Diana Ross News

PNC Bank is the new title sponsor of Blumenthal Performing Arts' flagship series next season. The 2014-2015 blockbuster Broadway season is titled PNC Broadway Lights and is made possible with support from PNC Bank.

'Happy birthday to you,' MOTOWN THE MUSICAL! The smash hit, which celebrates its first Broadway anniversary on April 14, has released a new montage of show clips set to legendary Motown classics from the musical, including 'I Want You Back,' 'Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours,' 'Get Ready,' 'Dancing In The Street,' and 'Do You Love Me.' Check it out below!

The CSO's last Luken Holdings Pops Series concert of the 2013/14 season pays tribute to the greatest team of collaborators in American music history – George and Ira Gershwin. Here to Stay: The Gershwin Experience is a multi-media concert with a top-notch touring party, including Grammy Award-winning soprano Sylvia McNair. This concert event provides an unprecedented insider view into the legendary duo, and offers rare audio and video footage of the Gershwins.

It is Theatre Development Fund's belief that future audiences are built by engaging students, first-hand, in the vital and exciting activity of the creative process, as well as providing opportunities to see live performances of great theatre. To that end, 1,500 New York City public high school and middle school students from 20 schools (and one school from East Orange, NJ), who are participating in TDF's Stage Doors Program, will be attending a special matinee performance of Broadway's smash hit, MOTOWN THE MUSICAL on Thursday, April 3 at 1pm at the Lunt Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street, NYC).

World-class drummer and percussionist Sheila Escovedo's first CD in 13 years, ICON, is available today at all major digital stores. 'We are excited about the release, particularly of the multi-genre format that reflects Sheila E.'s broad artistry and experience,' stated manager Gilbert Davison. '2014 marks Sheila's 40th anniversary in the music business and what better way to celebrate than to release a new CD.'

The Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts has announced DR. K'S MOTOWN REVUE presented by JJK Productions, LLC on Saturday, May 3 at 8:00 PM. Paul Korman, aka Dr. K, in his visionary quest to create the ultimate Motown tribute band has put together an array of seasoned musicians and singers to form the Dr. K's Motown Revue Band (DKMRB), a professional self contained 11 piece Motown tribute band. Taking you through the Motown experience of the 60s, they perform hits by the Supremes, Temptations, Martha and the Vandellas and many other Motown artists including a special segment each performance devoted to Diana Ross hits as well as the memorable duets of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Dr. K's Motown Revue Saturday, May 3 at 8:00 PM The Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts, 71 E. Main St., Patchogue, NY 11772 Tickets: $20-$40 plus fee; available at patchoguetheatre.com, the box office, or by phone 631-207-1313 Audiences of Dr. K's Motown Revue Band are enthralled because it is not just the songs but the memories associated with them that have left an indelible stamp on the hearts and souls of generations of Motown fans around the world. The dynamic and versatile sound of the DKMRB is the most authentic Motown sound since the original Motown studio band, the Funk Brothers. The band further engages the audience by integrating bits of Motown trivia into the show, offering giveaways, and getting the audience on their feet dancing and singing along to the music ensuring a delightful time for all!

World-class drummer and percussionist Sheila Escovedo is scheduled to release her first solo album in twelve years, 'Icon,' today, March 25 as part of the celebration of her 40th anniversary in the music business,

Heartbeat of Home, the high energy dance show from the producers of Riverdance, closes in Detroit on Sunday. On stage at the Fisher Theatre, the spectacle is part of the Broadway In Detroit entertainment series.

The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, together with Florida Theatrical Association and Broadway Across America, has unveiled the lineup of shows for the Center's inaugural 2014-2015 Broadway season. To celebrate the historic season, Dr. Phillips Center FAIRWINDS Broadway in Orlando is bringing world-class theater to a world-class stage, headlined by the spectacular new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. The season will also include NEWSIES, the smash hit musical from Disney, and the record-breaking sensation MOTOWN THE MUSICAL. Rounding out the 2014-2015 season are the brand new, high-flying production of PIPPIN, the Tony Award-winning revival of ANYTHING GOES, and the hilariously charming I LOVE LUCY LIVE ON STAGE.

ASU Gammage has announced its 2014/2015 Broadway Across America –Arizona season which marks the 50th Anniversary of ASU Gammage and in celebration ASU Gammage is bringing a season of the hottest shows on Broadway and the biggest blockbusters to ever grace our stage. Hot new Award-winning shows direct from Broadway include 2013 Tony Award for Best Musical winner KINKY BOOTS, PIPPIN, MOTOWN and Rodgers + Hammerstein's CINDERELLA!

As previously announced, Clifton Oliver and Allison Semmes will star in the leading roles of Berry Gordy and Diana Ross. Portraying groundbreaking Motown artists, Nicholas Christopher will play Smokey Robinson and Jarran Muse will play Marvin Gaye. Leon Outlaw, Jr. and Reed L. Shannon will portray Berry Gordy's boyhood counterpart and the roles of young stars Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder.

The World Premiere of Stories From the Night Before, a new evening of dance theater created by Maurice Brandon Curry, Chair of the Dance Department of Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts, will be presented on Sunday and Monday March 16 and 17 at 7 PM at New York University's Skirball Center, 566 LaGuardia Place (just off Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village), New York, NY 10012.

On Today, March 13, the Houston Symphony will continue its legendary centennial celebration by performing alongside one of the leading figures in the recording industry, Steve Tyrell. Under the leadership of Houston Symphony Associate Conductor Robert Franz, Tyrell and the orchestra will perform American standards like 'You're So Nice to Come Home To,' 'The Way You Look Tonight' and 'I Get a Kick Out of You,' to name just a few. The Grammy Award-winning Tyrell will also invite his friends Diane Schuur, Judith Hill and Lew Soloff to the stage to share the evening with him as he sings the night away to timeless classics in this one-night only special performance.

As BroadwayWorld reported yesterday, the smash hit Queen & Ben Elton musical We Will Rock You is due finally to close on 31 May 2014, and rumors are circulating that the Tony Award-nominated Motown will open at the theatre in early 2015 to fill the void.

Tony Award-winning productions including 2013 TONY AWARD-WINNER for BEST MUSICAL REVIVAL! (PIPPIN) and 2012 TONY AWARD-WINNER for BEST SCORE & BEST CHOREOGRAPHY! (NEWSIES) will take to Cultural District stages for the 2014-2015 PNC Broadway Across America-Pittsburgh season, along with critically-acclaimed audience favorites and the triumphant return of THE BOOK OF MORMON as part of the season specials.

Having rocked over 6.5 million people in a record-breaking 12 years at the London's Dominion Theatre, the smash hit Queen & Ben Elton musical We Will Rock You is due finally to close on 31 May 2014, as BroadwayWorld reported yesterday. Now the longest running show ever at the Dominion by a margin of nine years, the show takes its rightful place in West End history, sitting proudly in the Top 10 longest running musicals of all time. Now according to the Daily Mail's Baz Bamigboye, the Tony Award-nominated Motown will open at the theatre in early 2015 to fill the void.

Producers Kevin McCollum, Doug Morris and Berry Gordy have announced that Clifton Oliver and Allison Semmes have been cast in the leading roles of Berry Gordy and Diana Ross in MOTOWN THE MUSICAL. The First National Tour begins performances April 22, 2014 at the Oriental Theatre in Chicago before continuing to cities across the country.

The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre, the acclaimed comedy/variety show, will continue its engagement at JOE'S PUB at The Public Theater on Sunday, March 16 at 9:30 PM with a celebration of the celebrated TV program 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer.' After a highly-successful season at 54 Below, the show has returned to its downtown roots this year with shows through May. The Meeting* has been called 'delicious and delightfully droll' by The New York Post, and 'hilarious and sardonic' by The Village Voice. A recent story for Slate.com called the evening 'so deliciously icy that it left me shivering with fear and delight.' The March show will feature special guests Kim Smith, Christian Coulson, Diana Kazakova, Chris Tyler and Mark Dommu with others to be announced. Tracy Stark serves as Music Director.

When four dynamic, award-winning musical stars from Broadway, film, TV and recordings come together for one night on the same stage, what transpires is an evening of song, dance, laughter and memories that will leave you seeing stars. 4 GIRLS 4 is a fabulously flirty, funny, frolic, featuring four famous females - Leslie Uggams, Maureen McGovern, Andrea McArdle and Donna McKechnie - and it takes the State Theatre stage on Friday, April 4th.