Oscar Hammerstein II News

Executive produced by James Lapine and Frank Rich, the exclusive HBO presentation debuts MONDAY, DEC. 9 (9:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT).

As a holiday treat, Diablo Theatre Company offers up the delightful A Grand Night for Singing, a romantic, entertaining revue of music by Rodgers and Hammerstein, the duo who created songs that are standards of musical theater and American popular culture. The show will run November 29-December 7 at Walnut Creek's Lesher Center for the Arts.

Great news for Hollywood and Broadway fans: Hugh Jackman-who recently starred in the worldwide hit film version of "Les Miserables"- can be seen again in his breakout musical role as cowpoke Curly in Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!, Friday, November 15 at 9 p.m. on THIRTEEN's Great Performances

92Y announces casting for the 2014 season of Lyrics & Lyricists. Faith Prince, Rob McClure, Christiane Noll and Rachel York are among the performers from the worlds of Broadway, jazz and cabaret presenting a panoramic journey through the American Songbook via Broadway, Hollywood and Second Avenue. L&L's shows this season explore MGM Musicals, tunes that swept away the Great Depression, an insider's look at Rodgers & Hammerstein, iconic funny girl Fanny Brice and the glorious songs salvaged from Flop Shows. The season is curated by series artistic director Deborah Grace Winer and a line-up of guest artistic directors that includes three Tony Award winners-director/choreographer Kathleen Marshall (in her L&L debut); music director Ted Sperling; and lyricist David Zippel- musical theater historian Robert Kimball, and Rodgers & Hammerstein oracle Ted Chapin.

Some people, especially some cabaret reviewers and cabaret fans, might think it's lazy or a copout or both for a performer to keep recycling previous shows. But when the Café Carlyle comes a'callin' you: A) May not have enough time to create a totally new show or B) Want to pitch the big game with your best stuff or C) All of the above. Since I only started reviewing cabaret in late 2010, I missed the Laurie Beechman Theatre debut of Jennifer Sheehan's 2009 show You Made Me Love You: Celebrating 100 Years of the Great American Songbook, and missed it again when she brought it to the Metropolitan Room in 2010. So I, for one, am not complaining that she dusted off the critically praised set again (with the new slug 'Timeless Classics and New Treasures' from said Songbook show) for her debut last Saturday night at the prestigious Café Carlyle. Sheehan may have been booked for the room's new 10:45 late night series and not the prime time slot, but at least the Carlyle is giving opportunities to exciting young cabaret performers like Sheehan (and Marissa Mulder, who will make her debut at the room on November 7). With You Made Me Love You, Sheehan made everything old new again-at least for me.

Two years ago I heard the relatively new “Marquee Five” perform a show at the Laurie Beechman Theatre called “8-Track Throwback,” which was a five part harmony homage to the music of the 1960s and '70s. They hadn't gotten even halfway through their set when I realized that in Marquee Five I'd heard my Manhattan Transfer for the new millennium. Marquee Five's style is less jazzy and more pop than the Transfer, and their sound is infused with the tones of a co-ed barbershop quintet, Broadway belting, and holiday season caroling. Marquee Five's new show last Saturday night at 54 Below did nothing to push me off their bandwagon. In Broadway By the Letter: Act One (a set of songs representing the first half of the alphabet), this fabulous five-some once again delivered delicious harmonies on a variety of song styles, standout individual performances, and intricate yet accessible vocal arrangements.

Over 450 elementary and secondary school students who are either deaf or hard of hearing from 17 schools in the tri-State region, will attended one of the next three Wednesday matinee performances of the hit musical Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella. Three upcoming matinee performances (October 30, November 6 and 13) of the show will be simultaneously sign language interpreted and open captioned by TDF's Accessibility Programs (TAP), which is bringing the students with mild to severe hearing loss to the theatre through their 'Access for Young Audiences' program. Additionally, earlier this month, TAP brought 100 students who are blind or have low vision to the Wednesday matinee performance on October 9, which featured audio description.

UPSTAIRS LANDING PRODUCTIONS continues season two of "Standing By with Caskey Hunsader" on October 15th at www.standingbytv.com/cinderella. Ensemble member Linda Mugleston and Swing Adam Jepsen discuss the challenge of bing an understudy for the Broadway production of Cinderella now playing at the Broadway Theatre.

The Department of Theatre & Dance at Northern Kentucky University has announced its 2013-2014 Academic Season of main stage shows.

Today in 1980, the second Broadway revival of Oklahoma! closed at the Palace Theatre, where it ran for 293 performances. Oklahoma! is the first musical written by the team of composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance with farm girl Laurey Williams. The original Broadway production opened on March 31, 1943.

The Astoria Performing Arts Center (APAC), recipient of the 2012 Caffe Cino Fellowship Award from the Innovative Theatre Foundation, has announced their 13th season will include a world premiere play by Sandy Rustin (Rated P (for Parenthood)) THE COTTAGE, directed by Adam Dannheisser (Rock of Ages, resident director), and Rodgers and Hammerstein's ALLEGRO, directed by Artistic Director Tom Wojtunik. APAC's performance venue is located at the Good Shepherd United Methodist Church, 30-44 Crescent St (@30th Rd), in Astoria, Queens. In the meantime, APAC's Board of Directors is in the midst of a search to find a new Executive Director, visit apacny.org for more information.

This classic, big Broadway musical did not disappoint with its big cast, big sets, and bigger voices!

The Glimmerglass Festival, Central New York's opera and musical theater company, has announced its 2014 season.

Laura Osnes, Santino Fontana, Ann Harada, Marla Mindelle, and Harriet Harris recently visited Google's New York headquarters for their At Google Talks, performing 'A Lovely Night' and 'Ten Minutes Ago.' Check out the special appearance below!

Denver, Colo.- As its final presentation of the 2013 Festival, Central City Opera (CCO) will feature a new production of Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's glorious American musical, Show Boat, in Denver at the Buell Theatre in the Denver Performing Arts Complex. The production opens on August 6 with seven performances running through August 11. Show Boat will be performed in English.

The King and I, one of Rodgers and Hammerstein's most treasured musicals, is the next show in the 2013 Music Circus season, at the Wells Fargo Pavilion from August 6 - 11. With book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and music by Richard Rodgers, the show features the classic songs 'Shall We Dance?,' 'Getting to Know You' and 'Something Wonderful.' BroadwayWorld has a first look at the production below.

Lyric Opera of Chicago's general director Anthony Freud announced today that two internationally acclaimed opera singers, American sopranos Christine Brewer and Elizabeth Futral, have been cast for the new production and company premiere of The Sound of Music, to be presented next spring.

With the International Al Jolson Society's 17th Annual Long Island Festival just three weeks away (On August 17, from 9am to 4:30pm, at Oceanside Knights of Columbus, 2985 Kenneth Place, Oceanside, NY 11572.), BroadwayWorld.com Cabaret Review/Columnist and passionate Al Jolson fan Stephen Hanks fantasizes about what it might be like to have a conversation with 'The World's Greatest Entertainer,' 53 years after he died. You ain't read nothin' yet.

The King and I, one of Rodgers and Hammerstein's most treasured musicals, is the next show in the 2013 Music Circus season, at the Wells Fargo Pavilion from August 6 - 11. With book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and music by Richard Rodgers, the show features the classic songs 'Shall We Dance?,' 'Getting to Know You' and 'Something Wonderful.'

Kelly Ripa stopped by Broadway's RODGERS + HAMMERSTEIN'S CINDERELLA to get a backstage tour from Tony nominated actress Laura Osnes. The cast of the show also stopped by 'Live' to perform 'Stepsister's Lament'.