Donna Summer News

Birds of a feather flock together, so they say, and in the case of BRIEFS: THE SECOND COMING, that pursuit can involve actual feathers.

Be a queen of the dance floor this spring at About Face Theatre's annual gala and Chicago's hottest party: WONKA BALL: Disco Inferno on Friday, April 12, 2019 at 8 pm (VIP cocktail reception and awards ceremony at 7 pm) at Venue West, 221 N. Paulina St. in Chicago.

Ron Legler, President of the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, home of the Hippodrome Theatre, has announced the lineup for the new 2019/20 CareFirst® BlueCross BlueShield Hippodrome Broadway Series. The season is anchored by the 2017 and 2018 Tony Award®-winners for "Best Musical" DEAR EVAN HANSEN and THE BAND'S VISIT. Several classic fan favorites will return including season options WICKED and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, as well as CATS and JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR.

At long last, Hedwig comes to Diversionary! This iconic musical is an integral part of the LGBT theater canon and truly rocked the musical form when it debuted Off Broadway 20 years ago. It has since been made into a movie, enjoyed productions all over the world, and had its Broadway debut starring Neil Patrick Harris, winning the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. Our 20th anniversary production will find a thrilling new aesthetic and a renewed authenticity as we conclude a nationwide casting search for the right gender non-binary performer to fill Hedwig's boots! Get ready to rock!

Bright Star Tony Award nominee and star of the upcoming Call Me Madam revival at Encores!, Carmen Cusack returns to Feinstein's/54 Below with a brand new show! Join Carmen for a jazz/R&B/country mash up! Expect songs by female artists she grew up listening and singing along to like Donna Summer, Dolly Parton, Dionne Warwick, Crystal Gayle, Nina Simone, Karen Carpenter, Linda Ronstadt, and Dusty Springfield. She'll even throw in a few ya haven't heard of… It'll be a walk down memory lane for some, and uncharted territory for others, but definitely a retro lounge riot!

The upcoming remake of WEST SIDE STORY directed by Steven Spielberg, with a screenplay by Tony Kushner has announced additional casting according to Deadline. Ariana DeBose will star as Anita, Tony Award Winner David Alvarez as Bernardo, and Josh Andres Rivera has been cast as Chino.

As BroadwayWorld reported last week, Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz, a new Broadway-bound musical about the early life of Judy Garland, from her vaudeville sister act through her rise at MGM to win the role of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, just had an industry presentation in New York City. The musical has reportedly earned the approval of one very important guest, Liza Minnelli. She told Deadline: 

The story of six out-of-work, impoverished steelworkers from Sheffield with nothing to lose, the original film took the world by storm and the stage version has become one of Britain's most successful shows. It was adapted for stage by original scriptwriter Simon Beaufoy, whose other film credits include The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Salmon Fishing In The Yemen and Slumdog Millionaire.

In the early stages of creating a role, one of the questions actors might ask is 'how does my character speak his/her/their lines?' Or 'does my character have an accent or dialect that's different from mine?' As a dialect coach, my job is to assist them in learning and perfecting various accents and dialects for theater, film, TV, and internet. Very often, just knowing where to get started in dialect study can be overwhelming; so here's Step 1.

Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz, a new Broadway-bound musical about the early life of Judy Garland, from her vaudeville sister act through her rise at MGM to win the role of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, will have an industry presentation today, January 10, in New York City.

British electronic act Cabinet of Millionaires has announced their new single 'Theresa'. Featuring resplendent punchy beats, sci fi loony tune hooks, dub basslines and gospel tinged soul-rock vocals from Pat Fulgoni, this five-song includes four versions of the title track plus b-side 'Serve Me'.

Good morning BroadwayWorld! Today's top stories: Ring in the New Year with Aaron Tveit at Feinstein's/54 Below, and more!

Today, we're giving you a look back on the marquees of 2018, with this retrospective album from our archives.

We take a closer look at 100 Instagram profiles you should add to your feed as we close out the year, accounts noted for stellar content in 2018 and hints as to more excitement to come in 2019. By no means, however, could this list include all of our favorite creatives, industry representatives, and theatrical performers.

Go behind the scenes of Broadway's Summer: The Donna Summer Musical with Storm Lever, as she takes over the BroadwayWorld Instagram tomorrow, December 28th! Follow along as Lever takes you behind the scenes of her two-show day as Duckling Donna! Be sure to tune in!

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Today's top stories: the star-studded cast is announced for an upcoming reading of Parade, watch the full Kennedy Center Honors, and more!

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, SUMMER: The Donna Summer Musical will close on Broadway today, December 30, 2018. Before the show has its last dance on Broadway, we're flashing back through its journey...

The gifts have been opened, the feasts have been eaten and the merriment has been had. As the holiday season comes to a close and we countdown the final days of the year, we're getting ready to ring in 2019 by looking back. Relive the magic of the Broadway Legacy Robe with  photos from the 2018 ceremonies below!

The Ensemblist, the online advocate for talented artists working in theatre ensembles, announces it's 1st Annual 'Ones to Watch' List: Kate Bailey, Kevin Csolak, Kimberly Dodson and Wayne 'Juice' Mackins.

BroadwayWorld is excited to continue our exclusive collaboration with Pets of Broadway! From the cats of choreographers, to the dogs of dancers, to the birds of belters and the many pets in between, Pets of Broadway shares the stories of your favorite Broadway stars' best friends! This week's Pets of Broadway introduces you to Freddy and Izzy, two cats rescued by Summer: The Donna Summer Musical's Tony nominee, Ariana Debose! Read below as Barks talks about her pup!