Bebe Neuwirth News

After a three-year absence, Gerard Alessandrini's FORBIDDEN BROADWAY returns to the 47th Street Theatre with a brand new edition, FORBIDDEN BROADWAY: ALIVE AND KICKING. The show, which opens Thursday, September 6, will run for a limited engagement through January 6, 2013. Previews begin on July 24th. This production will mark FORBIDDEN BROADWAY's 30th Anniversary, as well as its 21st edition.

Broadway stars Jeremy Jordan (Newsies, Bonnie & Clyde, West Side Story) and Morgan James (Godspell, The Addams Family, Wonderland) will offer musical theatre master classes this July at The Davenport Studios in Midtown Manhattan.

On Saturday, June 23, Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts opens its 67th annual Summer Music Festival with an evening of Mendelssohn. Celebrated violinist Gil Shaham opens the program with Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64.

Olney Theatre Center today announced Martin Platt as their new Artistic Director. Mr. Platt began his tenure on May 28, 2012. He comes to Olney Theatre Center from his current position as Co-Director of Perry Street Theatricals (PST), a New York based producing company.

With only one day to go before the big day on CBS at 8 PM tomorrow, today we are shining a spotlight on a currently-running Broadway musical that has recently become the longest-running American musical in Broadway history - beating even the champ, A CHORUS LINE - John Kander, Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse's landmark 1920s vaudeville satire CHICAGO.

It pleases me no end to learn how a show improves during the course of its Broadway to tour transfer. Such is the case with the musical The Addams Family, whose Broadway run was clouded with negative reviews and less than powerful performances from its two talented stars Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth. When the stars are unhappy with the material, it doesn't play well. Now with Douglas Sills and Sara Gettelfinger as Gomez and Morticia Addams heading a marvelously happy cast, The Addams Family rocks joyfully from beginning to end.

Yesterday, June 3, the Dramatists Guild Fund hosted their 50th Anniversary Gala at the Mandarin Oriental New York. This year's event, hosted by Jon Cryer, honored Chicago and Cabaret composer John Kander. Performances and tributes were given by well-known members of the theater community including Liza Minnelli, Chita Rivera, Bebe Neuwirth, Christie Brinkley, Stockard Channing, Joel Grey, Rob Marshall, Susan Stroman, Debra Monk, Karen Ziemba and Joshua Henry.

Actor/singer Douglas Sills began his Broadway career in the 90s essaying the role of infamous Sir Percy in Frank Wildhorn's musical of The Scarlet Pimpernel for which he won critical acclaim and a Tony Award nomination. Since then, he has been in, among many others, the revival of Little Shop of Horrors, Into the Woods, The Secret Garden, all on Broadway, as well as the rarely seen concert of the 1930s Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein Music in the Air with Kristin Chenoweth and a slew of musical roles in LA including Mack Sennett in Reprise's Mack and Mabel and Ravenal in the Hollywood Bowl's production of Showboat. He has just started the tour of The Addams Family starring as Gomez and will open at the Pantages Theatre on June 5. In our chat, he talks at length about playing Gomez, the changes since New York in the road version of Addams Family and chooses some of his favorite all-time roles.

Today, June 3, the Dramatists Guild Fund will host their 50th Anniversary Gala at the Mandarin Oriental New York. This year's event, hosted by Jon Cryer, will honor Chicago and Cabaret composer John Kander.

Welcome to Part 2 of BroadwayWorld's exclusive sit down with musical theater icon John Kander, maestro to some of the most important musicals of our time. Last time, John took us through his career from his first fateful meeting with later partner Fred Ebb to the movie musical phenomenon of Cabaret and upcoming Dramatists Guild Fund honor on June 3, 2012.

Orchestra of St. Luke's (OSL) announces its 33rd summer residency at Caramoor International Music Festival. OSL will open Caramoor's season on June 23, 2012 with an all-Mendelssohn concert led by Italian maestro Roberto Abbado. The program includes A Midsummer Night's Dream narrated by Tony Award-winner Bebe Neuwirth and Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor featuring violin virtuoso Gil Shaham.

In this very rare sit down, we are honored to bring you an exclusive chat with musical theatre legend John Kander. In Part 1 of the interview below, John reminisces about the major milestones of his career, which will be honored by The Dramatists Guild Fund in a special ceremony on Sunday, June 3, in association with the organization's 50th Anniversary. Kander will be celebrated for contributing some of the most important works of musical theatre - along with his late partner Fred Ebb - to the canon including Cabaret and Chicago - also major motion pictures - Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Act, Woman of the Year, The Rink, Curtains, The Scottsboro Boys and more.

Yesterday, May 21, the Actor's Fund held its annual gala at the New York Marriott Marquis, honoring Tony and Emmy Award winning artist and activist Harry Belafonte, acting duo Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller, and real estate developer David Steiner. BroadwayWorld was there and brings you photo coverage below!

The 20th Anniversary season of New York City Center's Tony Award-winning Encores! series will open on January 30, 2013 with Fiorello!, the show that launched the series in 1994. The season will continue with It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman, followed by On Your Toes. A Gala Encores! at 20 Celebration on November 12, 2012 will star Tony Award nominees and Encores! alumni Rauil Esparza and Kelli O'Hara.

The Drama League announced today the winners for the 78th Annual Drama League Awards: Distinguished Play, Other Desert Cities, presented by Philip Seymour Hoffman; Distinguished Revival of a Play, Death of a Salesman, presented by Christian Borle; Distinguished Production of a Musical, Once, presented by Cynthia Nixon; Distinguished Revival of a Musical, Follies, presented by Kelli O'Hara; and Distinguished Performance, Audra McDonald, presented by John Lithgow at a star-studded luncheon ceremony hosted by Stockard Channing (Other Desert Cities) and John Larroquette (Gore Vidal's The Best Man) at the Marriott Marquis Times Square.

Orchestra of St. Luke's (OSL) announces its 2012/2013 concert season-the first with Principal Conductor Pablo Heras-Casado performing in both its summer series at Caramoor International Music Festival and orchestra series at Carnegie Hall.

On Saturday, June 23, Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts opens its 67th annual Summer Music Festival with an evening of Mendelssohn. Celebrated violinist Gil Shaham opens the program with Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64.

Princeton's own Bebe Neuwirth headlines McCarter Theatre Center's Annual Gala Benefit tonight, May 5, 2012.

The lunatics, lovers and poets merrily charge onto the stage in full force in Classic Stage Company's raucous and witty, sexy and sensual mounting of A Midsummer Night's Dream.  Director Tony Speciale's playfully romantic staging of Shakespeare's tale of earthbound lovers fleeing to the woods to escape an arranged marriage, only to find themselves mixed up in the petty squabbles between a royal faerie couple, features a completely winning ensemble and entrancing visuals.

The Tony Awards Film Series will open on Saturday, May 12th with the world premiere of Stephanie Riggs' 'The Standbys.' The Standbys follows actors Ben Crawford (standby for Shrek), Merwin Foard (standby for Gomez in The Addams Family) and Aléna Watters (standby for Anita in West Side Story). Get a first look at the film below!