John Lee News

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! First, we'd like to wish a happy opening to Hadestown, which officially opens tonight at the Walter Kerr Theatre!

Skydance Television today announced that it has partnered with The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization and Concord to develop an original television series inspired by the hit Broadway musical Oklahoma! The present-day series written by John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side, The Highwaymen) and Bekah Brunstetter (This is Us, American Gods) will be set in America's heartland and include music by the legendary team of Rodgers & Hammerstein, reimagined for a contemporary audience, in addition to new music to support the story.

Craft Recordings is pleased to announce the first-ever vinyl edition ofJames Taylor's 2007 live album, One Man Band. Available June 7th, the double-LP set is pressed on 180-gram vinyl, and housed in a deluxe gatefold jacket. Mastered by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound and pressed at RTI, this uniquely intimate performance captures Taylor at his best—paired only with his guitar, drum machine and esteemed keyboardist Larry Goldings (John Mayer, Sia, John Scofield) plus pre-recorded accompaniment of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus on “My Traveling Star” and “Shower The People.” Full of his signature wit and warmth, Taylor's anecdotes—interspersed throughout the evening—offer background on some of his most popular songs.

On May 10th, 2019, Cleopatra Entertainment - in association with Cleopatra Blues - will release a brand new concert film Viva Las Vegas Live from Grammy Award-nominated Blues legend Joe Louis Walker. Directed by Brent Backhus, this stunning 85-minute concert was captured in all its glory at the infamous Boulder Station Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada last summer during Walker's 2018 U.S. tour.

2019 marks the 70th anniversary of Prestige Records, one of the most revered jazz labels in the world. Throughout the '50s and '60s, Prestige was at the forefront of modern jazz, releasing sessions from some of the most influential names in music, including Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Stan Getz, and Sonny Rollins. To honor the history of this pioneering label and its exceptional output, Craft Recordings will release a variety of content throughout the year, including deluxe box sets and vinyl reissues, as well as video content and curated playlists.

The winners of the 2019 New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards will be announced Monday, May 6, 2019 at approximately 5:30pm. The selections will be made at the organization's 84th annual voting meeting.

It has been confirmed today that the multi-award winning, record breaking musical CHICAGO is coming to Melbourne next summer! Produced in Australia by John Frost and Suzanne Jones, this Australian production will premiere at Sydney's Capitol Theatre in August before the Brisbane season in November at QPAC's Lyric Theatre and culminating in a season at the State Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne from December.

Deadline reports that Ilana Glazer has set her first project post-Broad City: a horror film she co-wrote called False Positive, in which she stars in along with Justin Theroux and Pierce Brosnan. John Lee co-wrote and will direct the project at A24.

Once again, the NAACP Beverly Hills/Hollywood Branch's Theatre Viewing Committee has spoken, and the nominations are in for the 28th Annual NAACP Theatre Awards. This year's pedigreed list of nominees collectively represents a rich, extensive dossier of legacies and accolades for both stage and screen. These nominees include members of a legendary 'gospel royal family' as well as a Legend whose part of an elite group of artists in the EGOT winners circle. These, along with all their fellow nominees, will be honored for their excellence on the small and large stages during our annual awards dinner, slated to be held on Monday, June 17, 2019, 6:00 p.m.at the prestigious Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, California.

Complete casting has been announced for the New York premiere of Long Lost, written by Donald Margulies and directed by Dan Sullivan. The production will feature Kelly AuCoin (Of Good Stock, Julius Caesar, "Billions"), Annie Parisse(Clybourne Park, "Friends from College," "Person of Interest"), Lee Tergesen (Rapture, Blister, Burn; "Oz;" "Generation Kill"), and Alex Wolff (Hereditary, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Patriots Day).

John Coltrane's breakout year, when his mature saxophone sound first grabbed ears and his own recordings began to sell consistently, was 1958. The upcoming box set Coltrane '58: The Prestige Recordings (out March 29 (5-CD & digital formats) and April 26 (8-LP format) on Craft Recordings), chronicles that exciting year session by session, featuring all 37 tracks Coltrane recorded as a leader or co-leader for the independent Prestige label in those 12 months. The collection captures Coltrane in creative high gear—developing the signature improvisational style that journalist Ira Gitler famously dubbed “sheets of sound.” In addition, Coltrane '58: The Prestige Recordings comes on the heel of the 60th anniversary of that breakthrough year, and serves as the cornerstone release marking the 70th anniversary of Prestige Records.

March Madness may be in town but Midlands stages are still open for business!

Award-winning costume designer SUSAN HILFERTY and legendary scenic designer JOHN LEE BEATTY are among the 25TH Anniversary TDF/Irene Sharaff Award recipients which were just announced by TDF

Performance Space New York in collaboration with Arika and the Whitney Museum of American Art presents I wanna be with you everywhere, a gathering of, by, and for disabled artists and writers and anyone who wants to join in a series of programs that refuse policies of individuation and inclusion in favor of (and in the flavor of) whatever disability aesthetics has in bodymind. Organized by Arika, Amalle Dublon, Jerron Herman, Carolyn Lazard, Park McArthur, Alice Sheppard, and Constantina Zavitsanos, the festival features performances and readings by Eli Clare, John Lee Clark, Kayla Hamilton, Johanna Hedva, Jerron Herman, Cyr e Jarelle Johnson, Camisha L. Jones, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Jordan Lord, NEVE, Akemi Nishida and Alice Sheppard.

Craft Recordings has revealed the full details on their upcoming title, Poppies: Assorted Finery from the First Psychedelic Age, a compilation of 1960s-era psychedelic rock featuring cult-classic artists such as Buffy Sainte-Marie, Circus Maximus and Southwest F.O.B.

According to Variety, Denzel Washington is in talks to join the new cop-thriller from WB titled LITTLE THINGS. John Lee Hancock is set to write and potentially direct as well.

Sydney has secured the 2019 premiere of the multi-award winning, record breaking musical CHICAGO. Produced in Australia by John Frost and Suzanne Jones, this Australian production will premiere from August 20 at Sydney's Capitol Theatre.

Broadway In Chicago is delighted to announce tickets for CHICAGO, starring NFL legend Eddie George, will go on sale on Friday, March 8. CHICAGO will play Broadway In Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 W. Randolph) for a limited one-week engagement May 7-12, 2019.

Manhattan Theatre Club's New York premiere of The Cake celebrated opening night, check out the photos below!