Michael Patrick News

Here are Summer Stages Picks from Broadwayworld's Ellen Dostal for what to see in Los Angeles and San Diego.

The Old Globe presents the World Premiere of Dog and Pony, a new musical with book by Rick Elice and music and lyrics by Michael Patrick Walker. From the award-winning talents behind Jersey Boys, Peter and the Starcatcher, and Altar Boyz, Dog and Pony is a romantic musical comedy that follows Mags and Andy, a successful screenwriting team, as their professional relationship evolves into something more. Scroll down to meet the company!

Director Simon Greiff writes for BWW:UK about creating the new musical, starring Charlotte Wakefield and Helen Hobson, which begins its official rehearsal period on Monday!

West End stars Charlotte Wakefield and Helen Hobson are making quite a habit of being paired together in hit musicals.They first played mother and daughter in Mamma Mia! and then Maria and Mother Abbess in the acclaimed production of The Sound of Music in Regent's Park.

The Heights Players ('Yentl,' 'Doubt'), a not-for-profit theater company based in Brooklyn, closes its 58th season with the seminal theatrical piece WEST SIDE STORY, which features book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and original direction and choreography by Jerome Robbins. Thomas N. Tyler ('A Chorus Line,' 'Finian's Rainbow') directs this production, which runs until Sunday, May 25, at 26 Willow Place, Brooklyn, N.Y.

11th Hour Theatre Company presents its only mainstage production of the season, the hilarious, boy-band 'holy hit' musical Altar Boyz running today, May 15-June 1, 2014 at The Arts Bank at the University of the Arts.

Lisa Kudrow (Emmy(R) winner for 'Friends') stars as the embattled Valerie Cherish, a fading TV 'It Girl' who was once so desperate to stay in the spotlight that she allowed cameras to follow her every move as she appeared on a new sitcom - with disastrous results.

Whether you've been living under a rock for the past week or you're just in the mood for a recap, BroadwayWorld's 'This Week in Pictures' is here to satisfy your end-of-the-week fix! Take a look below to catch up on the latest happenings from the Great White Way to The West End (and everywhere in between) with coverage of press events, rehearsals, opening nights and more. Highlights this week include a look at this year's Tony nominees, the casts of VIOLET on Broadway and the UK's ROCK OF AGES tour, and a peek into CABARET's gypsy robe ceremony!

The Old Globe yesterday announced the cast of the World Premiere of Dog and Pony, a new musical with book by Rick Elice and music and lyrics by Michael Patrick Walker. From the award-winning talents behind Jersey Boys, Peter and the Starcatcher, and Altar Boyz, Dog and Pony is a romantic musical comedy that follows Mags and Andy, a successful screenwriting team, as their professional relationship evolves into something more. Scroll down to meet the company!

Picture Perfect: A New Musical, a contemporary song-cycle musical that explores love and relationships using the songs of award-winning American composer Scott Evan Davis, conceived and directed by Simon Greiff, will get its London premiere at the St James Studio with four performances on Saturday 31 May and Sunday 1 June. Press are invited to review on either Saturday 31 May at 8.00pm or Sunday 1 June at 3.00pm.

On April 7, Ars Nova hosted their Diamond Ball, not just another f*@%ing benefit. The evening honored Elizabeth Meriwether, Ars Nova's inaugural Playwright-in-Residence and creator of Fox's New Girl, Stephen Siderow, member of Ars Nova's Board of Directors and Co-founder and President of BlueMountain Capital, and Beau Willimon, founding member of Ars Nova's Play Group and creator of Netflix's House of Cards. Scroll down to see some photos from the event!

11th Hour Theatre Company presents its only mainstage production of the season, the hilarious, boy-band "holy hit" musical Altar Boyz running May 15-June 1, 2014 at The Arts Bank at the University of the Arts. With a book by Kevin Del Aguila and music and lyrics by Gary Adler and Michael Patrick Walker, Altar Boyz is directed by Megan Nicole O'Brien with an ensemble cast of Robert Hager, Adam Hoyak, Billy Kametz, Michael Linden, and Nicholas Park.

NATURAL GAS, the five-year-old house improv team of The Gift Theatre, appears Friday nights at Wicker Park's The Den Theatre, performing entirely improvised group sets in addition to their standing Wednesday night set at The Gift in Jefferson Park. Every other week is YOU & ME-a two-person, entirely improvised show featuring ensemble member/The Gift artistic director Michael Patrick Thornton with a special guest from the Chicago arts community.

Ars Nova hosts Ars Nova's Diamond Ball, not just another f*@%ing benefit tonight. The evening will honor Elizabeth Meriwether, Ars Nova's inaugural Playwright-in-Residence and creator of Fox's New Girl, Stephen Siderow, member of Ars Nova's Board of Directors and Co-founder and President of BlueMountain Capital, and Beau Willimon, founding member of Ars Nova's Play Group and creator of Netflix's House of Cards.

The 9th longest-running off-Broadway musical of all time, ALTAR BOYZ is a foot-stomping, rafter-raising musical comedy satire about a fictitious Christian boy-band on the last night of their national 'Raise the Praise' tour during which they attempt to reduce the number of burdened souls in the theatre to zero by the end of the concert.

Next Theatre Company announces their 2014 - 2015 season. Their 34th season of presenting is titled 'Heroes and Villains. Details for the season are below!

Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2013 Edgerton Foundation New Play Awards. The awards, totaling $1,108,000, allow 39 productions extra time in the development and rehearsal of new plays with the entire creative team, helping to extend the life of the play after its first run.

The Gift Theatre has announced that Kareem Bandealy will star as Othello and artistic director and ensemble member Michael Patrick Thornton will play villainous Iago in its production of William Shakespeare's tragedy Othello, directed by Jonathan Berry (Dirty). This marks The Gift Theatre's first Shakespeare production ever mounted in its intimate 40-seat theater and Berry's Shakespearean directorial debut.

The Gift Theatre Artistic Director Michael Patrick Thornton announces the Chicago premiere of Thinner Than Water written by Melissa Ross and directed by The Gift ensemble member John Gawlik (2013 Jeff Award winner for When the Rain Stops Falling at Circle Theatre). The production marks Thornton's return to The Gift main stage since ensemble member Andrew Hinderaker's Jeff Nominated Dirty in 2012. Thornton recently appeared in Les Waters' production of Our Town at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Thornton joins guest artists Donna McGough (last seen in Coriolanus with The Hypocrites) and Darci Nalepa (Dirty) and fellow Gift ensemble members Brittany Burch (The Lonesome West), Paul D'Addario (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest), Gabriel Franken (Broadsword), Lynda Newton (Absolute Hell) and Jay Worthington (Vigils).

Lookingglass Theatre Company announces its 2014-2015 Season, opening with Lucas Hnath's Death Tax directed by Artistic Director of New Work Heidi Stillman; the return of Lookingglass' hallmark Lookingglass Alice, adapted and directed by Ensemble Member David Catlin in association with The Actors Gymnasium; Will Eno's Title and Deed directed by Lookingglass Literary Manager and Company Dramaturg Marti Lyons; and the World Premiere Lookingglass original adaptation of Herman Melville's Moby Dick, adapted and directed by Ensemble Member David Catlin in association with The Actors Gymnasium.