Oscar Hammerstein II News

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: CINDERELLA preps for Broadway, Blythe Danner joins NICE WORK, FLASHDANCE launches its national tour, and so much more!

Broadway Theatre of Pitman kicks off its mainstage season with Showboat, featuring music by Jerome Kerns, lyrics and book by Oscar Hammerstein II and based on a book by Edna Farber. The production runs today, January 11 through Feburary 3, 2013.

BAYOU CITY CONCERT MUSICALS continues its popular cabaret series with Jerome Kern in Hollywood, on three consecutive Monday nights in February, beginning Monday, February 4, and continuing on February 11 and February 18 at 7:30 p.m. The evening of song will again be presented at the Performance Centre of the Ensemble Theatre, 3535 Main between Holman and Berry Street, in the heart of Midtown.

The Encores! 20th Anniversary season opens on January 30, and Encores! alums have been sending in their best wishes. Below, check out a video of Stephen Wallem, Victoria Clark, Mylinda Hull, Chuck Cooper, Elizabeth Stanley, Judy Kaye, Mayor Bloomberg and more riffing on their Encores! experiences!

The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts presents its second installment of the popular Broadway Songbook Series for the 2012-2013 Theater Season, 'The Words and Music of Stephen Sondheim,' Jan. 18-27 in the Ordway's McKnight Theatre. This three-event series highlights the lives, histories and stories of musical theater legends.

The cast and creative team met the press just yesterday, and BroadwayWorld was there for all of the festivities. Check out full coverage below!

The new production of RODGERS + HAMMERSTEIN'S Cinderella will begin performances in January at the Broadway Theatre (1681 Broadway at 53rd St). RODGERS + HAMMERSTEIN'S Cinderella has music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, a new book by Douglas Carter Beane and original book by Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is directed by Mark Brokaw. Josh Rhodes is choreographer. The cast and creative team met the press today, and BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge was there to chat with the whole gang about the production. Check out what they had to say below, plus catch a special performance preview!

The cast and creative team met the press today, and BroadwayWorld was there for all of the festivities. Check out a photo preview below, and check back later for full coverage!

Today in 1946, the second Broadway revival of Showboat opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre, and ran for 418 performances. Show Boat is a musical in two acts with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It was originally produced in New York in 1927 and in London in 1928, and was based on the 1926 novel of the same name by Edna Ferber. The plot chronicles the lives of those living and working on the Cotton Blossom, a Mississippi River show boat, from 1880 to 1927. The show's dominant themes include racial prejudice and tragic, enduring love.

Berkshire Theatre Group and Artistic Director/CEO Kate Maguire have announced a Spring 2013 line-up at The Colonial Theatre filled with outstanding music, theatre, comedy and family programming.

As Sir Robin carols merrily to King Arthur in Monty Python's Spamalot, 'In any great adventure, if you don't want to lose...you won't succeed on Broadway if you don't have any Jews.' Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy is a new, 90-minute documentary by Michael Kantor, creator of the Emmy-winning series, Broadway: The American Musical. The special just aired on Great Performances yesterday, January 1 on PBS. Click below to watch!

As 2013 begins, there are already several productions that are on BroadwayWorld's radar. Here is a brief list of some of the most highly anticipated productions Austin has to offer in the coming year…

As Sir Robin carols merrily to King Arthur in Monty Python's Spamalot, 'In any great adventure, if you don't want to lose…you won't succeed on Broadway if you don't have any Jews.' Eric Idle's cheeky lyric, which unfailingly generated knowing guffaws from Broadway audiences, proves to be more than a little grounded in truth, as BROADWAY MUSICALS: A JEWISH LEGACY convincingly attests.

Sonrisas y lágrimas cumple un año desde su estreno en Tenerife. El musical, que ha alcanzado un gran éxito tanto en su gira española como en sus funciones en Madrid, ha sido posicionado como el gran estreno de la temporada en la capital, cumpliendo ya más de 100 funciones y 350.000 espectadores en el Teatro Arteria Coliseum.

BroadwayWorld brings you the Best of Indianapolis in the year 2012. Check out the Top Theatre Stories from each month during in the year 2012. We look forward to another exciting year of theatre in 2013!

BroadwayWorld brings you the Best of Austin in the year 2012. Check out the Top Theatre Stories from each month during in the year 2012. We look forward to another exciting year of theatre in 2013!

BroadwayWorld brings you the Best of Anchorage in the year 2012. Check out the Top Theatre Stories from each month during in the year 2012. We look forward to another exciting year of theatre in 2013!

What is 'stage presence'? It's a quality sometimes called charisma, charm, or magnetism. It's that 'it' factor or 'X' factor that makes you compelling to an audience. It's not necessarily physical beauty, although attractiveness can certainly be a factor.

With rehearsals underway this week, Houston Grand Opera welcomes Lara Teeter to the role of Cap'n Andy in the new production of SHOW BOAT opening January 18. Teeter takes on the role after Tommy Tune stepped down because he is on vocal rest.

The production celebrated the box office opening with a live, in-studio performance by the musical's stars Laura Osnes and Santino Fontana on 'Fox and Friends' on Monday, December 17; view the performance below!