Ben Whiteley News

Symphony Space pays exuberant homage to the Great White Way with Project B-way/95, a two-week celebration comprising 14 events, April 7 - 20. A particular highlight is this year's installment of Symphony Space's signature event, WALL TO WALL STEPHEN SCHWARTZ (Saturday, April 16).

BroadwayWorld brings you performance highlights below!

Maize & Blue on Broadway is a one-night-only benefit concert on May 16, 2016 at 7PM at Broadway's August Wilson Theatre (245 West 52nd Street) to celebrate the University of Michigan and its renowned Musical Theatre Department, as well as honor its longtime chair, Brent Wagner, who is retiring in May after 32 years of being the department's heart and soul.  

BroadwayWorld was in the rehearsal room with the cast today, where they treated us to a sneak peek of 'Till Then' (performed by Santino Fontana and Christiane Noll) and 'Sit Down, John'. Check out the numbers and meet the cast and creative team below!

BroadwayWorld was in the rehearsal room with the cast today, where they treated us to a sneak peek of 'Till Then' (performed by Santino Fontana and Christiane Noll) and 'Sit Down, John'.

Playing the radiant Martha Jefferson will be Nikki Renne Daniels, whose extensive Broadway credits include THE BOOK OF MORMON, PORGY AND BESS, ANYTHING GOES, and LES MISERABLES. Rehearsals for the production have only just begun and Nikki checked in with BroadwayWorld earlier this week to tell us all about her preparations. Check out the full interview below!

Symphony Space pays exuberant homage to the Great White Way with Project B-way/95, a two-week celebration comprising 14 events, April 7 - 20. Curated and Produced by Joel Fram and Annette Jolles, and named for the intersection where Symphony Space stands, Project B-way/95 salutes Broadway with an exciting array of concerts, tributes, film screenings, discussions, workshops, and more. Anchored by three starry concerts in the Sharp Theatre - an evening with the incomparable Patti LuPone (Tuesday, April 19), the cheerfully nepotistic "All in the Family" with Kelli O'Hara (Monday, April 11), and this year's installment of Symphony Space's signature event, Wall to Wall Stephen Schwartz (Saturday, April 16) - Project B-way/95 offers something for every lover of American musical theater. Tickets for all events are available at symphonyspace.org.

Encores! Artistic Director Jack Viertel today announced casting for the Encores! production of 1776, the classic Tony Award-winning musical about how the founding fathers drafted the Declaration of Independence and gave birth to a new nation. 1776 will star Terence Archie, John Behlmann, Larry Bull, Nikki Renee Daniels, Andre De Shields, Macintyre Dixon, Santino Fontana, Alexander Gemignani, John Hickok, John Hillner, John Larroquette, Kevin Ligon, John-Michael Lyles, Laird Mackintosh, Michael McCormick, Michael Medeiros, Christiane Noll, Bryce Pinkham, Wayne Pretlow, Tom Alan Robbins, Robert Sella, Ric Stoneback, Jubilant Sykes, Vishal Vaidya, Nicholas Ward, and Jacob Keith Watson. 

Harvey Blanks, Chuck Cooper, Marva Hicks, Carly Hughes, LaChanze, Norm Lewis, Forrest McClendon, and J.D. Webster star in Vernon Duke and John Latouche's jazz-filled fable Cabin in the Sky, running for seven performances for Encores! at New York City Center, tonight, February 10, through February 14. The 1940 musical is directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson with choreography by Camille A. Brown. BroadwayWorld brings you highlights from the show below!

Harvey Blanks, Chuck Cooper, Marva Hicks, Carly Hughes, LaChanze, Norm Lewis, Forrest McClendon, and J.D. Webster star in Vernon Duke and John Latouche's jazz-filled fable CABIN IN THE SKY, running for seven performances for Encores! at New York City Center, tonight, February 10, through February 14.

BroadwayWorld and The Muny announces today the directors, choreographers and music directors for the Muny's 2016 Season, which opens on June 13 with The Wizard of Oz.

Paper Mill Playhouse (Mark S. Hoebee-Producing Artistic Director, Todd Schmidt-Managing Director) released a block of great seats today for the final two weeks of the holiday hit, A Christmas Story: The Musical. The musical will run eight times a week at the Millburn, New Jersey theater and has best availability from December 23, 2015 thru January 3, 2016. Based on the popular 1983 film, A Christmas Story: The Musical has a book by Joseph Robinette with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.  A Christmas Story: The Musical will be directed by Brandon Ivie and choreographed by Mara Newbery Greer. Paper Mill Playhouse's 2015-2016 Season is proudly sponsored by Investors Bank.

The landmark musical with a score by Vernon Duke and John Latouche is the next offering from City Center's Encores!

Encores! Artistic Director Jack Viertel today announced the creative teams for New York City Center's 2016 Encores! season. J. Bernard Calloway, Chuck Cooper, Marva Hicks, Carly Hughes, LaChanze, Norm Lewis, Forrest McClendon, and J.D. Webster will star in Vernon Duke and John Latouche's jazz?filled fable Cabin in the Sky, running for seven performances at City Center from February 10-14. The 1940 musical will be directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago?Hudson with choreography by Camille A. Brown.

'A Christmas Story: The Musical' is not on stage at Paper Mill Playhouse through January 3rd. Directed by Brandon Ivie, this charming and exciting show will delight guests of all ages.

Paper Mill Playhouse's holiday show, A CHRISTMAS STORY: THE MUSICAL, based on the popular 1983 film, has a book by Joseph Robinette with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. A CHRISTMAS STORY: THE MUSICAL will be directed by Brandon Ivie and choreographed by Mara Newbery Greer. A CHRISTMAS STORY: THE MUSICAL will run eight times a week at the Millburn, New Jersey, theater from tonight, November 25, 2015, through January 3, 2016. The official press opening night is Sunday, November 29, at 7:00pm.

BroadwayWorld can officially reveal the full cast for Paper Mill Playhouse's holiday show, A CHRISTMAS STORY: THE MUSICAL.

Below, check out Josh Walden's latest video from The Muny's summer 2015 season, featuring the cast of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST -- in slow motion!

BroadwayWorld and The Muny present a backstage look at Disney's Beauty and the Beast, which is running through August 7, 2015. With music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and book by Linda Woolverton, this beloved family classic is directed by Matt Lenz, choreographed by Vince Pesce and music directed by Ben Whiteley. Check out all the backstage shots below!

Kate Rockwell (Belle) is proud to be The William & Kerry Holekamp Star Performer. Kate is so thrilled to return to The Muny after playing Jane in last year's Tarzan! Check out the video below!