Ben Brantley News

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) continues its 2009-10 season with famed British theater maker Alan Ayckbourn's hilarious rumination on love and marriage, Round and Round the Garden, directed by Tony Award winner John Rando (Urinetown, The Musical, The Wedding Singer on Broadway; Urinetown, Rich and Famous at A.C.T.).

David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish, Tony winners for their performance as Billy in the smash hit musical Billy Elliot the Musical, will be reunited to support TrueChild in their Celebrity Cook-Off event on Monday, May 3rd.

Jennifer Barnhart - the original AVENUE Q cast member who performed with the show for over seven years from the very beginning at the Vineyard Theatre through its entire run on Broadway - will once again join AVENUE Q when she resumes the roles of Mrs. T, Bad Idea Bear and other characters on Sunday, May 2nd at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street) in Manhattan.

Broadway/San Diego ~ A Nederlander Presentation, continues its 34th Season of great theatre with a variety of choices for all audiences. We offer the hottest ticket in town to ten of Broadway's best, from classic musicals to rock icons to beloved family fare - not to mention dance!

Everyday Rapture is the story of a young woman's psycho-sexual-spiritual journey on the rocky path that separates her mostly Mennonite past from her mostly Manhattan future. With a cast led by Sherie Rene Scott, Everyday Rapture also features songs made famous by David Byrne, Roberta Flack, Mister Rogers, The Supremes, and Judy Garland.

Jennifer Barnhart - the original AVENUE Q cast member who performed with the show for over seven years from the very beginning at the Vineyard Theatre through its entire run on Broadway - will once again join AVENUE Q when she resumes the roles of Mrs. T, Bad Idea Bear and other characters on Sunday, May 2nd at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street) in Manhattan.

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) continues its 2009-10 season with famed British theater maker Alan Ayckbourn's hilarious rumination on love and marriage, Round and Round the Garden, directed by Tony Award winner John Rando (Urinetown, The Musical, The Wedding Singer on Broadway; Urinetown, Rich and Famous at A.C.T.).

Based on real-life events and using music, dance and video, Lucy Prebble's Enron explores one of the most infamous scandals in financial history, reviewing the tumultuous 1990s and casting a new light on the financial turmoil in which the world currently finds itself.

Previews began on Monday, April 19th for Roundabout Theatre Company's Broadway production of Everyday Rapture, the critically acclaimed new musical starring Sherie Rene Scott, by Dick Scanlan & Sherie Rene Scott and directed by Michael Mayer. Everyday Rapture will open officially on April 29th, 2010 at the American Airlines Theatre on Broadway (227 West 42nd Street). This is a limited engagement through July 11th, 2010.

Broadway In Chicago welcomes the two time Tony and Drama Desk Award winner, Alfred Hitchcock's THE 39 STEPS, to the Bank of America Theatre (18 W. Monroe St.) for a limited two week engagement May 19 - 30, 2010.

IN THE HEIGHTS, winner of four 2008 Tony Awards® and the 2008 Grammy® Award for Best Musical Show Album, is coming to the Buell Theatre in Denver from April 28 to May 9. Single tickets go on sale Sunday, March 14 at www.denvercenter.org or by phone and walk-up Monday, March 15 at 10am.

Two-time Academy Award winner Denzel Washington returns to Broadway, alongside Academy Award nominee and Tony Award winner Viola Davis, in August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play. This strictly limited 13-week engagement began on April 14th at the Cort Theatre. Both a monumental drama and an intimate family portrait, Fences tells the story of Troy Maxson, a man torn between the glory of his past and the uncertainty of his future. Emboldened by pride and embittered by sacrifice, Troy is determined to make life better for future generations, even as he struggles to embrace the dreams of his own son.

On May 11, 2010 Knitting Factory Records continues its re-release campaign of Fela's entire catalog with the 'Na Poi' releases. The newest collection, The Na Poi releases, includes 7 CDs, containing 14 albums total. Most of these albums are from the mid-70s and represent Fela and Africa '70 in their prime

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Sunday, April 25, 2010.

Everyday Rapture will open officially on April 29th, 2010 at the American Airlines Theatre on Broadway (227 West 42nd Street). This is a limited engagement through July 11th, 2010. A clever new radio commercial has begun airing in the New York area and is online as well. Click here to listen!

During a recent interview, EVERYDAY RAPTURE star Sherie Renee Scott said the failure of the show to make it to Broadway directly following its acclaimed off-Broadway run 'hit me hard.' Renee said she was shocked when she learned Roundabout was considering her show as a replacement for LIPS TOGETHER, TEETH APART, and said she wanted to avoid getting invested until the deal was finalized.

IN THE HEIGHTS, winner of four 2008 Tony Awards® and the 2008 Grammy® Award for Best Musical Show Album, is coming to the Bass Concert Hall in Austin from April 20-25, 2010. Tickets are on sale now.

He brought us Into The Woods, Company, Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music, Sunday in the Park with George, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, West Side Story and Gypsy (to name a few). By writing songs that reflect the complexity of his characters, he has changed the way we define a great musical. But even though millions of fans know his songs by heart, few know much about Stephen Sondheim himself. Until now. Roundabout presents Sondheim On Sondheim, an intimate portrait of the famed composer in his own words... and music. Directed by frequent Sondheim collaborator James Lapine, this unique experience aims to take audiences inside the life and mind of an ordinary New Yorker... with an extraordinary talent.

The 2010-2011 Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre season will include the world premiere of a new musical, 'Leap of Faith,' the 2010 Pulitzer Prize-winning musical 'Next to Normal,' the 2009 Tony Award-winning Best Play 'God of Carnage,' the 25th Anniversary celebration of an international musical classic, 'Les Misérables,' and a brand-new Cirque du Soleil production at the Cirque's new home at the Kodak Theatre, it was announced today by CTG's Artistic Director Michael Ritchie.

Broadway In Chicago Celebrates Billy Elliot the Musical on its Opening Night. Get an exclusive look at the Glitzy Red Carpet pre-show, Sneek peeks at the performance, and post- show party. Special interviews from the Cast, and guest appearances by Rev. Jessie Jackson, and Sir Elton John.