Kara-Tameika Watkins News

Signature Theatre's JELLY'S LAST JAM, directed by Signature Associate Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner (Signature's La Cage Aux Folles, West Side Story) and choreographed by Jared Grimes (Broadway's After Midnight), runs now through September 11 in Signature Theatre's intimate MAX Theatre. The musical about famed and notorious jazz entertainer Jelly Roll Morton by George C. Wolfe, Susan Birkenhead, and Luther Henderson features the music of Jelly Roll Morton. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast onstage below!

Signature Theatre's JELLY'S LAST JAM, directed by Signature Associate Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner (Signature's La Cage Aux Folles, West Side Story) and choreographed byJared Grimes (Broadway's After Midnight), runs now through September 11 in Signature Theatre's intimate MAX Theatre. The musical about famed and notorious jazz entertainer Jelly Roll Morton by George C. Wolfe, Susan Birkenhead, and Luther Henderson features the music of Jelly Roll Morton. Click below to watch highlights from the show!

Below, check out the cast of Jelly's Last Jam in the rehearsal room, plus watch Signature's talented, hardworking tech crew transform the MAX Theatre from a drag club on the French Riviera in La Cage aux Folles to the Jungle Inn, a 1920s jazz club, for Jelly's Last Jam!

Signature Theatre's JELLY'S LAST JAM, directed by Signature Associate Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner (Signature's La Cage Aux Folles, West Side Story) and choreographed by Jared Grimes (Broadway's After Midnight), runs August 2 - September 11 in Signature Theatre's intimate MAX Theatre. The musical about famed and notorious jazz entertainer Jelly Roll Morton by George C. Wolfe, Susan Birkenhead, and Luther Henderson features the music of Jelly Roll Morton. Click below to watch a teaser for the show!

Signature Theatre has announced the cast of Jelly's Last Jam directed by Signature Associate Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner (Signature's La Cage Aux Folles, West Side Story) and choreographed by Jared Grimes (Broadway's After Midnight). The musical about famed and notorious jazz entertainer Jelly Roll Morton by George C. Wolfe, Susan Birkenhead, and Luther Henderson featuring the music of Jelly Roll Morton runs August 2 - September 11 in Signature Theatre's intimate MAX Theatre.

Change takes many forms in CAROLINE, OR CHANGE: dramatic historical change, personal change, pocket change. The word itself is used frequently in Tony Kushner's Tony-nominated musical, which takes place in 1963 amidst the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, and the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Matt Conner directs Creative Cauldron's production, an apt choice given the piece's enduring thematic significance and a phenomenal turn by Iyona Blake as the unflappable Caroline Thibodeaux.

Creative Cauldron presents the award-winning musical Caroline, or Change, with book and lyrics by Tony Kushner (Pulitzer Prize, Angels in America), score by Jeanine Tesori (Tony Award, Fun Home), and directed by Creative Cauldron Artistic Associate Matt Conner. Caroline, or Change was nominated for six Tony Awards in 2004 and won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical in 2007. Tesori's Drama Desk Award-Winning score combines spiritual music with blues, Motown, classical and Jewish klezmer music. The production will run from May 5th through May 29th, 2016 at ArtSpace Falls Church. Press Night is May 7th, 2016 at 8 PM.

Creative Cauldron will open its 2015-­?16 season with The World Goes 'Round, a musical revue of works by John Kander and Fred Ebb, one of the most prolific and acclaimed Broadway musical collaborators of all time. The production is directed by Matt Conner and choreographed by Kara-­?Tameika Watkins. "Audiences will be dazzled by the brilliance of Kander and Ebb," stated Conner. "The songs in this wonderful revue celebrate the resilience of the human heart on a revolving planet filled with love, pain, success and failure." Previews begin October 1st and the show continues at ArtSpace Falls Church (410 South Maple Avenue) through October 25th. A Season Opening Gala reception and performance will be held on Saturday, October 3rd beginning at 6:30 pm. Press Night is Sunday, October 4th at 7:00 pm

On October 20, 2014, Florence Lacey (Broadway's Follies, Evita and Signature's Sunset Boulevard), Megan Lawrence (Broadway's Hair and Signature's Cabaret), Jacquelyn Piro Donovan (Broadway's Les Miserables and Signature's The Witches of Eastwick), Natascia Diaz (Broadway's Man of La Mancha and Signature's The Threepenny Opera) and Nick Blaemire (Broadway's Godspell and Signature's Glory Days) performed alongside 75 Signature Theatre artists and an 18-piece orchestra as Virginia's Tony Award-winning Signature Theatre celebrated its 25th Anniversary. With performances from 27 shows over the last 25 years, including Sweeney Todd, The Rhythm Club, Urinetown, The Boy Detective Fails, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Dreamgirls, Chess, and many more. Scroll down for photos!

SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE-THE SONGS OF LEIBER AND STOLLER opened on Thursday, May 8 at Arena Stage and runs through June 8, 2014 in the Fichandler Stage. Scroll down to watch highlights from the show!

It offers a fun time and one can't ask for much more than that.

Opening night for SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE-THE SONGS OF LEIBER AND STOLLER was last night (Thursday, May 8) at Arena Stage. Check out the full produciton photos below! The show runs April 25-June 8, 2014 in the Fichandler Stage.

Opening night for SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE-THE SONGS OF LEIBER AND STOLLER was last night (Thursday, May 8) at Arena Stage. Check out the photos below! The show runs April 25-June 8, 2014 in the Fichandler Stage.

Rick Fox will be taking over the role of musical director in Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater's production of Smokey Joe's Cafe--The Songs of Leiber and Stoller from Victor Simonson, who will be departing the show for personal reasons.

Smokey Joe's Cafe-The Songs of Leiber and Stoller transports audiences to the golden age of rock, rhythm and blues this spring at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. The show runs tonight, April 25-June 8, 2014 in the Fichandler Stage, and BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast below!

A 'crazy talented cast' brings the Leiber and Stoller songbook to life once again when Arena Stage presents SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE April 25 through June 8 in the Fichlander Stage. Director Randy Johnson and choreographer Parker Esse talked with BroadwayWorld's Jeffrey Walker about their vision for the show.

Smokey Joe's Cafe: The Songs of Leiber and Stoller comes to Arena Stage April 25 to June 8, 2014. Part 1 of our interview with director Randy Johnson and choreographer Parker Esse looks at the legacy of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller's collaboration and impact on the rock and roll era.

Smokey Joe's Cafe-The Songs of Leiber and Stoller transports audiences to the golden age of rock, rhythm and blues this spring at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. The show runs April 25-June 8, 2014 in the Fichandler Stage, and BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast below!

Smokey Joe's Cafe-The Songs of Leiber and Stoller transports audiences to the golden age of rock, rhythm and blues this spring at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Director Randy Johnson returns to Arena Stage following the success of A Night with Janis Joplin (which enjoyed two runs at Arena Stage followed by a subsequent run on Broadway) to helm this Grammy Award-winning tribute to legendary songwriting duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, which originally opened on Broadway in 1995 and became the longest running musical revue, topping 2,000 performances. Bursting with hit tunes including 'Hound Dog,' 'Jailhouse Rock,' 'Stand by Me,' 'Love Potion #9' and 'On Broadway,' Smokey Joe's Cafe showcases choreography by Parker Esse (Arena Stage's The Music Man, Oklahoma!) and music direction by Victor Simonson (Center Stage's A Civil War Christmas, Arena Stage's 3 Mo' Divas) and runs April 25-June 8, 2014 in the Fichandler Stage. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the cast in rehearsal below!