Arthur Laurents News

Today in 1959, Gypsy opened at the Broadway Theatre, where it ran for 702 performances. Gypsy is a musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. It follows the dreams and efforts of Rose to raise two daughters to perform onstage and casts an affectionate eye on the hardships of show business life. The musical contains many songs that became popular standards, including 'Small World,' 'Everything's Coming up Roses', 'Some People', 'Let Me Entertain You', and 'Rose's Turn'.

One of the most well-known shows of all time, West Side Story, is coming to the Durham Performing Arts Center this June. In anticipation of its arrival, I spoke with Joey McKneely, the show's choreographer, to gain insight into the unique elements of this production. He offered a glimpse into the creative minds of the late Jerome Robbins and Arthur Laurents. He explains why every generation needs to experience the power of West Side Story, and why this imagining of the production brings to light the relevance of the themes.

Today we are talking to one of the stars of the hit revival of HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING - which will be closing this Sunday after a 16-month run, so catch it while you can - who has also carved out an astonishingly accomplished resume on film and TV since her stunning, Emmy-winning small screen debut in a lead role as the young Judy Garland in ME & MY SHADOWS: LIFE WITH JUDY GARLAND - the beautiful and tremendously talented Tammy Blanchard. Touching on many of her most memorable big screen and small screen roles and sharing her experiences of working with many of her impressive co-stars and creative collaborators - Bernadette Peters, Jessica Lange, Stephen Sondheim, Arthur Laurents, Sam Mendes, and her co-star on two films, the late Brittany Murphy - Blanchard eloquently illustrates her rise to stardom and the roles and performances she has given that she is fondest of - GYPSY to BELLA to THE GOOD SHEPHERD and beyond. Additionally, Blanchard clues us in on what we can expect from her multi-episode character arc on Showtime's hit dramedy series THE BIG C and what it was like to play such a unique and unusual character - as well as her feelings on sharing the screen (and the onscreen bedroom) with previous InDepth InterView participants John Benjamin Hickey and Brian d'Arcy James. Plus, Blanchard shares how her new role as a mom has shaped her craft and career as well as future plans post-HOW TO SUCCEED, observations on GLEE and SMASH and much, much more!

Atlanta Lyric Theatre presents Gypsy June 15 through July 1, 2012 at The Earl Smith Strand Theatre (117 N. Park Square, Marietta.) Tickets are available now at 404-377-9948 or www.AtlantaLyricTheatre.com.

On Sunday, May 6, George Street Playhouse paid tribute to playwright and director Arthur Laurents with the naming of the theatre's mainstage as The Arthur Laurents Stage at George Street Playhouse and the establishment of The Arthur Laurents Fund for the Development of New Work.

To mark the one year anniversary of the passing of famed Broadway librettist,screenwriter and director Arthur Laurents, BroadwayWorld spoke with his close friend and the literary executor of his estate, David Saint.

More than fifty years ago one musical changed the theatre forever! From the first note to the final breath, this new Broadway production of WEST SIDE STORY soars again as the greatest love story of all time. Dancap Productions presents the first national tour of the smash hit Broadway revival of WEST SIDE STORY beginning tonight, May 8, at the Toronto Centre for the Arts. Tickets can be purchased at dancaptickets.com.

Penguin Rep Theatre (Joe Brancato, Artistic Director, and Andrew M. Horn, Executive Director) and Morton Wolkowitz (Stomp, The Unexpected Man) will present the Off-Broadway premiere of Miracle On South Division Street, by Tom Dudzick, directed by Joe Brancato. Opening Night is Sunday May 13th at St. Luke's Theatre (308 West 46th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues). See photos from the production below!

The Off-Broadway League today announced the confirmed performers for the 2012 Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway. Additionally, the remaining tickets to the show have been released for sale to the public at a discounted rate of $35 each. The 27th Annual Lucille Lortel Awards will be handed out this Sunday, May 6, 2012 at NYU Skirball Center, beginning at 7:00pm EST, in a ceremony that will once again benefit the Actors Fund.

David Saint took time out of his busy schedule to speak with BWW about the current National tour of West Side Story as well as to remember his close friend and trusted mentor, famed librettist, director and screenwriter Arthur Laurents, who passed away a year ago at the age of 93.

The tour of the Broadway revival of West Side Story is coming to New Jersey. West Side Story opens at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center tonight, May 1, 2012. Award-winning librettist Arthur Laurents' Broadway direction will be recreated for the tour by David Saint, the Associate Director on Broadway. Mr. Saint is also the artistic director of the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, NJ. The original Jerome Robbins choreography is reproduced by Tony Award-nominee Joey McKneely (The Boy from Oz, The Life).

SBCT will next present Gypsy! "Let Me Entertain You," "Together Wherever We Go," "All I Need is the Girl," and "Everything's Coming Up Roses."

David Saint, Artistic Director of George Street Playhouse, announced today that actress and philanthropist MARLO THOMAS will make a special appearance at the New Brunswick theatre Saturday, June 2 at 8pm.

Penguin Rep Theatre (Joe Brancato, Artistic Director, and Andrew M. Horn, Executive Director) and Morton Wolkowitz (Stomp, The Unexpected Man) is set to present the Off-Broadway premiere of MIRACLE ON SOUTH DIVISION STREET, by Tom Dudzick, directed by Joe Brancato. Performances begin April 25th at St. Luke's Theatre (308 West 46th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues). Opening Night is set for Sunday May 13th.

New York's City Center can be a dark and unwelcoming place on a Friday afternoon. The recently restored interior is obscured by shadows and the only light comes from the merciless worklights over the stage which only partially illuminate the two performers beneath them. Yet, even through these shadows, the admirable skills of two Broadway veterans are evident as they recreate their roles in WEST SIDE STORY. Both actors appeared in this musical classic over forty years ago at Lincoln Center.

The tour of the smash-hit Broadway revival of West Side Story is coming to the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. West Side Story will open at the Center on April 24. Tony Award®-winning librettist Arthur Laurents' Broadway direction will be recreated for the tour by David Saint, the associate director on Broadway. The original Jerome Robbins choreography is reproduced by Tony Award-nominee Joey McKneely (The Boy from Oz, The Life).

Sierra Repertory Theatre will open its 33rd season with its production of Gypsy, playing March 3 through April 22 at Sierra Rep's East Sonora stage. A burst of trumpet opens the musical classic Gypsy, pulling audiences into the world of vaudeville and Broadway's fable of a fierce and focused stage mom with a desperate dream.

The tour of the smash hit Broadway revival of WEST SIDE STORY is coming to Columbus, opening at the Ohio Theatre on Tuesday, April 17. Tony Award-winning librettist Arthur Laurents' Broadway direction will be recreated for the tour by David Saint, the Associate Director on Broadway. The original Jerome Robbins choreography is reproduced by Tony Award nominee Joey McKneely (The Boy from Oz, The Life).

Mit der Broadway-Premiere von WEST SIDE STORY am 26. September 1957 am Winter Garden Theater in New York nahm die Geschichte des amerikanischen Musiktheaters eine entscheidende Wende: ein Bühnenwerk, das seinen Darstellern nicht nur das Äußerste an schauspielerischer, tänzerischer und gesanglicher Ausdruckskraft abverlangte, sondern auch musikalisch wie dramaturgisch vollkommen neue Maßstäbe setzte, definierte ein ganzes Genre neu.

The Tony Award®-winning Signature Theatre honored esteemed stage actress Patti LuPone with the company's third Stephen Sondheim Award on April 16, 2012. The award, established in 2009 in honor of America's most influential contemporary musical theater writer and composer, was presented at a black-tie Gala Benefit at the Embassy of Italy in Washington, DC. BroadwayWorld was there and brings you photos of the emotional presentation below!