Eric Schaeffer News

In July 2010, Signature Theatre continued its dedication to supporting new voices in the theater by awarding special Next Generation 'honoree grants' to composers Joshua Schmidt (Adding Machine, A Minister's Wife) and Joshua Rosenblum (Einstein's Dreams, Fermat's Last Tango) to develop new works for the theatre - and on December 4th at 8:00pm, both Mr. Schmidt and Mr. Rosenblum will be sharing selections from projects they are currently working on from their commissions.

In a special limited engagement, Signature Theatre presents the world premiere musical A Second Chance, featuring a book, music, and lyrics by Ted Shen. Directed by Jonathan Butterell (Signature's Giant), A Second Chance fuses jazz and musical theater stylings, with musical direction by Zak Sandler.

November has over 60 more openings in the professional, community, universities, and children's theaters in the DC/MD/VA area. A week has already passed in November and over 20 new productions have opened. To read reviews of these shows, go to Maryland Theatre Guide, where I am the Editor and a columnist. A recent back surgery kept me from posting this earlier, so we have some catching up to do.

The holiday season is just around the corner and New Year's Eve will be here before you know it. And what better way to celebrate 2012 than to go back in time to the funkadelic 60's as Signature Theatre hosts their annual New Year's Eve party.

PS Classics, the label dedicated to the heritage of Broadway and American popular song, will release the new two-disc set Broadway cast album of the Kennedy Center's acclaimed revival of FOLLIES on Tuesday, November 29, 2011. On Thursday, December 1st, Stephen Sondheim, Bernadette Peters, Jan Maxwell, Danny Burstein, Ron Raines, Elaine Paige and other members of the cast of FOLLIES will sign copies of the album at Barnes & Noble (150 E. 86th St; between Lexington & 3rd Ave.) beginning promptly at 4:00 p.m. and ending at 5:30 p.m. The album is produced by Tommy Krasker.

Join the party! Tease it up. Throw on your best A-line and go-go boots...or that shagadelic wide tie - and put on your dancin' shoes. On Saturday, November 5th at 8:00pm, Signature Theatre will be transforming their theater into a Hairspray-style dance party with ‘The Big Hair Ball.'

Million Dollar Quartet, entering its fourth year in Chicago, continues performances through May 31, 2012 with cast members Brandon Bennett (Elvis Presley), Gabe Bowling (Carl Perkins), Lance Lipinsky (Jerry Lee Lewis), Sean Sullivan (Johnny Cash), Tim Decker (Sam Phillips), Heather Marie Marsden (Dyanne), Brad Ber (Jay Perkins/Bass player) and Dan Leali (Fluke/Drummer).

The national tour of MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, the Tony Award®-winning new musical inspired by the true story of four rock ‘n' roll icons will make its Indianapolis premiere December 13-18 at the Old National Centre as part of the Broadway in Indianapolis series. Tickets go on sale Thursday, November 3 and will be available in person at the Broadway Across America Box Office downtown at 342 Massachusetts Avenue, Clowes Memorial Hall, The Old National Center Ticket Office, online at BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com, or by phone at 1-800-982-2787.

PS Classics has revealed the complete track list for the the new cast recording for the revival of FOLLIES on November 29. To pre-order the double-disc album online at $14.95, visit www.psclassics.com. The album will feature 33 tracks with some dialogue lead-ins, scenes, and speeches in a two-disc set, complete with 52-page full-color booklet with essay, synopsis, lyrics and production photos. Limited song clips are available now as well on the PS Classics web site. Tracks will include:

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announces the national tour of MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, the Tony Award®-winning new musical inspired by the true story of four rock 'n' roll icons will make its Pittsburgh premiere November 1-6, 2011, at the Benedum Center, as part of the PNC Broadway Across America-Pittsburgh series, presented by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Pittsburgh Symphony and Broadway Across America.

For its 22nd season, Signature Theatre is celebrating their signature composer Stephen Sondheim by presenting his very first musical, Saturday Night (1953) as a concert event for four performances only on Saturday, October 29th (2pm and 8pm) and Sunday, October 30th (2pm and 7pm). This rarely performed hidden gem from America's foremost musical theater composer features a book by Julius and Philip Epstein, with music and lyrics - unperformed in full until 1997 - by Sondheim. This special limited engagement will be directed by Signature's Associate Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner (Side by Side by Sondheim, The Hollow) and the Music Director is Jon Kalbfleisch. Limited seating is still available, with single ticket prices at $41 each. Saturday Night will play in Signature's MAX Theatre.

PS Classics is set to release the new cast recording for the revival of FOLLIES on November 29. To pre-order the double-disc album online at $14.95, visit www.psclassics.com. According to PS Classics.com, the album will feature 33-34 songs with some dialogue lead-ins, scenes, and speeches.

It's time to let your hair down and dance the night away! The 1960's are coming back to Washington as the Broadway sensation Hairspray will begin performances at the Tony Award-winning Signature Theatre on November 21st - just in time for the holidays. Directed by Signature's Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer, the production will star national radio host Robert Aubry Davis (WETA's 'Around Town' and Sirius/XM Radio), making his musical theater stage debut in the iconic role of Edna Turnblad. The impressive cast of DC favorites is headlined by Carolyn Cole (Tracy Turnblad), Nova Y. Payton (Motormouth Mable), Sherri L. Edelen (Velma Von Tussle), Patrick Thomas Cragin (Link Larkin), and Harry A. Winter (Wilbur Turnblad). Hairspray will play at Signature's MAX Theatre from November 21, 2011 through January 29, 2012. Tickets are now on sale.

The Tony Award-winning Signature Theatre will honor esteemed stage actress Patti LuPone with the company's third Stephen Sondheim Award. The award, established in 2009 in honor of America's most influential contemporary musical theater writer and composer, will be presented at a black-tie Gala Benefit on April 16, 2012 at the Embassy of Italy in Washington, DC. Signature Theatre Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer said, 'I am thrilled that Patti LuPone will be this year's recipient of the Stephen Sondheim Award. With her wonderful performances in Gypsy, Sweeney Todd, Company, Passion, and more - she has had an amazing connection to Steve's words and music. It's wonderful to add her name to the distinguished honorees Angela Lansbury and Bernadette Peters. We look forward to saluting Patti and her extraordinary talents in April.'

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, the hit musical now playing at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street), will welcome Eric Stang to the role of Jerry Lee Lewis starting Monday, October 17.

For its 22nd season, Signature Theatre is celebrating their signature composer Stephen Sondheim by presenting his very first musical, Saturday Night (1953) as a concert event for four performances only on Saturday, October 29th (2pm and 8pm) and Sunday, October 30th (2pm and 7pm). This rarely performed hidden gem from America's foremost musical theater composer features a book by Julius and Philip Epstein, with music and lyrics - unperformed in full until 1997 - by Sondheim. This special limited engagement will be directed by Signature's Associate Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner (Side by Side by Sondheim, The Hollow) and the Music Director is Jon Kalbfleisch. Limited seating is still available, with single ticket prices at $41 each. Saturday Night will play in Signature's MAX Theatre.

Million Dollar Quartet, now in its third year, continues performances through December 31, 2011 as new cast members Brandon Bennett (Elvis Presley), Heather Marie Marsden (Dyanne) Brad Ber (Jay Perkins/Bass player) and Dan Leali (Fluke/Drummer) join Gabe Bowling (Carl Perkins), Lance Lipinsky (Jerry Lee Lewis), Sean Sullivan (Johnny Cash) and Tim Decker (Sam Phillips) for the hit show. 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 multiple Tony-nominated New York run, a long-running London production and a national tour beginning in October 2011.

The national tour of MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, the Tony Award®-winning new musical inspired by the electrifying true story of four rock ‘n' roll icons will open the national tour at PlayhouseSquare October 11 through October 23 as a part of the KeyBank Broadway Series

Sweet Tea will play close in Signature's intimate ARK Theatre on October 9, 2011.

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET will play its final performance at London's Noël Coward Theatre on Saturday 14 January 2012 whilst producers make plans for a major tour of the UK and Ireland. The London production has already been seen by over 200,000 people, played over 250 performances and grossed in excess of £5 million at the Box Office since its West End premiere.