Jill Furman News

West Side Story has returned to Broadway as it began preview performances, Monday, February 23, 2009, in a new production directed by its two-time Tony Award winning librettist Arthur Laurents. Laurents dicusses the musical with the Los Angeles Times, in the feature he reveals the evolution of the classic musical as it makes its return to Broadway.

As West Side Story prepares for the opening night of its current Broadway revival, photographer Mark Seliger re-created scenes from the classic 1961 film version with the help of Jennifer Lopez, Camilla Belle and other Hollywood film stars for Vanity Fair.

West Side Story has returned to Broadway where it began preview performances, Monday, February 23, 2009, in a new production directed by its two-time Tony Award winning librettist Arthur Laurents.

West Side Story has returned to Broadway as it began preview performances, Monday, February 23, 2009, in a new production directed by its two-time Tony Award winning librettist Arthur Laurents. Laurents and the creative team are featured in a fantastic article in today's New York Times, in the feature they discuss the evolution of the classic musical as it makes its return to Broadway.

IN THE HEIGHTS star Mandy Gonzalez is set to play Lauren Hoffman, a representative from a drug treatment center on the ABC soap opera 'One Live To Live' beginning March 26th. The actress is currently set for four episodes as drug counselor Hoffman on the fabled daytime drama.

The cast of Broadway's West Side Story will perform 'America' on Late Show with David Letterman on Thursday, March 12, 2009. Late Show airs at 11:35pm on WCBS channel 2 in the tri-state area.

West Side Story has returned to Broadway in a new production directed by its two-time Tony Award winning librettist Arthur Laurents and is currently in preview performances. The show's dynamic 'Anita', Karen Olivo spoke to the New York Daily News about her winning the iconic role and the continued power of the classic musical.

The cast of Broadway's West Side Story will perform 'America' on Late Show with David Letterman on Thursday, March 12, 2009. Late Show airs at 11:35pm on WCBS channel 2 in the tri-state area.

Josefina Scaglione is starring as 'Maria' in the 2009 revival of West Side Story. The 21 year old Scaglione is a trained opera singer and has been in a production of Hairspray. She was set to portray Christine Daae in a production of The Phantom of the Opera in Argentina but had to give that lead up for her coveted casting in West Side Story.

West Side Story has returned to Broadway as it began preview performances, Monday, February 23, 2009, in a new production directed by its two-time Tony Award winning librettist Arthur Laurents. Laurents and other members of the creative team spoke to Variety about how the show has been shaped anew for a waiting generation of theatre lovers.

West Side Story returns to Broadway as it begins preview performances tonight, Monday, February 23, 2009, in a new production directed by its two-time Tony Award winning librettist Arthur Laurents. West Side Story will open at the Palace Theatre (1564 Broadway) on Thursday, March 19, 2009. The original Jerome Robbins choreography will be restaged by Tony Award nominee Joey McKneely (The Boy from Oz, The Life).

WEST SIDE STORY returns to Broadway beginning performances Monday, February 23, 2009, in a new production directed by its two-time Tony Award winning librettist Arthur Laurents. WEST SIDE STORY will open at the Palace Theatre (1564 Broadway) on Thursday, March 19, 2009. The original Jerome Robbins choreography will be restaged by Tony Award nominee Joey McKneely (The Boy from Oz, The Life).

Kevin McCollum, Jeffrey Seller and Jill Furman, the producers of the 2008 Tony Award-winning Best Musical In The Heights, announced that Javier Munoz will take over the role of 'Usnavi' on Monday, February 16, 2009 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre (226 West 46th Street). Javier Munoz joined In The Heights for a reading in 2005 and has been involved ever since, in the ensemble and as understudy for ?Usnavi? at the O?Neill Theater Workshop and in the 2006 Off-Broadway and current Broadway productions. Lin-Manuel Miranda?s last performance will be Sunday February 15, 2009.

Tony Winner Lin-Manuel Miranda played his final performance as 'Usnavi' in his acclaimed Broadway hit, IN THE HEIGHTS on Sunday, February 15th, 2009 at 7pm. After his emotional final performance the cast and crew let loose to celebrate Lin-Manuel's inspirational journey in the role and BroadwayWorld's cameras caught at the festive fun

Tony Winner Lin-Manuel Miranda played his final performance as 'Usnavi' in his acclaimed Broadway hit, IN THE HEIGHTS on Sunday, February 15th, 2009 at 7pm. BroadwayWorld's cameras cheered on his final Broadway bow and he bid his show farewell.

Kevin McCollum, Jeffrey Seller and Jill Furman, the producers of the 2008 Tony Award-winning Best Musical In The Heights, announced that Javier Munoz will take over the role of 'Usnavi' on Monday, February 16, 2009 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre (226 West 46th Street). Javier Munoz joined In The Heights for a reading in 2005 and has been involved ever since, in the ensemble and as understudy for ?Usnavi? at the O?Neill Theater Workshop and in the 2006 Off-Broadway and current Broadway productions. Lin-Manuel Miranda?s last performance will be Sunday February 15, 2009.

Tony Winner Lin-Manuel Miranda will play his final performance as 'Usnavi' in his acclaimed Broadway hit, IN THE HEIGHTS on Sunday, February 15th, 2009 at 7pm. IN THE HEIGHTS opened to critical acclaim, going on to win four 2008 Tony Awards (Best Musical, Best Score, Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations), and garnering a 2008 Grammy Award nomination for the original cast album. In November, 2008, Universal Pictures acquired the rights to produce a feature film based on IN THE HEIGHTS.

Kevin McCollum, Jeffrey Seller and Jill Furman, the producers of the 2008 Tony Award-winning Best Musical In The Heights, announced today that Javier Munoz will take over the role of 'Usnavi' on Monday, February 16, 2009 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre (226 West 46th Street). Javier Munoz joined In The Heights for a reading in 2005 and has been involved ever since, in the ensemble and as understudy for ?Usnavi? at the O?Neill Theater Workshop and in the 2006 Off-Broadway and current Broadway productions. Lin-Manuel Miranda?s last performance will be Sunday February 15, 2009.

The New York Post's PAGE SIX is revealing that Jennifer Lopez 'insiders' say Lopez is interested in starring in 'In the Heights,' the musical about Washington Heights. She went to the show twice last week and accompanied the producer, Meryl Poster, to dinner Friday evening at Nobu 57, where they discussed roles. Another insider quotes PAGE SIX says Lopez might be more interested in a movie version, as Broadway shows are exhausting and time consuming, and Poster also produced the screen version of 'Chicago.' A rep for Lopez said, 'She loves the play but is not Broadway bound.' There has been other unconfirmed information that she would like to direct the film version. Back in October 2008, at the REVIVAL: Broadway's Next Act panel discussion at Carnegie Hall, Hairspray movie director Adam Shankman revealed that Jennifer Lopez is very interested in guiding In The Heights to the silver screen. The diplomatic answer from 'Heights' star and creator Lin-Manuel Miranda was that while he'd be leaving the show in February 2009, he hopes the musical will continue to thrive without him, but did not comment directly on a film version. Lopez spent a very public evening at a performance of In The Heights with her husband, Marc Anthony last year to celebrate her 39th birthday and is a very vocal fan of the show. Universal Pictures announced in November 2008 that it had acquired the rights to produce a feature film based on In The Heights, a multi-generational and multi-ethnic musical by Tony Award winner, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegria Hudes.

Broadway in San Diego has announced that the National Tour of IN THE HEIGHTS will play San Diego's Civic Theatre in 2010. The Tony winning musical will play July 27th through August 1st at the Civic, no other tour dates are not known at this time. Casting details are also unknown, but news of the tour production should be released in the next number of months. IN THE HEIGHTS opened to critical acclaim, going on to win four 2008 Tony Awards (Best Musical, Best Score, Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations), and garnering a 2008 Grammy Award nomination for the original cast album. In November, 2008, Universal Pictures acquired the rights to produce a feature film based on IN THE HEIGHTS. In The Heights broke the house record at the Richard Rodgers Theatre set by Disney's Tarzan the week of December 28, 2008, earning $1,121,695. IN THE HEIGHTS then topped its own record the week of January 4, 2009, earning $1,136,062.