John Brown News

Filmmaker Albert Hughes (Alpha, Menace II Society) is joining as executive producer and will make his television directorial debut helming multiple episodes of the new SHOWTIME limited series THE GOOD LORD BIRD from Blumhouse Television, based on the National Book Award-winning novel The Good Lord Bird by bestselling author James McBride. Oscar®, Golden Globe® and Tony® nominee Ethan Hawke will star as 19th-century abolitionist John Brown and is co-writing and executive producing with award-winning author and producer Mark Richard (The Ice at the Bottom of the World and Hell on Wheels).

San Francisco's 42nd Street Moon (Daren A.C. Carollo and Daniel Thomas, Co-Executive Directors), currently celebrating its 26th Anniversary in continuous operation, has announced that the Company's fun-filled fundraising cabaret concert, BROADWAY FLIPPED, will return in an all-new edition on Sunday, May 12 and Monday, May 13 (both at 7:30 p.m.), at the Gateway Theatre (215 Jackson St, San Francisco, CA 94111).

Theatre Now New York (TNNY) is pleased to announce the official casting and full creative teams for SOUND BITES 6.0, the Sixth Annual Festival of 10-Minute Musicals. This year's festival is scheduled for next Tuesday, April 2, 2019 at 7pm at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, 129 West 67th Street, New York, NY 10023. Scroll down for more detailed information on each musical's casting and creative team.

Theatre Now New York (TNNY) is pleased to announce the official judging panel for SOUND BITES 6.0, the Sixth Annual Festival of 10-Minute Musicals, which is scheduled for Tuesday, April 2, 2019 at 7pm at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, 129 West 67th Street, New York, NY 10023. 

 SHOWTIME has ordered the eight-part limited series GOOD LORD BIRD from Blumhouse Television, based on the National Book Award-winning novel The Good Lord Bird by bestselling author James McBride. Oscar®, Golden Globe® and Tony® nominee Ethan Hawke will star as 19th-century abolitionist John Brown and is co-writing and executive producing with award-winning author and producer Mark Richard (The Ice at the Bottom of the World and Hell on Wheels). Emmy winner Anthony Hemingway (Underground) will direct and executive produce. GOOD LORD BIRD is told from the point of view of Onion, an enslaved teenager who becomes a member in Brown's motley family during the time of Bleeding Kansas, eventually participating in the famous 1859 raid on the Army depot at Harpers Ferry. Brown's raid failed to initiate the slave revolt he intended, but was the instigating event that started the Civil War.

San Francisco's 42nd Street Moon presents its first 2019 production, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical FIORELLO! Based on the life of New York City's legendary mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia, FIORELLO! features lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and music by Jerry Bock (SHE LOVES ME, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF) and a book by Jerome Weidman and George Abbott (THE PAJAMA GAME, DAMN YANKEES).

Theatre Now New York (TNNY) has announced that tickets are now on sale for SOUND BITES 6.0, the Sixth Annual Festival of 10-Minute Musicals. This one-night only event, now in its sixth year, showcases 10 new musicals by up-and-coming musical theatre writing teams. SOUND BITES 6.0 will be held on Tuesday, April 2, 2019 at 7:00pm at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, 129 West 67th Street, New York, NY 10023. Tickets are $25, $35, and $45 and are available for purchase at www.tnny.org or by calling 855-254-SHOW [7469]. TNNY Members receive 20% off their ticket purchase (with no service fees). To become a member, visit www.tnny.org. Ticket prices increase by $5 on the day of the festival.

BWW Review: FIORELLO! at 42nd Street Moon: a hero worth uplifting is presented in 1960's Fiorello!

San Francisco's 42nd Street Moon presents its first 2019 production, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical FIORELLO! Based on the life of New York City's legendary mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia, FIORELLO! features lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and music by Jerry Bock (SHE LOVES ME, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF) and a book by Jerome Weidman and George Abbott (THE PAJAMA GAME, DAMN YANKEES). 42nd Street Moon's production of FIORELLO! runs from February 27 - March 17, 2019 and will perform at San Francisco's Gateway Theatre (215 Jackson St, San Francisco, CA 94111). The press opening will take place on Saturday, March 2 at 6:00 p.m. Tickets range from $30 - $75 and can be purchased through the Box Office at (415) 255-8207 or online at www.42ndstmoon.org.

Theatre Now New York (TNNY) is pleased to announce the top 10 musical finalists chosen for SOUND BITES 6.0, the Sixth Annual Festival of 10-Minute Musicals. The SOUND BITES 6.0 Adjudication Committee selected the top 10 finalists for this year's festival from a record-breaking number of submissions. This one-night only event, now in its sixth year, will be held on Tuesday, April 2, 2019 at 7:00pm at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, 129 West 67th Street, New York, NY 10023, and showcases 10 new musicals by up-and-coming musical theatre writing teams.

San Francisco's 42nd Street Moon presents the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical FIORELLO! Based on the life of New York City's legendary mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia, FIORELLO! features lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and music by Jerry Bock (SHE LOVES ME, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF) and a book by Jerome Weidman and George Abbott (THE PAJAMA GAME, DAMN YANKEES).

This year's line-up of tasty treats (to be announced at tonight's launch event at the theatre) has two programs that change each week including a slew of local, regional, interstate and international entries.

Reggae star Mighty Mystic is set to release his new album Enter the Mystic on February 1, 2019. Enter the Mystic is his fourth studio album. Enter the Mystic is available now for pre-order https://vpal.lnk.to/MightyMysticETMID at digital retailers and in CD. 

San Francisco's 42nd Street Moon (Daren A.C. Carollo and Daniel Thomas, Co-Executive Directors) has announced the full cast and creative team for Moon's first 2019 production, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical FIORELLO!

This December, New Conservatory Theatre Center continues its not-so-traditional tradition of its award-winning production of Avenue Q. Featuring "catchy melodies sung by randy puppets suffering post-collegiate existential dread" (SF Chronicle), NCTC's Avenue Q has been proclaimed a "local tradition" by San Francisco Travel, winning over critics and audiences alike in its previous engagements in NCTC's intimate Decker Theatre. Declares the San Francisco Examiner, "only the Grinch could prevent the laughter-filled show from selling out night after night."

Persephone Productions brings an imagined sequel to Arthur Miller's The Crucible with Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's Abigail/1702: A Twice Told Tale, playing at the Studio Jean-Valcourt du Conservatoire from October 18 to October 28. The play follows the character of Abigail Williams, from Arthur Miller's The Crucible, ten years after the events of the Salem Witch Trials.

Persephone Productions brings an imagined sequel to Arthur Miller's The Crucible with Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's Abigail/1702: A Twice Told Tale, playing at the Studio Jean-Valcourt du Conservatoire from October 18 to October 28. The play follows the character of Abigail Williams, from Arthur Miller's The Crucible, ten years after the events of the Salem Witch Trials.

Sam Ravenna's new album Fragile picks up where his self-titled EP left off, diving deeper into the world that drives Ravenna as an artist. On the new album he explores themes of the fragility and fluid nature of life. Through life's challenges, injuries, a mental health breakdown at the age of 22, he muses on his amazement of human resilience and how we can adapt, grow and change through life's ups and downs. The new album, a testament to Ravenna's artistic nature, illustrate his experiences of life lived, and loves found and lost, all laid out for the world to absorb. Fragile is due out Oct. 19 and will be available everywhere.  

Premium television network EPIX® announced today iconic Oscar-nominated actor James Cromwell has joined the new season of Berlin Station, a 10-episode modern-day spy series that will get its third season premiere Monday, December 3 at 9pm ET/PT.