Craig Lucas News

Actor Etai Benson sings and dances his way to The Hobby Center this month in Theatre Under the Stars' production of AN AMERICAN IN PARIS. Today, Benson joins us to talk life on the road, dole out some advice, and explain what it's like playing an American in Paris -- spoiler -- 'S Wonderful'!

Playwrights Horizons has announced complete casting for THE LIGHT YEARS, the world premiere of a new play written by Drama Desk Award winner Hannah Bos (The Open House, Jacuzzi, Blood Play, Buddy Cop 2) and Obie Award winner Paul Thureen (Jacuzzi, Blood Play, Buddy Cop 2), directed and developed by Obie Award winner Oliver Butler (Jacuzzi, The Open House, Blood Play), made by The Debate Society.

???????On Monday, May 1, 2017, The New York Pops will celebrate its 34th birthday with a grand gala evening honoring Tony Award winners Kelli O'Hara and Bartlett Sher, whose collaborations over the last decade have won universal acclaim and whose individual careers represent pinnacles of achievement in the world of theatre.

AMELIE, A NEW MUSICAL will begin performances on Broadway on Thursday, March 9, 2017 at the Walter Kerr Theatre (219 W 48th Street) and officially open Monday, April 3, 2017. Directed by Tony Award winner Pam Mackinnon (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), AMELIE features a book by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award nominee Craig Lucas (The Light in the Piazza), music by Daniel Messe and lyrics by Nathan Tysen & Messe, and musical staging and choreography by Sam Pinkleton.

Theatre Communications Group has just published an exciting line-up of new plays from playwrights such as Caryl Churchill, Tracy Letts, and Robert O'Hara. Scroll down for details!

Atlantic Theater Company has announced the world premiere production of Olivier Award winner Derren Brown's new show Secret, written by Andy Nyman, Derren Brown and Andrew O'Connor, and directed by Andrew O'Connor and Andy Nyman.

BroadwayWorld was there for a preview with the talented crew of AMELIE at The Cutting Room. Check out the photos below!

A friendly reminder that there are just two weeks until the world premiere engagement of SOUSATZKA, with book by Craig Lucas, music by David Shire, and lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr., based on the original novel 'Madame Sousatzka' by Bernice Rubens, begins in Toronto! Previews start February 25, and opening night is March 23, 2017.

The lineup for South Coast Repertory's 20th Pacific Playwrights Festival (PPF), April 21-23, includes works from playwrights Amy Freed, Lucas Hnath, Donald Margulies and Lauren Yee. This year's festival offers three full productions and four staged readings. Tickets, including discounted packages to see all the readings, are available online at www.scr.org.

Acclaimed Off-Broadway theater company Playwrights Horizons will hold its annual Spring Gala on Monday evening, May 8 at the event space 583 Park Avenue. Titled A CELEBRATION OF SONG, the evening will honor three of the company's exceptional alumni writers: Tony Award nominee Scott Frankel (Grey Gardens and Far From Heaven at Playwrights), Tony Award nominee Michael Korie (Grey Gardens and Far From Heaven at Playwrights) and Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Doug Wright (I Am My Own Wife and Grey Gardens at Playwrights).

Playwrights Horizons has announced complete casting for THE PROFANE, the world premiere of a new play by Zayd Dohrn (Outside People, Reborning). Directed by Kip Fagan (Grand Concourse at , Exit Strategy, The Revisionist, Asuncion), THE PROFANE will be the fifth production of the theater company's 2016/2017 Season.

The Johnny Mercer Foundation (JMF) and the American Music Theatre Project (AMTP) at Northwestern University announce Stephen Bray, Tony, and Grammy-nominated songwriter for The Color Purple, will join the 12th annual Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriters Project as a Master Teacher.

Playwrights Horizons begins accepting entries today, Monday, February 6 at 12 Noon, for the LIVEforFIVE online lottery for $5 tickets to their world premiere production of THE LIGHT YEARS.

'S wonderful. 'S marvelous. 'S absolutely freaking flawless! The audience was humming with excitement as the lights grew dim at the Music Hall at Fair Park on Wednesday night for the Dallas debut of 'An American in Paris'. Inspired by the Academy Award winning 1951 film and wonderfully reimagined for the stage in 2015 by director and choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, with the book by Craig Lucas and set to the fantastic music of George and Ira Gershwin, it was completely captivating from start to finish.

The box office for AMELIE, A NEW MUSICAL will open on Thursday, February 2, 2017 at 10am at the Walter Kerr Theatre (219 W 48th Street).

Above the Elgin Theatre in Toronto on the 4th floor, magical things are happening. A company with 70 Tony Award nominations and 12 wins between them are gearing up to premiere a new musical, Sousatzka, based on the 1988 Shirley MacLaine film Madame Sousatzka. At the helm of the project, notorious theatre impresario Garth Drabinsky - who is making his comeback to 'artistic producing' following his convictions for fraud and forgery during his time as the head of Livent. Livent, of course, was once a division of Cineplex Odeon which produced the Sousatzka film before being bought out by Drabinsky and his then business partner Myron Gottlieb.

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, the most awarded new musical of 2015 and winner of four Tony Awards®, will play the Music Hall at Fair Park January 31 - February 12, 2017, for two weeks presented by Dallas Summer Musicals.

AMELIE, A NEW MUSICAL will begin performances on Broadway on Thursday, March 9, 2017 at the Walter Kerr Theatre (219 W 48th Street) and officially open Monday, April 3, 2017. Directed by Tony Award winner Pam Mackinnon (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), AMELIE features a book by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award nominee Craig Lucas (The Light in the Piazza), music by Daniel Messe and lyrics by Nathan Tysen & Messe, and musical staging and choreography by Sam Pinkleton.

Award-winning veteran director Jules Aaron has been putting his directorial stamp on plays and musicals for several decades.  Mr. Aaron took time out of his busy schedule to talk with us about his current project, The Group Rep's production of Agatha Christie's New York Critic Circle and Tony award-winning play WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION featuring guest artist Salome Jens, running January 27 through March 12, 2017 at the Lonny Chapman Theatre in North Hollywood.  Last season, Jules Aaron directed the most successful play the Group Rep has ever produced, the sold-out, twice extended musical THAT LOVIN' FEELIN'.

Producers today announced complete casting for the upcoming Broadway production of AMELIE, A NEW MUSICAL.