Monica Simoes News

Broadway Sessions is described as an evening of musical performances, games, comedy and open mic featuring a new Broadway guest each week. It is hosted by Ben Cameron (Wicked, Aida, Footloose) and features compsoser/musical director Will Van Dyke (The Addams Family) on piano.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College presents legendary Broadway performer Betty Buckley in her show Broadway by Request, featuring Seth Rudetsky at the piano,on Saturday April 9, 2011 at 8pm.

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and legendary Broadway star Betty Buckley present three benefit concerts featuring her recent Song Interpretation Workshop participants. The concerts are set for March 28, 30 and 31 at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth at 7:30pm.

Derrick Baskin, Michael Cerveris, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Harriett D. Foy, Marcy Harriell, Lisa Howard, Ebony JoAnn, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Adriane Lenox, Sarah Saltzberg, Sherie Rene Scott, and J. Robert Spencer will perform songs from several of Second Stage's most memorable musicals for a one-night-only benefit, A MOMENT WITH YOU, on Monday April 4, 2011 at Hammerstein Ballroom (311 West 34th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues). The evening is honoring Second Stage Theatre Board Member Donna Perret Rosen. Stephen Sondheim is the evening's Honorary Chair.

'At This Performance,' the ongoing salute to Broadway and Off-Broadway standbys and understudies is set to continue March 20-21.

From the creators of Fat Camp (NYMF Best of Fest 2009) and Perez Hilton Saves the Universe!(Best Musical at the 2008 New York International Fringe Festival) comes a new superhero comedy, Spidermusical, which opened March 15 at the Mint Theatre. Check out photos from the opening number below!

According to Deadline.com, Kelsey Grammeris set to direct CBS' comedy pilot 'Vince Uncensored'. The project will star Michael Chiklis, and will include writting by Phoef Sutton, Conaco and Warner Bros. TV. As described by Deadline, the show 'centers on a man (Chiklis) who, after a life-changing experience, decides to take a more honest approach to his life, work and family.'

The new Broadway production of Tom Stoppard's ARCADIA, directed by David Leveaux, will open tonight, March 17 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre (243 West 47th Street). Tickets for this limited engagement are on sale through Sunday, June 19, 2011.

Lorna Luft joins Bway stars Karen Olivo, Heather Headley and Ashley Brown in a tribute concert at Carnegie Hall.

Following eleven sold out shows, The Laurie Beechman Theatre will continue their hit series, SONDHEIM UNPLUGGED, for a twelfth installment, Monday, March 28 at 7pm. Included in the cast are an array of Broadway and cabaret alums, including Karen Akers (Nine, Grand Hotel), Christina Bianco (Drama Desk nominee, Forbidden Broadway), Eric Michael Gillett (Kiss Me, Kate, Sweet Smell of Success), Steve Ross (Present Laughter), Steven Lutvak (Kleban & Larson award-winner) and Alysha Umphress (American Idiot). We're also pleased to welcome back three very special guests, all of whom created roles in Sondheim musicals: Annie Golden (Assassins), Teri Ralston (Company, A Little Night Music) and Sarah Rice (Sweeney Todd). Recently, Sondheim Unplugged received the 2011 Bistro Award for Outstanding Cabaret Series.

Veteran humorist and playwright, Justin Moran, launched 'Spiderman Smackdown', a guerilla theatre project to write, rehearse, and perform a fully realized musical based on the character Spiderman in under 30 days with a budget of $0. Moran's musical was the first Spiderman Musical to officially open in New York City last night, March 15. BroadwayWorld was on hand for the arrivals and brings you photo coverage below.

'All My Children' stars Walt Willey and Bobbie Eakes co-hosted the Grand Finale Celebration of 'ABC Daytime Salutes Broadway Cares' in New York City on March 13, 2011. Mr. Willey and Ms. Eakes have been part of the benefit since the very first production in celebration of 'All My Children's' 35th anniversary show.

Fifty years after her legendary Carnegie Hall debut, The New York Pops remembered Hollywood icon Judy Garland with a song-for-song re-creation of the 1961 performance that is referred to by so many as 'the greatest night in show business history'. Under the baton of Music Director Steven Reineke, Broadway luminary Ashley Brown, Grammy Award winner Heather Headley and West Side Story star Karen Olivo took the stage in this vibrant revival of the historic concert, which features signature Garland favorites, such as 'Over the Rainbow', 'The Trolley Song', 'Come Rain or Come Shine' and 'The Man That Got Away'.

BroadwayWorld has confirmed with a production source that Million Dollar Quartet star and Tony winner Levi Kreis will depart the production earlier than scheduled due to an injury he sustained on March 3. Kreis wrote on his Twitter page earlier this week: 'If u r planning 2 c my MDQ perf. b4 the 13th, u should know I THINK I tore my ACL surgery out, & could be done. I get MRI results Monday.'

Whether you've been living under a rock for the past week, or you're just in the mood for a recap of everything theatre, BroadwayWorld's new feature, ‘This Week in Pictures' is here to satisfy your end of the week fix. Take a look below to catch up on the latest from the Great White Way to the West End (and everywhere in between) with coverage of press events, rehearsals, opening nights and more!

Our Time has announced that David Seidler, who recently won an Academy Award for writing this year's Best Picture, ‘The King's Speech', will be honored for his achievements, at their 9th Annual Gala, April 11th, 2011, in NYC. The event will take place at 7pm at Skirball Center for the Performing Arts.

Tony nominee Christiane Noll (Ragtime) will play Yum-Yum in The Mikado from March 11-13 with the Eugene Opera. The production's cast also includes Nicholas Isherwood, Joel Andrew Weiss, Jamie LaVerdiere, Brooke Cagno and Anne Allgood.

The Wall Street Journal reports today that despite going public with the news that Julie Taymor will no longer move forward with SPIDER-MAN, her exit deal has not yet been finalized. Issues surrounding royalties, copywrites, and a non-disclosure have not yet been settled upon. Tamor's camp declined to comment on the separation negotiations. Litigation is not out of the question. Taymor will officially step down as head creative on March 15, 2011.

Two-time Tony Award-nominee Christopher Sieber (Monty Python's Spamalot, Shrek The Musical) will begin performances as Georges in LA CAGE AUX FOLLES earlier than previously announced. Sieber will begin performances in the Tony Award-winning musical revival this Friday, March 11, instead of Tuesday, March 15. Sieber stars sopposite four-time Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein as Albin. LA CAGE AUX FOLLES is playing at the Longacre Theatre (220 West 48th Street).

Andrea McArdle and daughter Alexis Kalehoff are set to costar as a mother and daughter in TheatreZone's BLOOD BROTHERS in Naples, Florida. Performances run March 10 through March 20.