Matt Shingledecker News

WICKED just announced it will welcome new cast members to the Gershwin Theatre beginning Tuesday, December 16. Caroline Bowman will step into the role of 'Elphaba', and Kara Lindsay will assume the role of 'Glinda', directly from playing the role on national tour. Get to know Broadway's newest witches below!

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? This weekend's big news: POCATELLO begins off-Broadway, PATTI ISSUES returns to NYC, plus CHICAGO hits a milestone and 'A PARTICLE OF DREAD' opens on Sunday!

WICKED will welcome new cast members to the Gershwin Theatre beginning Tuesday, December 16. CAROLINE BOWMAN (Kinky Boots, Eva in the Broadway revival tour of Evita) will step into the role of Elphaba, and KARA LINDSAY (original cast of Broadway's Newsies) will assume the role of Glinda, directly from playing the role on national tour.

CHEMICALLY ALTERED and TELLY LEUNG PRODUCTIONS have announced the public premiere of their new musical short film GRIND: THE MOVIE starring Anthony Rapp (If/Then, Rent), Claire Coffee ("Grimm," "The West Wing") and Pasha Pellosie ("The Carrie Diaries") on October 1.

CHEMICALLY ALTERED and TELLY LEUNG PRODUCTIONS have announced the public premiere of their new musical short film GRIND: THE MOVIE starring Anthony Rapp

This September and October 54 BELOW presents a lineup of the brightest talent from Broadway and beyond. Located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54thStreet. For a detailed schedule of upcoming performances at 54 Below and to purchase tickets, visit www.54Below.com.

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.54Below.com or call (646) 476-3551.

In honor of the beloved show's final week of performances, BWW is taking a look at where the original NEWSIES principal cast members and creative team have landed after carrying the banner for a final time!

54 BELOW will host a special concert to celebrate the soundtrack to GRIND: THE MOVIE - the new short musical film - on September 1. Artists performing the songs of Derek Gregor and Selda Sahin - who provided the film's five new numbers - include Anthony Rapp (If/Then, Rent), Eric Michael Krop (Godspell), Calvin Grant (Rent), Natalie Weiss (Everyday Rapture), Matt Shingledecker (Rent, West Side Story, Spring Awakening), Danny Blu (Lead singer of 'The Factory Blu'),? Pasha Pellosie ('The Carrie Diaries'), Drew Brody (Singer/Songwriter) and more. The album's digital exclusive will be available on iTunes and other online outlets on Tuesday, August 26. The 35 minute short film - written and directed by Zachary Halley - will be available to view online at GrindShortFilm.com on October 1, where the exclusive trailer is currently available. The soundtrack - presented by Chemically Altered, Telly Leung Productions and Yellow Sound Label - is produced by Telly Leung and Michael Croiter.

'Wicked' arrives in Fresno this week with two new witches at the broom and wand. They share their experience with children and adults new to the musical's magic, and the special quality of the leads' first week of performances makes the production enjoyable for the more familiar, familial audience members, as well.

While Wicked spends several weeks in each city, cast members love to take the opportunity to speak to theater and choir classes about their experiences of being in the show and how they got interested in the business in the first place.

Broadway juggernaut WICKED has landed at San Antonio's Majestic Theatre.

The company of the second North American tour of WICKED will welcome Laurel Harris as Elphaba, Kara Lindsay as Glinda and Gene Weygandt as the Wizard beginning Wednesday, April 2 in Fresno, CA.

Wicked certainly has an interesting reputation among theatergoers. Some theater fanatics love the show. Others hate it. I've always found myself somewhere in the middle. Wicked certainly has both flaws and merits, but to those who only see its flaws, I have this observation to share. Of all the long running shows currently on Broadway, there are only three that feature more than one female lead. Of those three shows, only one involves female leads who aren't merry murderesses and aren't singing ABBA tunes. So kudos to Wicked, and kudos to the touring production currently in Austin for making it easier to see the shows merits and more difficult to see the show's flaws.

I used to believe the cyclone that dropped Dorothy's house on Munchinkland was a random disaster. Thanks to novelist Gregory Maguire, I now know better. Last night, when Director Joe Mantello brought this splendidly-imagined backstory to life on stage at the Orpheum, it once again brought down the house.

Producer/publicist John Capo sure knows how to put on a show, which he has been proving in the bi-monthly Broadway at Birdland extravaganza, 'The Pop Show.' After celebrations of Elton John and Adele, this past week's topic was the endless songbook of Billy Joel. Check out photos from the special event below!

Darren Ritchie (Standby, Wonderland, Little Shop of Horrors, Dracula, Thoroughly Modern Millie), Dwelvan David(Songs for a New World, The Wiz, Ragtime, Show Boat), Alex Goley (Big River, Berenstain Bears Live!), Jeff Ostermueller (Spring Awakening, Seussical) and Yaniv Zarif (Carousel) have joined the lineup for The Pop Show Presents...Billy Joel! on Monday, July 29 at Birdland Jazz Club.

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) presents Jenna Leigh Green (Wicked, bare) and Darren Ritchie (Wildhorn's Wonderland) in Standby beginning July 19 at The Romulus Linney Courtyard at The Pershing Square Signature Center.

Jenna Leigh Green, Eryn Murman, Darren Ritchie and Matt Shingledecker are among the cast of STANDBY which begins performances July 19 as part of the 2013 New York Musical Theatre Festival's Next Link Project.

Ron Bohmer, star of Broadway's A Little Night Music, Ragtime, The Phantom of the Opera, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Woman in White and Les Miserables, has joined the lineup for The Pop Show Presents...Billy Joel! on Monday, July 29 at Birdland Jazz Club. Also joining the lineup is Christian Macchio, lead vocalist of the Long Island-based band Captain Jack.