Michael Carnahan News

Warner Bros. Records releases the original score to Paramount Pictures' WORLD WAR Z today, June 18th, three days before the eagerly anticipated film, which stars Brad Pitt, hits theaters nationwide.

ooVoo, the largest independent social video chat provider with over 75 million registered subscribers, today announced the launch of the 'World War Z Hometown Screening Sweepstakes.'

The New York Musical Theatre Festival presents the New York premiere of Roger Bean's ("The Marvelous Wonderettes") new musical LIFE COULD BE A DREAM - winner of the LA Drama Critics Circle, LA Weekly Theatre and Backstage Garland Awards for Outstanding Musical. LIFE COULD BE A DREAM is an official selection of the 2013 New York Musical Theatre Festival and will play at The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street) in Manhattan beginning July 8th, 2013 for 6 performances only!

Warner Bros. Records has announced that it will release the original score to Paramount Pictures' WORLD WAR Z on June 18th, three days before the eagerly anticipated film, which stars Brad Pitt, hits theaters nationwide.

Yahoo.com reports that NBC has ordered a new legal drama pilot which will be based on Jo Nesbo's novel I AM VICTOR. According to the report, the series will tell the story of 'a high-powered divorce attorney with a unique view of relationships.'

Two River Theater Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director John Dias and Managing Director Michael Hurst, continues its 2012-2013 Season with August Wilson's Two Trains Running, directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson. A one-week extension has been added to the run prior to the start of performances, which will begin in Two River's Rechnitz Theater, 21 Bridge Avenue, on Saturday, February 2 and continue through Sunday, March 3. The new press opening is Friday, February 15 at 8pm. Tickets are available from 732.345.1400 or www.trtc.org. This production is sponsored by a grant from the Blanche & Irving Laurie Foundation. The lead production sponsor is Wells Fargo and the co-sponsors are Brookdale Community College and NJ Transit.

Signature Theatre is pleased to announce a final one-week extension for THE PIANO LESSON by August Wilson, which has already been named to Best of 2012 lists by The New York Times, The New Yorker and Time Out New York. The production, directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson, was originally scheduled to conclude its run on December 9 and already extended three times through January 13. It will now play through Sunday, January 20. The production opened on Sunday, November 18 in The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues) to critical praise. Tickets during the extension weeks are $75 each.

Signature Theatre has announced an additional three-week extension for THE PIANO LESSON by August Wilson and directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson.

Signature Theatre has announced a second one-week extension for THE PIANO LESSON by August Wilson and directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson. The production, originally scheduled to conclude its run on December 9 and already extended once through December 16, will now play through Sunday, December 23. The production opened on Sunday, November 18 in The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues) to unanimous critical praise. Tickets during the extension weeks are $75 each.

Signature Theatre presents The Piano Lesson by August Wilson and directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson. The production runs through December 16 and opens November 18 in The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues). BroadwayWorld brings you highlights from the production below!

Signature Theatre presents THE PIANO LESSON by August Wilson and directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson. The production, which has already announced a 1-week extension, runs through December 16 and opens November 18 in The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues). Check out production shots below!

Signature Theatre (James Houghton, Founding Artistic Director; Erika Mallin, Executive Director) has announced that performances begin tonight at 7:30 p.m. for THE PIANO LESSON by August Wilson and directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson. The production, which has already announced a 1-week extension, runs from October 31 through December 16 and opens November 18 in The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues). Very limited availability remains for the production's initial run. Tickets during the extension week are $75 each.

Signature Theatre has announced a one-week extension for THE PIANO LESSON by August Wilson and directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson. The production will now play through Sunday, December 16. The production will begin performances on October 30 and open on November 18 in The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues). Very limited availability remains for the production's initial run. Tickets during the extension week are $75 each.

Signature Theatre Company's (James Houghton, Founding Artistic Director; Erika Mallin, Executive Director) production of THE PIANO LESSON by August Wilson and directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson is now in rehearsal. The production runs October 30 through December 9, 2012, with a November 18 opening night in The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues). Check out photos from the first rehearsal below!

Roger Bean has had such tremendous success with his Marvelous Wonderettes, the musical fable of the all-female singing quartet that began at Springfield High in the 50s and 60s... and, he's done it again. Missy (Misty Cotton), Suzy (Bets Malone), Betty Jean (Jenna Coker-Jones) and Cindy Lou ( Lowe Taylor) are back for their second sequel entitled Marvelous Wonderettes: Caps and Gowns. Now onstage at the Laguna Playhouse, the four gals are still crackling with energy and optimism under the loving eye of director Bean.

THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES, a retro jukebox musical with a bubblegum-sweet four-female cast, charmed off-Broadway audiences for over a year from 2008 to 2010. Since April, it has played at the Pittsburgh CLO's own Cabaret at Theater Square, starring Courtney Bassett, Marlana Dunn, Tara Geisler, and Stephanie Maloney.

THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES, a retro jukebox musical with a bubblegum-sweet four-female cast, charmed off-Broadway audiences for over a year from 2008 to 2010. Since April, it has played at the Pittsburgh CLO's own Cabaret at Theater Square, starring Courtney Bassett, Marlana Dunn, Tara Geisler, and Stephanie Maloney.

The Forestburgh Theatre Arts Center at the Forestburgh Playhouse announced today that it will open its Main Stage 2011 season with the original musical IDAHO!, winner of the Best of Fest Audience Prize at the New York Musical Theater Festival in 2008. Starring Austin Miller ('Grease: You're The One That I Want'), Jessica Hershberg (Little House on the Prairie), and Paul Vogt (Broadway's Hairspray, 'MadTV'), the original musical, with a book and lyrics by Buddy Sheffield and music by Sheffield and Keith Thompson will run at the Forestburgh Playhouse from June 1st through 12th. IDAHO! will be directed by Matt Lenz (Associate Director of Broadway's Hairspray and Catch Me If You Can).

When it comes to taking a catalog of familiar, era-specific songs, tossing them together with colorful costumes and sets, then weaving an easily digestible story to tie them all together, jukebox musical aficionado Roger Bean has his formula down pat. The man behind The Marvelous Wonderettes, it's holiday-themed sequel The Winter Wonderettes, The Andrews Brothers, and recent crowd-pleaser Life Could Be A Dream is back at it again, this time with a slew of 60's hippie-rock tunes to shape his new staged hits parade SUMMER OF LOVE, which recently had its world premiere at Musical Theatre West in Long Beach as part of the 2011 Festival of New American Musicals. More endearing than daring, the musical continues performances at the Carpenter Center for the Performing Arts in Long Beach through April 17.

There's an interesting point buried beneath the innocuous entertainment of writer/director Roger Bean's The Marvelous Wonderettes, a somewhat cute little show utilizing girl group and female soloist pop hits from the 1950s and 60s. Unfortunately, that interesting point could have easily been made with out the tedium of his vapid, unfunny book and standard story. But if you can disregard everything that happens between the songs and just enjoy the singing talents of Farah Alvin (the shy, geeky one), Beth Malone (the trouble-maker), Bets Malone (the air-headed, helium voiced blonde) and Victoria Matlock (Most Likely To Become Ann-Margret) you're apt to have an enjoyable time.