Cat Brindisi News

National Alliance for Musical Theatre announces additional casting for the 29th Annual FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS, which takes place on Thursday, October 19 and Friday, October 20, 2017 at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues). The Festival kicks off on Wednesday, October 18 with its celebrated concert, The 46th Minute.

Erin Mackey (IN TRANSIT, WICKED) and Wade McCollum (ERNEST SHACKLETON LOVES ME) will lead a private reading of TILL SOON, ANNE, a new musical with book and lyrics by Christine Toy Johnson and music by Bobby Cronin on Friday, October 6.

The Guthrie Theater has announced casting for the theater's summer musical, Sunday in the Park with George. Leading the cast will be Randy Harrison (Guthrie: The Glass Menagerie) who will play French pointillist painter George Seurat, a role originated by Mandy Patinkin in the 1984 Broadway production, and Erin Mackey (Guthrie: South Pacific) who will play Seurat's lover and model, Dot, a role originated by Bernadette Peters.

Hennepin Theatre Trust announced that celebrated actors Melissa Gilbert and Timothy Busfield have joined the cast of the Minnesota premiere of THE 24 HOUR PLAYS® on Monday, March 13 at 8 p.m. at the historic Pantages Theatre (710 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis). This one-night-only event brings together the extraordinary talent of local and nationally-known artists to create six new theatrical plays within 24 hours.

Hennepin Theatre Trust announced today that celebrated actors MELISSA GILBERT and TIMOTHY BUSFIELD are joining the cast of the Minnesota premiere of THE 24 HOUR PLAYS® on Monday, March 13 at 8 p.m. at the historic Pantages Theatre (710 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis). This one-night-only event brings together the extraordinary talent of local and nationally-known artists to create six new theatrical plays within 24 hours.

In celebration of the historic Pantages Theatre's 100th anniversary, Hennepin Theatre Trust and the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) School of Fine Arts are partnering to support emerging musical theatre talent in Minnesota by presenting the premiere of THE 24 HOUR PLAYS.

There have been various responses to the new presidency and the current political climate, including Facebook groups, letter writing and calling campaigns, petitions, and a nation-wide women's march. But what do artists do in response to injustice? They make art. Last weekend 7th House Theater opened a short run of what they call a 'pop up production' of the 1959 play RHINOCEROS, written by Eugene Ionesco as a response to the rise in Fascism in pre-WWII Europe. As company member David Darrow explained before the show, their new original musicals take about a year to plan, write, create, and produce, which makes it challenging to stay current. But with this piece, 7th House is presenting 'a specific work at a specific time in history.' After just ten days of rehearsal, they very intentionally opened on the night of the inauguration, a work presented in what David called 'a mostly sort of way.' While the staging is minimal and actors have scripts in their hands, Rhinoceros is a work that is wholly entertaining, eerily relevant, and exactly what we need right now.

Musical theater is my favorite art form, and new original musicals are my favorite things in the world. I love seeing how music and theater can combine to tell a story in interesting forward-thinking ways. After re-imagining a couple of classic musicals (and one play), newish theater company 7th House Theater has turned to producing new original musicals. THE PASSAGE, OR WHAT COMES OF SEARCHING IN THE DARK, is the third such creation to be presented in the Guthrie Theater Studio. I've loved all of their work, but this one feels more personal and more modern and forward-thinking than what they've done before. THE PASSAGE feels like it's continuing along the trajectory of modern musicals like NEXT TO NORMAL and FUN HOME - an intimate family story told with a small cast and modern inventive staging. And the result is truly something special.

2016 is the fourth year of Broadway Reimagined, the partnership that combines the resources of Hennepin Theatre Trust with the innovation of Theater Latte Da to create a new interpretation of a familiar Broadway musical. This year's selection is a beloved classic of the American musical theater canon, the 1959 Jule Styne/Stephen Sondheim/Arthur Laurents creation GYPSY, based on the memoir of burlesque entertainer Gypsy Rose Lee. Theater Latte Da did this musical almost ten years ago in their old home The Loring Playhouse. Even though two actors reprise their roles, as do the director, music director, and choreographer, this is a different show in a bigger venue. And I'm convinced there is no better venue for this show in the Twin Cities than the beautifully restored Vaudeville theater that is the Pantages, where the historical characters in the play very likely performed nearly 100 years ago. There's a sense of history in this show which, along with Theater Latte Da's usual attention to detail in every aspect of the production, creates a beautiful, realistic, moving look into the world of show business and the quintessential stage mother/daughter relationship. As the song says, let Theater Latte Da entertain you, you will have a real good time, yes sir!

GYPSY, often lauded by critics as the greatest American musical, is the latest in the award-winning Broadway Re-Imagined series produced collaboratively by Hennepin Theatre Trust and Theater Latte Da.

Cat Brindisi has a familiar name but not just because of her parentage. You've seen her on many area stages and will soon see more from this busy actor who appears in the Guthrie's STAGE KISS. Learn more about her in 6 Questions & a Plug.

It's your last week to vote for the 2014 BroadwayWorld Minneapolis Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of December 26th. Voting closes at the end of the year, in under one week!

Friends, the future of Minnesota theater, and perhaps American theater, is here. It can currently be seen in the Guthrie Theater's 9th floor Dowling Studio, where a group of smart, talented, ambitious, dedicated, hard-working young music-theater artists have created a beautiful new original musical, based on the biblical story of Jonah. It's everything I want theater to be - fresh, innovative, delightful, heart-breaking, inspiring, genuine, and epic. This is 7th House Theater's fourth production in less than two years, and they continue to explore new ideas and push the boundaries of what theater can be. They've proven themselves with three low-budget but high-quality productions, and now have the resources of the Guthrie behind them to expand even further in this production. The result is beautiful and breath-taking. If 7th House is the future of theater, we're in good hands.

Time is ticking on your last chance to vote for the 2014 BroadwayWorld Minneapolis Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of December 19th. Voting closes at the end of the year!

The Guthrie Theater presents the 7th House Theater production of Jonah and the Whale: A New Musical, a reimagining of the familiar Old Testament tale, set to original bluegrass and folk music.

Voting has now opened for the 2014 BroadwayWorld Minneapolis Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of December 4th.

Voting has now opened for the 2014 BroadwayWorld Minneapolis Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of November 25th.

Michelle Barber may have played more than 60 roles in her Chanhassen Dinner Theatre career but this role may be the one she's meant to play. BWW Minneapolis got to know this local theatre legend a little better.