Bernie Telsey News

The Hangar Theatre's Pilot Reading Series in NYC continues with In a Little Room , a new play by Pete McElligott.

The Hangar Theatre kicks off its second Pilot Reading Series in NYC with a great new play by Michael Elyanow, directed by the Hangar's Artistic Director, Peter Flynn.

The Hangar Theatre kicks off its second Pilot Reading Series in NYC with a great new play by Michael Elyanow, directed by the Hangar's Artistic Director, Peter Flynn.

Singer/actress Nikki Blonsky truly embodies that notion of overnight success. Plucked from obscurity at age 17, then-newcomer Blonsky beat out hundreds of young girls from a nationwide open casting call to land the coveted lead role in the big-screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical HAIRSPRAY. On July 15-16, she will be slipping back into familiar territory as she joins MEN ALIVE: The Orange County Gay Men's Chorus for their 10th Anniversary Concert 'GREASY HAIRSPRAY' at the Irvine Barclay Theatre.

Tony Award-winner Gregory Jbara hosted the 3rd annual National High School Musical Theater Awards - 'The Jimmy Awards' - last night, June 27th at the Minskoff Theatre. Presenters included Tony Award-winners Tommy Tune, Harvey Fierstein, Nikki M. James (Book of Mormon) and star of Catch Me If You Can, Aaron Tveit. The awards showcase featured performances by 50 student participants representing 25 professional theaters across America. BroadwayWorld was on hand and brings you photo coverage below!

Tony Award-winner Gregory Jbara will host the 3rd annual National High School Musical Theater Awards - 'The Jimmy Awards' - on Monday, June 27th at 7:30pm at the Minskoff Theatre (200 W 45th St). Presenters include Tony Award-winners Tommy Tune, Harvey Fierstein, Nikki M. James (Book of Mormon) and star of Catch Me If You Can, Aaron Tveit. The awards showcase will feature performances by 50 student participants representing 25 professional theaters across America.

Tony Award-winner Gregory Jbara will host the 3rd annual National High School Musical Theater Awards - 'The Jimmy Awards' - on Monday, June 27th at 7:30pm at the Minskoff Theatre (200 W 45th St). Presenters include Tony Award-winners Tommy Tune, Harvey Fierstein, Nikki M. James (Book of Mormon) and star of Catch Me If You Can, Aaron Tveit. The awards showcase will feature performances by 50 student participants representing 25 professional theaters across America.

According to an audition notice, the musical revival of CARRIE will hold a development lab at MCC from May 25, 2011 through June 7, 2011. Stafford Arima will direct, Matt Williams will choreograph, and Mary Mitchell-Campell will musical direct.

To celebrate the release of her new book Rock the Audition: How to Prepare For and Get Cast in Rock Musicals (Hal Leonard Books, May 24th) Sheri will performing in concert at New World Stages (340 W. 50th Street) on the evening of the book's release - May 24th at 8:00pm.

Culled from as A-list a list as you are ever likely to acquire - Steven Spielberg, Robert Greenblatt, Craig Zadan, Neil Meron, Michael Mayer, Theresa Rebeck and Marc Shaiman/Scott Wittman onwards - SMASH is the adult answer to riveting dramatic musical entertainment coming with heart, laughs, unforgettable characters and some of the biggest twists this side of the starry stages on the Great White Way. Oh, yeah, and those hallowed Broadway halls, too. Plus, SMASH provides a great new opportunity to showcase the unbelievable talent on display on the stages of Broadway and Off-Broadway and beyond, particularly given the fact that it is shot in New York and it is being cast by the biggest casting director on Broadway, Bernie Telsey. Consider the theatre-centric casting LAW & ORDER times seventy six (trombones). All of New York is the talent pool from which the stage of SMASH shall be set. And, what exactly is SMASH about, anyway? Well, SMASH is all about Broadway and what makes a musical tick - from the very inception of the show's idea by the songwriters, through writing, rehearsals and the road; all the way to the big Broadway opening where dreams are made - and nightmares born - on one magnificent, momentous night. As viewers, we are taken inside the ticking clock of the show and we experience each and every one of the multitude of machinations enacted by everyone from the stars - Marilyn Monroe, and the actress playing her, Ivy; and, more importantly, her alternative, Karen - to the overworked director (Derek), harried songwriters Tom and Julia, and the speculative and cutthroat producer behind it all, Eileen.

Legends in their own time, ascending to the top ranks of the Hollywood and Broadway songwriting landscape, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman have accomplished and climbed to heights most of what many film fans, Broadway babies and general entertainment junkies only dream of witnessing and ascending to. Marc Shaiman's work with Trey Parker and Matt Stone on SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER & UNCUT prompted Stephen Sondheim - as he told me himself - to cite it as one of the best musicals of the era. And, it is - as is their Tony-winning Best Musical HAIRSPRAY, based on the film by Pope of Trash John Waters. Featuring John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Efron, Queen Latifah and an all-around-amazing cast of triple-threats, the stunning Craig Zadan/Neil Meron-produced film version of HAIRSPRAY may be the greatest cinematic Shaiman and/or Wittman accomplishment so far. Then, there is CATCH ME IF YOU CAN - one of the snappiest new scores on Broadway in a strangely strong season of original scores - boasting boss Sinatra blues and sizzling Shirelles riffs and everything else that's swingin' in between. Up next for the team - onstage and off - is a stage adaptation of Roald Dahl's CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY directed by Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes, in addition to what is perhaps the most exciting prospect on their impossibly cluttered horizon: the new Steven Speilberg/Craig Zadan/Neil Meron musical/comedy/drama series SMASH which has just been picked up for the Fall season on NBC! In this exclusive, extensive and exhaustive conversation we cover it all from HAIRSPRAY to CATCH ME to CHARLIE to all about SMASH and far, far beyond!

To celebrate the release of her new book Rock the Audition: How to Prepare For and Get Cast in Rock Musicals (Hal Leonard Books, May 24th) Sheri will performing in concert at New World Stages (340 W. 50th Street) on the evening of the book's release - May 24th at 8:00pm.

Today we are talking to one of the stars of the smash hit Broadway revival of Frank Loesser's HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING, co-starring Daniel Radcliffe, Tammy Blanchard and John Larroquette, at the Al Hirschfeld Theater, this actor can also be seen in the just-concluded final season of HBO's BIG LOVE and in a recurring role on ABC's BROTHERS & SISTERS - Mr. Christopher J. Hanke! Discussing everything from HAIR and hippies to business suits and HOW TO SUCCEED, as well as a thorough analysis of his CRY BABY experience and even a little IN MY LIFE, Hanke opens up about his co-stars, characters, collaborators and even shares a few audition stories.

It's one of the most common rejections on American Idol: 'Sorry, but you're better suited for Broadway.' But as we've seen over the past ten years, American Idol and the Broadway stage are not mutually exclusive - not by a long shot! In fact, it's the opposite: every single season of the show has either borrowed talent from the New York theatre or created stars that have rocked musicals on Broadway and/or on national tours across the country.

MCC Theater today announced that Associate Artistic Director Will Cantler has been promoted to the position of Artistic Director, effective immediately.

From the Cast of ANYTHING GOES and SPIDER-MAN, to the Ladies of THE VIEW, Raul Esparza, Barbra Streisand, Alan Menken, Bernadette Peters, Susan Boyle, Kelsey Grammer, GLEE and everyone in between...it's the BroadwayWorld.com 2011 Valentine's Day Special! Its Biggest Ever!

This isn't a review; this is a remembrance of the most special night of my Broadway-loving life. A few days ago, I was twittering about opening nights on Broadway. There were several coming up, and I was dreaming of what it must be like to attend. I asked my friends on Twitter to send me descriptions of the parties they'd attended. as well as the performances they had seen, on opening nights. And even within their 140-character responses, I got a pretty good idea of how magnificent and glamorous these A-list events could be.

MCC THEATER (Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, Artistic Directors; William Cantler, Associate Artistic Director; Blake West, Executive Director) today announced that they will team with director Stafford Arima (Altar Boyz, West End production of Ragtime) to develop the little seen but widely known musical Carrie for an upcoming season.

Paper Mill Playhouse is presenting Hairspray, directed by Matt Lenz, with choreography by Michele Lynch, at the Millburn theatre from September 22 through October 24, 2010. On September 26, the company celebrated the show's official opening night. BroadwayWorld was on hand and brings you after-party coverage below!

This afternoon I had the pleasure of speaking to Lesley Gore, the iconic 60s pop star and legendary recording artist of 'It's My Party', 'You Don't Own Me' and more, who will be appearing in MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET for one night only on Friday night, September 24, 2010. In our discussion we touched upon the work her brother Michael Gore , the accomplished Oscar-winning songwriter best known for FAME and FOOTLOOSE, has been doing on his 1980s musical version of the Stephen King novel and Brian De Palma film CARRIE. Gore exclusively confirms to BroadwayWorld that plans are indeed afoot to bring CARRIE back to Broadway in a big, beautiful, brilliant new way with a slew of new songs! Be sure to check out the complete SOUND OFF SPECIAL INTERVIEW with Lesley Gore coming later this month!