Elton John News

Robert Nederlander, Jr., a third generation member of the Nederlander theater dynasty, and Richard Eisenberg, a prominent Long Island attorney and arts philanthropist, have joined the Board of Trustees of Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts, the renowned Long Island not-for-profit summer arts day camp. Usdan Center (www.usdan.com), now in its 46th season, has introduced the arts to more than 60,000 children ages 6 to 18, and counts among its alumni Natalie Portman, Jane Monheit, Mariah Carey, Olivia Thirlby, Seth Rudetsky, Jackie Hoffman, Lisa Gay Hamiltonand members of major music and dance ensembles.

Chess, Glee, West Side Story with Tony Award Nominee Josefina Scaglione - PRiMA has brought these large stage productions to life and now comes the biggest to date. PRiMA Theatre will present Elton John & Tim Rice's AIDA at Steinman Hall at the Ware Center on September 08 &15 (2pm, 7pm).

USA Today reports that Elton John has been forced to cancel an upcoming concert at London's Hyde Park after having been diagnosed with appendicitis.

Disney's award-winning musical THE LION KING received its official premiere at Birmingham Hippodrome on Thursday, 4th July. The performance was greeted by an enthusiastic standing ovation from the capacity audience. THE LION KING will continue its season at Birmingham Hippodrome until Saturday 28th September, before transferring to the Edinburgh Playhouse for its Scottish Premiere. Scroll down for photos of the cast in action!

Taylor Dayne, nationally recognized singer, songwriter and actor, will appear as Grizabella in the Broadway favorite 'CATS,' opening at Merry-Go-Round Playhouse as part of the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival on Aug. 21 in Auburn, N.Y.

In response to hundreds of messages from Adelaide fans, the Estate of Michael Jackson and Cirque du Soleil announced today that Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World TourTM will now come to Adelaide in October this year as part of its Australian tour. This once-in-a-lifetime electrifying production uses Cirque du Soleil creativity to give fans worldwide a unique view into the spirit, passion and heart of the artistic genius who forever transformed global pop culture. Written and directed by Jamie King, the show includes 49 international dancers, musicians and acrobats. Since its world premiere in Montreal in October 2011, the enormously successful arena production has thrilled audiences across North America, Europe and Asia.

Twelfth Night, by William Shakespeare will be directed by Brad Craddock, opening tonight, July 5, and running through July 20, 2013, at the Highland Park Bowl; 1200 South Avenue (corner of South Avenue & Robinson Drive), Rochester NY, presented by The Shakespeare Players, a program of the Rochester Community Players, in cooperation with the Monroe County Parks Department. No admission! Free Shakespeare at the Bowl. Donations will be solicited during intermission. Scroll down for a sneak peek at the cast in action!

Last night I had the privilege of taking a look back on an incredibly impressive recent string of major musicals starring the phenomenally talented Brandon Victor Dixon with the leading man himself, ranging from his work last year Off-Broadway in RENT as well as the Williamstown Theatre Festival mounting of FAR FROM HEAVEN, both directed by Michael Greif, through to his acclaimed performance in Kander & Ebb's THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS through to his new role portraying music titan Berry Gordy himself in the audience hit of the 2012-2013 season, MOTOWN. In addition to eloquently expounding on his various starring roles in those four major musicals and reflecting upon his time spent in each production, Dixon also opens up about his passion for performance in general and the importance of collaboration in the creation of any musical from the ground-up. Dixon also comments upon his experiences originating a role in Oprah Winfrey's recent stage venture THE COLOR PURPLE as well as recounts his association with COTTON CLUB PARADE - set to premiere on Broadway under a new title later this year - as well as the various incarnations of his stage piece based on the life and career of Ray Charles. Most importantly, besides all about MOTOWN and his work with Gordy and the cast on the hit show, Dixon also previews what we can expect from the cast of the show on tonight's A CAPITOL FOURTH PBS concert extravaganza, featuring Dixon alongside MOTOWN standout Saycon Sengbloh. All of that, first news on Dixon's upcoming self-penned solo album project, memories of working on THE GOOD WIFE, thoughts on GLEE and the modern performing arts revolution and much, much more!

Tickets are now on sale for the Alliance Theatre's 2013-14 Season.

Broadway's landmark musical event THE LION KING, the fifth longest-running show in Broadway history, is pleased to welcome GARETH SAXE back to Broadway as the sardonic and deviously cunning Scar, beginning performances on Tuesday, July 2, 2013.

Today we are talking to a passionate and prolific performer who has appeared in a number of impressive properties over the course of his career thus far - Milky White in the most recent Broadway revival of INTO THE WOODS to his starring roles in MEMPHIS and beyond - the charming Chad Kimball.

Sandra Bernhard, Lea DeLaria, & Scott Thompson are set to star in SO OVER THE RAINBOW, for one night only tonight, June 29th at 8:00PM, at Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker Street.

On Saturday, June 29, 2013, award winning vocalist, Chris Williams, will be performing a concert for the official release of his new album 'Elizabeth: Songs Based on Pride & Prejudice' at Stadium Vineyard, 1531 S. Sinclair St. Anaheim, CA 92869. The doors open at 7:30 p.m. with the concert starting at 8:00 p.m. The new CD is being launched this year in celebration of the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen's timeless masterpiece. All songs on the album are original compositions by Williams. For ticket information please call 714-584-7933.

Only two nights removed from the last of my three solo debut shows at the Metropolitan Room celebrating the Don McLean Songbook, I was already experiencing the post-performance depression I'd heard tell about from cabaret veterans. I needed someone to lift me up where I belonged, so my instincts took me to Birdland for another trip through memory lane with Nostalgic Natalie Douglas. The last time I had heard the dynamic Ms. Douglas was 14 months before when she powered her way through her historically and politically passionate Freedom Songs. This time, Natalie's nostalgic trip was a much more personal adventure she called Scrapbook 2.0, which traversed everything from the musical influences of her late parents to the tunes she loved while growing up in Southern California. By the time Douglas was finished flipping the pages of her musical scrapbook--and delivering some adorably homey stories along with them--my gloom had been transformed into gladness.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Matthew Morrison is engaged to his girlfriend of two years, model Renee Puente. The marriage will be the first for both.

Twelfth Night, by William Shakespeare will be directed by Brad Craddock, running July 5-20, 2013, at the Highland Park Bowl; 1200 South Avenue (corner of South Avenue & Robinson Drive), Rochester NY, presented by The Shakespeare Players, a program of the Rochester Community Players, in cooperation with the Monroe County Parks Department. No admission! Free Shakespeare at the Bowl. Donations will be solicited during intermission. Scroll down for a sneak peek at the cast in action!

Put 97Nine and American English together, and you have a rockin' double bill for the first of threeDowntown Alive! concerts this summer at the new RiverEdge Park, 360 North Broadway in Aurora. 97Nine and American English will perform tonight, June 28 at 7 p.m. Tickets are only $5. Children 12 and under are free with an accompanying ticketed adult.

Oprah, the queen of entertainment, is back on top after placing second for two consecutive years.