Philip Wm. McKinley News

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director), in association with Robert D. Wachs (producer of the hit films Beverly Hills Cop, Beverly Hills Cop 2, Coming to America), presents the developmental lab production of the new disco musical, Last Dance, featuring songs by the legendary Academy, Emmy and Grammy Award-winning pop master Paul Jabara (Enough is Enough, It's Raining Men, Last Dance, and more) with book by Shaun McKenna (Lord of the Rings, The Musical). Under the direction of Philip Wm. McKinley (SPIDERMAN Turn Off the Dark, The Boy from Oz), and with choreography by Carol Schuberg (Meet Me in St. Louis) and musical direction by Wendy Cavett (Mamma Mia!), the five-member cast also features Katrina Lenk (SPIDER-MAN Turn Off the Dark), Anastacia McClesky (Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) EmmyAward nominee Rob Morrow ("Northern Exposure," "Numb3rs"), Jack Noseworthy (Jerome Robbins' Broadway) and Jill Shackner (Les Miserables). Last Dance will play 5 performances only, September 20 - 23, 2012 at at The York Theatre at Saint Peter's (Citicorp Building, entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue). BroadwayWorld brings you photos from the first rehearsal below!

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director), in association with Robert D. Wachs has announced final casting with the addition of Katrina Lenk (SPIDER-MAN Turn Off the Dark) and Anastacia McClesky (Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) to the cast of the developmental lab of the new disco musical, Last Dance, featuring songs by the legendary Academy, Emmy and Grammy Award-winning pop master Paul Jabara (Enough is Enough, It's Raining Men, Last Dance, and more) with book by Shaun McKenna (Lord of the Rings, The Musical).

The York Theatre Company, in association with Robert D. Wachs, has announced the addition of Emmy-Award nominee Rob Morrow ("Northern Exposure," "Number3s") to the cast of the lab workshop of the new disco musical, Last Dance, featuring the music of legendary pop master Paul Jabara.

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director), in association with Robert D. Wachs (producer of the hit films Beverly Hills Cop, Beverly Hills Cop 2, Coming to America), will mount a lab workshop of the new disco "revue-sical," Last Dance featuring the music of legendary pop master Paul Jabara (Enough is Enough, It's Raining Men, Last Dance, and more) with book by Shaun McKenna (Lord of the Rings, The Musical). Last Dance will play 5 performances, September 20 - 23, 2012 at at The York Theatre at Saint Peter's (Citicorp Building, entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue).

The producers of the musical SPIDER-MAN Turn Off the Dark today filed an answer and countersuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Tuesday against Julie Taymor and her company, LOH, Inc. The producers' answer responds to the complaint that Taymor and LOH filed on November 8, 2011, in which they assert that the current version of the musical infringes Taymor's alleged copyrights and also raise certain contractual and state law claims, including a claim seeking to bar the producers from bringing SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark to non-Broadway venues.

The award-winning York Theatre Company just honored Tony and Grammy Award winner Barbara Cook with the 20th Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre on Monday, November 21st, 2011 at the Edison Ballroom.

The award-winning York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director) will honor Tony and Grammy Award winner Barbara Cook with the 20th Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre on Monday, November 21st, 2011 at the Edison Ballroom.

You know the old saying, usually reserved for Oscar-nominated films whose directors are not likewise honored:  'Did this film direct itself?'

The hits just keep on coming for SPIDER-MAN, but some help is on the way to the show. The New York Times is reporting and we've confirmed that the show has officially brought on Paul Bogaev, a multi-award winning music director-producer, arranger and composer to work on improving the show's many sound issues, including to 'help improve the performance, vocal and orchestration arrangements, and sound quality of the songs and numbers'. Word has also been coming from multiple sources that it's expected that the production will officially announce another delay later in the week (it's sixth) that might push the official opening as far forward as AFTER this year's Tony Awards. The Times is also reporting that 'Bono and Edge are writing new music for 'Spider-Man' now, but Mr. Miramontez said that Mr. Bogaev's role was far greater than adding that music once it is ready. No significant additions have been made to the score so far.'

It's Roger Friedman at Showbiz411 vs. Michael Riedel at the New York Post today. Friedman writes that 'I spoke to Julie Taymor this morning. She was working on some changes with her own co-writer, Glenn Berger. She told me she's had lots of input about changes from friends and colleagues. 'No one has been hired or is being hired,' Taymor said. 'The director they mentioned is a friend of Michael Cohl's. I'm sure he asked his opinion. When a show's in previews, everyone gives their opinion. Try this, that. And the other guy, I've never even heard of him.'

Lahr writes 'Taymor has a dynamic, painterly sense of space; she can marshal all the sensual elements of movement, light, and perspective into amazing stage pictures. (Two minutes after the show had ended, I couldn't recall a line of dialogue, a song lyric, or a melody, but I do remember any number of the show's images.) Before our eyes, for instance, the New York sky line is tipped ninety degrees, so that what begins at street level ends up a bird's-eye view, with buglike yellow cabs skittering below; in another scene, the spider chorines dance before us, with their eight syncopated limbs. In these moments-and there are plenty of them-the audience finds itself exactly where Taymor wants it to be: in a waking dream. The technicians of wonder are the real stars of 'Spider-Man': George Tsypin and his ravishing angular cityscape, with its monumental Cubist and Constructivist touches; Kyle Cooper and his ingenious projection design; Eiko Ishioka and her witty, beautifully made costumes (I loved Swarm, a one-man killer-bee hive, and the Green Goblin's scaly carapace). The stagecraft is about as good as it gets: all 'Spider-Man' needs now is a new book and new songs. Call me, Mister Mercury, this show will never be frozen.'

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Michael Riedel reported this morning in the New York Post that SPIDER-MAN producers had reached out to Philip Wm. McKinley to potentially join the production as co-director along with Julie Taymor. In response, a production spokesperson for SPIDER-MAN has issued a statement that 'There is no truth to the rumor of a co-director. The production has not brought anyone on and the original creative team remains firmly in place, with Julie Taymor at the helm.'

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.

On Friday February 26th and Saturday February 27th, Melanie Hopkins and Rob Shapiro present HE WHO LAUGHS LIVE, an evening of scenes and stories from Isaac Oliver's blog which chronicles his life as a gay playwright in New York, 'fighting off causticity daily, clinging to compassion and turns of phrase,' not to mention lots and lots of coffee.

The award-winning York Theatre Company ended its limited engagement of THE TIMES on January 17, 2010. The production was presented as part of the York's New2NY series.

The award-winning York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director) announces an upcoming weekend of performances of the new musical, The Times.

The award-winning York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director) announces further casting of an upcoming weekend of concert performances of the new musical, The Times.

The award-winning York Theatre Company has announced further casting of an upcoming weekend of concert performances of the new musical, The Times. This extremely limited engagement of five performances will be presented as part of the York's New2NY series (which stages new musical works in concert style with 'book-in-hand' and minimal props and costumes) from January 15th through January 17th, 2010.

The award-winning York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director) announces an upcoming weekend of performances of the new musical, The Times.