Don Black News

On this day in 1993, Patti LuPone starred as Norma Desmond in the premiere production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard.

British/Italian soprano Carly Paoli and French Pop Opera Tenor Vincent Niclo will be presenting a video for their single Amigos Para Siempre.

She's ready for her close up! Glenn Close hopes to begin filming the movie musical adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard this year.

Renowned lyricist Don Black will be honoured with this year's Special Olivier Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to theatre.

Great voices and incredible sets and lighting cannot hide the weaknesses of the musical.

Musical Theatre West (MTW) brings Jerry Herman's musical masterpiece Mame to Southern California for a three-week run at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center March 27 a?" April 12.  Based on the novel, Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis and the play Auntie Mame by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, Mame lavishly delivers one of theater's all-time great heroines in a brassy, tuneful, hilarious and touching fashion.  Tickets are available at www.musical.org, by calling (562) 856-1999, or at the Musical Theatre West Ticket Office.  Tickets start at $20.

Enjoy Broadway in your backyard with the Maltz Jupiter Theatre's 2020/21 season! With just the ticket for everyone, the award-winning regional theatre's upcoming season will begin with I Hate Hamlet (October 25 - November 8), Paul Rudnick's hilarious comedy in which rising star Andrew Rally is visited by the ghost of a legendary actor who is determined to convince the young artist to pursue a life on the stage.

The Found Theatre will host the daring new Long Beach theatre company, Mid-World Players, for its production of 'Bonnie & Clyde,' a thrilling and sexy musical with a score by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics by Don Black, and book by Ivan Menchell. After a sold-out, two-night dinner theatre experience at Gladstones of Long Beach, this Tony-nominated musical returns to a new home at The Found Theatre, located at 599 Long Beach Blvd. in the downtown arts district. The show runs February 28th through March 8th, Friday and Saturday nights at 8 pm and Sunday matinees at 2 pm.

Musical Theatre West (MTW) brings five-time Tony Award-winning musical Ragtime to the Carpenter Performing Arts Center February 7-23.  Based on E.L. Doctorow's acclaimed novel, the 13-time Tony-nominated musical tells the story of three families trying to find their way during the turn of the 20th century in New York City; each struggling with the changing cultural climate in America and each facing the promise of hope and new beginnings in the midst of prejudice and bigotry.  Showcasing music and lyrics by the Tony Award-winning team of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens and a Tony Award-winning book by Terrence McNally, Ragtime features a score with such memorable songs as a?oeYour Daddy's Son,a?? a?oeWheels of a Dream,a?? a?oeTill We Reach That Daya?? and a?oeMake Them Hear You.a??

From the 13th to the 18th of February 2020, The Musical Showroom will be presenting the Austrian premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical ASPECTS OF LOVE at the Theater Arche in Vienna. The musical tells in 2 acts the tragic and emotional story of a family and their companions over three generations.

Who's ready for some great holiday entertainment? There are so many great shows to see during the holiday season. If you need a break from all the holiday craziness and a chance to laugh until your cheeks hurt, hop on over to Open Stage for Who's Holiday. Who's Holiday, by Matthew Lombardo, is not your typical Christmas play. It is a show with only one actor. It answers the age-old question of what happens to characters after the original story ends. Told by Cindy Lou Who, it is the story of what happened to her after the Grinch's famous redemption in How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The story is told in typical Seussian rhyme. Rachel Landon will be taking on the role of Cindy Lou at Open Stage, and she took some time to talk to us about Who's Holiday, directed by Stuart Landon, opening on November 16th.

Porchlight Music Theatre presents Sunset Boulevard at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts. Featuring music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics and books by Don Black and Christopher Hampton, Sunset Boulevard stars Hollis Resnik and is directed by Michael Weber, choreographed by Shanna VanDerwerker and music directed by Aaron Benham.

With direction by Michael Weber, Porchlight Music Theatre's production of Andrew Lloyd Weber's SUNSET BOULEVARD provides one wild ride of a musical evening. The musical's storyline itself vacillates between the predictable and the shockingly dark and twisted. It chronicles the story of former silent movie star Norma Desmond as she descends further and further into madness. Based upon the film of the same name, Don Black and Christopher Hampton's book paints a portrait of Norma as she continues to lose her grasp on reality (which was not all that firm to begin with) and as she plots an unrealistic comeback into the Hollywood spotlight. Hollis Resnik conveys all of Norma's mania and desperation in a star-worthy performance. Though Norma has long faded from the limelight by the time audiences meet her in SUNSET BOULEVARD, Resnik commands the stage with ease.

Porchlight Music Theatre is proud to announce Sunset Boulevard at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street, has been extended through Sunday, Dec. 8.

In the annals of musical theater, Norma Desmond is one of those larger than life characters, like Mame Dennis, Dolly Levi, and Eva Peron, who cries out for an actor with a specific and rare combination of skills to play the role. Tony Award-winner Alice Ripley ascends to playing the faded silent-screen star in the North Shore Music Theatre production of SUNSET BOULEVARD, after originating the role of Betty Schaefer in the 1994 original Broadway cast which starred Glenn Close. In so doing, Ripley joins the pantheon of singular talents who have put their personal stamp on the musical iteration of Norma, stepping out of the shadow of the indelible mark Gloria Swanson made on celluloid in Billy Wilder's 1950 film.

It may seem that productions of Tony winning musical Sunset Boulevard are a dime a dozen. But when it is playing at the exquisite John W. Engeman Theater, you know it is a must-see. Running through October 27th at the Northport venue, the show boasts a fantastic, affecting cast.

Director-choreographer Denny Berry gamely takes a stab (pun intended) to breath new life (sorry about that one) into a musical version of Bram Stoker's 1897 epistolary novel, Frank Wildhorn's DRACULA, THE MUSICAL.

Van Morrison has announced details of a new album - Three Chords And The Truth. It will be released on Exile/Caroline International available on CD/vinyl and digital download on October 25th 2019. 

North Shore Music Theatre has announced complete casting for the upcoming production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's masterwork, SUNSET BOULEVARD, which will star the previously announced Alice Ripley as the fading Hollywood star, Norma Desmond.

Porchlight Music Theatre's 25th Anniversary Mainstage season launches with Sunset Boulevard, October 11 - November 24