Playbill News

Yesterday's photos featured the national tour of EVITA's leading lady, Caroline Bowman, preparing for the Casa Rosada, and Allison Luff of the WICKED national tour doing a little light reading; plus additional shots from THE JUNGLE BOOK, the ANNA NICOLE Opera's final SIP, LES MISERABLES, CATS, and more!

Despite a torrential rainstorm midway through the performance, the 4th Annual Broadway Under the Stars played to an SRO crowd in an elegant tent on the historic Tewksbury, New Jersey property of Cherie King, The Development Wing and her husband composer, lyricist and book writer, Jonathan Brielle, Artistic Director of The Development Wing and Vice President, The Johnny Mercer Foundation. Scroll down for photos from the festivities!

I wanted to read Kafka's Metamorphosis before attending the Royal Ballet's production bearing the same name. But my own Kafkesque world intervened, so I never had the chance to follow Gregor and his transformation from human being to bug. I can only judge the production on its own merits, and not compare it to the book which, I think, is only fair.

It's Saturday, and that means it's time for BroadwayWorld's 'Saturday Intermission Pics' round-up. Today's photos come from the casts of Goodspeed's THE MOST HAPPY FELLA baring it all, THE JUNGLE BOOK at Huntington, NEWSIES, KINKY BOOTS showcasing its wares for the Broadway Flea Market, MOTOWN, CHICAGO, TOP HAT in the West End, THE WIZARD OF OZ on tour, CATS in Toronto, HONEYMOON IN VEGAS prepping at Paper Mill, SOUL DOCTOR, SECONDHAND LIONS at 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, THE FANTASTICKS and more!

A rare combination of unprecedented originality and blinding talent, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE boldly addresses a great unspoken desire in all of our hearts: to be entertained. If you've ever sat in a dark theatre and thought, 'Dear Lord in heaven, please let it be good,' this is the show for you!

The award-winning Equity professional East Lynne Theater Company continues to offer savings to its patrons, and many theater lovers take advantage of these various discounts regularly.

THE FANTASTICKS, the world's longest running musical, will celebrate a record breaking 20,000th New York performance, today, September 15, 2013, announced producers Catherine Russell and Al Parinello.

Beginning with the 2013-14 season, the New York Philharmonic's Insights Series - in which artists and experts will explore some of the season's themes and concerts - will now be free, and take place at the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center. This season's events will include discussions with Concertmaster Glenn Dicterow during his farewell season (October 23); composer-conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen and violinist Leila Josefowicz (October 28), who will discuss Mr. Salonen's Violin Concerto, written for Ms. Josefowicz (which they will perform with the Philharmonic in its New York Concert Premiere, October 30-November 5); Music Director Alan Gilbert and Executive Director Matthew VanBesien on the state of the Philharmonic (March 3, 2014); The Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence Yefim Bronfman (May 20, 2014), who will talk about Beethoven's piano concertos (which he will perform during The Beethoven Piano Concertos: A Philharmonic Festival, June 11-28, 2014); and discussions relating to the NY PHIL BIENNIAL, the details of which will be announced at a later date.

THE FANTASTICKS, the world's longest running musical, will celebrate a record breaking 20,000th New York performance, on Sunday, September 15, 2013, announced producers Catherine Russell and Al Parinello. The milestone will mark the first time a production (on Broadway or Off-Broadway) has ever reached 20,000 performances and will be commemorated in a month long celebration that includes performing at Broadway in Bryant Park and Little Italy, and with The Museum of The City of New York's future cyber gallery highlighting the history of the production. Below, BroadwayWorld brings you highlights of the current cast in action!

Broadway Palm has announced that they have entertained their three-millionth customer! The theatre opened its doors in October of 1993 and annual attendance has grown to more than 170,000.

Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol by Tom Mula will be presented by Marin Theatre Company, directed by Jon Tracy (It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play) and featuring Khris Lewin (A Steady Rain), Rami Margron (debut), Nicholas Pelczar (The Whipping Man) and Stacy Ross (God of Carnage), November 21 - December 15, 2013.

Broadway Palm has announced that they are expecting to reach their 3,000,000th customer later this week. The theatre opened its doors in October of 1993 and annual attendance has grown to more than 170,000.

The stage musical of TARZAN may be Disney's biggest Broadway flop. The company reportedly sunk anywhere between $12 million to $15 million into the overinflated musical. The problem that may reviewers and audiences had with the show was that the often-repeated stunning visuals ceased to be astounding after about the first 10 minutes of the production. When I saw that the Pearland Theatre Guild was producing the musical, I initially thought that the community theater group must have been completely out of their minds to program such an ambitious and notoriously unsuccessful musical. With the allure of the macabre, I was drawn to the production thinking I'd see a train crash into a sinking ship. To my surprise, the Houston premiere production was rather buoyant and wholly entertaining.

How do you follow-up the massive success of Friday night's Hollywood Bowl concert, which included a now-viral moment (620,000 views and counting) of singing with a very lucky audience member? If you're mega-star and BroadwayWorld.com fave Kristin Chenoweth, you do it all over again!

The Off Broadway Alliance will again sponsor 20at20, the bi-annual celebration of Off Broadway. The popular promotion, which begins September 3rd and continues through September 22nd, makes $20 tickets for 39 Off Broadway plays and musicals available to theatre-goers twenty minutes prior to curtain. Now in its 7th year, 20at20 has become one of New York's most eagerly-anticipated promotions for budget-conscious theatre-goers.

Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino has announced the 2014 season, in which, through the prism of a dozen plays, the Stratford Festival will explore the theme of Madness: Minds Pushed to the Edge.

Today we are talking a phenomenally talented performer known for his decades treading the boards in a number of featured and lead roles, most recently wowing crowds with his turn as one of the title characters in THE GERSHWINS' PORGY & BESS - the engaging and golden-voiced Norm Lewis. Discussing many of his most celebrated roles as well as some more obscure, Lewis paints a vivid picture of his career trajectory thus far and shares compelling and candid stories of working on productions as varied and diverse as the original Broadway versions of THE WHO'S TOMMY, SIDE SHOW, THE WILD PARTY, AMOUR, THE LITTLE MERMAID and SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM as well as his sensational work regionally in projects such as his recent essaying of Javert in LES MISERABLES at The Muny (to say nothing of the 25th Anniversary live at the 02) as well as turns in SWEENEY TODD and THE WIZARD & I: THE MUSIC OF STEPHEN SCHWARTZ among many others. Additionally, Lewis sheds some light on his recent onscreen work, clueing us in on how he became involved with hit nighttime soap SCANDAL and how he enjoyeds working with co-stars Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn on it - and if we will possibly see him in Season Three, perhaps. Plus, Lewis opens up about his upcoming solo gigs and performing plans - including first news on his starring part in the upcoming Public Theater musical version of THE TEMPEST - as well as touches upon a host of topics ranging from his appearances at spectacular special events - DREAMGIRLS: IN CONCERT, HAIR: IN CONCERT, TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA in the Park - to his appearance in SEX & THE CITY 2 (opposite Liza Minnelli) to recording studio work, dream projects, future goals, favorite workshop/reading experiences and much, much more!

Nunsense, by Dan Goggin, playing at the John W. Engeman Theatre of Northport, is certainly a treat. It was never on Broadway per se', but has lead a very successful almost three decade life off-Broadway and at local theatres. Running through September 8th at the stunning Long Island venue, this production is all about fun.

Fueled by love, anger, hope and pride, a circle of friends struggles to contain a mysterious disease ravaging New York's gay community. Simon Levy directs the exclusive Los Angeles revival of Larry Kramer's groundbreaking drama about public and private indifference to the onset of the AIDS crisis, and one man's fight to awaken the world to its urgency. The Normal Heart opens Sept. 21 at the Fountain Theatre.

Yesterday's photos included shots from PIPPIN, Broadway's MATILDA, the national tour of THE BOOK OF MORMON, FOOTLOOSE, and the final SIP from the 25th Anniversary National Tour of LES MISERABLES. Plus, photos from freeFall Theater's SPRING AWAKENING, featuring Rachel Potter and Chase Peacock, Ogunquit's JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT and more!