David Alan Grier News

Producers of the 2012 Tony Award Winner for Best Revival of a Musical, The Gershwins' PORGY AND BESS welcome Tony Award winner Audra McDonald's return to an eight-performance schedule beginning tonight, August 28th. She had previously been on a schedule of seven performances per week, not performing the Wednesday evening shows.

Producers of the 2012 Tony Award Winner for Best Revival of a Musical, The Gershwins' PORGY AND BESS announced today that five-time Tony Award winner AUDRA McDONALD will return to an eight-performance schedule beginning Tuesday, August 28th. She had previously been on a schedule of seven performances per week, not performing the Wednesday evening shows.

According to Indiewire, Spike Lee wants to make a film adaptation of the George Gershwin musical Porgy and Bess and has confirmed that negotiations are 'still in the works.' The Tony Award-winning revival starring Norm Lewis, Audra McDonald and David Alan Grier is currently playing on Broadway.

John Stamos and Kristin Davis, who recently joined the cast of Gore Vidal's THE BEST MAN on Broadway, will be among the upcoming guests this week on ABC's GOOD AFTERNOON AMERICA.' Also on tap for August 3, The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess' David Alan Grier will be featured.

Producers of the 2012 Tony Award Winner for Best Revival of a Musical, The Gershwins' PORGY AND BESS, have announced that the show will conclude its limited engagement at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Sunday, September 23, 2012. The show, which had been twice extended, was originally scheduled to end a week later. The new date has been set to make room for the next engagement at the Rodgers, beginning October 4, 2012.

As BroadwayWorld reported yesterday, Audra McDonald, the five-time Tony winning star of PORGY & BESS, will indeed be returning to the show today following a 2-week doctor-mandated hiatus.

Looking for a quick roundup of this week's events in the theatre world? Look no further - here are some of the best articles the week had to offer!

A devout theater fan knows no holiday, and thankfully, many of Broadway's most beloved shows and performers nationwide don't either. So what's a theater enthusiast to do on this Independence Day? Check out a sampling of this year's most exciting 4th of July offerings and click below to revisit some of your favorites saluting our nation in song!

For the first time ever, Broadway fans can own the entire 2012 Tony Awards Telecast, through iTunes and Amazon.com. Starting now, fans can purchase and watch this year's exciting telecast on their computer, tablet, phone and other devices.

Happy Birthday David Alan Grier! Grier began his professional career on Broadway as Jackie Robinson in The First, for which he earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and won the Theatre World Award. He then joined the cast of Dreamgirls before going on to star opposite Denzel Washington in A Soldier's Play, for which both actors reprised their roles in the film adaptation titled A Soldier's Story. Recently was seen in David Mamet's Race on Broadway and received his second Tony Award nomination. He is currently starring on Broadway in Porgy and Bess.

Producers of The Gershwins' PORGY AND BESS, the 2012 Tony Award winner for Best Revival of a Musical, announced today that Audra McDonald has been ordered on a period of complete vocal rest by her doctor through the end of the month. As a result of performing with a respiratory infection last week, her vocal cords have become inflamed to a point where she cannot sing. She is scheduled to return to the production on Tuesday, July 3, 2012.

Last night, June 10, Audra McDonald took home her 5th Tony Award for for Best Lead Actress in a Musical for her role of 'Bess' in THE GERSWIN's PORGY AND BESS. Though we'd think she'd be used to the feeling of winning by now, McDonald spoke with BroadwayWorld just moments after her win only to reveal how it still feels 'out of body'. Click below to hear from the Broadway darling herself!

Tony night was one for the record books and BroadwayWorld.com brought you live updates all night, with LOTS more to come...Here are highlights from the three-hour ceremony from the Beacon Theatre, on the CBS television network on Sunday, June 10, 2012.

Overflowing with enthusiasm and energy, the true star of the 2012 Tony Awards was unquestionably three-time host and affable Broadway spokesman extraordinaire Neil Patrick Harris, doing what he does best - namely, being the host with the most. Whether web-slinging behind Angela Lansbury and Ted Chapin or leading a spectacular production number with Patti LuPone and a lawnmower, Harris proved yet again why is he is the best in the biz at this sort of thing - well, right up there along with Hugh Jackman, at least. Speaking of whom, in addition to a goosebump-inducing trailer for the forthcoming Tom Hooper-directed film adaptation of the Broadway sensation LES MISERABLES, Hugh Jackman was featured on the Tony Awards telecast and personally on hand to receive a well-earned special Tony Award for his many fundraising successes over the course of his three-show Broadway career, as was crossover superstar Bernadette Peters who took home a special Tony Award for her BC/EFA and Broadway Barks efforts. Adding to the star quotient of the night was Broadway/Hollywood super direct Mike Nichols, giving one of the classiest (despite the CBS-sanction bleep; on the same word as during Danny Burstein's FOLLIES turn, "godammit", incidentlly) and most profound acceptance speeches on the Tony Awards in recent memory - breaking the current record with, now, six Best Director statuettes, by the way. As far as musical performances go, in addition to Harris's triptych of showstoppers throughout the show - without even mentioning the many biting and sassy remarks, jokes and offhand commets; staged and otherwise - there were some seriously strong showings from almost all new musicals and revivals currently running, and even one or two terrific turns from productions already shuttered. The musical highlights of the night were Josh Young and the cast of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR in a spirited and divine take on the title song from the celebrated Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice rock opera, as well as good showings from new musical head-to-head, nail-bite-worthy competitors, ONCE and NEWSIES, plus one or two other swoon-worthy moments, too. The 2011-2012 Broadway season may not have been a record-breaker insofar as outstanding content and memorable modern classics - while NEWSIES is certainly a smash, last year's THE BOOK OF MORMON is the type of hit we only see once a decade or so, and, therefore, is a bit eclipsed; and, ONCE won Best Musical, anyway - but Harris and the team of this year's show made it an unusually entertaining and unique Tony telecast, even when compared to the finest shows on the past - particularly those from the rightly lauded Cohen era. ONCE may have dominated the wins, but the many musical numbers showed that there is a lot of room for enjoyment whether or not your personal favorite show took home the prizes. Most of all, Neil Patrick Harris proved he was once, twice, three times a Tony triumph.

ONCE, el musical basado en la película del mismo nombre ha obtenido ocho premios Tony en las once categorías para las que estaba nominado incluyendo Mejor Musical, Mejor Director y Mejor Actor Principal. Le siguen Peter And The Starcatcher con cinco premios, y Newsies, Nice Work..., y Porgy and Bess con dos premios cada uno.

The 2012 Tony Awards, presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing and hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, are underway! The ceremony is being broadcast tonight, June 10, in a live three-hour ceremony from the Beacon Theatre, on the CBS television network. BroadwayWorld is, of course, at the Beacon Theatre bringing you full coverage all night! Check out photos of tonight's attendees on the red carpet below- part 3!

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: KChen takes on City Center, POTTED POTTER comes to America, MAMMA MIA! gets new leads, and so much more!

The 2012 Tony Awards ceremony is just days away and this morning, BroadwayWorld was invited inside the Beacon Theatre to catch a glimpse of a tech rehearsal for Peter and the Starcatcher and speak with host Neil Patrick Harris about how the exciting show is shaping up. Want to see what the Starcatchers (sans costumes and make up) were up to today? Click below to watch them in action, and hear from stars Christian Borle, Celia Keenan-Bolger and Neil Patrick Harris!

It's here! The 2012 Tony Awards will air on CBS tonight, June 10 at 8pm and, as usual, BroadwayWorld.com will be your one-stop shop for all things Tonys on Tony Day, Night and Beyond!

Tony night was one for the record books and BroadwayWorld.com brought you live updates all night, with LOTS more to come...