Fontana News

Tootsie cast members celebrated the release of their cast recording with a live performance and a CD signing at Barnes and Noble on September 10.

The Seth Rudetsky Broadway Concert Series presented by Mark Cortale returns to Parker Playhouse in 2020. The series, co-presented by the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, delivers three intimate evenings of incredible music and hilarious conversations hosted and music directed by the Sirius XM Radio star, whom the New York Times dubbed a?oeThe Mayor of Broadway.a?? The series features three Tony Award winners and critically-acclaimed powerhouse talents: Kelli O'Hara (The King & I) on January 3, Stephanie J. Block (The Cher Show) February 22 and Santino Fontana (Tootsie) on April 3.

Today's top stories: Slave Play and The Height of the Storm begin previews tonight, and more!

Tootsie cast members will celebrate the release of their cast recording with a live performance and a CD signing at Barnes and Noble on September 10.

Eighty percent of having a successful show is casting. If you have the right cast, even the dullest show can shine. However, that means the opposite is also true. You can have a good play, such as Eisa Davis' a?oeBulrushera??, currently being offered from Intiman Theatre, but if the cast isn't there, then neither is the decent storytelling. In the case of Intiman's show, the cast is mostly there, but one glaring weak link sapped the energy and emotion from a piece that should be filled with energy and emotion.

A new installment of the musical theatre parody staple, Forbidden Broadway, is on the way!

PRIMARY STAGES is proud to announce that tickets are now on sale for the first two productions of its 35th Anniversary season. The season will kick off in the fall with the world premiere of On That Day in Amsterdam, written by Clarence Coo (Beautiful Province (Belle Province)-a?'Yale Drama Prize) and directed by Kareem Fahmy (3/Fifths). Performances begin at the Cherry Lane Theatre (38 Commerce Street) on October 29, 2019, with opening night set for November 19, for a run through December 18, 2019.

Did you miss Fosse/Verdon, the most-anticipated limited series of the spring, when it aired on FX? Well fear not, Hulu is now streaming all eight episodes of the limited series starring Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams!

The Hudson Valley Blues Society (HVBS) is looking forward to introducing 2019 Grammy Nominee and multi-award winning artist, Victor Wainwright to Hudson Valley music enthusiasts at Daryl's House Club, Pawling, NY on August 28th.  The power-house blues, soul and roots rocking pianist/performer will command the stage supported by one of the tightest, smokin' bands on the scene today a?? along with a new horn section and rechristened as, the Train.

With The 19th Annual Festival of New Musicals taking place this upcoming weekend, Village Theatre is excited to announce the casting for XY, an uplifting musical about identity and coming to terms with your past; Cold Turkey, a wild and funny satire; Modern, an inspiring tale about a group of Amish teenagers; Eastbound, an poignant story about Chinese brothers in search of a home they've never known; and Cowboy Bob, an adventurous rock musical about a bank-robbing woman. The Festival will take place in Issaquah August 9-11, 2019 and provides an essential platform for writers to develop new works. Past Festival shows include Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning shows such as Next to Normal and Million Dollar Quartet, as well as Broadway and Off-Broadway hits: It Shoulda Been You, Desperate Measures, Lizzie, and many more.

Victor DeRenzi, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, and Richard Russell, Executive Director, are pleased to announce the casting for the 2019-20 season at Sarasota Opera, welcoming back returning Sarasota audience favorites as well as introducing new artists for their company debuts.

CITY ON A HILL is coming back for a second season! The series currently airs on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME. Set in early '90s Boston, where racism is endemic and crime is widespread, the series follows an unlikely alliance between FBI agent Jackie Rohr (Kevin Bacon) and Assistant District Attorney Decourcy Ward (Aldis Hodge). 

Written and directed by Nathan Catucci, Impossible Monsters will screen at the HBO New York Latino Film Festival on Thursday, August 15, 2019 at 10:30pm ET.

On Thursday, July 18th, Tony® Award winner Santino Fontana surprised the students of Broadway Artists Alliance during their exciting week of master classes and rehearsals in the heart of New York City. It's been a little over a month since Fontana took home the 2019 Tony® award for playing Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels in Tootsie, but he is also well known for his roles in Cinderella, Hello, Dolly!, Billy Elliot, The Importance of Being Earnest, and for his various roles on screen in shows and movies like Frozen, Crazy-Ex Girlfriend and Fosse/Verdon. Fontana took time out of his busy show schedule to share some encouraging words with the young performers.

TOOTSIE, a stage adaptation of the well-know 1982 Dustin Hoffman vehicle, missed its opportunity to engage in poignant conversations on gender, feminism, and trans identities. Instead, David Yazbek's lyrics and music stay stuck in the bygone era of the early 1980s, leaning heavily on the tired and inherently transphobic a?oeman in a dressa?? gag and a rather generic sounding Broadway score rooted firmly in the most rudimentary basics of musical writing.

Intiman Theatre announce the cast for their upcoming production of BULRUSHER, presented in partnership with The Hansberry Project, and directed by Seattle favorite Valerie Curtis-Newton. The cast will star Ayo Tushinde as Bulrusher, along with Allyson Brown, Adam Fontana, Reggie Jackson, Charles Leggett and Christine Salvador. This lyrical and passionate coming of age story will play at The Jones Playhouse at the University of Washington, from August 20 - September 14, 2019.

Bid to win this priceless experience seeing Tony-nominated hit, Tootsie!, and the rarest of opportunities to meet Julie Halston backstage!

Tootsie celebrated its 100th performance last night, July 22. BroadwayWorld was there for the celebration and you can check out the photos!

The Drama League has announced that award-winning actor, singer and dancer Sutton Foster is the Honoree at the 36th Annual Drama League Benefit Gala.

We're feeling electricity because we're looking back at the 2009 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, Billy Elliot! Take a look at the show's opening night at Broadway's Imperial Theatre with the show's stars David Alvarez, Gregory Jbara, Santino Fontana, and more! Be sure to check out all the footage!