Laurence Olivier News

Disney Theatrical Productions welcomes Oscar, Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award winner Whoopi Goldberg (moderator of ABC's THE VIEW) to the cast of Broadway's landmark musical event, THE LION KING - for one night only - on Thursday, January 14 at the Minskoff Theatre (200 West 45th Street, NYC). Goldberg will appear in a series of surprise cameos throughout the 8pm performance. The announcement was made live this morning on 'The View.' The appearance marks a return for Goldberg to the legit stage and her Lion King roots, having originated the voice of Shenzi the Hyena more than 15 years ago in the 1994 Disney animated feature.

JERSEY BOYS, the award-winning Broadway musical which opened in London's West End at the Prince Edward Theatre on 18 March 2008, will start Sunday performances on 17 January, with curtain up at 3.00pm.

Jonathan Pryce is set to star in the first West End Pinter production, The Caretaker, since Harold Pinter's death in December last year. The Caretaker runs at Trafalgar Studios from January 12 - April 17, 2010.

A Red Orchid Theatre closes its 2009-2010 season with Abigail's Party, written by Mike Leigh and directed by Shade Murray. The production will run February 12 - March 28, 2010 at A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells. Press opening is February 15, 2010 at 7:00 PM.

Rehearsals begin today for Goodman Theatre's world-premiere production of The Long Red Road by Brett C. Leonard, directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, February 13 - March 14, 2010 in the Goodman's Owen Theatre.

As part of the Wilton Music Hall's 150 Anniversary celebration, internationally celebrated actress Fiona Shaw will reprise her acclaimed performance in TS Eliot's The Waste Land in a limited engagement performance at the venue from December 30, 2009 to January 10, 2010 at the venue.

Burning Coal Theatre Company of Raleigh, NC will present Conor McPherson's The Seafarer February 4 - 21, 2010 at Meymandi Theatre at the Murphey School, 224 Polk Street, Raleigh.

Kentwood Players continues its 60th Anniversary Season with 'Six Degrees of Separation' by John Guare, from January 8 to February 13, 2010 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM, at the Westchester Playhouse located at 8301 Hindry Avenue in Westchester.

Kentwood Players continues its 60th Anniversary Season with 'Six Degrees of Separation' by John Guare, from January 8 to February 13, 2010 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM, at the Westchester Playhouse located at 8301 Hindry Avenue in Westchester .

Phil Perry is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet - and one of the hardest working actors on the Nashville stage. He's one of those people who moves from show to another with ease, delighting his audiences with his performances and impressing directors and producers with his exemplary work ethic. But here's something I didn't know until now: Phil's not a native Nashvillian! He's from Ohio and he came here to go to school at Lipscomb University.

The Chicago Shakespeare Theatre will present a new staging of Noel Coward's PRIVATE LIVES. The play, set in a hotel balcony, will presented in the round in the new staging, by acclaimed Chicago director Gary Griffin. Performances for the production will begin January 6th. The company has added new seating to its Courtyard Theatre in order to accommodate Griffin's idea, adding seats around the proscenium.

York Little Theatre is holding auditions on February 1 and 2, 2010, for their upcoming production of the Broadway musical Once on this Island which runs April 16 - 25, 2010.

Disney's landmark musical event, THE LION KING, has set a new box office record at Broadway's Minskoff Theatre by grossing $1,740,130 during the eight-performance New Year's holiday week of December 28, 2009 - January 3, 2010.

Broadway stars Stacy Keach and Catherine McCormack have joined the cast of the upcoming FX drama 'Lights Out.' The show will center around Patrick 'Lights' Leary, portrayed by Holt McCallany, as a retired boxer who struggles to support his wife and three children. McCormack will play Leary's wife. Keach will play Leary's father and one-time trainer who still runs a gym.

Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd took in a performance of The Lion King over the New Years weekend, giving his 2 young daughters the best Christmas gift any kid could ever get - thier first Broadway show.

Kentwood Players continues its 60th Anniversary Season with 'Six Degrees of Separation' by John Guare, from January 8 to February 13, 2010 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM, at the Westchester Playhouse located at 8301 Hindry Avenue in Westchester.

The West End's most glamorous musical, La Cage aux Folles, will officially close on January 2nd 2010 after more than a year in the West End.

The UK Daily Mail is reporting that Alan Bennett's The Habit of Art is hoping to move to Broadway in the Spring of 2011. The production began playing at the National Theatre's Lyttleton Theater in November 5, 2009 and will be broadcast in April 2010 live to cinema screens worldwide. It's expected that the leads, Richard Griffiths, Alex Jennings and Frances de la Tour would accompany the production as well.

Abbey Theatre brings ‘back by popular demand' hit show ‘The Seafarer' for Christmas run 9 December 2009 - 30 January 2010

The New York Times has named its standout newcomers to the London theatre scene in 2009. London is well-known for its excellent revivals that often make their way to Broadway. This year, however, several notable new productions made a splash on the London theatre circuit. The list includes Jez Butterworth 'Jerusalem,' Polly Stenham's 'Tusk Tusk,' Alia Bano's 'Shades,' Alan Bennett's 'The Habit of Art,' and more.