Hunter Foster News

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) celebrates its fifth year with 24 full productions, a dance series, a developmental series, concerts and special events.

One of the most famous comedies ever written, The Government Inspector offers nonstop hilarity, as news of a surprise visit from an undercover government inspector sends a small provincial Russian town spiraling into a world of panic and greed.

Signature Theatre, under the artistic direction of Eric Schaeffer, yesterday completed the Kander & Ebb Celebration, a ground-breaking four-month festival devoted to the works of John Kander and Fred Ebb, the longest lasting song-writing partnership in the history of the American musical theater.

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (Isaac Robert Hurwitz, Executive Director and Producer) announces a 14 new musicals to be presented as part of the 5th annual Festival from September 15 through October 5, 2008 in New York City. The New York Musical Theatre Festival is the enormously popular three-week celebration that features the works of the newest generation of musical theatre writers. The 14 musicals listed below are joining the ten new musicals previously announced, which were chosen from NYMF's open-submission writer service program, The Next Link Project.

On Saturday June 7th, the Signature Theatre presented the East Coast Premiere of the THE VISIT. The after party directly followed

Over the weekend there was opening night of the East Coast premiere of THE VISIT.

The Guthrie today announced casting for 'The Government Inspector', a bitingly hilarious political comedy by famed local playwright and screenwriter Jeffrey Hatcher.

Casting has been announced for VANITIES, A New Musical by Jack Heifner, with music and lyrics by David Kirshenbaum, directed by two-time Tony Award-winner Judith Ivey. Starring Lauren Kennedy (Spamalot, Side Show) as Mary, Sarah Stiles (Avenue Q, …Spelling Bee) as Joanne and Anneliese van der Pol (Beauty and the Beast, TV's 'That's So Raven') as Kathy, VANITIES will open on Broadway in the Fall of 2008 at a theatre to be announced.

Performances begin tonight for the East Coast premiere of THE VISIT at Signature Theatre (Eric Schaeffer, Artistic Director). THE VISIT is the final mainstage show in the theatre's Kander & Ebb Celebration, a four-month festival devoted to the works of John Kander & Fred Ebb, the longest song-writing partnership in the history of the American musical theater.

Sandy Duncan, Charles Kimbrough, Beth Leavel, Michael Berresse, Mara Davi, Shonn Wiley and Rosie O'Donnell starred in No, No, Nanette, the final 2008 Encores! presentation of the New York City Center season.

Casting announced for workshop of Broadway bound musical 'Pure Country.'

From 'Urinetown' to 'Kiss of the Spider Woman' at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA

Producers Randall L. Wreghitt, Chris Presley and Ellen Rusconi announced today that PURE COUNTRY, a brand-new original musical, will have its World Premiere as part of the 2008-2009 Broadway Season.

The Visit, which will star two-time Tony Award® winners Chita Rivera and George Hearn with Mark Jacoby, features music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb and book by Terrence McNally, based on the play by Friedrich Dürrenmatt, adapted by Maurice Valency. The production will be choreographed by Ann Reinking and directed by Frank Galati. The Visit will play from May 13 through June 22 in The MAX Theatre.

With apologies for a little self-promotion, I will be a guest on 'Mid-Day with Dan Rodricks' radio program between 1-2 p.m. (WYPR-FM, 88.1) on Tuesday, April 8, 2008 for a discussion on theater coming this spring to the Baltimore/Washington area and Broadway. You can access the program live on www.wypr.org or for about a month after the program on the WYPR web site. I hope to hear from many of my readers. You may call during the program at 410-662-8780 or long-distance at 866-661-9309.

Will Chase, Natascia Diaz and Hunter Foster talk about creating and recreating a new production of one of Kander and Ebb's darkest musicals.

Signature Theatre (Eric Schaeffer, Artistic Director) is pleased to present the Kander & Ebb Celebration, the highlight of the Theatre's spring 2008 season, opening on March 11 and running through June 22. The festival is a four-month celebration of the works of the great Broadway songwriting team of John Kander & Fred Ebb. Kander and Ebb were the longest-running songwriting partnership in Broadway musical history, working together from 1965 until Ebb's death in 2004.

Signature Theatre kicked off its four-month Kander & Ebb Celebration on March 11 with the Tony Award-winning musical Kiss of the Spider Woman.

REVIEW: Kiss of the Spider Woman kicks off Kander and Ebb Celebration with dazzling brilliance.