Michael McCormick News

Gypsy stars Patti LuPone, Boyd Gaines and Laura Benanti will appear at the Lincoln Triangle Barnes and Noble in August.

A special once-in-a-lifetime four day VIP package to the upcoming 'LES MISERABLES - The Ultimate Concert Spectacular' at the Hollywood Bowl that includes round trip airfare, hotel accommodations, gala cast party tickets and a rare opportunity to experience the show on both sides of the curtain is currently up for bids on EBay with proceeds from the auction to benefit Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS.

In honor of the CURTAINS cast taking their final bows this weekend, BroadwayWorld.com spoke with a few cast members to get their reflections on the show, to see what they're up to next, thoughts on the shows closing, and the journey they had being a part of it.

Spring Awakening star Lea Michele will making her Hollywood debut at Upright Cabaret in Mark's Restaurant (861 N. La Cienega Blvd) on August 15th, 2008. Michele will be staying in Hollywood after the concert to perform in the Les Miserables concert at the Hollywood Bowl. The concert will be directed by Richard Jay-Alexander (who also will be directing the Les Mis concert) with musical direction by Ben Toth. Tickets can be purchased at: http://www.inticketing.com/evinfo.php?eventid=25950.

The ensemble has been announced for Les Miserables at The Hollywood Bowl.

According to recent reports, Rosie O'Donnell's next gig will be performing with musician and long time friend Cyndi Lauper on her upcoming 'True Colors' tour.

'Curtains' is now in its final four weeks on Broadway. The production, starring Tony and Emmy Award winners David Hyde Pierce and Debra Monk, plays its last performance on Sunday, June 29.

Tony Award winning Curtains star David Hyde Pierce will appear on Paula's Party, the popular Food Network program hosted by Paula Deen on Sunday, June 1 at 11:00 PM. Check local listings. Curtains, the Musical Comedy Whodunit from the authors of Cabaret and Chicago, is running through June 29 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre (302 West 45th Street).

British actor Tom Lowe will be playing Enjolras in upcoming Les Miserables in Concert at the Hollywood Bowl. He will be replacing Aaron Lazar who dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.

Casting announced for workshop of Broadway bound musical 'Pure Country.'

Les Miserables at the The Hollywood Bowl has completed casting, and BroadwayWorld.com has the scoop!

There will be two invitation only industry readings of the original new musical Empire, written by Caroline Sherman and Robert Hull. Directed by Clayton Phillips, New Hampshire Theater's Best Direction Award winner, the cast will include Matt Cavenaugh (A Catered Affair, Grey Gardens), Karen Ziemba (Curtains, Contact), Michael McCormick (Curtains, The Pajama Game), Mark Lotito (Jersey Boys, Fiddler on the Roof), Megan Sikora (Curtains, Wonderful Town), and Kevyn Morrow (Smokey Joes Café, Dreamgirls). A 2003 Ovation Award winner in Los Angeles and 2004 featured production at Connecticut's Stamford Center for the Arts, Empire is a celebration of the American spirit embodied by those who bravely banded together to build what was then the tallest structure in the world, the Empire State Building. Michael, an architect, hired to build the Empire State building in record time, takes on politicians, deadlines, and a nosy but beautiful reporter, Hildy, dead set on derailing the project. A classic struggle of idealism versus advancement, Empire is filled with romance, dreams, and the struggles that surrounded us when we face a monumental challenge. Written in the spirit of the classic musicals of the 40's and the 50's with big dance numbers and pop-driven melodies, the musical premiered at LA's Hudson Backstage Theatre in 2003. At the Hudson, Empire played to sold out audiences, excellent reviews and garnered 3 LA Theatre Ovation Award-nominations, including Best Musical, and won the award for Best Choreography. Daily Variety called the show 'A fast, flavorful, exciting tale … joyously fresh …', and Backstage West said Empire was a 'Tribute and testimony to the dreamers, doers, and unsung heroes … big and brave, like the building it celebrates …'. The production was then chosen to open the 2004 season for the SCA's Rich Forum and was called 'An outstanding new musical' by the Scarsdale Inquirer. Clayton Phillips, who recently won the New Hampshire Theater Award for Best Direction and Best Musical for Slow Dance with a Hot Pickup by John Pielmeier and Matty Selmen, has been at the helm of the production since its York Theater reading in 2001. The industry readings will be produced by Ricky Stevens and John O'Boyle whose credits include, Is He Dead by Mark Twain, A Catered Affair, by Harvey Fierstein and John Bucchino, Glory Days by Nick Blaemire and James Gardiner, and Marguerite Music by Michel Legrand, Book by Alain Boublil/Claude-Michel Schönberg, Lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer.

CURTAINS, the Musical Comedy Whodunit from John Kander and Fred Ebb, the creators of Cabaret and Chicago, will play its final performance on Broadway at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on Sunday, June 29th at 3:00 PM following 511 performances and 26 previews.

The critically acclaimed original principal cast members of CURTAINS have extended their contracts in The Musical Comedy Whodunit for an additional six months, through August 31, 2008. CURTAINS is playing at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre (302 West 45th Street).

Tony Award winning Curtains star David Hyde Pierce will appear on 'Live with Regis and Kelly' on Monday, March 3 at 9AM. In the New York area, 'Live with Regis & Kelly' airs on WABC-TV Channel 7.

Curtains, playing at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre (302 West 45th Street), recently welcomed Erin Davie (ingenue Niki Harris) and Gerry Vichi (producer Sidney Bernstein) to the cast of the Musical Comedy Whodunit

On Wednesday, February 27, 2008, the cast and creative team of the Kander & Ebb murder-mystery musical, Curtains, celebrated their first anniversary on Broadway at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre.

David Hyde Pierce, the winner of the 2007 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in Curtains, will appear on tonight's episode of 'The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch.' The show airs on CNBC at 10:00 PM (ET) tonight, February 7.

David Hyde Pierce and Debra Monk, the Tony and Emmy Award winning stars of Curtains on Broadway, will appear on 'Good Morning America' tomorrow at 8:00 AM. The stars will take part in the 'Good Morning America Warm Coats and Warm Hearts Drive. ' In the New York area, 'Good Morning America' airs on WABC-TV Channel 7. Check local listings.

Erin Davie will join the cast of Curtains on Friday, February 15 as ingénue Niki Harris, replacing original cast member Jill Paice.