Nathan Andrew Riley News

Transcendence Theatre Company celebrates the 10th anniversary season of Broadway Under The Stars and the return to Jack London State Historic Park with an all-new concert, ROAD TRIP!, now through August 29th.  First production shots have just been released.

Disney Theatrical Productions, under the direction of Thomas Schumacher, and Playhouse Square have announced casting for The Lion King North American tour, which will return to the road this fall and resume performances in Cleveland. The two-week return engagement at Playhouse Square will begin Friday, October 1, 2021.

Learn more about the casts of both productions and how to purchase tickets here!

ROAD TRIP! will showcase a diverse style of music – from patriotic to pop, jazz to musical theater, funk to Disney, and much more. The show will cover many cities and states, starting and ending in California. Featuring popular hits songs such as Born in the U.S.A., California Dreamin', Viva Las Vegas, Route 66, Georgia, Empire State of Mind, and more.

Transcendence Theatre Company celebrates the 10th anniversary season of Broadway Under The Stars, and the return to Jack London State Historic Park with an all-new concert, ROAD TRIP!, August 6th through the 29th.

ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, now playing at Moonlight Amphitheater through July 3rd is a joyful, colorful, and exuberant show with powerhouse vocals that would blow the roof of the theatre if the amphitheater had one.

First, the Moonlight celebrates the 40th anniversary of its founding in 1981 and its subsequent productions of 219 shows both at the Moonlight Amphitheatre and the AVO Playhouse. Its second milestone is its return to the stage following a near year-and-a-half nationwide shutdown of live events during the pandemic.

This new musical with book, lyrics and music by Dustin Ceithamer, set in the eccentric world of 1980's Wrestling, features Nick Rashad Burroughs, Blaine Alden Krauss, AJ Rafael, Correy West, Jamari Johnson Williams,  Adrianna Rose Lyons, Dexter McKinney Jr., Karl Warden, Matthew Ballestero and more!

The Old Globe today announced the cast and creative team of its 23rd annual production of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, which this year will be presented by KPBS Radio in San Diego as a free audio-only production. Due to the ongoing pandemic, The Old Globe is unable to produce the San Diego favorite on its stage this year.

The North American Tour of Disney's The Lion King has released new production photos featuring the current cast. Currently at The Aronoff Center in Cincinnati, the tour heads to 14 other cities in 2020 including Milwaukee, South Bend, Toledo, Omaha, Denver, Tempe and Costa Mesa.

Casting for Disney's The Lion King has been announced for the long-awaited return engagement in Milwaukee. The Lion King will leap onto the Marcus Center stage on February 5 for a four-week engagement through March 1 as part of the Johnson Financial Group Broadway at the Marcus Center and Broadway Across America-Milwaukee series.

Casting for Disney's The Lion King has been announced for the long-awaited return engagement in Rochester. The Lion King will leap onto RBTL's Auditorium Theatre stage on Thursday, December 19 for a three-week engagement through Sunday, January 5.

Casting has been announced for Disney's The Lion King at North Charleston Performing Arts Center's stage on Wednesday, December 4 for a two-week engagement through Sunday, December 15.

Casting has been announced for Disney's THE LION KING at the Citizens Bank Opera House on October 3, 2019 for a limited four-week engagement through October 27, 2019 as part of the 2019/2020 Lexus Broadway In Boston Season.

The North American tour of the Tony and Grammy Award-winning hit musical Beautiful- The Carole King Musical welcomes Dylan S. Wallach (Gerry Goffin) and Alison Whitehurst (Cynthia Weil). The two artists join Sarah Bockel (Carole King), Jacob Heimer (Barry Mann), James Clow (Don Kirshner) and Suzanne Grodner (Genie Klein). Beautiful - The Carole King Musical will return to St. Louis at the Fabulous Fox Theatre on March 12, 2019 for a limited engagement through March 17, 2019.

I was invited to the opening night performance of Beautiful - The Carole King Musical, the hit Broadway show celebrating the life and music of Carole King. The show is infused with many number one hits of the era, written by King (Elise Vannerson) and her husband, Gerry Goffin (Ben Biggers), including 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow', 'Some Kind of Wonderful' and 'The Locomotion'. In addition, King and Goffin had some intense competition through their friends and rivals, Cynthia Weil (Alison Whitehurst) and Barry Mann (Jacob Heimer). Weil and Mann's musical contributions include equally successful songs, such as 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling', which remains, to this day, the song with the most airplay on American radio. King's biographical journey takes the audience from her humble beginnings as a smarty-pants, sheltered teenager from Brooklyn - whose mother wants her to teach music rather than write it - to a sensational musical hit making machine, together with Goffin. Despite their success, it wasn't all sunshine and roses and King's struggles echo those of many working parents trying to find a work-life balance. King longs for a suburban house and traditional family but her husband wants to experience the showbiz life and becomes less and less interested in family life (not to mention, monogamy). King, battling self-esteem issues, ultimately finds the courage to break out on her own. This liberation results in her moving to California and releasing the Grammy award winning album, Tapestry. The show ends on a high note, with King at her piano at Carnegie Hall, celebrating her well-deserved success.

There is a reason bio-musicals and jukebox tales are so popular. There is a nostalgia and comfort in knowing the music and the people that allows an audience to give themselves over to the magic of theatre. I've found audiences more susceptible to suspension of disbelief if there is an element of the familiar - like an historical figure or famous artist. It then becomes the task of the production to take that malleable group and create a story with meaning.

The acclaimed Broadway smash hit Beautiful - The Carole King Musical, about the early life and career of the legendary and groundbreaking singer/songwriter, makes a triumphant return to Washington, D.C. for the upcoming holiday season. This Tony and Grammy Award winner comes to the National Theatre for 5 weeks only from November 27 thru December 30, 2018.

Tickets go on sale on Friday, September 21 for the National Theatre's "Broadway at the National" performances of SCHOOL OF ROCK - THE MUSICAL (Jan. 16 - 27, 2019), FINDING NEVERLAND (Feb. 26 - Mar. 3, 2019), A BRONX TALE (Mar. 26 - 31, 2019), STOMP (Apr. 23 - 28, 2019), and Jim Steinman's BAT OUT OF HELL (May 7 - 26, 2019).

Casting has been announced for the triumphant return to Washington, D.C. of the Tony® and Grammy® Award-winning Broadway smash hit BEAUTIFUL - The Carole King Musical, about the early life and career of the legendary and groundbreaking singer/songwriter. BEAUTIFUL is onstage at the National Theatre for a 5-week run during the holiday season from November 27 thru December 30, 2018.