Bob Avian News

The new production of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony® Award-winning musical A CHORUS LINE comes to the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center for a limited one-week engagement November 9 through 14. Tickets for A Chorus Line start at $43 and go on sale Friday, September 24, 2010 at 10:00 a.m

NETworks Presentations, LLC has announced casting for the new national tour of the critically acclaimed production of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning musical A CHORUS LINE. The tour begins October 1-3 at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut before visiting over 75 markets across the country. A full tour route is included below.

Following in the fierce and fabulous footsteps of Ruthie Henshall's candid InDepth InterView with me this week, we are taking a look at some of her best work that has been preserved on DVD. From LES MISERABLES and "I Dreamed A Dream" to some Sondheim ala "Unworthy of Your Love" in a duet with John Barrowman from ASSASSINS via PUTTING IT TOGETHER, to some razzle dazzle from CHICAGO, to performing alongside Bernadette Peters at HEY! MR. PRODUCER in a song from GYPSY; Ruthie Henshall is in a class of her own and can light up any stage or screen, big or small. Watch and see - and watch her steps!

Recently, I had the privilege of conducting an InDepth InterView with British belting triple-threat diva Ruthie Henshall, currently lighting up Broadway as Roxie in CHICAGO. She previously has played Velma both in the original London revival cast as well as on Broadway opposite Sandy Duncan in a highly-praised run nearly ten years ago. In this revealing discussion, we discuss her experiences working on CHICAGO on Broadway and in the West End, playing ensemble roles in the original productions of CHILDREN OF EDEN and MISS SAIGON, working with Bob Avian, Matthew Bourne, Carol Burnett, Kelsey Grammer and John Barrowman, as well as what roles on Broadway she wants to do next (clue: 'I Miss The Mountains') and her upcoming concerts in Australia and appearances at Feinstein's next year! Broadway has welcomed Ruthie back with open hearts and open arms - and why not? In her own words, she is the 'real deal!'

Yesterday, I had the exceptional privilege of conducting an InDepth InterView with legendary Oscar-winning Hollywood and Broadway legend Julie Andrews, star of films like MARY POPPINS, THE SOUND OF MUSIC; original TV musicals like Rodgers & Hammerstein's CINDERELLA; and stage shows like the original productions of MY FAIR LADY, CAMELOT and VICTOR/VICTORIA. In our exclusive conversation we discussed everything from her favorite cast albums and theatre scores to working with Robert Wise on THE SOUND OF MUSIC and STAR! to ENCHANTED, THE PRINCESS DIARIES, SHREK and this summer's smash-hit Pharrell Williams/Neptunes-composed animated musical DESPICABLE ME. We also discuss plans for a US tour and the resounding success of her children's book series - even after all these years she still was at the top of the book charts and featured in the top movie of the week last week! Additionally, We also discuss her opinions on co-stars Russell Brand and Steve Carell, rock music in the theatre, GLEE, the Obamas, Sondheim, the Tony Awards and much more. Here is much more than a mere spoonful of the endless vat of sweetness - as well as generosity, beauty, elegance and class - that defines Ms. Julie Andrews.

Experience this unforgettable story of love and loss when Pittsburgh CLO presents the epic musical Miss Saigon, June 8- 20 at the Benedum Center in the heart of Pittsburgh's Cultural District. One of the most stunning Broadway productions of all time, Miss Saigon is a raw and uncompromising tale that has captivated audiences around the world.

Today, I am sharing with you Part I of my exclusive InDepth InterView with legendary Broadway star Donna McKechnie who is perhaps best known as the genius director- choreographer Michael Bennett's muse and primary interpreter as well as the originator and inspiration for the character of Cassie in A CHORUS LINE - for which she won Best Actress In A Musical at the 1976 Tony Awards - in addition to her many roles on Broadway and the West End, as well as all over the country on tours of every kind over the years. In Part I of this comprehensive chat we discuss her earliest featured roles on Broadway, working on the groundbreaking COMPANY and her thoughts on collaborators Bennett, Sondheim and Hal Prince; as well as her thoughts on the current state of Broadway, the out-of-town experience in the Golden Age and creating Cassie in A CHORUS LINE. Plus, of course, we discuss her fantastic new show and much, much more!

The new production of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical A CHORUS LINE will return to Los Angeles at the Pantages Theatre for a strictly-limited two week engagement, June 1-13, 2010.

Experience this unforgettable story of love and loss when Pittsburgh CLO presents the epic musical Miss Saigon, June 8- 20 at the Benedum Center in the heart of Pittsburgh's Cultural District. One of the most stunning Broadway productions of all time, Miss Saigon is a raw and uncompromising tale that has captivated audiences around the world.

This week, we are highlighting the unparalleled career of legendary director/choreographer Michael Bennett with a newly unearthed clip of the original Broadway cast of A JOYFUL NOISE performing Bennett's choreography on the Ed Sullivan Show, as well as a near-three-hour interview with his associates that was recorded last week as part of a benefit for Dancers Over 40 also titled A JOYFUL NOISE. There's certainly a lot to love and embrace here in this crash-course in Bennett for the uninitiated among us.

The behind-the-scenes, utterly competitive process of being cast in a show is the subject of A CHORUS LINE, one of Broadway's biggest commercial musical hits ever. The current national tour, based on the successful 2006 Broadway revival, is now playing for a strictly two-week limited return engagement at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood thru June 13. Even after more than 30 years, this endearingly funny, emotionally-charged, highly-entertaining musical masterpiece still holds such an amazing presence on stage, a feat replicated well by this winning tour production.

When A Chorus Line premiered at Joe Papp's Public Theater in 1975, its bold form changed the face of the American musical. I wonder if James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante (book), Ed Kleban (lyrics) and Marvin Hamlisch (music) really knew the impact that their soon-to-be Pulitzer Prize winning drama would hold for future generations as it moved from Joe Papp's Public Theater to Broadway? It promised to be be a singularly sensational success all over the globe for decades. And - in 2010 - it still remains one of the most thrilling musicals ever.

The new production of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical A CHORUS LINE will return to Los Angeles at the Pantages Theatre for a strictly-limited two week engagement, June 1-13, 2010.

Experience this unforgettable story of love and loss when Pittsburgh CLO presents the epic musical Miss Saigon, June 8- 20 at the Benedum Center in the heart of Pittsburgh's Cultural District. One of the most stunning Broadway productions of all time, Miss Saigon is a raw and uncompromising tale that has captivated audiences around the world.

California Musical Theatre presents A CHORUS LINE as the sixth and final show in the 2009-10 Broadway Sacramento season at the Community Center Theater. The national tour of the new production of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical A Chorus Line stops in Sacramento May 19-30. Broadway Sacramento is sponsored by Wells Fargo.

Dancers Over 40 continues its fascinating series of tributes to Broadway dance greats with Michael Bennett: A Joyful Noise, featuring an impressive roster of Broadway veterans who worked with the great choreographer/director, Monday May 17th at 8 PM, St. Luke's Theater.

Dancers Over 40 continues its fascinating series of tributes to Broadway dance greats with Michael Bennett: A Joyful Noise, featuring an impressive roster of Broadway veterans who worked with the great choreographer/director, Monday May 17th at 8 PM, St. Luke's Theater.

The new production of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical A CHORUS LINE comes to the Bass Concert Hall in Austin for a limited one-week engagement May 11-16, 2010. Tickets are on sale now.

A Chorus Line - Presented by the Napa Valley Opera House, featuring an all-student cast from Napa Valley and beyond.

A Chorus Line - Presented by the Napa Valley Opera House, featuring an all-student cast from Napa Valley and beyond.