Carol Channing News

Theatre World Awards for Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut performances during the 2008-2009 theatrical season will be presented by former Theatre World Award winners, including: Craig Bierko (The Music Man, 2000), Daniel Breaker(Passing Strange, 2008), Kristin Chenoweth (Steel Pier, 1997), Tovah Feldshuh (Yentl, 1976),Susan Kellermann (Last Licks, 1980), Loretta Ables Sayre (South Pacific, 2008), and John Tartaglia (Avenue Q, 2004).

La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts and McCoy Rigby Entertainment are thrilled to present the fifth and final production of La Mirada Theatre?s 2008-2009 season of shows, the West Coast Premiere of a new and completely revised production of RING OF FIRE, created by Tony Award-winner Richard Maltby, Jr., conceived by William Meade, orchestrations by Steven Bishop and Jeff Lisenby, choreography by Jane Lanier and directed by and starring one of the original cast members from the Broadway production, Jason Edwards.

Theatre World Awards for Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut performances during the 2008-2009 theatrical season will be presented by former Theatre World Award winners, including: Craig Bierko (The Music Man, 2000), Daniel Breaker(Passing Strange, 2008), Kristin Chenoweth (Steel Pier, 1997), Tovah Feldshuh (Yentl, 1976),Susan Kellermann (Last Licks, 1980), Loretta Ables Sayre (South Pacific, 2008), and John Tartaglia (Avenue Q, 2004).

Highly acclaimed Broadway veteran Jason Graae will perform his newest cabaret ?Magically Delicious: A Cabaret? at the Magic Castle?s Cabaret at the Castle. Jason Graae has starred on and off-Broadway in 'A Grand Night For Singing,' 'Falsettos,' 'Stardust,' 'Snoopy!,' 'Do Black Patent Leather Shows Really Reflect Up?,' 'Forever Plaid,' 'Olympus on My Mind,' 'All in the Timing,' 'Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh,' and many more. In Los Angeles, he just won his second L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award - the 2008 Joel Hirschorn Award for Oustanding Achievement in Musical Theatre and won an Ovation Award for 'Forbidden Broadway Y2KLA!' Jason also originated the role of 'Houdini' in the L.A. production of 'Ragtime' at the Shubert Theatre. Hosting such greats as Richard M. Sherman and the legendary Carol Channing, Cabaret at the Castle?s producer Matt Patton brings the art of cabaret to Southern California in an intimate and elegant environment.

Variety reports the sad news that legendary PR executive Lee Solters died Monday in Los Angeles. He was 89.

Hillbarn Theatre, the Peninsula's premier community theater, who, in recent years, has been redefining community theater's excellence, will be forced to greatly curtail its 2009-2010 season unless $150,000 in funding is raised by May 31, 2009 it was announced today by the Hillbarn Theatre Board of Directors.

La Mirada Theatre For the Performing Arts and McCoy Rigby Entertainment are thrilled to present the fifth and final production of La Mirada Theatre?s 2008-2009 season of shows, the West Coast Premiere of a new and completely revised production of Ring of Fire, created by Tony Award-winner Richard Maltby, Jr., conceived by William Meade, orchestrations by Steven Bishop and Jeff Lisenby, choreography by Jane Lanier and directed by and starring one of the original cast members from the Broadway production, Jason Edwards. Ring of Fire will begin performances on Friday, June 5 and will run through Sunday, June 21 at La Mirada Theatre For the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Boulevard in La Mirada, near the intersection of Rosecrans Avenue.

With more that 4,000 in attendance, Carol Channing was honored for her unstinting support of the arts in education at the PTA Convention on May 2nd, 2009. The Children's Arts Advocate Award 2009 - the state PTA's first such award - was presented to the First Lady of Musical Theatre during an appearance at the organization's 110th annual convention. She and her husband, Harry Kullijian spoke to a crowd of thousands of PTA members and delegates, representing the organization's nearly 1 million volunteer members in the state of California

A new musical comedy revue, 'DON'T LEAVE IT ALL TO YOUR CHILDREN!', written and directed by SAUL ILSON and starring BARBARA MINKUS ('Picon Pie'), MARCIA RODD ('The Last of the Red Hot Lovers'), STEVE ROSSI (of Allen & Rossi) and RONNIE SCHELL (Gomer Pyle), will make its New York debut on Wednesday, May 6th at off-Broadway's Actors Temple Theatre, 339 West 47th Street, NYC. Musical numbers will be staged by Rudy Tronto.

The new Baby Boomer musical comedy revue, 'DON'T LEAVE IT ALL TO YOUR CHILDREN!', written and directed by SAUL ILSON will begin previews on Wednesday, May 6th at 3 PM at off-Broadway's Actors Temple Theatre, 339 West 47th Street. The revue stars stars BARBARA MINKUS ('Picon Pie'), MARCIA RODD ('The Last of the Red Hot Lovers'), STEVE ROSSI (of Allen & Rossi) and RONNIE SCHELL (Gomer Pyle). Musical numbers will be staged by Rudy Tronto.

Musical Theatre West is thrilled to present Forbidden Broadway Greatest Hits Volume I, Previews May 1st, opens May 2nd and runs through May 17th, 2009 at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach.

Auditions for Casa Mañana's production of Little Shop of Horrors will be held Friday, April 24 beginning at 3:00 p.m. in the Rehearsal Studio at Casa Mañana Theatre. The engagement of Little Shop of Horrors is produced by Casa Mañana at the Bass Performance Hall for one-week-only, July 7 - 12, 2009.

Ken Kleiber of 'That's Kentertainment!' will be welcoming Patricia Resnick (bookwriter of '9 to 5 The Musical') as a guest on 'The Kentertainment Report' segment of the 'Frank DeCaro Show' Thursday April 23rd at Noon on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio, Channel 109. Resnick, also the co-screenwriter of the film '9 to 5', will discuss the upcoming Broadway opening of '9 to 5' The Musical plus other projects inlcuding a Nick, Jr. series she recently wrote and Executive-Produced, plus a new memoir she is currently penning. And, as a happy coincidence, Ms. Resnick wrote the Dolly Parton/James Woods vehicle 'Straight Talk', a film which happens to contain the first on-screen appearance of Ken Kleiber! Tune in to Sirius/XM 109 Thursday Arpil 23rd at Noon.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU), Audience Extras and Back Stage will host the industry panel Cabaret: Economical Launching Pad for New Work? on Wednesday, April 22 at 7:30pm at The Players Theatre, 115 MacDougal Street (below W. 3rd Street), NYC.

Auditions for Casa Mañana's production of Little Shop of Horrors will be held Friday, April 24 beginning at 3:00 p.m. in the Rehearsal Studio at Casa Mañana Theatre. The engagement of Little Shop of Horrors is produced by Casa Mañana at the Bass Performance Hall for one-week-only, July 7 - 12, 2009.

A new musical comedy revue, 'DON'T LEAVE IT ALL TO YOUR CHILDREN!', written and directed by SAUL ILSON and starring BARBARA MINKUS ('Picon Pie'), MARCIA RODD ('The Last of the Red Hot Lovers'), STEVE ROSSI (of Allen & Rossi) and RONNIE SCHELL (Gomer Pyle), will make its New York debut on Wednesday, May 6th at off-Broadway's Actors Temple Theatre, 339 West 47th Street, NYC. Musical numbers will be staged by Rudy Tronto.

Musical Theatre West is thrilled to present Forbidden Broadway Greatest Hits Volume I, Previews May 1st, opens May 2nd and runs through May 17th, 2009 at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach.

The Associated Press reports that President Barack Obama's gift of an iPod to Queen Elizabeth II came packed with 40 songs from popular Broadway productions, including 'The King and I,' 'West Side Story', 'Dreamgirls' and 'The Phantom of the Opera'.

EXIT Theatre, San Francisco's downtown indie home for new and alternative performance, announces its 2009 DIVAfest, featuring the work of established and emerging women writers, directors, and performers. The 8th Annual DIVAfest runs at the EXIT Theatreplex, 156 Eddy Street, in downtown San Francisco, Thursdays through Saturdays, April 2nd through 25th. Featured at this year's DIVAfest is a fully staged production of An Affair of Honor, the latest play by Lee Kiszonas, directed by Kathryn Wood.

As one of the nation's senior regional arts awards, the Carbonell Awards has seen a lot of changes since its debut in 1976 with ceremonies that featured stars such as Carol Channing, Chita Rivera, Burt Reynolds, Robert Goulet and Florence Henderson, presented in hotel ballrooms, night clubs, regional theaters and performing arts centers.