Donna McKechnie News

In the glory days of the movie musical, folks joked that MGM stood for 'Makes Great Musicals' and it boasted more stars than in the heavens.

Welcome to the The Varley Factor, BroadwayWorld.com's newest ongoing blog series from Creative Director, Eddie Varley. Look for 'The Factor' to bring you Varley's unique brand of commentary on all things theatrical... Get ready Broadway!

HAIR star Michael James Scott's fashion segments are back on BroadwayWorld.com and bigger and better than ever.

On Wednesday, Sept 9, 2009 at 9pm, Upright Cabaret presents AN EVENING with CAMILLE SAVIOLA (Old School for the New Age: Songs of Love and Loathing), star of Original Broadway Cast of NINE and Ragtime with Legendary L.A. Music Director Gerald Sternbach.

On Wednesday, Sept 9, 2009 at 9pm, Upright Cabaret presents AN EVENING with CAMILLE SAVIOLA (Old School for the New Age: Songs of Love and Loathing), star of Original Broadway Cast of NINE and Ragtime with Legendary L.A. Music Director Gerald Sternbach.

Up and coming singer/actors (and identical twins) Will Nunziata and Anthony Nunziata, have joined creative forces with popular director Richard Jay-Alexander on a new concert/cabaret act to debut at Feinstein's at the Loews Regency in New York City. The Feinstein's dates are set for Monday September 21st and Monday October 5th, 2009, as part of the prestigious monday night series and, in this particular instance, with a personal invitation from the club's John Iachetti - who put the boys together with their director.

On Wednesday, Sept 9, 2009 at 9pm, Upright Cabaret presents AN EVENING with CAMILLE SAVIOLA (Old School for the New Age: Songs of Love and Loathing), star of Original Broadway Cast of NINE and Ragtime with Legendary L.A. Music Director Gerald Sternbach.

A host of film and theater celebrities will celebrate the posthumous release of Remember How I Love You: Love Letters from an Extraordinary Marriage, Jerry and Elaine Orbach's autobiographical memoir recounting their thirty year marriage, at a once-in-a-lifetime reunion of the couple's colleagues at The Snapple Theater Center on Monday, November 9, 2009 at 5:30 PM.

The legendary Donna McKechnie, a Tony Award winner for the original landmark production of A CHORUS LINE on Broadway, will bring her new one woman show MY MUSICAL COMEDY LIFE (Part 2) to Pizza on the Park. 'MY MUSICAL COMEDY LIFE (Part 2)' will run October 14th through October 24th at Pizza on the Park which is located at Hyde Park Corner in Knightsbridge SW1.

A new musical about a runaway slave who becomes one of America's first Black Cowboys will debut this fall when CROSS THAT RIVER is presented by The New York Musical Theatre Festival and Patricia Harris, starting October 12, 2009 at TBG Theatre (312 West 36th Street - 3rd Floor) in New York City.

Eight-time Academy Award winning composer Alan Menken will be joined on stage by Broadway's John Treacy Egan (The Little Mermaid, The Producers), Penny Fuller (Dividing the Estate), Victoria Mallory (A Little Night Music, Follies) and Kurt Peterson (Follies, Dear World) in Broadway Tonight on Sunday, September 13, 2009 at 7:00 pm at the Tarrytown Music Hall, 13 Main St, Tarrytown, NY.

The production played 3 nights - July 31, August 1 and August 2 to cheering crowds, but the crazy part is - the final dress is done at 10am, in broad daylight and is open to the public, as the venue is a county-owned facility. People showed up in droves, for the run-through and cheered on the actors, the Hollywood Bowl orchestra and conductor Kevin Stites, who you will see is wearing a black, casual shirt for the rehearsal. The show's director, Richard Jay-Alexander, made a brief speech before the run, welcoming everybody, and in this exclusive footage, I was also able to catch him, in his dressing room, before the Opening Night performance.

Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus' global smash hit musical MAMMA MIA! will welcome Patrick Boll, Alyse Alan Louis, David Andrew Macdonald and Eric William Morris to the Winter Garden Theatre on Tuesday, September 22, 2009.

If you're on the Internet today, it's all abuzz with last night's debut of what appears to be a dazzling production of Guys & Dolls in Concert at the legendary Hollywood Bowl. Weekend attendees will list like a 'who's who' of Hollywood and theatre folk. Lots of stars and celebrities have already attended, as well as industry insiders. Abe Burrows' daughter, Laurie Burrows Grad, with her husband Peter, visited rehearsals and Jo Loesser will be attending as well - with MTI head honcho Freddie Gershon.

Big screen star is hard at work in rehearsals for the upcoming Hollywood Bowl production of beloved musical 'GUYS AND DOLLS' this summer. The young star talked to ABC7 News about her Hollywood Bowl stage debut in this special adaptation of the Tony-award winning musical.

If you're on the Internet today, it's all abuzz with last night's debut of what appears to be a dazzling production of Guys & Dolls in Concert at the legendary Hollywood Bowl. Weekend attendees will list like a 'who's who' of Hollywood and theatre folk. Lots of stars and celebrities have already attended, as well as industry insiders. Abe Burrows' daughter, Laurie Burrows Grad, with her husband Peter, visited rehearsals and Jo Loesser will be attending as well - with MTI head honcho Freddie Gershon.

Brian Stokes Mitchell, Jessica Biel, Scott Bakula, Ellen Greene, and Beau Bridges star in Guys and Dolls in concert at the Hollywood Bowl. There will be three performances only, Friday and Saturday July 31 and August 1 at 8:30 pm and Sunday, August 2 at 7:30 pm.

Scott Bakula has been preparing for the upcoming Hollywood Bowl production of beloved musical 'GUYS AND DOLLS', which begins performances tonight. The actor dropped by 'Good Day LA' to talk about this special adaptation of the Tony-award winning musical.

Variety's Army Archerd reports that the long planned Broadway revival of Neil Simon's Promises, Promises is still on track for a rialto run according to the famed theatre scribe himself.