Ben Vereen News

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark, the Broadway spectacular that defied odds and expectations to conquer New York, is moving to Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world. After more than three historic years on Broadway, the show play its final performance at the Foxwoods Theatre on January 4, 2014. Now according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Casino executive Steve Wynn is currently in meetings to host the production.

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark, the Broadway spectacular that defied odds and expectations to conquer New York, is moving to Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world. After more than three historic years on Broadway, the show play its final performance at the Foxwoods Theatre on January 4, 2014. In a recent interview with Billboard, producer Michael Cohl chatted about the big transfer.

The Pasadena Playhouse and Lythgoe Family Productions (LFP) present ALADDIN AND HIS WINTER WISH, starring Ben Vereen (Broadway's Pippin and Jesus Christ Superstar) as 'The Genie,' JorDan Fisher as 'Aladdin' (Disney's Teen Beach Movie), Ashley Argota as 'The Princess' (Nickelodeon's True Jackson VP), Richard Karn ('Home Improvement') as 'The Sultan', and Bruce Vilanch as 'Widow Twankey'.

The original cast recording of MURDER FOR TWO, the hit new musical comedy starring Jeff Blumenkrantz and Brett Ryback, will be released digitally on Tuesday, January 14, 2014 by Ghostlight Records. Produced by Joel Moss and executive produced by Kurt Deutsch, the album will be available in stores and everywhere music is sold on Tuesday, February 11, 2014. The physical CD features complete lyrics, never-before-seen photos, a show synopsis by creators Joe Kinosian and Kellen Blair and an essay by Oscar and Grammy Award-winning composer Stephen Schwartz. Admission to the album release party is exclusive to ticket holders of the Monday, January 13, 2014performance of Murder For Two. Sign up to pre-order the original cast recording at www.sh-k-boom.com/murderfortwo.html.

Ghostlight and Sh-K-Boom Records host a special Cyber Monday sale today, Monday, Dec. 2 only. Act now to get 25% off all order orders of two or more CDs. Use the code "CYBERMONDAY" at checkout.

In yesterday's New York Post, Michael Cohl, the producer of Broadway's SPIDER-MAN: TURN OFF THE DARK opened up to Michael Riedel about the recent news that the show will be closing down in January.

SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark, the Broadway spectacular that defied odds and expectations to conquer New York, is moving to Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world. After more than three historic years on Broadway, the show play its final performance at the Foxwoods Theatre on January 4, 2014. Additional information on the upcoming Las Vegas production will be announced in the weeks to come. SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark is currently the 16th highest grossing Broadway production of all time, having taken in more than $200 million at the box office. The show has been seen by approximately two million fans, and will have played 1,268 performances by the time it takes its final bow at the Foxwoods Theatre.

Ghostlight Records will release Beautiful Dreamer, the debut solo album from rising Broadway and vocal star DONNA VIVINO, in stores and via online outlets December 10, 2013. Beautiful Dreamer weaves 13 diverse songs into a thematically-cohesive collection from Broadway, Hollywood and Tin Pan Alley. Jerry Vivino - the veteran New York musician and longtime member of the Conan O'Brien house band - leads the disc's all-star jazz quartet and serves as producer. Taking a break from performing on Broadway in the smash hit Wicked, Donna will star Off Broadway inStars of David - a new song cycle celebrating Jewish identity, based on the bestselling book, with original music by the theater's top songwriters - fromNovember 13 to December 15. To pre-order Beautiful Dreamer, please visit www.sh-k-boom.com/donnavivino-beautifuldreamer.html.

On October 10, at the Dramatists Guild Fund annual gala at the Edison Ballroom in New York, Cleveland's Roe Green, Founder and President was honored for her patronage of the arts. The event was hosted by television and Broadway actor Michael Urie, and featured such legendary theatre elite as Stephen Schwartz, Ben Vereen, Bernadette Peters and Stephen Sondheim.

Bruce Vilanch has been announced to play Widow Twankey in The Pasadena Playhouse and Lythgoe Family Productions (LFP), ALADDIN AND HIS WINTER WISH, starring previously announced Ben Vereen (Broadway's Pippin and Jesus Christ Superstar) as 'The Genie,' Jordan Fisher as 'Aladdin' (Disney's Teen Beach Movie), Ashley Argota as 'The Princess' (Nickelodeon's True Jackson VP) and Richard Karn ('Home Improvement') as 'The Sultan.'

Monday, October 21st was a luminous night for DO40, panelists, performers - and especially the sold-out audience who attended Dancers Over 40's latest panel and performance, this time honoring Director/Choreographer Ron Field. Along with seven members from the original production, on hand were Marge Champion, Sandy Duncan & Don Correia, Joel Grey, Donna McKechnie, Lee Roy Reams and Ben Vereen. A star-studded night, indeed for DO40!

During the holiday season Performance Network Theatre presents a new take on the larger than life Broadway musical "Jerry's Girls", a revue of the work of Jerry Herman who wrote the music for shows such as "Hello, Dolly!", "La Cage Aux Folles", and "Mame". "Jerry's Girls" is directed by Carla Milarch and stars an all female cast including award-winning musical theatre actress, Naz Edwards, from November 14 - January 5, 2014 as well as a special New Year's Eve performance followed by a champagne toast at midnight. Tickets are available now at performancenetwork.org, over the phone at 734-663-0681, or at the theatre at 120 East Huron in Downtown Ann Arbor.

Highlights this week include the Matilda's being drawn at Sardis, A TIME TO KILL, THE LANDING, and FROM HERE TO ETERNITY opening, and a marriage proposal for Allison Case!

On Wednesday, October 30th, the blockbuster musical, WICKED, will celebrate its 10th Anniversary on Broadway, a milestone achieved by only ten other Broadway productions in history. The creative team and many of the musical's previous cast members will celebrate WICKED's first decade with a special performance, followed by a company party, on October 30th at 7:00pm. BroadwayWorld will be counting down to the milestone with daily flashbacks of Wicked's biggest events, most memorable cast members, and best performances. In today's installment, we remember the actors that have taken on the role of Oz's leader- the Wizard!

On Monday night, the Dramatists Guild Fund hosted their Annual Gala at the Edison Ballroom in New York. This year's event honored legendary playwrights, composers, and lyricists who have greatly impacted the American theater. Below you can check out photos of the attendees in the BroadwayWorld.com series 'In The Spotlight' by acclaimed photographer Walter McBride!

Today in 1972, Pippin opened at the Imperial Theatre, where it ran for 1944 performances. Pippin is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Roger O. Hirson. Bob Fosse, who directed the original Broadway production, also contributed to the libretto. The musical uses the premise of a mysterious acting troupe, led by a Leading Player, to tell the story of Pippin, a young prince on his search for meaning and significance. The original cast included: Eric Berry, Jill Clayburgh, Leland Palmer, Irene Ryan, Ben Vereen, and John Rubinstein.

Last night, the Dramatists Guild Fund hosted their Annual Gala at the Edison Ballroom in New York. This year's event honored legendary playwrights, composers, and lyricists who have greatly impacted the American theater. BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge was there for the special night to chat with Bernadette Peters, Alan Menken, Jason Robert Brown, Stephen Schwartz, Kate Baldwin, Tonya Pinkins and more. Check out what they had to say, plus performances from Jeremy Jordan, Ben Vereen and Sherie Rene Scott below!

Last night, the Dramatists Guild Fund hosted their Annual Gala at the Edison Ballroom in New York. This year's event honored legendary playwrights, composers, and lyricists who have greatly impacted the American theater. BroadwayWorld was there for the special night and you can check out coverage from the performances below!

Last night, the Dramatists Guild Fund hosted their Annual Gala at the Edison Ballroom in New York. This year's event honored legendary playwrights, composers, and lyricists who have greatly impacted the American theater. BroadwayWorld was there for the special night and you can check out coverage from the star-studded red carpet below!

Spotlight on Broadway-an interactive website and multi-media project featuring the history of Broadway-has officially launched with 40 videos that chart the evolution of Broadway's 40 official theaters and honor the thousands of men and women who have worked on Broadway. Developed by the City of New York Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, in partnership with The Broadway League, each video was filmed inside one of the Broadway theaters and features insightful interviews with some of Broadway's most legendary performers and creative professionals.