Carol Channing News

After a three-year absence, Gerard Alessandrini's Forbidden Broadway returns to the 47th Street Theatre with a brand new edition, Forbidden Broadway: ALIVE AND KICKING. The show, which opens Thursday, September 6, will run for a limited engagement through January 6, 2013. Previews begin on July 24th. BroadwayWorld has learned that Jenny Lee Stern, Natalie Charle Ellis, Scott Richard Foster and Marcus Stevens will all star in the show.

As previously reported by BroadwayWorld, the Encores! cast of GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES went into the recording studio last month to put a cast record together. As per Megan Hilty's official website, the recording is set to be released September 4, and is now available to preorder on Amazon.com.

After a three-year absence, Gerard Alessandrini's FORBIDDEN BROADWAY returns to the 47th Street Theatre with a brand new edition, FORBIDDEN BROADWAY: ALIVE AND KICKING. The show, which opens Thursday, September 6, will run for a limited engagement through January 6, 2013. Previews begin on July 24th. This production will mark FORBIDDEN BROADWAY's 30th Anniversary, as well as its 21st edition.

Penumbra Theatre Company, Minnesota's only African American theatre, proudly announced today the fourth annual Word(s)PLAY!, a forum designed to develop new plays by African American playwrights. Word(s)PLAY! will introduce two plays to the Twin Cities tonight, June 16 & July 28, 2012 at 7:30 PM.

ReVision Theatre has announced the lineup for their 2012 Fifth Anniversary Summer Season, including two main-stage productions at ReVision's new venue, The Theatre at St. George. Their three-production season kicks off on Friday, July 6th at the Paramount Theatre at 8 p.m. with their Fifth Anniversary Retrospective Concert/Fundraiser, followed by Pippin, and for the first time in ReVision's Asbury Park history, a drama, Red, both at The Theatre at St. George.

According to the police report filed by LAPD officers Martinez and Waymire (Division 10A39), on June 2, 2012, the studio of Grammy and Emmy winning composer, Charles Fox, was burglarized between the hours of 8:00pm and 10:00pm.

The Drama Desk Award-winning Celebrity Autobiography returns with its new edition Celebrity Autobiography: The Next Chapter, Monday, June 25 at 7pm. Celebrity Autobiography: The Next Chapter performs at the Triad Theater, 158 West 72 Street. The cast is scheduled to include Tony Danza, Rachel Dratch, Marsha Mason, Eugene Pack, Dayle Reyfel, Sherri Shepherd, Michael Urie, and Alan Zweibel.

The Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza celebrates its 19th season with over 300 performances slated to perform in the Plaza's two theatres: The Fred Kavli Theatre for the Performing Arts and the Janet and Ray Scherr Forum Theatre.

This year the "Julie Harris Award for Lifetime Achievement" was presented to Jason Alexander, "A man worthy of the tribute for both his illustrious career and for his support of The Fund over the years," said The Fund's President and CEO, Joe Benincasa. See below for photos from the event!

Showtime announces its 2012 Summer programming overview. Among the many series and documentaries will be CAROL CHANNING: LARGER THAN LIFE premiering Monday, July 16th at 6:30 PM (ET/PT).

Showtime has just released its 2012 Summer Programming Overview, including original series Weeds, Episodes, Web Therapy, The Franchise, The Real L Word, comedy specials, documentary specials, and more. See full details below.

Broadway Sings for Pride's Second Annual Gay Pride Concert will feature rousing songs from Broadway and pop hits, as well as feature stories of LGBT pride as told by celebrities, activists and the TADA! Youth Theater. The event will be held at the Mainstage Theatre on 42nd Street in New York City on Monday, June 25, 2012 at 7pm. The concert will benefit the Hetrick-Martin Institute, The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center of New York City and Broadway Sings for Pride.

Penumbra Theatre Company, Minnesota's only African American theatre, proudly announced today the fourth annual Word(s)PLAY!, a forum designed to develop new plays by African American playwrights. Word(s)PLAY! will introduce two plays to the Twin Cities June 16 & July 28, 2012 at 7:30 PM.

Dispelling the recent rumors of a bedridden and or even hospitalized legend, Broadway's original Lorelei Lee, Miss Carol Channing, was on hand in the 110+ Palm Springs heat to pay tribute to the woman who brought Lorelei Lee of "Gentleman Prefer Blondes" to the silver screen - Miss Marilyn Monroe.

ReVision Theatre welcomes Richard Skipper back to Asbury Park for our May Cabaret at Chico's House of Jazz tonight, May 31st at 7:30 PM. Accompanying Richard will be musical director Rich Siegel.

Masterworks Broadway will release the Encores! cast recording of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The album will be recorded in New York City this week, and will feature "A Little Girl From Little Rock," "Bye Bye Baby," and of course, the classic made famous by Marilyn Monroe, "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend."

The story of legendary performer Carol Channing's life is as colorful as the lipstick on her big, bright smile. In CAROL CHANNING: LARGER THAN LIFE,released on DVD today May 22, director Dori Berinstein, a three-time Tony Award®-winning Broadway Producer (ShowBusiness, Gotta Dance), along with co-writer Adam Zucker, capture the magic and vivacity of the 90-year-old icon - both onstage and off... past and present. Called "terrific", "charming and seductive", "totally captivating and surprising" and "an endless storehouse of salty showbiz anecdotes", this triumphant and acclaimed 2012 theatrically released film, an Official Selection at the Tribeca Film Festival and Hot Docs - will make its DVD debut this May… only from Entertainment One.

Looking for a quick roundup of this week's events in the theatre world? Look no further - here are some of the best articles the week had to offer!

It's time for episode five of BWW's newest exclusive TV series - CHEWING THE SCENERY WITH Randy Rainbow! In this hilarious new edition, Randy presents his own version of Harvey, starring Harvey Fierstein, chats with Carol Channing about the SMASH season finale, and lip-syncs Patti LuPone's autobiography.

Theater actor, writer, and director Gerard Alessandrini's brainchild, the 30-year-old Off-Broadway hit parody series FORBIDDEN BROADWAY, finally premiered at Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza in Makati City last weekend. Joel Trinidad, Upstart Productions' president and the show's director, had picked FORBIDDEN BROADWAY'S GREATEST HITS, which has two volumes to date, and features some of the more popular spoofs of Broadway musicals and theater legends culled from more than a dozen FORBIDDEN BROADWAY editions.