Michael John LaChiusa News

The stage will brighten with Philadelphia Theatre Company's mainstage season finale Grey Gardens, book by Doug Wright, music by Scott Frankel, and lyrics by Michael Korie, on May 22 - June 28 at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre (Broad and Lombard Streets). Directed by Lisa Peterson, the ensemble cast features Todd Almond, Cole Burden, Kim Carson, Maggie Fitzgerald, Joy Franz, James Ijames, John Jellison, Anastasia Korbal, and Hollis Resnik.

Fresh from his acclaimed stint as Jordan 'Bick' Benedict in the Signature Theatre's production of Michael John LaChiusa's Giant, Lewis Cleale has returned to the role of El Gallo in The Fantasticks. He previously played the role from September 2008 through March 2009. Addi McDaniel will join the cast as Luisa on Monday, June 29, 2009. They replace, respectively, Bradley Dean and Ramona Mallory.

This summer the Tony Award®-winning Signature Theatre, one of the nation?s leading forces in musical theater, launches 21/24 Signature Lab, a new initiative for the creation of musical theatre works by emerging young composers which gives audiences a first look at new musicals.

The Tony Administration Committee revealed the names of a quartet of honorees who are to be recognized in the four non-competitive Tony categories. Composer/lyricist Jerry Herman, Virginia's Signature Theatre, and longtime press agent Shirley Herz will be honored at the 63rd annual Tony Awards ceremony on June 7. Actress/writer Phyllis Newman will receive the newest Tony Award for her volunteer work as an advocate for women's health.

TheatreWorks, the nationally acclaimed theatre of Silicon Valley, launches its 40th Anniversary season with a vibrant world premiere musical, TINYARD HILL, by Tommy Newman and 2009 Jonathan Larsen Award-winning composer Mark Allen.

Transport Group, the winner of a special 2007 Drama Desk Award and a 2007 Obie Award, will present a workshop of the Richard Rodgers Award-winning musical See Rock City & Other Destinations, music by Brad Alexander, book and lyrics by Adam Mathias, June 6 - 13 at The New 42nd Street Studios. The workshop, which is directed by Transport Group artistic director Jack Cummings III, is being presented for an invited audience.

On behalf of the Kleban Foundation, New Dramatists presented the 19th Annual Kleban Award for the most promising musical theater lyricist has to Beth Falcone and the award for the most promising musical theater librettist has to Kait Kerrigan. The 2009 awards were presented on June 1, 2009, in a private ceremony at BMI.

It's the time of year where the Theatre World celebrates the best of the best and special recognition is bestowed upon certain individuals for their work. No...I am not talking about the Tony Awards...although I know where I will be that evening. I talking about the 19th Annual Kleban Awards, which will be presented in a private ceremony on June 1st, 2009.

4th Wall Theatre in Bloomfield, NJ has tapped Kate Swan, actress/dancer (Broadway's Beauty & the Beast), turned director/choreographer, to direct the final show of their 2008-2009 Season, The Wild Party.

Signature Theatre Again Takes a Gamble and Succeeds

Signature Theatre is currently presenting the Washington area premiere of the innovative musical See What I Wanna See, a fascinating exploration of three stories of lust, greed, murder, faith, and redemption. Written by Michael John LaChiusa, considered one of today's most intelligent and innovative musical theater composers.

A rocking new Shorts 4 Kids line-up for families with tunes penned by Grammy Award Winner Cyndi Lauper and breakout artist Lisa Loeb ('Stay: I Missed You') along with a mix of fast and funny plays for families and a new 'Create-a-Short' Contest featuring the work of young artists; the company's naughty, bawdy late night undershorts Series featuring sinful comedies by the nation's hottest talents along with music penned by Tony-nominated writer Michael John LaChiusa ('The Wild Party'); and its celebrated Signature Shorts Series, which returns to its strong comedic roots with previous festival favorites Christopher Durang ('For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls' and 'The Hardy Boys and the Mystery of Where Babies Come From') and South Florida's prolific Michael McKeever ('Splat!' and 'Laura Keene Goes On.') Signature Shorts will also feature a dark comedy by Harold Pinter.

Transport Group, the winner of a special 2007 Drama Desk Award and a 2007 Obie Award, will present An Evening With...William Finn & Friends on Monday, June 15th at 7:00PM at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, 121 Christopher Street, between Bleecker and Bedford Streets.

SEDOS's latest racy show has never before been performed in the West End

When Your Good to Mamma is a new benefit concert with some of Broadway's best performing songs that even those not familiar with Broadway will love. This concert will honor the unique relationships between LGBT people and their mother's. This new benefit concert is sure to become a staple in the community.

BroadwayWorld Presents The 2009 Tony Award Honorees for Non-Competitive Categories

OBIE winner Donna Lynne Champlin, who starred in the Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd, as well as James Joyce's The Dead, By Jeeves and Hollywood Arms, will perform her one-woman show, Finishing the Hat, as a benefit for the Drama Desk Award-winning, off-Broadway theatre company, Transport Group, on Monday, May 11, at 7:00pm, at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 West 42 Street, at Ninth Avenue.

On Monday, May 5, the Tony Administration Committee revealed the names of a quartet of honorees who are to be recognized in the four non-competitive Tony categories. Composer/lyricist Jerry Herman, Virginia's Signature Theatre, and longtime press agent Shirley Herz will be honored at the 63rd annual Tony Awards ceremony on June 7. Actress/writer Phyllis Newman will receive the newest Tony Award for her volunteer work as an advocate for women's health.

LaChiusa Works Well in Intimate ARK Theatre

Epic in vision and scope, Giant chronicles The Life and times of cattleman Jordan 'Bick' Benedict, his naïve young society wife, and their family in the sweeping panorama of Texas, the land that brings them together and almost splits them apart. A sensational story of power, love, lust, and bigotry among the wealthy Anglo cattle barons and oil tycoons, and the downtrodden Mexican-Americans who work for them, Giant is based on the classic novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edna Ferber, which also inspired the film starring James Dean, ElizaBeth Taylor, and Rock Hudson. Written by Michael John LaChiusa, considered one of today's most intelligent and innovative musical theater composers, Giant is the first work produced through Signature's multi-year American Musical Voices Project.