langs.