Jim Brochu News

The York Theatre Company, dedicated to the development of new musicals and preserving musical gems from the past, presented an unforgettable one-night only benefit Monday night, The 100 Musicals in Mufti Concert Celebration. The evening honored the acclaimed Musicals in Mufti Series and its landmark 100th production. All proceeds will benefit The York Theatre Company and the Musicals in Mufti Series.

Show business' brightest stars memorialized one of their own yesterday, at A Tribute to Polly Bergen, at the American Airlines Theatre (227 W. 42nd Street). An Emmy Award-winning actress and singer, Ms. Bergen's career spanned more than six decades in films, TV, Broadway musicals and concerts. She passed away from natural causes September 20 at age 84. A Tribute to Polly Bergen, produced by Rex Reed and Michael Alden with creative consultant Deborah Grace Winer, celebrated her life and career with a star studded lineup of participants. They included Christine Andreas, Harry Belafonte, Arlene Dahl, Raul Esparza, Michael Feinstein, Gregory Harrison, Judith Ivey, Chris Matthews, Phyllis Newman, Kelli O'Hara and cast members from the 2001 revival of Follies.

Show business' brightest stars memorialized one of their own yesterday, at A Tribute to Polly Bergen, at the American Airlines Theatre (227 W. 42nd Street). An Emmy Award-winning actress and singer, Ms. Bergen's career spanned more than six decades in films, TV, Broadway musicals and concerts. She passed away from natural causes September 20 at age 84. A Tribute to Polly Bergen, produced by Rex Reed and Michael Alden with creative consultant Deborah Grace Winer, celebrated her life and career with a star studded lineup of participants. They included Christine Andreas, Harry Belafonte, Arlene Dahl, Raul Esparza, Michael Feinstein, Gregory Harrison, Judith Ivey, Chris Matthews, Phyllis Newman, Kelli O'Hara and cast members from the 2001 revival of Follies.

The 10th anniversary of Broadway Backwards capped off an exuberant, exhilarating and emotional evening of performances on Monday, March 9, 2015 with news that this year's event raised a record $466,717 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS andThe Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. Scroll down for photos from the show!

The 10th anniversary of Broadway Backwards capped off an exuberant, exhilarating and emotional evening of performances on Monday, March 9, 2015 with news that this year's event raised a record $466,717 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. BroadwayWorld has exclusive photos from the show below, plus check out more images here!

Broadway's Ryan Steele took over the BCEFA Instagram account yesterday to give fans a backstage look at the tenth annual Broadway Backwards!

This year's 10th Anniversary edition of Broadway Backwards (#bwaybackwards), which was held last night at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre (302 West 45th Street), featured some of the most memorable numbers from previous years. Produced by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and benefitting BC/EFA and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center of New York, the event was hosted by Honeymoon in Vegas star Rob McClure and Julie Halston. Below, BroadwayWorld brings you photos from behind the scenes of the big night!

This year's 10th Anniversary edition of Broadway Backwards (#bwaybackwards) will feature some of the most memorable numbers from previous years and will be held at 8 pm tonight, March 9, 2015, at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre (302 West 45th Street). The evening is produced by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and benefits BC/EFA and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center of New York. Honeymoon in Vegas star Rob McClure will share hosting duties with Julie Halston from the current hit revival of You Can't Take It With You.

An extremely limited number of tickets remain available for Monday's 10th anniversary edition of Broadway Backwards, the annual celebration where gays and lesbians experience their stories as told through the great songs of musical theatre and performed by their favorite Broadway stars.

Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award winner Lily Tomlin will make a special guest appearance next month in the 10th anniversary edition of Broadway Backwards. Also joining the lineup is Honeymoon in Vegas star Rob McClure, who will share hosting duties with Julie Halston from the current hit revival of You Can't Take It With You.

More of Broadway's best performers have joined the lineup for next month's 10th anniversary edition of Broadway Backwards. The one night only benefit will now include performances by Tony Award winners Lena Hall and Lillias White, Tony nominees Charles Busch, Mario Cantone, Robin de Jesus, Norm Lewis, LeeRoy Reams and Douglas Sills and favorites Telly Leung, Maureen McGovern and Micah Stock.

Celebrating its 10th year, Gingold Theatrical Group's PROJECT SHAW, under the leadership of Founding Artistic Director David Staller, presented its 100th production, Shaw's 1904 one-act comedy How He Lied to Her Husband, on January 19 at 7pm, at Symphony Space's Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre (2895 Broadway at 95th St.).

A diverse group of panelists, including an acclaimed stage and TV actor, a Drama Desk winning writer/actor, a five-time TONY Award nominated actress, a highly heralded playwright and a veteran actress and comedienne will assemble next Monday, January 12, at 6 PM to participate in the Drama Desk's first panel discussion of 2015, entitled 'Art Imitates Art: The Enduring Appeal of Theater About Theater.'

American Theater Group's 2014-2015 season is now at Hamilton Stage in Rahway. Broadwayworld.com interviewed Jim Vagias, the Co-Founder and Producing Artistic Director about the professional theater company, their shows, and his own career in the arts.

In my recent very extended assessment of cabaret shows I never reviewed during the second half of 2014, there were two significant omissions. I didn't leave these out of my critical mix because they weren't strikingly significant. In fact, it was just the opposite. The new variety game show, Tune In Time, which dubs itself the “Musical Theater Olympics,” and the musical theater piece/song cycle, New World Waking, were among the most original and entertaining productions I witnessed this year and deserved more of a feature treatment than a quickie review. My take on Tune In Time (which will begin a new monthly run at the York Theatre on January 5) should beat the clock before the next show. So by simple process of elimination, this commentary will be on New World Waking, which when performed on December 6 was one of the highlights of the recent annual 12-day, 20-show Winter Rhythms Festival at Urban Stages.

For 60 continuous hours, from 7pm on Thursday January 1 to 7am on Sunday January 4, New York's Metropolitan Room is staging what it is billing as "The Longest Variety Show Ever." Featuring approximately 160 performers and 15 emcees, the entertainment will span music, burlesque, comedy, drag, theatre/opera, magic and puppetry.

I'm sure there has never been more talent in anyone's camera lens on 22nd Street in front of the Metropolitan Room than is represented in this photo. So for now, I hold that record as we approach 7PM on Jan 1st when hopefully the Guinness World record for Longest Variety Show will begin.

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.54Below.com or call (646) 476-3551.

Gerard McCarthy has been cast as the central role of George Bailey in the UK premiere of a stage adaptation of Frank Capra's 1946 film classic It's A Wonderful Life.

Urban Stages, in association with producer/director/lyricist and Director of Musical Programming Peter Napolitano, is proud to announce that cabaret legend Marilyn Maye will kick off the Holiday Season for WINTER RHYTHMS 2014 on Thursday, December 4 at 7PM only with a special appearance in Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas: The Songs of Hugh Martin, a centennial celebration of the Hollywood and Broadway songwriter best known for Meet Me in St. Louis and Best Foot Forward. Marilyn Maye joins Eric Comstock, Barbara Fasano, Minda Larsen, Marissa Mulder, Sigali, Melissa Ritz, Molly Ryan, Dan Levinson, Deborah Silver, Gabrielle Stravelli and the vocal group Duchess in an evening conceived and hosted by Wall Street Journal columnist Will Friedwald. Musical Director for the evening will be Tedd Firth.