Andrew Lippa News

Rehearsals are now well underway for GOD, the 20th anniversary celebration show from the Stephen Sondheim Society, which pays tribute to Mr Sondheim and his genius.

GOOD GRIEF! The Peanuts characters come to life on stage, as the Castle Craig Players revive their acclaimed production of the Tony Award-winning hit YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN. Based on the classic comic strips PEANUTS by Charles M. Schultz, this heart-warming musical is the perfect summer treat for the entire family! The show runs for two weekends only - July 25-August 3 - at the Almira F. Stephan Memorial Playhouse in Meriden!

Son of a coal-mining dad and a secretary mum, this is the story of an Aussie country kid and what lead him to tread the boards in some of Australia's biggest musicals. Following an extended and sold-out season at Sydney's Hayes Theatre, leading man David Harris, tours the east coast with performances in Melbourne, Brisbane and Newcastle.

A glittering group representing theatre and technology worlds celebrated a beautiful friendship Saturday night when TheatreWorks, the nationally acclaimed theatre of Silicon Valley, staged its annual TheatreWorks Honors gala June 21 at the Palo Alto Hills Golf and Country Club, this year paying tribute to Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award-winning Broadway composer Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party, The Addams Family, Big Fish) and Ray Rothrock, Partner Emeritus of pioneering venture capital firm Venrock. Scroll down for photos!

The Coachella Valley Repertory Theatre (CVRep) will follow up LOVE, LAUGHTER AND LUNACY, which stars Broadway Veterans Alix Korey, Janene Lovullo and Sal Mistretta and runs June 27-29, with two more exciting cabaret offerings - BUBBLEGUM's ANONYMOUS - CHEW ON THIS!, a tribute to the music of the 50's, 60's and 70's starring Gilbert Rixxo, July 18-20, and HE LOVES AND SHE LOVES, starring Erica and Brent Schindele, August 9 and 10.

I have to compliment these two on their professionalism and never missing a beat; even when the stormy weather outside starting to become a very noticeable puddle and small coy pond on the stage!

H. S. Kaufman (Book) and Christopher Anselmo (Music and Lyrics) are twenty year-old artists who have written a highly anticipated and groundbreaking musical about what some might describe as a soul-searching and terrifying milestone in the American culture - High School Graduation.

Theatre and technology worlds come together to commemorate Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award-winning Broadway composer Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party, The Addams Family, Big Fish) and Ray Rothrock, Partner Emeritus of pioneering venture capital firm Venrock, in the TheatreWorks Honors gala event tonight, June 21.

Direct from an off-Broadway season at the Manhattan Theatre Club, ASCAP Cole Porter Award winner Benjamin Scheuer returns to the St. James Studio.

A hilarious musical adaptation of a Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera, a return engagement of a popular Imagine U family production and a National Theatre Live broadcast of a classic Shakespeare tragedy are highlights of Northwestern University's SummerStage 2014 season.

June is bustin' out all over with a series of four special cabaret concerts taking place in the intimate Alma Theater nestled in the heart of Cain Park. The concert dates for the series are today, June 19 and June 21, 26 and 28. All Cabaret Series concerts begin at 7:00 PM, and are made possible with support from WCPN 90.3 FM.

The Brown Paper Box Co. presented their next cabaret series, PROUD AT MARY'S: A June Cabaret, at Mary's Attic in Andersonville this past weekend. This round of cabaret performances featured solos and duets performed by Brown Paper Box Co. artistic associates and previous cast members who shared a mix of pop songs, show tunes, and personal stories about being gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer, questioning, and straight. Check out the Pride celebration!

The audiences are completely kooky about "THE ADDAMS FAMILY" at Steps Off Broadway in Bellingham. This restaging of the hit Broadway musical, based on Charles Addams macabre family, offers an evening of surprising hilarity, strong vocal performances and very inventive staging. Superbly directed by Michael La Fleur, the show flies by at the speed of a broomstick, with all of the beloved charters brought to life by a stellar cast.

It's Pride month 2014 and The Brown Paper Box Co. is ready to celebrate! Following their successful run of William Finn's A New Brain, The Brown Paper Box Co. has announced their next cabaret series: PROUD AT MARY'S: A June Cabaret at Mary's Attic in Andersonville. Ticketing information for this evening of Pride-based stories and songs can be found at www.brownpaperbox.org.

The fifth, and final, show of Palo Alto Players' 83rd season is The Farnsworth Invention. Written by Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing, Moneyball, The Social Network, A Few Good Men), this fast-talking, witty drama tells the story of two men locked in an epic competition to lay claim to the most influential invention of the last century: television.

Following their successful run of William Finn's A New Brain, The Brown Paper Box Co. has announce their next cabaret series: PROUD AT MARY'S: A June Cabaret. Ticketing information for this evening of Pride-based stories and songs can be found at www.brownpaperbox.org.

American actor Michael Arden will join West End stars Julie Atherton, Lucie Jones and Stuart Matthew Price alongside award-winning Off Broadway writing duo Kerrigan-Lowdermilk to showcase their work at the St. James Studio on Monday 16 June in Kerrigan-Lowdermilk: One (More) Night in London. Kerrigan-Lowerdmilk's return follows an acclaimed sold-out weekend of concerts at St. James Studio in February.

It's that time of year, and I can't help but wonder if your CD collection and iPod are Tonys ready. This Broadway season has some really interesting contenders in the musical categories, and to get you ready for the big night, I'm recapping the albums you should be listening to (or at the very least pre-ordering).

June is bustin' out all over with a series of four special cabaret concerts taking place in the intimate Alma Theater nestled in the heart of Cain Park. The concert dates for the series are June 19, 21, 26 and 28. All Cabaret Series concerts begin at 7:00 PM, and are made possible with support from WCPN 90.3 FM.

San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus (SFGMC) named winner for "I Am Harvey Milk" in the Soundtrack / Cast Recording Album category at the 13th Independent Music Awards (The IMAs). "I Am Harvey Milk" is an emotional celebration of an American icon. Part choral work, part theater piece, it weaves the story of Harvey Milk's life -- from boyhood to his rise as the first openly gay man to hold public office in California and to his untimely assassination.