Harry Connick, Jr. News

This summer, audiences are invited to visit the Huron Country Playhouse to jump and jive withan original production that swings, scats, stomps, and soars through the most memorable tunes of the greatest crooners and songbirds. The Canadian premiere of Big Band Legends runs for three weeks beginning tonight, June 27th through July 14th.

Maine State Music Theatre continues its 54th season with everyone's favorite sorority girl, Elle Woods. LEGALLY BLONDE the musical opens at the Pickard Theater tonight, June 27th and runs until July 14th. Tickets are available online at www.msmt.org, over the phone at (207) 725- 8769, or by visiting the box office located in the Pickard Theater lobby at 1 Bath Road in Brunswick. Ticket prices range from $36 to $59.

As BroadwayWorld reported last week, composer-lyricist and Broadway legend, Richard Adler, died Thursday, June 21st at his Southampton, New York home. He was 90. We celebrate the composer with a photo tribute below!

The Hollywood Bowl officially launched its 91st season with the 13TH Annual Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame and Opening Night Concert, last night, Friday, June 22, at 8 pm, which for the first time honored all women artists.

On Thursday, three-time Tony Award-winning Broadway composer Richard Adler passed away at the ripe old age of 90. Responsible for two of the biggest Broadway smash hits of the 1950s, THE PAJAMA GAME and GAMN YANKEES, Adler never quite managed to equal his career-high double-hitter of that era, yet his earlier work with Tony Bennett ('Rags To Riches'), Doris Day ('Everybody Loves A Lover') and Marilyn Monroe (the iconic 'Happy Birthday, Mr. President') surely shall solidify his place in the firmament of entertainment history along with his two classic musicals from the Golden Age. Winning both Best Score and Best Musical for both THE PAJAMA GAME and DAMN YANKEES, Adler's partnership with lyricist Jerry Ross - which began on Broadway in 1953 with JOHN MURRAY ANDERSON'S ALMANAC - was tragically cut short just months after the DAMN YANKEES premiere when Ross was diagnosed with lung disease and passed away soon thereafter. Yet, thanks to the beloved film versions of THE PAJAMA GAME and DAMN YANKEES and continued interest in the entities as expressed in the revivals and reappraisals of both onstage from Broadway to Biloxi to Bombay year after year, the snappy, snazzy tunes of Adler and Ross live on eight times a week all around the world - even now, more than fifty years after they premiered. Unfortunately, Adler's subsequent shows with other collaborators post-1955 failed to capture the early magic of his previous projects with Ross and his earlier musical and theatrical endeavors in the pop arena, with the racially charged KWAMINA flopping on Broadway in 1961 (though he took home a Best Composer Tony Award for his efforts anyway) and the awkwardly titled MUSIC IS failing to recreate the magic of its source material, Shakespeare's TWELFTH NIGHT, in 1976. A MOTER'S KISSES, starring Bea Arthur and a young Bernadette Peters, died on the road, as well. In the intervening years, Adler attempted musical adaptations taken from a number of intriguing sources - OF HUMAN BONDAGE and others among them - though only his ballet scores seemed to reach an audience; particularly his last, commissioned for a new production of Lorca's THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA in 1998. Of course, THE PAJAMA GAME has had two Broadway revivals - most recently the rapturously received Kathleen Marshall-directed production starring Harry Connick, Jr. and Kelli O'Hara; and DAMN YANKEES famously returned to the Great White Way with much ado in 1994 starring Victor Garber. Now seems particularly ripe for remounting YANKEES, as we approach twenty years in its absence - especially given the musical's seriously smashing showing at Encores! in 2007. Who knows, perhaps some risky producer will even take a chance on a new production of KWAMINA, MUSIC IS, A MOTHER'S KISSES or one of the bottom drawer shows someday soon to see if they possess any of the limitless potential shown by Adler's earlier work. Or maybe a stage treatment of his TV musical GIFT OF THE MAGI (originally composed for then-wife Sally Ann Howes)? Or, better yet, how about a revue? What a stupendous songstack Adler created over the course of his career - 'Whatever Lola Wants' to 'Hey There' to 'Hernando's Hideaway' to 'You Gotta Have Heart' to 'Steam Heat' to the aforementioned Bennett, Day and Monroe standards and so many more chestnuts.

Anything Goes' Stephanie J. Block ("Reno Sweeney") will be interviewed on WAMC radio's "The Roundtable" on Thursday, June 21st at 9:40AM.

This summer, audiences are invited to visit the Huron Country Playhouse to jump and jive withan original production that swings, scats, stomps, and soars through the most memorable tunes of the greatest crooners and songbirds. The Canadian premiere of Big Band Legends runs for three weeks beginning June 27th through July 14th.

Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairytale, "The Princess and the Pea," comes to the stage as a musical comedy in Once Upon a Mattress tonight, June 19 - August 5 at the Coterie Theatre in Crown Center.

Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Neal Street Productions and Kevin McCormick today announced that their production of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will open at the London Palladium in June 2013 after a preview period. The new stage musical will be directed by Sam Mendes, with a book by David Greig and new songs from Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

Maine State Music Theatre continues its 54th season with everyone's favorite sorority girl, Elle Woods. LEGALLY BLONDE the musical opens at the Pickard Theater on Wednesday, June 27th and runs until July 14th. Tickets are available online at www.msmt.org, over the phone at (207) 725- 8769, or by visiting the box office located in the Pickard Theater lobby at 1 Bath Road in Brunswick. Ticket prices range from $36 to $59.

FEARnet is taking 'June Gloom' to an entirely new level with the broadcast premiere of the 2009 blockbuster horror sensation 'Saw VI' tonight, June 17 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. And to help start the night out, FEARnet will debut 'Saw,' at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. 'Saw' was the first movie that began the seven-film franchise and introduced the world to the infamous serial killer Jigsaw. Now that's a Father's Day to remember.

The Blue Note Jazz Festival has announced the following upcoming events.

The Tony Awards Drinking Game has become a tradition, and this year it's going to be sloshier and more dizzying than ever before!! Choose your favorite Broadway-themed cocktail (or mocktail!) and make sure you have food in your belly; it's about to get tipsy in here. Let's all play… The 2012 TONY AWARDS DRINKING GAME!!!

The Public Theater announced today that Tony Award winner Denis O'Hare has been cast as The Baker in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's beloved musical INTO THE WOODS, directed by Timothy Sheader with co-direction by Liam Steel. INTO THE WOODS will be O'Hare's Shakespeare in the Park debut. Previews begin on Monday, July 23 at the Delacorte Theater and continue for five weeks through Saturday, August 25, with an official press opening on Thursday, August 9.

Today we are talking to a two-time Tony Award winning lyricist and book writer who was responsible for the 2010 Best Musical winner, MEMPHIS, and who has since written the libretto of the Gershwin revue NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET and received a well-earned Tony nomination for his efforts; one of the show's ten nods - Joe DiPietro. In this concluding portion of our conversation, DiPietro and I break down the process of creating NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT and he comments on the starry cast - including Matthew Broderick, Kelli O'Hara, Judy Kaye and Estelle Parsons - and the process of collaboration in bringing the 2012 Tony Awards top nominee to the Broadway stage. Additionally, DiPietro fills us in on the future for THE TOXIC AVENGER and its tentative Broadway plans, as well as the upcoming West End mountings of MEMPHIS and, hopefully, NICE WORK - and, a look ahead to his next David Bryan collaboration, CHASING THE SONG, as well. Plus, a glance back at his work on I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT NOW CHANGE, F*CKING MEN and ALLEGRO and his favorite current pop acts.

Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairytale, "The Princess and the Pea," comes to the stage as a musical comedy in Once Upon a Mattress June 19 - August 5 at the Coterie Theatre in Crown Center.

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. The 'Apocalyptour,' two Sondheim/Lapine productions, Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen visit Northlight, 'The Last Five Years,' Spider Saloff writes and stars, that 'Smash'ing season finale, and more....

The multi award-winning event will feature acclaimed Broadway and television star Megan Hilty (SMASH); singer-songwriter Javier Colon (winner of THE VOICE); R&B superstars Kool & The Gang; four time Tony-nominated Broadway star Kelli O'Hara.

Awards season is in full swing and to celebrate all of the 2011-2012 nominees, we've dug deep into our archives to bring you vintage photos of all of the talent during special moments in their careers. Check out the 2011-2012 Tony-nominated women below!

This Tuesday marked the second most exciting day of any given year for Broadway babies - the Tony Award nominations. The actual awards ceremony on CBS - Broadway's night of nights - is still a few weeks off, but now is certainly an ideal time to size up the competition(s) and see who will most likely walk away with Tony gold come June 10 - and this year's ceremony, more than most before, could very well be as surprising as this season was; or Tuesday's nominations themselves were, for that matter. While the 2011-2012 Broadway season certainly fell far short of the heady promise many ascribed to its prospects way back last Summer, we certainly saw the fulfillment of some big dreams for some notable names if not an all-in-all banner year for Broadway when collectively considered. The highly-praised Off-Broadway critical darling LYSISTRATA JONES landed with a thud early in the season, as did the re-jiggered, gender-bending revival of ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER and its star Harry Connick, Jr., and, even the lauded and relatively successful revival of Stephen Sondheim's peerless masterpiece FOLLIES failed to make any money and closed. GODSPELL did not fare much better, though it is still running. The two highly-anticipated revivals of Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic early successes JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR and EVITA were met with indifferent reviews - with the latter receiving some nasty press for its stars, neither of whom received Tony nominations - but receptive audiences so far. THE GERSHWINS' PORGY & BESS could take Best Revival, after all - but will NICE WORK's Kelli O'Hara edge out four-time Tony recipient Audra McDonald? New plays did not fare much better than the measly crop of musicals, but OTHER DESERT CITIES and VENUS IN FUR seemed to hit their target demographics squarely, but CLYBOURNE PARK looks to be the frontrunner for Best Play despite all that. We shall see. Mike Nichols may take home another Best Director for his sensitive, if workmanlike revival of Arthur Miller's DEATH OF A SALESMAN, as conceivably could Philip Seymour Hoffman and Andrew Garfield. John Lithgow is offering up some fierce competition in THE COLUMNIST, though. The acting races are tight, for sure, in both plays and musicals, with more newcomers and first-time nominees than any season this century.