Michael Lawrence News

What Was That? That's was people all over the world have been saying after seeing Evil Dead The Musical... the only musical in the world with a splatter zone.

Ali Ewoldt, the standout star of the on-going national tour of the latest Broadway revival of WEST SIDE STORY, wanted to really follow her dreams. Though always drawn to musical theater all her life, she decided to graduate from Yale with a degree in Psychology, thinking it was a 'safer' bet than to pursue a life in the theater. But her dreams proved to powerful to ignore, prompting her to take on musicals full-tilt, culminating in her Broadway debut as Cosette in LES MISERABLES. Now she's wowing audiences across America with her take on Maria, in the smash hit revival of WEST SIDE STORY, now playing at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Orange County, CA through September 18. Before landing in Costa Mesa with the tour, Ewoldt chatted with BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos to talk about her early theater experiences and working with the late Arthur Laurents.

n August 26 and 27, Nikki Blonsky--the Golden Globe-nominated star of the 2007 hit movie musical HAIRSPRAY--will join Tony nominee Lainie Kazan in the Atlantic City premiere of the hit off-Broadway smash MY BIG GAY ITALIAN WEDDING at the Hilton Hotel Casino Resort. Before the show premieres, NNikki once again sat down for an exclusive chat with BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos about her latest project and why she's having 'one heckuva gay summer.'

Caffeine Theatre has announced that founding company member Jason Beck has been named Producing Artistic Director, after having served as Managing Director for the last two seasons.

Triple-threat Nicolas Dromard seems to be on a roll. Already a burgeoning performer since his days as a toddler in his native Ontario, Canada, the charming actor-singer-dancer is currently wowing audiences across the country playing Bert in the National Tour of MARY POPPINS. The stage version of the beloved Disney film is now in the middle of its four-week extended engagement in Orange County, California at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa through August 7. Before arriving in the O.C., Dromard--while literally driving down the coast of California on the 4th of July--chatted for a bit with BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos about his early theater history, his influences, and how he morphed quickly from Chimney Sweep to WICKED's Winkie Prince then back again.

Singer/actress Nikki Blonsky truly embodies that notion of overnight success. Plucked from obscurity at age 17, then-newcomer Blonsky beat out hundreds of young girls from a nationwide open casting call to land the coveted lead role in the big-screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical HAIRSPRAY. On July 15-16, she will be slipping back into familiar territory as she joins MEN ALIVE: The Orange County Gay Men's Chorus for their 10th Anniversary Concert 'GREASY HAIRSPRAY' at the Irvine Barclay Theatre.

You wouldn't know it from his youthful looks, but actor Ethan Le Phong has been a longtime global chameleon for quite some time. His past roles have taken him from Germany to New York, from London to Los Angeles. And for almost a year now, he has been spicing things up as Pepper in the 2nd National Tour of the global hit musical MAMMA MIA. Before the show makes its anticipated return to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Orange County for a week-long engagement from June 21 - 26, the actor paused for a brief chat with BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos to talk about his role in the hit ABBA-rific musical, his influences as a kid, and his wish to see more Asian-Americans on the Broadway stage.

The Attic Ensemble presents their 4th annual Saturday Night Stand-Up for one night only on June 11, 2011.

Back in Season 3 of the Fox talent search juggernaut American Idol, then 16-year-old Diana DeGarmo narrowly missed the coveted title, walking away as the first runner up. Fast forward to 2011 and the now 23-year-old is currently starring as the iconic Doralee Rhodes in the national touring company of 9 TO 5: THE MUSICAL, the Dolly Parton-scored Broadway musical adaptation of the cult 1980 film. The show performs a single-week run at the Segerstrom Center of the Arts in Costa Mesa from May 10 through May 15. DeGarmo recently chatted with BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos to talk about Idol, early shows, and her Dolly-fied role.

Each night, actor Patrick Lewallen gets to live out his rock star fantasy. Currently traveling the country as the scene-stealing narrator Lonny in the First National Tour of ROCK OF AGES, this Kansas City native is busy putting audiences into a head-banging frenzy, as they sing along to a bevy of guilty pleasure tunes from the biggest hair bands of the 80's. His hilarious antics in this Broadway musical--a show now being prepped for its much talked about big-screen adaptation--will soon take center stage at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa for a week's worth of shows on March 1-6. The self-admitted Pepsi addict chatted briefly with BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos about life on the road and his role as a crowd favorite.

Josh Lamon is truly living his dream. A self-admitted theater geek, Josh has spent the past few years making a name for himself on the boards, most recently in the Broadway cast of HAIR: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical. Originally from San Diego, Josh can currently be seen as crowd favorite Margaret Mead in the First National Tour of the 2009 Tony Award winner for Best Revival of a Musical, which continues performances at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts through February 6. Josh recently chatted with BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos about life on tour and offers some inside dish on his HAIR-raising co-stars.

Between the Southern California arrivals of Lincoln Center Theatre's impressive SOUTH PACIFIC revival and the Tony-winning NEXT TO NORMAL tour starring Alice Ripley, to the incredibly entertaining offerings from regional and smaller theaters in the area, 2010 was a banner year in musicals and plays.

On Monday, December 6, cast members from the first national tour of NEXT TO NORMAL--now performing a limited engagement at the Center Theatre Group's Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles through January 2, 2011--performed a brief set at 'Musical Mondays,' the Broadway-centric live performance showcase hosted by Scott Nevins and Ryan O'Connor at the Eleven Nightclub in West Hollywood.

American-born singer/actress Carmen Cusack has certainly had a lot of experience playing extraordinary women. Besides turns as Christine on PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and Fantine in LES MISERABLES (both in England), she took on the role of Elphaba in the US National Tour of WICKED. Now she's wowing more audiences across the country in yet another iconic musical theater role: as Nellie Forbush in the First National Tour of the critically-acclaimed Lincoln Center Theater revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's SOUTH PACIFIC, currently on stage at the Orange County Performing Arts Center through October 24. Before the tour arrived in Costa Mesa, Cusack chatted with BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos about her early musical roots, her roles in this landmark musical as well as that other musical that turned her skin green, and her current woes battling a certain miniature critter colony that's been constantly in the headlines.

Before returning to the O.C. for a series of concerts accompanied by her band Supreme Music Program, Megan Mullally spoke with BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos about her band's return to OCPAC, her early stage career, and her memorable role as Karen Walker in the hit sitcom Will & Grace.

Former JERSEY BOYS star Erich Bergen is certainly one busy guy. In support of his first soon-to-be released solo CD The Vegas Sessions, Bergen will be debuting his new club act at The Magic Castle in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, September 15. On top of that, he is currently in rehearsals for the new musical VENICE, which is set to open October 7 at Center Theatre Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. Recently, Bergen chatted with BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos about the new album, his days on JERSEY BOYS, New York vs. L.A. theater, and the whereabouts of his Gossip Girl ascot.

This past year has certainly been a fun one for Cory English, the scene-stealing actor who portrays the lovably-humpbacked sidekick Igor (pronounced EYE-GOHR, mind you) in the first national tour of Mel Brooks' YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN. Recently, while en route with his family to Costa Mesa-where the show will come to life at The Orange County Performing Arts Center for a two-week engagement starting September 12-English agreed to stop for a brief chat with BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos about life on the road, his first time on Broadway, and how much he loves musical comedy.

Producer Daryl Roth announces that following a sold out developmental run last spring, THE DIVINE SISTER, the new comedy written by and starring Charles Busch, directed by Carl Andress, will transfer to the SoHo Playhouse (15 Vandam Street) featuring the entire original company: Alison Fraser, Amy Rutberg, Jennifer Van Dyck, Jonathan Walker, and Julie Halston.

Is it actually possible to like something more on repeat viewings? In the case of the traveling national tour production of IN THE HEIGHTS--now performing for a limited engagement at the Orange County Performing Arts Center through August 15--the answer is a very qualified 'yes.' That's quite a feat, considering the show just played an extended run in Hollywood at the Pantages Theatre, featuring its original creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda reprising the lead role. With Miranda's charms and undeniable hip-hop skills on full display, the much celebrated Los Angeles stop was a dazzling thing to behold. So how will the show fare without its main impresario dramatizing this entertaining tale?

On the surface, taking over the lead role of Usnavi in the National Tour of IN THE HEIGHTS-now performing at the Orange County Performing Arts Center through August 15-seems like a daunting task to tackle, especially after observing first-hand the man who created the role reprising it for six weeks in the tour's celebrated Los Angeles stop. But for actor Joseph Morales, assuming the role full-time directly following Lin-Manuel Miranda is nothing short of a realization of a dream. Morales spoke briefly with BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos to talk about what it means for him to play the lead role in one of musical theater's biggest new hits.