Chuck Cooper News

The 17th Annual Broadway Unplugged was held at the Merkin Concert Hall last night, October 13.

Kelli Barrett, star of such recent Broadway shows as Gettin' the Band Back Together and Dr. Zhivago, plus multi-award winning nightclub star Klea Blackhurst, have just been added to the all-star cast of this coming Saturday night's 17th Annual Broadway Unplugged at the Merkin Concert Hall. These two stars join a cast that already includes Tony Award winner Chuck, Cooper, 2X Drama Desk winner Lisa Howard, 4X Grammy Winner John Easterlin and more

Celebrated press agent and author, Susan L. Schulman, drops by the studio to sit and gab with me about the updated edition of her memoir BACKSTAGE PASS TO BROADWAY.

Full casting has been announced for Manhattan Theatre Club's Broadway premiere of Choir Boy, by Academy Award winner Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight, The Brother/Sister Plays) and directed by Drama Desk Award nominee Trip Cullman (Lobby Hero, Significant Other, Murder Ballad).

Having had the opportunity to meet Drama Desk Award Winning actor, Chesney Snow, during his run of IN TRANSIT and maintaining a connection to his artistry, have both been an absolute honor and pleasure. And at that time, Mr. Snow began the process of bringing his autobiographical choreopoem, UNWRITTEN LAW, to life at Dixon Place. Since then, Chesney has been performing, teaching, and writing all over the world.

It is official that the Broadway Theater Season has begun. Head Over Heels, Pretty Woman, and Getting The Band Back Together, are the musicals kicking off the summer. I recently had a chance to sit with Brandon Williams from Getting the Band Back Together. He makes his Broadway debut playing the show's Bad Boy. 

Atlantic Theater Company presents the world premiere production of This Ain't No Disco, a new musical from Stephen Trask (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) and Peter Yanowitz (The Wallflowers).

FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents 'CARDED by TheaterWorksUSA' on Tuesday, July 31st at 9:30pm. Back for its third year, CARDED brings you a concert celebrating the incredible talent that comes out of a TheaterWorksUSA van. They've traveled thousands of miles across North America, they've performed for over a million people, they've loaded their set in and out of theatres,  and now, they're singing their faces off at Feinstein's/54 Below. Join us for a night of showtunes, standards, and more!

The Rally Cat, a new, energized performing arts company based in New York City, launches its inaugural season on July 21st with a concert of new music by award-winning composer Aferdian Stephens at the National Opera Center at 1:30 PM.

Ghostlight Records celebrated the release of PRINCE OF BROADWAY Original Broadway Cast Recording with an exclusive in-store event at Barnes & Noble on Friday, June 1. PRINCE OF BROADWAY is a musical celebration highlighting the extraordinary six-decade career of director and producer Hal Prince. Mr. Prince appeared at the event in conversation with three-time Tony winner Jason Robert Brown, who co-produced the album and provided new songs, arrangements, orchestration and music supervision for the show. In addition to a CD signing, members of the original cast performed musical highlights.

Actresses, Liz Mikel (Lysistrata Jones) and Kiersey Clemons (Hearts Beat Loud, Transparent) stop by my studio to talk about their upcoming run in the New York Premiere of Eve Ensler's FRUIT TRILOGY, being presented by Abingdon Theatre Company as their final production of its 25th Anniversary season. These women talk to me about getting involved with the project, the obvious conversation about women of color in these roles. and so much more. Please enjoy my chat with these FABULOUS women.

Ghostlight Records will celebrate the release of PRINCE OF BROADWAY Original Broadway Cast Recording with an exclusive in-store event at Barnes & Noble on Friday, June 1 at 7:00 PM. PRINCE OF BROADWAY is a musical celebration of director and producer Hal Prince. Mr. Prince will appear at the event in conversation with three-time Tony winner Jason Robert Brown.

For the past 3 years, I have been able to cover the New Dramatists Luncheon, and each time, I am amazed at the people that I get to meet when doing a red carpet. It's nice to see some new faces and a dream to see the familiar ones. This year's honoree is 2x Academy Award winning/ Tony Award winning and current nominee for his performance in Eugene O'Neill's THE ICEMAN COMETH, Denzel Washington.

This past Sunday night, Me and My Girl played its final performance at Encores. BroadwayWorld was in attendance at the closing night party, and you can check out photos from the evening below!

Encores! presents Me and My Girl as the final production of the Encores! at 25 season at New York City Center, beginning tonight! Check out producer Jack Viertel discussing the origin of the show's infamous dance, the Lambeth Walk below!

Playgoers in the know will arrive at any production of the 1937 West End smash ME AND MY GIRL already humming a bit of its legendary Act I closer 'The Lambeth Walk,' looking forward to a rousing showstopper where composer Noel Gay's peppy earworm is matched with co-bookwriter/lyricists L. Arthur Rose and Douglas Furber's jaunty lyric celebrating that part of London where 'everything's bright and breezy' and you can 'do as you darn well please-y.'

Encores! presents Me and My Girl as the final production of the Encores! at 25 season at New York City Center, which began last night! Let's find out what the critics had to say...

Encores! presents Me and My Girl as the final production of the Encores! at 25 season at New York City Center, beginning tonight! Check out photos of the cast in action below!

Encores! presents Me and My Girl as the final production of the Encores! at 25 season at New York City Center, beginning tonight! Check out all new clips from the show, featuring stars Christian Borle and Laura Michelle Kelly, below!

For many of us of a certain age, SCHOOL HOUSE ROCK, was the cornerstone to everything we kids learned about Civics, Mathematics, Parts of Speech, and so much more. It was one of those moments that made our Saturday Mornings literally sing. After learning about nouns, various multiplication tables, and of course, how a bill turns into law, I felt like I had tapped into a new world of learning.