Ben Elton News

Blank Canvas Theatre presents The Professional Cleveland Premiere of WE WILL ROCK YOU, with music and lyrics by QUEEN, and story and script by Ben Elton, August 3 - 18.

The National Youth Music Theatre is proud to announce their 2018 season, opening with a mini touring production of Super Hero at Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds as part of The Bury Festival before going on to Curve, Leicester and, finally, The Rose Theatre, Kingston for the International Youth Arts Festival.

BroadwayWorld presents a comprehensive weekly roundup of regional stories around our Broadway World, which include videos, editor spotlights, regional reviews and more. This week, we feature IN THE HEIGHTS, HUNCHBACK, GUYS AND DOLLS and More!

We cannot help but wonder: Do peacock feathers foretell of something far more sinister and portentous than what we've seen already in both Love Never Dies and The Phantom of the Opera await our heroine in the moments to follow? We won't spoil the outcome for you, of course, but suffice it to say that those pesky peacock feathers continue to work their devilment in the intriguing production now onstage at Nashville's Tennessee Performing Arts Center through Sunday, June 24.

The Phantom of the Opera has returned to town, but there will be no familiar 'Music of the Night.' Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber has been penning a sequel to his blockbuster for years, and it has been performed in many versions, as LOVE NEVER DIES. Buffalonians may remember being titillated with the announced world premiere in Toronto years ago, but alas that announcement, as well as one of a Broadway production never occurred. London got dibs on it's premiere, then a reworked version went to Australia and now a new American tour is on the road letting the US decide what they think of the story.

I'll admit that I've never been what you would call a fan of 'Phantom of the Opera'. I appreciate it for what it is, and I find it tolerable with some interesting melodies but largely it's all flash and no substance. But now comes the (gulp) sequel to 'Phantom', 'Love Never Dies' currently playing at the Paramount, and this overblown pile of musical theater Ambien not only stretches out the story to a ridiculous effect but also by doing so exposes the original to what it really is, a desperate need for therapy and a restraining order.

There are many, very obvious spectacular things that stand out while watching LOVE NEVER DIES, Andrew Lloyd Webber's infamously, uh, troubled 2010 musical follow-up to his long-running global hit THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, now continuing its two-week engagement at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa through May 5, 2018. While, sure, the show is stunning in its visual artistry and musical performances, the rest is repetitively frustrating. Unless you're a huge PHANTOM fan already or are perhaps maybe morbidly curious as to what the fuss is all about---LOVE NEVER DIES, sadly, doesn't offer much else to audiences beyond its superficial surface beauty.

Could Love Never Dies be heading to Broadway next? Randy Buck, CEO of Troika Entertainment, seems to think so!

Let's make one thing perfectly clear from the start. If you are expecting a sequel to Phantom of the Opera in Love Never Dies, you may be let down. This new show that is making its American premiere in the tour across North America, after a dismal opening in London in 2010, has been rewritten and reworked many times over, and is based on Frederick Forsyth's The Phantom of Manhattan, not on Gaston Leroux's Le Phantome de l'Opera upon which the first Phantom was based. Even Lloyd Webber stated emphatically that it is not a sequel, but a different story with the same characters. If you open your imagination and find it in your heart to believe that the Phantom and Christine consummated their love for one another by having sex and producing a son, you will enjoy much of the show. If not, and you want this production to follow the original from 1986, it will most likely not suit you.

What good is sitting alone in your room this week? If you don't already have plans to see a Broadway show, come out to see your favorite Broadway stars in a cabaret act instead. Highlights this week include:

Last night, the stars were in alignment as multi-platinum recording artist Nicole Scherzinger attended the opening night of Andrew Lloyd Webber's LOVE NEVER DIES, the spellbinding sequel to The Phantom of the Opera; April 5 - 22, 2018.

Two of daytime television's most popular actors will be performing their original country music in an intimate acoustic performance at Feinstein's 54Below on Tuesday April 17 at 9:30 PM.

This April, FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club & Private Event Destination, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond.

LOVE NEVER DIES is an unnecessary sequel to the megahit PHANTOM that wisely skips Broadway and hits the national tour road for ALW fans. The ladies of this evening rule even though the guys are (supposed to be) in charge of the action in this passable evening of musical theatre.

One of the West End's longest-running musicals, Queen's WE WILL ROCK YOU, will make its New York City debut, with a star-studded Broadway cast, at Feinstein's/54 Below on Sunday, April 8th, 2018, at 7:00pm and 9:30pm

Under the highly professional direction of Denny Berry, THE BEAUTIFUL GAME by the University of Utah Theatre Department is lovingly produced and highly enjoyable. With a vibrant 11-piece orchestra led by Alex Marshall and lovely choreography under Berry's tutelage by student Jesse Klick, BEAUTIFUL GAME scores.

Broadway In Chicago and Andrew Lloyd Webber's LOVE NEVER DIES are delighted to announce that individual tickets for LOVE NEVER DIES, the spellbinding sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, will go on sale Friday, December 8, 2017.

The North American tour of LOVE NEVER DIES brings the musical to the United States for the first time since its 2010 London premiere, and is playing at the Boston Opera House through February 11th as part of the 2017-2018 Lexus Broadway in Boston Season.

Deadline has reported that Kenneth Branagh and Lily Cole have been confirmed to join the cast of BBC's Shakespearean comedy Upstart Crow. Cole will be playing Ephie, and Branagh will be playing a mysterious stranger on the show's upcoming third series, which airs on Amazon. Other upcoming guest stars include Adrian Edmondson, Montserat Lombard, and Ben Miller.

Blank Canvas Theatre is announcing their 7th season in Cleveland! Blank Canvas Theatre is dedicated to inspiring a new love for those new to theatre in the Cleveland community, while providing another quality venue for those who already love the arts. The annual season is diverse, designed to attract many different types of theatre-goers whether you prefer American classics, new works, off-beat musicals, drama, or comedy, you'll find something to enjoy at Blank Canvas Theatre; all at an affordable price! BCT is one of the most inexpensive professional theaters in town. Yet to be announced is our Factory Series. This series of shows focuses on new locally written plays while giving the opportunity for local actors, directors, designers, and writers a chance to collaborate on Cleveland premieres and new works. This year's Factory Series will be announced in the coming weeks.