Joan Marcus News

It's one of the most anticipated events of the year in New York City - The Rink at Rockefeller Center opens for the 2012-2013 winter season on Tuesday, October 16. Set against the Art Deco backdrop of Rockefeller Center, the First Skate of the Year will feature Broadway's CHAPLIN star Rob McClure performing antics with Chef Yuhi Fujinaga of The Sea Grill and Chef Antonio Prontelli of Rock Center Cafe at 10:00am. This year marks the world-famous ice rink's 76th season.

Twenty-five years after passing on, Michael Bennett still gets entrance applause in A Chorus Line.

Disney's Beauty and the Beast, the award-winning worldwide smash hit Broadway musical, is coming to Cleveland as part of the KeyBank Broadway Series. Produced by NETworks Presentations, this elaborate theatrical production will come to life on stage at PlayhouseSquare for two weeks; November 6-18.

Is it possible I've seen "Wicked", currently playing at the Paramount Theatre, too many times? It's not like I'm even into the double digits here having only seen it three times. But even with those three, has it lost its luster or have I become jaded. The dragon still roars, the monkeys still cavort and the green girl still flies into the rafters. So why was I not as wowed by this production as others? I'm going to have to say (at least in Act One) the energy just wasn't there. They picked it up in Act Two but in Act One there seemed to be a lot of motion going through.

Roundabout Theatre Company's national tour of the 2011 Tony Award winning Anything Goes, directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Kathleen Marshall and starring critically acclaimed Broadway actress Rachel York as "Reno Sweeney," is now running at Cleveland's PlayhouseSquare as part of the KeyBank Broadway Series. Anything Goes is the winner of three Tony Awards, including Best Musical Revival. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the production photos below.

Kicking off the sixth season of Roundabout Underground, Bad Jews is a world premiere comedy by Joshua Harmon about the holy and the holier-than-thou. Bad Jews is directed by Daniel Aukin. Previews performances began on October 5, 2012 and the show will open officially on Tuesday, October 30, 2012. This is a limited engagement through December 16, 2012. Get a first look at the production in the photos below!

Drew Gehling and Jarrod Spector have just returned to the Broadway company of JERSEY BOYS. Spector returned to the role of 'Frankie Valli' on Tuesday, October 2, following the final performance of Tony winner John Lloyd Young on Sunday, September 30. Gehling assumes the role of 'Bob Gaudio' joining Jeremy Kushnier as 'Tommy DeVito' tonight, October 9, following the departure of Quinn VanAntwerp and Andy Karl (respectively) after the Sunday, October 7 performance.

The first national tour of ANYTHING GOES kicked off over the weekend and is already proving itself to be a must-see show, playing to near capacity crowds. The cast and crew of the S.S. American stay in port through October 14th before sailing off to the next city. Make plans to pick up tickets if you haven't already!

The second North American tour of WICKED is currently running. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the new cast members below, including Christine Dwyer as Elphaba, Jeanna de Waal as Glinda, Gina Ferrall as Madame Morrible and Paul Kreppel as The Wizard.

The first North American tour of WICKED is currently running. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the new cast members below, including Dee Roscioli as Elphaba, Patti Murin as Glinda, Kim Zimmer as Madame Morrible and Tom McGowan as The Wizard.

Tonight, October 5 at 5pm, The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space at WNYC and WQXR will present a conversation and performance with cast and artistic team members of Broadway's Chaplin.

Craig Wright's Grace, starring Paul Rudd and Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon, with Kate Arrington and seven-time Emmy Award-winner Ed Asner, opens tonight on Broadway.

Producers Whoopi Goldberg, Stage Entertainment and Troika Entertainment announce casting for the North American Tour of five-time Tony Award® nominated musical SISTER ACT. Called "In a word, DIVINE!"by the Associated Press, SISTER ACT kicks off on October 2, 2012 at Toronto's Ed Mirvish Theatre. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the show below.

Second Stage Theatre presents the world premiere comedy, MODERN TERRORISM, OR THEY WHO WANT TO KILL US AND HOW WE LEARN TO LOVE THEM. The company will feature Utkarsh Ambudkar (Second Stage's Animals Out of Paper and The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Diety), Steven Boyer (Obie Award-winner for Hand to God), William Jackson Harper (Ruined), and Nitya Vidyasagar (The Glorious Ones, Leela on "Sesame Street"). Check out just-released production shots below!

Sophie's choice was a casual coin flip compared with decision forced upon a young mother in Alexander Dinelaris' drama recalling the Ottoman Empire's Armenian genocide, Red Dog Howls.  As a 91-year-old grandmother enduring life with the memory of a horrific confrontation with three sadistic Turks, Kathleen Chalfant gives an extraordinarily convincing performance balancing pain and dark humor, climaxing with an agonizing scene where she reveals a sickening secret.  But Chalfant's performance, certainly worth remembering when award season comes along, is all the production has to recommend.

While nobody ever said musical theatre was easy – at least, nobody with any real knowledge of the art – you would think that in writing a musical about the first worldwide beloved figure of the 20th Century there wouldn't be too much trouble establishing empathy.  But the surprisingly dry and emotionless Chaplin, presented in a respectably strong Broadway production, tries to cram so many facts into its two acts that there's Little Room left for feeling.

Sara has been in the first musical of Broadway's fall season two years in a row, 'Follies' last year and now 'Chaplin'.

The talented actress chatted with BWW about her new play, GRACE, which she describes as 'a comedy, but God knows, it's a lot more than that!'

Gavin Creel is currently starring as 'Elder Price' in the first National Tour of THE BOOK OF MORMON. The multi-talented actor chatted with BWW about why he is 'blissfully happy' performing in this outrageous, yet heart-warming production.