Connie Kunkle News

Each year, the Tony Awards release a list of names of friends and colleagues in the Broadway community who have left us during the past year.

James Rocco's BROADWAY SONGBOOK series at The Ordway Center for Performing Arts in Saint Paul, Minn., is a treasure for anyone who has an iPod full of showtunes (me: guilty!) and should earn continuing education credits for audience members who gain a wealth of knowledge in theatre history over the course of the show.

The Ordway will say farewell to the McKnight Theatre in grand style tonight, April 28 at 7:30 pm, in a special performance called, 'The Night of a Million Stars.' The concert production will highlight area artists and feature musical pieces from productions previously held in the McKnight Theatre.

James Rocco is the vice president of programming and producing artistic director of the Ordway Center for Performing Arts in Saint Paul, Minn. He is also the director, host and a performer in the Ordway's latest edition of BROADWAY SONGBOOK, this time, focusing on American musical theatre master, Cole Porter. I recently sat down to learn about James, the BROADWAY SONGBOOK: Cole Porter and what's next for the theatre.

The Ordway will say farewell to the McKnight Theatre in grand style on Sunday, April 28 at 7:30 pm, in a special performance called, "The Night of a Million Stars." The concert production will highlight area artists and feature musical pieces from productions previously held in the McKnight Theatre.

Today we are talking to an iconic performer known for his decades on stages and screens around the world, from his variety show roots with sister Marie and their eponymous 70s television staple to his solo pop career in the 1980s and roles in Broadway and Hollywood and beyond since then - the one and only Donny Osmond. Osmond and I recount many of his marvelous show business memories in this all-inclusive chat, putting a particular emphasis on his theatre roles - most of all, his work in the film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's JOSEPH & THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, filmed in 1999 and presented next week in a super-special Sing-A-Long showing with an exclusive live Q&A hosted by Osmond in Fathom-equipped movie theaters nationwide on March 26. In addition to all about the filming of the spectacular movie musical version of JOSEPH helmed by Steven Pimlott and co-starring Maria Friedman, Osmond and I discuss his experiences playing the title role in the show for six years throughout the 1990s and how he looks back on his experiences in the Biblically-themed pop/rock operetta. Plus, Osmond shares insights into the work of Andrew Lloyd Webber, as well as shares stories of working with legends such as Gene Kelly, Richard Attenborough, Joan Collins and touches upon his appearances in MULAN onscreen, BEAUTY & THE BEAST onstage, DANCING WITH THE STARS on TV - and much, much more!

Theatrical artists from the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota will present a special, one-night-only benefit concert in honor of supporting family and friends affected by the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Theatrical artists from the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota will present a special, one-night-only benefit concert in honor of supporting family and friends affected by the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

One of the most beloved stories of all time comes to life in White River Junction when Northern Stage, the region's professional theater, stages L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz from December 8 - January 2.

One of the most beloved stories of all time comes to life in White River Junction when Northern Stage, the region's professional theater, stages L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz from December 8 - January 2.

One of the most beloved stories of all time comes to life in White River Junction when Northern Stage, the region's professional theater, stages L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz from December 8 - January 2.

In response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti, four local theater professionals have asked their friends and colleagues to help raise money in the Haiti relief effort. All proceeds will go to the Heart for Haiti Trust which will divide the donations into two charities; the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund and Feed My Starving Children.