Audra McDonald News

Virginia's Signature Theatre heats up during the dog days of summer with their annual Sizzlin' Summer Cabaret, a 3-week series featuring thirteen individual acts sure to keep things red hot.

Virginia's Signature Theatre heats up during the dog days of summer with their annual Sizzlin' Summer Cabaret, a 3-week series featuring thirteen individual acts sure to keep things red hot. Headlining the talented array of solo artists assembled will be Tony Award® nominee Marc Kudisch (Broadway's 9 to 5, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, andThoroughly Modern Millie) with his What Makes Me Tick cabaret coming straight from Feinstein's. Broadway star Julia Murney (Elphaba in Wicked and a Drama Desk nominee for The Wild Party) will also be performing for two nights with her own mix of renowned stage songs.

Songwriter STEVE MARZULLO Celebrates New CD "Show Some Beauty" in Concert at Birdland Monday, June 6 at 7pm

Transport Group Theatre Company, the winner of a special Drama Desk Award and two OBIE Awards, presents the New York premiere of LYSISTRATA JONES, a new musical with a book by Douglas Carter Beane; music and lyrics by Lewis Flinn; directed and choreographed by Dan Knechtges. Previews began Sunday May 15 on the basketball court of the Judson Memorial Church Gymnasium, 243 Thompson Street at Washington Square South. Opening is Sunday, June 5, at 8pm.

Tonight at 8:00 p.m. EDT, WNET's Great Performances will broadcast the New York Philharmonic's concert celebrating the 120th Anniversary of Carnegie Hall, which took place on May 5th.

On May 5, 2011, Carnegie Hall will commemorate its 120th anniversary with an all-star gala concert featuring conductor Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic and special guests pianist Emanuel Ax, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Gil Shaham, and the four-time Tony Award-winning singer and actress Audra McDonald.

YELLOW SOUND LABEL will release the debut CD of composer STEVE MARZULLO on iTunes, Amazon.com and other online outlets on June 7, 2011.

Songwriter STEVE MARZULLO Celebrates New CD "Show Some Beauty" in Concert at Birdland Monday, June 6 at 7pm

The Ethereal Mutt - Limited and AJ Epstein Presents will present a reading of I Was A Teenage B-Movie King starring Alexander Gemignani, Will Swenson, Nicole Parker and Spencer Moses on Thursday, May 19 at 3PM in New York City. This private presentation is open to members of the industry only.

The Ethereal Mutt - Limited and AJ Epstein Presents will present a reading of I Was A Teenage B-Movie King starring Alexander Gemignani, Will Swenson, Nicole Parker and Spencer Moses on Thursday, May 19 at 3PM in New York City. This private presentation is open to members of the industry only.

Transport Group Theatre Company, the winner of a special Drama Desk Award and two OBIE Awards, has announced casting and dates for the New York premiere of Lysistrata Jones, a new musical with a book by Douglas Carter Beane; music and lyrics by Lewis Flinn; directed and choreographed by Dan Knechtges.

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. 'Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson,' 'White Noise,' 'Porgy And Bess,' 'The Wiz,' 'Adrift In Macao,' 'Glee,' more.

Kimmel Center President and CEO Anne Ewers and Vice President of Theatrical Presentations and Programming Matthew Wolf announced today the Kimmel Center's 10th Anniversary 2011/12 Season, which celebrates Philadelphia legends ?? music, theater and dance luminaries - who call Philadelphia home. The 2011/12 season includes a diversity of world, pop, jazz, dance and classical offerings featured within the Kimmel Center's four distinct series, and a variety of artistic collaborations and co-promotions, now available through subscription packages.

The New York Times suggests today that after a widly successful industry presentation in New York on Sunday, the American Repertory Theater's production of Porgy and Bess, starring Audra McDonald, Norm Lewis, David ALan Grier, and Joshua Henry, may be headed to Broadway as early as next season. The production of the Gershwin classic, will open A.R.T.'s 2011-2 season on August 14 at the Loeb Drama Center. Porgy and Bess is written by George Gershwin, DuBose and Dorothy Heyward, and Ira Gershwin, is adapted by Suzan-Lori Parks and Diedre Murray, and will be directed by A.R.T. Artistic Director Diane Paulus (Hair).

The Nora Theatre Company presents the World Premiere of Cambridge playwright Amy Merrill and renowned folksinger and activist Si Kahn's romantic musical comedy, SILVER SPOON.

Nominations in 26 competitive categories for the American Theatre Wing's 65th Annual Antoinette Perry 'Tony' Awards were announced May 3, 2011 by Tony Award winning actor Matthew Broderick and Tony Award winning actress Anika Noni Rose, at the Tony Award Nominations Announcement sponsored by IBM.

The world's longest-running musical is turning 51. On Tuesday, May 3, 2011 Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt's romantic musical comedy The Fantasticks will celebrate its 51st anniversary when it plays its 19,019th New York City performance.

Nominations for The 56th Annual Drama Desk Awards were announced on Friday, April 29, 2011, at 9:30 AM at the New York Friars Club, 57 East 55th Street, in Manhattan. Former Drama Desk Award winners Audra MacDonald and Liev Schreiber made the announcements. Other speakers included Isa Goldberg, President of the Drama Desk; Robert R. Blume, Executive Producer of the Drama Desk Awards; Barbara Siegel, chairperson of the Drama Desk Nominating Committee and Randie Levine-Miller, Director of Special Events for the Drama Desk, who has produced the nominations announcement ceremony at the NY Friars Club for the past 15 years.

From her creation of the pivotal roles of Susan in Marvin Hamlisch & Craig Carnelia's simply smashing (if underappreciated) SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS and Clara in Adam Guettel & Craig Lucas's five-time Tony-winning THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, to her effortless essaying of two of the most beloved female roles in the musical theater canon, opposite two of the biggest leading men on Broadway - THE PAJAMA GAME with Harry Connick, Jr. and SOUTH PACIFIC with Matthew Morrison (and Paulo Szot) - in addition to her work in Frank Wildhorn's JEKYLL & HYDE and DRACULA, Stephen Sondheim's FOLLIES and SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, along with her stunning studio albums - all of these are just some of the reasons why Kelli O'Hara is in a very special class of performers. In this all-encompassing conversation we discuss all of the aforementioned shows, as well as working with all of her fabulous co-stars and collaborators, and we also take a look at her recording studio work with Harry Connick, Jr. and take a look ahead to her sophomore solo album, ALWAYS which will be released on June 3. Plus, we have first news on her new roles in the musical versions of THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, written by Jason Robert Brown, and FINDING NEVERLAND by Scott Frankel. We even have dish on working with Liza Minnelli and shooting SEX & THE CITY 2! This is all coming in anticipation of the tribute to Bob Hope at the NY Pops gala on May 2, which will also feature performances by Tom Wopat and Aaron Lazar - both of whom we will continue our SPOTLIGHT ON NY POPS series with later on this weekend. Don't miss them or a special presentation by theatre legend Angela Lansbury! Further information about the NY POPS event - including tickets - is available here.