Don Ameche News

Act II Playhouse in Ambler, PA announces that Tony Braithwaite and Jennifer Childs are now onstage in a new comedy cabaret, “A Couple of Swells.” Braithwaite and Childs co-wrote and are starring in “A Couple of Swells,” with Musical Direction and piano accompaniment by Owen Robbins.

Act II Playhouse in Ambler, PA has announced that Tony Braithwaite and Jennifer Childs are now onstage in a new comedy cabaret, 'A Couple of Swells.'

This week's list includes Life at Hamilton, a memoir written by a bartender at the hit musical, In Pieces, featuring highlights from the new musical by Joey Contreras, and more!

Paul Phillips, famed Broadway Actor and Stage Manager has passed away in Naples, Florida of natural causes at the age of 95. Paul Phillips was born on October 1, 1925 in Pleasantville, NY. Paul toured the country and worked summer stock for many years stage-managing such legendary performers as Charlton Heston, Groucho Marx, Ethel Waters, and more.

Relive some of Eddie Murphy's most hilarious films at home before Coming 2 America debuts!  Own the following from Paramount Home Entertainment on December 1, 2020:

BendFilm announced today a lineup full of creative ways to see films outside in the comfort of a car or in the open air of Tin Pan Alley. Films in the lineup are a wide range of adventure stories, throwback classics, music documentaries, blockbusters and more.  Several screenings have filmmaker Q&As or post film discussions planned.  In addition to the in-person screenings, BendFilm will continue to offer virtual rentals of new release films through the Tin Pan Theater.  New titles are listed each week at TinPanTheater.com. 

Mark Robert Petty, primarily one half of the transatlantic writing team of Anderson & Petty, brought an evening of his musical collaborations to the Union Theatre on Sunday, 10 November. 'Bobby (Under The Eyes Of Don Ameche)' was written by Dana P. Rowe (Music) and Mark Robert Petty (Lyrics) and is from a new musical by Rowe & Petty entitled 'Always - A Brooklyn Love Story' which is currently in development with a book by Nathan Cann.

John M. 'Jack' Allison, prestigious theater teacher and director in the United States, Canada, and Europe, died peacefully at the age of 78 on June 16, 2019 in East Northport, New York. Born in Bayonne, New Jersey, he graduated from New Jersey City University with a BA in American Literature and History before earning an MA in Speech and Drama from The Catholic University of America, and a PhD (ABD) in Theatre and Directing from the University of Denver.

Big laughs kick off the month, on Saturday, October 6th, with stand-up comedian GARY VIDER. Gary performs regularly in NYC and went all the way to the finals on NBC's America's Got Talent in 2015. His television appearances include Conan, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, AXS TV Gotham Live, and Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen. All Seats are $21.00, and the hilarity begins at 8 PM.

Eddie Murphy demonstrates his incomparable comedic talent in the beloved 80s classics TRADING PLACES and COMING TO AMERICA, available individually on Blu-ray + Digital June 12, 2018 from Paramount Home Media Distribution.

Eddie Murphy demonstrates his incomparable comedic talent in the beloved 80s classics TRADING PLACES and COMING TO AMERICA, available individually on Blu-ray + Digital June 12, 2018 from Paramount Home Media Distribution.

GOOD MORNING, THEATERATI! According to the non-clock thing hanging on the wall - what's it called? Oh, yeah, a calendar (yeah, like we'd ever allow a calendar to hang on any wall under our control - today is May 31, 2017! It's another day to allow yourself to live life dramatically and to gain ownership of your own schedule for the rest of the week so you can be certain to get to the theater. Yesterday, in our never-ending quest to enlist all of you to write our daily column for us, we posted TODAY'S QUERY on Facebook, asking our gentle readers to weigh in or whether or not 'dressing for the theater' is de rigueur or is it more of a 'come as you are' nature. Little did we know that such a question could engender such passionate responses and we daresay rather passionate defenses of the wear-whatever-the-hell-you-want school of thought.

'There's a thin line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.'

Although I am not as familiar with the plays of Anton Chekhov as some, Christopher Durang's play, Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike, doesn't require a pop quiz of Chekhovian references in order for one to enjoy the show. This character study into the lives of three squabbling, middle-aged siblings has enough humor and poignancy in it so you don't have to have your SparkNotes handy to enjoy it. The play, produced by Leslie Nichols and directed by Fred Helsel, plays at the Santa Paula Theater Center through August 16.

Three new productions will open this week at three Off-Off-Broadway locations in New York City: Ripple Effects Artists' Deathbed, John Chatterton's Short Play Lab Series, and New York Conservatory's The Greene Touch. Check out all the details below!

Monday night, April 28, New York Conservatory presents a rare treat. We're used to concerts and benefits on the household names of musical theatre - especially the Golden Age - but here's one dedicated to one of the Great White Way's unsung heroes - Herbert Greene. A shrewd producer, natural conductor and orchestrator, and gifted composer, Greene was behind some of Broadway's classic productions. He worked side-by-side with Meredith Willson on the legendary The Music Man and with Frank Loesser onMost Happy Fella; built the enthralling orchestrations behind Sondheim's Anyone Can Whistle, a musical ahead of its time, even influencing the addition of a song which was a veiled 'Love Note" to Lee Remick; and even trained Broadway luminaries likeamong them were Rex Harrison, Rosalind Russell, Angela Lansbury, Barbara Cook, Robert Preston, Don Ameche, and Judy Holliday.

The Broadway universe has a multitude of stars deserving of praise, New York Conservatory picks a bright and prolific one - singer, actor, conductor, arranger, producer, and even voice doctor - Herbert Greene. A true unsung hero of the American Musical Theatre.

BroadwayWorld.com has confirmed that Broadway legend Elaine Stritch died this morning, at home in Birmingham, MI. The star was 89 years old.

The Library of Congress has today announced its annual list of 25 films that will be included in the National Film Registry.