Bill Russell News

Theater world, take notice: The Brown/Trinity Rep M.F.A. Class of 2017 is a force to be reckoned with. Their staging of SIDE SHOW impresses in every particular from casting and costuming to setting, dramatic pacing, and lighting. From curtain to curtain, this is theatrical storytelling at its finest.

BroadwayWorld is excited to report that North Carolina Stage Company (NC Stage) will welcome Broadway's Justin Matthew Sargent as the lead for its world premiere of BRAVE NEW WORLD: THE MUSICAL.

The Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Programs present Bill Russell and Henry Krieger's Side Show directed by Ashley Teague '17 beginning May 5, 2016.  

? North Carolina Stage Company (NC Stage) continues its recent development of world premiere productions. After playing a vital role in the development of Stalking the Bogeyman before its Off-Broadway and West End runs and Someone Else, currently slated for an off-Broadway run this spring, NC Stage announces the world premiere of the brand new musical Brave New World. This will consequently change the originally slated production of Bad Dates.

If you decide to attend Circuit Playhouse's production of PAGEANT in the next few weeks, and if you find yourself blushing at some of the eyebrow-raising humor, there's no need for alarm: Pink cheeks will blend right in, as the stage, many of the dresses and gowns, and much of the make-up are redolent with that color. However, the musical tends more toward the 'purple' at times, with innuendo, knowing looks, and pregnant pauses. Nonetheless, Robert Longbottom's lightweight little satire (with Book and Lyrics by Bill Russell and Frank Kelly and Music by Albert Evans) is a relatively harmless (and highly enjoyable) outing.

Side Show, the cult musical, will receive its London premiere at the Southwark Playhouse later this year.

Last night, February 29, the Broadway at Birdland concert series was thrilled to present Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens: A Benefit Concert with Bill Russell & Friends. Scroll down for photos!

Hottest Articles on BroadwayWorld.com from this weekend Sunday, February 28, 2016 - Sunday, February 28, 2016.

Broadway's 40 theatres aren't the only places to catch performances from your favorite stars! Well after Broadway orchestras begin their overtures, ensemble members take their dance breaks, and performers belt out their eleven o'clock numbers, the party continues at various cabaret venues throughout New York City. Below, BroadwayWorld brings you some cabaret highlights for this week as picked by our theatre editors, including: Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens: A Benefit Concert with Bill Russell & Friends; 54 Sings The Scarlet Pimpernel; Anneliese van der Pol and Tyce Green In Concert; Pride and Prejudice: the Musical in Concert; Christine Andreas: Cafe Society.

Veteran director Andy Sandberg's newest project is the play STRAIGHT, which he is bringing to life Off-Broadway. Straight tells the story of Ben, a 26 year old investment banker, and his relationships with his longtime girlfriend Emily and a new young guy named Chris. The new play is turning heads Off-Broadway and is proving to be quite the conversation starter.

On Monday, February 29, 2016, the Broadway at Birdland concert series will be presenting Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens as a benefit concert. With music by Janet Hood, lyrics and additional text by bill Russell, the piece is comprised of songs and monologues inspired by the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt and Edgar Lee Masters' Spoon River Anthology. To get the inside scoop on the upcoming star studded concert, I chatted with Russell and director Jill Sapenoff.

Birdland Jazz Club has announced its lineup for February 29-March 6, featuring Molly Ringwald, Peter Mazza Trio, Purchase Latin Jazz Orchestra, and more. Scroll down for details!

After spending 22 years as a working and teaching professional in New York City, Michael decided to follow his instincts and try living and working in Paris. 

Modern conveniences like smart phones and GPS often make us forget that the journey of life is full of the unexpected. For its 2016 theater season, Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater celebrates these unexpected moments: the realization of first love; a town bonded by a bullied teenager; a family finding common ground through music; the censorship of a fictional marriage between two rabbits; the beauty behind the darkness of Edgar Allan Poe; love lost then found again.

International Guitar Night returns to the Harris Center for the Arts in Folsom with some of the world's foremost acoustic guitarists performing their latest original compositions and exchanging musical ideas in a public concert setting. Founder Brian Gore hosts three of Europe's finest in this year's tour which includes gypsy jazz legend Lulo Reinhardt, contemporary fingerstyle innovator Mike Dawes, and multi-genre showman Andre Krengel.

Birdland Jazz Club has announced its February 2016 lineup, featuring Jane Monheit, Monterey Jazz Allstars, Nicolas King, The Birdland Big Band, Showbiz After Hours with Frank DiLella, John Pizzarelli Quartet, Birdland Jazz Party, Jim Caruso's Cast Party, and more. Scroll down for details!

Happy New Year, BroadwayWorld! As we eagerly anticipate the amazing musicals and plays coming up in 2016, we're taking a moment to look back at the significant Broadway closings of 2015.

Earlier this week, the company of the 2014 revival of SIDE SHOW reunited at the The LGBT Community Center for a special CD release event. The cast, including Erin Davie, Emily Padgett, Matthew Hydzik, Javier Ignacio, Isaiah Johnson and Brandon Andrus, performed numbers from the show and then participated in a Q&A Panel. Check out photos from the event below!

In the past year, four novels at Class Act Books have received recognition from the Paranormal Romance Guild and Preditors & Editors, two highly respected literary organizations. Paranormal Romance Guild (PRG) is a nonprofit and was organized in 2009 to promote and support authors of the paranormal romance genre through its website and events. This has since been broadened to include other genres, as well as reviewing and recommending novels, and offering advice, links to author services, and writing contests. Each year, it selects from novels reviewed within that year for its annual Reviews Choice awards. Preditors and Editors was founded in 1997 as a guide for writers, composers, artists, and game designers. It is a nonprofit organization which hold an annual poll for print/electronic books and short stories as well as other categories in which readers vote for their favorites. Among the books winning prizes in 2014 were: 'NEBRASKA: Walk the Shadow Trail' by Toni V. Sweeney, first place in General Genre from Preditors and Editors Readers Poll, 'Absinthe' by Tony-Paul de Vissage, second place in M/M horror from Paranormal Romance Guild's Reviewers Award, 'In Lieu of Surrender' by Bill Russell, second place in Historical 2014 from Paranormal Romance Guild's Reviewer's Choice, 'Tuesday's Child' by Icy Snow Blackstone, first place in Contemporary Romance from Paranormal Romance Guild's Reviewers Choice. Class Act Books went under new ownership in 2012 and in the past two years has gathered many talented authors under its logo. Publishing in genres from Romance to Horror, its writers and their novels are listed on amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. Besides having authors honored in the above contests, one of their cover artists was voted one of the ten outstanding artists of 2014.

Last night, Thursday October 1, Samuel French, the world's largest publisher and licensor of stage plays and musicals, in collaboration with HowlRound, presented Sing and Tell: A Benefit Concert for the Dramatists Guild Fund at Feinstein's/54 Below.