New York City Opera News

BroadwayWorld Congratulates Gregory Jbara, 2009 Tony Award Winner, 'Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical'

BroadwayWorld Congratulates Matthew Warchus, 2009 Tony Award Winner, 'Best Direction of a Play'

BroadwayWorld Congratulates Rick Fisher, 2009 Tony Award Winner, 'Best Lighting Design of a Musical'

Manhattan Theatre Source is proud to announce the return of the critically acclaimed THE GREENWICH VILLAGE FOLLIES by Andrew Frank & Doug Silver, from the original concept by Fran Kirmser (producer, Hair) Sunday nights at 7pm at Manhattan Theatre Source.

Chance and Chemistry: A Centennial Celebration of Frank Loesser, a concert to benefit The Actors Fund will take place at a Broadway theatre to be announced on Monday, October 26, 2009. The event will be co-chaired by Jo Sullivan Loesser and Sir Paul McCartney.

Award winning singer and vocal technician Marianne Challis will bring her new show, 'The Party Continues...Downtown!' to The Duplex on Thursday, June 4 and Friday, June 5 at 7pm.

Circle in the Square students' Final Project is Urinetown: The Musical with Music and Lyrics by Mark Hollmann and a book and Lyrics by Greg Kotis

OPERA America, the national service organization for opera, is pleased to announce that the contract of its president & CEO, Marc A. Scorca, has been extended through 2016. Anthony Freud, chairman of OPERA America's Board of Directors, announced the news at the organization's Annual Business Meeting, which took place during OPERA America's recent conference in Houston, Texas. During Opera Conference 2009, the Board of Directors also elected two new members to join its ranks: Gregory C. Swinehart and Darren K. Woods.

Christopher Sieber is currently starring as 'Lord Farquaad' in Shrek The Musical. Sieber steals scene after scene after scene as the diminutive and deliciously dastardly 'Farquaad', a role he has helped shape since the very first Shrek workshop.

Margaret Selby of CAMI Spectrum is booking an international tour of GARDEN OF EARTHLY DELIGHT for the 2009/2010 season.

The American Theatre Wing has announced its newest episode of its popular 'Working in the Theater' series, titled 'Fluidity & Change: Directors 2009.' This episode features Thomas Kail (In the Heights), Moisés Kaufman (33 Variations) Bartlett Sher (Joe Turner's Come and Gone), Leigh Silverman (Coraline), and Kate Whoriskey (Ruined). The program, moderated by Variety reporter Gordon Cox, will air on CUNY Television beginning Sunday, May 31, at 5:00 pm, with additional airings Friday, June 5 at 9:00 am, 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm, Saturday, June 6 at 11:00 am, and Sunday, June 7 at 5:00 pm.

Over the past few years the music of composer Gregory Spears has become more prevalent around the new music and dance circuits. The Romantic and minimalist styles that define the Spears sound has hit critical mass this season with music by the young composer featured at Zankel Hall (American Composers Orchestra), Le Poisson Rouge (MATA Festival), Dance Theatre Workshop, and American Opera Projects (AOP); the latter will present a concert preview of Mr. Spears's upcoming first opera Paul's Case, based on a story by American literary icon Willa Cather.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) announced casting for the Shakespeare in the Park production of Euripides' THE BACCHAE, directed by JoAnne Akalaitis with original music by Philip Glass and translated by Nicholas Rudall. THE BACCHAE will run August 11-August 30 at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park with an official press opening on Monday, August 24 at 8 p.m. Bank of America returns as lead sponsor of Shakespeare in the Park 2009.

AMERICAN OPERA PROJECTS (AOP) 'a valuable company [that] offers a chance to look in on operas in progress by talented composers.' (The New Yorker) will present evenings of concert readings from two operas-in-development: Paul's Case, by Gregory Spears, who 'fashioned a dreamy suspense' (The New York Times) with his instrumental work 'Finishing' at Zankel Hall in November, and Sharon's Grave by Richard Wargo, hailed by Opera News as 'a born opera composer.'

Broadway's elite gathered to honor Roy Furman at UJA-Federation of New York's Theatre Group of the Entertainment, Media, and Communications Division's 2009 Excellence in Theatre Award Dinner on Monday, May 18, 2009, at The Mandarin Oriental, Columbus Circle at 60th Street, Manhattan.

The New York Times is reporting that Tony winner Bartlett Sher's next project will be a musical version of the film 'Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown,' written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar.

Bristol Riverside Theatre, an acclaimed professional theatre company in Bucks County currently in its 22nd season, has announced the appointment of Amy Kaissar to the newly created position of Managing Director.

Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty and Terrence McNally's RAGTIME, which is selling out at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. is looking to bring it's 'new music' to Broadway, reports The Washington Post. While there is no official word or comment, sources told the paper that there are reportedly 'serious negotiations for a move to Broadway.'

Broadway's elite will gather to honor Roy Furman at UJA-Federation of New York's Theatre Group of the Entertainment, Media, and Communications Division's 2009 Excellence in Theatre Award Dinner on Monday, May 18, 2009, 6:30-7:30 PM cocktail reception and opportunity for interviews, 8:45-9:30 PM performances and award presentation, at The Mandarin Oriental, Columbus Circle at 60th Street, Manhattan.

Two-time Tony Award winners NATHAN LANE (The Producers, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum) and BEBE NEUWIRTH (Chicago, Sweet Charity) will star as Gomez and Morticia in THE ADDAMS FAMILY, a new musical based on the bizarre and beloved family of characters created by legendary cartoonist Charles Addams. Produced by Stuart Oken, Roy Furman, Michael Leavitt and Five Cent Productions, by special arrangement with Elephant Eye Theatrical, THE ADDAMS FAMILY will open on Broadway Thursday, April 8, 2010 at a Nederlander theatre to be announced. Previews will begin Thursday, March 4, 2010 following a pre-Broadway engagement at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre in Chicago that begins November 13.