Eddie Bird News

A staged reading of DOGFIGHT will be held at the Omaha Community Playhouse as part of the Alternative Programming series Monday, Jan. 25, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. in OCP's Hawks Mainstage Theatre.

Nashville actor and NFL Hall of Famer Eddie George, who makes his Broadway debut Tuesday night in the iconic musical Chicago, was named First Night's Outstanding Leading Actor in a Play for his searing portrayal of a former slave haunted by the spectre of abuse in Nashville Repertory Theatre's The Whipping Man. Rene Dunshee Copeland, producing artistic director of Nashville Rep, was named Outstanding Director of a Play, while her three-actor ensemble (which included James Rudolph and Matthew Rosenbaum) were awarded as First Night's Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Play for their rendition of the Matthew Lopez play.

I remember when the film version of DOGFIGHT was release, and how I was initially repelled by the very concept, but then I saw the film, and I understood. You'll understand even more when you take in Stray Dog Theatre's local premiere presentation of the musical version of DOGFIGHT, and it's and absolute must see! This is truly a revelatory experience, with a smart book by Peter Duchan, and wonderfully arranged music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. It's a cool score that lifts the action in an even more affecting manner than the movie does. It's the intimacy we experience when we see something live unfold before our eyes. This is a truly wondrous production that will move you, and that's what theatre is all about.

At a time in theatre where shows are all-too-often injected with extreme concepts or 'themes' outside of the originally written text (sometimes successful, sometimes not), it's a remarkable breath of fresh air to see a production where the script is trusted to stand on its own without a director's own imaginations forced upon it. In BoHo Theatre's 'Dogfight,' directed with care by Peter Marston Sullivan, it's this faith in the show itself that makes the production shine.

The original London cast of Pasek and Paul's Dogfight, will be reunited at the St James Theatre in a concert on Oct. 11.  Jamie Muscato and Laura Jane Matthewson will reprise their performances.  The cast also features Cellen Chugg Jones, Nicholas Corre, Matthew Cutts, Ciaran Joyce, Amanda Minihan, Rebecca Trehearn and Samuel J. Weir. 

Two powerhouse musicals DOGFIGHT and VIOLET; two explosive Off-Broadway plays APPROPRIATE and BOOTYCANDY; and the New England debut of Harvey Fierstein's acclaimed comic-drama CASA VALENTINA are set for SpeakEasy Stage Company's 2015-16 Season, the company's Founder and Producing Artistic Director Paul Daigneault announced today.

BoHo Theatre closes out its groundbreaking 11th season with the musical Dogfight by Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, and Peter Duchan, directed by BoHo Artistic Director Peter Marston Sullivan. Based on the 1991 Warner Brothers film, Dogfight explores the power of compassion in the face of cruelty and malice. The play features a rousing score and an emotional heart that shows musical theatre at its finest.

DOGFIGHT, the Justin Paul & Benj Pasek musical that tells a tender but brutal story of young people meeting in a situation that is destined for heartbreak, began at The Keegan Theatre on August 22, opens tonight, August 25, and runs through September 19, 2015. Christina A. Coakley & Michael Innocenti direct the production, with a libretto by Peter Duchan, musical direction by Jake Null and choreography by Kurt Boehm. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast onstage below!

In this acclaimed musical adaptation of the film, three young Marines set out on the eve of their deployment in 1963 for one final night of debauchery, carousing and a little trouble. A "dogfight" ensues to determine who can find the most unattractive girl to bring to the party. Corporal Eddie Birdlace picks Rose, an awkward, idealistic waitress, who will rewrite the rules of the game and teach him the power of love and compassion.

The new musical DOGFIGHT premiered Off-Broadway in 2012 with a breathtaking score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, accompanied by a thought-provoking book by Peter Duchan. A sensational adaptation of Nancy Savoca's 1991 film by the same name, the musical blends comedy and drama into a tale of love, friendship, and personal growth. Bayou City Theatrics' Houston Premiere of DOGFIGHT runs tonight, August 14, to August 30 at the Kaleidoscope.

Dogfight, the Justin Paul & Benj Pasek musical that tells a tender but brutal story of young people meeting in a situation that is destined for heartbreak, opens at The Keegan Theatre on August 22, 2015. Christina A. Coakley & Michael Innocenti direct the production, with a libretto by Peter Duchan, musical direction by Jake Null and choreography by Kurt Boehm.

Fresh from a 2014 run at London's Southwark Playhouse, this 'most enjoyable, moving and stimulating new musical' (The Independent) with a beautiful folky score is brought to Birmingham for the first time by the Old Joint Stock Theatre.

Red Branch Theatre Company (RBTC) will complete its 2015 season entitled Coming of Age with two engaging and varied theatrical experiences: Dogfight and Peter Rabbit. Casting has just concluded for both upcoming productions at Howard County's newest professional theatre.

BoHo Theatre closes out its groundbreaking 11th season with the musical Dogfight by Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, and Peter Duchan, directed by BoHo Artistic Director Peter Marston Sullivan. Based on the 1991 Warner Brothers film, Dogfight explores the power of compassion in the face of cruelty and malice. The play features a rousing score and an emotional heart that shows musical theatre at its finest.

The new musical DOGFIGHT premiered Off-Broadway in 2012 with a breathtaking score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, accompanied by a thought-provoking book by Peter Duchan. A sensational adaptation of Nancy Savoca's 1991 film by the same name, the musical blends comedy and drama into a tale of love, friendship, and personal growth. Bayou City Theatrics' Houston Premiere of DOGFIGHT runs August 14 to August 30 at the Kaleidoscope.

Working up your strategy for how to win the Hamilton? lottery? Fantasizing over the cute puppy you saw at Broadway Barks? Didn't have time check in on all of the latest Broadway news? Well don't worry BroadwayWorld has rounded up some of the biggest stories from this week from Broadway and beyond with BroadwayWorld's 'This Week in Pictures.' Highlights from this week include a first look at THE WILD PARTY, AMAZING GRACE and Benedict Cumberbatch and so much more!

The Media Theatre's Broadway Series starts up again in September, but until then several professional actors who have appeared on its stage will headline the classic rock and roll musical 'The Who's Tommy' in July and August.

Looking for a way to beat the heat this weekend? What's better than sinking into a seat in a darkened auditorium and letting the talented actors onstage whisk you way to a whole different world from the world iin which you toil Monday through Friday? Theater companies throughout the midstate are ready to dazzle you with their latest productions and here are some of this weekend's best bets...

Sometimes it seems there is so much theater happening that it's difficult to keep track of it all. From personal experience, despite all the datebooks, smart phones, tablets, desktop computers and laptops...it's hard to keep everything straight in this wacky business of the show. Thus, we are happy to present a new feature: The Nashville Theater Calendar, a comprehensive - maybe even exhaustive (lord knows we're exhausted from putting it together, gathering all the info from all over the interwebs!) - listing of theatrical openings for the 2015/16 season. We'll update the calendar every Monday, clearing out the shows that have closed and adding additional information on the shows still to come.

We pride ourselves on our bounteous Southern hospitality here in Nashville, so who's gonna explain this: On Thursday, as thousands of country music fans gathered downtown for CMA Fest and thousands more fans of every musical genre you can think of were headed southward for the Bonnaroo Music Festival - just another summer in Tennessee, mind you - a truck spilled its load all over Interstate 65-S, adding to the hot, humid atmosphere with a whole mess of fish parts. Yep, you heard it right: smelly, disgusting fish parts baking on the hot asphalt under the blazing sun.