David Geffen News

VH1 and Dr. Drew are back together for a sixth installment of 'Rehab with Dr. Drew,' premiering tonight, September 16 at 8 PM*.

Thomas Sadoski, a Tony nominee for his work in reasons to be pretty and who currently stars in HBO's The Newsroom, is set to appear in the world premiere production of Michael Golamco's Build in the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at the Geffen Playhouse.

The producers of FLASHDANCE - THE MUSICAL, the stage adaptation of the 1983 smash hit movie that defined a generation, have just announced that the production will arrive on Broadway in August 2013 with a theater, dates and casting to be announced.

VH1 and Dr. Drew are back together for a sixth installment of 'Rehab with Dr. Drew,' premiering Sunday, September 16 at 8 PM*.

The world premiere of Mona Golabek in The Pianist of Willesden Lane has been extended for the final time in the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at the Geffen Playhouse (with performances now running through September 15, 2012) before hitting the road for a national tour.

Stage and screen star Sanaa Lathan (A Raisin in the Sun, Contagion) returns to the title role in Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage's By the Way, Meet Vera Stark for its West Coast premiere at the Geffen Playhouse. Lathan, who originated the character of Vera Stark in the critically acclaimed New York run, will once again take the stage as the 1930's era maid turned movie star, reunited with original cast member Kimberly Hebert Gregory (Spike Lee's Red Hook Summer) reprising her role as fellow aspiring African American actress Lottie. Broadway vet and Geffen alum Merle Dandridge (Spamalot, Rent, Aida) will take on the spicy role of Anna Mae, who fakes a Brazilian accent for a slice of fame, and former leading lady of ABC's Man Up, Amanda Detmer, will portray Gloria Mitchell, the white starlet dubbed "America's little sweetie pie" and Vera's first employer. Helmed by award-winning director Jo Bonney, the West Coast premiere cast also features Kevin Carroll (Paid in Full, Being John Malkovich), Spencer Garrett (Iron Man 3, Air Force One) and Geffen alum Mather Zickel (Extraordinary Chambers, Rachel Getting Married).

David Geffen's far-reaching influence - as agent, manager, record industry mogul, Hollywood and Broadway producer, and philanthropist - has helped shape American popular culture for the past four decades.

Mandy Patinkin will narrate PBS's AMERICAN MASTERS JOFFREY BALLET on Friday December 28th at 9pm. The special will cover the story of the first quintessentially American dance company founded by Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino, who pioneered a new dance philosophy.

More than 25 years ago, retired music executive Joe Smith accomplished a Herculean feat-he got more than 200 celebrated singers, musicians and industry icons to talk about their lives, music, experiences and contemporaries. The Library of Congress announced today that Smith has donated this treasure trove of unedited sound recordings to the nation's library. The list of noted artists and executives is a veritable who's who in the music industry. They include Artie Shaw, Woody Herman, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Barbra Streisand, Little Richard, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Elton John, Paul Simon, David Bowie, Billy Joel, Sting, Tony Bennett, Joan Baez, James Taylor, Dick Clark, Tina Turner, Tom Jones, B. B. King, Quincy Jones, David Geffen, Mickey Hart, Harry Belafonte and many others. All types of popular music are represented-from rock 'n' roll, jazz, rhythm & blues and pop to big-band, heavy metal, folk and country-western.

The Geffen Playhouse's world premiere stage adaptation of The Exorcist showcases an award-winning design team - including world-renowned creative consultant Teller and internationally acclaimed spiritual composer Sir John Tavener - to bring playwright John Pielmeier's script and Tony Award winning director John Doyle's vision to life on stage. The team also includes Tony Award winning scenic/costume designer Scott Pask, lighting designer Jane Cox and sound designer Dan Moses Schreir. Working with Doyle, the design team will be tasked with creating a theatrical experience that engages the senses in a way that is unique to live performance.

Last night's star-studded event at the Geffen Playhouse and the pre-show host committee dinner at Los Angeles' The Backyard restaurant grossed over $1 million for the Geffen Playhouse's education, outreach and artistic initiatives. The fundraiser, honoring Hollywood legend Carol Burnett and Chairman and CEO of Fox Filmed Entertainment Jim Gianopulos, was co-chaired by Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company Robert A. Iger and his wife, journalist Willow Bay. See below for photos from the event, featuring Burnett, Dick Van Dyke, Warren Beatty, Jane Lynch, Annette Bening, Helen Mirren, Matthew Morrison and more!

Emmy Award winning actress Jane Lynch will host this year's Backstage at the Geffen fundraiser, which recognizes leadership in the theater community while raising support for the theater's artistic and outreach initiatives, honoring Hollywood legend Carol Burnett and Chairman and CEO of Fox Filmed Entertainment Jim Gianopulos. Ms. Burnett will receive the Distinction in Theater Award and Mr. Gianopulos will be presented with the Distinction in Service Award by entertainment icon and longtime colleague Warren Beatty. The star-studded event will be co-chaired by Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company Robert A. Iger and his wife, journalist Willow Bay. This irreverent evening of laughter, music and stories, which is sponsored by City National Bank, will be held tonight, June 4, 2012 at the Geffen Playhouse.

In addition to an accomplished cast, the Geffen Playhouse's world premiere stage adaptation of The Exorcist showcases an award-winning design team - including world-renowned creative consultant Teller and internationally acclaimed spiritual composer Sir John Tavener - to bring playwright John Pielmeier's script and Tony Award winning director John Doyle's vision to life on stage. The team also includes Tony Award winning scenic/costume designer Scott Pask, lighting designer Jane Cox and sound designer Dan Moses Schreir. Working with Doyle, the design team will be tasked with creating a theatrical experience that engages the senses in a way that is unique to live performance.

Stage and screen stars Brooke Shields and Richard Chamberlain will take on the iconic roles of Chris MacNeil and Father Merrin in playwright John Pielmeier's world premiere of The Exorcist at the Geffen Playhouse. Helmed by acclaimed director John Doyle, who won a Tony Award for his striking reimagining of Sweeney Todd, this stage adaptation of William Peter Blatty's famous 1971 novel transforms the unsettling battles of good versus evil, faith versus fact and ego versus ethos into a uniquely theatrical experience as sophisticated as it is suspenseful.

The runaway British hit CALL THE MIDWIFE, a new drama that depicts midwifery in 1950s London, kicks off the PBS 2012 fall season with a six-part Sunday-night run that begins September 30. A production of BBC Worldwide and Neal Street Productions, MIDWIFE further strengthens PBS' hold on quality Sunday night programs and launches a fall full of drama - both fictional and real - anchored by Ken Burns's new documentary THE DUST BOWL, PBS ELECTION 2012 coverage of the presidential campaign including FRONTLINE's award-winning 'The Choice,' and the season two return of MASTERPIECE CLASSIC 'Upstairs Downstairs.'Sundays continue to be a source of captivating drama for PBS, while strong Wednesday 'Exploration' nights feature new episodes of the science series NATURE, NOVA and an updated NOVA scienceNOW, hosted for the first time by tech guru and New York Times reporter David Pogue. Monday nights open with a series of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW specials that lead into the first fall season of MARKET WARRIORS. The award-winning film series INDEPENDENT LENS moves to Mondays at 10 p.m. beginning October 29, creating a new space for independent film that will also be the home for POV's 2013 season. Friday night PBS ARTS programs include the four-part series VOCES, which highlights Latino and Hispanic arts, and AMERICAN MASTERS 'Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance.'

Emmy Award winning actress Jane Lynch will host this year's Backstage at the Geffen fundraiser, which recognizes leadership in the theater community while raising support for the theater's artistic and outreach initiatives, honoring Hollywood legend Carol Burnett and Chairman and CEO of Fox Filmed Entertainment Jim Gianopulos. Ms. Burnett will receive the Distinction in Theater Award and Mr. Gianopulos will be presented with the Distinction in Service Award by entertainment icon and longtime colleague Warren Beatty. The star-studded event will be co-chaired by Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company Robert A. Iger and his wife, journalist Willow Bay. This irreverent evening of laughter, music and stories, which is sponsored by City National Bank, will be held on Monday June 4, 2012 at the Geffen Playhouse.

Recently, noted DREAMGIRLS composer Henry Krieger was generous enough to take a comprehensive look back at his many accomplishments onstage and onscreen with me, turning back the pages of time and sharing memories of DREAMGIRLS, both on Broadway and in Hollywood, THE TAP DANCE KID, SIDE SHOW, KEPT, ROMANTIC POETRY and beyond, as well as discuss many aspects of his exciting new family-friendly musical opening next week at the New Victory Theater, LUCKY DUCK. Over the course of our compelling conversation, Krieger also revealed new details about the forthcoming 2014 production of SIDE SHOW, to be directed by DREAMGIRLS film director and TWILIGHT: BREAKING DAWN helmer Bill Condon - to premiere first at the La Jolla Playhouse and then at the Kennedy Center, as it makes its way towards Broadway - as well as first news on a musical collaboration with lyricist David Yazbek based on the life of television evangelist Tammy Faye Bakker set to star Tony and Emmy-winning Broadway and GLEE standout Kristin Chenoweth. DREAMGIRLS to LUCKY DUCK and much, much more awaits!

Stage and screen star Peter Gallagher is sharing his life through songs and stories in a one-night-only performance at the Geffen Playhouse on Sunday, March 11, 2012. The Tony nominated Broadway vet will share a lifetime of show business experiences - from his early days starting out as a young actor in New York to working with legends like James Cagney, Peter O'Toole and Jack Lemmon. Joined by a live band, Gallagher brings his anecdotes to life with songs ranging from Broadway tunes, to music from his hit television show The OC, to classics by the likes of Van Morrison and Burt Bacharach. Peter Gallagher: Songs and Stories from an Actor's Life will benefit the Geffen Playhouse and The Actors Fund, for which Gallagher serves as the National Board of Advisors co-chair, and will be followed by a post-show reception.