Adesola Osakalumi News

The 26th Annual Festival of New Musicals, presented by the National Alliance For Musical Theatre (NAMT), kicked off with THE 46TH MINUTE, a concert hosted by Lindsay Mendez and featuring performances by Heidi Blickenstaff, Doreen Montalvo, Mamie Parris, Bryce Ryness, and more. Musical presentations started October 23 at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street) and included Beautiful Poison, Cubamor, Great Wall, How To Break, Mary Marie, The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes, String and Stu For Silverton. The Festival concluded on October 24, 2014. Scroll down for photos!

The National Alliance For Musical Theatre (NAMT) is proud to announce final casting for the 26th Annual Festival of New Musicals. Michael Cassara Casting serves as the resident casting office for the 26th Annual Festival of New Musicals, taking place on Thursday, October 23, 2014 and Friday, October 24, 2014 at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street). Online Festival registration ends Friday, October 17.

New York Stage and Film and Vassar College, this summer celebrating the 30th year of their Powerhouse Theater collaboration, previously announced that Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner Kyra Sedgwick would lead the cast of Academy Award and Tony Award winner John Patrick Shanley's new play The Danish Widow, which premieres today, July 16, and continues through July 27, 2014 at Hallie Flanagan-Davis Powerhouse Theater at Vassar College. Shanley also directs the cast which also includes multitalented Broadway vets Craig Bierko and Matt McGrath, as well as stage and screen actress Annika Boras.

Earlier this week, Steele took a break from rehearsals to chat with Broadwayworld about the new production, reuniting with his NEWSIES choreographer Christopher Gattelli, and so much more. Check out the full interview below!

New York Stage and Film and Vassar College, this summer celebrating the 30th year of their Powerhouse Theater collaboration, announced that Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner Kyra Sedgwick will lead the cast of Academy Award and Tony Award winner John Patrick Shanley's new play The Danish Widow, which will premiere July 16-27, 2014 at Hallie Flanagan-Davis Powerhouse Theater at Vassar College. Shanley also directs the cast which also includes multitalented Broadway vets Craig Bierko and Matt McGrath, as well as stage and screen actress Annika Boras.

New York Stage and Film and Vassar College, this summer celebrating the 30th year of their Powerhouse Theater collaboration, presents the Powerhouse Theater Season, running from today, June 20 to July 27 at Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, New York).

New York Stage and Film and Vassar College, this summer celebrating the 30th year of their Powerhouse Theater collaboration, will soon present their upcoming Powerhouse Theater Season, running from June 20 to July 27 atVassar College (Poughkeepsie, New York). Members of the casts gave a special press preview yesterday and BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge was there to chat with the whole gang about the season!

New York Stage and Film and Vassar College, this summer celebrating the 30th year of their Powerhouse Theater collaboration, will soon present their upcoming Powerhouse Theater Season, running from June 20 to July 27 at Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, New York). Members of the casts gave a special press preview yesterday an you can check out photos below!

New York Stage and Film and Vassar College, this summer celebrating the 30th year of their Powerhouse Theater collaboration, are thrilled to reveal the first round of casting for the upcoming Powerhouse Theater Season, running from June 20 to July 27 at Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, New York).

Today, check out BWW's 20 most viewed photo flashes from 2013, and catch up on anything that you might have missed within the last 12 months!

Musical Theater is a strange animal. It's trying to tell an engaging and evocative story through music. And when you frame that storytelling in the guise of a concert it gets even more difficult as the lyrics of the songs really need to drive that story but it can work ('Passing Strange', 'Hedwig' and 'Altar Boyz' to name a few). Unfortunately 'Fela', currently playing at the Paramount Theatre, does not work in that respect. It's more concert with a little story peppered in and while the cast is certainly talented and the energy is there, much of it felt self indulgent and just too long.

R&B superstar Michelle Williams of Destiny's Child fame is one of the stars of 'Fela!' The musical, filled with the exuberant music of Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, which opened on April 26 in Los Angeles and runs through May 5, 2013. Below, BroadwayWorld has photos of the cast and creative team celebrating opening night!

At the conclusion of FELA!, the Afrobeat political awareness musical, now on stage at the Palace Theatre, caskets are carried onto center stage and piled up. On top of the stack of caskets, emblazed with names such as Martin Luther King and Malcolm X and words such as 'freedom,' 'bullying' and 'oppression,' was a vertical box of death entitled, 'Chardon High School.' Yes, FELA! is filled with music, but it is a wrenching tale of genocide, oppression and death, not only in Nigeria, where the show is set, but across the world, including a Cleveland suburb.

Producers Shawn 'Jay-Z' Carter, Will & Jada Pinkett Smith and Ruth & Stephen Hendel previously announced that Grammy Award-winning recording artist and former member of Destiny's Child Michelle Williams would star in the national tour of the award-winning Broadway musical Fela!, coming to Miami's Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts from tonight, March 19 - 24.

Grammy Award-winning recording artist and former member of Destiny's Child Michelle Williams stars in the national tour of the award-winning Broadway musical Fela! Check out production shots of Williams and the cast in action below!

Producers Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Will & Jada Pinkett Smith and Ruth & Stephen Hendel have announced that Grammy Award-winning recording artist and former member of Destiny's Child Michelle Williams will play the role of Sandra Isadore, activist and love interest to Fela Kuti in the national tour of the hit Award-winning Broadway musical Fela!, coming to Cleveland for three performances ONLY at PlayhouseSquare's Palace Theatre, April 2-4, 2013. Tickets are on sale now!

At BroadwayWorld we pride ourselves in showcasing theater content submitted by our regional contributors from all corners of the globe. Get all your theater news at a glance each Friday with 'Around BWW: Regional Highlights of the Week'! Click below for the most-read stories for the week of February 11!

Serendipity or divine will brought Adesola Osakalumi to the role of Fela. Adesola's father owned a record label and a record store in the Bronx. Fela Kuti, the Nigerian multi-instrumental musician and human rights activist would come into the store. As a child, Adesola met him two times, observing the soul of the man. Now as an adult, Adesola is unfolding Fela's music, beliefs and life story.