Benj Pasek News

The Johnny Mercer Foundation and the American Music Theatre Project (AMTP) at Northwestern University will present the 9th Annual Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriters Project. The weeklong songwriting workshop for emerging songwriters and writing teams will take place from June 22 through 28, on Northwestern's Evanston campus.

With a successful week-long workshop behind it, ROLSKA productions is moving forward with the debut production of the new musical YOU BET YOUR LIFE! at the National Arts Festival later this year. ROLSKA Productions has developed a solid track record over the past few years, including shows like I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE, the popular musical comedy by Joe DiPietro and Jimmy Roberts, and Benj Pasek and Justin Paul's ubiquitous song cycle EDGES amongst their hit productions. ROLSKA Productions won a Standard Bank Ovation Award for their National Arts Festival run of I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE. The company is proud to be presenting a new musical created by South African writers on local stages this year.

Standing before a packed house of subscribers, Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong revealed The 5th Avenue Theatre's 2014/15 season. "Every year we try to choose a season that embodies our mission: to celebrate our great indigenous art form, The Musical - past, present, and future," Armstrong said. "With an array of shows ranging from a hotly-anticipated Broadway tour to a hilarious world premiere, not to mention celebrated contemporary classics and one of the immortal musicals from the Golden Age of Broadway, we believe that this season truly represents the breadth and depth of what musical theater has to offer."

For a truly gifted musical theater genius, WICKED's composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz is picture-perfect as the laidback, generous, fun-loving avuncular figure that is the embodiment of all the high-spirited uncles that you've had as a kid growing up. Schwartz, comfortably (and most suitably for the occasion) clad in a black and green sports shirt, dressed-down gray jeans, well-loved sneakers, and seeming much more like the genial 'Wizard of Oz' than the green-skinned 'Elphaba' (which ironically, he admits, he is more like the latter), was the defining image of easy composure. Ready to bigheartedly answer questions from a select few media representatives, he cheerfully made his entrance onto the plush, intimately-set ambience of the conference room prepared by Concertus Manila and co-sponsor Diamond Hotel Tuesday, February 4.

54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents Libra Theater Company's 'Songs You Should Know' tonight, February 4th. 'Songs You Should Know' is an annual concert of great music theater, showcasing new and rarely performed songs written by some of today's most talented emerging and established writers.

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, the performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond:Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, the performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond:

This February and March at 54 BELOW presents an exciting lineup of the brightest talent from Broadway and beyond, including Christopher Sieber, Annaleigh Ashford, Randy Graff, Melinda Doolittle, Jeff Daniels, Linda Eder, Andrea McArdle, Sondheim Unplugged, Taboo: 10th Anniversary Reunion Concert, Beth Leavel, Lindsay Mendez and Derek Klena.

This February and March at 54 BELOW presents an exciting lineup of the brightest talent from Broadway and beyond, including Christopher Sieber, Annaleigh Ashford, Randy Graff, Melinda Doolittle, Jeff Daniels, Linda Eder, Andrea McArdle, Sondheim Unplugged, Taboo: 10th Anniversary Reunion Concert, Beth Leavel, Lindsay Mendez and Derek Klena.

54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents Libra Theater Company's "Songs You Should Know" on Tuesday, February 4th. "Songs You Should Know" is an annual concert of great music theater, showcasing new and rarely performed songs written by some of today's most talented emerging and established writers.

Don't Quit Your Night Job, returned to its new home at 54 Below in New York City on Thursday, January 16th, 11:30pm. Scroll down for photos!

Contestants in LA's Next Great Stage Star competition had an exciting second week on Sunday, January 12th. The theme for this round was Breaking New Ground - A Little New Music, and featured songs from some of today's most up and coming musical theatre writers.

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. News about the 'Phantom' and 'Cinderella' tours, suburban theaters mount 'Cabaret,' 'Young Frankenstein,' 'Ring Of Fire' and more, plus 'A New Brain,' Hollis Resnik's Milwaukee turn as Judy, and more this month from Circle Theatre!

Los Angeles's most exciting live, music performance space Rockwell: Table & Stage will add to its stellar lineup, a production of "Edges" on February 4 and February 11. The show is a song cycle about coming of age, growth and self-discovery through the eyes of four 20-somethings facing their 'quarter-life crisis.' The songs cover such universal issues as love, commitment, identity, and meaning. Characters deal with confronting emotions, escaping expectations and deciphering complicated relationships. Doors open at 7PM and the show begins at 8PM. Tickets range from $25 Premiere / $20 Reserved, For ticket information please call (323) 661-6163 (ext 20) or visit www.rockwell- la.com.

Tony-nominated composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Andy Jones (Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella), Heidi Blickenstaff (The Little Mermaid), Ashley Brown (the original Mary Poppins), Merle Dandridge (Tarzan, Aida), Josh Strickland (the original Tarzan), Andrew Keenan-Bolger (Newsies), and Alton Fitzgerald White (The Lion King), will join 4,500 students and teachers representing 93 groups from 26 states and the District of Columbia at the 2014 Junior Theater Festival, it was announced today by Timothy Allen McDonald, founding Chairman of iTheatrics and the Junior Theater Group. The Junior Theater Festival is being held January 17, 18 and 19 at the Cobb Galleria in Atlanta.

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, the performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond:

Don't Quit Your Night Job, returns to its new home at 54 Below in New York City on Thursday, January 16th, 11:30pm. Joining creators STEVE ROSEN, SARAH SALTZBERG and DAN LIPTON will be DERRICK BASKIN (Memphis), Tony nominee JOHN ELLISON CONLEE (The Watson Intelligence), LILLA CRAWFORD (Annie, upcoming 'Into The Woods' film), LEA DeLARIA (Orange is the New Black), ALEXANDER GEMIGNANI (Les Miserables), JASON KRAVITS (Relatively Speaking, 'The Michael J. Fox Show'), Tony nominated composer lyricists BENJ PASEK AND JUSTIN PAUL (A Christmas Story, Dogfight), EPHRAIM SYKES (Motown, Newsies), Tony nominee MARY TESTA (Disaster! Queen of the Mist), and stage, tv, film icon, and the star of the critically acclaimed and soon to arrive on broadway - Honeymoon in Vegas... TONY DANZA! With DJ's Andrew Andrew (Girls), and a special visit from DAVID ROSSMER. Featuring DAMIEN BASSMAN (The Addams Family) on drums, RACHEL MAIER (Soul Doctor) on stage management; and presented by LIPTON, ROSEN, SALTZBERG and SHOSHANA FEINSTEIN

Hottest Articles on BroadwayWorld.com from this weekend Sunday, January 5, 2014 - Sunday, January 5, 2014.

Welcome to BWW's exclusive talk show, BACKSTAGE WITH Richard Ridge. Follow Richard as he visits the theater's best and brightest in their dressing rooms, on their stages and favorite hang outs to talk about their lives, careers and all of the things you don't know, but want to know. In the special interview below, A Christmas Story composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul chat about their musical backgrounds, all of their future projects, and much more. Click here if you missed Part 1 and check out Part 2 below!

Holy Crap! That's really the most emphatic sentiment I can use to describe the internal battles I had when trying to pick my top picks for this past year. There were so many amazing performances and achievements that to pick just one was almost an impossibility (and as you'll see, WAS an impossibility for one category). But the battle is over and it's my distinct pleasure to announce my picks for the 2013 Broadway World Seattle Critic's Choice Awards (or Jay's Picks, if you prefer).

Woe to anyone who shoots their eye out, for not being able to see A Christmas Story: The Musical at the Woodlawn would be a tragedy. Though their 2012 non-musical production of the classic Holiday film was joyous, this version is superior.