Jimmy Smagula News

Manhattan Theatre Club (Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer) presents the world premiere Broadway production of Nick Whitby's TO BE OR NOT TO BE. The play, based on the 1942 motion picture To Be or Not To Be, will be directed by three-time Tony Award nominee Casey Nicholaw (The Drowsy Chaperone, Monty Python's Spamalot).

Tickets for the Manhattan Theatre Club (Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer) upcoming world premiere Broadway production of Nick Whitby's TO BE OR NOT TO BE are now on sale.

In addition to Craig Bierko (The Music Man, The Long Kiss Goodnight) and Jan Maxwell (Coram Boy, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), the production will feature...

Perched above the stage in their private bleacher section, just beyond an outfield fence graffitied with the musical's title, conductor Rob Berman and his 25 piece Encores! Summer Stars orchestra might be mistaken for the conservatory cousins of Brooklyn's legendary Dodger Sym-Phony. But instead of serenading umpires from the Ebbet's Field grandstands with double forte arrangements of 'Three Blind Mice,' the musicians of director John Rando's cracker-jack production of Damn Yankees - a 1955 musical that opened in the early weeks of the baseball season that saw Brooklyn beat the Yankees for the borough's only World Series championship - treats 21st Century audiences to that thrilling sound of a Broadway Golden Age orchestra. The detailed movements and textures contained within Don Walker's orchestrations, whether giving comic accents to the pepper-upper 'Heart,' setting a satirical mood for the pseudo-vamp 'Whatever Lola Wants' or lifting a slow ballad like 'A Man Doesn't Know' with phrases that search the mind of the singing character, help bring majestic touches of artistry to this rousing vaudeville disguised as a book musical.

On July 10th, 2008 the musical Damn Yankees opened at New York City Center as part of the Encores! Summer Series and BWW was there. The show runs through July 27th!

Sean Hayes, Jane Krakowski, Cheyenne Jackson, and Randy Graff star in Damn Yankees, running July 5 - 27, 2008 at New York City Center (55th Street between 6th & 7th Avenues).

On Sunday June 29th Broadway performers joined Robert Creighton and Friends for the 4th Annual Canadian Day Party at Latitude

On Tuesday June 24th, BroadwayWorld.com cameras got the opportunity to visit the rehearsal of Encores! presentation of Damn Yankees, one of this summer's most highly anticipated production.

Sean Hayes, Jane Krakowski, Cheyenne Jackson, and Randy Graff star in Damn Yankees, running July 5 - 27, 2008 at New York City Center (55th Street between 6th & 7th Avenues).

Megan Lawrence will join Sean Hayes, Jane Krakowski, Cheyenne Jackson, and Randy Graff in Damn Yankees, running July 5 - 27, 2008 at New York City Center (55th Street between 6th & 7th Avenues). Lawrence replaces Ana Gasteyer; Ms. Gasteyer has suffered a minor injury.

Veanne Cox, Michael Mulheren and P.J. Benjamin will join Sean Hayes, Jane Krakowski, Cheyenne Jackson, Ana Gasteyer and Randy Graff in Damn Yankees, running July 5 - 27, 2008 at New York City Center (55th Street between 6th & 7th Avenues).

BroadwayWorld.com's TV host Haviland Stillwell is moonlighting for BroadwayWorld.com, covering the latest R Family Vacation cruise! 'Spring Break on the Mexican Riviera' is the cruise line's first trip to Mexico! For more information on R Family Vacations, including details on their upcoming Summer Cruise, click here!

Producers Greg Schaffert and Bud Martin hope to bring this swashbuckling new musical by George Stiles, Paul Leigh and Peter Raby to the Great White Way in the near future. Is the latest adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' classic tale of friendship, lust, heroism and intrigue, currently receiving its New England premiere at the North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, Massachusetts, truly one for all?

On April 4th, The Phantom of the Opera set the unprecedented milestone of becoming the first Broadway show to reach 8,000 performances, and BroadwayWorld was there!

Dan May's stunning portrait of composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz--whose Wicked continues to sell out on Broadway, in Chicago, on tour, and in London--was unveiled at Tony's di Napoli for their Broadway Hall of Fame!

Dan Kohler, Robin De Jesus and Sara Chase have joined the cast of Pippin at Paper Mill Playhouse

Jonathan Groff, Telly Leung, Julie Reiber, Anika Larsen and more will star in the Paper Mill Playhouse's upcoming production of Stephen Schwartz's Godspell