Alan Menken News

Casting has been announced for the Charlotte engagement of Disney's  NEWSIES.   The Tony® Award-winning production will begin performances at Belk Theater at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, August 9 for a limited engagement through Sunday, August 14. 

With music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and book by James Lapine, the stage version of Disney's 1996 animated musical THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, based onVictor Hugo's 1831 novel, premiered in Berlin. The 1999 production, performed in German, enjoyed a three-year run.

The Ogunquit Playhouse presents the New England premiere of THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, on stage now to August 6, making The Playhouse one of the first regional theaters in the U.S. to stage this new musical. Click below to watch highlights from the show!

It's a classic fairy-tale. Boy meets Girl. Girl likes Boy. Girl has abusive boyfriend who thrives on orthodontic agony. Boy has abusive plant who thrives on human blood. Boy feeds boyfriend to plant and becomes world famous. Yeah, in hindsight, it's not exactly your classic fairy-tale.

The Windham Theatre Guild is excited to present live on stage Little Shop of Horrors opening Today, July 22nd at the Burton Leavitt Theatre, 779 Main Street, Willimantic.

Kaufman Music Center will host a diverse 2016-17 season at Merkin Concert Hall, highlighting Broadway musicals as part of the Broadway Close up series giving theater fans a new perspective on the shows and songs they love, with compelling performances along with eye-opening interviews.

Happy Birthday Alan Menken! For Disney, Menken has scored The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Pocahontas, each of which won him two Academy Awards. He also composed the scores for The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Enchanted, and Tangled. Menken has collaborated on several occasions with lyricists including Howard Ashman,Tim Rice and Stephen Schwartz. On Broadway, Menken has composed for The Little Mermaid, Little Shop of Horrors, King David, Beauty and the Beast, Sister Act, Leap of Faith, and Newsies. His most recent Broadway project, Aladdin, is currently playing at the New Amsterdam Theatre.

Don't miss those seen here and the rest of the superbly gifted multi-generational cast of Oliver! in this unique production. Oliver! runs from July 21st-July 24th at the Grinton I Will Library, located at 1500 Central Ave Yonkers NY. This is a truly special take on this beloved classic show. 

Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater presents the world premiere of UNEXPECTED JOY, starring Sally Mayes, Lacretta, Michele Duffy, and Charity Farrell.

Next up at Encores! Off-Center is Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. The first musical written by the blockbuster team of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, the Off-Center production will star Skylar Astin, Derrick Baskin, Jeff Blumenkrantz, Nick Choksi, Eddie Cooper, Kevin Del Aguila, Santino Fontana, Clark Johnson, James Earl Jones, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Eddie Korbich, Marla Louissaint, Liz McCartney, Bonnie Milligan, Brynn O'Malley, and Kate Wetherhead.

According to The New York Post's Michael Riedel, a little known Broadway musical from Alan Menken called KICKS may be getting a new life.

The Wick Theatre's 2016/2017 Season: THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SONG Starring Broadway's Andrea McArdle October 13 - November 6 A musical comedy by master of the genre Neil Simon, music by Marvin Hamlisch, and lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager. The hit musical about an established composer and his relationship with an aspiring young female lyricist. Professionally, their relationship works beautifully-but ultimately leads to conflict on the home front. Don't worry, there's a happy ending.

Jamie Wilson is delighted to announce casting for the national tour of Curve's all new production of the hit musical comedy SISTER ACT, directed and choreographed by Craig Revel Horwood and opening at Curve on Saturday 30 July 2016 and visiting The Bristol Hippodrome from the 19th - 24th September 2016.

?Full casting is confirmed for hit musical comedy Little Shop of Horrors, bringing everyone's favourite carnivorous plant to bringing everyone's favourite carnivorous plant to the Theatre Royal, Glasgow from Monday 14 until Saturday 19 November 2016 as part of a major new UK Tour.

Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), the global leader in music rights management, has announced that the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop is now accepting applications for its first year composer/lyricist class. The application deadline is end of day on Monday, August 15, 2016.

Watching Cabrillo Music Theatre's The Little Mermaid on the Fred Kavli stage is an enjoyable treat, almost like viewing the Disney film ... it's so alive and scintillating. All the color and splendor of the ocean is onstage, and that has a lot to say about this production's creative team. All the technical aspects of the show are working smoothly, in sync. Cabrillo may be assuredly proud of their production. The sad thing is it only plays a week more, until Sunday July 24.

Ogunquit Playhouse's third season offering is an epic production of the Alan Menken-Stephen Schwartz- Peter Parnell musical version of Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This is only the third regional production of this adaptation of Hugo's 19th century novel set in 15th century Paris and represents another major step in the development process which will likely eventually bring this show to Broadway.

When The Little Mermaid was released in 1989, it not only became one of the most popular Disney films to date, it was also the very first animated musical to use Broadway composers for its music - changing the direction of animated movies forever. Now Cabrillo Music Theatre brings this amazing story to life with The Little Mermaid, live on stage! This is not simply a children's show - it's a brand-new fully-developed Broadway musical, in the spirit of Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King and Mary Poppins, and Cabrillo Music Theatre's production will be the first in the region!