The Drama League announced today the winners for the 79th Annual Drama League Awards: Distinguished Production of a Musical, Kinky Boots; presented by Diane Paulus; Distinguished Play, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, presented by Pam MacKinnon; Distinguished Revival of a Musical, Pippin, presented by Alex Timbers; Distinguished Revival of a Play, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, presented by Rachel Chavkin; Distinguished Performance, Nathan Lane, presented by Debra Messing at a star-studded luncheon ceremony hosted by Ms. Messing and David Hyde Pierce at the Marriott Marquis Times Square (1535 Broadway). BroadwayWorld was there and brings you coverage of the red carpet arrivals below!
Happy Birthday, Judy Kuhn! Kuhn made her Broadway debut was in The Mystery of Edwin Drood. She then played Cosette in the 1987 multiple award winning Broadway production of Les Miserables brought her the first Tony Award nomination. The following year, Kuhn took on a transfer from London's West End, playing one of the main roles (Florence Vassy) in the Trevor Nunn-directed Chess, with music by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus (formerly of ABBA) and lyrics by Tim Rice. Later in 1993, Kuhn played the role of Betty Schaefer in the U.S premier production of Sunset Boulevard at the Shubert Theatre in Los Angeles. Kuhn sang the title role in the 1995 Disney animated film, Pocahontas, the film included her rendition of the song Colors of the Wind, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for its composers Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. On October 23, 2007, Kuhn returned to the Broadway Production of Les Miserables after 20 years, but this time assuming the role of Fantine.
As part of its 30th anniversary celebratory season, Vineyard Theatre will present VINEYARD CELEBRATES THE SONGS OF DORY PREVIN, a special, one-night-only benefit concert featuring the brilliant and iconic work of the legendary singer and songwriter on Monday, June 17, 2013 at 7:00 PM at The Vineyard (108 E. 15 St., between Irving Place and Union Square East).
The CSC cast album of PASSION records today, May 13th, for a July 2nd release. The good news is that it will feature the entire cast, including Melissa Errico. Amy Justman has been filling in for Errico on stage.
Classic Stage Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Greg Reiner, will celebrate the theater's past, present and future at its 45th Anniversary Bash this Friday evening, May 10 at the Edison Ballroom (240 West 47th Street). The evening will include an exclusive sneak peek at works under consideration for the company's future Musical Theatre Initiative productions with performances from Judy Kuhn, Stephen Bogardus and Jeffry Denman-all of whom were featured in this season's critically-acclaimed Passion-as well as Alexander Gemignani, Alexandra Silba, Jenny Fellner and more, directed by Jack Cummings III, with musical direction by Greg Jarrett.
Classic Stage Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Greg Reiner, will present a new production of Bertolt Brecht's The Caucasian Chalk Circle featuring Christopher Lloyd (Azdak), directed by Brian Kulick (who directed Brecht's Galileo last season), and featuring new music by Tony Award-winning singer/songwriter Duncan Sheik (Spring Awakening). The Caucasian Chalk Circle will begin performances tonight, May 3 at CSC (136 East 13th Street) for a limited engagement through Sunday, June 9. The official opening is Thursday, May 30.
Phone rings. Door chimes. In comes Company, one of legendary composer Stephen Sondheim's most beloved musicals, produced at Signature Theatre for the first time in twenty years and directed by Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer. The cast of fourteen, led by Matthew Scott (First You Dream: The Music of Kander & Ebb; Side By Side By Sondheim) in the role of Bobby, features many of Signature's most well-known stars in an enchanting, deeply funny exploration of love and marriage.
Today in 1988, Chess opened at the Imperial Theatre, where it ran for 68 performances. Chess is a musical with music by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, formerly of ABBA, and with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story involves a romantic triangle between two top players, an American and a Russian, in a world chess championship, and a woman who manages one and falls in love with the other; all in the context of a Cold War struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union, during which both countries wanted to win international chess tournaments for propaganda purposes.
Classic Stage Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Greg Reiner, will present its annual Monday Night Open Rehearsal Series, this year featuring Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet. On three Monday evenings - May 13, May 20 and June 3 - different actors and directors will explore the text of Romeo & Juliet, giving theater-goers the opportunity to become part of the discovery process, and experience different acting approaches and directorial interpretations of one of Shakespeare's most cherished plays. CSC will open its 2013/2014 season with a new production of Romeo & Juliet starring Elizabeth Olsen. Here is the line-up for this year's Open Rehearsal series.
The Drama League (Executive Director, Gabriel Shanks) has announced the 2013 Drama League Awards Nominees for Distinguished Play, Distinguished Revival of a Play, Distinguished Musical, Distinguished Revival of a Musical, and Distinguished Performance Award. The nominations were announced at a ceremony hosted by Patina Miller and Michael Urie this morning at Sardi's Restaurant which were streamed live online at www.BroadwayWorld.com.
Signature Theatre has announced the pairing of one of the theatre's most celebrated friends with the upcoming 2013/14 season's newest play. Shakespeare Theatre Company Artistic Director Michael Kahn returns to Signature this fall for the first time in nearly twenty years to direct the world premiere of Pride in the Falls of Autrey Mill, the new play by Paul Downs Colaizzo.
BroadwayWorld has learned that the cast was informed today that they will be recording the CSC cast album of PASSION on May 13th. The good news is that it will feature the entire cast, including Melissa Errico. Amy Justman has been filling in for Errico on stage.
Classic Stage Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Greg Reiner, announced today that acclaimed Tony Award-winning director John Doyle will join the company for its 2013/2014 season as an Associate Director. Doyle, who directed and designed the company's current highly-acclaimed production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's musical PASSION, will develop his own projects for CSC, contribute leadership for CSC's new Musical Theatre Initiative (for which PASSION was the launch production) and consult with Artistic Director Brian Kulick over season planning and other creative aspects of CSC's artistic programming.
Classic Stage Company announced today that Amy Justman will assume the role of Clara for the final 11 performances of their critically-acclaimed new production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's PASSION through Friday, April 19 at CSC (136 East 13th Street). Melissa Errico, who originated the role of Clara, has been out of the show with bronchitis since March 21. PS Classics announced today that they had postponed the cast recording of PASSION (which was scheduled for today) until Ms. Errico is fully recovered. A new recording and release date will be announced in the coming days.
Sundance Institute just presented playwright and Sundance Institute Theatre Lab alum Branden Jacobs-Jenkins with the first-ever Tennessee Williams Award from the Institute's Theatre Program, which supports the development of new work for the stage. Sundance Institute Emeritus Trustee Sally Field presented the honor and accompanying $10,000 grant at the Celebrate Sundance Institute benefit for its Theatre Program last night at Stephan Weiss Studio in Greenwich Village.
BroadwayWorld was there for the festivities and you can check out who was there to celebrate below!
BroadwayWorld has confirmed that the Classic Stage Company's production of Passion has delayed the recording of it's upcoming cast album, because Melissa Errico, who plays Clara in the show, is out on vocal rest. Errico has been out of the show since March 21 and the cast will not head to the recoding studio until she has fully recovered. In the mentime, Amy Justman has been filling in for Errico on stage.
Now in its 15th season, Lincoln Center's acclaimed series American Songbook celebrates the best in American singing and songwriting with a new chapter in the Songbook story: 'American Songbook in the Penthouse,' a series of weekend-only performances by performers and composers presented in the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, an intimate yet elegant venue that brings artists closer to the audience in a cabaret-style setting. The second weekend of Kaplan Penthouse performances, the sixth week of American Songbook 2013, runs April 5-6, 2013. April 5th belongs to Cristin Milioti, who was nominated for a Tony Award in 2012 for her lead role in the musical Once.
Classic Stage Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Greg Reiner, will present a new production of Bertolt Brecht's THE CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE featuring Christopher Lloyd (Azdak), directed by Brian Kulick (who directed Brecht's Galileo last season), and featuring new music by Tony Award-winning singer/songwriter Duncan Sheik (Spring Awakening). THE CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE will begin performances Friday, May 3 at CSC (136 East 13th Street) for a limited engagement through Sunday, June 9. The official opening is Thursday, May 30. Tickets are now on sale.