Fanny Brice News

'This place smells like barf!' exclaimed Sue Sylvester upon arriving in the Big Apple for the very first time. Yet, nothing came close to stinking in last night's Glee - actually, it was one of the most April fresh and Broadway-centric, blissfully entertaining episodes to date, all considered. FUNNY GIRL, too! Plus, BroadwayWorld got lovingly name-checked - again!

Beautiful Soup Theater will present the World Premiere workshop production of Steven Carl McCasland's Little Wars. The limited engagement will play Roy Arias Stage II Theatre beginning tonight, April 23rd. Beautiful Soup is best known for reviving lost or oft-forgotten works, but occasionally presents workshops of new plays and musicals.

Jeanna de Waal (currently starring in Broadway's Kinky Boots; who also starred in the Off-Broadway revival of Carrie; Green Day's American Idiot on Broadway; We Will Rock You on the West End; and Glinda in the National Tour of Wicked) has joined the lineup of special guests for Martin and Realbuto's April 25th Outcasts Like Us concert at 54 Below. Previously announced Anneliese van der Pol has left the event due to scheduling issues.

GLEE breakout star and Broadway notable Lea Michele dazzles with a whole new look for her role as Fanny Brice in the revival of the classic Jule Styne/Bob Merrill musical FUNNY GIRL on an upcoming episode of FOX's hit musical dramedy series GLEE and a first look at the actress in action showing off her new style is now available to view.

Funny girl, singular talent, American icon. Fanny Brice hit stardom in the 1920s and, almost a century later, still inspires the public imagination. On May 3, 4, and 5, Lyrics & Lyricists pays tribute to Fanny with Ziegfeld Girl: The Many Faces of Fanny Brice, a night of songs she put on the Broadway map, led by artistic director Ted Sperling, music director of the smash 2008 Broadway revival of South Pacific. Vocalists Capathia Jenkins, Leslie Kritzer, Faith Prince and Clarke Thorell sing classics like "Second Hand Rose" and "My Man"-as well as songs she inspired in Funny Girl.

What, dare say, is “the ultimate musical theatre challenge”? Well, Sondheim, that is! Otherwise known as the greatest living musical theatre dramatist and the subject of this week's GLEE - FOLLIES to SWEENEY TODD and INTO THE WOODS. And, touching, timely and terrific tribute it was.

Today, BroadwayWorld is thrilled to kick off a brand new weekly column celebrating some classic celluloid moments from theatre history - whether culled from TV, film, vintage footage or even more obscure sources - with a very special focus on the best and brightest stars of yesteryear, thusly titled THEATRICAL THROWBACK THURSDAY!

In addition to a showstopping performance of a legendary duet from iconic musical theatre masterpiece WEST SIDE STORY given by Broadway headliners Raul Esparza and Lin-Manuel Miranda at the recent star-studded MISCAST 2014 gala, Esparza also treated attendees to a spirited rendition of iconic FUNNY GIRL film showstopper 'My Man' and a new clip of the performance is now available to view.

A new dawn. A new day. Best day? Best episode in… forever! GLEE made the official move to the Big Apple with this week's ep and with it came a revitalized, fresh new tone, style and locale while still providing some sensational musical sequences as we have come to expect - except now, in a whole new milieu. FUNNY GIRL, too!

The New York Philharmonic will return to Bravo! Vail in Colorado for the Orchestra's 12th- annual summer residency there, performing six concerts July 18-25, 2014. Music Director Alan Gilbert will conduct three programs, July 18-20, featuring works by composers for whom he has advocated during his tenure, ranging from Nielsen to The Marie-Jose?e Kravis Composer-in- Residence Christopher Rouse. The other Philharmonic concerts will be conducted by Bramwell Tovey (July 23 and 25) and Ted Sperling (July 24), and will feature works by Copland, Gershwin, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, and Loesser, among others.

Popular up and coming writers Tim Realbuto and Matthew Martin (creators of the Broadway bound musical Ghostlight) will be doing their second concert at 54 Below, following their hugely successful concert last month. This encore presentation is entitled Outcasts Like Us: More Songs by Martin and Realbuto and will benefit the charity STOMP Out Bullying.

It's hard to believe that it has been 50 years since Barbra Streisand portrayed Fanny Brice in the 1964 Broadway stage production of Funny Girl, and 46 years since she reprised her critically acclaimed role for the 1968 feature film, winning her an Oscar. The reason that it's so hard to believe is because she's still as relevant as ever and has to be the greatest Broadway export of all time. On April 29, Capitol/UMe will release the Gold-certified Funny Girl: Original Broadway Cast Recording in a 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition boxed set with a digitally remastered CD and vinyl LP, as well as a 48-page book featuring exclusive photos from the production and a new essay by Jay Landers, her longtime A&R executive, who has worked with her on many recordings. The remastered original cast recording will also be available for digital purchase, including 192k and 96k high definition audio on HDtracks.

Ghostlight, the Musical by Tim Realbuto and Matthew Martin, presented a concert a 54 Below on Thursday, March 6th, 2014. Ghostlight premiered at The New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2011 and is slated for a fall workshop before an out-of-town tryout. Click below to watch some of the performances from the concert!

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, the performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond:

This March, April and May at 54 BELOW presents a lineup of the brightest talent from Broadway and beyond. Located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street. For a detailed schedule of upcoming performances at 54 Below and to purchase tickets, visit www.54Below.com.

Gather your minyan, 1812 Productions brings the Catskills to Philadelphia for two shows only. An Evening Without the Catskills: A Brief History of Jewish Humor spans more than a century of Jewish humor with a script curated and written by 1812's Artistic Director, Jennifer Childs, and performances from Ms. Childs, Karen Getz, David Ingram, and Thomas E. Shotkin.

Now in a Teen Vogue interview between Michele and her Spring Awakening co-star Jonathan Groff, Michele reveals that plans might already be in the works. She told Teen Vogue: 'I want to do movies. I have some exciting things coming up! And I would also love to go back to Broadway. Ryan Murphy just bought the rights to Funny Girl, so we're hoping to do that at some point!'

Ghostlight, the musical by Tim Realbuto and Matthew Martin will present a concert at 54 Below on Thursday, March 6th, 2014 at 9:30 PM. Ghostlight premiered at The New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2011 and is slated for a fall workshop before an out-of-town tryout.

BroadwayWorld has just confirmed that GLEE creator Ryan Murphy is currently in talks for the stage rights to FUNNY GIRL, the musical in which Rachel Berry (played by Lea Michele) stars in, on the current fifth season of GLEE. There is no word yet on whether Michele is attached to the potential project, but here's to hoping for her Broadway return! Could life imitate art and could the show be setting up a real life sequence of events?

Today we are highlighting clips from a flight of fancy celebrated for over 150 years - Tchaikovsky's classic SWAN LAKE.