Gower Champion News

Bloomington Theatre and Art Center (BTAC) today announced the tap dancing musical 42nd Street. This Bloomington Civic Theatre (BCT) production will run August 17 - September 16, 2012. 42nd Street will be directed and choreographed by Michael Matthew Ferrell, with music direction by Anita Ruth. The cast of 24 includes Larissa Gritti as 'Peggy', C. Ryan Shipley as 'Billy', Michael Fischetti as 'Julian Marsh', and Bonnie Erickson as 'Dorothy Brock'.

Bye Bye Birdie-conjuring up memories of Elvis Presley and the fan fervor that greeted a lot of musical acts in the 1950s and '60s-takes center stage at Dickson's Renaissance Center in June as the Renaissance Players present the musical theater classic June 1-17.

Fred Barton returns to the Metropolitan Room on Sunday, April 15, at 7:00 PM with his show FRED BARTON PRESENTS - AND THINKS YOU'RE GONNA LOVE IT! - in which he hosts, sings and plays with his 9-piece Broadway Band, presenting classic Broadway show tunes, with some of his favorite performers. This is Barton's last show until later this summer.

Randy Skinner will direct and choreograph Infinity's stage production of 'Dames At Sea', 'Annapolis's Tap-Happy, Navy-Crazy Musical,' which comes to the CTA Theatre Complex (near Sandy Point State Park) this season.

Fred Barton returns to the Metropolitan Room on Sunday, April 15, at 7:00 PM with his show FRED BARTON PRESENTS - AND THINKS YOU'RE GONNA LOVE IT! - in which he hosts, sings and plays with his 9-piece Broadway Band, presenting classic Broadway show tunes, with some of his favorite performers. This is Barton's last show until later this summer.

Casting has been announced for the world premiere of HEAT WAVE: THE JACK COLE PROJECT, a new musical entertainment set to debut at Queens Theatre (14 United Nations Avenue South in Flushing Meadows Corona Park) with performances starting on May 3rd 2012.

On June 9th, at the 2012 Tony Eve Cocktail Party the the Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre are presented and this year's recipients will be MTI's Freddie Gershon, production supervisor Arthur Siccardi and the Theater Development Fund's Open Doors Arts Education Program.

The Persian Room at the Plaza Hotel itself featured headliners including Liza Minnelli, Dolores Hope, Eartha Kit, Carol Channing, Diahann Carroll, Andy Williams, Lainie Kazan, Patti Page, and the Chairman of the Board/Ole Blue Eyes - Frank Sinatra, not to mention literary icons such as Eloise (courtesy of Hilary Knight). This week, representatives of Persian Room's history from the 1940's to the 1970's gathered to remember, admire and respect its legacy including Marge Champion, Tommy Tune, Barbara Van Orden, Carol Lawrence, Leslie Uggams, Eve Plumb and more to celebrate the launch of Patty Farmer's new book, 'The Persian Room Presents,' released by Vantage Press. See the photos below!

Special guests Marge Champion, Barbara Van Orden and Tony Butala join author, Patty Farmer Wednesday, March 7 at 7:00 pm, for a Q&A and to sign copies of "The Persian Room Presents." A portion of the proceeds from each sale will be donated to Childhelp for the treatment and prevention of child abuse. The event will be held at Barnes & Noble (82nd & Broadway).

Special guests Marge Champion, Barbara Van Orden and Tony Butala join author, Patty Farmer Wednesday, March 7 at 7:00 pm, for a Q&A and to sign copies of "The Persian Room Presents." A portion of the proceeds from each sale will be donated to Childhelp for the treatment and prevention of child abuse. The event will be held at Barnes & Noble (82nd & Broadway).

The Broadway at Birdland concert series has announced that Tony Award Nominated actress & singer Anita Gillette will be presenting a wonderful evening of music and memories while taking an intimate, touching, and hilarious look behind the scenes from Broadway to Hollywood in her new autobiographical one-woman show "After All."

In an interview with the South Bend Tribune, Short confirmed that things are still moving forward, saying that although he's busy providing voices for several upcoming films and working on his concert special, 'I have found, the more eclectic the year, the more you add to this overview of things' and adding that he and Peters are still in talks for the revival.

The Broadway at Birdland concert series has announced that Tony Award Nominated actress & singer Anita Gillette will be presenting a wonderful evening of music and memories while taking an intimate, touching, and hilarious look behind the scenes from Broadway to Hollywood in her new autobiographical one-woman show "After All."

The New York Times reports that Bernadette Peters and Martin Short are in talks with producers about co-starring as 'Agnes Snow' and 'Michael Snow' in a revival of Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt's I DO I DO. Talks about the possible revival are in the earliest phases and no readings or workshops have been planned. The producers behind the revival are Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (Promises, Promises, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, Smash), and Broadway Across America's John Gore and Beth Williams.

El Dorado Musical Theatre is holding auditions for 42ND STREET on Monday, November 14. Auditions are Open to performers aged 13-22.

El Dorado Musical Theatre is holding auditions for 42ND STREET on Monday, November 14. Auditions are Open to performers aged 13-22.

Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT) will present Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Our Town, tonight through October 16 in the Nafe Katter Theatre, Storrs.

42nd Street Moon, the company renowned for presenting uncommon musical theater, begins its 2011-12 season with a salute to the legendary Cole Porter.

Bill Nabel; a veteran actor of eight Broadway shows with 30 plus years on Broadway with over 9400 performances, a member of the original casts of '42nd Street' and 'Beauty and the Beast' - the latter of which he was the only cast member to do the entire 13 year run; has switched hats and will now see two of his many works mounted within weeks of each other. Utah Shakespeare Festival will present the World Premiere of Mr. Nabel's new play LYING TO SPIELBERG at the Auditorium Theatre (351 West Center Street) in Cedar City, Utah on August 11, 12 and 31. And the Village Theatre will present the West Coast Premiere of TAKE ME AMERICA, a new musical with book and lyrics by Mr. Nabel and music by Bob Christianson from September 14 through November 20 at the Village Theatre of Issaquah, WA and the Village Theatre of Everett, WA.