Michael Bennett News

'Let's see if we can do this without a microphone,' peeped Jo Sullivan Loesser, as she prepared to fill the 1,495-seat Town Hall with 'Somebody, Somewhere,' which she introduced in the 1956 original Broadway production of The Most Happy Fella.  While the age of the widow of the great Frank Loesser is a fact you'll not find via Google, let's just say she's a few decades beyond the point where audiences would expect to hear such lovely, expressive and, yes, loud soprano tones from an unamplified voice.  The house, still and silent for those few minutes of bliss, finally erupted with appreciative cheers for the brief reminder of a time when all Broadway musicals were sung that way.

The national tour of the smash hit musical DREAMGIRLS makes its Miami premiere at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami Dade County for a one week limited engagement, Tuesday, October 19 through Sunday, October 24 as the first presentation of the BROADWAY IN MIAMI 2010-2011 season, presented by the Adrienne Arsht Center, Broadway Across America-Miami and presenting sponsor Bank of America.

The new production of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning® musical A CHORUS LINE comes to The Morris Performing Arts Center in South Bend for a limited engagement November 5th through 6th.

On Monday July 24th, the Obamas hosted a starry event at the White House that was streamed live on the White House Official Website and right here on Broadway World that featured the top talents of the Great White Way singing the very best songs by (mostly) American composers. Among the participants were Elaine Stritch, Nathan Lane, Tonya Pinkins,Brian D'Arcy James, Audra McDonald, Chad Kimball, Karen Olivo and Idina Menzel. Additionally, the concert featured Marvin Hamlisch, who accompanied Idina Menzel on his iconic performing arts anthem from A CHORUS LINE, 'What I Did For Love', who I also had the distinct pleasure of interviewing for InDepth InterView in the intervening months in which we discuss this concert. Here is a review of the spectacular event as it was presented on PBS stations nationwide last night!

DREAMGIRLS is why show business was born. Let's not mince words. It you don't have tickets to see DREAMGIRLS at the Arsht Center, stop reading this review and get your tickets now. I forgive you. There are words that can't be found to describe the abundance of gifts from the theatrical gods that is DREAMGIRLS.

Thousands audition. 24 get to the stage. But in the end, only 8 will win the chance to dance. This is the story of the ones who make it… and the ones who don't! Bill Hanney's all new North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) continues its 2010 season with Broadway's singular sensation, A CHORUS LINE from November 2 - 21.

The national tour of the smash hit musical DREAMGIRLS makes its Miami premiere at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami Dade County for a one week limited engagement, Tuesday, October 19 through Sunday, October 24 as the first presentation of the BROADWAY IN MIAMI 2010 2011 season, presented by the Adrienne Arsht Center, Broadway Across America-Miami and presenting sponsor Bank of America.

Producer John Breglio and Broadway Across America - Atlanta announced today that tickets for the smash hit musical DREAMGIRLS will go on sale Sunday, August 29 at 12 p.m. Ticket prices start at $18.00 and will be available at the Fox Theatre box office (660 Peachtree Street N.E.), all Ticketmaster outlets, by visiting www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-982-2787. Group orders of 10 or more may be placed by calling 404-881-2000. The show will play the Fox Theatre from October 12-17 as part of the Broadway Across America - Atlanta 2010-2011 season.

Culture Project (Allan Buchman, Artistic Director) will present the world premiere of Imagining Heschel, a new play by Colin Greer, directed by Larry Moss, who was last represented Off-Broadway by his acclaimed production of Syringa Tree. The two-character play will feature actors Richard Dreyfuss and Rinde Eckert. Performances begin at the Cherry Lane Theatre (38 Commerce Street, NYC) on Thursday, November 4th, 2010, and continue through Sunday, November 28th, 2010, for 20 performances only. An official opening night is set for Monday, November 8, 2010.

This week I had the honor and privilege of conducting a comprehensive InDepth InterView with legendary star of stages and screens worldwide, both large and small - and winner of an Oscar and a Tony award along the way - who will be co-starring with Glenn Close in a special benefit reading of Larry Kramer's Pulitzer-prize winning AIDS crisis drama THE NORMAL HEART on Monday night, unquestionably one of the greatest dancers and performers of all time: Mr. Joel Grey! In this extensive interview we discuss his daughter Jennifer Grey and his feelings and advice to the DIRTY DANCING star on her participation in DANCING WITH THE STARS and teaching her some tricks of the trade, in addition to the first word of the upcoming Kathleen Marshall-helmed revival of ANYTHING GOES co-starring Sutton Foster coming to the Roundabout early next year as well as his thoughts on co-stars Liza Minnelli, Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel and Sutton Foster as well as working with directors like Bob Fosse, Hal Prince, Joe Mantello and Kathleen Marshall! We also discuss much, much more! It may be gray outside these Fall days but it's all Grey at BWW!

Last night I had the honor and privilege of conducting a comprehensive InDepth InterView with legendary star of stages and screens worldwide, both large and small - and winner of an Oscar and a Tony award along the way - who will be co-starring with Glenn Close in a special benefit reading of Larry Kramer's Pulitzer-prize winning AIDS crisis drama THE NORMAL HEART on Monday night, unquestionably one of the greatest dancers and performers of all time: Mr. Joel Grey! In this tease of the forthcoming complete interview we discuss his daughter Jennifer Grey and his feelings and advice to the DIRTY DANCING star on her participation in DANCING WITH THE STARS and teaching her some tricks of the trade, in addition to the first word of the upcoming Kathleen Marshall-helmed revival of ANYTHING GOES co-starring Sutton Foster coming to the Roundabout early next year! It may be gray outside but it's all Grey at BWW!

'To bring the meaning and message of CABARET to life, particularly to younger audiences, we are inviting local Holocaust survivors to attend matinee performances of the show on October 16, 17 and 23, and then participate in a post-show feedback session with members of the audience and cast,' says producer Vicki Halmos. 'CABARET is a wonderful show, but one with disturbing undertones that merit full discussion.'

The new national tour of A Chorus Line, kicked off in Rochester, New York on October 5. Check out these photos from the production.

Producer John Breglio and Broadway Across America - Atlanta announced today that tickets for the smash hit musical DREAMGIRLS will go on sale Sunday, August 29 at 12 p.m. Ticket prices start at $18.00 and will be available at the Fox Theatre box office (660 Peachtree Street N.E.), all Ticketmaster outlets, by visiting www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-982-2787. Group orders of 10 or more may be placed by calling 404-881-2000. The show will play the Fox Theatre from October 12-17 as part of the Broadway Across America - Atlanta 2010-2011 season.

The award winning San Diego Musical Theatre announces its 2010-2011 of Broadway musicals, which includes SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE, THE STORY OF MY LIFE, and A CHORUS LINE. Show times are Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. All productions will be at the Lyceum Theatre is located at 79 Horton Plaza. There is four hours of free parking at Horton Plaza with the purchase of tickets.

The national tour of the smash hit musical DREAMGIRLS makes its Miami premiere at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami Dade County for a one week limited engagement, Tuesday, October 19 through Sunday, October 24 as the first presentation of the BROADWAY IN MIAMI 2010-2011 season, presented by the Adrienne Arsht Center, Broadway Across America-Miami and presenting sponsor Bank of America.

Producer John Breglio and the Tennessee Performing Arts Center announced today that tickets for the smash hit musical DREAMGIRLS will go on sale September 10 at 10 AM. Ticket prices range from $27.50 to $72.50 and will be available at the TPAC box office 505 Deaderick Street, Davis-Kidd Booksellers in The Mall at Greenhills, by visiting tpac.org, or by calling 615-782-4040. Group orders of 20 or more may be placed by calling 615-782-7060.

The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center presents "one singular sensation" with the new production of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony® Award-winning musical A Chorus Line for a limited one-week engagement November 9 through 14.

Today we kick off our series on the 2010 New York Musical Theater Festival with the warm and fuzzy memories - as well as some less than fond remembrances - of the life and career of Broadway triple-threat leading lady Brenda Braxton. From the original company of DREAMGIRLS on Broadway under the direction of Michael Bennett to CATS and LEGS DIAMOND and George C. Wolfe's JELLY'S LAST JAM all the way up to her many stints in the Broadway revival of CHICAGO - as well as directing and recreating the original Bennett/Avian/Peters choreography for the post-9/11 star-studded DREAMGIRLS concert starring Audra McDonald, Lillias White and Heather Headley - we talk it all, plus all the exciting new musicals she is participating in - such as her NYMF starrer TRAVELIN' and another new musical reading, as well as projects of her own creation - both onstage and, now, behind-the-scenes! Ms. Braxton was generous enough to spend some time on a rainy afternoon earlier this week to discuss her career, the state of Broadway, the necessity of new musical theatre voices, working with Michael Bennett, and all the details on the new musical she is starring in that premieres this Friday at the NYMF, TRAVELIN' as well as some exciting news of what lies ahead!

Last week I conducted an illuminating InDepth InterView with legendary producer and director Harold Prince in which we discussed his singular career, having won more Tony Awards than any other person on the planet for his near one-hundred productions since his start as George Abbott's assistant producer over fifty years ago. He produced such landmark musicals as DAMN YANKEES, THE PAJAMA GAME and WEST SIDE STORY in the 1950s and then went on to become a director in his own right with Kander & Ebb's FLORA, THE RED MENANCE (Liza Minnelli's Broadway debut), CABARET into the Sondheim series of masterpieces in the 1970s - COMPANY, FOLLIES, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, PACIFIC OVERTURES, SWEENEY TODD - bridging into his two biggest commercial successes, the Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals EVITA and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. Celebrating its 23rd year on Broadway in January, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is the most successful entertainment of all time, more than any other musical, television show or even feature film in history. It's a juggernaut like no other and the mystery, magic and majesty that had made the show such a rousing success is thanks to the masterful eye-of-all-eyes, the true master director of the American Theatre, Harold Prince. But, will he be doing the sequel?