Lia Chang News

Jason Ma and his company of Asian American actors are currently in rehearsal at different venues around Salt Lake City for the upcoming semi-staged concert presentations of his new musical Gold Mountain, which has sold out its Salt Lake City run. Those hoping to catch one of the Spike 150 celebration performances can see this original musical in nearby Ogden.

NYC-based theatre collective Three Hares is presenting a new song cycle with music and lyrics by Paulo K Tirol titled, 'On This Side of the World,' running May 2 - May 12 at Access Theater in Tribeca, New York. The team is a recipient of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's 2019 Creative Engagement grant, which is awarded to artists with 'diverse artistic experiences' whose work 'contributes to the vibrancy and sustainability of our communities' - and that can certainly be expected this Spring. Scroll down to meet the cast and creatives.

Ma-Yi Theater Company is presenting the Off-Broadway world premiere of FRUITING BODIES by Asian-American playwright Sam Chanse, with Shelley Butler at the helm. The cast of FRUITING BODIES features Kimiye Corwin (Noises Off, Henry VI), Emma Kikue (God Said This, Up the Hill), Jeffrey Omura (House Rules, Hamlet) and Thom Sesma (Superhero, Sweeney Todd).

On April 23rd, the New-York Historical Society's latest installment of the Bernard and Irene Schwartz Distinguished Speakers Series showcased An American Soldier, a two-act opera composed by Huang Ruo, featuring a libretto by David Henry Hwang, in the Robert H. Smith Auditorium at the New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024.

Jennifer Barnhart was such a hit in her first solo cabaret show at the Laurie Beechman Theatre this month that due to popular demand, she's been invited back for an encore performance of "It's About Time!" on Sunday, May 19th. Showtime is at 7pm. Click here for tickets.

Prospect Theater Company celebrated twenty years of bringing to life original musical theater works at their 2019 Gala at Manhattan Penthouse in New York on April 8.

On April 9th, Pat Suzuki, Jason Robert Brown and Georgia Stitt attended Smart Blonde and visited with the cast after the show. Check out the photos below!

After years of playing well with others - whether singing backup for friends' shows, or crooning alongside a cast of puppet characters - Jennifer Barnhart stepped into the spotlight and slayed in her debut solo cabaret, fittingly titled, 'It's About Time!' at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, downstairs at the Westbank Cafe on 42nd Street.

On March 27, more than 650 people attended the 45th anniversary gala of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), a New York-based national organization that protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans.

On his day off from appearing as Hermes in the Broadway production of Anais Mitchell's Hadestown at the Walter Kerr Theatre, two-time Tony nominee and Emmy winner Andre De Shields headed to the Victoria Theater at NJPAC in Newark to celebrate his company of fabulous singers and dancers under his direction in the Crossroads Theatre Company and NJPAC's co-production of Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies. Scroll down for photos from the party.

Two-time Tony nominee and Emmy winner Andre De Shields, currently in rehearsal for the Broadway production of Anais Mitchell's Hadestown, is simultaneously at the helm of Crossroads Theatre Company and New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC)'s co-production of Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies at NJPAC, 1 Center Street in Newark, Thursday, March 21 - Sunday, March 24, 2019. Click here to purchase tickets.

THE GREEN ROOM 42 welcomes back Eva Noblezada, the Tony Award nominated star of Broadway's Hadestown and Miss Saigon, with a new solo concert for two more shows on March 10, and March 17, both at 7:00 PM.

Crossroads Theatre Company and New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) are presenting a co-production of Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies at NJPAC, 1 Center Street in Newark, Thursday, March 21 - Sunday, March 24, 2019. Click here to purchase tickets.

Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) presented the MOCA 2019 Lunar New Year Soiree at the famed Rice & Gold, a unique Asian Eatery in the Hotel 50 Bowery on February 20, 2019.

The New York Philharmonic welcomed the Year of the Vermillion Pig at the eighth annual Lunar New Year Concert and Gala, a festive fire-themed evening - representing warmth, light, energy, and prosperity - presented by Starr International Foundation on February 6th.

Broadway vet Jose Llana returned for the 20th season of Lincoln Center's American Songbook, four years after his sold-out appearance at the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse. Llana performed in The Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center and was joined by his Here Lies Love cast members Jaygee Macapugay, Jeigh Madjus, Renee Albulario and Billy Bustamante on February 1st.

Award-winning theatre artists David Henry Hwang and Bartlett Sher engaged in a conversation about the current state of American musical theatre, through the lens of Asian and Asian American representation on Broadway at the Asia Society in New York on February 5th.

The King and I's Jose Llana dazzled in his return to Lincoln Center's American Songbook Concert Series on February 1st, four years after his sold-out appearance at the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse. Mr. Llana's glorious tenor filled The Appel Room, where he was accompanied by his Here Lies Love cast members Jaygee Macapugay, Jeigh Madjus, Renee Albulario and Billy Bustamante.

Directed by Richard Vida and choreographed by Lainie Sakakura, The Little Dancer is dazzling Upper West Side audiences with the poignant story it has to tell. This musical has every lovable quality a person can ever desire: from the children who comprise the Musical Theater Geek Chorus, to the graceful dancers that prove these actresses, too, strive just as hard for perfection as the characters they play, This production captures the very essence of magic that exists in a child's heart when she is given reason to hope; during a time of self-reflection and the wonder of the holiday spirit, we see just how important a place The Little Dancer will continue to hold in the hearts of all those who are fortunate enough to see it.

Marking the halfway point in its commitment to present all 10 plays of August Wilson's American Century Cycle, Two River Theater's critically-acclaimed production of Wilson's drama King Hedley II, directed by Brandon J. Dirden, ended its extended run on December 16. Scroll down for photos of the all-access pass to the closing performance.