Jonathan Larson News

Stageworks Media will present an industry reading of Cyrano de Burger Shack, A New High School Musical written by award-winning playwright Jeremy Desmon and directed by Jeremy Dobrish, which will take place on Friday, February 7th at 1:00 pm at 54Below (254 West 54th Street, NYC). Featured in the cast of Cyrano de Burger Shack are F. Michael Haynie (Wicked) as Cyrano, Julia Mattison (Godspell) as Roxanne, and Michael Campayno (Sound of Music Live) as Christian, as well as Ashley Kate Adams (La Cage aux Folles), Trista Dollison (Avenue Q), Rebecca LaChance (Beautiful), Ellyn Marie Marsh (Kinky Boots), Shina Ann Morris (Cinderella), Jeremy Morse (Papermill's Oliver!), and Alex Wyse (Lysistrata Jones). The music director /arranger is Meg Zervoulis.

Prospect Theater Company will present the New York premiere of Jasper in Deadland, a new musical with book by Hunter Foster and Ryan Scott Oliver, and music and lyrics by Oliver. Performances are March 16 through April 13 at the West End Theatre in the Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew. A press opening is scheduled for March 26 at 7:30pm.

The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.)'s world premiere production of musical WITNESS UGANDA, which begins performances tonight, February 4, is the winner of the 2014 Richard Rodgers Production Award for Musical Theater. The award was announced yesterday by the American Academy of Arts and Letters, which administers the Richard Rodgers Awards.

On January 28, 2013 more than 100 Broadway stars joined with over 300 students from several Newton dance groups, the Sandy Hook Elementary School 3rd and 4th grades (2012/2013 school year), and the Newton High School Chamber Choir (2012/2013 school year) to present FROM BROADWAY WITH LOVE: A BENEFIT CONCERT FOR SANDY HOOK. The event was a heartfelt concert of healing, and today Broadway Records is releasing a two-CD recording of the concert. Also, Broadway Records is donating 100% of its profits from the CD, DVD (also released today), and Blu-Ray (releasing February 18th) to support the Newtown-Sandy Hook community via the Newton-Sandy Hook Community Foundation.

The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University presents the world premiere production of Witness Uganda, created by Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews, directed by A.R.T. Artistic Director Diane Paulus, with choreography by Darrell Grand Moultrie and Music Director, Remy Kurs. The production begins performances at the Loeb Drama Center at 64 Brattle Street, Cambridge tonight, February 4, and will run through March 16.

RENT: The Musical at Stage Coach Theatre opens February 28th and will run February 28, March 1, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, and 22.

The winner of the 2014 Richard Rodgers Production Award for Musical Theater was announced today by the American Academy of Arts and Letters, which administers the Richard Rodgers Awards.

Pittsburgh CLO presents the WORLD PREMIERE of the hysterical original musical comedy Judge Jackie Justice, which will run tonight, January 31 through April 27 at the CLO Cabaret.

Pittsburgh CLO has announced that the world premiere of Judge Jackie Justice - A New Musical Comedy will debut at the CLO Cabaret Theater today, January 30 and will run through April 27. CMU graduates Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond are writing the musical, commissioned for the CLO's Cabaret Theater with dramaturgy by Mary Jane Brennan. The show is conceived and will be directed by Pittsburgh CLO Executive Producer Van Kaplan with choreography by Kiesha Lalama and musical direction by Michael Moricz.

54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents Broadway veterans Amber Iman (Soul Doctor), Cedric Neal (The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, After Midnight), Tamika Sonja Lawrence (If/Then), Clinton Roane (Scottsboro Boys), and Marcus Paul James (Rent, In The Heights) singing a concert of songs by composer/lyricist, Darius Smith at 54 Below, Tuesday, February 11.

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, the performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond:

Broadway's Nikki Snelson, Ben D Cameron, and Eric Stretch in collaboration with Circle Theatre Emerging Young Artists will be presenting a one day only Broadway in Chicago Cabaret today, January 25, 2014 1PM at Madison Street Theatre.

The award winning CAP21 Theatre Company will kick off its 2014 season on February 4th with the new musical by Jonathan Larson Award winning writers Dan Collins (book) and Julianne Wick Davis (music and lyrics). The story was conceived in collaboration by Julianne Wick Davis, Sally Wilfert & Michael Winther. The production will be directed by Eric Hoff with musical direction by Charity Wicks and will star Broadway veterans Sally Wilfert (Broadway: Disney's King David, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Assassins; Off-Broadway: See Rock City and Make Me a Song), and Michael Winther (Broadway: 33 Variations, Mamma Mia!, 1776, Damn Yankees; Drama Desk nomination: Songs From An Unmade Bed).

The Academy of The Company Theatre (ACT) Teen Conservatory presents the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical RENT School Edition, today, January 24 and Saturday, January 25, 8 pm; and Sunday, January 26 at 3 pm, at The Company Theatre Centre for the Arts, 30 Accord Park Drive, Norwell, MA.

For one-night only, Angelwalk Theatre will be presenting Ashley's Gibson's inspirational one-woman show, The Life is Sweet Project on Monday, February 10, 2014 at the Toronto Centre for the Arts.

For one-night only, Angelwalk Theatre will be presenting Ashley's Gibson's inspirational one-woman show, The Life is Sweet Project on Monday, February 10, 2014 at the Toronto Centre for the Arts.

A total of 46 established and emerging writers, composers and lyricists will converge on the Goodspeed campus in East Haddam, CT this month to participate in the Johnny Mercer Writers Colony at Goodspeed Musicals. The writing teams, representing nearly 30 new musicals, will populate the campus, creating a truly exciting environment for discovery and inspiration.

Broadway's Nikki Snelson, Ben D Cameron, and Eric Stretch in collaboration with Circle Theatre Emerging Young Artists will be presenting a one day only Broadway in Chicago Cabaret on January 25, 2014 1PM at Madison Street Theatre. Tickets $20 General/$10 Students.

The Kennedy Center presents the world premiere production of Orphie and the Book of Heroes in the Family Theater, February 8 - 23, 2014.

Broadway composer and lyricist John Bucchino and bookwriter Mads Nielsen's Danish-American romantic musical drama ESAURA, recently conluded a Fall 2013 run at the Fredericia Teater. The plot of the new musical is based on a free adaptation of the 1905 novel by Carl E. Simonsen 'Abraham Fournais' and has parallels to the classic tale of Romeo and Juliet. The musical drama is set during the aftermath of the Battle of Fredericia and tells a fascinating story about human relationships. In short, it is a story with universal appeal played out in a Danish historical setting. Bucchino recently took the time to chat with BroadwayWorld about how the show got its start, what's in store for it's future, and more. Check out the full interview below!