Howard Ashman News

Following their critically acclaimed inaugural and sold out production of Spring Awakening in April this year, Assembled Junk Productions have announced the cast for their forthcoming three week professional fringe production of Alan Menkin and Howard Ashman's cult classic musical Little Shop of Horrors, running today 3rd - Sunday 22nd of December 2013, with press night slated for Thursday 5th December at 7:00pm.

Disney's Beauty and the Beast, the award-winning worldwide smash hit Broadway musical, is coming to New Orleans as part of the East Jefferson General Hospital Broadway in New Orleans series. Produced by NETworks Presentations, this elaborate theatrical production will come to life on stage at the newly-renovated Saenger Theatre, Feb. 4 - 9, 2014.

Performances run Friday, January 3 at 8:00 PM, Saturday, January 4 at 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM, and Sunday, January 5 at 3:00 PM. Tickets starting at $35 ($15 for students) are available by visiting brtstage.org or calling the BRT Box Office at 215-785-0100. Bristol Riverside Theatre is located at 120 Radcliffe Street in Bristol, PA.

The New Amsterdam Theatre box office opens for Aladdin today at 10:00am. Tickets are now available for purchase through AladdinTheMusical.com, by calling Ticketmaster's Disney on Broadway hotline at 866-870-2717, or in person at the New Amsterdam Theatre box office (214 W. 42nd Street). The New Amsterdam Theatre box office is open Monday through Saturday 10:00am - 8:00pm and Sunday 10:00am - 6:30pm.

Let's see what the critics had to say...

Director Rene Staub leads a well-chosen cast through its paces as the classic production unfolds on the YLT stage.

Due to popular demand - and just in time for the holidays, Disney's Aladdin is releasing additional seats for performances between December 17 through January 5. The additional seats will go on sale Monday November 25 at 9AM.

Director Amy Malcom of Fox Valley Repertory and the Youth Ensemble bring Disney's The Little Mermaid to the Fox Valley Area. Under the musical direction of Kyle Donahue with choreography by Maegan Daniels, the FVR Youth Ensemble brings this Disney fairytale of dreams, love and underwater adventure to life on the Pheasant Run Mainstage on December 7-21, 2013 (4051 East Main Street, St. Charles).

The Community College of Baltimore County celebrates the holiday season with a host of seasonal special events. Join us for these free or family-friendly priced concerts and performances. If you have any questions about these holiday offerings, call the CCBC Box Office at 443-840-ARTS (2787).

In an interview posted on today's Variety.com, the couple spoke about penning music for the exciting animated project

Bristol Riverside Theatre kicks off the holiday season with Winter Musicale on December 5-15, 2013. This family program presents favorite holiday songs from yesterday and today, including traditional carols, popular classics, contemporary arrangements and original songs to celebrate the spirit of the season. Directed by Keith Baker, the program features BRT favorites Philip Chaffin, Anthony D'Amato, Robert Farruggia, Laura Giknis, Jessica Gruver, Elyse Langley, Meera Mohan, and Sean Thompson, joined by Keith Baker and the BRT Concert Band.

Disney's Beauty and the Beast, the award-winning worldwide smash hit Broadway musical, is returning to Philadelphia as part of the BROADWAY PHILADELPHIA season presented by the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and the Shubert Organization. Produced by NETworks Presentations, this elaborate theatrical production will come to life on stage at the Academy of Music for November 26 through December 1. For information on the production, visit www.BeautyAndTheBeastOnTour.com. The official press opening is Tuesday, November 26 at 7:30 p.m.

ALADDIN, Disney's new Broadway-bound musical, begins performances this evening at the Ed Mirvish Theatre. The production features the beloved music by Academy and Tony Award-winning composer Alan Menken and lyricists Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Chad Beguelin, with a book by Beguelin.

Multi-award winning Foothill Music Theatre and Foothill Theatre Arts present the rock musical comedy LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. A down-and out skid row floral assistant becomes an overnight sensation when he discovers an exotic plant with a mysterious craving. Soon his plant, 'Audrey II' grows into an ill-tempered, foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore who offers him fame and fortune in exchange for feeding its growing appetite, finally revealing itself to be an alien creature poised for global domination! LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, composed by Alan Menken (Disney's The Little Mermaid, Hercules) and written by Howard Ashman (Disney's Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast), will be directed by Milissa Carey, with musical direction by Dolores Duran-Cefalu, and choreography by Amanda Folena.

Musicals Tonight! the Obie-winning company dedicated to the revival of neglected musicals continues its 2013-14 season with a 16-performance run of Marvin Hamlisch and Howard Ashman's 1986 musical SMILE (through November 3) directed by Thomas Sabella-Mills, with music direction by David Bishop. BroadwayWorld brings you photos of the cast in action below!

The inaugural presentation of a newly created French-language adaptation of the internationally celebrated stage version of the hit Disney film BEAUTY & THE BEAST premiered this weekend to generally favorable reviews, kicking off an extended run in the theater where THE LION KING ran for three years from 2007 to 2010 and became France's longest-running major musical to date.

Chanhassen Dinner Theatres (CDT) has announced it will be producing the Midwest Premiere of Disney's THE LITTLE MERMAID. Based on the beloved, best-selling Disney animated feature Disney's THE LITTLE MERMAID will make its Main Stage premiere in 2014. The production will enjoy previews from February 28th through March 6th, 2014 with its grand opening taking place Friday, March 7th 2014.

Marvin Hamlisch and Howard Ashman's short-lived beauty pageant musical is revived by Musicals Tonight! in a version that restores its pre-Broadway satirical tone.

Musicals Tonight!, under the leadership of Mel Miller, continues its ongoing salute to Broadway and Off-Broadway Standbys, Understudies and Alternates with the 10th Anniversary edition of At This Performance, to be held on Sunday, October 27 at The Lion Theatre, 410 West 42nd Street at 7pm. Tickets are $26.25 each and are available through Telecharge (212) 560-2186 or at the Box Office on the evening of performance.

After only a year in New York, actor Jaron Frand is beginning to make waves in the city. Frand, a CAPA and Point Park University alumnus, joins the first New York cast of Smile to revive the show in 30 years.