Fred Astaire News

The histrionics of the amazing Marx Brothers are brought back to life with Bruce Randolph Nelson playing Groucho.

This year The Episcopal Actors' Guild, one of New York's oldest charities for performing artists, is celebrating 90 years of helping actors 'of all faiths, and none.'

An evening with Tony Award-Winner McKechnie performs SAME PLACE, ANOTHER TIME

The Broadway at Birdland concert series has announced that Donna McKechnie's new bi-monthly talk & variety show will premiere on January 6 at 7pm. Broadway legends Tommy Tune, Andrea McArdle, Faith Prince and Jerry Mitchell have all signed on to be part of the series, with dates to be announced.

According to an inside source, Stephen Brian Patterson has taken over as 'Captain Walker' in TOMMY at the Stratford Festival. Jeremy Kushnier left the role on August 4. Patterson joins Robert Markus and Paul Nolan in Des McAnuff's new Stratford Festival rock musical, The Who's Tommy, at the Avon Theatre in Ontario through October 19.

Beneath the rollicking good time (not to mention the sequined glitz and flashy feathers) of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, the Musical, is a story about the difficulties of living an authentic life when you don't fit into the social norm. In this case that norm is the hetero world of 1990s Australia where two gay men and one trans woman, drag queens all, team up to take a trip through the outback in order to perform at a casino owned by, of all people, the wife of one of the queens. Enter 'Priscilla' a dilapidated bus that's a traveling dressing room and bar for the trio of performers. Road trip! Playing now through August 31 at the Orpheum Theatre, Priscilla Queen of the Desert is boy-sterous, outrageous, campy fun, but it also heartwarming and touching.

The Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts (SBCPA) presents the 2013/2014 Granada Theatre Concert Series, an exciting series of performances featuring family-friendly shows and popular contemporary artists, sponsored in part by Lexus and the Santa Barbara Independent. This season, The Granada Theatre will be celebrating 90 years of music and entertainment gracing the historic theater's stage. The SBCPA, Santa Barbara's leading performing arts non-profit organization, will also collaborate with The Granada Theatre's resident companies on an outstanding line-up of performing arts accessible to the entire Santa Barbara community and beyond. This highly anticipated 90th Anniversary season will be one to remember, bringing exciting world-class talent to The Granada Theatre's stage.

The Granada Theatre will welcome the Memphis Music Fest to Santa Barbara tonight, August 23, kicking off the 2013/2014 Granada Theatre Concert Series. This collaboration of Memphis' legendary names in funk, soul, and R&B promises to be an unforgettable night of musical talent. The Memphis Music Fest is a brilliant fusion of the sounds of Southern soul, featuring Booker T. Jones, The Bar-kays, William Bell, Jean Knight, and Eddie Floyd.

No single word can adequately sum up Kaye Ballard and Liliane Montevecchi's one night appearance at the Lensic Performing Arts Center on August 8th.Their performance was engaging, entertaining, inspiring and uplifting, with a pace that never faltered and an array of talents guaranteed to keep the audience glued to their seats all the way through. In other words, it was a dose of good, old-fashioned entertainment.

Opening Night of the UCLA Film & Television Archive Film Series: 'CHAMPION: THE STANLEY KRAMER CENTENNIAL' is set for tonight, August 9, 2013 at the Billy Wilder Theater, 10899 Wilshire Boulevard (at the corner of Westwood Boulevard), Los Angeles, Calif.

Sullivan shined in this story of love, loss, and letting go. Gone was a storybook told through dance; a Broadway performance without words. With smooth transitions between scenes, I was seamlessly pulled into Sullivan's world of a home that was simultaneously living out the past and looking toward the future. Sullivan shined most fully in her tap solo "Something More," which put on display Sullivan's pure tap talent with her fast footwork, proving that she was completely at home in her leather-soled tap shoes.

Opening Night of the UCLA Film & Television Archive Film Series: 'CHAMPION: THE STANLEY KRAMER CENTENNIAL' is set for Friday, August 9, 2013 at the Billy Wilder Theater, 10899 Wilshire Boulevard (at the corner of Westwood Boulevard), Los Angeles, Calif.

Gotta Sing Gotta Dance is an exhilarating journey through the wonderful world of musical theatre, featuring the hits of some of the very biggest musical theatre hits through the decades. After two successful UK tours, Gotta Sing Gotta Dance is back for 2013 with a stunning new show, featuring two hours of spectacular song and dance numbers from stage and screen. Check out a first look below!

The Granada Theatre will welcome the Memphis Music Fest to Santa Barbara on August 23, kicking off the 2013/2014 Granada Theatre Concert Series. This collaboration of Memphis' legendary names in funk, soul, and R&B promises to be an unforgettable night of musical talent. The Memphis Music Fest is a brilliant fusion of the sounds of Southern soul, featuring Booker T. Jones, The Bar-kays, William Bell, Jean Knight, and Eddie Floyd.

There is virtually nothing in the world of show business that Kaye Ballard and Liliane Montevecchi haven't left their mark on - acting, singing, story-telling, comedy, cabaret, dancing. . . in movies, on TV and performing live on stage - they've done it all. These legendary stars have over a century of artistic experience between them and, when I caught up with them between rehearsals for their upcoming show at the Lensic Performing Arts center in Santa Fe, it was abundantly clear that they show no signs of slowing down.

As Santa Barbara prepares for the Fiesta festivities that surround Old Spanish Days, the Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts (SBCPA) is pleased to once again host Parades at The Granada Theatre. The organization has invited all current donors to watch El Desfile Historico, the historic Fiesta Parade, today, August 2, in front of the theater's marquee on State Street, where they will have prime seating for parade viewing.

Australian indie pop four piece San Cisco had their danceable single 'Fred Astaire' remixed by Joywave.

The newest musical to illuminate the stage at Bucks County Playhouse is SUMMER OF '42. This musical is based on the novel and 1971 film of the same name. Herman Raucher wrote the novel and screenplay. Hunter Foster (URINETOWN, HANDS ON A HARDBODY) wrote the book for this musical and David Kirshenbaum wrote the music and lyrics. Foster also directs this production. According to Bucks County Playhouse, "SUMMER OF '42 is a coming of age story about three teenage boys living on a tiny island off the coast of Maine during the time when America was in the middle of a full-scale war and men were lining up to join the army. It becomes a summer they will never forget."

Broadway Theatre Project's 23rd season is currently taking place July 7- 28, 2013 in Tampa, Florida. Tonya Pinkins,Christopher D'Amboise, Jay Binder, David Friedman, Donna McKechnie, Elena Grinenko, Victoria Regan, Melissa Thodos and Jennifer Archibald join the ranks of Gregory Hines, Austin Pendleton, Julie Andrews, Joel Grey, and Patti Lupone, among many others as a guest faculty member at the Project.

As Santa Barbara prepares for the Fiesta festivities that surround Old Spanish Days, the Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts (SBCPA) is pleased to once again host Parades at The Granada Theatre. The organization has invited all current donors to watch El Desfile Historico, the historic Fiesta Parade, on Friday, August 2, in front of the theater's marquee on State Street, where they will have prime seating for parade viewing.