Marc Shaiman News

Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, directed by Sam Mendes, last night marked the first anniversary of its opening at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane with a gala performance and party for cast, crew and special guests. Check out a first look at cast members on the red carpet below!

Leslie Odom, Jr. talks about starring in Tick, Tick...Boom at City Center's Encores! Off-Center series, performing on TV's Smash and choosing wings over cages.

NJTV, New Jersey's public television network, and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) announced the artists who will perform in the second season of American Songbook at NJPAC, to be taped before a live audience at the Arts Center for a series to air on NJTV, WLIW and THIRTEEN this fall.

Columbus Children's Theatre presents HAIRSPRAY, July 5 - 20, 2014 at Park Street Theatre. Music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, and based on the New Line Cinema film written and directed by John Waters. Performed by CCT's Summer Pre-Professional Company (ages 16-22). Check out a behind-the-scenes look below!

When Playhouse on the Square first showcased the musical version of the giddy John Waters' romp HAIRSPRAY a few seasons back, terpsichorean dynamo Courtney Oliver (as 'Tracy Turnblad') and theatre veteran Ken Zimmerman ('Miss Edna') left the stage each night with clamorous standing ovations for them and their colorful cohorts. I saw it more than once; it was the kind of theatrical experience that not only made you want to see it repeatedly, but one to which you longed to introduce others. I was thrilled to learn not only that HAIRSPRAY would return to end the current season at Playhouse, but that it would also reunite most of the original cast - and would be directed by the ever reliable Dave Landis.

Celebrate NYC Pride at Joe's Pub at the Public with performers including: No Hope Productions Presents SIREN/KINGS, Martha Graham CRACKER CABARET, Champagne Jerry, LATRELL! LATRELL! JACKSON IS NOT ANGELA BASSETT, Julie Klausner CABARET SITUATION, Bridget Everett & The Tender Moments, Voices for Homeless LGBTQ Youth: A Benefit for New Alternatives, BROWN GIRLS BURLESQUE, and more!

Celebrate NYC Pride at Joe's Pub at the Public with performers including: No Hope Productions Presents SIREN/KINGS, Martha Graham CRACKER CABARET, Champagne Jerry, LATRELL! LATRELL! JACKSON IS NOT ANGELA BASSETT, Julie Klausner CABARET SITUATION, Bridget Everett & The Tender Moments, Voices for Homeless LGBTQ Youth: A Benefit for New Alternatives, BROWN GIRLS BURLESQUE, and more!

Zu Beginn des neuen Jahres bringt die Staatsoperette Dresden die Deutsche Erstauffuhrung des jungen Musicals „Catch Me If You Can' heraus, das die wahre, abenteuerliche Geschichte des Hochstaplers Frank W. Abagnale erzahlt. Basierend auf dem gleichnamigen Film mit Hollywood-Star Leonardo DiCaprio, erlebte das Musical 2011 seine Urauffuhrung am Broadway. Die Staatsoperette Dresden prasentiert „Catch Me If You Can' in Co-Produktion mit der BB Group GmbH und dem Theater in der Josefstadt. Regie wird Werner So- botka fuhren, von dem auch die deutsche Fassung stammt.

Gladstone will open its 27th Season of Theatre in the Park with "Hairspray". The show opens Thursday, July 3rd, but will break for the Independence Day Celebration on Friday, July 4th and continue again on Saturday, July 5th and Sunday, July 6th. All performances begin at 8:30 p.m. and concessions will be provided by Gladstone Rotary.

Anisa Cameron was born to be in showbiz. Born in New York, but raised under the bright lights of the Las Vegas strip, Her grandmother was a Rockette, her father was the lead singer of the Folies Bergere at the Tiffany Theatre inside the Tropicana and her mother, a dancer, was a chorus girl who worked her way up to company manager. Says Cameron, 'Vegas in the 80's was, and still is, a place where performers can have a modicum of stability. You can raise a family, own a home and basically live a normal life. Excpet you're working nights. [You can] still have all of the amenities of community and family, without the stress of wondering where your next gig coming from or how you're going to raise your children.' Cameron and her brother, a dancer, were more or less raised backstage at the Tiffany Theatre. Although their parents begged and pleaded, both chose to pursue a life in the arts.

The beloved Broadway tradition continued yesterday, June 11, as Sardi's added a caricature of Hal Luftig to its legendary walls. Friends including Jerry Mitchell, Billy Porter, Roger Rees, Rick Elice, William Ivey Long, Lawrence O'Keefe, Nell Benjamin, Marc Shaiman, Charlotte St. Martin, Charlotte Wilcox, Orfeh, Ted Chapin and more came to celebrate the special event, and BroadwayWorld brings you phtoos from the festivities below!

A cast of young student actors will perform the Tony Award-winning musical 'Hairspray' July 16-20 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. High school actors and technicians will begin work on the production June 16. PlayMakers Repertory Company, the professional theater in residence in UNC's College of Arts and Sciences, will present the Broadway musical as the culmination of its popular Summer Youth Conservatory.

Broadway's Donna Lynne Champlin (Sweeney Todd, Billy Elliott, Hollywood Arms) announces Ode To Joy, a national online auction of one-of-a-kind Broadway, film and TV memorabilia donated by her friends and colleagues in the entertainment industry to raise funds for her sister-in-law Joy Parker, one of a handful of young women in the United States living with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The auction will go live today, Tuesday, June 10 and continue through Friday, June 20.

Anisa Cameron was born to be in showbiz. Born in New York, but raised under the bright lights of the Las Vegas strip, Her grandmother was a Rockette, her father was the lead singer of the Folies Bergere at the Tiffany Theatre inside the Tropicana and her mother, a dancer, was a chorus girl who worked her way up to company manager. Says Cameron, 'Vegas in the 80's was, and still is, a place where performers can have a modicum of stability. You can raise a family, own a home and basically live a normal life. Excpet you're working nights. [You can] still have all of the amenities of community and family, without the stress of wondering where your next gig coming from or how you're going to raise your children.' Cameron and her brother, a dancer, were more or less raised backstage at the Tiffany Theatre. Although their parents begged and pleaded, both chose to pursue a life in the arts.

As the summer months heat up, so do the Columbus stages. Check out BWW's top 5 picks that the whole family can enjoy without breaking the bank this summer:

Today we continue the 2014 edition of our annual BroadwayWorld feature series spotlighting the very best Tony Awards-related moments of all time with a special focus on a major hit musical with a pertinent and positive message of self-acceptance, HAIRSPRAY.

From Brooklyn to Broadway The 'Just a Piano Concert Series" presents an evening with one of Broadway's most dynamic talents, Capathia Jenkins.

Joe's Pub at The Public is known for the most eclectic and diverse programming in New York City. Coming up at the Pub is a slate of extraordinary women performers and artists that span the gambit of genre and style - from the irreverent and explosive alt-cabaret star Bridget Everett to the visionary jazz vocalist and composer Kavita Shah to the prolific and singular singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier. See below for a full list of their leading ladies through June 2014.

BroadwayWorld's own Randy Rainbow was there for the very special evening, where he chatted with many of the performers, as well as the guests of honor. Check out highlights from the big night below!