Frances News

Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage, the staged musical of the worldwide smash-hit film, will play the Ed Mirvish Theatre from tonight, November 24, through the 29th, 2015.

Frances Hodgson Burnett's beloved novel THE SECRET GARDEN has been thrilling the imaginations of readers young and old since 1911, and in 1991 Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon's musical adaptation won three Tony Awards, bringing the classic story to life in a brand new way. Their musical, which is playing at Orlando's Mad Cow Theatre through December 20th, thrived on Broadway, and regionally ever since, because of its soaring music, life-affirming story, and the creativity that its magical world allows. Unfortunately, directed by Aradhana Tiwari, Mad Cow's production squanders a universally talented cast on a bleak and bland vision that lacks the magic and imagination that the story, on both page and stage, has inspired for over a century.

Sometimes it seems there is so much theater happening that it's difficult to keep track of it all. From personal experience, despite all the datebooks, smart phones, tablets, desktop computers and laptops...it's hard to keep everything straight in this wacky business of the show.

For our most recent Reader Question, we asked everyone to name their favorite forgotten or obscure musicals, because I think we all need an avenue through which to express our true love for our favorite musical- and find the others out there who share our obsession.What are the Best Obscure Musicals with lessor known songs? From Favorite Year to Whistle Down the Wind- readers weigh in!

No matter how you slice it, he's a gifted vocalist.

Contra Costa Civic Theatre (CCCT) continues its 56th season with the Tony award-winning musical, The Secret Garden, directed and choreographed by Roger Welch in his Bay Area debut, with music direction by Kevin Roland. The Secret Garden plays from November 20 through December 20; performances are Todays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 2pm at the theatre.

I know everyone will expect this review to begin with, "I've Had the Time of My Life," but I will skip that well-known song that serves as the finale to DIRTY DANCING and go back to the opening number which defines it so well as "This Magic Moment."

The Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance continues its 2015-16 season on December 4th at the Hilberry Theatre with Inspecting Carol. Step right in to the holiday season with all its merriment, festivities, stress and joy. At the theatre, there's no better story to set the tone for this part of the year than the well-loved Christmas Carol. Charles Dickens' words come alive onstage for generations of thespians and patrons year after year.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) has selected actress Corinne Foxx, daughter of Golden Globe winner and two-time Golden Globe nominee Jamie Foxx, as Miss Golden Globe 2016 for the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards.

Joe's Pub at The Public has announced its upcoming nightly performances, running November 18-29, 2015. Scroll down or visit www.joespub.com for a complete list of shows!

Brand new rehearsal images have been released for Hackney Empire's 2015 Christmas pantomime Jack and the Beanstalkstarring the Empire's own Olivier nominated dame Clive Rowe as Dame Daisy Trott, Olivier Award-nominee Debbie Kurup asJack and Hackney Empire favourite Kat B as Snowman. Matthew Kelly joins the cast as the voice of Giant Blunderbore.  Check out a first look at rehearsals below!

Crowded Fire Theater (CFT) Crowded Fire's newly appointed Artistic Director Mina Morita unveiled the 2016 mainstage season lineup of three contemporary plays that continue to uphold the company's long tradition of producing boundary - pushing, thought-provoking theater. At a season-announcement party on Saturday, November 14th Morita addressed Crowded Fire donors, patrons, and artists saying "At Crowded Fire, we are unafraid of tackling big issues. We commit ourselves to true experimentation of form and content to question, disrupt, or complicate comfortable notions of cultural hierarchy."

Tony-winning musical directed and choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge should not be missed.

Joe's Pub at The Public has announced its upcoming nightly performances, running November 18-29, 2015. Scroll down or visit www.joespub.com for a complete list of shows!

Librettist/Lyricist Michael Colby will bring a concert adaptation of his well-received memoir, THE ALGONQUIN KID: ADVENTURES GROWING UP IN NEW YORK'S LEGENDARY HOTEL to Winter Rhythms at Urban Stages, 259 West 30th Street, NY 10001 on Dec. 13th at 2:00pm.

The Omaha premiere of DIRTY DANCING - The Classic Story On Stage will find its way into your heart when the touring stage musical of this world-wide smash-hit film comes to the Orpheum Theater, tonight, November 17, through Sunday, November 22. DIRTY DANCING is presented by Omaha Performing Arts as part of its Broadway series.

The 52nd Street Project makes a difference in the lives of countless Hell's Kitchen (Clinton) kids by pairing them with theater professionals who mentor them through the creation of original theater. Perhaps the most poignant presentations made by The 52nd Street Project are those in its semi-annual Playmaking series, which features the Project's youngest Hell's Kitchen mentees-ten year-olds who have just begun their theatrical education-writing for accomplished professional actors and revealing their work to a public audience for the first time. Bobby Cannavale, Edie Falco, Frank Wood and other accomplished actors will perform in Larger Than Life: The Supersized Plays, the Project's Fall 2015 Playmaking show.

Center Stage presents the family musicalThe Secret Garden, based on the beloved novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. In the video below, actresses Brandi Burkhardt and Caitlin Cohn talk to Fox Baltimore about the show.  Check it out below!

Sometimes it seems there is so much theater happening that it's difficult to keep track of it all. From personal experience, despite all the datebooks, smart phones, tablets, desktop computers and laptops...it's hard to keep everything straight in this wacky business of the show.

David Mirvish is pleased to present Pulitzer Prize-nominee Theresa Rebeck's comedy SEMINAR, a sparkling cocktail of ambition, power and lust-and one with an unexpected kick. Fresh from his his role in the celebrated new film ROOM (winner of the People's Choice Award at TIFF and considered a frontrunner for the Oscars), Stratford Shakespeare Festival Tom McCamus stars in SEMINAR .