Neil Meron News

Harry Potter star Tom Felton has finally made it to the Al Hirschfeld Theatre to see his on screen enemy Daniel Radcliffe in HOW TO SUCCEED, and he had a lot to say about the experience. Felton told Fanshare.com: 'I saw Daniel about a week ago and I was completely blown away. He really does excel. It's amazing, as well, how in one second, you see Harry Potter and he's completely gone within a minute; you're just looking at someone else.'

As previously reported, the Footloose remake, starring Julianne Hough and Kenny Wormald will be released in theaters on October 14, 2011.

FOOTLOOSE will once again hit the silver screen in October. Julianne Hough, Kenny Wormald, Dennis Quaid and Andie MacDowell star in the highly anticipated film, and the musicians that will be featured on the film's soundtrack have just been announced. The full track listing is as follows:

The producers of the 50th Anniversary production of the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical comedy HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING recently announced that Darren Criss, breakout star of Fox's Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning smash hit television show 'GLEE', will make his Broadway debut as J. Pierrepont Finch, performing a strictly limited three week engagement from January 3, through January 22, 2012. He will replace Daniel Radcliffe, who will play his final performance on Sunday, January 1, 2012. Tickets for Radcliffe's final performances in HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING are now on sale!

Today we are talking to DROP DEAD DIVA guest star Sharon Lawrence and discussing her long-awaited return to the series as Bobbie Dobkins in Sunday's "Mother's Day" episode as well as taking a look at her long and varied film and theater career with thoughts on everything from CABARET and CHICAGO onstage to DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, LAW & ORDER: SVU, CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM on the small screen and the new Theresa Rebeck play she stars in opening next month at the Mark Taper Forum in LA, POOR BEHAVIOR and much, much more! Over the course of the next several weeks, we are going to be taking an extensive look at the sights and sounds both onscreen and onset of the hit TV dramedy series DROP DEAD DIVA - new episodes airing Sunday nights at 9 PM on Lifetime - featuring exclusive interviews with the leading lady divas and dashing supporting men on the LA-based supernatural legal series. Featuring a memorable collection of musical performances and Broadway guest stars over the years - Paula Abdul, Rosie O'Donnell, Delta Burke and many more included - DROP DEAD DIVA is the quintessential TV series for Broadway babies looking for some laughs and levity - the latter available in many more ways than one, given the show's heavenly aspirations. DROP DEAD DIVA centers on a legal eagle named Jane whose body acts as the means for the indomitable spirit of a model, Deb, who loses her life, to make a second chance and how the girl inside must learn to adjust to looking like the woman on the outside that she is now. In other words, a model finds out what it means to look like everyone else, in a delightfully quirky twist of fate - and learns to be a lawyer, too. Season Three picks up with the cliffhanger car crash that closed last season in a dark and shocking way. What will Grayson remember of the conversation he had with Jane pre-crash? What will Jane do to save him? What about his engagement (to somebody else)? What will happen back at the office with Teri, Kim and Parker? What about Stacy and Fred? All these questions and many more will most assuredly be answered come Sunday night! Plus, there's always a musical number or two not too far off if you stay tuned - such as this week's BroadwayWorld exclusive world premiere of "Lean On Me" available here! Be sure to check back often because in the following weeks, we will also feature conversations with DROP DEAD DIVA stars Josh Henderson, Jackson Hurst, Ben Feldman and definitely stay tuned for next week's exclusive chat with featured guest star and Tony-winner, the one and only Faith Prince! Continuing the BRIDGING TV & THEATRE: DROP DEAD DIVA series, here is my extended conversation with DROP DEAD DIVA guest star Sharon Lawrence in which we discuss her many Broadway credits - CABARET, CHICAGO, ZORBA and FIDDLER ON THE ROOF included - as well as her extensive and varied theater career and acting alongside the likes of Cherry Jones, Marian Seldes and DROP DEAD DIVA guest star and fellow Broadway baby Faith Prince. Additionally, Ms. Lawrence shares her fascinating insights into the art of acting and the role of the actor in society as well as provides detailed insight into her own process and musical theatre versus straight drama - plus, comments on SMASH, GLEE, Weill, Brecht, feminism and much, much more!

The producers of the 50th Anniversary production of the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical comedy HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING announced today that Darren Criss, breakout star of Fox's Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning smash hit television show 'GLEE', will make his Broadway debut as J. Pierrepont Finch, performing a strictly limited three week engagement from January 3, through January 22, 2012. He will replace Daniel Radcliffe, who will play his final performance on Sunday, January 1, 2012. Tickets for Mr. Criss' engagement in HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING are now on sale.

According to TVLine.com's Matt Mitovich, NBC's highly anticipated new musical series SMASH will premiere on February 6 at 10 PM, and BroadwayWorld couldn't be more excited for the big day!

In the Hollywood Bowl's production of Hairspray August 5, 6 and 7, directed by Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell, John Stamos will play the super suave TV Host Corny Collins. Stamos starred on Broadway in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Cabaret, Nine and Bye Bye Birdie and is known for his television work on Full House and ER, and this season on Glee and Law & Order: SVU. In our chat, he talks about Corny and his favorite theatrical ventures.

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. Kristin Chenoweth at Sidetrack, Jennifer Hudson at Ravinia, 'Carousel,' 'West Side Story,' 'Jim Caruso's Cast Party,' 'For The Boys,' more....

The New York Times reveals today that director Michael Mayer, a consulting producer on the upcoming NBC series, Smash, has invited the creative team involved in crafting SMASH's workshop episodes to his own developmental lab of On A Clear Day You Can See Forever at the Vineyard. According to the report, attendees include 'Mr. Grant, a former writer and producer on the ABC series 'Brothers and Sisters' who is also a playwright and Tony-nominated actor ('Angels in America'); Ms. Reingold, also a playwright ('String Fever') who most recently wrote for HBO's 'In Treatment'; Jason Grote ('Civilization'); and Elisa Zuritsky and Julie Rottenberg, a writing team who worked extensively on HBO's 'Sex and the City.' Head SMASH writer Teresa Rebeck will also be on hand.

The cast of the highly anticipated musical drama SMASH, recently visited NBC's upfronts, where they chatted up the new series. In the video below, Debra Messing, Anjelica Huston, Raza Jeffery and more talk about what to expect from the series!

As previously reported, the Footloose remake, starring Julianne Hough and Kenny Wormald will be released in theaters on October 14, 2011. See the newest released production shots below!

Katharine McPhee visited NBC's Finale of THE VOICE to offer a preview of her new musical drama SMASH, premiering in early 2012. We can't wait!

As previously reported, Wednesday night was to mark the 100th performance of HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING, but after a delay of just over one-hour, the show was cancelled. The audience was informed twice via announcements that there was a delay, followed by an onstage apperance by Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette who told the audience that the performance would not be taking place, citing a 'tragedy within the company.' It has since been revealed that the tragedy was the death of a 29-year old carpenter for the show due to an apparent accidental drug overdose (the official cause of death has not yet been declared). The stagehand's name has not been released and an investigation took place at the show's home at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre today. The LA Times has now reported that according to one law enforcement official, 'at least a dozen packets that had contained heroin' were found in the stagehand's work area. The man was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital last night.

Wednesday night was to mark the 100th performance of HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING, but after a delay of just over one-hour, the show was cancelled. The audience was informed twice via announcements that there was a delay, followed by an onstage apperance by Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette who told the audience that the performance would not be taking place, citing a 'tragedy within the company.' Reports in The New York Times and elsewhere state that the stagehand was 29 years old and that an accidental drug overdose is suspected.

Tonight was to mark the 100th performance of HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING, but BroadwayWorld has confirmed that tonight's performance was cancelled. After approximately an hour's delay, Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette told the audience that the performance would not be taking place.

Just moments ago the trailer for the 2011 re-imagining of the 1984 Herbert Ross musical film FOOTLOOSE hit the internet, and while the emphasis was on the attractive, largely up-and-coming cast and the gritty, earthy take on the revamped and modernized material, there were enough glimpses of boot-kickin', booty shakin' and barn-stormin' to please the gleeks, DWTS addicts and Broadway musical fans out there in the dark, as well. After all, it isn't very often at all anymore that a film boasting a musical element as prevalent as that in the new 2011 FOOTLOOSE comes along, so - if only for that - it's a cause for anticipatory excitement. Directed by HUSTLE & FLOW helmer Craig Brewer, the new Craig Zadan/Neil Meron-produced big screen version of the classic story of a town that banishes dancing and the scrappy new kid on the bleak block who puts the spark back in their step clearly appears to be a fully-functioning new twist on the tale all its own, ready to reintroduce the story to a whole new generation hungry for a dance-heavy hit. After all, it's been quite awhile since there was a decent movie-musical or music/dance-centric film - HAIRSPRAY, actually (also a Zadan/Meron production), and CHICAGO before that. While this new FOOTLOOSE does not have any traditional burst-into-song moments - as the late-90s Broadway stage version did (though the original film did not) - the dance element is at the forefront of the proceedings, front and center. Yet, what music can we expect?

FOOTLOOSE will once again hit the silver screen in October. Julianne Hough, Kenny Worlmald, Dennis Quaid and Andie MacDowell star in the highly anticipated film, for which MTV released the trailer today. Click below for a first look!

As previously reported, the Footloose remake, starring Julianne Hough and Kenny Wormald will be released in theaters on October 14, 2011. Last month, BroadwayWorld brought you a sneak peek of the first production stills, and today we bring you a look at the official movie poster, as first exclusively unveiled on MTV.com.

BWW Radio celebrates the recently released HOW TO SUCCEED cast album by featuring the FULL ALBUM all week long!