Phil McKinley News

a?oeTogether We Can: A Celebration Of Arts Educationa??, a commercial-free, hour-long televised variety special on Saturday, June 27 at 7:00 pm. The production is produced, staged and directed by David Green, founder and Director of Musical Theatre University, which is one of the school district's most treasured arts programs. a?oeTogether We Cana??  is co-hosted by Emmy Winning Comedian and Actor Bruce Vilanch and local CBS Personality Patrick Evans and will showcase the PSUSD's vibrant performing and visual arts programs and make the case for the critical need for arts education in our schools, as the district faces probable budget cuts due to the Covid-19 crisis. This special event is the kick-off to a year-long fundraising campaign by The Foundation For The Palm Springs Unified School District called a?oeTogether We Will; Protect The Artsa??. 

Debuting tonight, Dec. 16, Steve Wynn's ShowStoppers brings a vibrant and talented cast of 34 singers and dancers, backed by an on-stage 30-piece orchestra, to the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas. Tickets are on sale now at wynnlasvegas.com.

Debuting on Dec. 16, Steve Wynn's ShowStoppers brings a vibrant and talented cast of 34 singers and dancers, backed by an on-stage 30-piece orchestra, to the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas. Tickets are on sale now at wynnlasvegas.com.

Internationally known Director Philip Wm. McKinley will direct The Sound of Music at Starlight Theatre, July 25-31. McKinley previously directed Broadway's Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark and The Boy From Oz starring Hugh Jackman, as well as the internationally acclaimed 'Mozart L'OPERA ROCK' which premiered last year in Tokyo, Japan.

Patrick Page played his final performance as 'The Green Goblin' in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark yesterday, August 5. Broadway star Robert Cuccioli, best known for his Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle winning and Tony-nominated performance as the star of Jekyll and Hyde, will take on the role in his long-anticipated return to Broadway. Cuccioli will play his first performance on Tuesday, August 7, 2012 at the Foxwoods Theatre (213 West 42nd Street). On Saturday night, the cast of SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark gathered at the Aspen Social Club to say farewell to Page. Check out photos from the gathering below!

On Friday, May 4th, members of the cast and creative team of SPIDER-MAN: Turn Off The Dark visited Bronx Middle School 343 to conduct a special Master Class for the students. See below for photos from the event, which included the SPIDER-MAN cast and creatives sharing their stories, as well as a performance by Matthew James Thomas of 'Rise Above,' to which the children sang along.

Yesterday afternoon, April 19, SPIDER-MAN held a party to celebrate the show's Everyday Heroes. Four of the nominees attended and also received tickets for yesterday evening's performance. See a photo of Everyday Heroes Jackie Shaw, Brendan McMorrow, Diane Pagan and Jacqueline Morelli with Spider-Man below!

Injured SPIDER-MAN perform Christopher Tierney will return to the musical, according to news reports.

Following its matinee performance on Sunday, April 17, SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark embarks on a three-week hiatus for technical rehearsals before unveiling the new version of the mega musical on Thursday, May 12. The original staging of SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark played its final performances to sold-out houses. The official opening night of the new SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark is set for Tuesday, June 14th at the Foxwoods Theatre (213 West 42nd Street). In the following video, swing Joshua Kobak answers questions from fans. Click below to check it out!

Following its matinee performance on Sunday, April 17, SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark embarks on a three-week hiatus for technical rehearsals before unveiling the new version of the mega musical on Thursday, May 12. The original staging of SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark played its final performances to sold-out houses. The official opening night of the new SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark is set for Tuesday, June 14th at the Foxwoods Theatre (213 West 42nd Street).

Talking to Don Imus this morning, legendary New York Times writer (and soon to be New York Magazine writer) Frank Rich said 'There is no way to fix a show this far into previews, according to Broadway history... it's a fool's errand at this point, if you know, follow history.' That said however, he also revealed that he has not seen the show, which has been in previews for months, because 'life is too short.'

The Wall Street Journal reports today that despite going public with the news that Julie Taymor will no longer move forward with SPIDER-MAN, her exit deal has not yet been finalized. Issues surrounding royalties, copywrites, and a non-disclosure have not yet been settled upon. Tamor's camp declined to comment on the separation negotiations. Litigation is not out of the question. Taymor will officially step down as head creative on March 15, 2011.

We're told that the cast today will be meeting with Actors Equity to explore their options and union protection. Many of the cast are up in arms since they've been rehearsing the show now since August of 2010 (or earlier) with much exhaustion and no end in site. Jeremy Gerard at Bloomberg News is the first with more details on what will be cut from the show, and what changes will occur during the show's as of yet unannounced shutdown. He reports that the Julie Taymor creation of Arachne will be heavily cut down, with her scenes being minimized and cut entirely, along with the song 'Deeply Furious' in which she and her minions go shopping for shoes, also said to be a Taymor favorite. Also on the chopping block? The Green Goblin's Act I death scene, which will make his Act II appearance more logical. We're told that he'll be getting a big new Act II opening number as well.

In today's New York Post, Michael Riedel provides additional details about what's next for the show, most notably that Bono and The Edge are now expected to be fully, hands-on collaborators in the show as well as Bono himself going out to be the new 'face of the musical' for press.

Lead producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris announced today that SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark has a newly expanded creative team in place. The team will be implementing a new plan to make significant and exciting revisions to the production. Opening night (previously set for March 15, 2011) has been rescheduled to an evening in early summer, 2011. This amended schedule will allow the time necessary to execute the plan, which will include revisions to the script.

Hottest Articles on BroadwayWorld.com from this weekend Sunday, February 20, 2011 - Sunday, February 20, 2011.

Some have compared the situation of SPIDER-MAN: TURN OFF THE DARK to that of a circus, so perhaps it's fitting today that Michael Riedel reports in the New York Post that the production has reached out to Phil McKinley, who has a background directing the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He is also known however, for directing THE BOY FROM OZ on Broadway along with THE DESERT SONG at the New York City Opera, THE MOST HAPPY FELLA and more.

Mother and son Shirley Jones and Patrick Cassidy reunite to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Meredith Willson's musical classic in a staged concert version of 'The Music Man' April 22-27 at The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford, Connecticut