Jerome Robbins News

BELLS ARE RINGING, the next staged reading of MUSICAL THEATRE WEST'S REINER READING SERIES, will take place tonight, May 20, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.

The world premiere of the beautifully crafted musical "Los Otros" begins previews Wednesday, May 23 at 8 p.m. at the Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum. With book and lyrics by Ellen Fitzhugh and music by Michael John LaChiusa, "Los Otros" opens on June 3, 2012; performances continue through July 1. Tony Award-winner Michele Pawk has been cast to play the role of Woman and Julio Monge will play the role of Man.

Several Tony Award-winners are teaming up to bring an adaptation of the 1988 musical "Lucky Stiff" to the screen. The show, based on Michael Butterworth's 1965 novel "The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo," was written by Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty and first performed at New York's Playwright's Horizons where it won the Richard Rogers Production Award before going on to London and hundreds of international productions. Ahrens & Flaherty went on to win the Tony for their musical "Ragtime" as well as two Academy Award nominations. Other notable credits include "Once On This Island" and "Seussical." Ahrens has adapted the play for the screen, while Flaherty and Ahrens have written additional songs.

As previously reported, Julian Ovenden will star in a new musical version of the film Finding Neverland, which starred Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet and followed the the story of J.M. Barrie's inspiration for his famous children's book, Peter Pan.

On June 10, 2012, The Actor's Fund will present its 16th Annual Tony Awards party at the Skirball Center, this year honoring Jason Alexander with the Julie Harris Award for Lifetime Achievement.. Scott Bakula will host the gala and this year's Honorary Celebrity Committee includes: Julie Bowen, Nancy Dussault, Dann Florek, Elliott Gould, Steve Guttenberg, Garry Marshall, Chita Rivera, Susan Sarandon, Holland Taylor and Zachary Quinto. The event includes cocktails and a silent auction followed by ainner and a live telecast of a live feed of the Tony Awards as they happen in New York.

Jonah Bokaer, who has been making artistic waves on the international dance circuit since he began choreographing almost ten years ago, will be seen both close-up and afar in these coming months: outdoors at the Avignon Festival in France (July 20-22, 24-26) and indoors at the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in Becket, MA (August 1-5) when he and Bolshoi Ballet star David Hallberg perform together in the world premiere of Bokaer's "CURTAIN."

Below lists information regarding pre-performance programs for children and adults taking place at New York City Ballet from today May 12 through May 19. For additional information, visit: www.nycballet.com.

SpeakEasy Stage presents the Boston Premiere of the hit Broadway musical comedy XANADU. This acclaimed show will be the company's 100th production and opens tonight, May 11.

New York City Ballet's 2012 Spring Gala tonight, May 10 will feature a one-time-only salute to France titled À La Francaise, and will feature two World Premiere ballets, one by NYCB's Ballet Master in Chief Peter Martins to a score by the French composer Marc-Andre Dalbavie; and one by French-born choreographer and former NYCB Principal Dancer Benjamin Millepied to a commissioned score by Nico Muhly. The evening will also include a major revival of George Balanchine's Symphony in C, which was created for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1947 to a score by the French composer Georges Bizet.

Below lists information regarding pre-performance programs for children and adults taking place at New York City Ballet from May 12-19. For additional information, visit: www.nycballet.com.

More than fifty years ago one musical changed the theatre forever! From the first note to the final breath, this new Broadway production of WEST SIDE STORY soars again as the greatest love story of all time. Dancap Productions presents the first national tour of the smash hit Broadway revival of WEST SIDE STORY beginning tonight, May 8, at the Toronto Centre for the Arts. Tickets can be purchased at dancaptickets.com.

Broadway vet Jason Alexander guest stars as Alan's cardiologist, Dr. Goodman on the 200th episode of the CBS comedy TWO AND A HALF MEN tonight, May 7. In the episode entitled "The Straw In My Donut Hole", Alan is showered with love and affection upon returning from the hospital after suffering a minor heart attack. The episode airs 9:00-9:31 PM, ET/PT on the CBS Television Network.

Boston Youth Moves twelfth annual Swellegance Gala Benefit presented one-night only performance by walking, singing, dancing icon of the Golden Age of Broadway musicals at Citi Shubert Theatre.

This Tuesday marked the second most exciting day of any given year for Broadway babies - the Tony Award nominations. The actual awards ceremony on CBS - Broadway's night of nights - is still a few weeks off, but now is certainly an ideal time to size up the competition(s) and see who will most likely walk away with Tony gold come June 10 - and this year's ceremony, more than most before, could very well be as surprising as this season was; or Tuesday's nominations themselves were, for that matter. While the 2011-2012 Broadway season certainly fell far short of the heady promise many ascribed to its prospects way back last Summer, we certainly saw the fulfillment of some big dreams for some notable names if not an all-in-all banner year for Broadway when collectively considered. The highly-praised Off-Broadway critical darling LYSISTRATA JONES landed with a thud early in the season, as did the re-jiggered, gender-bending revival of ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER and its star Harry Connick, Jr., and, even the lauded and relatively successful revival of Stephen Sondheim's peerless masterpiece FOLLIES failed to make any money and closed. GODSPELL did not fare much better, though it is still running. The two highly-anticipated revivals of Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic early successes JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR and EVITA were met with indifferent reviews - with the latter receiving some nasty press for its stars, neither of whom received Tony nominations - but receptive audiences so far. THE GERSHWINS' PORGY & BESS could take Best Revival, after all - but will NICE WORK's Kelli O'Hara edge out four-time Tony recipient Audra McDonald? New plays did not fare much better than the measly crop of musicals, but OTHER DESERT CITIES and VENUS IN FUR seemed to hit their target demographics squarely, but CLYBOURNE PARK looks to be the frontrunner for Best Play despite all that. We shall see. Mike Nichols may take home another Best Director for his sensitive, if workmanlike revival of Arthur Miller's DEATH OF A SALESMAN, as conceivably could Philip Seymour Hoffman and Andrew Garfield. John Lithgow is offering up some fierce competition in THE COLUMNIST, though. The acting races are tight, for sure, in both plays and musicals, with more newcomers and first-time nominees than any season this century.

Gretna Theatre celebrates its 85th Anniversary season at the Mt. Gretna Playhouse with a sparkling opening performance by the one and only Tommy Tune in "Steps in Time" featuring the Manhattan Rhythm Kings for a single performance Sunday, June 3 at 7:30 pm. The nine-time Tony Award winner will perform his Broadway biography in song and dance to celebrate 50 years on the Great White Way.

THE Jack Cole PROJECT, a new musical entertainment by director/choreographer Chet Walker, presented at Queens Theatre in the Park (located in Flushing MeadowCorona Park) opens tonight, May 3, 2012.

BELLS ARE RINGING, the next staged reading of MUSICAL THEATRE WEST'S REINER READING SERIES, will take place on Sunday, May 20, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.

Following its Spring 2012 production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, SMTC presents the enduring classic musical Fiddler on the Roof for a special engagement. Performances will take place at SMTC's new home, the intimate 300-seat Dorrance Auditorium on the beautiful campus at Phoenix Country Day School (3901 E. Stanford Drive, Paradise Valley, AZ 85253). Show dates are Thursday, August 16th at 7:30PM; Friday, August 17th at 8PM; Saturday, August 18th at 2PM and 8PM and concluding Sunday, August 19th @ 2PM.

Beginning May 11, SpeakEasy Stage presents the Boston Premiere of the hit Broadway musical comedy XANADU. This acclaimed show will be the company's 100th production and opens May 11.

David Saint took time out of his busy schedule to speak with BWW about the current National tour of West Side Story as well as to remember his close friend and trusted mentor, famed librettist, director and screenwriter Arthur Laurents, who passed away a year ago at the age of 93.