Laurence Olivier News

The Broadway Dreams Foundation (BDF), in partnership with The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, will present CIRCLE OF DREAMS, a unique Broadway concert open to the public, at the Kimmel Center's Perelman Theater (300 South Broadway Street) on Saturday, August 10 at 3 and 8 p.m. This culmination of a week-long Summer Performing Arts Intensive will be directed by acclaimed New York City director, Stafford Arima (bare, Allegiance) and will feature veteran Broadway performers alongside a talented roster of Philadelphia area BDF students.

A new promotional image for the upcoming Broadway production of ROMEO AND JULIET, directed by five-time Tony Award nominee David Leveaux, has been revealed, featuring international film star Orlando Bloom and two-time Tony Award nominee Condola Rashad as Shakespeare's titular star-crossed lovers. Check out a first look at the pair below!

Full casting and creatives have been announced for LITTLE ME, with Music: Cy Coleman, Lyrics: Carolyn Leigh and Book: Neil Simon, in its first London revival in over 20 years. Meet the cast below!

ROSS VALLEY PLAYERS have announced their 2013 - 2014 season for their 84th consecutive year. Among the six plays included in the new season are Pulitzer Prize, and Tony nominees and winners, and a West Coast Premiere. From romantic comedy and gentle humor to compelling drama, the new season will have something for everyone. Ross Valley Players received an astounding 17 nominations, and won four awards from the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle for 2012. www.rossvalleyplayers.com

The Old Globe presents the 2013 Shakespeare Festival. Laurence Olivier Award-nominated director Ian Talbot will make his Old Globe debut with the enduring Shakespeare favorite A Midsummer Night's Dream. The 2013 Shakespeare Festival, performed in repertory in the outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, runs June 2 - Sept. 29. Subscription tickets from $66 to $270. Single tickets start at $29. Tickets can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE or by visiting the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park. BroadwayWorld has more production photos of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM below!

THE LION KING is the sixth longest-running musical in Broadway history. Translated into seven different languages (Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Mandarin, Spanish), the show has been performed in 15 different countries on five continents and continues to create new avenues around the world. Continuing to reign as one of the most popular stage musicals in the world, The Lion King can currently be seen on Broadway, on stages across North America, on tour in Japan, and in Tokyo, London's West End, Hamburg, Madrid and in the UK. Last night, musician Darius Rucker (formerly Hootie of Hootie and the Blowfish) visited the Broadway show and you can check out photos of him backstage with the cast below!

Tickets for Harold Pinter's BETRAYAL, starring Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz, and Rafe Spall, and directed by ten-time Tony Award-winner Mike Nichols, are set to go on sale tonight at 12:01 AM. Tickets will be available at www.telecharge.com or by calling Telecharge.com at 212-239-6200.

Milwaukee Chamber Theatre (MCT) kicks off the 2013-2014 theatre season with the Tony Award-winning comedy 'ART,' by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton, August 8-25, 2013. The cast of three features Milwaukee favorites Tom Klubertanz, Brian Mani and C. Michael Wright. 'ART' performs in the Broadway Theatre Center's Cabot Theatre in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward.

The Actors Fund, a national human services organization that helps all professionals in performing arts and entertainment, is pleased to announce that the producer, cast, and management of Disney's THE LION KING have added a special performance to benefit The Fund on Thursday, August 22 at 1:00pm at The Belk Theater in Charlotte, NC. The acting company will donate their time and talent for this performance that will directly benefit The Actors Fund.

The Associated Press reports that Disney Theatrical Group's North American tour of THE LION KING has hit $1 billion in grosses since its launch in 2002.

Starz in association with Sony Pictures Television has announced today that Sam Heughan will play the role of Jamie Fraser in the original series 'Outlander,' adapted from Diana Gabaldon's international best-selling books.

Manhattan Concert Productions has just announced the second installment of its Broadway Series, with a concert performance of the critically acclaimed Broadway musical, TITANIC, for one night only at New York's renowned Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center on Monday, February 17, 2014.

There's a new generation of musical theater mavericks taking New York City by storm. The days of the standard musical are waning and the genres as you know them are bending into exciting hybrids. From rock music to interactive productions and quirky subject matter, these pioneers are breaking the barriers of the traditional musical by creating original productions that vibrate with today's savvy and diverse audience. Just last night, SAG Foundation & Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation presented The New Generation of Musical Theatre- a special panel discussion at Baruch Performing Arts Center.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) announced yesterday the opening of productions developed at CST on four continents over the next several months, bringing new work from Chicago to theaters and festivals around the world. In addition to exporting its work, Chicago Shakespeare's World's Stage Series annually brings international artists to Chicago asserting the Theater's global mission.

Just last week, the Supreme Court struck down California's Proposition 8. The decision comes after the Court held hearings about the legality of the state's gay marriage ban in March. The decision will now allow gay marriage to resume in California, however it does not legalize it in other states. Stage and screen star John Barrowman just posted a video (below) announcing that he and partner Scott Gill would be taking advantage of their new rights by tying the knot. BroadwayWorld sends our congratulations to the happy couple!

According to The New York Times, Sardi's caricaturist Donald Bevan passed away on May 29, 2013, in Studio City, Calif. He was 93.

Broadway's landmark musical event THE LION KING, the fifth longest-running show in Broadway history, is pleased to welcome GARETH SAXE back to Broadway as the sardonic and deviously cunning Scar, beginning performances on Tuesday, July 2, 2013.