Julius Thomas News

Next up at Encores! Off-Center is Kirsten Childs' delightful, provocative, and poignant 2000 musical, The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin, running July 26-27.

Following the success of Assassins, Encores! Off-Center Artistic Director Michael Friedman presents the next production of his first season at the helm of the popular summer musical theater series at New York City Center.

Next up at Encores! Off-Center is Kirsten Childs' delightful, provocative, and poignant 2000 musical, The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin, running July 26-27. Following a young African-American dancer, Viveca, from West Coast suburbia to Broadway, all the while navigating the politics of race and gender in an attempt to uncover her own identity, The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin is directed by Robert O'Hara with choreography by Byron Easley and music direction by Annastasia Victory.

Following the success of Assassins, Encores! Off-Center Artistic Director Michael Friedman today announced casting for the next two productions of his first season at the helm of the popular summer musical theater series at New York City Center.

Stephen DeAngelis continues his ongoing salute to Broadway and Off-Broadway Standbys, Understudies and Alternates with its next edition of AT THIS PERFORMANCE... to be held on Monday, July 10th at the series' new home, The Green Room 42, Green Fig, Fourth Floor, Yotel NYC, 570 Tenth Avenue (at 42nd Street), New York, NY 10036 at 8 PM.

Now on stage at Beef and Boards is the ogre-sized, greatest fairy tale never told: the breathtaking Broadway musical adaptation of the hit movie Shrek. On one level, SHREK THE MUSICAL is silly family fun, but digging deeper into the story, there are messages that are crucial in life. The Princess, Fiona, never loses her faith in her fairytales. She is trapped in a tower, surrounded by boiling lava, with a fire-breathing dragon Hell-bent on keeping any interloper at bay. I greatly admire her character; how many people would give up on their dreams and just off themselves? I wanted to escape the cornfields of the Amish countryside desperately when I was young, and the odds were greatly against me. I never gave up on my dreams, and today I own a house by the ocean in Hawaii, and have my own knight in shining armor. Theatre gives you the chance to dream about how life can be, should be, or will be. It's like a seed that gets planted in your mind and one day can grow into a mighty oak.

Now on stage at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre,  Shrek, The Musical. The Tony Award winning musical, based on the Oscar winning DreamWorks Animation film, is Beef & Boards' 2017 Family Show, featuring $10 discounts off tickets for kids ages 3-15. It is on stage through July 2. For reservations, call the box office at 317.872.9664. For more information, including show schedule, visit beefandboards.com.

Everyone's favorite ogre takes the stage at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre for the first time May 18 in Shrek, The Musical. The hilarious, Tony Award-winning stage production based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation film runs through July 2.

The York Theatre Company, dedicated to the development of new musicals and the preservation of musical gems from the past, as part of its acclaimed Developmental Reading Series, will present the staged reading of the new musical Benjamin Button The Musical with music by Natalie Tenenbaum (More Stars Than There Are in Heaven), and book and lyrics by Brett Boles ('From Broadway With Love: A Benefit Concert for Sandy Hook' on PBS).

Jayne Ackley Lynch Productions today announced staged readings for the new American musical Far From the Madding Crowd, directed by Hunter Foster with choreography by Lorin Latarro.

Former Motown The Musical cast member Julius Thomas III has garnered a nomination for the Annual NAACP Theatre Awards.

Jayne Ackley Lynch Productions today announced staged readings for the new American musical Far From the Madding Crowd, directed by Hunter Foster with choreography by Lorin Latarro.

Despite clunky writing, Berry Gordy's autobiographical musical is packed with great songs and terrific performances.

Motown the Musical has just announced its digital lottery and student rush policies for its Broadway return.

The best of Broadway will be performing FREE on six consecutive Thursdays this summer with '106.7 LITE FM's Broadway in Bryant Park 2016' - a lunchtime series that continued this week, July 14 on the Bryant Park Stage. Hosted by LITE FM's on-air personalities, the 16th annual presentation of open-air, On- and Off- Broadway lunch hour performances will run through Thursday, August 11.

In attendance today was the cast of Motown (Chester Gregory, Allison Semmes, J.J. Batteast, Elijah Ahmad Lewis, Rashad Naylor, Marq Moss, Rod Harrelson, Galen J. Williams, Jarvis B. Manning, Jr., Trisha Jeffrey,Krisha Marcano, Chante Carmel, Nik Alexander, Chadae, Julius Thomas III, Loren Lott,Ramone Owens, Olivia Puckett, Jamison Scott, Joey Stone, Martina Sykes, Anissa Felix, Talya Groves, Nicholas Ryan) who performed the songs 'I Want You Back,' 'Stop! In the Name of Love,' 'Do You Love Me,' 'Get Ready,' 'Dancing in the Street' and more. Check out highlights below!

The best of Broadway will be performing FREE on six consecutive Thursdays this summer with '106.7 LITE FM's Broadway in Bryant Park 2016, continuing this Thursday, July 14 (12:30pm) on the Bryant Park Stage. Hosted by LITE FM's on-air personalities, the 16th annual presentation of open-air, On- and Off- Broadway lunch hour performances will run through Thursday, August 11. This year's 106.7 LITE FM'S Broadway in Bryant Park is presented by New York-Presbyterian for Kids and TKTS Discount Ticketing Booth.

Performances for the Miami premiere of MOTOWN THE MUSICAL begin Tuesday, February 2 for a limited one-week run through Sunday, February 7, 2016 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County.

For nearly three vigorous hours, MOTOWN - THE MUSICAL provides one helluva show. More like a CONCERT rather than your typical book musical, this dazzling, high-octane extravaganza of music and dance is a visual and aural feast that gamely crams in more than 60 hits from the groundbreaking record company's discography. The story---penned by Motown founder Berry Gordy himself---may be its lone weak spot, but there's no denying how fun it is to see and hear this impressive cast of quintuple-threats recreate these greatest hits live on stage. The rousingly entertaining, exuberantly-performed stage spectacular continues at Costa Mesa's Segerstrom Center for the Arts through June 28.

Turning a profit in the theatre business is challenging at best but it isn't surprising that MOTOWN THE MUSICAL easily recouped its initial investment during its run on Broadway, or its outlay for the First National Tour, now playing at the Hollywood Pantages. The popularity of the Motown sound is undeniable. Even if you wanted to, it's impossible to keep from being carried away by the irresistible groove of the music. And why would you even want to try?