Nicole Rosky - Page 1067

Samuel French announces the launch of The Samuel French Institute, a series of seminars, classes and workshops taught by industry professionals such as Kristoffer Diaz (The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity), Crystal Skillman (Cut, Birthday & Nobody), Mark Blankenship (Editor of TDF Stages) and others this summer.

The Encores! production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, opening May 9 at New York City Center, stars Megan Hilty as Lorelei Lee, the diamond-loving blonde made famous by Carol Channing (Broadway) and Marilyn Monroe (film). Rachel York stars as Dorothy Shaw, Lorelei's brunette best friend. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes will be directed by John Rando with music direction by Rob Berman and choreography by Randy Skinner and will play for seven performances, May 9 - 13, at New York City Center, 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues.

According to NY Magazine, Angela Lansbury, who is currently starring in GORE VIDAL'S THE BEST MAN on Broadway, has signed on to star alongside James Earl Jones in an Australian tour of DRIVING MISS DAISY next winter.

On June 3, the Dramatists Guild Fund will host their 50th Anniversary Gala at the Mandarin Oriental New York. This year's event, hosted by Jon Cryer, will honor Chicago and Cabaret composer John Kander.

Today in 2005, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee opened at the Circle in the Square Theatre, where it ran for 1136 performances. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a one act musical comedy conceived by Rebecca Feldman with music and lyrics by William Finn, a book by Rachel Sheinkin and additional material by Jay Reiss. The show centers on a fictional spelling bee set in a geographically ambiguous Putnam Valley Middle School. Six quirky adolescents compete in the Bee, run by three equally-quirky grown-ups. The 2005 Broadway production, directed by James Lapine, was nominated for six Tony Awards, winning two, including Best Book. The show has spawned various other productions in the U.S., including a national tour with performances in Canada, and Australian productions.

Today in 2002, The Drowsy Chaperone opened at the Marquis Theatre, where it ran for 674 performances. The Drowsy Chaperone is a musical with book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar and music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison. It is a parody of American musical comedy of the 1920s. The story concerns a middle-aged, antisocial musical theatre fan; as he plays the record of his favorite musical, the (fictional) 1928 hit The Drowsy Chaperone, the show comes to life onstage as he wryly comments on the music, story, and actors. The show won the Tony Award for Best Book and Best Score. The show has had major productions in Toronto, Los Angeles, New York, London, and Japan, as well as two North American tours.

Today in 2002, the first Broadway revival of Into the Woods opened at the Broadhurst Theatre, where it ran for 279 performances. Into the Woods is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It debuted in San Diego at the Old Globe Theatre in 1986, and premiered on Broadway in 1987. Into the Woods won several Tony Awards, including Best Score, Best Book, and Best Actress in a Musical (Joanna Gleason), in a year dominated by The Phantom of the Opera. The main characters are taken from the stories of Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and Cinderella, tied together by a more original story involving a baker and his wife and their quest to begin a family, most likely taken from the original story of Rapunzel by the Brothers Grimm.

Stage and screen stars Kristin Chenoweth & Jim Parsons will announce this year's Tony nominees tomorrow morning, May 1, 8:30am EST at New York Public Library. The Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards, which are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, will be broadcast in a live three-hour ceremony from the Beacon Theatre, on the CBS television network on Sunday, June 10, 2012. In preparation for the big announcement, TonyAwards.com has released a Cheat Sheet that reminds you of the eligible shows/people of this season. The full Cheat Sheet is as follows:

New York Stage and Film and Vassar College have announced the line-up of their 2012 Powerhouse Theater season. Season highlights will include:

Tonight on GLEE, Kurt and Rachel finally get to audition for NYADA and Whoopi Goldberg guest stars! The full episode airs 5/1 on FOX. Check out photos and full audio tracks from the episode below, which include 'Cell Block Tango,' 'Shake It Out,' 'School's Out,' 'The Rain in Spain,' 'Not the Boy Next Door' and more!

FINGERLICKIN' FIERCE, a one-night-only event with Broadway veterans Michael James Scott and Asmeret Ghebremichael, will take place Monday, May 14th. Doors open at 7:00pm and performance begins at 8:00pm at The Canal Room, 285 West Broadway, New York, NY 10013. Tickets are $25 for VIP seating (limited availability) $18 for reserved general admission seating, and $20 for day-of general admission seating. For more information and tickets please visit www.fingerlickinfierce.com.

John Travolta's wife and actress, Kelly Preston, attended JERSEY BOYS at Paris Las Vegas yesterday, April 26. Preston attended the show for the first time last night after her husband and daughter, Ella, had seen it in New York and raved about it. Ella attended the show again with her mom along with a group of close friends. The group went backstage after the performance to meet the cast and Preston remarked that there was more exceptional music in this production than in almost any show she has ever seen.

Acclaimed Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) Artistic Director Michael Boyd will receive the Samuel H. Scripps Award at Theatre for a New Audience's Spring Gala Celebrating Shakespeare's 448th Birthday. The celebration, Monday, May 7, is at the Powerhouse at the American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street.

Next week on GLEE, Kurt and Rachel finally get to audition for NYADA - the promo trailer below drops a heavy hint than everything will not run smoothly! The full episode airs 5/1 on FOX. Check out full audio tracks from the episode below, which include 'Cell Block Tango,' 'Shake It Out,' 'School's Out,' 'The Rain in Spain,' 'Not the Boy Next Store' and more!

Broadway may soon make way for 'Lost In Love,' a new musical based on the hit songs of iconic duo Air Supply. The show has a 'Downton Abbey' feel and features 18 classic songs by Air Supply with four new tunes penned by the duo's own Graham Russell.

Colin Donnell, who currently plays the role of 'Billy Crocker' in Anything Goes, is set to depart the production on April 29. Bill English, who played the role while Donnell was filming a pilot in January, will take over started May 1.

Paper Mill Playhouse just announced full casting for the Millburn, New Jersey, theater's production of Once On This Island (book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, music by Stephen Flaherty). More than 20 years after its premiere, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens are re-inventing their first musical with Tony-nominated director Thomas Kail (In the Heights, Lombardi, Magic/Bird), choreographer Bradley Rapier (So You Think You Can Dance, Jesus Christ Superstar) and new orchestrations by music director Lynne Shankel (Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Altar Boyz). Once On This Island begins performances on Wednesday, May 30, 2012, and runs through Sunday, June 24, 2012. Once On This Island is proudly sponsored by Bank of America. The official press opening is scheduled for Sunday, June 3, 2012.

The Camp Broadway Kids, which is comprised of 58 theatre-loving kids, ages 12-16, are set to perform in the New York Pops 29th Birthday Gala titled 'Journey On' at Carnegie Hall on Monday, April 30. Under the direction of Camp Broadway's Artistic Director,Tony Parise (Broadway credits include Me and My Girl and 42nd Street), the cast, which was selected from a nation-wide pool of over 500 auditionees, will perform alongside Broadway stars during musical numbers honoring the work of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, the Tony Award-winning and Oscar-nominated songwriting team of such renowned Broadway musicals as Ragtime, Once On This Island, Seussical, My Favorite Year, A Man of No Importance, The Glorious Ones and the feature film Anastasia.

Broadway favorite Harvey Fierstein, who most recently wrote the book for NEWSIES, recently visited 'CBS This Morning,' where he chatted about the new musical, his distinct voice, and more. Catch the full interview below!

West End Eurovision, now in its 5th year, sees 12 West End casts, including such shows as Legally Blonde, Phantom of the Opera, War Horse and Les Miserables, produce fully costumed, choreographed versions of a past Eurovision Song Contest entry. This iconic show was nominated in the top 5 'Theatrical Events of the year 2011' category in the recent BroadwayWorld.com Awards. Check out this year's winning performance from the cast of SWEENEY TOOD below!