Patti LuPone News

John Bucchino's 'It's Only Life,' featuring the Australian Cast (Christian Cavallo, Phoebe Coupe, Zack Anthony Curran, Madeleine Featherby, Laura Fitzpatrick, Sam Rabbone and Cameron Thomas) with John Bucchino at the piano plays BIRDLAND on Monday, November 14 at 7pm.

Celebrating their 19th season on New York television, THEATER TALK co-hosts Michael Riedel of the New York Post and series executive producer Susan Haskins call on savvy journalists Michael Musto of The Village Voice, Jesse Green of New Yorkmagazine, and Patrick Pacheco of NY1 News to contribute wisdom, hunches and barbs about the upcoming fall Broadway season.

Sonnet Repertory Theatre presents their Tenth Annual Benefit and Cabaret on Monday, November 14, bringing together a diverse and talented group of performers and composers at Joe's Pub to honor award-winning director and teacher, Gerald Freedman.

Sonnet Repertory Theatre presents their Tenth Annual Benefit and Cabaret on Monday, November 14, bringing together a diverse and talented group of performers and composers at Joe's Pub to honor award-winning director and teacher, Gerald Freedman.

The Second Annual United Solo, the world's largest solo theatre festival, opens on October 20, 2011 at Theatre ROW on 42nd Street in Manhattan.

On Tuesday, November 8 at 7:00pm, the New York Festival of Song (NYFOS) presents the first of this season's two-part contemporary music mini-series NYFOS Next with JOSEPH THALKEN & FRIENDS at Mary Flagler Cary Hall in the DiMenna Center for Classical Music. Thalken hosts the evening and curates an hour of new theater music showcasing the songs of two gifted composers Sam Davis and Peter Foley, as well as his own. All three composers will play their own songs from the piano.

Funny, rowdy and sexy. A rare revival of The Robber Bridegroom, with book and lyrics by Alfred Uhry and music by Robert Waldman, opens at International City Theatre on October 14. Low-priced previews take place on October 11, 12 and 13.

Celebrating their 19th season on New York television, THEATER TALK co-hosts Michael Riedel of the New York Post and series executive producer Susan Haskins call on savvy journalists Michael Musto of The Village Voice, Jesse Green of New Yorkmagazine, and Patrick Pacheco of NY1 News to contribute wisdom, hunches and barbs about the upcoming fall Broadway season.

New York City Center will reopen following a historic renovation and modernization with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and star-studded gala on Tuesday, October 25 at New York City Center. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg will conduct The Encores! Orchestra in the opening number (as a nod to Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, who conducted the New York Philharmonic when City Center opened as a performing arts center in 1943).

Opera legend Maria Callas comes to Hillbarn Theatre in the Tony winning play Master Class, October 20 - November 6. For more information call 650-349-6411 or visit www.HillbarnTheatre.org.

Funny, rowdy and sexy. A rare revival of The Robber Bridegroom, with book and lyrics by Alfred Uhry and music by Robert Waldman, opens at International City Theatre on October 14. Low-priced previews take place on October 11, 12 and 13.

The annual Primary Stages November Night to Remember Gala, a fundraiser benefiting the extensive artistic development programs offered by the company, will be held at the Edison Ballroom (240 west 47th Street, between Broadway & 8th Avenue) on Wednesday, November 9, 2011. Cocktail Reception and Silent Auction begin at 6:30 p.m. Broadway producer David Richenthal (Pulitzer winners The Kentucky Cycle, The Young Man from Atlanta, I am my Own Wife) serves as the Event Chair.

Today, in an extension of the FLASH FRIDAY column, we are sharpening our focus on the six upcoming revivals of musicals that are soon to hit the boards in the next few months (post-FOLLIES) and battle it out for the Best Revival as the Broadway season heats up just when the weather begins to cool: the classic Jule Styne/Bob Merrill musical that originally starred that star-of-stars, Barbra Streisand - FUNNY GIRL; the groundbreaking rock opera that rewrote the theatrical rulebook thanks to young creators Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice - JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR; the hippie, flower child take on the Christ story covering some similar Biblical ground to that of SUPERSTAR, with this one being the composing debut of WICKED songwriter Stephen Schwartz - GODSPELL; another Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice collaboration that won seven Tony Awards and acted as the vehicle for Patti LuPone's blazing Broadway debut in a starring role - EVITA; the significantly reworked, revised and rewritten new version of the beautifully scored time-travel musical by Burton Lane and Alan Jay Lerner, this time starring a male movie star crooner - ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER; and, the landmark American opera composed by the Gershwins with DuBose Haywerd - PORGY & BESS. While each and every one of these entities has a huge hit song or two that nearly everyone on the planet knows by heart - "Don't Rain On My Parade", "I Don't Know How To Love Him", "Day By Day", "Don't Cry For Me Argentina", "On A Clear Day…" and 'Summertime' included - each of these revivals also comes after a film version (or two) that, in more than a few of these cases, will be relatively difficult to top as far as expectations of many audience members undoubtedly will go. So, by taking a listen to the smash hit crossover songs from these musicals as well as looking at their respective film version's trailers - as well as a couple of surprises, too - perhaps we can glean some insight into what makes these generally pretty terrific properties so well worth reviving on Broadway, here, now, today, in 2011. Furthermore, all of this crystal ball commentary is not even taking into account the starry assortment of performers that have already been announced for these productions so far - especially with FUNNY GIRL's Lauren Ambrose and Bobby Cannavale, GODSPELL's Hunter Parrish, SUPERSTAR's lauded Josh Young, EVITA's Ricky Martin and Michael Cerveris, PORGY's Norm Lewis and Audra McDonald, as well as the leading man in what was once a leading lady's role (that of Barbara Harris) in ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER, Harry Connick, Jr.! What a tight race it is turning out to be for these new productions, particularly come Tony time in June! With rock to rhumba and borscht belt comedy to messianic hosannas and even full-out opera, seemingly every conceivable customer base is more than covered by this packed, potentially, well, awesome, season of shows - and many Broadway babies around BroadwayWorld are undoubtedly looking most forward to these six forthcoming revivals - with particularly good reason given the relative dearth of new musicals announced so far. So, let these revivals revive your flagging spirits as we leap into the 2011-2012 season with this comprehensive prospective and retrospective all about what makes them work so well in the first place and so worthy of another look!

Nominations are now being accepted for the second annual BroadwayWorld Chicago Awards! Click here to submit the names of the artists, shows and theaters that you feel should be nominated for this year's awards, the Chicago area's only comprehensive fan awards for local and touring theatrical productions.

Nashville actor Scott Rice's new production company, Falling Frog Creations, presents John Bucchino's It's Only Life in celebration of Rice's birthday, at Street Theatre Company, 1933 Elm Hill Pike, October 7-9. While this cabaret retrospective of the music of composer John Bucchino is the inaugural production of this new production company, it also coincides with the birthday celebration of its founder, Rice. Joining Rice onstage will be Megan Chambers, Tyson Laemmel and Olivia Skurka. Rollie Mains serves as musical director and accompanist.

J.D.'s varied career has encompassed Broadway, opera, concert work and 17 Encores! shows.

Theatre legend Arthur Laurents, who passed away earlier this year, has a final book that will soon be released by Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. The book, which is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com, will be officially released on April 24, 2012.

Broadway luminary, Seth Rudetsky, returns to Chicago with his hilarious one-man-show Deconstructing Broadway, featuring video and audio clips of memorable and hilarious musical theater moments.

Reprise Theatre Company presents Patti LuPone 'Gypsy In My Soul' for one performance only tonight at 8:00 pm, at Royce Hall on the campus of UCLA.