Top Stories You Missed on BWW This Weekend - 1/4-1/5/2014

Recognizable stage and screen stars Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff have remained best friends following their original run in the Broadway hit SPRING AWAKENING, extending to their roles on Glee and beyond, and a series of sexy new shots of the attractive triple-threats on a recent Mexican vacation in celebration of the new year are now available to view. (more...)

Popular rising screen star and onetime Broadway headliner Anna Kendrick shares her enthusiasm and insight on her major role of Cinderella in the forthcoming big screen movie musical adaptation of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's fairy tale-themed musical INTO THE WOODS byway of an amusing Twitter exchange with THE AVENGERS director and admitted musicals addict Joss Whedon earlier this weekend. (more...)

FIRST DATE, which opened on August 8, 2013 at Broadway's Longacre Theatre, plays its final performance today, Sunday, January 5, 2014, at 3pm, having played 34 previews and 174 regular performances. First Date, starring Zachary Levi and Krysta Rodriguez, began performances on Broadway on July 9, 2013, and has a book by Austin Winsberg, music and lyrics by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, direction by Bill Berry, musical staging by Josh Rhodes, orchestrations by August Eriksmoen, and musical supervision, vocal and incidental arrangements by Dominick Amendum. (more...)

Disney's ALADDIN, which is set to fly onto the Great White Way at the New Amsterdam Theatre on March 20, ends its pre-Broadway engagement at Toronto's Ed Mirvish Theatre today, Jan. 5, 2014. The production officially opened on Nov. 21, 2013. (more...)

SPIDER-MAN: TURN OFF THE DARK, the Broadway spectacular that defied odds and expectations to conquer New York, played its final performance at the Foxwoods Theatre yesterday, Jan. 4, 2014, after being seen by approximately two million fans, and 1,268 performances. Since it began previews on November 28, 2010, and even before they bagan, the show's high and lows were in the news, making it one of the most talked about shows in theater history. Last night, BWW was on the scene to capture Spidey's final moments on the Great White Way - check out photos from the show's last curtain call below! (more...)

It's time for the newest episode of BWW's exclusive TV series - CHEWING THE SCENERY WITH Randy Rainbow! In this edition, Randy sits down for a quick chat with Julie Andrews about this week's hottest new stories, including Carly Rae Jepsen joining CINDERELLA, the first look at Woody Allen's new musical BULLETS OVER BROADWAY, SPIDER-MAN closing and more! (more...)

Yesterday, Jan. 4, high-flying theater spectacle SPIDER:MAN: TURN OFF THE DARK took its final flight, with Billy Crystal's 700 SUNDAYS, the revival of ANNIE, BETRAYAL with Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz, and FIRST DATE with Zachary Levi and Krysta Rodriguez following suit today, Jan. 5. (more...)

Welcome to BWW's exclusive talk show, BACKSTAGE WITH Richard Ridge. Follow Richard as he visits the theater's best and brightest in their dressing rooms, on their stages and favorite hang outs to talk about their lives, careers and all of the things you don't know, but want to know. In the special interview below, A Christmas Story composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul chat about their musical backgrounds, all of their future projects, and much more. Click here if you missed Part 1 and check out Part 2 below! (more...)

Yesterday's photos come from the national tours of EVITA and GHOST, as well as Off-Broadway's HANDLE WITH CARE with Carol Lawrence, and the Las Vegas production of the hit musical ROCK OF AGES. (more...)

Tony winner Nikki M. James officially departs Broadway's The Book of Mormon today, December 5. James will soon star as 'Eponine' in the upcoming revival of Les Miserables, which will open at the Imperial Theatre on March 23, 2014. (more...)

This week's featured composers are Eli Bolin and Sam Forman whose song 'The Way You Move' from their new musical VOLLEYGIRLS, was performed by original cast member Allison Posner and producer Monica Raymund at at the Laurie Beechman Theater. (more...)

ANNIE will play its final performance on Broadway today, January 5, 2014. Upon closing, the production, which opened on November 8, 2012 at the Palace Theatre (Broadway at 47th Street), will have played 487 performances and 38 previews. Below, BroadwayWorld takes you on a look back through the musical's revival run on the Great White Way! (more...)

Below, BroadwayWorld marks this closing night by bringing you photos from the show's trip to Broadway. The cast began rehearsals back in June, and you can check out photos from inside the rehearsal room below! (more...)

Headlined by Michael Ball and Lea Salonga, two of musical theatre's biggest stars, the chance to go behind the scenes of Do You Hear The People Sing? in Shanghai was an opportunity not to be missed. (more...)

Tonight, Jan. 5, 92Y hosts an evening with the stars and director behind the new Broadway musical The Bridges of Madison County at 7:30 pm. Four-time Tony Award-nominee Kelli O'Hara (Francesca) and Steven Pasquale (Robert Kincaid) will join Tony Award-winning director Bartlett Sher and composer/lyricist Jason Robert Brown for a conversation moderated by Tony Award winning composer/lyricist Adam Guettel. The evening will also include a few performances of songs from the show. (more...)

Below, BroadwayWorld tributes Crystal's return to the stage with a photo and video flashback of some of the highlights from the show's run. (more...)

Here are the Broadway, Off-Broadway and West End shows which opened on January 5 along with all of the upcoming show openings, closings and special events! (more...)

Today in 1946, the second Broadway revival of Showboat opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre, and ran for 418 performances. Show Boat is a musical in two acts with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It was originally produced in New York in 1927 and in London in 1928, and was based on the 1926 novel of the same name by Edna Ferber. The plot chronicles the lives of those living and working on the Cotton Blossom, a Mississippi River show boat, from 1880 to 1927. The show's dominant themes include racial prejudice and tragic, enduring love. (more...)

Upcoming Equity Auditions from Sunday, January 5, 2014. (more...)