Matt Castle News

For this week's throwback, we are highlighting the 2006 Broadway revival of Company that opened on this day, November 29th, starring Raúl Esparza as Bobby, as well as Barbara Walsh as Joanne. Currently running on the West End is a reimagining of the musical with Rosalie Craig as Bobbie and Patti LuPone as Joanne! Enjoy watching the video below of Esparza's rousing rendition of 'Being Alive.'

TheaterWorksUSA will bring their musical adaptation of the celebrated bookseries Pete the Cat back to New York City to BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center (199 Chambers St, New York, NY 10007) on Saturday, November 24 & Sunday, November 25 at 11am. Tickets are $30 (General Admission) and can be purchased by visiting Tribecapac.org or by calling (212) 220-1460.

Following three sold-out shows in the 2017-18 season, Theatreworks USA's "Pete the Cat" is back. Based on the popular books by James Dean and Eric Litwin, this family-friendly musical comes to the McAninch Arts Center (MAC) on Friday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. This hour-long play is recommended for ages 3 and up.

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center announced today that it is now accepting submissions for the 2019 National Music Theater Conference. Writers may submit new musicals to the O'Neill's Open Submissions Process through Friday, November 2, 2018.

Quill and Quaver Associates P/L will present industry readings of The Stranger From Seville - A New Musical, based on The Mapmaker's Opera by Bea Gonzalez, with music by Kevin Purcell and book & lyrics by Victor Kazan.  Directed by Martin Platt, with music direction by Matt Castle and orchestrations by Mark Buys, the readings will be held on Today, September 25.  

Quill and Quaver Associates P/L will present industry readings of The Stranger From Seville - A New Musical, based on The Mapmaker's Opera by Bea Gonzalez, with music by Kevin Purcell and book & lyrics by Victor Kazan.  Directed by Martin Platt, with music direction by Matt Castle and orchestrations by Mark Buys, the readings will be held on Tuesday, September 25.  

George Street Playhouse's Educational Touring Theatre, courtesy of support from The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey and RWJBarnabas Health, will premiere a new musical about the opioid crisis and its impact on teens and families. This original musical was developed in response to the devastating impact prescription opioid misuse, heroin, and fentanyl have had on communities throughout New Jersey. Anytown will premiere on September 25, 2018 at George Street Playhouse as part of a special Spotlight Conference on Opioid Abuse.  The Spotlight Conference will feature a keynote address from New Jersey State Attorney General Gurbir Grewal along with workshops for educators, school administrators, and public health professionals conducted by experts in the field from RWJBarnabas Health's Institute for Prevention and Recovery.  

For over 50 years TheaterWorksUSA has presented family-friendly adaptations of celebrated books on stages across the country. This fall, TheaterWorksUSA will be offering its trademark brand of quality entertainment in New York as they partner with BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center (199 Chambers St, New York, NY 10007) to present four shows based on beloved children's books Charlotte's Web, Pete the Cat, Dragons Love Tacos & The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System.

Just last night, Transport Group presented Promises, Promises- its second musical in this season's Anne L. Bernstein Concert Series- featuring John Cariani (The Band's Visit; Tony nominee Fiddler on the Roof), Donna Lynne Champlin (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend; Sweeney Todd; Obie Award for TG's The Dark at the Top of the Stairs), Jessica Fontanta (Cinderella; TG's Once Upon a Mattress), Santino Fontana (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend; Tootsie ; Tony nominee Cinderella), Stanley Bahorek (Amazing Grace, Queen of the Mist), Lauren Blackman (Anastasia), Hannah Corneau (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), Marc Kudisch (Finding Neverland, Hand to God), Sean McLaughlin (Hello Dolly), Bruce Sabath(Cagney), Tally Sessions (War Paint), and Ali Stroker (Spring Awakening).

Village Theatre is excited to announce the World Premiere of String, a brand-new story with a mythological twist by award-winners Sarah Hammond (book), and Adam Gwon (music & lyrics), and direction by Brandon Ivie.  A fun and fresh fable about fate, love, and the imperfections that make us human, String is an original story about three sisters - goddesses known as the Fates - who are responsible for spinning, measuring, and snipping the String of Life. After falling out of favor with Zeus, they find themselves banished to a modern skyscraper in the mortal world. But when the eldest sister falls in love, the very fabric of the universe begins to unravel. "We are thrilled to have such a sophisticated show premiering on our stage," said Ivie. "This show is very intimate, but also deals with understanding our place in the universe and what it means to be human. It's a show about Gods, but they deal with the same things we do - sisterhood, love, loss. We know our audiences are going to connect with these characters on a deep emotional level."

A private, developmental reading of Medusa: a new musical by Wes Braver and Rachel Dean will be presented on February 26 and 27 in Manhattan.

Yellow Sound Label has announced the release of the new studio cast recording of Kris Kringle The Musical on Friday, February 16. Kris Kringle is the brand-new Christmas musical which made its New York debut at Town Hall in November 2017.

PAGE 73 PRODUCTIONS (Page 73) (Michael Walkup, Producing Artistic Director; Jenny Lagundino, Managing Director; Liz Jones and Asher Richelli, Founding Directors) has named C.A. Johnson the 2018 P73 Playwriting Fellow. Selected from over 400 applicants, Johnson will receive a $10,000 award and additional $10,000 budgeted for developing several new plays over the course of the year.

This summer, Theatreworks USA, the nation's leading not-for-profit professional theatre for young audiences, will present the Off-Broadway Premiere of the new musical PETE THE CAT. It will begin performances tonight, July 19, and run through August 18, with its benefit opening on July 25 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street, between Bleecker and Hudson Streets).

This summer, Theatreworks USA, the nation's leading not-for-profit professional theatre for young audiences, will present the Off-Broadway Premiere of the new musical PETE THE CAT. It will begin performances on July 19 and run through August 18, with its benefit opening on July 25 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street, between Bleecker and Hudson Streets).

This summer, Theatreworks USA, the nation's leading not-for-profit professional theatre for young audiences, will present the Off-Broadway Premiere of the new musical PETE THE CAT. It will begin performances on July 19 and run through August 18, with its benefit opening on July 25 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street, between Bleecker and Hudson Streets).

On Saturday, May 13, 2017, following the 2 p.m. matinee performance of Fiasco Theater's "Into the Woods" at the Ahmanson Theatre, Center Theatre Group will throw a cast party for all the Bakers and Witches, Cinderellas and Princes, Milky Whites, et al., who have ever appeared in a production of "Into the Woods."

Into the Woods/book by James Lapine/music & lyrcs by Stephen Sondheim/Fiasco Theater Company Production Tour/Ahmanson/directed by Noah Brody and Ben Steinfeld/through May 14 I first saw Into the Woods in 1987 when it premiered in San Diego at the Old Globe Theatre. At that point, the Witch was not the leader of the pack; in New York the role was enlarged in 1988 and Bernadette Peters played her on Broadway. The play which cleverly intertwines favorite fairytales Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstock, and Rapunzel with a new story The Baker and his Wife, somehow left me cold. The

To celebrate the arrival of the acclaimed Fiasco Theater production of "Into the Woods" at the Ahmanson Theatre, Center Theatre Group has launched the "GO! To The Woods" mobile app and will hold a special "Family Day" event on Saturday, April 8, 2017.

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director; Evans Haile, Interim Executive Director; David McCoy, Chairman of the Board), dedicated to the development of new musicals and the preservation of musical gems from the past, as part of its acclaimed Developmental Reading Series, will present the staged readings of two new musicals:  Dutch Master, with music and lyrics by Jeffrey Stock (Triumph of Love), and book by Marc Acito (Allegiance), and The White Witch of Rosehall, with music by Balint Varga (Houdini the Musical), and book and lyrics by Bryan D. Leys (Hell's Belles) at The York Theatre Company at Saint Peter's (619 Lexington Avenue, entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue).