WAKE UP with BWW 6/12/14 - HEDWIG Album, BULLPEN, POWER PLAYS Off-Broadway and More!

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Today's big news: HEDWIG hits the shelves, while IF/THEN holds a CD signing, THE BULLPEN and POWER PLAYS begin off-Broadway, featuring some amped up playwriting talent, and ATOMIC meets the press!

TODAY'S TOP ITEMS:

• The HEDWIG original cast recording, featuring Neil Patrick Harris, is out digitally today, plus Idina Menzel and the IF/THEN cast will appear at the Madison Avenue Sony store for a CD signing!
• Featuring Bryce Pinkham and more, the MuseMatch 2 concert at 54 Below will benefit ZARA AINA charity tonight.
• Joseph Assadourian's THE BULLPEN (sneak peek here), and POWER PLAYS, with works by David Henry Hwang, John Guare, Neil LaBute and more, begin performances Off-Broadway!
• Enrico Brignano stars in RUGANTINO at New York City Center beginning tonight; the show celebrates the 50th anniversary of its Broadway debut!
• Sierra Boggess, Robert Petkoff and more will appear in a reading for the new musical version of SENSE & SENSIBILITY today and tomorrow...
• And finally, the cast of the new off-Broadway musical ATOMIC meets the press today, so be sure to check back for BWW's coverage!

NEWS YOU MISSED YESTERDAY:

• LADY DAY, starring six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald, has extended through August 31 on Broadway!
• Congrats! BEAUTIFUL received the Actors' Equity's 8th Annual ACCA Award for Outstanding Broadway Chorus.
• Levi Kreis will begin performances as 'The Preacher' in VIOLET on Broadway on July 1st!
• The IF/THEN Cast Recording, starring Idina Menzel, is the first Billboard Top 20 debut for a cast album since RENT in 1996.
• Speaking of successful recordings, Broadway Inspirational Voices has surpassed their Kickstarter goal for their new holiday album GREAT JOY II!
• SOUL DOCTOR, which ran on Broadway last season, will reappear off-Broadway this winter.
• Michael Cerveris and Laura Osnes have joined Randy Newman in Encores! FAUST: THE CONCERT!
• We got a sneak peek at THE NANCE in a new trailer for the show's movie theater debut later this month...
• The Tony Awards Committee met for the final time in the 2013-14 season to determine next year's rules; the two Best Sound Design categories have been nixed, and producers are allowed to send more personalized swag to Tonys nominators and voters in 2014-15. Here's a list of the new nominating committee!
• We got a first look at Patti LaBelle in AFTER MIDNIGHT!
• BROADWAY IN BRYANT PARK announced its full schedule, featuring ON THE TOWN, GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE, BULLETS and more!
• MCC Theater has extended THE VILLAGE BIKE, starring Greta Gerwig, through mid-July...
• And ABC's ONCE UPON A TIME is hunting for an Elsa, Anna and Kristoff for the series' FROZEN crossover!

Broadway Weather Forecast: Thunderstorms with a high of 73 degrees.

Quote of the Day: In honor of POWER PLAYS, Neil LaBute ruminates on the actor's ego...

I think the more the actor lets you know what he thinks of the character, the less the audience cares - like a comedian who laughs at his own jokes.
-- Neil LaBute (via BrainyQuote)

What we're watching: Joss Whedon's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, with Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, Nathan Fillion and more. It's on Netflix, first of all, so happy streaming! And second, we can't wait for the Public's production to open next week at Shakespeare in the Park, so this will have to do (and it does well, we promise!) in the meantime.

Video of the Day: Nick Pitera's one-man tribute to Broadway's ALADDIN. The time and effort put into this video production has to be admired; Pitera plays all the roles with a dramatic flair, dressed in subtle, modern versions of the show's flamboyant costumes. Check it out below!