Carol Rosegg News

GREED: A Musical for Our Times will run off-Broadway at New World Stages, beginning previews tonight, March 19, 2014.

The Broadway community mourns the loss of composer, director, and producer Mitch Leigh, who passed away on Sunday at age 86. The marquees of Broadway theatres in New York will be dimmed in his memory on Wednesday night, March 19th, at exactly 7:45pm for one minute.

The company of the current Man Of La Mancha National Tour, which opens in Elmira NY tomorrow, Tuesday, March 18, mourns the loss of its beloved composer and spiritual leader, Mitch Leigh, who passed away over the weekend.

Mitch Leigh passed away today at age 86. Leigh was born in 1928 in Brooklyn, NY. He came from a humble background with little theatre experience. However, while in his early 30s, Leigh received his big break- he was asked to compose the score for Man of La Mancha.

GREED: A Musical for Our Times will run off-Broadway at New World Stages, beginning previews on March 19, 2014.

The gloves are off! One of the most highly anticipated new shows of the season, Gerard Alessandrini's FORBIDDEN BROADWAY COMES OUT SWINGING! begins previews Monday, March 17th at the newly refurbished Davenport Theatre (354 West 45th Street - between 8th and 9th Avenue). The show is set to open on Sunday, May 4th. This up-to-the-minute new edition will include Alessandrini's takes on Kinky Boots, Matilda, Rocky, Cabaret, The Bridges of Madison County, Aladdin, Pippin, the turntable-less Les Miz, Motown, The Sound of Music Live! and Bullets Over Broadway, among others. Check out photos of the cast in action below!

Catherine Trieschmann is back in New York at Women's Project Theater with a tart, satirical skewing of small town cultural wars entitled The Most Deserving. This New York premiere by the acclaimed playwright of crooked and How The World Began (also produced by Women's Project Theater) who is a resident of a small town in western Kansas is directed by Shelley Butler and begins previews Sunday, March 30, at 2:30pm for an opening Tuesday, April 8, at 7:30pm (runs through May 4) at New York City Center Stage II, 131 West 55th Street. Rehearsals begin today, Friday, March 7.

50 Shades! The Musical - The Original Parody at The Elektra Theatre (300 W. 43rd Street) is now in previews ahead of an opening night in March 12. Directed by Al Samuels and Rob Lindley, 50 Shades! The Musical - The Original Parody is produced by Royal Mile Entertainment, Andrew Asnes, Rob Kolson, and 50 Shades Tour LLC. Check out a first look at the cast in action below!

Jim Brochu's new solo piece will warm the heart of anyone who has ever looked out from an audience with awe and wonder.

If you do believe in spooks, to paraphrase the character actor Burt Lahr as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz, then you'd probably gather that the spirits of our dear departed greats of Broadway are likely denizens of the theaters where they achieved their greatest successes, perhaps at the Neil Simon Theatre (formerly The Alvin), for example. But if the late, great character actors of 20th century musical theater are haunting any house these days it is most definitely the intimate and quaint theater space at Urban Stages on West 30th Street. This is where veteran actor/singer Jim Brochu has just started his run (until March 30) as a magical musical medium in a nightly one-man-show-as-seance that conjures these performing poltergeists, who are assuredly more Beetlejuice than Jacob Marley.

Urban Stages Founding Artistic Director Frances Hill and producer Peter Napolitano present the World Premiere of Character Man as part of its 30th Anniversary season. Jim Brochu's new musical memoir opens Off-Broadway at Urban Stages Theatre (259 West 30th Street) Wednesday March 5th. This limited run, in previews now, will continue through March 30th only. Robert Bartley directs, with musical direction by Carl Haan. Character Man will have scenic & video design by Patrick Brennan, lighting design by Meghan Santelli and sound design by Sean Hagerty.

The inaugural KIDS' NIGHT ON BROADWAY GOOGLE + HANGOUTS ON AIR will give kids the opportunity to go behind the scenes of their favorite Broadway shows via live, interactive video chats. Today's chat is with Carly Rae Jepsen and Fran Drescher from Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella.

The Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning Keen Company's revival of Middle Of The Night by Academy Award winner Paddy Chayefsky, starring Tony and Drama Desk Nominee Jonathan Hadary (Gypsy, Awake & Sing, Gemini, As Is) along with Todd Bartels (Bingo With the Indians, Church), Amelia Campbell (Our Country's Good [Tony nomination], A Streetcar Named Desire, Waiting in the Wings, The Herbal Bed), Alyssa May Gold (Arcadia, Keen's Lemon Sky), Nicole Lowrance (Peter and the Starcatchers, Dividing the Estate), Denise Lute (Harry Outside, Bug), and Melissa Miller (Merchant Of Venice with F. Murray Abraham, Keen's I Never Sang for My Father), directed by Keen Artistic Director Jonathan Silverstein, opening tonight, February 27th. This limited engagement runs through March 29th. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Seymour 'Red' Press, Music Coordinator of our highly anticipated musical Violet turns 90 years old today! To celebrate, we have put together a photo gallery to honor some of his amazing achievements as a Music Coordinator working on some of the most successful productions at Roundabout Theatre Company.

Uncensored. Really. The Jim Henson Company's puppets are unleashed for an evening of outrageous, funny performance with a devilish and most decidedly adult (a.k.a. Rated-R) edge. The motley crew of 'Miskreant Puppets' go rogue with songs and sketches performed by six expert Henson Alternative puppeteers at The Eccles Center on Sunday, March 9. Puppet Up! - Uncensored wreaks improvisational havoc, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Note: The hilarious anarchy is recommended for adults only.

Actors Orlando Bloom, Robert Sean Leonard, Joe Morton, and Condola Rashad will perform at Walt Disney Concert Hall in the LA Phil's Shakespeare-themed TchaikovskyFest concert led by Music Director Gustavo Dudamel with the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, tonight, February 26 at 8 p.m.

After a 10-month hiatus, Gerard Alessandrini's FORBIDDEN BROADWAY, one of NYC's best-loved and highly anticipated productions, happily returns to New York, beginning tonight, February 22nd at 8PM at the newly refurbished Davenport Theatre (354 W. 45th Street, Between 8th and 9th Avenues) with FORBIDDEN BROADWAY; Alive and STILL Kicking, featuring brand new takes on the shows that opened in Forbidden Broadway's absence: Pippin, Kinky Boots, Matilda and Motown along with highlights from last season's acclaimed and very popular edition: Once, Evita, Newsies, Book of Mormon, among others. Over the course of the spring, Alessandrini will continue to add new material to reflect the season's openings, and unveil the new edition around the time of the Tony Awards.

The York Theatre Company will welcome cast members of the original Off-Broadway production of the critically acclaimed musical, Yank!, with book & lyrics by David Zellnik and music by Joe Zellnik, to celebrate the official release of the cast recording on Monday evening, February 24 from 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. at The York Theatre Company's home at Saint Peter's (entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue). The celebration will be held on stage at The York Theatre, where Yank! received its world premiere and played a sold-out engagement in Spring 2010.

After a 10-month hiatus, Gerard Alessandrini's FORBIDDEN BROADWAY, one of NYC's best-loved and highly anticipated productions, happily returns to New York, beginning February 22nd at 8PM at the newly refurbished Davenport Theatre (354 W. 45th Street, Between 8th and 9th Avenues) with FORBIDDEN BROADWAY; Alive and STILL Kicking, featuring brand new takes on the shows that opened in Forbidden Broadway's absence: Pippin, Kinky Boots, Matilda and Motown along with highlights from last season's acclaimed and very popular edition: Once, Evita, Newsies, Book of Mormon, among others. Over the course of the spring, Alessandrini will continue to add new material to reflect the season's openings, and unveil the new edition around the time of the Tony Awards.

Broadway veteran Robert Cuccioli plays the title role in Thomas F. Flynn's wrenching play about his experience as 9/11 observer and survivor.