Elton John News

From the producers of 'Burn The Floor' comes the brand new 'Brazouka,' which will be making its debut in London September 16th through the 20th.

The Alliance Theatre is pleased to announce the promotion of Christopher Moses to Associate Artistic Director. Moses joined the education staff of the Alliance Theatre in 2000 and has served as the Alliance's Director of Educational Programs since 2011. This transition reflects the Alliance's ongoing commitment to artistic integration in education.

The Broadway Inspirational Voices will lead a host of Broadway talent in 'Imagine: A Concert of Hope,' a benefit concert to raise funds for cancer research through the Brian Werbel Memorial Fund at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center. The event will take place Monday, September 8th at 8pm at Le Poisson Rouge and all proceeds from the event will be donated to the Brian Werbel Memorial Fund.

THE LION KING Broadway cast member ALTON FITZGERALD WHITE will play his 4,000th performance as Mufasa in the landmark musical event this Saturday evening, August 23rd, 2014. White originated the role of Mufasa in the US touring production in 2002 and in a sit-down Las Vegas production in 2009, in addition to leading the flagship Broadway company intermittently since.

'Decades of Song' is coming to the Metropolitan Room, Saturday, September 20th at 7 PM.

Atlantic recording artist Ed Sheeran is celebrating the highly anticipated arrival of his second album 'x' (pronounced multiply), with a series of whirlwind international events dubbed 'Multiply Days.' To commorate the event, he is documenting his travels by keeping the cameras running. In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube page, Sheeran surprised high school students with a performance and debuts his new song from THE FAULT IN OUR STARS soundtrack.

Straight from New York is bringing Adam Pascal to a city near you for a Master's Class this fall. As of now, master's classes are booked in Charlotte, NC (Sept. 16 - 17), Oklahoma City, OK (Sept. 18-19) and Austin, TX (Sept. 20). Straight from New York provides educational opportunities for performing arts students to work with top Broadway artists in cities around the country. www.straightfromnewyork.com Adam Pascal is an actor, singer, and musician known for his portrayal of Roger Davis in the original cast of Jonathan Larson's musical RENT as well as the movie version. He is also known for originating the role of Radames in the Elton John/Tim Rice Aida. He was also in the revival of Cabaret as well as Huey Calhoun in the Broadway Company of Memphis. When you work with students, what is your approach to teaching? A: I approach students from an existential place. I don't have any formal training. My training is practical from all my experience. I listen to what students are doing and offer them practical instructions on how to make it better. Tyce Green, the artistic director of Straight from New York, brings the technical experience. Together it is a great combination. Where did you go to school? What did you study? Where I grew up, everyone went to college. In my family, you just did it. I attended the University of South Florida for my freshman year. I then transferred to the NY Institute of Technology and got a degree in communications. I didn't necessarily want to go into that field but I knew I needed a degree. What is your favorite role you've played? Emcee in Cabaret Have you ever done any classical Musical Theatre roles and are there any roles in classical Musical Theatre you'd like to tackle? I would love to play roles from classical musical theatre but have not had the opportunity. I find many of the roles to be outside the box what people are used to seeing me play. These roles are out of my comfort zone but I look forward to the challenge. I think I'd like to play the role of Curly in Oklahoma! How did you feel taking over the role in Memphis and how was it taking over from the man who originated the role (Chad Kimball) They always allowed me to play the character and develop him on my own. I was never asked to play it like anyone else. They wanted me to bring my own personality to the role. What is your favorite musical you've never done? Les Miserables, Hedwig and the Angry Itch, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeny Todd For the young performer who wants to pursue musical theatre as a career, what advice would you give them? 1. There is no other reason to do musical theatre other than the love of it. Don't do this to be a star! Pursue this because you love it. 2. Have something else in your life that brings you happiness. The majority of this business is not getting the job. If you are only happy getting the role, then you will live perpetually unhappy. As a teacher, it's frustrating to hear kids say, 'my life is RENT.' As well all know there could not be anything further from the truth. When you teach your seminars, how do you convey there is more to Musical Theatre than RENT and Les Miserables? I tell kids to have a career in theatre, you have to be as versatile as you can be. If you sell yourself as only one thing, you will be handicapped in this business. To have a long career you need to be able to sing and do anything. It goes for people who are classically trained as well. You must know all aspects of this business and learn to do as many as you can. What is the focus of your seminars? We focus on the audition process. We want our students to learn to be comfortable performing under pressure in any situation. There is no other situation with as much pressure as an audition. We focus on technique, relaxation methods, choices in an audition, what to wear, and what to expect in any audition situation. We are extremely honest with addressing the pros and cons of choices made by students who attend our seminar. We try to bring each student as much practical information as we can. Why should someone take your seminar? Only take this seminar if you interested in learning honest information on the world of performing. This seminar will be full of information and advice you can't get anywhere else. To sign up for Adam Pascal's master class in your city, visit: www.straightfromnewyork.com

The North American touring company of 'The Lion King' celebrated its success in Washington, D.C with a sold-out final performance on August 17th.

AEG Live will be bringing music to NCM's FirstLook pre-show in movie theaters nationwide in a new multi-year deal with National CineMedia (NCM), America's #1 weekend video network, reaching moviegoers on-screen, on-site, online and on mobile devices.

There is a hot new room in town for music and cabaret. Room 53 (314 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019) is a no cover, no drink minimum wine bar (great beers on tap too!) with amazing food influenced by French and Moroccan Cuisine. On August 29, piano / singer, Walt Frasier delivers a wide variety of music with special guests from Broadway and cabaret. From 8pm until midnight, Mr Frasier will play and sing rock, blues, Broadway, Jazz and even some Opera.

People's Light & Theatre opens its 40th Anniversary Season with August Wilson's Fences running September 10-October 5, 2014 on the Leonard C. Haas Stage. Kamilah Forbes directs. People's Light & Theatre is located at 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, PA 19355.

Ellen DeGeneres wanted to celebrate her sixth wedding anniversary with her wife Portia de Rossi in a big way, and apparently, the skies were literally the limit!

For 20 years now, Cirque Eloize has been taking the public and critics by storm in more than 440 cities around the world. Cirque Eloize's dazzling and energetic show entitled ID comes to South Africa for the very first time at the Teatro at Montecasino opening tonight, 19 August.

Join a cast of Broadway's brightest young talent, led by musical director Benjamin Rauhala, for an evening of wild mash-ups! From Bernstein to Bareilles, from Schwartz to Spears - audiences can expect an eclectic mix of pop and musical theater tunes, always with an unexpected twist.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Paul Giamatti will star in Universal's biopic STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON as Jerry Heller, the manager of the rap group N.W.A. F. Gary Gray directs. The film is scheduled to hit the big screen next August.

Hershey Symphony Orchestra kicks off its 2014-2015 season with Piano Men: The Music of Elton John and Billy Joel tonight, August 16, 2014 at 8 p.m. at the Hershey Theatre.

THE SUNSET STRIP and GIBSON FOUNDATION are excited to unveil their next installment of 10-foot, one-of-a-kind guitars Tuesday, August 19

The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, celebrating their 125th Anniversary Season, has been chosen as one of five honorees for the City of Chicago and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) inaugural Fifth Star Awards, celebrating the city's creativity through artists, arts advocates and cultural institutions. The free public celebration, also honoring dancer Lou Conte, artist Richard Hunt, Grammy-winning composer, pianist and radio personality Ramsey Lewis and arts advocate Lois Weisberg, will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 17 at 7:00 pm at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St.) and will feature live performances and tributes throughout the evening.

The name catches it: Chrome, fast as quicksilver, curved in anticipation of the future, a redux reading of chromosome that feels more machine than man.