Bob Kelly News

Requiem has music and lyrics by Robbie Torres and a book by Alex Rubin. The new musical follows Michael who returns home for the first time in years to face the ghosts of his past, uncovering family secrets and unfinished business.  The presentation features Seth Rettberg (Avenue Q), Sean Doherty (The Lightning Thief), Sam Heldt, Jessica Hendy, and Ariella Serur

Just in time for Halloween, Prospect Theater Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director Cara Reichel and Managing Director Melissa Huber, presents STAGE FRIGHT, a collection of macabre mini-musicals, the culminating production of Prospect's 2015 Annual Music Theater Lab, from October 25-31 at the West End Theatre at the Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew (263 West 86th Street).

The Playwrights Realm has selected four early-career playwrights for its 2015-16 Writing Fellows program: Sam Chanse, Lauren Feldman, Jonathan Payne, and David Zax.

Los Angeles continues to be a hotbed of new musicals. After a dizzying number of new musicals appeared in the recent Hollywood Fringe Festival, soon the 18th annual Stages Musical Theatre Festival will be returning to Los Angeles this August. This prestigious festival features new musicals, which have been developed across the country, presented in concert readings. This year's festival features six musicals, presented in two venues over two weekends: This weekend, August 21-23 at New Musicals Inc., 5628 Vineland in North Hollywood and August 28-30 at 3D Theatricals, 1255 N. Knollwood Circle in Anaheim, CA 92801.

Los Angeles continues to be a hotbed of new musicals. After a dizzying number of new musicals appeared in the recent Hollywood Fringe Festival, soon the 18th annual Stages Musical Theatre Festival will be returning to Los Angeles this August. This prestigious festival features new musicals, which have been developed across the country, presented in concert readings. This year's festival features six musicals, presented in two venues over two weekends: August 21-23 at New Musicals Inc., 5628 Vineland in North Hollywood and August 28-30 at 3D Theatricals, 1255 N. Knollwood Circle in Anaheim, CA 92801

Once came home to Dublin's Grafton Street when the cast from Once the Musical surprised the crowd with a performance of some of the best-loved songs from the smash-hit, award-winning show including the Oscar-winning 'Falling Slowly.' Check out the performance below!

54 Below, Broadway's Supper Club, presents Bergen County's Michael & Brian Hajjar in 'Hajjar Hooligans' on May 23rd 2015 at 11:30 pm.

54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents Michael & Brian Hajjar in 'Hajjar Hooligans' on May 23rd 2015 at 11:30 pm. While studying musical theatre at NYU Steinhardt, identical twins Michael and Brian Hajjar have performed in main stage collegiate productions, off-Broadway, in a cappella groups, and more. Join them as they celebrate the end of their collegiate musical theatre adventure and the beginning of an unforgettable night full of music and laughter at 54 Below!

54 Below, Broadway's Supper Club, presents Bergen County's Michael & Brian Hajjar in 'Hajjar Hooligans' on May 23rd 2015 at 11:30 pm.

54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents Michael & Brian Hajjar in 'Hajjar Hooligans' on May 23rd 2015 at 11:30 pm. While studying musical theatre at NYU Steinhardt, identical twins Michael and Brian Hajjar have performed in main stage collegiate productions, off-Broadway, in a cappella groups, and more. Join them as they celebrate the end of their collegiate musical theatre adventure and the beginning of an unforgettable night full of music and laughter at 54 Below!

4@15: Four New Fifteen-Minute Musicals, performed in conjunction with University of California, Irvine, will commence performances today, April 17 and Saturday, April 18, for three performances only at the Playroom Theater featuring new works by By Sujin Kim and Daphny Maman, David Christensen and Michael Shapiro, Ryan Korell and Jonathan Keebler, and Minjoung Hwang and Brandon Michael Lowden. Tammy Holder serves as Music Director; Brian Blythe directs.

4@15: Four New Fifteen-Minute Musicals, performed in conjunction with University of California, Irvine, will commence performances Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18, for three performances only at the Playroom Theater featuring new works by By Sujin Kim and Daphny Maman, David Christensen and Michael Shapiro, Ryan Korell and Jonathan Keebler, and Minjoung Hwang and Brandon Michael Lowden. Tammy Holder serves as Music Director; Brian Blythe directs.

The YALE INSTITUTE FOR MUSIC THEATRE (Mark Brokaw, Artistic Director) has selected two original book musicals to be developed in an intensive lab setting in New Haven, June 13-28: gilgamesh & the mosquito, music by Bob Kelly and book and lyrics by Sam Chanse; and Horizons, music by Ben Wexler and book and lyrics by Mark Sonnenblick. The Institute culminates with open rehearsal readings of each project, presented as a part of the International Festival of Arts & Ideas, on June 26 and 27.

The new kids on the musical theatre block are here! Five really promising (and really young - under the age of 26!) have just won New Musical Inc.'s 2015 New Voices Project.

It has conquered Broadway and the West End, and now Once will head home to Dublin, Ireland, opening at the Olympia Theatre on July 14, 2015. 'I'm absolutely delighted that Once is coming to Dublin and will play for the summer at the Olympia Theatre. This sweet little love story, so beautifully dreamt in film by John Carney, has travelled a long way on theatre stages around the world - and is finally returning home,' said creator Enda Walsh.

In itself, there is no plausible reason why this story line should warrant a Broadway musical. However, at the hands of the multi- talented Terrence McNally (book); Marc Shaiman (music); Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman (lyrics) well, this venture does indeed “Fly, Fly Away.”

Theatre Now New York presented the 2nd Annual Sound Bites 10 Minute Musical Theatre Festival on December 8th 2014 at the 47th Street Theatre. An after-party, sponsored by Music Theatre International, was held after at Hurley's Saloon where awards were given and merriment was had.

Over 80 writers, directors, actors and musicians will present 10 unique musical shorts at SOUND BITES: a one-night-only off-Broadway event. Behind the Bites introduces the creators of the musicals featured at SOUND BITES with sneak peeks from the rehearsal process. Below, check out a preview of one of the featured musicals, GILGAMESH & THE MOSQUITO.

Theatre Now New York has announced the ten musicals that will be featured in the 2nd Annual SOUND BITES 10-Minute Musical Theatre Festival to be performed on December 8, 2014 at 7:00PM at the 47th Street Theatre in Manhattan. Tickets go on sale to the public October 27 at www.tnny.com and 855-254-SHOW [7469] and start at just $25.

The fourth annual Broadway Sings for PKD, a concert benefiting the Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation, will be offered Friday, August 15th at 9:30 pm at Joe's Pub.