Hoffman News

Stephen Petronio Company will honor fashion visionary Patricia Field and lifelong patron of dance Sylvia Drulie Mazzola at the company's 2018 Benefit on March 21. The evening will feature the fourth season of Bloodlines, a five-year autobiographical project that not only honors the lineage of American postmodern dance, but also traces the influences and impulses that have shaped choreographer Stephen Petronio.

USA Network today announced the series pickup of the Gina Torres-led SUITS spinoff. Centered on powerhouse lawyer Jessica Pearson (Torres) as she adjusts to the dirty world of Chicago politics, this new drama hails from Universal Cable Productions (UCP) and is executive produced and written by SUITS creator and executive producer Aaron Korsh alongside executive producer and showrunner Daniel Arkin. Doug Liman, David Bartis and Gene Klein of Hypnotic (SUITS) and Gina Torres will also serve as executive producers.

New Jersey Repertory Company is now presenting Allison Gregory's 'Wild Horses' through March 25. This stunning, original one-woman show stars Estelle Bajou and is directed by NJ Rep's Artistic Director, SuzAnne Barabas. Wonderfully performed and cleverly staged, it is a spirited coming of age story that is relatable, entertaining, yet very touching.

2018 is the 50th Anniversary of the 1968 political riots (led by Jerry Rubin & the Yippies) at the Chicago Democratic Convention. That same week in August saw the release of the Beatles single 'Revolution' and the Rolling Stones '45 'Street Fighting Man' – the perfect protest soundtrack.  

The Actors Fund announced today a one night benefit concert of last year's planned off-Broadway revival of When Pigs Fly, that never actually got to play for an audience. The concert, which will reunite the cast members and creative team for one night only, is set for Monday, April 9th.

The 17th annual Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, revealed its feature film lineup championing the discovery of emerging voices and celebrating new work from established filmmaking talent. To close the Festival, Tribeca will World Premiere The Fourth Estate, from Oscar®-nominated director Liz Garbus, which follows The New York Times' coverage of the Trump administration's first year. The Centerpiece Gala will be the World Premiere of Drake Doremus' sci-fi romance Zoe starring Ewan McGregor, Lea Seydoux, Rashida Jones, and Theo James. The 2018 Tribeca Film Festival takes place April 18-29.

Get ready for the return of some hysterical Southern fried comedy this weekend as The Last Roundup of the Guacamole Queens debuts at the Old Opera House in Charles Town!

Spellbound Productions is thrilled to announce that its new documentary General Magic will celebrate its World Premiereat Tribeca Film Festival 2018 on Friday 20th April 2018.

The 17th annual Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, revealed its feature film lineup championing the discovery of emerging voices and celebrating new work from established filmmaking talent. To close the Festival, Tribeca will World Premiere The Fourth Estate, from Oscar®-nominated director Liz Garbus, which follows The New York Times' coverage of the Trump administration's first year. The Centerpiece Gala will be the World Premiere of Drake Doremus' sci-fi romance Zoe starring Ewan McGregor, Lea Seydoux, Rashida Jones, and Theo James. The 2018 Tribeca Film Festival takes place April 18-29.

Stephanie Gibson (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and Chester Gregory (Motown: The Musical) will join the star-studded list of performers at this year's Broadway Belts for PFF!, hosted by Broadway's Julie Halston. The event will take place on Monday, March 12 at The Edison Ballroom. This once-in-a-lifetime event is sold out. Click here to make a donation to the event.

Godspell is one of those shows that is reinvented with each production. There is a timelessness about it that makes it just as applicable today as it did when the first production opened off-Broadway in 1971. NextStop Theatre Company's current production, Godspell is more grounded in our obsession with electronics and social media, then with the overall notion of becoming a community.

Lightning Bolt Productions burst onto the Boca Raton theatre scene last August with their well-received production of The Addams Family at the Boca Black Box Center for the Arts. The success of the fledgling company's first effort encouraged the company's young founder Jessie Hoffman, to 'bump it up a level': their next production, Young Frankenstein - The Mel Brooks Musical, will open on April 13th at West Boca Performing Arts Center at West Boca High School*. The show will run through April 22nd.

The reviews are in for Laguna Playhouse's THE GRADUATE, starring Melanie Griffith! THE GRADUATE opened on February 21st, and is set to run through March 25th.

Riverside Center for the Performing Arts in Fredericksburg, Virginia is excited to be the first regional theater in the metropolitan area to present The Hunchback of Notre Dame, starring Justin Luciano as Quasimodo and Thomas Adrian Simpson as Dom Claude Frollo. Located at 95 Riverside Parkway, Fredericksburg, VA, performances begin on March 14th and run until Sunday, May 6th.

Golden Globe winner Melanie Griffith can now be seen on stage playing pop culture's most famous cougar, Mrs. Robinson---the infamous 'mom of a certain age' who uses her predatory sexuality to seduce a recent college graduate into entering a torrid affair---in a new production of THE GRADUATE, which continues its just-extended engagement at the Laguna Playhouse through March 25, 2018 in Laguna Beach, CA. On paper, the role seems like a perfect fit for the now 60-year-old star who has demonstrated prior success in playing sultry, seductive women. But in this production, the results---like the dysfunctional relationships that criss-cross in this play---aren't as well-matched as you'd hope it would be.

Award-winning playwright, screenwriter, and director David Mamet tackles America's most controversial topic in a provocative tale of sex, guilt, and bold accusations. Two lawyers find themselves defending a wealthy white executive charged with raping a black woman. When a female legal assistant gets involved in the case, the opinions that boil beneath explode to the surface. When David Mamet (Pulitzer Prize winning author of Glengarry Glenn Ross), turns the spotlight on what we think but can't say, dangerous truths are revealed, and no punches are pulled.

Eight show business managers, who guided the careers of Jackie Collins, Janis Joplin, Liberace, John Mellencamp, Bette Midler, Bonnie Raitt, The Ramones and other celebrities, have been named as 2018 inductees to the Personal Managers Hall of Fame.

A star-studded host committee, Academy Awards nominees and presenters, along with some of the most powerful industry influencers came together on March 3 rd, 2018 for the 16 th annual 'Night Before' party to benefit MPTF. Funds raised during the legendary evening will be used to support MPTF in providing social services and financial assistance to the entertainment community, as well as it's renowned retirement community and innovative programs for seniors and those who care for them. The organization impacts thousands of people each year who have committed their lives to a career in entertainment. The annual event raised $5 million last night, totaling just over $80 million in the event's history.

Goodspeed Musicals kicks off its 2018 season with the Broadway hit The Will Rogers Follies, A Life In Revue. The exuberant dance-filled musical will be running April 13 - June 21 at The Goodspeed in East Haddam, Conn.

The McCallum Theatre presents WEST SIDE STORY: IN CONCERT for five performances Friday, March 9 through Sunday, March 11. This classic musical is being exclusively produced by the McCallum Theatre as part of its Leonard Bernstein Centennial Celebration. Produced and directed by Chad Hilligus, the limited McCallum engagement will feature an onstage 40-piece orchestra and an all-star cast direct from the Broadway and National Tour companies of West Side Story, I had the chance to catch up with Mr. Hilligus as he was preparing for this highly anticipated concert. Here are a few excerpts from that conversation: