Edna Ferber News

From the award-winning author recognized as one of the country's top three romance writers comes a rich new saga of love and intrigue. Passions run high and readers can almost feel the grit whipped up by the torrid winds of Dust Devil, an ebook by Parris Afton Bonds.

Details are set for the next Lyrics & Lyricists Downtown, the L&L series at 92YTribeca. Tonight, April 15, this one-night-only event features a conversation with Tony Award-nominated lyricist composer and librettist Michael John LaChiusa.

Vocalists and a pianist are announced for Lyrics & Lyricists Downtown, the L&L series at 92YTribeca. On Monday, April 15, this one-night-only event features a conversation with Tony Award-nominated lyricist composer and librettist Michael John LaChiusa. As one of today's most innovative, prolific and honored artists, LaChiusa's credits include Giant (which recently garnered a Lucille Lortel Award nomination as "Outstanding Musical,") Queen of the Mist, See What I Wanna See and Marie Christine. Joining him as moderator is five-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald, who has starred in several of his works and included his songs on her CDs Way Back To Paradise and Happy Songs. The conversation - touching on LaChiusa's significant works and his songwriting process - is punctuated by songs with vocalists Natalie Cortez and Mary Testa and pianist Chris Fenwick.

The Off-Broadway League today announced nominations in 14 categories and two additional special awards for the 2013 Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway. The Lortel Awards will be handed out on Sunday, May 5, 2013 at NYU Skirball Center beginning at 7:00pm EST, and hosted by acclaimed stage and screen actors Aasif Mandvi and Maura Tierney. This year's event will once again benefit The Actors Fund.

Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum celebrates its 40th Anniversary with a lively summer season of theater, music and performance under the stars and live oaks of Topanga Canyon

Ghostlight Records will release the Original Cast Recording of the acclaimed epic musical GIANT online and in stores on May21, 2013. GIANT had its New York Premiere at The Public Theater last fall, and was a co-production with Dallas Theater Center. GIANT features music and lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa, and a book by Sybille Pearson, based on the novel by Edna Ferber. This production was directed by Michael Greif and had choreography by Alex Sanchez. To pre-order the album, please visit www.sh-k-boom.com/giant.html.

Lakewood Theatre Company will begin its 61st season with six productions on its Mainstage and three productions on its Side Door stage beginning July 12, 2013.

Michael Donald Edwards, Asolo Rep Producing Artistic Director, and Greg Leaming, Asolo Rep Associate Artistic Director and Director of The FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training, today announced their selections for the 2013-2014 season.

The Acting Company will present a benefit staged reading of Stage Door by Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman at 7 pm tonight, March 18 at the Ailey Studios Joan Weill Center for Dance, 405 West 55th Street (Ninth Avenue).

The Acting Company will present a benefit staged reading of Stage Door by Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman at 7 pm on Monday, March 18 at the Ailey Studios Joan Weill Center for Dance, 405 West 55th Street (Ninth Avenue). The performance, starring Kristine Nielsen (Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson), Merwin Goldsmith (Grand Hotel, Me and My Gal), Heidi Armbruster (Disgraced, Time Stands Still), Zoe Winters (4,000 Miles, Gossip Girl) will be followed by a reception with the cast and director, Irene Lewis, former Artistic Director of Baltimore's Centerstage. A dozen Acting Company Alumni Members-Beth Bartley, Kaliswa Brewster, Georgia Cohen, Susan Finch, Adam Green, Julie Jesneck, Jonathan Kaplan (Tony nom. Falsettos), Lisa McCormick, Kevin Orton, Kathleen Wise, Bjorn Dupaty, Ray Virta-will also perform. Tickets @ $35 and $60 (Patron) are available from 212-258-3111.

The SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Theatre present 'Stage Door' now through March 2, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus. The production is part of the College of Fine Arts' University Series and the School of Theatre's Mainstage Series.

The legendary theatrical composer and lyricist took to the Susquehanna University stage to present his own inside history of American musical theatre and its creators and stars

Details are set for the next Lyrics & Lyricists Downtown, the L&L series at 92YTribeca. On Monday, April 15, this one-night-only event features a conversation with Tony Award-nominated lyricist composer and librettist Michael John LaChiusa.

Today in 1946, the second Broadway revival of Showboat opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre, and ran for 418 performances. Show Boat is a musical in two acts with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It was originally produced in New York in 1927 and in London in 1928, and was based on the 1926 novel of the same name by Edna Ferber. The plot chronicles the lives of those living and working on the Cotton Blossom, a Mississippi River show boat, from 1880 to 1927. The show's dominant themes include racial prejudice and tragic, enduring love.

With rehearsals underway this week, Houston Grand Opera welcomes Lara Teeter to the role of Cap'n Andy in the new production of SHOW BOAT opening January 18. Teeter takes on the role after Tommy Tune stepped down because he is on vocal rest.

The Public Theater's acclaimed epic musical Giant closes today, December 16, after playing an additional two weeks. With book by Sybille Pearson, music and lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa, and directed by Michael Greif, Giant officially opened on Thursday, November 15 and was originally scheduled to close on Sunday, December 2.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham) announced today that the cast of the acclaimed epic musical GIANT will enter the recording studio in January to create an original cast album, which will be released by Ghostlight Records in spring 2013. GIANT officially opened at The Public on November 15 and features a book by Sybille Pearson, music and lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa, and direction by Michael Greif. The show will end its limited run at The Public Theater at Astor Place on Sunday, December 16 following a final two-week extension.

If the world were a little more just and the general public's taste for musical theatre a lot more cerebral, news of a new Michael John LaChiusa musical would cause the same kind of box office frenzy that in the 1940s and 50s greeted announcements of Rodgers and Hammerstein's latest.  Or at least match the high expectations these days whenever another Stephen Sondheim revival is mounted.

The Public Theater announced today that it will extend the acclaimed epic musical Giant two additional weeks. The production must close on Sunday, December 16.

The Public Theater presents the New York premiere production of Giant, an epic love story with book by Sybille Pearson, music and lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa and directed by Michael Greif. The show opened last night, November 15th and runs through Sunday, December 2. BroadwayWorld spoke with Kate Baldwin, Brian d'Arcy James, P.J. Griffith, Michele Pawk and John Dossett on opening night. Click below to hear what they had to say about GIANT's journey to The Public, plus highlights from the show!