Jane Austen News

November 16, 2015—(Boston, MA) Delighting audiences of all ages with a sense of youthful imagination, Mikko Nissinen's The Nutcracker returns to the Boston Opera House from November 27–December 31, 2015. Celebrated as “elegant and theatrically striking,” this completely re-imagined production premiered in 2012 and has received praise from audiences and critics alike (The New York Times). With “sleek, bejeweled costumes and spacious, regal sets” by Robert Perdziola and all-new lighting design by Finnish-based Mikki Kunttu, this timeless holiday classic features the full company of 68 dancers along with more than 200 Boston Ballet School students (Thea Singer, The Boston Globe). 

Sometimes it seems there is so much theater happening that it's difficult to keep track of it all. From personal experience, despite all the datebooks, smart phones, tablets, desktop computers and laptops...it's hard to keep everything straight in this wacky business of the show.

Speaking with Vulture at last night's Louis Vuitton premiere of Shelter, director Amy Heckerling revealed that her dream cast for a Broadway musical adaptation of CLUELESS would include pop star Katy Perry.

The cast album for the new Off-Broadway musical DADDY LONG LEGS, with music and lyrics by Tony Award nominee Paul Gordon (Sense and Sensibility) and a book by Tony Award and Olivier Award winner John Caird (Les Miserables), is available today in the U.S. via digital release from Ghostlight Records.

The Old Globe's 18th annual production of DR. SEUSS' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS, starring J. Bernard Calloway in the title role, opens tonight, November 12, 2015 and will run through December 26th.

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley celebrates the holidays - and the 200th anniversary of the novel's publication - with a limited return engagement of Jane Austen's Emma, the musical adaption which originated at TheatreWorks and became the most popular show in the company's 46 year history.

Jesus Christ Superstar, Henry V and Running Wild will all feature in the Open Air Theatre's 2016 season.

Continuing to bring original musical stories and new productions to beloved Chicago audiences, 'Hershey Felder Presents' (George Gershwin Alone, Maestro Bernstein, The Pianist of Willesden Lane, Louis and Keely 'Live' at the Sahara) now brings BARITONES UNBOUND, a new play with music and baritone superstars to the Royal George Theatre as part of a continuing season of new productions. Performances begin at the Royal George, 1641 N. Halsted Street, on Friday, December 11th, 2015 and continue through Sunday, January 3rd, 2016 with a press opening on Sunday, December 13th at 3:00 p.m. A special New Year's Eve performance includes a champagne and dessert reception with the artists.

BroadwayWorld has just learned that Adam Halpin (Broadway's GLORY DAYS, RENT Natl. Tour) will star in the new musical Daddy Long Legs, alongside his wife Megan McGinnis (Broadway's LES MISERABLES, SIDE SHOW, LITTLE WOMEN). Halpin, recently seen in another two-person musical THE LAST FIVE YEARS at Long Wharf Theatre, will assume the role on November 20th.

Thus, we are happy to present the return of one our most popular features: The Nashville Theater Calendar, a comprehensive - maybe even exhaustive (lord knows we're exhausted from putting it together, gathering all the info from all over the interwebs!) - listing of theatrical openings for the 2015/16 season. We'll update the calendar every Monday, clearing out the shows that have closed and adding additional information on the shows still to come. Something's missing? That's an easy fix: just send us a message here, on Facebook, or by email at jeffreyellis37215@att.com.

Book-It Repertory Theatre presents Jane Austen's Emma this December. Adapted by Rachel Atkins and directed by Carol Roscoe, Emma will help Book-it celebrate the holiday season and the 200th anniversary of the novel's publication. Emma will play at the Center Theatre from December 2, 2015 - January 3, 2016. Tickets range from $25-$50.

This year we celebrate the 14th anniversary of everyone's favorite mall elf, Crumpet, in The Santaland Diaries by David Sedaris and adapted to the stage by Joe Mantello.  See the show that has become an 'anti-holiday tradition' for San Francisco's audiences and escape the craziness of the holidays with Combined Artform at the Eureka Theatre.

The producers of Mike Bartlett's multi award-winning contemporary play, King Charles III are delighted to announce today that the current UK tour has been extended into spring 2016.

"Hear it here first!" After an overwhelmingly successful inaugural season, The Gallery Players continues OVERTURES, their series of new musical theatre readings. Helmed by theatre director and scholar, Barrie Gelles, OVERTURES was created in order to foster the creation of new musical theatre and support the talented composers and writers as they develop their work.

Maggie Smith stopped by THE GRAHAM NORTON SHOW and shared that she is relieved that DOWNTON ABBEY is finally over… and admits she has never seen the show, but she does have a box set!

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ Several days back, author Stephenie Meyerreleased'Life and Death,' a reimagined take on her 'Twilight'novel, where sheflipped the genders of the book's protagonists.And never in the history of our language has Microsoft Word's 'find and replace' feature garnered such powerful results.With this exciting new genre now established, award-winning comedian Steven Shehori and his co-editorMichelle Boyers (who was also his babysitter in the early '80s)are proud to unveil'Moby Vulva': the gender-swapped edition of Herman Melville's classic American tale,'Moby Dick.'(Media copy of book + photos available herehttp://bit.ly/1GGU1Zr)

Sometimes it seems there is so much theater happening that it's difficult to keep track of it all. From personal experience, despite all the datebooks, smart phones, tablets, desktop computers and laptops...it's hard to keep everything straight in this wacky business of the show.

'[Thank you] to an incredible cast of British and American actors who make the Atlantic look like a little creek you can just kind of pop across,' said Dame Helen Mirren upon receiving her 2015 Tony Award. The stage and screen star reprised her critically-acclaimed performance in THE AUDIENCE after a West End run in 2013, and she was just one of many to 'pop across' an ocean for a stab at Broadway.  An unprecedented amount of British talent took over Broadway last year, bringing us such productions as THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, WOLF HALL: PARTS 1 & 2, and SKYLIGHT.   It doesn't seem like the trend is ending anytime soon. This fall, Broadway will welcome a slew of British actors- some of whom will be making their US stage debuts in incoming productions. And it's not just performers. We're getting some complete British imports in shows like A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE and KING CHARLES III. Below, we're taking a moment to shine a spotlight on this season's British imports.