Based on the stories of Rudyard Kipling
How did the Elephant get his trunk?br
How did the Leopard get his spots?br
How did the Rhinoceros get his skin?brbr
In the "Just So Stories," Rudyard Kipling created a magical world as he told his daughter fables of the animal kingdom. In "Just So," George Stiles and Anthony Drewe ("Honk!") have created a new musical that weaves five of Mr. Kipling's most famous tales together into a fanciful lesson about personal courage, individuality and friendship.
As many gear up for Halloween, Music Box Musicals' inaugural production is striking a different nerve-a political nerve. With a wonderful production of John Weidman and Stephen Sondheim's thought-provoking musical ASSASSINS, Music Box Musicals invites audiences to listen. Not only to the tales they present on stage, but in our lives outside of the theatre as well.
Just in time for the holidays, iLuminate, the sensational dance-in-the-dark act that fuses performance with technology to literally glow in the dark, and earned a third-place finish on season six of 'America's Got Talent,' will debut a live show in New York City at The Duke on 42nd Street, a NEW 42ND STREET project on West 42nd Street. The limited run engagement commences November 23, 2012 and runs through January 5, 2013.
Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter Marc Cohn has been obsessed with pop music for as long as he can remember: "I was hooked from day one. My older brother had a band that rehearsed in our basement, so I heard Bacharach, The Beatles, Ray Charles, and Motown coming up through the floorboards from the time I was six years old. By the time I was eleven though, the Beatles were breaking up and singer-songwriters were breaking through, and a lot of that music really resonated for me"
Anticipation for the revived and revised version Frank Wildhorn's acclaimed musical JEKYLL & HYDE is building in Houston, TX. The tour opened in La Mirada, California on September 7, 2012 and will be make a whirlwind stop in San Diego, California before coming home to Houston in October. To give me the inside scoop on this new Broadway-bound production, Constantine Maroulis, starring in the titular dual roles, chatted with me from La Mirada.
She's a snappy old battleaxe, outspoken, bossy and irreverent. But, without question, that blue-haired Mama is so very rational-and funny. Comedian Vicki Lawrence's brilliant alter ego "Mama" Thelma Harper is back, eager to share her observations about political happenings, cultural trends and domestic struggles with the same spit and vinegar that won hearts across the land. Lawrence, an Emmy Award-winning actress, will also be on hand, dispensing her savvy humor and performance memories from her cherished time on The Carol Burnett Show (1967-1978) and in her own spin-off series, "Mama's Family" (1983-1990). BroadwayWorld has a first look at the production photos below.
In preparation for the All-Day Long Island Al Jolson Festival (in Oceanside, NY) on Saturday, August 18, BroadwayWorld.com cabaret columnist Stephen Hanks offers his take on what made the 'World's Greatest Entertainer' so great, and muses about the reasons as to why he is such a devotee of the man who once owned Broadway and starred in the first talking picture.
In preparation for the All-Day Long Island Al Jolson Festival (in Oceanside, NY) on Saturday, August 18, BroadwayWorld.com cabaret columnist Stephen Hanks offers his take on what made the 'World's Greatest Entertainer' so great, and muses about the reasons as to why he is such a devotee of the man who once owned Broadway and starred in the first talking picture.
In its eight season, Diverse City Theater Company presents Pulitzer Prize and Tony nominee Lee Blessing's 1990 political play, TWO ROOMS, at Theatre Row's The Lion Theatre, located at 410 West 42nd Street, from Thursday, August 9 until Saturday, August 25. Jamie Richards directs.
Something truly magical is happening right now in the city of La Mirada: almost 22 years after earning a Tony nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Musical for playing this very same role, the ever-so vigorous Cathy Rigby looks about as spunky and acrobatic as she's ever been in this brand-new production of PETER PAN. The family-friendly musical continues at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts through 24 before launching into another multi-city national tour.
American Theater Company (ATC), together with About Face Theatre, presents a co-production of Jonathan Larson's Rent, directed by David Cromer. Rent will run tonight, April 27, 2012 - June 17, 2012 at ATC, 1909 W. Byron. The press openings are Sunday, May 6, 2012 and Monday, May 7, 2012 at 7 pm.
Ghost the Musical, adapted from the Academy Award winning film, opened tonight, April 23, 2012. Let's see what the critics had to say!
The new BrightSide Theatre was just recently started and affirmed by theatergoers of Naperville, IL and its surrounding suburbs. With the success of our inaugural season, Artistic Director Jeffrey Cass and Executive Director Julie Ann Kornak announce BrightSide Theatre's 2012-2013 Season "Modern Masterpieces" - COMPANY, GOD OF CARNAGE, and RENT. These three Modern Masterpieces combined have earned a total of 13 Tony Awards, 13 Drama Desk Awards, 4 Olivier Awards and 1 Pulitzer Prize.
American Theater Company (ATC), together with About Face Theatre, presents a co-production of Jonathan Larson's Rent, directed by David Cromer. Rent will run April 27, 2012 - June 17, 2012 at ATC, 1909 W. Byron. The press openings are Sunday, May 6, 2012 and Monday, May 7, 2012 at 7 pm.
In recognition of The Barn's 45 years of bringing the magic of live theater to the stage, we continue our special series of Onstage at The Barn: Memories from The First 45 Years, with actor extraordinaire Eric Tichenor, who made his debut at the Barn in the hit 1990 musical comedy A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and who has provided Nashville theater audiences a whole slew of theater memories since…
Old Gershwin musicals never die, they just get revised into new Gershwin musicals.
When you take on an iconoclastic production such as Jonathan Larson's RENT, you either have a whole lot of talent in your back pocket, or you are just plain ludicrous. Fortunately for Shadowbox Live, it was a case of the former that resulted in a fantastic opportunity to see this incredible story about Bohemians in Alphabet City, NYC struggling with life, love and AIDS, brought to life in local form.
In recognition of The Barn's 45 years of bringing the magic of live theater to the stage, we continue our special series of Onstage at The Barn: Memories from The First 45 Years, with actor Michael Edwards, who made his debut at The Barn in the 1970, continuing to work there until 1990. For many people from that era, Mike Edwards was-and still is, in so many ways-the face of Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre, the actor most recognizable for the long list of roles he played there.
Today, in honor of Sunday's Oscar telecast, we are going to take a look at some of the most memorable opening numbers and musical montages from the Academy Awards over the years, with a special focus, of course, on theatrically-related presentations and performers. The 2012 night of Oscar gold marks the return of frequent host Billy Crystal, so we are sure to be in for some truly terrific movie parodies and unscripted asides to have us rolling in aisles over the course of the hotly anticipated award show's three hours - Hollywood's night of nights. From the infamous Allan Carr-produced show in 1989 to some of the best moments from Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Ellen Degeneres, Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman, this collection of clips surely has something to please all the movie buffs, Broadway babies and all-around entertainment enthusiasts out there reading this who will be tuning in to the big show this weekend - from 1965 to 2011, we have it all. Plus, after all, how could we possibly miss a night this big? Whether the top winner of the night ends up being THE ARTIST, THE HELP, HUGO or THE DESCENDANTS, Billy Crystal is guaranteed to make the night run as smoothly and enjoyably as possible - and, potentially, much much more (as the following clips clearly show). As for the rest of the night's proceedings? Well, we will have to wait and see what happens!
Today we are talking to a stand-up comedienne celebrated for her caustic wit, erudite political humor and illuminating social observations who has also made a name for herself over the last two decades as an actress by appearing in over 100 feature films and television shows, including recurring roles on the TV series SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, THE BEN STILLER SHOW, THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW and 24, as well as her film resume, ranging from roles in ROMY & MICHELE'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION to WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER to REALITY BITES, COP LAND, THE CABLE GUY, NOW AND THEN and many more - the one and only Janeane Garofalo. In addition to a twenty-year career retrospective, touching upon many of her most notable big screen and small screen appearances - sharing comments on many of her favorite colleagues and co-stars along the way - Garofalo also opens up about the theatrically attuned work she has previously done - such as HBO's THE LARAMIE PROJECT - and, most importantly, fills us in on the new play she is starring in for The New Group, RUSSIAN TRANSPORT, directed by Scott Elliott. Besides all about RUSSIAN TRANSPORT, her character in it and the political and social issues the new original play bravely tackles, Garofalo shares her enthusiasm for her newfound experiences in the theatre world and her intention of pursuing a theatre career further. Also, she clues us in on her upcoming film projects, BAD PARENTS and GENERAL EDUCATION, and offers her classic views on current politics as only she can, in her own delightfully droll and ingratiatingly idiosyncratic fashion - plus, much, much more!
Since 1990 Meredith has originatied and recorded such roles as 'Betty Schaeffer' in 'Sunset Boulevard', 'Lily' in the RSC's 'The Secret Garden' and playing the iconic roles of 'Eponine' in 'Les Miserables' and 'Christine' in 'The Phantom of the Opera'.
At the peak of its success and influence during the 1980s and '90s, New York-based indie label Profile Records boasted an artist roster that read like the Who's Who of hip-hop and rap stars - from Run-D.M.C., Dana Dane, Special Ed and Rob Base, to DJ Quik, Nine, Poor Righteous Teachers, and Onyx, to name just a few.
Modern-day master of musical theatre Stephen Sondheim is about to release the second book of his complete collected lyrics - covering mostly everything written in the last three decades and in this one so far - titled after a line from what may very well be his ultimate masterpiece, the Pulitzer Prize-winning SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE - LOOK, I MADE A HAT; Collected Lyrics (1981-2011) with Attendant Comments, Amplifications, Dogmas, Harangues, Digressions, Anecdotes and Miscellany. So, today, we are going to be taking a look at a litany of the finest moments from Sondheim's post-SWEENEY TODD musicals that are highlighted in LOOK, I MADE A HAT and perhaps discover a few of the many reasons why Sondheim's musicals - whether late-period or early on- are the best of the best Broadway has to offer - now or ever. And, what an absolutely mind-blowing list it is - and what a masterpiece of a book!
Conceived and directed by 9 time Tony-winner Tommy Tune and written by Mark Saltzman, FIFTY FOUR FOREVER, is currently receiving its world premiere at The University of Miami's Jerry Herman Ring Theatre, from November 9 to 19. South Florida theatre audiences are the first to experience this exciting new musical and so far, they've all been raving about the production.
Like a warm Snuggie on a cold winter night or a decadent dessert to a calorie counter, sometimes we all just want to cater to our own basest pleasure centers that simply crave comforting, entertaining shows full of good ol' plain, silly fun. This same idea explains why macaroni and cheese makes for a great combo... why the excitingly mindless 'Summer Movie' was invented... and why SHREK THE MUSICAL made me laugh for most of its two-and-a-half-hour running time. Now playing at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts through October 16, this amusing, big-kid-friendly musical based on the popular 2001 DreamWorks animated film delivers the laughs not with beguiling snark but, rather, with fart battles, cheeky sight gags, and a sassy attitude that intermittently seeks to distract you from its flaws. Entertaining, yes, but hardly groundbreaking.
American Theater Company (ATC), together with About Face Theatre, announced today that David Cromer will direct the spring 2012 production of Jonathan Larson's Rent. The co-production is slated to open June 7, 2011 at ATC, 1909 W. Byron, and will close the company's 27th season.
Videos
