Beth Leavel News

Since September 2009, Beth Leavel has been lending her big Broadway voice to ABBA's hit songs, starring as reluctant mother-of-the-bride Donna Sheridan in Mamma Mia! She has previously appeared on The Great White Way in Young Frankenstein, 42nd Street, The Civil War, Showboat and Crazy for You, and her performance in The Drowsy Chaperone earned her a Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Award in 2006.

On Saturday, September 25th at 12:30pm the new Broadway musical ELF celebrated the opening of the Al Hirschfeld Theatre box office. ELF star Sebastian Arcelus (Buddy) presided over the festivities. As an extra special treat, direct from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade®, a giant elf balloon took a detour from its usual parade route to fly above the Al Hirschfeld Theatre for this very special occasion. BroadwayWorld was on hand for the event and brings you photo coverage below.

Get in the holiday spirit early! On Saturday, September 25th at 12:30pm the new Broadway musical ELF will celebrate the opening of the Al Hirschfeld Theatre box office (302 West 45th St) and you won't want to miss it. ELF star Sebastian Arcelus (Buddy) will be presiding over the festivities.

On Monday, March 21st, 2011 at 8:00 PM, for the 5th Smash Year, will be The Broadway Beauty Pageant, which is a benefit for The Ali Forney Center NYC's primary emergency housing resource for homeless LGBT youth. The annual event will again be at the Peter Norton Symphony Space. 2537 Broadway (at 95th Street). Conceived by Jeffery Self and directed by Ryan J. Davis, The Broadway Beauty Pageant is musically directed by Christopher Denny. The evening is produced by Wil Fisher, Ryan J. Davis, Jeffrey Self and Matthew Oberstein. The event ahead will be Bigger and Better than Ever! Mark you calendars Now for the Not-to-Be-Missed Special EVENT!

Get in the holiday spirit early! On Saturday, September 25th at 12:30pm the new Broadway musical ELF will celebrate the opening of the Al Hirschfeld Theatre box office (302 West 45th St) and you won't want to miss it. ELF star Sebastian Arcelus (Buddy) will be presiding over the festivities.

Michelle Federer (Wicked's Original Broadway Nessarose) spent Sunday, September 19th, mentoring the young talent of Broadway's future as she led a Wicked-themed master class with Broadway Artists Alliance of New York City. Federer inspired, as she skillfully guided a master class in 'Song Interpretation' to a group of eager and talented young performers ages 10 to 21. Students also spent time on cold readings and scene study utilizing scenes from Wicked. Michelle's morning class was followed by an advanced audition technique workshop with a top casting representative from Telsey and Co. Casting.

As BroadwayWorld has previously reported, Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures in association with Unique Features will present the new Broadway musical ELF, starring Sebastian Arcelus, Amy Spanger, Tony® Award winner Beth Leavel (Emily), Tony® Award nominee Mark Jacoby (Walter), Matthew Gumley (Michael), Valerie Wright (Deb), Michael McCormick (Mr. Greenway), Michael Mandell (Store Manager) and six-time Emmy® Award winner George Wendt (Santa) this season.

Bobby Cronin is a fast-rising, hard-working ASCAP PLUS Award winning composer/writer who '...thinks big. In all ways. Writing in a contemporary musical theatre vein, the songs are passionate and powerful in a take-no-prisoners way that will knock your socks off.' -- Rob Lester, Cabaret Exchange.

BroadwayWorld.com is excited to continue our coverage of Broadway on Broadway, the annual free outdoor concert at the crossroads of the world brings together stars and performances from current and upcoming Broadway productions to celebrate the beginning of the new Broadway season with our backstage photos!

BroadwayWorld.com has confirmed that completing the cast of ELF the musical will be Sebastian Arcelus as Buddy and Amy Spanger as Jovie.

Kelsey Grammer, Tony®-nominated star of the Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of La Cage Aux Folles and five-time Emmy Award winner, hosted Broadway on Broadway 2010 on Sunday, September 12th at 11:30 a.m.

Although there's been no official announcement yet, while talking to the Rockland Journal News about the upcoming ELF muscial, Thomas Meehan tells the paper that 'In casting Sebastian Arcelus ('Good Vibrations') as Buddy, Meehan says director Casey Nicholaw didn't want someone who would deliver a Ferrell impersonation. 'We wanted someone who would make it their own,' he says.'

As BroadwayWorld has previously reported, Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures in association with Unique Features will present the new Broadway musical ELF, starring Tony® Award winner Beth Leavel (Emily), Tony® Award nominee Mark Jacoby (Walter), Matthew Gumley (Michael), Valerie Wright (Deb), Michael McCormick (Mr. Greenway), Michael Mandell (Store Manager) and six-time Emmy® Award winner George Wendt (Santa) this season. Full casting, including the lead roles of Buddy and Jovie, will be announced shortly.

Twitter Watch shines a BWW spotlight on ELF, the new Broadway musical opening at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on November 14, 2010. The show has just opened its Twitter account and BroadwayWorld brings you their first Tweet below.

Above the Title Entertainment (Jed Bernstein) will present two special readings of the new musical, Bonnie & Clyde: A Folktale, on Friday, September 10 at the Snapple Theatre Center (1627 Broadway). Bonnie & Clyde: A Folktale features a book by Hunter Foster and music & lyrics by Rick Crom. Under the direction of Lonny Price, the cast will feature Sutton Foster as ‘Bonnie' and Will Swenson as ‘Clyde,' along with Marc Kudisch, Beth Leavel and more. These readings are by invitation only.

Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures in association with Unique Features announced today that the new Broadway musical ELF will star Tony® Award winner Beth Leavel (Emily), Tony® Award nominee Mark Jacoby (Walter), Matthew Gumley (Michael), Valerie Wright (Deb), Michael McCormick (Mr. Greenway), Michael Mandell (Store Manager) and six-time Emmy® Award winner George Wendt (Santa). Full casting including the lead roles of Buddy and Jovie will be announced shortly.

Tony Award-winning actress Bebe Neuwirth delighted students as their special surprise guest during the Broadway Artists Alliance 2010 Summer Intensive (Session One). Ms. Neuwirth (currently starring in The Addams Family) lent her talents for a surprise Q&A with the students of Broadway Artists Alliance, ages 10-21. The Q&A was led by the hilarious Seth Rudetsky.

Tony Award-winning actress Katie Finneran delighted students as their special surprise guest during the Broadway Artists Alliance 2010 Summer Workshop.

Bobby Cronin is a fast-rising, hard-working ASCAP PLUS Award winning composer/writer who '...thinks big. In all ways. Writing in a contemporary musical theatre vein, the songs are passionate and powerful in a take-no-prisoners way that will knock your socks off.' -- Rob Lester, Cabaret Exchange.

Mary Tyler Moore and Bernadette Peters hosted the 12th annual BROADWAY BARKS!, a star-studded dog and cat adopt-a-thon benefiting New York City animal shelters and adoption agencies.