Lynn Ahrens News

Cynthia Erivo has won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her role as Celie in THE COLOR PURPLE.

Cynd iLauper is the first woman to win the Tony for Best Score without a male partner.

The Washington DC area is truly lucky to get the last leg of the RAGTIME - THE MUSICAL National Tour this toasty weekend. Currently playing at the Wolf Trap Filene Center until Saturday, June 11, RAGTIME's director Marcia Milgrom Dodge has pieced together a powerful show full of emotion, beautiful imagery, and strong voices.

From royalty, to rockers; revolutionaries to refugees- check out who's new to the Tony block this year, below!

Celebrated playwright and teacher Paula Vogel will spend two days at the Playwrights' Center in June as part of the Dramatists Guild Fund's Traveling Masters Program. Vogel's visit will conclude with a public conversation on Monday, June 20, at 7 p.m. at the Playwrights' Center, 2301 E. Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis. Reservations for this free event are encouraged: pwcenter.org/vogel, info@pwcenter.org or (612) 332-7481.

Philip Kan Gotanda, award-winning playwright and filmmaker, led a Master Class at Portland Center Stage on June 3rd as part of the Dramatists Guild Fund's Traveling Masters Program in partnership with MediaRites' Theatre Diaspora. 

The world premiere of the new musical ANASTASIA, starring Christy Altomare and Derek Klena, opened May 27 at Hartford Stage. The show plays through June 19. Below, BroadwayWorld brings you a look inside opening night!

A distinguished creative team has hit it big with a rousing, new, heart-warming version of ANASTASIA, premiering currently at the Hartford Stage Company. This show has appeal for romantics and history buffs and musical comedy fans and dance aficionados and features no fewer than four strong female figures for audiences to identify with; in short, it's a potential blockbuster, for all kinds of worthy reasons.

On May 4, the 2016 Tony nominees flocked to the Paramount Hotel, where they met with the press for the first time since getting the big news. BroadwayWorld will be bringing you coverage from the epic day over the next week, but for now, check out photos of Best Performance by an Actress in Leading Role in a Musical nominee for The Color Purple, Cynthia Erivo, as captured by Walter McBride!

On THE VIEW, Actress Cynthia Erivo talks about stepping into the role of Celie in Broadway's 'The Color Purple' and the advice she received from Whoopi.

Check out what the critics had to say below...

Tinkerbelle the Dog went on a Journey to the Past with Anastasia the Musical! Afterwards she did a meet and greet with the cast in her official Anastasia Parisian Pink Scarf, especially made for her by the Hartford Stage wardrobe department. Check out photos below!

Cynthia Erivo came straight from London to make her Broadway debut as 'Celie' in John Doyle's glorious revival of THE COLOR PURPLE. Now that she's arrived, there's no stopping this future Broadway superstar. Below, watch as she explains why her nomination means so much to her.

The world premiere of the new musical ANASTASIA, starring Christy Altomare and Derek Klena, opens tonight, May 27 at Hartford Stage. The show plays through June 19. Check out a first look at the cast in action below!

The world premiere musical ANASTASIA, inspired by the real life of Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov and the enduring mystery of her true identity, officially opens tonight, May 27, at Hartford Stage in Connecticut. The new musical runs through June 19, 2016

Under amateur licence from Josef Weinberger Ltd., Bishopsgate Institute and Centre Stage London will perform a staged concert of Ahrens and Flaherty's Ragtime - The Musical for six performances only in June 2016. Ragtime - The Musical  is based on the 1975 novel Ragtime by E L Doctorow and features music by Stephen Flaherty,  lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and book by Terrence McNally - all of which won Tony Awards in 1998. This production will run at the Bishopsgate Institute in the heart of the City of London from 14 to 19 June.

It appears that perhaps the events of the last few days may have been just a bit too much, even for a fireball such as Erivo. The

Cynthia Erivo gave a powerful performance of 'I'm Here' from Broadway's THE COLOR PURPLE on last night's LATE SHOW on CBS. The role marks the Tony nominee's Broadway debut.

The 7th Annual Lilly Awards Ceremony, which celebrates women of distinction in the American Theater, were presented yesterday, May 23, at the Signature Theatre (480 West 42nd St). This year's honorees included: Tony Award-winner and 2016 Tony Award nominee Jessie Mueller,Kathy Najimy, Genne Murphy, Candis Jones,Rehana Lew Mirza, the women of Waking the Feminists, Danai Gurira, Martha Plimpton, Kate Whoriskey, and Mia Katigbak.

Dallas Summer Musicals is pleased to announce that James Hayes (age 7) and Anthony Taylor (age 5) from St. Phillip's School & Community Center have been cast as 'Young Coalhouse' in the upcoming Dallas engagement of the 2015/2016 National Tour RAGTIME at the Music Hall at Fair Park May 24 - June 5.