Fred Ebb News

Having opened to a host of positive reviews and strong ticket sales, Vineyard Theatre's world-premiere production of Will Eno's play MIDDLETOWN will extend its run an additional two weeks - through December 5 - it has been announced by Douglas Aibel, artistic director of The Vineyard (108 E. 15 St.).

As BroadwayWorld reported last month, the Manhattan Theater Club was in talks to bring the Kennedy Center production of MASTER CLASS, which ran this Spring, starring Tyne Daly to Broadway in the Summer of 2011. The play is aiming for the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre in June. An Equity casting notice released today a new production of MASTER CLASS with Tyne Daly is one of the projects under consideration for MTC's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre for the Spring of 2011.

Deadline.com reports today that Precious mastermind Lee Daniels has his eye on a screen adaptation of Kander & Ebb's SCOTTSBORO BOYS, playing out its final performances at the Lyceum Theatre on Broadway. According to the report: 'While The Scottsboro Boys ends its Broadway run on December 12 at the Lyceum Theatre, there are flickers of hope that the last collaboration between songwriting legends John Kander and Fred Ebb will have a feature future. I'm told that Oscar-nominated Precious director Lee Daniels has seen the show several times and is in early conversations to develop it.'

On Wednesday, December 9, THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS will host a post-show talkback, moderated by CBS News correspondent Jan Crawford ("CBS Evening News," "Face the Nation," "Early Show," "CBS Sunday Morning").

THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS will play its final performance on Broadway on Sunday, December 12. The production, which opened October 31 at the Lyceum Theatre (149 West 45th Street), will have played 49 performances and 29 previews. Previews began on October 7. THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS is the last collaboration of Broadway songwriting legends John Kander and Fred Ebb. The musical features a book by David Thompson and is directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman. Yesterday, December 1, John Kander and the Boys visited Borders Book Store in New York to talk all things SCOTTSBORO and sign copies of the Vineyard production cast album. BroadwayWorld was on hand and brings you photo coverage below.

San Diego Musical Theatre is thrilled to present its second production of its 2010-2011 season, the San Diego Premiere of the Broadway musical, THE STORY OF MY LIFE with music and lyrics by Neil Bartram, book by Brian Hill, musical direction by Don LeMaster and directed by Ovation Award-winner Nick DeGruccio.

The Fred Ebb Foundation (Mitchell Bernard, Trustee) in association with the Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) presented the sixth annual Fred Ebb Award for aspiring musical theatre songwriters to Douglas J. Cohen on November 29. The award, named in honor of the late award-winning lyricist Fred Ebb, was presented by David Thompson (The Scottsboro Boys). BroadwayWorld was on hand for the event and brings you photo coverage below.

THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS will play its final performance on Broadway on Sunday, December 12. The production, which opened October 31 at the Lyceum Theatre (149 West 45th Street), will have played 49 performances and 29 previews. Previews began on October 7.

Prospect Theater Company (Cara Reichel, Producing Artistic Director / Melissa Huber, Managing Director) celebrates the winter holidays with a one-night-only concert staging of EVERGREEN: A New Holiday Musical, on Monday, December 20th at 7pm.

El actor Manuel Rodríguez es el nuevo encargado de dar vida al abogado Billy Flynn en la actual gira por España del musical Chicago, tomando el relevo de Carlos Lozano.

The award-winning York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director) hosted its 19th Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre on Monday, November 22, 2010, honoring Tony Award-winning librettist Thomas Meehan (Annie, The Producers, Hairspray, Elf). The evening was directed by Tony-winning director/lyricist/librettist Richard Maltby and the award was presented by Alice Hammerstein Mathias, daughter of Oscar Hammerstein II.

On THE VIEW today, Monday, November 29, 2010, THE VIEW host Whoopi Goldberg said 'We want to give you good news. So, here's some good news. I think that one of the best shows, one of my favorite shows on Broadway is called THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS, it's magnificent, it's great. All the members of our studio audience, you're all going home with a pair of tickets to see it! It's a fantastic show, fantastic!'

The John W. Engeman Theater at Northport is delighted to announce the 2010 - 2011 Season!

Although Broadway has a history of great artistic success from adapting existing sources for the musical stage (My Fair Lady, Show Boat, Gypsy...) the past decade's ever-increasing trend of turning popular films, novels that inspired popular films and songwriter's catalogues into musicals has, in many minds, elevated the status of the completely original musical; particularly original musicals by American authors.

CHICAGO is a Kander and Ebb musical set in prohibition era Chicago.

Michael Riedel is reporting in today's New York Post that the Manhattan Theater Club is in talks to bring the Kennedy Center production of MASTER CLASS, which ran this Spring, starring Tyne Daly to Broadway in the Summer of 2011. The play is aiming for the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre in June.

Gingold Theatrical Group's PROJECT SHAW presented two rarely seen one-act comedies by George Bernard Shaw- HOW HE LIED TO HER HUSBAND and THE FASCINATING FOUNDLING Starring John Cullum, Kate Mulgrew, Wesley Taylor and Josh Grisetti at The Players Club last night, November 22.

The cast and crew of THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS welcomed yet another star visitor this week, stage and screen vet James Earl Jones, on Sunday, November 21, 2010. Denzel Washington and Whoopi Goldberg are among the shows additional fans. Jones is in town starring on Broadway in DRIVING MISS DAISY alongside Vanessa Redgrave. BroadwayWorld was on hand and brings you photo coverage below.

The Tony and two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning Vineyard Theatre (108 E. 15 St.) will continue its popular VINEYARD VOICES - a series of panel discussions with leading figures from the theatre community - on Monday, November 22 at 7 p.m. with an evening entitled, "THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS: From Inception to Broadway," it has been announced by Douglas Aibel, Artistic Director of Vineyard Theatre.

Gingold Theatrical Group's PROJECT SHAW presents two rarely seen one-act comedies by George Bernard Shaw- HOW HE LIED TO HER HUSBAND and THE FASCINATING FOUNDLING Starring John Cullum, Kate Mulgrew, Wesley Taylor and Josh Grisetti