Ben Toomer News

Casting has been announced for the DPAC engagement of Disney's The Lion King.

Alabama Shakespeare Festival will present Jubilee written by Tazewell Thompson with composer and lyricist Dianne Adams McDowell, Jan. 5 - 29 on the Festival Stage.

What did our critic think of DREAMGIRLS at Paramount Theatre Aurora IL?

The Paramount Theatre launches its 11th Broadway Series with Dreamgirls, August 31-October 16, 2022. Get a first look at the new production photos here!

Stephen DeAngelis will continue his ongoing salute to Broadway and Off-Broadway Standbys, Understudies and Alternates with the next edition of AT THIS PERFORMANCE…™ to be held on Monday, June 20th  at The Green Room 42, Green Fig, Fourth Floor, Yotel NYC, 570 Tenth Avenue (at 42nd Street), New York, NY 10036 at 7 PM.

An exciting prospect of every touring production is seeing how the invigorate the dynamic town that is Space City, USA. With our thriving theater scene it is always a fantastic experience seeing new creatives and artists take refuge in our humble city. Melvin Tunstall III is one of these exciting people that will grace the Hobby Center in the coming tour of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. 

New York Governor Kathy Hochul visited Girl From The North Country on Broadway at the Belasco Theatre this evening. Prior to the show, she visited with the cast and came onstage to give brief remarks about Broadway’s resilience and the comeback of New York City.  

Last night, Girl From The North Country hosted a special performance and gala to celebrate their third time opening on Broadway, as well as their seven Tony Award nominations, including “Best New Musical.” 

Girl From the North Country, which temporarily closed on January 23 with the promise of returning this spring, returned for a limited engagement, April 29-June 19 at the Belasco Theatre.

Today, it was announced that the North American Tour of the acclaimed Girl From The North Country, nominated for 7 Tony Awards including Best Musical, will have its technical rehearsals and tour premiere at Hennepin Theatre Trust's historic Orpheum Theatre in the Fall of 2023. 

Jukebox musicals are a mainstay of the American Musical Theater. They have recognizable hit songs built in and instant appeal for fans. But they’re difficult to get right, needing a good book to incorporate the songs into a cohesive story. Even more difficult is the jukebox bio-musical where they’re trying to tell the story of the artist’s life with their own songs. Read our critic's review.

When the world premiere production of Swept Away, with music and lyrics by The Avett Brothers, concluded its third extension at Berkeley Rep on Sunday, March 13, fans had traveled to see the show from every state in the nation, as well as from eight different countries around the world.

The Carole King Musical will return to the Paramount Theatre for three performances only – on Friday, April 8 (8pm) and Saturday, April 9 (2pm and 8pm). The two previously scheduled performances on Sunday, April 10 (1pm and 6:30 pm) have been cancelled due to the limited availability of transportation to ship the set to the tour’s next engagement.

An all new video has been released from Swept Away at Berkeley Rep! Watch the cast perform 'Lord Lay Your Hand on My Shoulder/Ain’t No Man' here!

Following a positive response from audiences and critics alike, Berkeley Rep has announced that the world premiere of Swept Away will extend for a third and final week. The popular show will now run through Sunday, March 13.

The Avett Brothers musical Swept Away, written by Tony Award®-winning stage and screen writer John Logan and helmed by Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer, just opened at Berkeley Rep. The engagement was recently extended for a second time and will now play through Sunday, March 6, 2022.

BroadwayWorld has a first look at The Avett Brothers musical Swept Away, as well as a never-before seen set list of the musical numbers performed in the show. The set list is penned by Seth Avett and includes “Lord Lay Your Hand On My Shoulder,” a new song he wrote specifically for the production.

Beautiful- The Carole King Musical will welcome Sara Sheperd (Carole King), James D. Gish (Gerry Goffin), Sara King (Cynthia Weil), Ryan Farnsworth (Barry Mann), Matt Loehr (Don Kirshner) and Rachel Coloff (Genie Klein) to the Company. Beautiful – The Carole King Musical will make its Atlanta return at the Fox Theatre May 20-22.

Tonight, the new musical from The Avett Brothers, Swept Away, begins performances at Berkeley Rep. Written by Tony Award-winning stage and screen writer John Logan, Swept Away is helmed by Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer, and features choreography by Tony Award nominee David Neumann.

Before stepping foot into the theatre, you’ve already experienced the best aspect of Beautiful – The Carole King Musical – the extraordinary songs. The production, touring to the Kennedy Center through January 2, highlights the best of Carole King’s hits and reminds us of the tremendous range of her talent. Sadly, that narrative arc of Beautiful – The Carole King Musical is at such a frantic pace and is so light on details it takes a fascinating true story of grit, luck, and talent and renders it a flat, bland, homogenized variety-show telling of King’s career.