John Rando News

The producers of A Christmas Story, The Musical, have announced that the three-time Tony nominated production will return for the holiday season with engagements at the The Bushnell in Hartford, CT (November 12-17) and The Wang Theatre in Boston, MA (November 20 - December 8) before returning to New Yorkat The Theater at Madison Square Garden (December 11 – 29). Tickets are now on sale for the New York engagement. Single tickets for the general public go on sale for the Boston engagement June 16, and for the Hartford engagement on September 9.

Most people expected after last night's Tony Awards that A CHRISTMAS STORY would be headed back to Broadway, but it turns out that they had a slightly different plan in mind.

Get a glimpse at some of the original choreography being created by Emmy Award winning choreographer Joshua Bergasse (NBC's 'SMASH') for Barrington Stage Company's production of On The Town. Click below!

The Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF) Observership Program grants emerging Directors and Choreographers 25 paid opportunities to observe the work of master Directors and Choreographers as they create productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway and at leading regional theatres across the country.

Company members from A Christmas Story, The Musical will reunite for their appearance on the Tony Awards telecast on CBS. The cast will travel from various corners of the country and the world including Dan Lauria from Los Angeles, Johnny Rabe from Chicago, Caroline O'Connor from Australia, and Broadway's favorite four-foot tap dancing whiz kid, Luke Spring, from Ashburn, Virginia.

The Planet Connections Theatre Festivity presents Walden, a story-theatre style musical adaptation of Thoreau's best seller, featuring his work on the underground railroad and his star-crossed romance. Six performances for Walden will be held at the Robert Moss Theatre, 440 Lafayette Street, NYC from today, May 29-June 15 as part of The Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. The Festivity will take place May 29th through June 23rd at Gene Frankel and Robert Moss Theatres in New York City.

Pasek and Paul - along with Lindsay Mendez, Derek Klena and other original cast members - will also appear at an in-store performance and CD signing at Barnes & Noble on the Upper East Side (150 East 86th Street, between Lexington and Third Avenues) tonight, May 23 at 7:00 PM. Call (212) 369-2180 for details.

The 2014 season of New York City Center's Tony Award-winning Encores! series will open with Little Me directed by John Rando and starring Christian Borle ('Smash,' Peter and the Starcatcher) on February 5, 2014. The season will continue with The Most Happy Fella, directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw and starring Shuler Hensley (Oklahoma!, The Whale), followed by Irma La Douce, directed by John Doyle. Encores! Music Director Rob Berman will helm all shows.

Dixon Place & The Apothetae present The Penalty, written by Clay McLeod Chapman and directed by Kris Thor, with music and lyrics by Robert M. Johanson and Clay McLeod Chapman. The inaugural show for a company devoted to theatre featuring disabled artists begins previews on Thursday, June 13 at 7:30, and continues Fridays and Saturdays: June 14, 15, 21, 22, 28 & 29 at 7:30 at Dixon Place, 161A Chrystie Street, New York, NY.

Acclaimed Tony Award winning Director/Choreographer Jerry Mitchell, whose smash hit musical Kinky Boots just received a whopping 13 Tony Award-nominations, was just honored with the 2013 'Mr. Abbott' Award for his outstanding artistry and creativity and breadth of his thirty-year career.

The award was presented at a gala event at B.B. King on May 13 with four-time Tony Award-winning playwright and actor Harvey Fierstein, a frequent collaborator of Jerry Mitchell (and bookwriter of Kinky Boots), to emcee a tribute written by six-time Emmy Award winner Bruce Vilanch. Grammy Award-winner Cyndi Lauper, who wrote the music & lyrics for Kinky Boots, introduced a number from Kinky Boots included in the tribute. Director Jack O'Brien presented Mr. Mitchell with the award. Check out full photo coverage from the festivities below!

"John Rando (Urinetown, A Christmas Story, Lincoln Centers's Carousel, All in the Timing) will direct Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead for The Acting Company," announced its producer, Margot Harley. Tom Stoppard's TONY-winning play will run off-Broadway in rotating repertory with Hamlet, directed by Ian Belknap,beginning in January 2014. Prior to New York, Hamlet will play a fall tour of western states beginning at Cal State-Northridge. A national tour of both plays, including an extended stay at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, begins in February. This is the 41st season and tour for The Acting Company, the sixth tour in association with the Guthrie.

Today we are talking to a terrifically talented twosome who are being touted as the next songwriting duo to take New York by storm - and, with DOGFIGHT appearing Off-Broadway at Second Stage last year and A CHRISTMAS STORY setting Broadway alight for a limited run this past holiday season, they are certainly on the fast-track to success - Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Revealing their reaction to last week's 2013 Tony Award nominations for their stupendous score for the screen-to-stage adaptation of A CHRISTMAS STORY as well as all about the creation and ultimate execution of the show itself, Pasek & Paul open up about their creative process and illustrate what makes their music work so well in a theatrical milieu. Most importantly, the songwriters discuss DOGFIGHT - the inspiration for it, writing of it, the recent Off-Broadway production directed by Joe Mantello, and, now, the absolutely spectacular cast album now available on Ghost light - to say nothing of next week's concert celebrating the album release. Additionally, Pasek & Paul share stories of the songs that make up their popular and frequently-produced EDGES, new and old, as well as their plans for future shows. Plus, all about the new material recently written by the duo for NBC's musical drama series SMASH, details about their stage adaptation of Roald Dahl's seminal children's book JAMES & THE GIANT PEACH as well as opinions on fellow songwriting teams and other influential musical theatre icons, as well as much, much more!

BENJ PASEK and JUSTIN PAUL have added a second show at Joe's Pub at The Public on Wednesday, May 15. An 11:30 PM show was just added due to popular demand after the 9:30 PM show sold out. The Tony Award nominated composer and lyricist team is celebrating the new Ghostlight Records cast recording of Dogfight. Both shows will features performances by the original cast of the Second Stage Theatre production and other special guests. Dogfight just won the 2013 Lucille Lortel Award for "Outstanding Musical." Tickets to Joe's Pub are $25 and on sale now at JoesPub.com.

Barrington Stage Company has announced principal casting for the Bernstein/Comden/Green musical On the Town from June 12 through July 13 on the Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, 30 Union Street, Pittsfield. The press opening is Sunday, June 16 at 5pm.

Benj Pasek and Justin Paul will celebrate the new Ghostlight Records cast recording of Dogfight with a special concert at Joe's Pub at The Public on Wednesday, May 15 at 9:30 PM which will features performances by the original cast of the Second Stage Theatre production and other special guests. Tickets are $25 and on sale now at JoesPub.com. Pasek and Paul - along with Lindsay Mendez, Derek Klena and other original cast members - will also appear at an in-store performance and CD signing at Barnes & Noble on the Upper East Side (150 East 86th Street, between Lexington and Third Avenues) on Thursday, May 23 at 7:00 PM. Please call (212) 369-2180 for details.

The producers of A Christmas Story, The Musical, including Peter Billingsley, who starred as Ralphie in the original 1983 film, are holding open auditions to find exceptionally talented kids for the upcoming 2013 production. Recently nominated for three 2013 Tony Awards including Best Musical,A Christmas Story, The Musical seeks young actors to play Ralphie, his friends and classmates, including: Randy, Flick, Schwartz, Scut Farcus, Grover Dill, Mary Beth, and Esther Jane.

Barrington Stage Company (BSC), under the leadership of Julianne Boyd Artistic Director and Tristan Wilson Managing Director, announces four new Associate Artists, all who are working at Barrington Stage in 2013 - award-winning choreographer Joshua Bergasse, actors Gretchen Egolf and Jeff McCarthy, and award-winning director John Rando.

Ghostlight Records will present the Original Cast Recording of the musical DOGFIGHT with a digital release today, April 30 and the CD in stores on May 21. The show - which debuted Off-Broadway at Second Stage Theatre last year - features music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (A Christmas Story), a book by Peter Duchan (IFC Films' Breaking Upwards) and directed by two-time Tony Award winner Joe Mantello (Wicked, Glengarry Glen Ross). DOGFIGHT is based on the Warner Bros. film and screenplay by Bob Comfort.

Live From Lincoln Center presents the New York Philharmonic's production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's iconic American musical, Carousel, featuring a star-studded cast including Kelli O'Hara, Nathan Gunn, Stephanie Blythe, Shuler Hensley, Jason Danieley, Jessie Mueller, Kate Burton, John Cullum and New York City Ballet dancers Robert Fairchild and Tiler Peck. 'Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel' was hosted by Audra McDonald and aired on PBS stations on Friday, April 26, 2013. Click below to watch the full special!