Laura Michelle Kelly News

Relative newcomers Andrew Polec and Christina Bennington were thrilled to land the lead roles in Jim Steinman's musical Bat Out of Hell. Several decades in the making, the show is now playing at the London Coliseum.

BWW Review: THE KING & I National Tour at Durham Performing Arts Center

On Tuesday, May 23rd the Theater People podcast welcomes Tony winner and Broadway legend Betty Buckley. For the episode, Buckley shares hilarious and fascinating stories from her nearly five decades as a Broadway and West End star. She also shares cuts from her new album STORY SONGS.

It is a classic East meets West tale and one that many count as their favorite musical, but when THE KING AND I, the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical plays at the Bushnell in Hartford, audiences will have the chance to experience this story in a whole new way. This production, based on the critically acclaimed version produced at New York's Lincoln Center, will take the Bushnell stage in Hartford May 30 - June 4. Playing Prince Chulalongkorn, the eldest son and heir to the throne, will be Anthony Chan. I had the pleasure of speaking with Anthony and learning about his experience with this beautiful classic.

FINDING NEVERLAND travels to Atlanta with a revamped version since the show debuted on Broadway in 2015.

BWW TV: Christine Dwyer of FINDING NEVERLAND National Tour

The North American tour of Finding Neverland, the Broadway musical that tells the inspirational story of the creation of Peter Pan, is making its home at Atlanta's Fox atre from May 16 - 21, and it's bringing with it an extraordinary cast, including Christine Dwyer in the role of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies. Dwyers was gracious enough to share a little bit about her experience with the tour.

On Monday, May 8 the Theater People podcast welcomes Tony Award winner Gabriel Ebert. Ebert is currently starring alongside Harvey Fierstein in the critically acclaimed gay history play Gently Down the Stream which was written by Martin Sherrman (BENT, THE BOY FROM OZ). Gently Down the Stream plays at the Martinson Theater at The Public Theater through May 21st.

When the King of Siam (Jose Llana) sends for a governess to mentor his royal children, you would expect her arrival to be in grand fashion. And it was. At the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa, when the curtain parts, the striking opening scene for The King and I unveils a boat anchoring dockside amidst a colorful sunset in Bangkok. As Anna Leonowens (Laura Michelle Kelly), a Welsh widow and her handsome son Louis (Graham Montgomery), prepare to disembark, Louis expresses some trepidation about the new life they are about to start in an unfamiliar land. His mother answers him with, I Whisle a Happy Tune, setting the tone for this delightful musical and gifting the audience with the angelic vocal talents of Miss Kelly.

On Monday, May 1st Theater People podcast welcomes MISS SAIGON star Eva Noblezada. For the episode, Noblezada shares her story of being discovered by casting director Tara Rubin at the 2013 National High School Musical Theater Awards (AKA The Jimmy Awards) and being fast-tracked to audition for the West End revival of MISS SAIGON.

Ambassador Theatre Group and NETworks Presentations LLC announced that Laura Michelle Kelly (Anna Leonowens) and Jose Llana (King of Siam) will lead the national tour of the Lincoln Center Theater production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's THE KING AND I. The multiple Tony Award-winning Broadway hit will run at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County for a limited time starting May 9 through May 14, 2017.

On Monday, April 24 the Theater People podcast welcome's COME FROM AWAY star Jenn Colella. For the episode, Colella recounts her experience with the new Broadway musical--based on true events--from winning the role to meeting and befriending her real-life counterpart. She also shares fascinating stories from her previous work on Broadway.

The National Tour of the Tony Award-winning Lincoln Center Theater production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's THE KING AND I brings its parade of adorable children, a pair of star-crossed lovers, an imperial ruler, and a strong-willed, warm-hearted educator to the Boston Opera House through April 23rd. One of the grande dames of the 1950s, THE KING AND I retains its exalted place in the R & H pantheon, thanks to the artistry of Director Bartlett Sher, a songbird by the name of Laura Michelle Kelly, and a flawed King of Siam for our times, Jose Llana.

Fun Home, Waitress and An American in Paris headline the 2017-18 HCA/TriStar Health Broadway at TPAC Series, which leads off with the world premiere of a new musical in development - Part of the Plan, an original musical written by Kate Atkinson and Karen Harris and featuring songs from the catalog of famed singer/songwriter Dan Fogelberg.

A journey to the Far East reveals extravagant sets, ornate costumes, and symphonic melodies in The King and I's return to Pittsburgh. The Rodgers and Hammerstein classic has been delighting audiences for over half a century with the jokes that remain funny, orchestrations that endure beautifully, and themes that resonate contemporarily.

Broadway In Chicago has announced that individual tickets for the Chicago premiere of The Lincoln Center Theater Production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's THE KING AND I will go on sale Friday, March 31, 2017.

Wiry and witty, this production can proudly stand among Rogers and Hammerstein's best.

The latest iteration of the production on tour is crafted with care and performed with verve. It's an 'old-fashioned' Broadway staple, and it never wears out its welcome. It unabashedly tugs at the heartstrings, tickles the funny bone and jerks the tears, just as it did when it opened 66 years ago this month. Few musicals achieve this kind of longevity, and more than a few of those are from the pens of Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Next up for the National Tour of The King and I, which won a Tony Award for Best Revival in 2015, is Houston's Hobby Center, where it will play March 14-19. Laura Michelle Kelly (Anna Leonowens) and Jose Llana (King of Siam) lead the production, with Joan Almedilla as Lady Thiang, Brian Rivera as Kralahome, Manna Nichols as Tuptim, Kavin Panmeechao as Lun Tha, Anthony Chanas Prince Chulalongkorn, Graham Montgomery as Louis Leonowens and Baylen Thomas as Captain Orton/Sir Edward Ramsey.

Next up for the National Tour of The King and I, which won a Tony Award for Best Revival in 2015, is Houston's Hobby Center, where it will play March 14-19. Laura Michelle Kelly (Anna Leonowens) and Jose Llana (King of Siam) lead the production, with Joan Almedilla as Lady Thiang, Brian Rivera as Kralahome, Manna Nichols as Tuptim, Kavin Panmeechao as Lun Tha, Anthony Chanas Prince Chulalongkorn, Graham Montgomery as Louis Leonowens and Baylen Thomas as Captain Orton/Sir Edward Ramsey.