Forever Crazy 2012 - Articles Page 15

Original Broadway cast member Jared Gertner will star as Elder Cunningham in the First National Tour of THE BOOK OF MORMON, launching in Denver from August 14-September 2 at The Ellie Caulkins Opera House. Gertner will join previously announced Gavin Creel as Elder Price. Samantha Marie Ware joins as Nabulungi, as well as Grey Henson as Elder McKinley and Kevin Mambo as Mafala Hatimbi.

An ABC executive has confirmed that the ABC drama series PAN AM has been officially canceled. Sony had made a last ditch attempt to resurrect the low-rated show by finding it another home, but was unable to do so.

Today we are talking to an iconic Tony Award-winning star who made her name as a teenager singing on TV variety shows - THE LAWRENCE WELK SHOW and SING ALONG WITH MITCH included - and then went on to a multimedia career in film and theatre, conquering Broadway with her Tony-winning turn in the Jule Styne/Arthur Laurents musical HALLELUJAH, BABY! in 1967 and returning to the stage in the subsequent decades in a host of Broadway productions, such as BLUES IN THE NIGHT, JERRY'S GIRLS, ANYTHING GOES, August Wilson's KING HEDLEY II and her celebrated Muzzy in THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE - a role she reprises in the new Muny production of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical beginning this week - the one and only Leslie Uggams. Taking a thorough look back at her career thus far, Uggams opens up about her many successes and how she has endured for fifty years in show business and shares recollections of many of her most noted co-stars and collaborators, all the way up to the recent 2012 Encores! PIPE DREAM. Additionally, Uggams comments on her film and TV appearances over the years, speaking about her work in INHERIT THE WIND, TWO WEEKS IN ANOTHER TOWN, ROOTS and beyond. Plus, she shares her candid opinions on GLEE, SMASH, Broadway then versus now, future plans for her Lena Horne solo show and thoughts on other roles she would enjoy pursuing - and much, much more!

Anaheim Hills, California…Chance Theater is thrilled to present the third show of its 2012 season with the legendary musical of our time, like you have never seen it before, WEST SIDE STORY, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Arthur Laurents, musical direction by Robyn Wallace, choreography by Kelly Todd and directed by Chance Theater's Artistic Director Oanh Nguyen. WEST SIDE STORY will preview on Friday, July 6 & Saturday, July 7 at 8pm; Sunday, July 8 at 2pm; Thursday, July 12 & Friday, July 13 at 8pm and will open on Saturday, July 14 at 8pm and continue through Sunday, August 12 at the Chance Theater, 5552 E. La Palma Ave. in Anaheim Hills.

Welcome to the BroadwayGirlNYC 2012 Tony Awards LIVE BLOG!!

Rob McClure, who originated the role of Chaplin at the La Jolla Playhouse, will star in the title role of the new Broadway musical CHAPLIN. A new musical depicting the life of film icon Charlie Chaplin, with music and lyrics by Christopher Curtis and book by three-time Tony Award-winner Thomas Meehan (Annie, The Producers, Hairspray) and Christopher Curtis, CHAPLIN will open on Broadway on Monday, September 10, 2012 at the Barrymore Theatre (243 West 47th Street). Previews will begin Tuesday, August 21, 2012. Acclaimed director/choreographer Warren Carlyle (Finian's Rainbow, Hugh Jackman, Back on Broadway) directs and choreographs the production. Additional casting and additional creative team to be announced soon.

The Public Theater announced today that Tony Award winner Denis O'Hare has been cast as The Baker in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's beloved musical INTO THE WOODS, directed by Timothy Sheader with co-direction by Liam Steel. INTO THE WOODS will be O'Hare's Shakespeare in the Park debut. Previews begin on Monday, July 23 at the Delacorte Theater and continue for five weeks through Saturday, August 25, with an official press opening on Thursday, August 9.

USA Network is building on its consistent track record of hits and expanding its original programming slate with the development of several high-profile comedies and drama series

ABC continues to set the industry standard for creative ingenuity, strong viewer retention and ratings success in primetime, delivering the No. 1 comedy ('Modern Family'), No. 1 drama ('Grey's Anatomy') and No. 1 freshman drama ('Once Upon a Time') this season in the key Adult 18-49 demographic.

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) has announced the full slate of 34 musical productions and special events for its ninth annual festival. This year's Festival will begin July 9th and continue through July 29th. An additional slate of free events, including 12 staged readings and several educational panel discussions, will be announced shortly.

NBC announced today an ambitious new primetime lineup for the 2012-13 primetime season that combines one of the top-quality returning lineups on television with a new fall edition of the red-hot musical competition 'The Voice' and a crop of six new scripted series in the fall and four at mid-season.

Summer in Chicago continues this July with the Grant Park Music Festival, led by Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Carlos Kalmar and the Grammy Award-nominated Grant Park Orchestra, along with Chorus Director Christopher Bell and the Grant Park Chorus in the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago's Millennium Park. The Festival will bring performances by outstanding guest conductors and guest artists from around the world, in a month of exciting programming that includes a world premiere commission, a live concert screening of Frozen Planet, the latest hit series from BBC/Discovery Channel, a tribute concert to Broadway and Hollywood legend, Frank Loesser and other Festival favorites.

CHAPLIN, a new musical depicting the life of film icon Charlie Chaplin, with music and lyrics by Christopher Curtis and book by three-time Tony Award-winner Thomas Meehan (Annie, The Producers, Hairspray) and Christopher Curtis, will open on Broadway on Monday, September 10, 2012 at the Barrymore Theatre (243 West 47th Street). Previews will begin Tuesday, August 21, 2012. Acclaimed director/choreographer Warren Carlyle (Finian's Rainbow, Hugh Jackman, Back on Broadway) directs and choreographs the production. Casting and additional creative team to be announced soon.

This Tuesday marked the second most exciting day of any given year for Broadway babies - the Tony Award nominations. The actual awards ceremony on CBS - Broadway's night of nights - is still a few weeks off, but now is certainly an ideal time to size up the competition(s) and see who will most likely walk away with Tony gold come June 10 - and this year's ceremony, more than most before, could very well be as surprising as this season was; or Tuesday's nominations themselves were, for that matter. While the 2011-2012 Broadway season certainly fell far short of the heady promise many ascribed to its prospects way back last Summer, we certainly saw the fulfillment of some big dreams for some notable names if not an all-in-all banner year for Broadway when collectively considered. The highly-praised Off-Broadway critical darling LYSISTRATA JONES landed with a thud early in the season, as did the re-jiggered, gender-bending revival of ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER and its star Harry Connick, Jr., and, even the lauded and relatively successful revival of Stephen Sondheim's peerless masterpiece FOLLIES failed to make any money and closed. GODSPELL did not fare much better, though it is still running. The two highly-anticipated revivals of Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic early successes JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR and EVITA were met with indifferent reviews - with the latter receiving some nasty press for its stars, neither of whom received Tony nominations - but receptive audiences so far. THE GERSHWINS' PORGY & BESS could take Best Revival, after all - but will NICE WORK's Kelli O'Hara edge out four-time Tony recipient Audra McDonald? New plays did not fare much better than the measly crop of musicals, but OTHER DESERT CITIES and VENUS IN FUR seemed to hit their target demographics squarely, but CLYBOURNE PARK looks to be the frontrunner for Best Play despite all that. We shall see. Mike Nichols may take home another Best Director for his sensitive, if workmanlike revival of Arthur Miller's DEATH OF A SALESMAN, as conceivably could Philip Seymour Hoffman and Andrew Garfield. John Lithgow is offering up some fierce competition in THE COLUMNIST, though. The acting races are tight, for sure, in both plays and musicals, with more newcomers and first-time nominees than any season this century.

We'll be talking to nominees all day for their reactions!

Paul Garman, Executive Director/Producer, and Steven Glaudini, Artistic Director's Forbidden Broadway: GREATEST HITS, VOLUME 2 closes tonight, April 29, 2012.

Rubicon Theatre Artistic Directors KARYL LYNN BURNS and JAMES O'NEIL announced the company's 15th Anniversary Season at a preview event for subscribers, donors and media last earlier this month at the theatre's home in Ventura's Downtown Cultural District. The event was hosted by Rubicon Board President DR. ROZ WARNER and Board of Advisors' Chair/Board Vice-President JEFF SMITH, with onstage appearances by several of the directors, writers and performers for the season.

Cate Blanchett, Lady Gaga, Lindsay Lohan, Whoopi Goldberg, Fergie, Justin Long, Rashida Jones, Bryan Cranston, Olivia Wilde, Anna Kendrick, NeNe Leakes, Fred Willard, Eric Roberts, Wayne Brady, Ryan O'Neal, Phylicia Rashad, Patton Oswalt, Treat Williams, George Stults, Steve Coogan and Werner Herzog make guest appearances in all-new episodes of shows on FOX.

Surprise guest, lyricist Alain Boublil appears on stage at Baltimore's Meyerhoff Symphony Hall to the delight of an SRO crowd

Damn Yankees is headed to The 5th Avenue Theatre! This musical comedy is the story of an aging baseball fan who makes a deal with the Devil so his beloved hometown team can beat the Yankees in the race for the pennant. From the songwriting team of The Pajama Game, Damn Yankees is filled with hit songs including "Two Lost Souls" and the sultry favorite, "Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets." The Paper Mill Playhouse production will slide into Seattle this April. The creative team includes direction by Mark S. Hoebee (Paper Mill's Producing Artistic Director), music direction by Ben Whiteley, and choreography by Denis Michael Jones.

Van Halen has added 18 concerts to its highly successful "2012 North American Tour" to include Detroit's Joe Louis Arena on Thursday, July 19 at 7:30 p.m. Ky-mani Marley is the opening act for all added concerts.

The Tribeca Film Festival has unveiled films screening in its Spotlight and genre-centered Cinemania section as well as Special Screenings and its Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival lineup.

A European premiere from one of Canada's pre-eminent playwrights, Daniel MacIvor, His Greatness opens at the Finborough Theatre on Tuesday, 24 April 2012 (Press Night: Friday, 27 April 2012 at 7.30pm) for a four week limited season. Directed by Che Walker, the cast includes Russell Bentley, Matthew Marsh and Toby Wharton.

Musical Theatre West has announced the opening of FORBIDDEN BROADWAY: GREATEST HITS, VOLUME 2; previewing April 13th, with opening night April 14th and running for an additional 12 performances through April 29, 2012.

ABC details its 13 comedy pilots under consideration for next season.