Connor Barr News

ZACH Theatre is proud to announce the cast for the Pulitzer and Tony Award®-winning musical, Sunday in the Park with George.  With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine, Sunday in the Park with George plays ZACH's Topfer Stage from May 30-June 24, 2018 under the direction of Producing Artistic Director Dave Steakley with musical direction by Allen Robertson.

THE DROWSY CHAPERONE is a parody of 20's musicals with a book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar and music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison. It is a show within a show told by a middle-aged, asocial Broadway musical fan, known only as Man in Chair (Scott Shipman). Seeking to cure his 'non-specific sadness', he listens to a rare recording of the fictitious 1928 musical comedy, The Drowsy Chaperone. As he listens to this cast recording, the characters appear in his crowded, tiny apartment, and it is transformed into an impressive Broadway set with footlights, period furniture, painted backdrops, shiny drapes and glitzy costumes. Man in Chair provides a running commentary throughout the show from the stage, and although he is onstage with the characters, he is invisible to the players. THE DROWSY CHAPERONE debuted in 1998 in Toronto and opened on Broadway in 2006. The show won five Tony Awards and seven Drama Desk Awards. It is a loving valentine to a time when shows had only the barest of plots serving to showcase the songs.

GUYS AND DOLLS is presented by Austin Playhouse as part of their 2016-2017 season. Directed by Don Toner and with musical direction by Susan Finnigan, this musical theatre gem tells the story of rolling the dice and taking a gamble on love. The musical, based on two short stories by Damon Runyon, originally premiered on Broadway in 1950 with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It went on to win the Tony in 1950 for Best Musical and was later adapted into the 1955 film starring Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando.

LITTLE WOMEN is a musical with a book by Allan Knee, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, and music by Jason Howland. Workshop productions were presented at Duke University in 2001 and 2004 and the Broadway production opened at the Virginia Theatre on January 23, 2005. Based on the classic 1869 Louisa May Alcott semi-autobiographical novel, LITTLE WOMEN focuses on the four March sisters: aspiring writer Jo (Lilly Lane Stafford), romantic Meg (Caroline Kinnamore), the easily hurt Amy (Maddie Dennison), and kind Beth (Emily McIntyre) as well as their beloved Marmee (Maddrey Blackwood.) The women are at the family home in Concord, Massachusetts while their father is away during the Civil War. The musical begins with Jo trying to sell her stories in New York but soon brings Jo back home. While the events and timing of things aren't exactly the same as in the novel; Allan Knee's script, for the most part, is expertly condensed Alcott retaining the spirit of the characters. Jason Howland's music is pleasant, if rather unmemorable, riffing musical theatre numbers out of period waltzes, polkas, and quadrilles; supported by Mindi Dickstein's rather unmemorable lyrics. The end result feels like a lesser known Rogers & Hammerstein musical. It's just good old fashioned squeaky clean family fun.

CARNIVAL is a musical that originally appeared on Broadway in 1961, with a book by Michael Stewart and music and lyrics by Bob Merrill. You may better know Merrill as the writer of the lyrics for Funny Girl. It is based on the 1953 MGM film Lili. The show is seldom produced; outside of the original production's National Tour; only a handful of productions have been done professionally, and one of those was a staged concert version. The main reason is the difficulty of the music. I am pleased to report that not only does the Summer Stock Austin production handle the score beautifully, the entire production is a dazzling, magical delight.

A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night, it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Since its original 1973 Broadway production, the musical has been produced in the West End, by opera companies, and in a 2009 Broadway revival. It was adapted for film in 1977. It received Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Book and Best Original Score.

THE WILD PARTY is a musical with a book by Michael John LaChiusa and George C. Wolfe and music and lyrics by LaChiusa. Based on the 1928 Joseph Moncure March poem of the same name, the show is about the masks that people wear culturally and the removal of those masks over the course of a party. The 2000 Broadway production was originally presented as a series of vaudeville sketches, with signs at the beginning and the end that announced the next scene with a show card propped on an easel at the side of the stage. In this UT Department of Theatre and Dance production, that device has been abandoned. The piece, in this incarnation, uses a vaudeville straw hat act to bookend the production at open and close. The remainder of the show, for the most part, is the actual party and I found the device to be most effective putting more heart into the piece than the original concept did.

The University of Texas at Austin Department of Theatre and Dance presents The Wild Party, November 20-December 5, 2015 at the Oscar G. Brockett Theatre.

The University of Texas at Austin Department of Theatre and Dance presents The Wild Party, November 20-December 5, 2015 at the Oscar G. Brockett Theatre.

Summer Stock Austin has been a part of the Austin theatre scene since 2005. Annually, college and high school students from across Texas meet to mount several productions with professionals from Austin and around the country in a one-of-a-kind experience. They work as a traditional 'stock' company; each member performs, designs, builds, and assists on the various aspects of theatrical productions. Similar programs charge high school students tuition, but Summer Stock Austin not only offers the experience to all participants free of charge, many of the college students work as mentors throughout the process. Led by a host of professionals with experience ranging from Austin to Broadway, students begin making invaluable connections as they embark on their professional careers and gain firsthand knowledge of working in a professional setting.

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

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

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

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

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