On Stage Photos - Broadway

Winter Opera continues it’s seventeenth season with another iconic operetta—Victor Herbert’s Naughty Marietta.  This lovely old show premiered in 1910. It was produced by the first Oscar Hammerstein (the grandfather of you-know-who).  In 1935 a movie version was made—with Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy.

What did our critic think of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD at Bass Concert Hall?

A story relevant to generations past and present, Shakespeare's cautionary tale of love serves as a modern metaphor for the influence of society over individual freedom. For although the personal journeys of Romeo & Juliet are integral to the tale, this is a love story within a clear social and political context - the collective identity of the group is considered more important than the desires of its citizens, dooming the young lovers from "opposite sides of the tracks" to their tragic end as their personal lives are molded by the hostilities of the previous era. Beginning in the 1930s during a time when a rigid dictatorial system had taken over the country, the Capulet family represents the upper-class conservatives with stiff, militaristic movement, while the Montagues represent the liberal low and middle classes, danced with loose, flowing motions laced with pedestrian naturalism.

Babes With Blades Theatre Company (BWBTC) launches its 20th Anniversary Season: "Origins" with its 20th world premiere The Invisible Scarlet O'Neil, playing at the Factory Theater, 1623 W. Howard St., September 2 - October 14. Based on the 1940s comic strip by Russell Stamm, the new play is written by BWBTC Ensemble Member Barbara Lhota, directed by Ensemble Member Leigh Barrett and features violence design by Ensemble Member Libby Beyreis. Preview performances are Saturday, Sept. 2 at 8 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 3 at 3 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. and Friday, Sept. 8 at 8 p.m. Opening Night is Saturday, Sept. 9 at 8 p.m. Regular performances are Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Preview tickets are $10, student and senior tickets are $15, early bird general admission (available online through September 9) are $20 and general admission (after September 9) are $25. To purchase tickets and for more information, please visit BabesWithBlades.org.

For those who have never attended THE PAGEANT OF THE MASTERS live show or its sister event THE FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS in Laguna Beach, you are missing a wonderful treasure of not only art but theatrical spectacle during which historical works of arts are brought to life with real people stepping in to portray the characters in each piece of art, be it a painting, sculpture, or promotional advertisement for artistic spectacles taking place all over the world. Each person is costumed to perfectly represent the characters being portrayed, making each presentation a wonder of creativity and awe.

Best friend and host director John Bowab, Charlotte Rae, Janis Paige, critic Sylvie Drake, Peter White, Anne Jeffreys and Marty Wiviott of the Pantages Theatre, were among the select industry elite on hand to celebrate film and Broadway legend and icon, Patricia Morison's 101st birthday this week. Scroll down for photos from the celebration!

What do you do if you are bored? If you are Richard Hannay, the major character in Patrick Barlow's THE 39 STEPS, now on stage at Blank Canvas, you go to the theater to see 'something mindless and trivial.' If you, personally are bored and looking for something to fill your time, THE 39 STEPS should fill the bill!

The two-time Tony Award winning hilarious hit comedy 39 Steps just opened last night, April 13th at the Union Square Theatre (100 East 17th Street). The cast of 39 Steps features original Broadway cast member Arnie Burton as Clown #2, as well as Billy Carter as Clown #1, Broadway vet Robert Petkoff as the dashing hero Richard Hannay, and Brittany Vicars as Pamela/Annabella/Margaret in her New York City stage debut. BroadwayWorld brings you photos from the red carpet below!

For theater is a collaborative artform, yours truly gestured the creative team, cast, and production crew of grassroots theater company Philippine Stagers Foundation's (PSF) latest work, 'Filipinas 1941,' to join me on stage, together with Atty. Vincent Tañada, the show's writer-director-lead actor, to collectively accept the 2014 BroadwayWorld Philippines Regional Award for Best Filipino Musical (New/Revival) at Hotel Benilde Maison De La Salle earlier last week.

Broadway fans had plenty of reasons to celebrate this year, with dozens of shows having opened since January, hundreds of actors having made their debuts, and many more having returned to the stage for critically acclaimed performances. Not all news was good though, as we also suffered a loss of an incredible amount of talent. Below, BroadwayWorld sends a fond farewell to those who passed away in 2014.

It might surprise many to find that the original 1935 Broadway production of 'PORGY AND BESS' ran only 124 performances. The reasons were many including the all Black cast, some of the overtones of the script were perceived by some to be 'too Negro,' the opera format was considered 'not Broadway,' while some railed that it 'had racial overtones.' Other suppositions were that the heavy dependence of a strong story line was not a familiar format during the era of escapist comedies, follies and vaudeville. Not to be overlooked was the fact that the production lasted four hours, with two intermissions.

The opening number 'Oh, the Thinks You Can Think' is a wonder to behold with the entire company superbly choreographed to let us know the crazy Dr. Seuss ride that awaits. And what a crazy ride it is following Horton the Elephant (David Mitrano) as he fights for the small creatures of Whoville living on a clover and the egg left behind by its mother. Horton believes, and this company proves, that a person's a person no matter how small. Trust me, the smallest actors onstage are having the time of their lives and so are their proud families in the audience.

Tacoma Little Theatre starts 2014 with Harper Lee's literary classic, To Kill a Mockingbird, brought to life on stage. Check out a first look below!

3-D Theatricals' final show of the 2012 season is the Tony Award-winning musical HAIRSPRAY, featuring choreography by Dana Solimando, musical direction by Allen Everman, and directed by 3-D Theatricals Executive Producer and Artistic Director T.J. Dawson. HAIRSPRAY opened on Saturday, October 13 and performed through Sunday, October 28 at the historic Plummer Auditorium, 201 E. Chapman Ave. in Fullerton. HAIRSPRAY then traveled across town to perform at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, 1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd., for three performances only, ending today, November 4. Below, BroadwayWorld brings you photos from the show's opening at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center!

Maryland Ensemble Theatre (MET) is kicking off its 2012-13, 15th anniversary mainstage season with The 39 Steps. Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have The 39 Steps, a fast-paced whodunit for anyone who loves the magic of theatre! This 2-time Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning treat is packed with nonstop laughs, over 150 zany characters (played by a ridiculously talented cast of 4), an on-stage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers and some good old-fashioned romance! MET Associate Artistic Director Gene' Fouche' directs Patrick Barlow's adaptation of John Buchan's 1915 novel and the 1935 film by Alfred Hitchcock which opened on Broadway in 2008 and won the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy. The show which The New York Times called, 'theatre at its finest' and the New York Post raved was, 'the most entertaining show on Broadway' ended its New York run after three years and record setting number of performances for a comedy, 1,135.

Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane, presents the Tony Award-winning Broadway and West End smash hit THE 39 STEPS, opening tomorrow, July 12 at 8 p.m. and running through August 26. Check out photos of the cast on stage below!

On August 31, American Repertory Theatre opened The Gershwins' PORGY AND BESS. Written by Ira Gershwin, George Gershwin, DuBose and Dorothy Heyward, the A.R.T. production features an adaptation by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks and Obie Award-winning composer Diedre L. Murray. It is directed by A.R.T. Artistic Director Diane Paulus, with choreography by Ronald K. Brown. The show began previews on August 17 and is planning a Broadway transfer this winter. The production is scheduled to begin previews at the Richard Rogers Theatre on December 17, 2011 in anticipation of a January 12, 2012 Broadway opening. The marquee is going up at the Richard Rogers, and BroadwayWorld brings you photos below!

Luise Rainer is a German film actress, known as The 'Viennese Teardrop.' She is the first woman to win two Academy Awards, and the first person to win them consecutively. She was discovered by MGM talent scouts while acting on stage in Austria and Germany and after appearing in Austrian films.

Set in French Guiana, a region where on Christmas Eve the temperature has graciously dropped to 104 degrees, three amiable convicts are employed as roofers above the Ducotel's general store. The roof winds up being the least of the family's troubles.

The smash hit stage comedy The 39 Steps which is based on Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 classic film thriller, celebrated Halloween by holding a special on-stage contest to find New York City's best Alfred Hitchcock film character costume lookalike.

Bask in the warmth and enchantment of Italy without leaving Seattle during Taproot Theatre Company's production of Enchanted April. Elizabeth von Arnim's resplendent 1920s novel comes to life on stage in this Tony Award-nominated play by Matthew Barber.

Bask in the warmth and enchantment of Italy without leaving Seattle during Taproot Theatre Company's production of ENCHANTED APRIL. The enticement of an enchanting Italian holiday captivates the hearts of two British housewives on a drizzly London afternoon in 1922, and fills their imaginations with wisteria and sunshine. By the time they arrive at their Mediterranean villa, an aging matron and a young socialite have joined their quest for something more. The gardens, sea, cinnamon and pasta are just the beginning of the transformation they discover.

For its 2009 season, The Shaw takes on a monumental and historic project with full productions of each play in Noel Coward?s famous Tonight at 8:30 collection. The Shaw?s 2009 productions represent the first time all ten short plays have been performed in repertory by a professional company since they were first produced by London?s Phoenix Theatre in 1935-36. The plays will be performed in sets of three, one on each of the Festival?s Niagara-on-the-Lake stages, with the tenth, the rarely produced Star Chamber, being the lunchtime production in the Royal George. And to celebrate this idea for the event that it is, on two separate occasions, we will present all ten in one day ? an event we are appropriately naming ?Mad Dogs and Englishmen?.

Jill Paice (Curtains, The Woman in White, A Little Night Music) recently joined the cast of Alfred Hitchcock's THE 39 STEPS, Broadway's longest running comedy, playing the roles of Annabella Schmidt, Pamela and Margaret. Now in its second smash year, the Tony Award-winning quick change comedy version of Hitchcock's classic film thriller is playing at the Helen Hayes Theatre (240 West 44th Street). The production also recently played its 500th performance on Broadway.

Jeffrey Kuhn and Francesca Faridany joined the cast of Alfred Hitchcock's THE 39 STEPS on Tuesday, October 28.