Eric Schaeffer News

Virginia's Tony Award®-winning Signature Theatre has announced the artistic team behind the upcoming world premiere of the musical comedy And the Curtain Rises (formerly known as Wheatley's Folly), which begins performances on Thursday, March 17, 2011. And the Curtain Rises marks the third production presented as part of Signature's groundbreaking American Musical Voices Project, the largest commissioning program for new musicals in the country, following Michael John LaChiusa's Giant in 2009 and Ricky Ian Gordon's Sycamore Trees last year.

A simple white canvas. A 200,000 franc price tag. The real cost? A 15-year long friendship. Virginia's Tony Award®-winning Signature Theatre presents Yasmine Reza's (God of Carnage) scathing dark comedy Art. Translated by Christopher Hampton, Reza's play examines the pressures friends place on one another and asks the question - are you who you think you are or are you who your friends want you to be? Signature Theatre's Resident Director Matt Gardiner will direct the award-winning play. Produced worldwide and performed in over thirty languages, Art won the 1998 Tony Award® for Best Play and the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy.

Broadway/L.A. announces the lineup for its 2011-2012 PANTAGES SEASON, a seven-show package that includes six Los Angeles premieres of recent Broadway productions - COME FLY AWAY, BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL, THE ADDAMS FAMILY, MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, LA CAGE AUX FOLLES and MEMPHIS - and the return of the most successful show in Pantages Theatre's history, WICKED.

Theatre artists and productions nominated for The 27th Annual Helen Hayes Awards were announced this evening at a press conference hosted by The National Theatre in its Helen Hayes Gallery.

Virginia's Tony Award-winning Signature Theatre, through its groundbreaking American Musical Voices Project (AMVP), announces the world premiere of the musical comedy And the Curtain Rises (formerly known as Wheatley's Folly). Beginning performances on Thursday, March 17, 2011, And the Curtain Rises marks the third production presented as part of Signature's AMVP, the largest commissioning program for new musicals in the country, following Michael John LaChiusa's Giant in 2009 and Ricky Ian Gordon's Sycamore Trees last year. The Washington Post has said that 'Signature's AMVP is the most ambitious embrace of new musical theater in the DC region.'

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, the new West End musical that tells the electrifying story of the night in 1956 when Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis came together to make music and ended up making history, will star Ben Goddard (Jerry Lee Lewis), Derek Hagen (Johnny Cash), Francesca Jackson (Dyanne), Robert Britton Lyons (Carl Perkins) and Michael Malarkey (Elvis Presley), joining the previously announced Bill Ward (Sam Phillips).

Bella Vita Entertainment, with Anthony Gruppuso, Calvin Remsberg, and Tricia Stabile announces the Los Angeles premiere of Glory Days. Glory Days has music and lyrics by Nick Blaemire and book by James Gardiner, and will be directed by Calvin Remsberg. Glory Days will preview at 8 pm on Thursday, March 17 and Friday, March 18 with opening night at 8:00 pm on Saturday, March 19 and run through April 24 (Thursday through Sunday) at the Lillian Theatre.

On Friday, Friday 18, 2011, Million Dollar Quartet will celebrate its 1000th performance in Chicago by putting a new block of tickets on sale for performances through September 25, 2011. The Tony-nominated musical inspired by the famed 1956 recording session that brought together legendary rock ‘n' roll icons Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley, celebrates its long run in Chicago, a successful, multiple Tony-nominated Broadway run and a London production, opening February 28.

The full cast was announced earlier today and we're excited to present a high-res peak at the artwork for the highly anticipated, upcoming production of FOLLIES at the Kennedy Center with this Photo by Fraver!

The complete company has been revealed for FOLLIES at the Kennedy Center. Starring will be Danny Burstein as Buddy Plummer and Ron Raines as Benjamin Stone, joining previously announced Terrence Currier as Theodore Whitman, Rosalind Elias as Heidi Schiller,Florence Laceyas Sandra Crane, Linda Lavin as Hattie Walker, Jan Maxwell as Phyllis Rogers Stone, Elaine Paige as Carlotta Campion, Bernadette Peters as Sally Durant Plummer, Régine as Solange LaFitte, David Sabin as Dimitri Weismann, Susan Watson as Emily Whitman, and Terri White as Stella Deems.

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, the hit Broadway musical, announces that Jared Mason will assume the role of Jerry Lee Lewis at the Nederlander Theatre (208 West 41st Street) starting Tuesday, March 15.

Now commemorating its 16th year, Signature Theatre's flagship Education Program Signature in the Schools will present local high school students performing in Image is Everything, a world premiere work by award-winning playwright and director Joe Calarco.

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET stars Eddie Clendening and Lance Guest will appear live on "Boomer & Carton," the sports talk show broadcast simultaneously on WFAN (660 AM) and MSG-TV (Time Warner Channel 27) starting at 9 AM tomorrow.

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET stars Eddie Clendening and Lance Guest will appear live on "Boomer & Carton," the sports talk show broadcast simultaneously on WFAN (660 AM) and MSG-TV (Time Warner Channel 27) starting at 9 AM tomorrow.

Now commemorating its 16th year, Signature Theatre's flagship Education Program Signature in the Schools will present local high school students performing in Image is Everything, a world premiere work by award-winning playwright and director Joe Calarco.

Now commemorating its 16th year, Signature Theatre's flagship Education Program Signature in the Schools will present local high school students performing in Image is Everything, a world premiere work by award-winning playwright and director Joe Calarco.

The Tony Award-winning Signature Theatre continues to celebrate its successful 21st season with two cabaret shows in February that highlight the voices of the award-winning singer/actress Katie Thompson (Signature's Giant) and the acclaimed Scottish performer Euan Morton (Broadway's Taboo; Signature's Chess). The performance dates for Mr. Morton - who has been called 'sensational' by The New York Times - are February 10th and 11th, followed by Ms. Thompson and her 'shiveringly good' voice (The Washington Times), from February 22nd through the 26th.

Yesterday Kathie Lee Gifford, the co-host of the fourth hour of NBC's 'Today Show' performed the Patsy Kline classic 'Stop Look and Listen' with the cast of MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, the Broadway musical sensation.

Today Wednesday, January 26, Kathie Lee Gifford joined the cast of Million Dollar Quartet on stage for a special 'Sitting in with the Band' performance. Click below for a first look at her performance!

Today Wednesday, January 26, Kathie Lee Gifford joined the cast of MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET on stage for a special 'Sitting in with the Band' performance. Watch Kathie Lee's performance tomorrow on NBC's 'Today Show' between 10:00-11:00AM (on Channel 4 in New York. Check local listings).