Fred Astaire News

Nominees have been announced for the 31st Annual Fred & Adele Astaire Awards taking place on Monday, June 3 at 7:30pm at New York University's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. Select tickets are also now available to the public priced at $425, $200 & $75; tickets can currently be purchased online at www.FredandAdeleAstaireAwards.com.

Extending this season's hot streak of productions that make bold artistic statements, Asolo Repertory Theatre will present Noah Racey's Pulse. A song and dance celebration that harkens back to the golden age of hoofing, Pulse is written, conceived, and choreographed by Broadway song and dance man Noah Racey in collaboration with Broadway director and two-time Tony Award nominee Jeff Calhoun. Pulse opens on Thursday, May 23 with an 8 p.m. curtain. Opening night will be preceded by two preview performances on Tuesday, May 21 at 7:30 p.m. and May 22 at 8 p.m. The show runs through June 16, 2013 in Asolo Rep's Mertz Theatre located in The FSU Center for the Performing Arts.

Jon Peterson will revive Song Man, Dance Man tonight, May 7 at 7:00 at Stage 72 at The Triad, 158 west 72nd Street near Broadway.

Top Hat won three 2013 Laurence Olivier awards for Best New Musical, Best Choreography (Bill Deamer), and Best Costume design (Jon Morrell) at the ceremony held on April 28. Bringing the prestigious statuette back to the US are Broadway producers Stewart F. Lane, Ted Hartley and Bonnie Comley. Scroll down for a photo of the producers with their award!

The greatest songwriters revered him. And his songs-from 'All the Things You Are' to 'The Way You Look Tonight'-remain a vital part of our cultural conversation. It is no accident that Jerome Kern is also known as 'The Dean.' Author and Lyrics & Lyricists series artistic director Deborah Grace Winer takes the helm as artistic director/writer/host for The Song is You: Jerome Kern Coast to Coast, tonight, May 4 and May 5, 6. Winer is joined by vocalists Karrin Allyson, Debby Boone, Jeffry Denman, bassist Jay Leonhart, Howard McGillin, Paula West and Karen Ziemba, with special guest Barbara Carroll.

Six remaining couples take to the dance floor, MONDAY, MAY 6 (8:00-10:01 p.m., ET) on ABC. For the first time this season, each couple will perform two routines in an effort to impress the judges and earn America's votes. In the first round, the couples will perform a traditional ballroom dance in a style that they've not yet done. In the second round, the couples will dance as part of a trio, featuring an eliminated pro or troupe member. In addition, viewers will be called to action on Twitter to choose new dance styles for each couple for the following week of competition. The new styles will include, Afro-Jazz, Disco, Flamenco, Hip-hop, Lindyhop and Charleston.

What do a small town girl flirting with a satellite, a robot giving a lecture about transhumanism, and a man uploading his consciousness into the digital ether all have in common? Love. Love Machine is created to reflect the current trend of the way humans have come to rely on technology. Below, BroadwayWorld has a first look at the piece, debuting at Incubator Arts Project on May 10!

Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS) is bringing SPAMALOT back to Houston stages. This locally produced production of the smash hit comedic musical is being directed by Marc Robin. The cast features performers that have previously been in productions of SPAMALOT before and some new to the show altogether. During his Tuesday night dinner break, I got the opportunity to chat with Brian Shepard, who was a member of SPAMALOT's Original Broadway Company, about his career and his experiences with SPAMALOT in New York City and with TUTS.

When temperatures rise outside, it heralds the beginning of Side Door Summer at the Palladium! In the intimacy of our award-winning, candlelit Side Door, we cool down our audiences with some of the hottest rising blues, jazz, exotica and rock stars. And before we give Hough Hall its well-deserved summer breather, we close out our mainstage season with the St. Pete Opera, and two huge jazz shows - Kurt Elling and later Bob James/David Sanborn.

If you haven't had the chance to catch up on your theater news, look no further than today's recap of all things theater - exclusive features, interviews, reviews and more! - around the Broadway World for the week of April 15!

The greatest songwriters revered him. And his songs-from 'All the Things You Are' to 'The Way You Look Tonight'-remain a vital part of our cultural conversation. It is no accident that Jerome Kern is also known as 'The Dean.' Author and Lyrics & Lyricists series artistic director Deborah Grace Winer takes the helm as artistic director/writer/host for The Song is You: Jerome Kern Coast to Coast, on May 4, 5 and 6. Winer is joined by vocalists Karrin Allyson, Debby Boone, Jeffry Denman, bassist Jay Leonhart, Howard McGillin, Paula West and Karen Ziemba, with special guest Barbara Carroll.

Two college veterans are friendly trumpet rivals looking for spots in Artie's Shaw's big band in this hilarious musical comedy, SECOND CHORUS (1940), available in a DVD/Blu-ray combo pack May 14 from Film Chest on the HD Cinema Classics label.

I'm sad to report that I may have missed several moments of The Producers, currently playing at San Antonio's Woodlawn Theatre. The downside of having to wipe tears of laughter out of your eyes is that you miss a few seconds of action. Of course, that's hardly a complaint about this solid, polished, and professional production. Woodlawn Theatre's current production of The Producers illustrates exactly why the show was such a hit when it opened in 2001 and why it continues to please audiences. Despite the occasional offensiveness and cheekiness, the show is an enjoyable laugh riot that you can't help but love.

On Monday, June 3 at 7:30pm at New York University's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, the 31st Annual Fred & Adele Astaire Awards will honor dance legend Marge Champion with its Douglas Watt Lifetime Achievement Award and Ted Chapin with a brand new award, Outstanding Achievement in the Preservation of Musical Theatre. The Astaire Awards is the only awards show to honor excellence in dance and choreography on Broadway and in film and were first started in 1982 by the late Fred Astaire and the late Douglas Watt (a critic and writer for the NY Daily News and The New Yorker).

On Monday, June 3 at 7:30pm at New York University's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, the 31st Annual Fred & Adele Astaire Awards will honor dance legend Marge Champion with its Douglas Watt Lifetime Achievement Award and Ted Chapin with a brand new award, Outstanding Achievement in the Preservation of Musical Theatre. The Astaire Awards is the only awards show to honor excellence in dance and choreography on Broadway and in film and were first started in 1982 by the late Fred Astaire and the late Douglas Watt (a critic and writer for the NY Daily News and The New Yorker).

Described as having the dazzling technique and 'wild passion' of Vladimir Horowitz, the footwork of Fred Astaire and the glam sensibility of David Bowie, renegade organist Cameron Carpenter will make his Houston debut tonight, April 10, at 8 p.m. at Christ Church Cathedral (1117 Texas Avenue), presented by Society for the Performing Arts.

Jon Peterson will revive Song Man, Dance Man on Tuesday, May 7 at 7:00 at Stage 72 at The Triad, 158 west 72nd Street near Broadway.

Off-Broadway's Theater Breaking Through Barriers (TBTB) continues its 33rd Season with the Off-Broadway premiere of ACCORDING TO GOLDMAN by Bruce Graham (THE OUTGOING TIDE, ANY GIVEN MONDAY), with previews set to begin tonight, April 6, prior to its official press opening April 14, at Theatre Row's Clurman Theatre (410 West 42nd Street). TBTB artistic director and founder Ike Schambelan directs.

Stephen Sondheim, Liza Minnelli, Angela Lansbury, Christine Ebersole and other great stars of American music and musical theatre share the spotlight with the country's most passionate music preservationist as Michael Feinstein'S AMERICAN SONGBOOK returns to PBS for a new star-studded, three-part season tonight, April 5, 2013, 9:00 p.m. ET.

The 2013 Boston Pops season, May 8-June 15, under the direction of Keith Lockhart, will present a season-long tribute to the world of movie music, along with programs featuring a wide variety of American musical styles, including jazz, bluegrass, country, gospel, pop, classic standards from the 50s and 60s, and show-stopping songs of Broadway and the American Songbook. For the programs focusing on the season theme, 'Best of Hollywood Film Music,' audiences will hear their favorite music from classic movies and today's popular soundtracks performed live by the Boston Pops, while the accompanying movie clips are projected onto a giant screen suspended above the orchestra. Tickets to the 2013 Boston Pops season go on sale to the public on Wednesday, December 5, at 888-266-1200 or www.bostonpops.org.