Jerry Zaks News

Broadway in Austin presented by Texas Performing Arts is thrilled to announce it's 2019-20 Season; the ONLY national touring Broadway series in Austin.  'We're amid an amazing 2018-19 season, and Broadway in Austin has done it again - blending a season of favorite gems with new powerful, moving and just plain fun shows sure to become favorites.  I can't wait!' states Rachel Durkin-Drga, Texas Performing Arts Senior Associate Director.

It's a homecoming of sorts for Joey Barreiro this week as he and his castmates from the national tour of A Bronx Tale - the Broadway musical that's based on a one-man show created by actor/writer Chazz Palminteri - encamp at Nashville's Tennessee Performing Arts Center for a week-long stand.

Following in the hallowed footsteps of the choreographic greats that he's worked with, the ever busy choreographer Mark Esposito has added his choreographic Midas touch to the cast of twenty performers of RAGTIME: THE MUSICAL, just opening yesterday at the Pasadena Playhouse.

Ghostlight Records has announced the release of Unbreakable - Original Cast Recording in physical, digital and streaming formats today, Friday, February 8. Spanning 120 years of unsung history, Unbreakable is an epic choral work exploring the gay experience in America through the words and music of Andrew Lippa.

Here she comes, world! The first national tour of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Revival of Hello, Dolly!, starring Tony Award winner Betty Buckley, launched earlier this year from the Stanley Theatre in Utica, New York. The show just opened at LA's Hollywood Pantages Theatre. See all the red carpet action from opening night in LA below!

Holy cabooses! This past weekend, Garett Hawe, who plays Ambrose Kemper on the national tour of Hello, Dolly!, took us behind the scenes at Hollywood's Pantages Theatre as he took over the BroadwayWorld Instagram Story! In case you missed it (or just want to relive all the fun again), check out the clips below from Garett's two-show day!

Holy cabooses! Garett Hawe, who plays Ambrose Kemper on the national tour of Hello, Dolly!, is taking over the BroadwayWorld Instagram Story tomorrow! Get a peek behind the scenes on a two-show day at Hollywood's Pantages Theatre. Be sure to tune in before the parade passes by!

Well, next up in decluttering my apartment is clearing out the big, tall stack of different Guys and Dolls CDs I've spent a few decades collecting. I think I could hack this particular task without any tears (or maybe like you know without having to blog about it) were it not for that gorgeous black square with the orange and yellow title letters thrown into the air alongside perfect pair of cartoon dice. 1992 Grammy Award-winning New Broadway Cast Recording, it's gonna be hard to leave you, baby.

Here she comes, world! The first national tour of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Revival of Hello, Dolly!, starring Tony Award winner Betty Buckley, launched earlier this year from the Stanley Theatre in Utica, New York. The show just opened at LA's Hollywood Pantages Theatre.

TheaterWorksUSA announces their newest partnership with Writers House and Scholastic, the global children's publishing, education, and media company, by securing the rights to adapt the worldwide bestseller DOG MAN by Dav Pilkey for the stage.

Here she comes, world! The first national tour of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Revival of Hello, Dolly!, starring Tony Award winner Betty Buckley, launched earlier this year from the Stanley Theatre in Utica, New York. The show just opened at LA's Hollywood Pantages Theatre and we're taking you to the red carpet below!

Here she comes, world! The first national tour of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Revival of Hello, Dolly!, starring Tony Award winner Betty Buckley, launched earlier this year from the Stanley Theatre in Utica, New York. The show just opened at LA's Pantages Theatre and we're taking you to the red carpet below!

On Monday, March 4 at 6:30pm the medieval court of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table will come to life on the stage of the Vivian Beaumont Theater when Lin-Manuel Miranda stars as King Arthur in Lerner & Loewe's CAMELOT, directed by Bartlett Sher, for a one-night-only concert event to benefit Lincoln Center Theater.  He will be joined by Solea Pfeiffer as Guenevere, Jordan Donica as Sir Lancelot, Dakin Matthews as Merlyn, Ruthie Ann Miles as Nimue, Ethan Slater as Mordred, Julie White as Morgan Le Fey, and Jenn Colella, Jason Danieley, and Bonnie Milligan as three of the Knights of the Round Table.   Andy & Betsy Kenny Lack, Brooke & Daniel Neidich, and Caryn Zucker are the Benefit Co-Chairs.  Proceeds from the evening will support Lincoln Center Theater's productions and education programs.

Some shows I can see again and again, especially those composed by the forever upbeat Jerry Herman. Hello Dolly bowed on Broadway when I was a teenager in the 60s and it had a long run with original star Carol Channing, followed by turns with Ethel Merman, Ginger Rogers, Pearl Bailey, Martha Raye and Molly Picon, to name a few. Every major star wanted to do it because the role offers a female actress the chance to sing, dance and act the hell out of it. It's a big, splashy gut buster about a woman who has more moxy than the Pied Piper and enough wisdom and panache to win over an army or a whole kingdom, for that matter...and, for the audience, it's one of those extra-special feel-good musicals that just doesn't quit... 'It Only Takes a Moment' to fall in live with it.. You leave the theatre actually humming the tunes. The first National Tour of the latest Dolly!  at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre through February 17 is just about the best starring thje glorious Betty Buckley..

A BRONX TALE is a musical adapted from a film that was once a one man show written by Chazz Palminteri. The Broadway Smash premiered with previews on November 3, 2016, and officially opened December 1, 2016 at the Longacre Theatre. Launching its North American Tour in the Fall of 2018 the musical features music written by Alan Menken, with lyrics by Glenn Slater and book written by the original one man show stopper Chazz Palminteri. While on its tour stop in Tampa at the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts, we as the opening-night audience were truly thrust into Old City New York full of Mobsters and Italian lessons to boot. 

As most people know with live theater, there is an underlying risk in promoting that a specific star will be there at every single performance, as advertised in a specific project. Unfortunately, that's simply not realistic nor is it always going to be the case, due to a multitude of factors beyond anyone's control. To those worried about a future date in the national tour's run in which they will have to miss Ms. Buckley in the title role for any reason (which was recently the case during several days of a week-long engagement in Costa Mesa), I have two words for you: don't worry. As bummed as I was not being able to see Ms. Buckley's long-anticipated take on Dolly Levi (and I really really wanted to see Ms. Buckley), her admirable understudy Ms. Sheridan is a terrific, wonderfully game substitute. But as much as Ms. Buckley was, perhaps, a huge draw for many to come check out yet another production of this timeless classic, what audiences will end up experiencing as a whole when they stay is just as equally important a reason to see this brand new revival. Be sure to stick around and behold the wonders of this genuinely entertaining musical classic-from its unforgettable score and visual appeal, to its laugh-inducing silliness and cheeky fun.

'I get to teach people about love and about fear and about honesty and about your purpose in life.'

Walton Arts Center is bringing A BRONX TALE to Fayetteville from February 26th to March 3rd, 2019.

A BRONX TALE is coming to Civic Center Music Hall in Oklahoma from March 5th to 10th, 2019.

Two of McCallum Theatre's favorite artists join forces for the first time to present an unforgettable evening of music on Friday, February 15, at 8:00pm, and Saturday, February 16, at 8:00pm. Accompanied by a 7-piece band inspired by Louis Prima, with music ranging from the Great American Songbook to the music of the James Bond and "Mad Men" era,Michael Feinstein and Storm Large will present a performance of "Shaken and Stirred - Classic Songs Reimagined" with brilliant singing and amusing anecdotes.