Ahmanson Theatre News

Martin Sheen is returning to the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play that brought him a Tony Award nomination in 1964, and join with Frances Conroy and Brian Geraghty in 'The Subject Was Roses' by Frank D. Gilroy. Previews begin today.

An American architect gets a mysterious assignment from a Middle Eastern dignitary in the latest play from Howard Korder, which will have its world premiere March 7-28 on the Julianne Argyros Stage.

The Orange County Performing Arts Center and producers Cameron Mackintosh and Thomas Schumacher announced today that the award-winning musical MARY POPPINS will begin performances at Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa on Thursday, July 14, 2011 for a limited engagement of three weeks through Sunday, July 31, 2011. Opening night is set for Friday, July 15 at 7:30 p.m.

After flying high in Los Angeles for 13-weeks, MARY POPPINS folded her umbrella at the Ahmanson Theatre for the final time on Sunday, February 7. During the premiere engagement, the production played 100 performances, entertained over 188,000 theater patrons, grossed $13.7 million at the box office and achieved the milestone of being Los Angeles' highest grossing theatrical event in 2009.

Mary Poppins playing at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles will close on February 7, 2010.

Before the hit stage musical MARY POPPINS' three-month-long tour stop at Los Angeles' Ahmanson Theatre comes to an end on February 7, BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos sat down with Bolger for a nice, long chat about his year on tour, his stay in Los Angeles, his video blog stardom, and his future plans after he dances his final super-CALI-fragilistic jig.

Kenny Rogers: The First 50 Years will be performed at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods on Saturday, April 10 will feature Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Lionel Richie, Alison Kraus, Wynonna, The Oak Ridge Boys, and other artists will be announced at a later date.

Amas Musical Theatre (Donna Trinkoff, Producing Artistic Director) in association with Snap-Two Productions, Inc. will present the World Premiere of Signs of Life a new musical, with book by Peter Ullian, lyrics by Len Schiff, music by Joel Derfner, music direction by Michael Pettry, and directed by Jeremy Dobrish.

In celebration of the Chinese New Year, Chinus Cultural Productions and China Arts and Entertainment Group are proud to present the U.S. premiere of 'The Butterfly Lovers,' hailed as China's Romeo & Juliet, performed by the Beijing Dance Academy (BDA) Youth Dance Company, the most prestigious dance academy in China.

Dame Edna Everage and Michael Feinstein have welcomed Gregory Butler, Jodi Capeless, and Jon-Paul Mateo to their upcoming extravagant Broadway musical entertainment ALL ABOUT ME, directed by three time Tony Award-nominee Casey Nicholaw.

DouglasPlus continues in 2010 with the return of 'Darwin,' a family-friendly theatre piece, January 23-30; and staged workshops of the new musical 'Post Office' by Melissa James Gibson and Michael Friedman, February 17-21.

Producers Cameron Mackintosh and Thomas Schumacher are pleased to announce that Caroline Sheen will reprise the role of 'Mary Poppins' in the North American Tour of MARY POPPINS, after originating the title role in the critically acclaimed UK Tour. Sheen replaces Ashley Brown, who will play her final performance in Los Angeles at The Ahmanson Theatre on Sunday, February 7. Sheen joins the production in Tempe, AZ where performances begin at ASU Gammage Auditorium on Thursday, February 11 for a limited engagement of 3 weeks through Sunday, February 28, 2010. The opening night is Friday, February 12 at 7:30pm.

According to a recent equity casting notice, Leap of Faith, the new musical based off of the 1992 Steve Martin Film, will make its premiere at the Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles this summer.

Dick Van Dyke delighted theatergoers when he made a surprise cameo in the LA engagement of the MARY POPPINS NORTH AMERICAN TOUR on January 22. Van Dyke, 84, reprised his smaller film role, that of the crotchety bank president Mr. Dawes, in front of an ecstatic, sold out house at the Ahmanson Theater as part of a charity fundraiser.

The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle has announced its nominations and special awards for excellence in Los Angeles and Orange County theatre for the year 2009. The 41st Annual Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards ceremony will take place on Monday, March 22 at the Colony Theatre, thanks to the generous donation of the Colony's management. The theatre is located at 555 N. Third Street, in Burbank.

Dick Van Dyke delighted theatergoers when he made a surprise cameo in the LA engagement of the MARY POPPINS NORTH AMERICAN TOUR.

DouglasPlus continues in 2010 with the return of 'Darwin,' a family-friendly theatre piece, January 23-30; and staged workshops of the new musical 'Post Office' by Melissa James Gibson and Michael Friedman, February 17-21.

The 2009-2010 season of Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center welcomes the North American Premiere of "Kings of the Dance" in which eight renowned dance virtuosos share the stage and bring their power, strength, grace, and beauty to master works by many of the art form's most important choreographers.

Michael Riedel reveals this morning that a likely Broadway-bound musical adaptation of Leap of Faith (based off of the 1992 film starring Steve Martin) had an industry reading last week starring Raul Esparza as the preacher, Sutton Foster, and Kendra Kassebaum. The musical workshop, featuring a score by Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermain composer Alan Menken and lryics by Glenn Slater, had Promises, Promises director/choreographer Rob Ashford at the helm. Janus Cercone, who authored the original screenplay also penned the musical book.

In celebration of the Chinese New Year, Chinus Cultural Productions and China Arts and Entertainment Group are proud to present the U.S. premiere of 'The Butterfly Lovers,' hailed as China's Romeo & Juliet, performed by the Beijing Dance Academy (BDA) Resident Dance Company, the most prestigious dance academy in China. This is the first stop of a five city west coast tour including San Francisco, Sacramento, Portland, and Seattle.