Hannibal News

The Ogunquit Playhouse, is thrilled to announce a spectacular lineup of children's theatre productions beginning June 30. The 2018 Children's Theatre season features two Disney classics, a new take on a beloved story, and a contemporary favorite perfect for families and children of all ages. Children's Theatre productions are professionally designed and produced, and feature performances by the talented Playhouse Junior Players Camp students.

Matt Manuel was born and raised in Detroit, MI, 'the heart of Motown.' He got his start as a competitive gymnast. When he was 13, he had to quit gymnastics, which he says broke his heart. His mother convinced him to try a piano lesson while his brother took a voice lesson. The teacher accidentally switched their lessons, which made Manuel realize he could sing. He studied theatre in high school, but once in college, focused more on vocal performance, so he would be classically trained. He was a contestant on season 13 of AMERICAN IDOL, which jump started his career. Since then, he has never stopped working. Manuel plays Marvin Gaye in MOTOWN THE MUSICAL. I had the chance to speak with him while MOTOWN recently had a tour stop in Boston, MA.

The Unsinkable Molly Brown by Meredith Willson and Richard Morris Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre Kansas City Warwick Theatre June 14-24, 2018. The MET closes their season with a grand production that is a 'must see' for Kansas City musical theater lovers!

Review Roundup: Critics Weigh In On TAG

Laurie-Anne Jean-Baptiste was born and raised in the West Island area of Montreal. She studied Cinema and Communications at Vanier College and Creative Writing at Concordia. She first delved into theatre in the 6th grade. Discovering how much she enjoyed it, she continued to be involved in theatre through CEGEP. Whenever she got the chance to take a theatre class, she did. She has always loved writing. She started writing stories at the age of 8 and would stay up all night in her teens writing about characters from Young Adult novels. She still writes short stories whenever inspiration strikes. She became very interested in photography in her teens and began to develop her skills in her early 20s with Laurel Grace Photography, her photography company. At that stage, she began taking on clients and shooting events. What she'd love to do is a marriage of writing and photography. 'Photo Fiction,' as she calls it. This month, Laurie-Anne will be performing in JOURNEY TO BROADWAY, with the Lyric Theatre Singers, a group she has been with for 11 years. I had the chance to sit down with Laurie-Anne to discuss her past, future and all things Broadway.

Part Hardy Boys, part Scooby Doo. Stranger Things have happened. Kev 'n Cal are two mystery solving brothers, boy adventurers on the trail of trouble across dimensions ending up on the wrong side of reality. Danger! Foul play! Puberty! Whatever the risks, Kev 'n Cal can always count on each other. Or can they?

On May 31st, Rich Little, arguably the most famous impressionist in the world, was honored by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce during their Hollywood Hero ceremony with the Johnny Grant Award, along with Diahann Carroll (receiving the Mary Pickford Award).  

Starz, a Lionsgate company (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B), and FremantleMedia North America (FMNA) today announced that Dean Winters ('Divorce,' John Wick), Devery Jacobs ('Cardinal,' 'The Order') and Kahyun Kim ('Shameless,' Freaky Friday) have been cast as Mr. Town, Sam Black Crow and New Media, respectively, in the sophomore season of the critically-acclaimed STARZ Original series 'American Gods.'

Sam Boucher was born and raised in Montreal. He developed his passion for musical theatre at a young age, really beginning to focus on it in high school. He studied classical voice for two years at Vanier College, has just finished his first year at Concordia University and next year, he heads off to Sheridan College in Toronto, renowned for its Musical Theatre Program. I had the chance to chat with Sam about his life leading into starring as Joseph is JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT with the Cote St-Luc Dramatic Society.

Comedy Central announced today that it has ordered Stupid Questions with Chris Distefano, a weekly interstitial series created to intertwine Comedy Central's stand-up world premieres with its deep archive of classics during the network's stand-up heavy Friday nights. Stupid Questions premieres on Friday, June 1, with host Chris Distefano joined by guest Nikki Glaser. Glaser is host of You Up w/ Nikki Glaser on SiriusXM's Comedy Central Radio.

The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati (TCT) is proud to roll out the red carpet and welcome Ken Jones and the brand-new Theatre Training Institute to TCT's Red Bank Road location.

The Minty Organization, the non-profit company which oversees The Minty Awards, is gearing for its biggest ceremony of the year, The Eighth Annual Minty Awards, set for Sunday, June 3 at 7pm at the historic St. George Theatre (35 Hyatt Street).

A&E Network presents a Biography(R) limited original series, 'Cultureshock.' The five-part documentary series takes an in-depth look at the untold stories behind watershed moments in pop culture that have had a lasting impact on our society. Produced by Meredith's Four M Studios in association with Entertainment Weekly, each episode of 'Cultureshock' will shed light on the untold stories behind the big, unforgettable moments, helmed by an acclaimed director with the full participation of key players from each story. The series premieres on Monday, June 25 at 9pm ET/PT with 'Michael Jackson's Final Curtain Call,' a profound look at Jackson's final days timed to the anniversary of the pop icon's untimely and devastating death.

Debuting October 6-7th in Downtown Los Angeles, the first annual Adult Swim Festival has announced an additional 24 musical and comedy artists will join hip-hop powerhouse Run The Jewels for this one-of-a-kind fan experience. A cultural festival like no other, the weekend will feature all things Adult Swim with more headliners continuing to be announced leading up to the weekend.

Award-winning comedian Jamie Campbell was kidnapped when he was 11 years old. He brings the critically acclaimed show THE DEVIL ON THE WALL OR, THAT TIME I GOT KIDNAPPED to CSz Philadelphia in June. The show runs Sunday June 3rd and Sunday June 10th @ 7PM at CSz Philadelphia, 2030 Sansom Street, Philadelphia. Tickets are $10.

Hysterical and over-the-top parental trio John Cena (Trainwreck, Sisters), Leslie Mann (The Other Woman, This Is 40) and Ike Barinholtz (Neighbors, Suicide Squad) will do anything to foil their daughters' prom night sex pact in BLOCKERS, the uproarious hit coming to Digital and the all-new digital movie app MOVIES ANYWHERE on June 19, 2018, and Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand on July 3, 2018 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Hailed as the “perfect comedy for the current era” by Vanity Fair, BLOCKERS is a gender-swapped spin on the classic teen sex comedy, filled with outrageous antics from the parents as their daughters take control of their epic prom night. The Blu-ray, DVD and Digital feature unrated bonus content with even more wild shenanigans including deleted scenes, gag reel, line-o-rama and more!

According to The Hollywood Reporter, actor John Lithgow has been officially added to the cast of the upcoming PET SEMATARY remake. He joins the previously announced Jason Clarke. Lithgow will portray the role of  Jud Crandall, originally played by Fred Gwynne. Read more about it from The Hollywood Reporter here!

Seldom is there a musical where the question asked is not have whether you seen it, but rather how many times have you seen it. Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1988 blockbuster THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is such a musical. Repeated viewings are commonplace in Western New York, with many having seen the original Toronto or New York production in addition to many of it's national tours.

Tracy Braunstein's love of theatre began when she was just a child. She recalls early memories of performing ANNIE in the basement and singing 'Big Spender' into a hairbrush around the age of 6. She soon graduated to school plays and immersed herself in community theatre. When she was 17, she got on a bus, with her mom. to take a trip to New York City to see Lea Salonga in her last week of MISS SAIGON.