Howard Dietz News

Patti LuPone's appearances at 54 Below have already achieved the status of legend. Experiencing the great diva in the intimate atmosphere of 54 Below is not only a never-to-be-forgotten experience but is one you will want to repeat again and again.

Once upon a time, the Met used to be able to pull off an operetta, like the Rudolf Bing-era FLEDERMAUS, with its Garson Kanin libretto and lyrics by Broadway's Howard Dietz. But for the second year in a row--after last season's dire FLEDERMAUS from writer Douglas Carter Beane and director Jeremy Sams--the company rolled the dice and came up craps. How bad is the new production of Franz Lehar's THE MERRY WIDOW (DIE LUSTIGE WITWE)? Let me count the ways.

Kiss Me Kate -- Cole Porter's 1953 hit musical filmed with the most advanced 3D technology during the medium's "golden era" - will be released March 3 in a new restored Blu-ray edition by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

Douglas Carter Beane and Kathleen Marshall whip a movie classic into a fun new musical.

Last night, the critics weighed in on the show, which has already been buzzed about for a Broadway transfer. What does this mean for the future of the musical? Check out what they had to say below!

Whether you've been living under a rock for the past week or you're just in the mood for a recap, BroadwayWorld's 'This Week in Pictures' is here to satisfy your end-of-the-week fix! Take a look below to catch up on the latest happenings from the Great White Way to The West End (and everywhere in between) with coverage of press events, rehearsals, opening nights and more. Highlights this week include the Gypsy Robe Ceremony for THE LAST SHIP, Emma Stone in Cabaret, the opening nights of THE OLDEST BOY and THE BAND WAGON, and more!

Encores! The Band Wagon cast includes Brian Stokes Mitchell, Tracey Ullman, Michael McKean, Tony Sheldon, Laura Osnes, Michael Berresse and Don Stephenson. It runs tonight, November 6, through November 16 at New York City Center (56th Street between 6th and 7th avenues). BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell will star in The Band Wagon, an Encores! Special Event based on the classic MGM movie of the same title, from tonight, November 6, through November 16, 2014 at City Center. The Band Wagon will open on Sunday, November 8.

According to the New York Post, director and choreographer Kathleen Marshall could be "shepherding" Encores! THE BAND WAGON to Broadway before the Tony Awards cutoff.

The Encores! Special Event The Band Wagon is set to star Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell, seven-time Emmy Award winner Tracey Ullman, Academy Award nominee Michael McKean, Tony Award nominee Laura Osnes, Tony Award nominee Tony Sheldon, Tony Award nominee Michael Berresse and Don Stephenson. The Band Wagon will open on Sunday, November 8. BroadwayWorld brings you a first look at the cast below!

The Encores! Special Event The Band Wagon is set to star Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell, seven-time Emmy Award winner Tracey Ullman, Academy Award nominee Michael McKean, Tony Award nominee Laura Osnes, Tony Award nominee Tony Sheldon, Tony Award nominee Michael Berresse and Don Stephenson. The Band Wagon will open on Sunday, November 8. BroadwayWorld was in rehearsal with the company today and you can check out interviews with the cast and a performance sneak peek below!

Osnes took the time to chat with BroadwayWorld earlier this week about prepping for the project, as well as what she's been up to since leaving the cast of CINDERELLA on Broadway. Check out the full interview below!

Tony Award nominee Tony Sheldon (Priscilla Queen of the Desert) has joined the cast of the Encores! Special Event The Band Wagon in the role of Jeffrey Cordova, an egotistical British director. (Roger Rees, previously announced in the role, is no longer available.) The Band Wagon cast stars Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell, seven-time Emmy Award winner Tracey Ullman, Academy Award nominee Michael McKean, Tony Award nominee Laura Osnes, Tony Award nominee Michael Berresse and Don Stephenson. The Band Wagon will open on Sunday, November 8.

This just in! Previously announced Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell will be joined by Tony Award winner Roger Rees, seven-time Emmy Award winner Tracey Ullman, Academy Award nominee Michael McKean, Tony Award nominee Laura Osnes, Tony Award nominee Michael Berresse, and Don Stephenson in The Band Wagon, an Encores! Special Event from November 6 - 16, 2014 at City Center. The Band Wagon will open on Sunday, November 8.

New York City Center's 2014-15 season features an exciting lineup of dance and musical theater that begins with the 11th season of City Center's acclaimed Fall for Dance Festival. The Festival features 24 acclaimed dance companies and artists from around the world, and will kick off in September with two free dance performances at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park in association with The Public Theater, followed by five unique programs at City Center in October. The Band Wagon, an Encores! Special Event starring Brian Stokes Mitchell, follows in November, and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, City Center's Principal Dance Company, returns for a month-long engagement in December.

This August and September 54 BELOW presents an exciting lineup of the brightest talent from Broadway and beyond. Located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street.

Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell will star in The Band Wagon, an Encores! Special Event based on the classic MGM movie of the same title, from November 6 - 16, 2014 at City Center. The show has a book by Douglas Carter Beane adapted from the screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, with music by Arthur Schwartz and lyrics by Howard Dietz. The Band Wagon will be directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Kathleen Marshall with music direction by Todd Ellison. The Band Wagon will run for 12 performances, by special arrangement with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures.

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.54Below.com or call (646) 476-3551.

In an evening, conceived and directed by Tony Award winner Scott Wittman, LuPone will perform an eclectic collection of torch songs by songwriters including Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz, Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn,Billy Barnes, Harold Arlen, George and Ira Gershwin, and Cole Porter. Don Heckman of The Los Angeles Times described the show as 'a beautifully paced, marvelously delivered torch-song exploration of the pleasures and pains of love; LuPone's remarkable, larger-than-life qualities and stunning musicality are distilled into the pure essence of her art.' BroadwayWorld was there for a special press preview with Patti and you can check out a sneak peek of the concert below!

Earlier today it was announced that 54 Below, Broadway's Supper Club, has a multi-year agreement with two-time Tony Award winner Patti LuPone. Twice yearly, LuPone will play two-week engagements at the venue. The agreement, which runs through 2016, launches with the upcoming July 21 - August 2 engagement, 'The Lady with The Torch.'