Presenting one of the most popular ballets of all time, visionary director and acclaimed choreographer Matthew Bourne returns to New York with the completion of his Tchaikovsky ballet trilogy begun with NUTCRACKER! and continuing with his celebrated SWAN LAKE at City Center this month with the New York City bow of his newest theatrical venture, SLEEPING BEAUTY.

Today we are spotlighting one of the most hotly anticipated theatrical happenings of 2013, the new musical event A BED AND A CHAIR: A NEW YORK LOVE AFFAIR, showcasing the spectacular songs of Stephen Sondheim in new arrangements by jazz great Wynton Marsalis, served up by some of Broadway's best - Bernadette Peters, Jeremy Jordan and Norm Lewis included.

Today, in honor of this week's biggest casting news, we salute multi-award-winning and awesomely accomplished stage, screen and soon-to-be SWEENEY TODD star Emma Thompson.

Today we celebrate a master of the modern musical in honor of this week's start of previews for his newest theatrical venture, THE LANDING, as well as first news on a major NYC bow for his long-gestating project THE VISIT, to say nothing of the longest-running American musical in history going strong on Broadway (CHICAGO) and a hotly anticipated revival of CABARET on the way in 2014 - the one and only John Kander.

Multi-Grammy Award-winning recording artist and repeat Broadway performer Toni Braxton returns to the stage in the jazz and blues revue AFTER MIDNIGHT next year it was announced this week, so, today, we salute the smoky chanteuse about to bring her unmistakable allure back to the Great White Way in a major way.

The follow-up to LES MISERABLES by composers Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil was eagerly awaited throughout the late 80s, and, on September 20, 1989 the mega-musical finally premiered at the West End's Theatre Royal Drury Lane - and MISS SAIGON, too, was a sensation. Plus, a revival awaits!

Internationally renown vocalist K.D. Lang has just been announced to be making her Broadway debut in the new musical revue AFTER MIDNIGHT early next year, so, today, we are celebrating the coo-worthy Canadian crooner - and that is definitely a particularly delectable dish of the day to dig.

Apropos of the show's most famous song and its opening lyrics, this September is precisely the time to remember the longest running show in American theatre history, THE FANTASTICKS, especially as it celebrates its 20,000th Off-Broadway performance on September 15.

The inspirational and true story of fan Sarah Horn and her remarkable impromptu duet with idol Kristin Chenoweth has become a sensation and today we look at some highlights of stars singing with their fans and the magic that can result.

On August 14, 1974, the first stateside performance occurred of an outrageous and daring new musical that had already made something of a splash in the UK, but would prove to be one of the weirdest and wildest shows ever staged anywhere - THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW.

Today we are turning our attention to one of the most romantic and rapturous musicals ever written, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC.

Appearing in a string of unique, zeitgeist-capturing movies of the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s, the legacy of stage and screen performer Karen Black is as idiosyncratic and compelling as the actress herself.

Today we salute one of Broadway best-loved leading ladies now that she is back treading the boards as Miss Hannigan in the current revival of ANNIE, the simply divine Faith Prince.

Today we have a special Flash Friday focused on one of Broadway's most iconic and best loved musicals of all time, group therapy-themed A CHORUS LINE.

Sunday night marks the biggest night in TV when the 2012 Primetime Emmy Awards - the 64th telecast of its kind - airs on ABC, hosted by late-night mainstay Jimmy Kimmel in his Emmy hosting debut. How will he fare - and, furthermore, which of the most nominated series will win the big awards? Tune in Sunday at 7 PM on ABC to see, but, first, let's size up the competition in the hottest races of the night - while putting a special focus on the most theatrically-attuned of the nominees (and, in some cases, winners) whenever possible - and take a look at clips from the shows most likely to win.

A new Paul Thomas Anderson film only comes along once or twice a decade, so the recent teasers that have been released for his new film - a veiled Scientology parable titled THE MASTER, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Pheonix and Amy Adams - have been inspiring adulation amongst both Anderson's devotees (The Milk Drinkers?) and film fans alike, but what about yesterday's official trailer premiere? Sheer awe. When Philip Seymour Hoffman joined me in my InDepth InterView column in 2010, we spoke quite a bit about his previous work with Anderson on MAGNOLIA - which he called "an opera" - and BOOGIE NIGHTS, which is unquestionably a magnum opus; to say nothing of Hoffman's memorable turns in the respectively arresting and enchanting HARD 8 and PUNCH DRUNK LOVE - and the first news of this new religion-based project had just surfaced at that time, so this week's long-awaited release of the official theatrical trailer of THE MASTER is a promise of a new Anderson/Hoffman cinematic collaboration finally at long last fulfilled - and much, much more, as well.

Slipping and sliding back into Fathom-equipped movie theaters nationwide for one night only on July 12 in honor of its sixtieth anniversary, the iconic and legendary 1952 movie musical masterpiece SINGIN' IN THE RAIN makes its grand return to the silver screen in a brand new HD remastering that any movie musical fan, film fanatic or Broadway baby will definitely want to see first hand. A special event presented by Turner Classic Movies - also featuring an exclusive behind-the-scenes documentary hosted by Robert Osborne and featuring original film star Debbie Reynolds - the July 12 showing of SINGIN' IN THE RAIN is one more enduring entry in a continuing series of classic releases shown in HD for the first time in Fathom-equipped movie theaters across the country prior to their release on Blu-ray - past highlighted films have included SCARFACE, WEST SIDE STORY, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, CASABLANCA and many more. So, in celebration of SINGIN' IN THE RAIN splashing its way back to cinemas next week, today we are going to take a look back at some of the most well-known and best-loved scenes from the film - boasting a star-studded cast led by Gene Kelly, Donald O'Conner and Debbie Reynolds; directed by Kelly and Stanley Donen, with songs by Nacio Herb Brown and movie musical magnate Arthur Freed - as well as partake in the many famous and infamous homages paying tribute to the rightly well-regarded movie musical gem over the years. Gene Kelly to Gwyneth Paltrow to Kurt Browning to Usher; GLEE to THE MUPPET SHOW to FAMILY GUY; A CLOCKWORK ORANGE to FAME to SPAMALOT and far, far beyond; this retrospective look at one of the most important and influential - and just plain fun - American movie musicals ever produced certainly has it all; and then some! Ain't it great to stay up late?

In honor of this week's US release of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL on DVD/Blu-ray - PHANTOM 25 for short - today we are focusing on the multitude of attributes that have made Andrew Lloyd Webber's unforgettable gothic musical the most successful entertainment of all time, now in its 25th year onstage and about to reach 10,000 performances on Broadway, where it is the reigning longest running show of all time. The gargantuan excitement generated by and the enthusiastic reception enjoyed by PHANTOM for audiences worldwide is unprecedented, yet, the new ultimate presentation of the show - PHANTOM 25 - is even more spectacular and thrilling than any iteration of PHANTOM on any stage or screen thus far. Bringing together the cast of a lifetime with the electricity of a live audience, the HD preservation of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL is positively peerless in its sleekness, precision and polish of presentation. Never before - not even in the vaunted hands and cords of original show stars Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford - has the show been this contemporary, sexual and hypnotizing. Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom brings a rawness and austerity to the role that commands attention and Sierra Boggess is, in a word, supreme, as the young ingenue under the Phantom's watchful musical tutelage. So, too, does Hadley Fraser's perfectly painted Raoul hit the right mark, as do the rest of the exceptional cast in their commitment to making clear-cut, strong and colorful impressions in their roles. The LED-enhanced set is an imaginative reworking of the designs by Maria Bjornson and the musical staging is smooth and assured thanks to original show choreographer Gillian Lynne. Yet, the star of PHANTOM 25 is, unquestionably, Andrew Lloyd Webber's rapturous, rich and enveloping score. Bringing together an impressive and inspired assortment of genres in creating the quintessential pop opera, Lloyd Webber employs elements of grand opera, opera bouffe, operetta and musical theatre, as well as incorporates a diverse range of musical styles - even a little heavy metal guitar in the title song, as we shall see (and hear). The score of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is one of Andrew Lloyd Webber's finest achievements and stands tall alongside his other classic scores for JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, EVITA, CATS, SUNSET BOULEVARD among many other international hit shows. Indeed, the story and score of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is so very complex and decadent as to allow for a continuation of the story, score, characters and overall themes in the form of the new musical, LOVE NEVER DIES, which premiered in a new version in Australia last year and whose story traces the relationship of the Phantom, Christine and Raoul from the end of the original show all the way from Paris to Coney Island ten years later where PHANTASMA is the show everyone must experience thanks to a mysterious figure lurking in the shadows beyond the carousel. In today's celebration of PHANTOM 25, we will take a look at the original music videos, the legendary Hal Prince production on Broadway and in the West End, the forthcoming LOVE NEVER DIES - coming to Fathom-equipped theaters nationwide later this month - all with a special spotlight on the most phantastic anniversary concert of all time, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL.

In a correlative column to this weekend's extensive and exclusive InDepth InterView, tonight we are shining a special solo spotlight on the vast multitude of talents possessed by one of Broadway's brightest stars - known best to theatre fans for his tremendous turns in Maury Yeston's TITANIC, Andrew Lippa's THE WILD PARTY, the original musicals SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS, SHREK and NEXT TO NORMAL as well as original dramas such as TIME STANDS STILL - who now can now regularly be seen on NBC's hit music drama series SMASH, and, starting this Sunday in a three-episode arc on Showtime's THE BIG C with fellow Broadway notable Tammy Blanchard - the one and only Brian D'arcy James. While you will have to wait until tomorrow for the career-spanning conversation that covers his experiences working on those thrilling original musicals as well as reflections on collaborating with the starry array of cast members and creatives on the Steven Spielberg-produced SMASH and what lays ahead for Season Two, now is an absolutely ideal opportunuity to reacclimatize ourselves. Just what can't Brian d'Arcy James do? As this spell-binding collection of clips prove - everything; and then some.

Part 12 ANGRY MEN homage, part surrealistic NBC retrospective fever dream and 100% 30 ROCK absurd brilliance at its best, night's live episode of the gold standard NBC comedy series 30 ROCK was precisely that - pure gold. Not only did Tina Fey and the impossibly creative team of writers give the motley assortment of players that comprise the cast a chance to seriously show off their live sketch show skills and theatrical training, but provided Broadway and Hollywood crossover star Alec Baldwin with some of his strongest material to date - with the charismatic erstwhile comedian absolutely killing in his moments portraying a host of wacky and weird characters besides the usual stone-faced Jack Donaghy, a role which has brought him a copious amount of well-deserved statuettes over the six seasons so far. Speaking of hosts, the Dean Martin parody, THE JOEY MONTERO SHOW, stands out as being perhaps the most memorable and guffaw-inducing of all the night's trove of treasures, which is certainly saying something significant - Baldwin owned. Besides the ingenuous conceit of paying tribute to the landmark original live television drama 12 ANGRY MEN acting as a fresh and amusing framing device for the episode, the opportunity afforded by Kenneth (Jack MacBrayer)'s hallucinatory flashbacks of fictional former lesser glories of NBC's long and storied history gave rise to the fabulous fodder allowing for some of the funniest sequences on the series in recent memory - moments that will linger in the mind and funny bone long after this episode or season. Yes, once again, 30 ROCK proved why it is the finest comedy on TV and why Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin have a special sort of chemistry that can only be compared to the finest pairs in the rich history of the form - Mary & Mr. Grant included.

Today we are saluting one of the most beloved Broadway scores of all time, created by the formidable show business songwriting dynasty of Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein - THE SOUND OF MUSIC. While the original 1959 Broadway production was well-received and won Mary Martin a Tony Award for her winsome Maria, the property has gone on to win over generations the world over thanks in no small part to the 1965 Robert Wise feature film version starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. On Monday, Carnegie Hall will be presenting a special concert version of the family- friendly show starring Laura Osnes, Tony Goldwyn and Brooke Shields. Be sure to check out my comprehensive conversation with Brooke Shields, who will be playing the Baroness, available here, and, also, stay tuned to BroadwayWorld for my upcoming InDepth InterView with the Maria of the concert presentation, rising Broadway superstar Laura Osnes. So, what exactly is it about THE SOUND OF MUSIC that has won over audiences of all ages for more than fifty years and set hearts aflutter and souls stirred? Is it the dramatic story of a family torn apart by death and war only to be brought back together again when least expected by a kindly maternal nun? Is it the slice of life depiction of the family dynamic and how we can all relate to one or many facets of it therein? Is it the ensuing romance between Maria and Captain Von Trapp and their delicately portrayed courtship (particularly when considering the ravishing duet added for the film, "Something Good")? Or, is it that classic Rodgers & Hammerstein score - containing a dizzying assortment of standards that have gone on to become ingrained in our ears, minds and hearts, as well as made a fixture of pop culture itself - "Do-Re-Mi", "My Favorite Things", "Edelweiss", "The Lonely Goatherd", "Climb Ev'ry Mountain", the title song and beyond. AMC's hit series MAD MEN even featured one of the most beloved SOUND OF MUSIC duets on a recent broadcast as an ironic episode capper all too befitting of the moment (and, given the 60s setting of the series, era) - Betty Draper mischievously sneaking an extra bowl of ice cream set to the strains of "I Am Sixteen Going On Seventeen". Between the MAD MEN song reference, the ongoing SOUND OF MUSIC film singalongs occurring every week (with many patrons coming in costume and with props, ala ROCKY HORROR) around the world and the countless professional and amateur productions that crop up every year, as well as the glitzy Carnegie Hall concert on Monday, THE SOUND OF MUSIC has never gone out of style - it shall forever remain sixteen, even when the show itself is not too far away from hitting sixty.

Today we are shining a special spotlight on some of the most spot-on short video parodies in recent memory - with a special focus on the creme de la creme of such shorts; unveiled last night on THE JIMMY FALLON SHOW, the absolutely hilarious first installment of DOWNTON SIXBEY, starring Jimmy Fallon and Brooke Shields as well as Fallon's announcer, Steve Higgins (and a cameo from SNL and PORTLANDIA's Fred Armisen). An incredibly detailed and well-honed winking homage to the international smash hit Julian Fellowes early-19th century-set DOWNTON ABBEY that has cleaned up at the recent Emmy Awards and Golden Globes - a drama largely concerning itself with the goings on upstairs and downstairs at an impossible palatial country estate - DOWNTON SIXBEY centers on the various intrigues of the cast of characters at Studio 6B at 30 Rockefeller Center in New York City and contains countless winks and nudges to and taken at the expense of the hit Brit soap sensation of the century. From the opening sequence - a direct shot-for-shot recreation of the already iconic DOWNTON prologue - through to Fallon's all-to-apt pronunciation of 'here', Broadway and Hollywood star Brooke Shields looking ravishing as she says 'howdy' as politely as the other Lady Grantham herself and beyond - without even mentioning Fred Armisen's cameo as the homely 'other daughter' and the ?uestlove (Fallon's bandleader and the head of The Roots) cameo cliffhanger at the conclusion - this joking and sensitively rendered tribute hits the notes and chords all too few of the countless DOWNTON ABBEY parodies committed to celluloid so far fail to consistently reach and truly sings, zings and stings. When it comes to this sort of thing, it's all in the details, after all, isn't it? The same could be said of DOWNTON ABBEY itself, actually.

A few days shy of the holiest week of the year for Christians - aptly named Holy Week, beginning with Palm Sunday and ending with Easter (with Holy Thursday and Good Friday, the most sacred events on the calendar coming between) - Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's seminal rock opera JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR was resurrected on Broadway by TOMMY and JERSEY BOYS director Des McAnuff - modeled after the hit Stratford Shakespeare Festival production last year and comprised of many of the same cast members, including all three leads - to hails of praise and hosannas, mostly. While JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR itself will always divide audiences and critics alike - and not merely because of its controversial content and its button-pushing treatment of the hallowed tale it tells - the magnetism and sheer power that Lloyd Webber's propulsive, throbbing rock score imbues gives the show an energy, vitality and life rare to find in even the most earnestly effervescent and energetic of comparable entities - the recently revived and similarly-themed GODSPELL in a revival a few blocks away included. Then, there are Tim Rice's lyrics - oh-so-spot-on in 1970, but still biting and edgy today in McAnuff's hi-tech and elaborately presented new Broadway production. Using the book of John as the jumping off point, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR tells the story of the last seven days in the life of Jesus Christ (Paul Nolan) and his subsequent betrayal by Judas (Josh Young) and sentencing to death at the hands of King Herod and Pontius Pilate (Tom Hewitt). The twelve apostles, Mary Magdalene and her female companions, lepers, Pharisees, priests and others populate the grand story told almost entirely through song - the show is 90% music - and Webber and Rice's score never, ever lets up. While this may not be the most faithful rendering as far as the Bible is concerned, nor the most historically accurate, SUPERSTAR is now available to experience for a whole new generation thanks to this new revival and the timing could not be more ideal. The time is ripe for a revival of SUPERSTAR, and, as Andrew Lloyd Webber himself has recently related, this new production of the show is the best ever as far as he is concerned. High praise indeed - coming from no less than the Lord.

This week, I was fortunate enough to have a conversation with a Broadway and Hollywood notable also known around the world as the star of Showtime's hit serial killer series, DEXTER - the eminently gifted Michael C. Hall - all about his new feature film THE TROUBLE WITH BLISS, co-starring a colorful assortment of theatre and film actors including recent GOD OF CARNAGE star Lucy Liu, as well as Peter Fonda, Chris Messina, Christian Campbell and star-on-the-rise Brie Larson - with the film giving Hall a rare chance to show off his slightly softer side (in more ways than one). Hall candidly comments on his experiences filming the NYC-set dramedy directed by Matthew Knowles and based on the book by Douglas Light, which follows his neurotic, stasis-plagued character, Morris Bliss, who, at the ripe age of 35, embarks on a journey of self-discovery and enlightenment spurred on by his relationship with a girl half his age - who also happens to be the daughter of his former schoolmate. THE TROUBLE WITH BLISS showcases not only Hall's considerable comedic expertise and his unique ability to portray contained madness and neurosis with lilt and humor, but, also, his charismatic presence as a romantic leading man, which, we can hope will be exploited in future entities - on screens and stages large and small - in the future.

Since NBC's musical drama series SMASH is kicking into high gear as the Marilyn Monroe musical that forms the core of the show's story approaches its first workshop presentation on Monday night's episode - with the highly awaited appearance of Broadway legend Bernadette Peters coming next week, as well; playing the mother of the Marilyn musical star, Ivy Lynn (Megan Hilty) - now is the ideal opportunity to, well, "Fade in on a girl / With a hunger for fame / And a face and a name to remember," to quote Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman's crown jewel in a diadem of a songstack for the show-within-the-show, BOMBSHELL. The show-within-the-show is better that most scores on Broadway these days and that is a credit to the Tony-winning tunesmiths and their ability to make musical theatre that is polished and professional, yet totally fun, bawdy and accessible, as well. Look no further than this week's "History Is Made At Night" or last week's "Let's Be Bad" - to say nothing of the pilot's twofer of titanic theatrical prowess in the form of "The National Pastime" and the afore-quoted "Let Me Be Your Star". Plus, we have to remember, SMASH has not one Marilyn, but two, so the future possibilities of who will be singing these songs and how they will be presented is totally unknown. As we shall see in the clips below, "Let Me Be Your Star" will now have its third iteration on the show, acting as the opening number in the workshop presentation as Ivy Lynn belts it to the rafters, ballad-style - not unlike the Karen/Ivy stage sequence presented in Episode 2 as a dream. Using just the example of "Star", we can see how rich and rewarding it is to further explore the depths of drama and heights of wit amply apparent in the sometimes caustic, sometimes campy and always enjoyably, embraceable unique work of Shaiman & Wittman on their songs for SMASH. The story setting them up, drama surrounding and contained within them - with the meta-narrative of the behind-the-scenes going on we are privy to acting as another layer - makes the production numbers the most brightly glittering stars of the SMASH universe. Katharine McPhee's "Somewhere Over The Rainbow", "Call Me" and "Rumor Has It", as well as Hilty's "Crazy Dreams", were all viable and entertaining covers in their own right, yet the original songs are what make SMASH really sing - and zing, sting and ring-a-ding-ding.