Arthur Laurents News

The national tour of the smash hit Broadway revival of WEST SIDE STORY comes to Boston's Colonial Theatre for a four week engagement June 14 through July 9.

The award-winning York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director) will honor Tony and Grammy Award winner Barbara Cook with the 20th Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre on Monday, November 21st, 2011.

West Side Story, the new hit Broadway revival of the groundbreaking Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim musical, will play Hennepin Theatre Trust's Orpheum Theatre, July 12-17, 2011. This 2009 Tony-nominated and 2010 Grammy Award-winning production features a score considered to be one of Broadway's finest, with such classics of American musical theatre as 'Something's Coming,' 'Tonight,' 'I Feel Pretty' and 'Somewhere.'

Today we are featuring one of Broadway's most accomplished and charismatic leading men who has solidified himself as one of the premiere theatrical interpreters of our age in his performances on Broadway in both musicals and plays, off-Broadway and even in Shakespeare-In-The-Park productions: Raul Esparza. Mr. Esparza can certainly do it all and even though he has yet to take home a Tony Award of his own, he has enacted two of the most memorable recent performances on the yearly telecast: first, in his Broadway debut role as Riff Raff in the 2000 revival of THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW and, most recently, performing a full-bodied, soul-bared "Being Alive" from COMPANY. So, let's take a look back at those two unforgettable performances and perhaps surprise or two, as well!

Olney Theatre Center's Artistic Director Jim Petosa directs violist-turned-playwright Michael Hollinger's Opus, winner of the Barrymore Award for Outstanding New Play in 2006.

Theatrica Ltd, in association with The Landor Theatre, is delighted to announce that Arthur Laurents, Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim's classic musical, Gypsy, will play for four weeks as part of the theatre's Autumn season, with iconic musical theatre actress Rosemary Ashe as the formidable Rose.

As a super-special Spring extension of BroadwayWorld's SOUND OFF column, every day until the Tony Awards on June 12 we will be presenting a spectacular new entry in the SPOTLIGHT ON THE 2011 TONY AWARDS series featuring a particularly entertaining, interesting, relevant and exciting Tony Awards-related clip from the last sixty-three years of the ceremonies (and subsequent seasons on Broadway) with a rundown and commentary on the sights, sounds and showmanship on display in each carefully chosen selection - all, of course, coming in anticipation of Broadway's biggest night, which will be broadcast on CBS this year, as always. Once again this year, BroadwayWorld is the official home of the 2011 Tony Awards and we will also be featuring exclusive interviews, articles, photos, video content, interactive features and more in the coming days and weeks leading up to the event so be sure to check back daily for your theatre fix!

As has been speculated, Barbra Streisand may still play Mama Rose in a new GYPSY movie despite author Arthur Laurents' recent death. The sixty-nine-year-old legend was enlisted to play Mama Rose but then, Laurents decided not to go ahead with the idea, mostly because he didn't think another movie version was necessary, only to have seconds thoughts just before he passed.

Book writer Laurents' final revival of this classic musical manages to be faithful and flawed.

More than fifty years ago one musical changed theater forever. The national tour of the smash hit Broadway revival of WEST SIDE STORY comes to Boston's Colonial Theatre for a four week engagement June 14 through July 9.

FEINSTEIN'S AT LOEWS REGENCY, the nightclub proclaimed 'Best of New York' by New York Magazine and 'an invaluable New York institution' by The New York Post, continued its all-star Spring 2011 season with the return of Tony Award-winning Broadway star, LAURA BENANTI. Her new show 'Let Me Entertain You' featured songs from her Broadway roles in Gypsy ('Let Me Entertain You'), Nine ('Unusual Way'), Into The Woods ('Children Will Listen') and Swing! ('Skylark' and 'Hit Me With A Hot Note'), in addition to classics such as 'Alright, Okay, You Win,' 'They All Laughed' and 'If I Were A Bell.' '

Penguin Rep Theatre (Joe Brancato, Artistic Director, and Andrew M. Horn, Executive Director) and Edmund Gaynes, in association with Don and Lizanne Mitchell, will present The Devil's Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith, a musical by Angelo Parra, conceived and directed by Joe Brancato.

Today we have a triple-feature and a double-dose day, with all three of the Tony-winning leading ladies who have won the Best Actress Tony Award for their take on Rose in GYPSY - as great a role in the musical theatre as Lear in KING LEAR is in the classical canon; no question. Believe it or not, Ethel Merman - the once-thought-incomparable original Rose in GYPSY - did not take the prize for Best Actress, nor did Bernadette Peters in the Sam Mendes-directed revival from early this century, but the three divas that did certainly made an unmistakable mark on the titanic role. Cutting to the chase, the ladies of the day: Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly and Patti LuPone. Who could ask for anything more? Not even Rose herself - and that's saying something.

Broadway Across America brings WEST SIDE STORY to Pittsburgh's Benedum Center, through the 22.

As a super-special Spring extension of BroadwayWorld's SOUND OFF column, every day until the Tony Awards on June 12 we will be presenting a spectacular new entry in the SPOTLIGHT ON THE 2011 TONY AWARDS series featuring a particularly entertaining, interesting, relevant and exciting Tony Awards-related clip from the last sixty-three years of the ceremonies (and subsequent seasons on Broadway) with a rundown and commentary on the sights, sounds and showmanship on display in each carefully chosen selection - all, of course, coming in anticipation of Broadway's biggest night, which will be broadcast on CBS this year, as always. Once again this year, BroadwayWorld is the official home of the 2011 Tony Awards and we will also be featuring exclusive interviews, articles, photos, video content, interactive features and more in the coming days and weeks leading up to the event so be sure to check back daily for your theatre fix!

Penguin Rep Theatre (Joe Brancato, Artistic Director, and Andrew M. Horn, Executive Director) and Edmund Gaynes, in association with Don and Lizanne Mitchell, will present The Devil's Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith, a musical by Angelo Parra, conceived and directed by Joe Brancato.

The tour of the current smash hit Broadway production of WEST SIDE STORY is coming to Pittsburgh, Penn. WEST SIDE STORY will open at the Benedum Center on Tuesday, May 11, 2011. Tony Award-winning librettist Arthur Laurents' Broadway direction will be recreated for the tour by David Saint, the Associate Director on Broadway.

Broadway Across America brings WEST SIDE STORY to Pittsburgh's Benedum Center, May 17 through the 22.

The 29th Annual Fred & Adele Astaire Awards, hosted by Bebe Neuwirth and Lee Roy Reams at the magnificent Skirball Center for The Performing Arts at NYU once again honored excellence in dance and choreography on Broadway and in film. Susan Stroman took top honors for Best Choreographer on Broadway in a field of nine nominees for her stunning work in 'The Scottsboro Boys'. It was a record breaking 5th Astaire Award for the 5 time Tony Award and 5 time Drama Desk winner. Two time Tony Award Winner Bebe Neuwirth presented the award to Ms. Stroman. Sutton Foster star of 'Anything Goes' took home her second Astaire for Best Female Dancer on Broadway for her rousing performance as 'Reno Sweeney'. Her first Astaire was for 'Thoroughly Modern Millie'. Desmond Richardson, Tony nominee for 'Fosse' and co-founder and co-artistic director of Complexions Contemporary Ballet presented the award to Ms. Sutton. First timer Norbert Leo Butz star of 'Catch Me if You Can' took the prize for Best Male Dancer on Broadway presented by Tony and Drama Desk winner Karen Ziemba . Australia's Graeme Murphy and Janet Vernon won the Astaire for Excellence in Choreography in Film for their breathtaking dances in 'Mao's Last Dancer' presented by Tony Award winner Bill Irwin. Legendary dancer, choreographer, teacher and founder of the National Dance Institute Jacques d'Amboise received the Douglas Watt Lifetime Achievement Award named for the late drama critic and co-founder of the Award with Fred Astaire. Following a major tribute in dance including a brilliant performance by NYCB's Russell Janzen of a piece from the ballet 'Who Cares' created by George Balanchine and first danced by d'Amboise; an exuberant performance of 'Shall We Dance' by d'Amboise's students at the National Dance Institute and praiseful introductions by Len Cariou, Charlotte & Christopher d'Amboise, Brian Stokes Mitchell presented the award to Mr. d'Amboise.

Revered as one of the greatest book musicals ever written Gypsy, based on the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, and with collaborators Arthur Laurents, Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim is rarely performed except on Broadway due to the demands of the role of Mama Rose, which has been played first by Ethel Merman, and also to acclaim by Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, Bernadette Peters and most recently Patti Lupone. Films have starred Rosalind Russell and Bette Midler (TV), and there's another theatrical one still in the works for Barbra Streisand. The stage mother to end all stage mothers is a monster role to play. She's on stage 95% of the show and must act, sing and dance 150%; there's no faking this one. In a daring production for Equity Waiver, West Coast Ensemble (WCE) is now presenting Gypsy, half a century after it first opened in New York in 1959. Jan Sheldrick has the role of Rose and she runs with it, acting up a storm, giving it her best shot. Under Richard Israel's skilled direction, the production is somewhat flawed, but overall impressive with its very strong rendering on a smaller stage.