Karen Carpenter News

59E59 Theaters welcomes Douglas Denoff, The Culture Project and WBTW Productions, LLC with the New York premiere of WITNESSED BY THE WORLD, written by Ronnie Cohen and Jane Beale and directed by Karen Carpenter. WITNESSED BY THE WORLD begins performances on Friday, November 8 for a limited engagement through Sunday, December 15. Press opening is Wednesday, November 20 at 7:15 PM. The performance schedule is Tuesday - Thursday at 7:15 PM; Friday at 8:15 PM; Saturday at 2:15 PM & 8:15 PM; and Sunday at 3:15 PM. Please note, there is no matinee performance on Saturday, November 9 and no performance on Thursday, November 28 (Thanksgiving). Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $49 ($33.50 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.

Douglas C. Evans, Producer (Frankenstein, TOMMY National Tour) announced today a reading of the new musical drama Wallenberg (www.WallenbergTheMusical.com) by industry invitation only on November 18thand 19th at the Clurman Theater.

Musical Theatre West at the Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach, CA proudly opens its 61st season with Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein, a musical comedy from the creative team of the 12-time Tony Award winning smash hit The Producers. The production, with music and lyrics by Brooks and a book by Thomas Meehan, marks the regional theater premiere of this hilariously tuneful show based on the 1974 smash hit film Young Frankenstein which was a wickedly inspired re-imagining of the Mary Shelley classic from the comic genius of Mel Brooks.

Musical Theatre West at the Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach, CA opens its 61st season with Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein, a musical comedy from the creative team of the 12-time Tony Award winning smash hit The Producers. The production, with music and lyrics by Brooks and a book by Thomas Meehan, marks the regional theater premiere of this hilariously tuneful show based on the 1974 smash hit film Young Frankenstein which was a wickedly inspired re-imagining of the Mary Shelley classic from the comic genius of Mel Brooks.

Aurora Theatre Company continues its 22nd season with the Bay Area Premiere of Samuel D. Hunter's edgy and earnest A BRIGHT NEW BOISE. Aurora Artistic Director Tom Ross helms this comedy about faith, family, forgiveness, and second chances, featuring Robert Parsons, Patrick Russell, Gwen Loeb, Megan Trout, and Daniel Petzold. A BRIGHT NEW BOISE playsNovember 8 through December 8 at the Aurora Theatre in Berkeley. For tickets ($32-60) and information the public can call (510) 843-4822 or visit auroratheatre.org.

BWW TV Los Angeles correspondents Michael Sterling and Jerry Evans visit with the cast of Musical Theatre West's (MTW) much anticipated Southern California 20th Anniversary revival of Sunset Boulevard on stage now through July 28, 2013 at the 1,070-seat Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach, CA. The production previewed for one performance only on July 12, 2013 exactly 20 years to the day after the show's world premiere. Valerie Perri and David Burnham star, with Norman Large and Ashley Fox Linton are interviewed along with MTW Executive Director/Producer Paul Garman. The critically acclaimed revival is directed by Larry Raben with Musical Direction by David Lamoureux and Staging by John Todd. Check out the video below!

San Jose Rep presents its sassy and sentimental summer hit Love, Loss, and What I Wore. The cast features Dawn Wells (Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island), Zuzanna Szadkowski ('Gossip Girl'), Tony-nominated Dee Hoty (Mamma Mia and TV's 'Smash'), Sandra Tsing Loh (off-Broadway Aliens in America and NPR's 'The Loh Down on Science') and Ashley Austin Morris ('Ugly Betty' and 'The Electric Company').

San Jose Rep announced today the cast for its sassy and sentimental summer hit Love, Loss, and What I Wore: Dawn Wells (Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island), Zuzanna Szadkowski ('Gossip Girl'), Tony-nominated Dee Hoty (Mamma Mia and TV's 'Smash'), Sandra Tsing Loh (off-Broadway Aliens in America and NPR's 'The Loh Down on Science') and Ashley Austin Morris ('Ugly Betty' and 'The Electric Company'). The off-Broadway hit makes its Bay Area premiere July 19 - July 28, 2013. Press opening night is Friday, July 19, 8:00 p.m. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast below!

Musical Theatre West's (MTW) production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's international hit musical Sunset Boulevard opened last Friday, July 12, exactly 20 years to the day after the show's world premiere. The production will run through July 28, 2013 at the beautiful 1,070-seat Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach, CA. Valerie Perri and David Burnham star, with Norman Large and Ashley Fox Linton. Check out a look back at the curtain call and opening night festivities below!

Actress/singer Valerie Perri, best known for her role of Eva Peron in Evita, will open as Norma Desmond in MTW's Sunset Boulevard Saturday July 13 in Long Beach. In our chat she discusses the challenges of portraying bigger than life fictional silent movie queen Norma Desmond.

San Jose Rep announced today the cast for its sassy and sentimental summer hit Love, Loss, and What I Wore: Dawn Wells (Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island), Zuzanna Szadkowski ('Gossip Girl'), Tony-nominated Dee Hoty (Mamma Mia and TV's 'Smash'), Sandra Tsing Loh (off-Broadway Aliens in America and NPR's 'The Loh Down on Science') and Ashley Austin Morris ('Ugly Betty' and 'The Electric Company'). The off-Broadway hit makes its Bay Area premiere July 19 - July 28, 2013.

Proving that a great show is always in fashion, Philadelphia Theatre Company closes its 2012-2013 season with Love, Loss and What I Wore on June 25-July 7 at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre. This intimate collection of stories by sisters Nora and Delia Ephron and directed by Karen Carpenter is based on the best-selling book by Ilene Beckerman. Like the popular book, the show uses clothing, accessories and the memories they trigger to tell funny and often poignant stories to which all women can relate. This production is presented by special arrangement with Daryl Roth.

Back on April 1, when he posted his third compilation of delayed cabaret reviews from shows staged during the winter, BroadwayWorld.com's lead New York cabaret reviewer promised Number 4 would come with arrival of summer. Okay, so he missed his self-imposed deadline by a couple of weeks. but here's yet another catch-up column with critiques of a half dozen spring shows performed by Bryan Batt, Dawn Derow, Lynly Forrest, Dennis McNeil, Anastasia Barzee, and Nina Hennessey.

Paul Garman, Executive Director/Producer, has announced a one-night-only concert version of the acclaimed, rarely produced musical KISMET, presented by Musical Theatre West at the University Theatre on the CSULB campus tonight, June 30 at 7 p.m. KISMET is presented as part of the Reiner Reading Series, which presents concert-style versions of some of Broadway's forgotten gems.

Paul Garman, Executive Director/Producer, is proud to announce a one-night-only concert version of the acclaimed, rarely produced musical KISMET, presented by Musical Theatre West at the University Theatre on the CSULB campus on Sunday, June 30 at 7 p.m. KISMET is presented as part of the Reiner Reading Series, which presents concert-style versions of some of Broadway's forgotten gems.

Proving that a great show is always in fashion, Philadelphia Theatre Company closes its 2012-2013 season with Love, Loss and What I Wore tonight, June 25-July 7 at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre. This intimate collection of stories by sisters Nora and Delia Ephron and directed by Karen Carpenter is based on the best-selling book by Ilene Beckerman. Like the popular book, the show uses clothing, accessories and the memories they trigger to tell funny and often poignant stories to which all women can relate. This production is presented by special arrangement with Daryl Roth.

Casting for Musical Theatre West's (MTW) production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's international hit musical Sunset Boulevard , has been announced by MTW Executive Director/Producer Paul Garman and Director Larry Raben. The 1950 Oscar-winning motion picture of the same title first starred screen legends Gloria Swanson (as Norma Desmond) and William Holden (as Joe Gillis) before it opened as a musical in London's West End starring Patti LuPone and Kevin Anderson at the Adelphi Theatre July 12, 1993 where it ultimately ran for 1529 performances.

This week marks the return of Make Music New York, the free outdoor music festival celebrating the solstice and summer. Joe's Pub will host the Beck Song Reader Stage all day Friday outside our downtown home at Astor Place. More highlights this week include funny girl Julie Klausner's debut cabaret, Mother Falcon's collaboration with Raul Midon for Symphonic Sundays, the inimitable Bridget Everett and more. Read on for details on this week's performances.

Closing Aurora Theatre Company's 21st season is the Bay Area Premiere of Neil LaBute's dark, edgy comic drama THIS IS HOW IT GOES, directed by Aurora Theatre Company Artistic Director Tom Ross (A Delicate Balance). Ross helmed LaBute's The Shape of Things, the first LaBute play produced in the Bay Area, in 2003. Featuring Aldo Billingslea (Collapse), Gabriel Marin (Collapse, Jack Goes Boating), and Carrie Paff (A Delicate Balance, Collapse, Betrayal), THIS IS HOW IT GOES presents a one-two punch after LaBute's Fat Pig (staged at Aurora in 2009).

Sunset Boulevard, the Musical Theatre West (MTW) production of the Broadway hit based on the 1950 Oscar-winning movie about a former star of the silent screen era living in the past in her decaying mansion on the fabled Los Angeles street, has its much anticipated Southern California 20th Anniversary revival July 12 through July 28, 2013 at the exquisite 1,070-seat Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach, CA. MTW Executive Director/Producer Paul Garman has appointed Larry Raben as Director with Musical Direction by David Lamoureux and Musical Staging by John Todd. MTW's Sunset Boulevard opens exactly 20 years to the day of the show's world premiere in London at the Adelphi Theatre where it ran for 1529 performances.