Lynn Ahrens News

54 Below, Broadway's Supper Club, presents '54 Sings A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE,' the Outer Critics Circle Award winner for 2003 Best Off-Broadway Musical on Sunday, March 15, 2015 at 7PM and 9:30PM.

This March, 54 BELOW presents an exciting lineup of the brightest talent from Broadway and beyond. Located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street. Below, find the schedule for upcoming events over the next month.

54 Below just welcomed a slew of stars to preview their upcoming shows, including Tony Award-winning songwriting team Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty with Rose Hemingway (March 15); The stars of the acclaimed Broadway revival of Side Show Emily Padgett and Erin Davie (March 5); Kelli Rabke (March 8); Tony Award Award winner Paulo Szot (February 24-28). Check out a photo preview from the preview below!

ASCAP is now seeking new musicals for the annual ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop in New York. Serving once more as artistic director for the workshop is Academy and Grammy Award-winning composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz, whose credits include hit Broadway shows Wicked, Godspell and Pippin; the Walt Disney films Enchanted, Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame; and the DreamWorks film The Prince of Egypt.

Die Geruchtekuche brodelte! Nun ist es offiziell: Ab Herbst lautet das Motto in Stuttgart: „Fight from the heart"! Die international erfolgreiche Stage-Eigenproduktion ROCKY kommt ins Stage Palladium Theater. Dies gab heute der Mit-Geschaftsfuhrer von Stage Entertainment Deutschland, Michael Hildebrandt, bei der Prasentation des neuen Musicals bekannt.

Playwrights Horizons has announced casting for IOWA, the world premiere of a new musical play written by Susan Smith Blackburn Prize finalist Jenny Schwartz (God's Ear, Somewhere Fun), music by Todd Almond (Stage Kiss at PH, Kansas City Choir Boy, The Tempest, On the Levee) and lyrics by Mr. Almond and Ms. Schwartz. Directed by two-time Obie Award winner Ken Rus Schmoll (Red Dog Howls, Middletown, What Once We Felt; next season's just-announced Antlia Pneumatica by Anne Washburn at PH), the musical play will be the fifth production of the theater company's 2014/2015 Season.

You want spectacular? You want scintillating? You want all the music, humor, gossip and angst of the early years in America's 20th century? Then, by golly, you want RAGTIME, now looming large at Actors' Playhouse.

In the coming weeks, 54 Below revisits some of our favorite Broadway productions with concert events celebrating beloved scores as well as reunions bringing together original company members.

The School of Theatre at Florida State University presents Ragtime, written by Terrence McNally with music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and based on the novel 'Ragtime' by E.L. Doctorow. Ragtime will be directed by Fred Chappell, head of the MFA Directing program at Florida State University. The show features a musical selection as diverse as New York City, from the ragtime rhythms of Harlem to the bold brass band and up-tempo banjo tunes characterizing America at the turn of the century.

Now one of the most performed shows in America, Seussical is a fantastical, magical, musical extravaganza! Tony winners Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Lucky Stiff, My Favorite Year, Once On this Island and Ragtime) have lovingly brought to life all of our favorite Dr. Seuss characters, including Horton the Elephant, The Cat in the Hat, Gertrude McFuzz, Lazy Mayzie and a little boy with a big imagination--Jojo. The colorful characters transport us from the Jungle of Nool to the Circus Mcgurkus to the invisible world of the Whos.

A charming, fun-filled musical comedy performed with cheery, infectious gusto, 3-D Theatricals' top-notch regional production of SEUSSICAL - THE MUSICAL is a laugh-out-loud, smile-a-minute spectacular for all ages! Featuring Cathy Rigby reprising her Broadway/National Tour role as The Cat In The Hat, the show is one of this season's most gloriously delightful, thoroughly entertaining surprises! The musical continues at the Plummer Auditorium in Fullerton through February 22 then transfers to the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center for a limited run February 28 - March 8.

54 Below, Broadway's Supper Club, presents "54 Sings A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE," the Outer Critics Circle Award winner for 2003 Best Off-Broadway Musical on Sunday, March 15, 2015 at 7PM and 9:30PM.

TMP Family Theater announces its second musical of the season - Seussical TYA. A show fun for the whole family!

Playwrights Horizons, under the leadership of Artistic Director Tim Sanford and Managing Director Leslie Marcus, has announced the six productions of its 2015/2016 Season. The six new works will be presented at the theater company's home at 416 West 42nd Street. In season order, they will be:

Broadway Tony Award nominee and former Olympic Gold medal gymnast Cathy Rigby stars as 'Cat in the Hat' in Seussical the Musical which officially opens the LA Ovation Award winning 3D Theatricals' (3DT) 2015 musical theatre season. This delightful, whimsical show has been set for ten performances at Fullerton's historic Plummer Auditorium tonight, February 7 - 22; and six performances February 28 - March 8 at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center.

The winner of the 2015 Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theater was announced earlier this week by the American Academy of Arts and Letters, which administers the Rodgers Awards: String, by Adam Gwon and Sarah Hammond. The show was awarded a Studio Production.

Bristol Riverside Theatre explores what it means to be an American with its production of Ragtime on March 17-April 12. The Tony Award-winning musical with book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty, and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens is directed by Keith Baker and features Leslie Becker, Derrick Cobey, David Edwards, Tamar Greene, Michael Thomas Holmes, Matt Leisy and Ciji Prosser. Supporting roles will be played by Ciaran Barlow as Edgar, Will Connell as Houdini, Jim Conte as Grandfather, Stephen Dagrosa as Willie Conklin, Sarah J. Gafgen as Emma Goldman, and Chelsey Jean as Evelyn Nesbitt. The ensemble includes Rajeer Alford, Amy L. Armstrong, Charles Michael Bendas, Daniel Bontempo, Elena Camp, John DiFerdinando, Jessica Gruver, Brian Michael Henry, Adam Hoyak, Angelica Jackson, Jessica M. Johnson, Walter E. Tucker, Dwayne Washington, and Paul Weagraff.

NYU Steinhardt's Program in Vocal Performance presents A Man of No Importance, the award-winning musical, this weekend, February 5-9, 2015. The show features book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. John Simpkins directs.

It's cold outside, but Meadow Brook Theatre warms things up with a magical musical folk tale. In almost non-stop song and dance, 'Once On This Island' tells the story of Ti Moune, a peasant girl who rescues and falls in love with Daniel, a wealthy boy from the other side of her island in the Caribbean. Tradition forbids the match - but when the gods of water, love and death that rule the island take an interest, just what will Ti Moune give up for love? And can love really conquer all?

The School of Theatre at Florida State University presents Ragtime, written by Terrence McNally with music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and based on the novel "Ragtime" by E.L. Doctorow. Ragtime will be directed by Fred Chappell, head of the MFA Directing program at Florida State University. The show features a musical selection as diverse as New York City, from the ragtime rhythms of Harlem to the bold brass band and up-tempo banjo tunes characterizing America at the turn of the century.