Jason Wetzel News

Maine State Music Theatre is going to Yonkers for its third show of the season, Hello, Dolly! from July 17 - August 3.

A testament to the power of love and music takes center stage as Mad Cow Theatre opens Once, the multi-award-winning musical.  From the very first note, Once draws you in and never lets go. This emotionally captivating musical is the only show to have won an Oscar, a Grammy, an Olivier Award, and a Tony.  The musical - book by Enda Walsh; music and lyrics by Glenn Hansard and Marketa Irglova - is based on John Carney's Academy Award-winning indie film of the same name. 

Outstanding performers with broadway and national tour credentials, as well as other talented youth will take part in the LYRICS FOR A CAUSE Cabaret, in conjunction with Spotlight Kidz, will be held this Saturday at the Laurie Beechman Theater in New York City.

The production of Chicago at the Fulton Theatre has added 6 more performances and is now extended through February 24th!

The Fulton's Chicago is sexy and sultry. It is going to get you hot and bothered. So much so that exit doors were opened during intermission to cool down both actors and audience.

The Fulton Theatre swings into the new year with one of Broadway's longest running musicals, Chicago. Opening on January 24, 2019, the Fulton's distinctive production of Chicago is set to be the hottest show of the season, and will channel the alluring luster of 1920's vaudeville. Featuring a two story band stand, flying jail cells, and set elements that extend into the audience, Chicago is sure to be a spectacle so alluring it should be criminal. The dazzling set was designed by Adam Koch, who recently wowed audiences with his set design for Fulton Theatre's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The Fulton's costumes are a departure from the simple all-black garb of the Broadway revival. Featuring glistening sequins, feathers, and boas, the Fulton's costumes epitomize one of the show's most iconic numbers, "Razzle Dazzle". The exquisite costumes are designed by Fulton regular, Ryan J. Moller, who has crafted wardrobes for some of the Fulton Theatre's biggest shows including Disney's Beauty and the Beast and Robin and Clark's Treasure Island, A Musical Adventure.

Newly minted Tony Award winner Lindsay Mendez, recent star of the Broadway revival of Carousel, is bringing an encore engagement of her solo cabaret show to the Feinstein's/54 Below stage. Known for her tremendous, roof-raising voice and searing stage energy, Lindsay will share golden age Broadway favorites you've never heard her sing, beloved tunes from her collaborations with current musical theatre writers, and more!

Josh Bardier (Off Broadway:Interview, Host and Creator of Actoria) returns to the Laurie Beechman Theatre on Monday, October 15th at 9:30pm with his latest solo show; Make American Laugh Again. Billed as a love letter to Jerry Herman and a campaign with a sense of humor, Bardier, under the music direction of Jason Wetzel (After Midnight, Radio City), has concocted a perfect night of escapism and comedy that seems necessary during these most curious of times.

Josh Bardier returns to the Laurie Beechman Theatre on Monday, October 15th at 9:30pm with his latest solo show; Make American Laugh Again.

The 11th annual Living for Today benefit concert, featuring a lineup of  Broadway favorites who this year will be singing their favorite Kander and Ebb tunes, takes place October 1 at 7:00 PM at Joe's Pub.

Anniversaries are times to reflect, to evaluate, but also to celebrate. Yesterday with its 60 Years of Musical Theatre: The Best of Maine State Music Theatre gala concert, the Brunswick theatre pulled out all the stops with a big, beautiful Diamond Jubilee gala that proved a stunning culmination to this milestone season. And indeed, six decades after Victoria Crandall launched her dream at the Pickard Theater on the Bowdoin College campus, MSMT can boast numerous reasons to celebrate its history, as well as its present accomplishments and future aspirations. In a matinee and evening stagings that featured musical performances by twenty-one soloists and an ensemble of ten, as well a number of spoken tributes, Artistic Director Curt Dale Clark architected a program that was classy, heartfelt, and rich and deep in the talent it showcased. As with any commemorative event, the program tapped into nostalgia and memory but blended these with a strong sense of the vigorous, energetic, imposing presence this company has become - not only in Midcoast Maine but also as a force in national regional theatre.

With the immortal songs of the BeeGees, mesmerizing disco dancing, and a cast of unforgettable characters, the musical version of Saturday Night Fever offers an inherently compelling theatrical experience. Maine State Music Theatre's new production does all that and more: it brings freshness, originality, and strong dramatic narrative to the work, all the while that it envelops the audience in its pulse and passion. This production is white-hot, warm, funny, and genuine.

American Theater Group (ATG) is now presenting a world premiere musical, 'Small Town Story,' at South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) through Sunday, 610.

FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents Jeff Kready and Tally Sessions in a return engagement of their hit show "A Fine Bromance" on June 13th, 2018 at 9:30PM. "A Fine Bromance" played to a sold-out crowd in its first appearance at Feinstein's/54 Below in the fall of 2017. Jeff Kready (A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Billy Elliot, Les Miserables) and Tally Sessions (War Paint, Falsettos, School of Rock) bring an evening of jazz standards, classic show tunes and new favorites, with their own special brand of hilarity, to Feinstein's/54 Below. The Rat Pack meets Simon & Garfunkel meets Abbott & Costello. They'll make you laugh, they'll make you cry, and some of it will be on purpose. You won't want to miss this late night musical extravaganza of comfort food and belly laughs for the soul.

American Theater Group, SOPAC's professional Equity theatre company in-residence, announces auditions for non-Equity actors for the World Premiere musical Small Town Story by Sammy Buck and Brandon James Gwinn. The musical will be directed by Eddie Prunoske with musical direction by Jason Wetzel.

The 10th Annual 'Living for Today' benefit concert was held last night, October 23, at Joe's Pub, produced and directed by David Alpert (IF/THEN, The Trip to Bountiful, Artistic Director of Headline Programming at BroadwayCon), with music direction by Jason Wetzel (After Midnight). BroadwayWorld has photos from the evening below!

From Star Trek and Orange is the New Black, Emmy nominee Kate Mulgrew will present the 2017 Recipients of Gilana's Fund at the 10th Annual Living for Today Concert.

LINDSAY MENDEZ & RYAN SCOTT OLIVER'S ACTOR THERAPY presents their Fall 2017 Cabaret Series at Don't Tell Mama, beginning on October 19th, 2017 at 9:30pm with REINTRODUCING ALINA FONTANILLA.

From the original company of HAMILTON and most recently seen in NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812, Okieriete Onaodowan joins the 10th Annual LIVING FOR TODAY concert on Monday, October 23 at Joe's Pub (425 Lafayette St) beginning at 6:30PM.

LIVING FOR TODAY will present a benefit concert entitled Living for Today: 'Celebrates Acceptance', on Monday, October 23 at Joe's Pub (425 Lafayette St) beginning at 7PM.