Manhattan Theatre Club News

Welcome to the Roaring Twenties, a period of economic prosperity, and social and cultural change, when jazz flourished and prohibition was legal but no one paid attention.

The Muny announced today that one of Broadway's premier sound designers, Tony Meola, will serve as Sound Designer for The Muny's 2015 summer season. With credits on more than twenty-six Broadway shows, as well as countless national tours and international productions, Tony is excited to make his Muny debut.

Lynne Meadow and Barry Grove have announced initial Broadway casting for Manhattan Theatre Club's presentation of Steppenwolf Theatre Company's production of Airline Highway, the new play by Pulitzer Prize finalist Lisa D'Amour (Detroit), directed by two-time Tony Award winner Joe Mantello (Casa Valentina, Take Me Out).

Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter have confirmed that both Dougray Scott (HEMLOCK GROVE) and Aunjanue Ellis (THE HELP) have signed on for the drama from Josh Safran.

The Old Globe is delighted to welcome one of the true geniuses of the American theatre, Tony Award winner Mary Zimmerman, who makes her long-awaited San Diego directing debut with an enchanting theatrical spectacle with live music and sumptuous visuals, The White Snake, continuing the Globe's 80th Anniversary festivities as part of the Balboa Park Centennial Celebration. The Southern California Premiere of The White Snake, written and directed by Zimmerman, will run March 21 through April 26 on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Globe's Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Preview performances run March 21 through 25. Opening night is Thursday, March 26 at 8:00 p.m.

Women's Project Theater, under the leadership of newly-appointed Producing Artistic Director Lisa McNulty, is pleased to present the World Premiere of BRIGHT HALF LIFE - a new play by Pulitzer Prize finalist Tanya Barfield and directed by Tony Award nominee Leigh Silverman - in a five-week limited engagement at New York City Center Stage II (131 W. 55th Street) through March 22, 2015. Opening night is set for tonight, February 25.

Bailiwick Chicago will conclude its 2014-15 season with the Chicago premiere of the intense off-Broadway rock musical MURDER BALLAD, conceived by and with book and lyrics by Julia Jordan, music and lyrics by Juliana Nash, directed and choreographed by James Beaudry with musical direction by Nicholas Davio. MURDER BALLAD will play April 2 - May 9, 2015 at the Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. Tickets go on sale March 15, 2015 at bailiwickchicago.com. The press opening is Monday, April 6 at 7:30 pm.

Two-time Tony winner Sutton Foster will soon make her solo debut at Carnegie Hall, where she'll perform alongside VIOLET co-star Joshua Henry, Meghan McInnis, and the renowned New York Pops on March 13.

Manhattan Theatre Club presents The World of Extreme Happiness, the new play by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, directed by Eric Ting. The World of Extreme Happiness opens tomorrow night, Tuesday, February 24 at MTC's New York City Center - Stage I (131 West 55th Street). Check out highlights from the play below!

Hailed as the launchpad of the American theater, the two-time Tony Award-winning Eugene O'Neill Theater Center is responsible for developing more than 1,100 new works for the stage. Each summer, the O'Neill is home to a series of national conferences ushering in new voices in playwriting, musical theater, cabaret, puppetry, and criticism. NTI's Theatermakers Summer Intensive provides young artists the opportunity to train alongside these professional conferences and see new American plays before they hit the big stage. Plays developed during summers at the O'Neill now abound off-Broadway, as major New York theaters premiere work from the National Playwrights Conference (NPC).

Playwright Terrence McNally excels at making wild and witty comedy out of very serious and thoughtful matters. In this 1991 off-Broadway triumph, two couples grapple with the mundane (burgers and kites) and the momentous (illness and infidelity) as they try (very hard) to celebrate the Fourth of July at a beach house. Lips Together, Teeth Apart includes a touch of Chekhov with the sly wickedness of McNally. Presented by the Department of Drama in Syracuse University's College of Visual and Performing Arts (SU Drama), Lips Together, Teeth Apart performs February 20 through March 1 in the Storch Theater at the Syracuse Stage/Drama Complex, 820 East Genesee Street. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Virago Theatre Company presents the Bay Area Premiere of award-winning playwright Catherine Treischmann's 'Crooked,' Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays tonight, February 20 - March 1 at The Flight Deck, 1540 Broadway in Oakland. The production is directed by Virago Co-Founder Robert Lundy-Paine.

Scheuer had a huge day earlier this week, which included opening the Nasdaq market, taping an interview at NY1, and attending the opening night of Hamilton. He chronicled his whole day with photos, and below, you can tag along with Scheuer as he takes NYC by storm!

Could you have a meaningful relationship with someone like Siri? Would you want an actual relationship with an artificial intelligence, no matter how perfect? This is just one of the questions posed in Madeleine George's clever, time-jumping Pulitzer Prize finalist, The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence, beginning a 5-week run tonight, February 19.

Aya Cash ('You're the Worst' on FX), Carl Lundstedt (Freaks: a legend about growing up), and Luke Macfarlane ('Brothers and Sisters' on ABC) will star in the world premiere of Reverberation by Matthew Lopez from today, February 19 to March 15 at Hartford Stage. Associate Artistic Director Maxwell Williams (Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike) will direct.

The Laguna Playhouse Executive and Artistic Directors, Karen Wood and Ann E. Wareham are thrilled to present one of the most beloved comedies of all time, Neil Simon's THE ODD COUPLE, starring Maxwell Caulfield and Kip Gilman and directed by Andrew Barnicle.

The Pasadena Playhouse (Artistic Director Sheldon Epps and Executive Director Elizabeth Doran) announces the cast of George Bernard Shaw's PYGMALION, the fifth production of its 2014-2015 Season. PYGMALION, which began rehearsals today, will perform March 17 - April 12, 2015 with the official press night on Sunday, March 22, 2015.

Berkeley Rep is proud to welcome back the beloved team of Dominique Serrand and Steven Epp for a provocative and powerful revival of Moliere's dark comedy about religious hypocrisy.

Prominent Cuban and Cuban-American dance artists will discuss how evolving relations between the United States and Cuba will affect the arts and cultural exchanges between the two countries in a free panel tonight, February 18 at 6:15 pm at New York City Center.

Frigid New York presents A PowerOut production: Let's Play Play, written by Ben Ferber and directed by Todd Brian Backus. The production plays tonight, Feb 18th - Mar 7th, 2015.