I. Fell News

I got the chance to talk to Costume Designer Katherine Snider, the woman who helped put the glitz in Stages Repertory Theatre's glitzy and fun production of PETE N' KEELY.

The anticipation of celebrating the 50th anniversary of that memorable night, August 23, 1964 when I saw The Beatles live at the Hollywood Bowl for the first time, had me excited for days, knowing this time I would be able to hear the music and celebrate it along with a sold out Hollywood Bowl audience eager to experience some of the best music ever written. And I was not disappointed. The show ROCKED!

Fringe theatre company New Muses will be returning to the Dukesbay Theater on September 5th with Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus.

As schools are opening their doors and welcoming students back, class at the Mad Cow Theatre Company is also back in session with a production of Alan Bennett's 2005 Tony Winning Play, THE HISTORY BOYS. My review on the production, running through September 7th, will be up early next week. In the meantime, I was able to interview some of the cast members. Instead of your basic interview with straightforward questions, I kept with the spirit of Bennett's scholastic play by passing out the blue books with three open-ended questions about some of the themes from the play. Although these answers will not be graded, I am sure if Irwin took a glance at them he would not be regarding them as "abysmally dull".

GRAMMY-nominated country superstar Blake Shelton's forthcoming album BRINGING BACK THE SUNSHINE is available for pre-order now following the world premiere of the lead single, 'Neon Light,' at country radio this week.

ABC'S hit series SHARK TANK, fresh from a 2014 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Reality Program, is eating up ABC's primetime schedule with the return of the popular “Shark Tank Week,” beginning Sunday, September 7

Bay Area Cabaret, devoted to presenting audiences with top performers who expand the definition of cabaret, launches its 11th season this fall at the Fairmont San Francisco's historic Venetian Room with an Opening Night Gala celebrating the work of songwriter/composer Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin, Godspell, Pocahontas, Enchanted, Prince of Egypt). The evening will feature two on-stage interviews with Mr. Schwartz by ASCAP's Director of Musical Theatre Michael Kerker, and performances by Saturday Night Live's Ana Gasteyer, who performed the role of 'Elphaba' in Wicked on Broadway, and by two masterful interpreters of Schwartz' work, Liz Callaway and Michael McCorry Rose. Bay Area Cabaret's Opening Night Gala Tribute to Stephen Swartz will take place 8 pm, Saturday, September 27, 2014 at the Venetian Room of the Fairmont San Francisco, 950 Mason Street, atop Nob Hill, San Francisco.

Paper Mill Playhouse (Mark S. Hoebee-Producing Artistic Director, Todd Schmidt-Managing Director) is proud to open its 2014-2015 season with a Broadway-bound, world-class revival of Can-Can starring Kate Baldwin as Pistache and Jason Danieley as Aristide.

From September 4-14, 2014, Houston Ballet launches its 45th season with the company premiere of John Neumeier's three-act ballet A Midsummer Night's Dream. The ballet is based on Shakespeare's lighthearted play of the same name and follows the hijinks and hilarity that ensues when a well-intentioned plan with a love potion goes awry. Created in 1977, A Midsummer Night's Dream has served as Mr. Neumeier's calling card, being seen as one of his most joyous and popular creations. Houston Ballet is the first American ballet company to perform the famous work and it is the first piece by Mr. Neumeier to enter the Houston Ballet repertoire.

Ms Tyson spoke exclusively to The Hollywood Reporter about her award-winning role, which she shared was one she always wanted to take on.

Internationally revered vocalist and concert performer Eydie Gorme is showcased on a new reissue of her 1981 solo album SINCE I FELL FOR YOU, including musical theatre songs, Great American Songbook standards, pop hits and more.

AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, honored with the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and five Tony Awards (including Best Play), will be staged from August 15 to 31, in a co-production by Utah Repertory Theater Company and Silver Summit Theatre. Director Mark Fossen shared with BroadwayWorld his passion for the play, this production, and the Utah theatre scene.

To continue our summer reading memories, we'll start with the coolest answer so far, from Christopher Priest, Shelf Awareness marketing manager: 'The Dharma Bums while hitchhiking around the U.S. the summer I turned 19, or The Mandarins during a summer in Paris.' That's hard to top, but Dave Wheeler, our publishing assistant, offers up Diary by Chuck Palahniuk: 'It came out late the summer of 2003. I was working at my hometown's public library and picked it up right away because I'd just finished Lullaby. The weather was mercilessly hot that year, so I remember really commiserating with the people of Waytansea and their awful, stuffy summer of tourists. Like everything by Palahniuk, it's twisted and visceral and nauseating and violent and gripping, which is all I wanted as a 16-year-old reader. So, obviously, when I was a bookseller I gave terrible (read: awesome!) advice to parents who asked what was appropriate for their teenager to read.'

Friendswood, TX

AUTHOR'S NOTE: One of the most iconic Broadway leading ladies in theatrical history, in honor of her passing earlier today at the age of 89, let us revisit this career-spanning InDepth InterView with the one and only Elaine Stritch. As a personal aside, following the conclusion of the interview proper the conversation between Ms. Stritch and I continued for several more minutes and she emphatically relayed to me that this had been her favorite interview to date and that she was incredibly appreciative and pleased with being questioned about the topics chosen herein. The following is reprinted exactly as it originally appeared here on BroadwayWorld on February 17. Hats off to a dynamite dame.

Julie Atherton and Paul Spicer have a long and varied history with new and contemporary musical theatre, both as individuals and as a pair. Together they co-founded Notes from New York, a concert series designed with the intention of introducing London to new musical theatre and making it cool, and celebrated its 5 year anniversary with a fully staged production of Jason Robert Brown's cult musical The Last 5 Years. They were also the original team behind Taking Notes, a summer course developed to share their skills with aspiring actors. This summer, they continue their mission to inspire a new generation of musical theatre performers with Onstage Acts, a week long enrichment programme in new and contemporary musical theatre featuring masterclasses with casting directors, agents, composers and directors, as well as performers currently working in the West End and beyond. Ahead of the course's launch on August 4th, Julie and Paul shared some of their favourite contemporary musical theatre moments from the careers which made them West End theatre's reigning experts on the subject.

Acclaimed pop and doo wop acts will take the stage for “An Evening of Pop and Doo Wop” at the Suncoast Showroom August 23 and 24.

Yes, it's National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) at Wolf Trap season again in the DC Metro Area. Last night's offering featured the NSO, Matthew Morrison, and Laura Benanti taking on some classic Broadway showtunes with a few pop hits thrown in for good measure.

In this week's edition, we caught up with Jason Tam, who is starring as 'David' in If/Then- currently playing at the Richard Rodgers Theatre.

The Weston Playhouse Theatre Company lands another coup, bringing the 2013 Tony Award Winner for Best Play, Christopher Durang's Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, to area audiences beginning July 17. Dubbed "deliriously funny" by the New York Times, the comedy is becoming the most-produced play across the country following its celebrated Broadway run.