Betty Comden News

Three Cat Media announces an exciting 2010 season of fun, classic cabaret at the Skokie Theater Music Foundation. This series will be held once a month.

This holiday season, take off on a high-flying adventure as the Beck Center for the Arts presents Peter Pan, a musical based on the classic play by J.M. Barrie, on the Mackey Main Stage, December 4, 2009, through January 3, 2010.

Singin' in the Rain runs January 15 - February 6, Tickets: $25

The 2009-2010 season of Reprise Theatre Company continues with Rodgers and Hammerstein's 'Carousel,' January 26 to February 7 at UCLA's Freud Playhouse. Alexandra Silber stars as Julie Jordan, direct from her critically acclaimed portrayal of Julie Jordan in 'Carousel' at the Savoy Theatre in London's West End (TMA Award - Best Actress). Silber is joined by Robert Patteri as Billy Bigelow ('Scarlet Pimpernel,' 'Beauty and the Beast'.) Veteran character actor M. Emmet Walsh appears as the Starkeeper. Michael Michetti, co-artistic director of The Theatre at Boston Court, will direct, with choreography by Lee Martino and musical direction by Darryl Archibald.

The 92nd Street Y opens its 40th anniversary season of Lyrics & LyricistsTM with Babalu-The American Songbook Goes Latin: Featuring the Music of the Desi Arnaz Orchestra. The show's artistic director is Desi Arnaz's daughter LUCIE ARNAZ, who also hosts and performs.

This holiday season, take off on a high-flying adventure as the Beck Center for the Arts presents Peter Pan, a musical based on the classic play by J.M. Barrie, on the Mackey Main Stage, December 4, 2009, through January 3, 2010.

On Monday November 16th, some of the biggest and brightest names in musical theatre came together to perform a special fundraiser event for the Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company. Hosted by Colin Mochrie and Deb McGrath, BWW was on hand as some of Canada's most talented performed selections of songs from Jewish composers and shows.

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director; W. David McCoy, Chairman of the Board) will honor Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway songwriters Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick with the 18th Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre on Monday, November 23rd.

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director; W. David McCoy, Chairman of the Board) will honor Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway songwriters Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick with the 18th Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre on Monday, November 23rd. The award will be presented to them by Alice Hammerstein Mathias, daughter of Oscar Hammerstein II.

This holiday season, take off on a high-flying adventure as the Beck Center for the Arts presents Peter Pan, a musical based on the classic play by J.M. Barrie, on the Mackey Main Stage, December 4, 2009, through January 3, 2010.

On what would have been Johnny Mercer's 100th birthday - November 18, 2009 - and to celebrate the 40th Anniversary season of the 92nd Street Y's American Songbook series, Lyrics & Lyricists, 92Y presents a one-night-only, all-star performance of I Remember You: A Lyrics & Lyricists Centennial Tribute to Johnny Mercer.

The 92nd Street Y has announced casting for the 2010 season of Lyrics & Lyricists. Lucie Arnaz, Debby Boone, Capathia Jenkins, James Naughton and Raúl Esparza are among the performers who will present the music of the Desi Arnaz Orchestra, Johnny Burke and Hoagy Carmichael. The season also includes a night of songs made famous by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and one devoted to the art of the satirical song, featuring works by Tom Lehrer, 'Yip' Harburg, Stephen Sondheim and others. The season is curated by series artistic director Deborah Grace Winer, and a line-up of guest artistic directors - Lucie Arnaz, Daryl Sherman, Rob Fisher, and Ted Sperling.

The New York Philharmonic will present SONDHEIM: The Birthday Concert on March 15 and Tuesday, March 16, 2010, at 7:30 p.m. This celebration of the 80th birthday of the great Broadway and film composer/lyricist will include his most enduring orchestral music and songs - performed, in some cases, by the stars of the original Broadway cast productions - in addition to rarely-heard material. Joining the celebration will be (in alphabetical order) Michael Cerveris, Victoria Clark, Jason Danieley, Nathan Gunn, George Hearn, Patti LuPone, Marin Mazzie, Audra McDonald, Donna Murphy, Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, and others to be announced, including surprise guests. Paul Gemignani, Mr. Sondheim's longtime collaborator, will conduct the New York Philharmonic; Lonny Price is the director; and Mr. Price and Matt Cowart are the producers.

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director; W. David McCoy, Chairman of the Board) will honor Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway songwriters Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick with the 18th Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre on Monday, November 23rd.

On November 9, Primary Stages will host 'Leading Ladies,' the organization's 25th Anniversary Benefit Gala, honoring influential women who have contributed to the theater's work over the past 25 years. The event will take place at the Grand Hyatt New York and begins at 6:30pm.

Charles Busch and Julie Halston will host this year's Primary Stages 25th Anniversary Gala Benefit to be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel (109 East 42nd Street) on Monday, November 9, 2009. This year's 'Leading Ladies' Penny Fuller and Isabel Keating are set to perform and will be joined by Elysabeth Kleinhans, and celebrity guests Allison Janney, Marian Seldes and Elizabeth Wilson in helping Primary Stages celebrate their 25th Anniversary Season.

On November 9, Primary Stages will host 'Leading Ladies,' the organization's 25th Anniversary Benefit Gala, honoring influential women who have contributed to the theater's work over the past 25 years. The event will take place at the Grand Hyatt New York and begins at 6:30pm.

'Exciting' is not a word normally associated with productions of Thornton Wilder's Our Town. Heartwarming? Sure. Chilling? When its climax is done well, certainly. But director David Cromer's non-traditional take on the play - which remains completely faithful to the author's text and themes - is one of the most exciting theatre events of the season.

Penned by a pair of downtown revue writers (Betty Comden and Adolph Green), composed by a wunderkind New York Philharmonic conductor (Leonard Bernstein), choreographed by a Ballet Theatre soloist (Jerome Robbins) and originally directed by musical comedy master George Abbott, there's never been a musical on Broadway that mixes highbrow and lowbrow with such a wondrous cacophonous clash as On The Town.

In the latest edition of Opera News, Michael Portantiere asks Stephen Schwartz, Adam Guettel, Jason Robert Brown, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Michael John LaChiusa, Stephen Flaherty and Stew for their opinions on the difference between opera and musical theatre.