Ken Billington News

While there isn't anything terribly wrong with the new Broadway adaptation of the 1954 movie musical smash, White Christmas, hitting New York after four years of holiday season engagements across the country, there's also quite a bit that isn't especially right about it either. Yes, it's got those glorious Irving Berlin songs like 'Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep', 'Let Me Sing and I'm Happy' and 'Blue Skies' - the kind of stuff that turns wearing your heart on your sleeve into a hip fashion statement - and Larry Blank's swing orchestrations provide choreographer Randy Skinner's dancers with a red carpet of sizzle, but too much of director Walter Bobbie's perfectly pleasant production settles snugly into a groove of innocuous entertainment that is swift, professional and rarely exciting.

Arriving on Broadway six years after La, La, Lucille, followed-up by Yes, Yes, Yvette and inspiring Betty Comden and Adolph Green to imagine a musical named If, If, Iphigenia, No, No, Nanette is the kind of delectably frothy musical comedy confection you might not naturally associate with being the stuff of legends.  And yet, quite a bit about this high-spirited romp, now getting a lovingly stylish concert reading from Encores!, has achieved legendary status.

Unless the painters have been around the past few days, a bit of graffiti on the Classic Stage Company's men's room wall reads, 'Good Theatre + Great Coffee + Clean Bathroom = CSC.'  While the lobby's Everyman Espresso Café and (I would assume) some eager young intern are keeping the latter two parts of that equation accurate, director Walter Bobbie's premiere production of David Ives' New Jerusalem is indeed providing some good theatre.

Producer John Breglio and Time Warner Broadway at the Marcus Center announced casting today for the national tour of DREAMGIRLS, coming to Milwaukee January 5-10, 2010. Tickets go on sale on November 8 at Noon at the Marcus Center Box Office.

On Saturday, November 14, 2009, the internationally acclaimed revival of John Kander, Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse's Tony Award-winning, smash-hit musical CHICAGO will celebrate its 13th anniversary on The Great White Way.

Producers David Richenthal and Jack Viertel have announced that the critically-acclaimed New York City Center Encores! production of Finian?s Rainbow, will transfer to Broadway's St. James Theatre, 246 West 44 Street, beginning Thursday, October 8 at 8pm, with an opening set for Thursday, October 29 at 6:45pm.

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) will welcome back Stephen Sondheim & James Lapine to Studio 54 with Sondheim on Sondheim, a new original Broadway musical starring Barbara Cook, Vanessa Williams, Michael Arden & Leslie Kritzer. Music & lyrics are by Stephen Sondheim, conceived & directed by James Lapine.

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) announces a new block of tickets are now on-sale through April 25th for the first new Broadway production of Bye Bye Birdie. This is the inaugural production of the new Henry Miller's Theatre.

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) presents the first new Broadway production of Bye Bye Birdie, after a 48 year absence, as the inaugural production of the new Henry Miller's Theatre (124 West 43rd Street) beginning Thursday, September 10th, 2009 with an official opening on Thursday, October 15th, 2009. This will be a limited engagement through January 10th, 2010.

After a 48 year absence, Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) presents the first new Broadway production of Bye Bye Birdie as the inaugural production of the new Henry Miller's Theatre (124 West 43rd Street) beginning Thursday, September 10th, 2009 with an official opening on Thursday, October 15th, 2009. This will be a limited engagement through January 10th, 2010.

IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS, the stage adaptation of the beloved classic film, has announced casting for its National Tour visiting Omaha, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, East Lansing, St. Louis, Louisville and Kansas City in the 2009 holiday season.

We might not be able to guarantee the real thing but Irving Berlin's White Christmas, a new stage adaptation of the beloved classic film is coming to the Academy of Music this holiday season. After its acclaimed 2008 Broadway engagement, performances begin here on Nov. 24 and run through Dec. 6.

Revisiting one of the great performances in the history of modern American musical theater, local theater devotees will have the opportunity to once again experience the brilliant TOPOL as he performs his Oscar-nominated role of Tevye in his farewell tour of the multi Tony Award-winning Broadway musical FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. Playing Tuesday, October 6 through Sunday, October 18, FIDDLER marks the opening show of the Broadway Across America-Ft. Lauderdale 2009-2010 season which will present six-major musical productions presented by Florida Theatrical Association at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.

International singing sensation Marti Pellow will return to star as ‘Billy Flynn' in the UK National tour of the smash-hit musical 'CHICAGO' for six weeks only from Monday 18 January until Saturday 26 February 2010. Marti first played the role to great acclaim in the West End, subsequently repeating his performance in New York and on the UK national tour, playing to sell-out houses. Emma Barton, currently starring in the show on tour as ‘Roxie Hart', will continue to play the role opposite Marti Pellow.

On Monday, October 5, Broadway's Tony Award-winning hit musical CHICAGO will welcome back Broadway favorite Brent Barrett as Billy Flynn for an eight-week return engagement (through Sunday, November 29).

On Monday, October 5, Broadway's Tony Award-winning hit musical CHICAGO will welcome back Broadway favorite Brent Barrett as Billy Flynn for an eight-week return engagement (through Sunday, November 29).

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) is proud to have Stephen Sondheim & James Lapine return to Studio 54 with Sondheim on Sondheim, a new original Broadway musical starring Barbara Cook, Vanessa Williams, Michael Arden & Leslie Kritzer. Music & lyrics are by Stephen Sondheim, conceived & directed by James Lapine. Sondheim on Sondheim will begin previews on March 19th, 2010 and open officially April 22nd, 2010 at Studio 54 on Broadway (254 West 54th Street). This will be a limited engagement through Sunday, June 13th, 2010.

The Tony Award® nominated hit musical IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS, the stage reinvention of the beloved classic film, directed by Walter Bobbie and choreographed by Randy Skinner, with music supervision by Rob Berman, is pleased to announce Broadway principal casting. James Clow, Melissa Errico, Tony Yazbeck and Mara Davi will star in the Broadway return production also starring Ruth Williamson, Peter Reardon, Remy Auberjonois, Cliff Bemis, Madeleine Yen and David Ogden Stiers, who will lead a cast of 33 in the limited holiday engagement at the Marquis Theatre (1535 Broadway).

On Monday, October 5, Broadway's Tony Award-winning hit musical CHICAGO will welcome back Broadway favorite Brent Barrett as Billy Flynn for an eight-week return engagement (through Sunday, November 29).

Producer John Breglio and the Apollo Theater Foundation, Inc. will present the premiere engagement of Dreamgirls at the Apollo Theater, prior to the national tour of the groundbreaking musical.