John Updike News

On this day, we're celebrating the birthday of teleivison and stage star, Sean Hayes!

Inprint, Houston's major literary arts nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring readers and writers, presents the 2020/2021 40th anniversary season of the Inprint Margarett Root Brown Reading Series, featuring eight evenings with ten world-renowned authors including: Julia Alvarez, Jericho Brown, Nick Hornby, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Marilynne Robinson, special guest Margaret Atwood, and others—via the Inprint “virtual studio,” from September 2020 through April 2021.

Deadline reports that that Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner will produce a new modern-day Shakespeare drama series for NBC.

NPR Affiliate KALW-FM 91.7 FM continues Corona Radio Theater on its Open Air Program with Theater Company Word for Word's Reading - on Zoom - of  a?oeThe Islandersa??  a story of unexpected friendship, danger, and reconciliation, by Andrew Sean Greer, the San Francisco Pulitzer Prize winning writer.

David McVicar's compelling new production of Benjamin Britten's last opera is an extraordinary tour-de-force that takes you inside a troubled mind and leaves you as ill-at-ease as you might expect, but strangely uplifted too, the beauty present in even a dying world underlined and celebrated.

The Laurie Beechman Theatre is proud to host powerhouse Broadway veteran and South Florida favorite Avery Sommers on November 2nd for a Brunch show.Sommers will showcase her formidable vocal talent in a one time only performance on Saturday, November 2nd at 2PM. There is also a $20 food/beverage minimum per person. Tickets available at https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pe.c/10421170. The Laurie Beechman Theatre, Address: 407 West 42nd Street.

On Wednesday, October 16 at 7:30 pm the Folger Shakespeare Library's O.B. Hardison Poetry Series presents the Eudora Welty Lecture with best-selling author Jesmyn Ward at the National Press Club. Sponsored by the Eudora Welty Foundation, this annual lecture celebrates creative origins in the spirit of Welty's treasured One Writer's Beginnings. 

Gertrude and Claudius is now open at Barrington Stage Company! What did the critics have to say? Read all the reviews!

BSC Artistic Director, Julieanne Boyd, Directed the ambitious endeavor. This play represents quite an undertaking on many levels and on most them, this production succeeds.

James Kaplan, noted biographer and author of the upcoming book, "Irving Berlin: New York Genius," will be guest speaker at Westport Country Playhouse's Sunday Symposium on July 21, following a 3 p.m. performance of "Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin," a musical tribute to the legendary songwriter.

Barrington Stage Company (BSC), the award-winning theatre in the Berkshires under the leadership of Artistic Director Julianne Boyd, is proud to present Gertrude and Claudius, a new play by BSC Associate Artist Mark St. Germain (Dancing Lessons, Freud's Last Session), based on the novel by John Updike.

Barrington Stage Company announced today casting for its 25th Anniversary season. Casting will include Elijah Alexander, Mara Davi, Carson Elrod, Joel de la Fuente, Mykal Kilgore, Alyse Alan Louis, Kate MacCluggage, Jeff McCarthy, Julia Murney, Jonathan Raviv, Debra Jo Rupp and more. Full casting for the 25th Anniversary season is below.

This June, in celebration of his 200th birthday, the Morgan Library and Museum will present Walt Whitman: Bard of Democracy, a fascinating, and beautiful, exploration of the poet's life, times, work, and legacy. 

'The Witches of Eastwick' is a novel by John Updike, which was filmed in the 80s and became one of the decade's greatest cult films of the same name. The story was rebuilt into musical and was first put on London's West End. We can now proudly present the 'Witches in Eastwick' on Circus this fall which is something very unique in its kind, never before has this award-winning musical been made in Sweden. The premiere is on September 19th at Circus in Stockholm.

Barrington Stage Company (BSC), the award-winning theatre in the Berkshires (Pittsfield, MA) under the leadership of Artistic Director Julianne Boyd, announced today its 25th Anniversary season, which will feature four world premieres, including the new musical from BSC's Musical Theatre Lab, Fall Springs by Niko Tsakalakos and Peter Sinn Nachtrieb; America v. 2.1: The Sad Demise & Eventual Extinction of The American Negro by Stacey Rose; American Underground by Brent Askari; and Ragtag Theatre's Hansel and Gretel, commissioned by BSC.

Mark St. Germain's Gertrude and Claudius, based on the novel by John Updike, commissioned and produced by Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF runs from February 20 - March 23, 2019. Gertrude and Claudius will play in repertory with Shakespeare's Hamlet. Tickets (starting at $30) are available now by phone (407) 447-1700 ext. 1, online at orlandoshakes.org, or in person at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center (812 East Rollins Street).

Mark St. Germain's Gertrude and Claudius, based on the novel by John Updike, commissioned and produced by Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF runs from February 20 - March 23, 2019. Gertrude and Claudius will play in repertory with Shakespeare's Hamlet. Tickets (starting at $30) are available now by phone (407) 447-1700 ext. 1, online at orlandoshakes.org, or in person at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center (812 East Rollins Street).

Over the past hundred years the theater community has celebrated some of the most notable events in Broadway's history at the Friars Club.   Last night the Barrington Stage Co. the award-winning theatre in Downtown Pittsfield, Ma. under the leadership of Artistic Director Julianne Boyd held their New York City Benefit in the legendary building where so many legends of the theater community have socialized and entertained each other.   John Rando the famed director was celebrated for his extraordinary talent and his contributions to BSC.  John has directed two of the most popular musicals in BSC history, The Pirates of Penzance and On the Town, which transferred to Broadway and received four Tony Award nominations, including Best Director.  At BSC John also directed The Royal Family of Broadway and Guys and Dolls and on Broadway, he won a Tony Award for his direction of Urinetown, The Musical.  

Barrington Stage Company today announced the first three productions for its upcoming 25th season.