Playbill News

Sutton Foster performs live on NBC4-TV's Weekend Today Show in NY. The program airs at 9am EST - Check local listings.

It was with great dismay that I read a recent notice in the Los Angeles Times of layoffs amongst the theatre critic and arts coverage world at publications including the LA Weekly, Daily Variety and the L.A. Daily News...

Sutton Foster's debut CD 'Wish' has been confirmed for February 17th release on Ghostlight Records. The album features 15 songs culled from the worlds of jazz, pop, Broadway and cabaret, and highlights Foster's eclectic choices, ranging from Patty Griffin's 'Nobody's Cryin' to Duke Ellington's 'I Like the Sunrise'...from Frank Loesser's 'Warm All Over' to John Denver's 'Sunshine on My Shoulders

Reprise Theatre Company presents Brian Stokes Mitchell Sings Broadway, a program especially created for Reprise. It will have one performance only on Monday, May 11 at 8 pm, at UCLA's Freud Playhouse.

La Jolla Playhouse welcomes back Rick Elice, co-writer of the Tony Award-winning Jersey Boys, as the playwright of Peter and the Starcatchers. Alex Timbers and Roger Rees are set to direct with choreography by Kelly Devine and music by Wayne Barker. Peter and the Starcatchers will be playing at the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre at La Jolla Playhouse February 13 -March 8, 2009. Based on the best-selling novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, Peter and the Starcatchers dares to tell the real story of precisely how a desperate orphan in Victorian England became The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up. It's a tale that travels halfway round the world and straight up to the stars. It's a comedy that takes aim at social injustice. It's a romance of young heroes who risk everything for the sake of doing right. It's an expos? of extravagant villains possessed of a single-minded ferocity from which no good shall ever spring. In short, it's an awfully big adventure. La Jolla Playhouse will present Peter and the Starcatchers, a new play, as a part of its Page To Stage program, by special arrangement with Disney Theatrical Productions. Adam Green has been cast in the role of Peter. He has appeared in Off-Broadway productions such as Election Day, All This Intimacy and None of the Above. Molly will be played by Celia Keenan-Bolger who most recently appeared on Broadway in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, for which she earned a Tony Award nomination. She also appeared in Saved. Lost boy Prentiss will be played by Carson Elrod, who appeared in the La Jolla Playhouse production of Our Town. Elrod has also appeared on Broadway in Reckless and Noises Off. David Rossmer is cast as the ever - peckish lost boy Teddy. His Broadway credits include Fiddler on the Roof and Titanic. Christian Borle, who will be playing the ravenous Black Stache, received acclaim for his roles in Spamalot. He also received a 2007 Tony Award nomination for his role in the Broadway production of Legally Blonde. Andrew McGinn is set to play Slank. His New York credits include Coast of Utopia and The Invention of Love. Playing Lord Aster is John G. Preston, who recently appeared as Cameron Parker in the Off-Broadway production of Taboos. Greg Hildreth, playing the good hearted Alf, recently appeared in Dance Dance Revolution and Gentlemen of Verona. Teddy Bergman will be playing Fighting Prawn. His New York theater credits include Dance Dance Revolution and Nobody Likes the Mormons.

Canadian Stage Company Artistic Producer Martin Bragg announced today details regarding the 2009-2010 Season, marking his final season with the Company after 17 memorable years. The Company's 22nd subscription season kicks off in September and includes five plays at the Bluma Appel Theatre and three at the Berkeley Street Theatre. Rounding out the playbill is the annual CanStage TD Dream in High Park. Season subscriptions are available with 5-play packages starting from $90 and 8-play packages starting from $138. To subscribe, call 416-368-3110, visit canstage.com or purchase in-person from the Box Office at the Bluma Appel Theatre (27 Front Street East) or Berkeley Street Theatre (26 Berkeley Street).

Ghostlight Records is proud to announce that it will record the Cast Album of the critically acclaimed new musical NEXT TO NORMAL. Recording dates are set for February 11th and 12th in New York City, with a release date this spring to be announced soon. Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records President Kurt Deutsch and Grammy Award-winner Joel Moss will produce the album. NEXT TO NORMAL has been described as a contemporary musical that explores how one suburban household copes with crisis. With provocative lyrics and an electrifying score of more than 30 original songs, NEXT TO NORMAL shows how far two parents will go to keep themselves sane and their family's world intact.

Auditions are being held in NYC by Artistic Director Debra McWaters for BTP's intensive three-week musical theatre training program. Auditions are open calls and no appointments are necessary. The 2009 session takes place from July 12 - August 1. Master Classes at BTP have been taught in the past by such Broadway luminaries as Julie Andrews, Christopher d'Amboise, Rob Fisher, Terrence Mann, Austin Pendleton, Ben Vereen, Frank Wildhorn and Patrick Wilson, to name only a few. BTP alums have performed in over 65 shows on Broadway - complete list available upon request. Visit broadwaytheatreproject.com for more information.

Ghostlight Records is proud to announce that it will record the Cast Album of the critically acclaimed new musical NEXT TO NORMAL. Recording dates are set for February 11th and 12th in New York City, with a release date this spring to be announced soon. Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records President Kurt Deutsch and Grammy Award-winner Joel Moss will produce the album. NEXT TO NORMAL has been described as a contemporary musical that explores how one suburban household copes with crisis. With provocative lyrics and an electrifying score of more than 30 original songs, NEXT TO NORMAL shows how far two parents will go to keep themselves sane and their family's world intact.

Attention ticket stub collectors! The 92nd Street Y has a special deal for theater-going packrats. Bring in a Playbill or ticket stub from any Broadway or off-Broadway production and get a 50% discount for the upcoming Lyrics & LyricistsTM show, featuring host/artistic director DAVID ZIPPEL and an all-Broadway cast. This offer is good for performances on Sun, Feb 22 at 3 & 8 pm and Mon, Feb 23 at 2 & 8 pm. Full price tickets are $60 and $50; pay $30 or $25 with your Playbill or ticket stub. Tickets must be purchased in person at the 92nd Street Y Box Office at Lexington Ave. at 92nd Street. Patrons must bring their Playbill or ticket stub to the box office when they pick up their tickets. There is a maximum of four tickets per person. This offer is not available online or on the phone.

The New York Pops celebrates its 26th season with the arrival of new Music Director Steven Reineke. Combining Broadway and Hollywood, holidays and history, The Pops is a perennial crowd-pleaser that embraces 'American popular music in all its diversity' (Playbill). One of the many highlights is Emmy winner Wayne Brady, who joins The Pops in a tribute to two American icons: Sammy Davis Jr. and Sam Cooke. Series Events Fri, Oct 9, 2009 at 8 PM THE NEW YORK POPS Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage Steven Reineke, Music Director and Conductor Wayne Brady, Guest Artist The Emmy-winning comedian, singer and television personality stars in a tribute to two American icons.

Auditions are being held in NYC by Artistic Director Debra McWaters for BTP's intensive three-week musical theatre training program. Auditions are open calls and no appointments are necessary. The 2009 session takes place from July 12 - August 1. Master Classes at BTP have been taught in the past by such Broadway luminaries as Julie Andrews, Christopher d'Amboise, Rob Fisher, Terrence Mann, Austin Pendleton, Ben Vereen, Frank Wildhorn and Patrick Wilson, to name only a few. BTP alums have performed in over 65 shows on Broadway - complete list available upon request. Visit broadwaytheatreproject.com for more information.

La Jolla Playhouse welcomes back Rick Elice, co-writer of the Tony Award-winning Jersey Boys, as the playwright of Peter and the Starcatchers. Alex Timbers and Roger Rees are set to direct with choreography by Kelly Devine and music by Wayne Barker. Peter and the Starcatchers will be playing at the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre at La Jolla Playhouse February 13 -March 8, 2009. Based on the best-selling novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, Peter and the Starcatchers dares to tell the real story of precisely how a desperate orphan in Victorian England became The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up. It's a tale that travels halfway round the world and straight up to the stars. It's a comedy that takes aim at social injustice. It's a romance of young heroes who risk everything for the sake of doing right. It's an expos? of extravagant villains possessed of a single-minded ferocity from which no good shall ever spring. In short, it's an awfully big adventure. La Jolla Playhouse will present Peter and the Starcatchers, a new play, as a part of its Page To Stage program, by special arrangement with Disney Theatrical Productions. Adam Green has been cast in the role of Peter. He has appeared in Off-Broadway productions such as Election Day, All This Intimacy and None of the Above. Molly will be played by Celia Keenan-Bolger who most recently appeared on Broadway in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, for which she earned a Tony Award nomination. She also appeared in Saved. Lost boy Prentiss will be played by Carson Elrod, who appeared in the La Jolla Playhouse production of Our Town. Elrod has also appeared on Broadway in Reckless and Noises Off. David Rossmer is cast as the ever - peckish lost boy Teddy. His Broadway credits include Fiddler on the Roof and Titanic. Christian Borle, who will be playing the ravenous Black Stache, received acclaim for his roles in Spamalot. He also received a 2007 Tony Award nomination for his role in the Broadway production of Legally Blonde. Andrew McGinn is set to play Slank. His New York credits include Coast of Utopia and The Invention of Love. Playing Lord Aster is John G. Preston, who recently appeared as Cameron Parker in the Off-Broadway production of Taboos. Greg Hildreth, playing the good hearted Alf, recently appeared in Dance Dance Revolution and Gentlemen of Verona. Teddy Bergman will be playing Fighting Prawn. His New York theater credits include Dance Dance Revolution and Nobody Likes the Mormons.

In addition to airing weekly on Thirteen and (5 times weekly) on CUNY TV, Theater Talk is also now telecast on NJN every Thursday at 11:30 PM. NJN is available to all Digital TV viewers in the NYC area. Check your local listings! New This Week... Friday, January 23rd on Thirteen 1:00 AM (Saturday morning) Christopher Plummer and John Simon The master actor joins us to discuss his fascinating memoir In Spite of Myself. Also on board to assess Plummer's critically-acclaimed autobiography, is critic John Simon of Bloomberg News. (Reairing on CUNY TV, Channel 75 on Saturday, January 31 at 8:30 PM, Sunday, February 1 at 12:30 PM and Monday, February 2 at 7:30 AM, 1:30 PM, and 7:30 PM.) Also telecast on Thursday at 11:30 PM on NJN. Coming Up... Friday, January 30th on Thirteen 1:00 AM (Saturday morning) Spring Preview A look ahead at Broadway's spring season with reporters Jesse Green of New York Magazine and Patrick Pacheco of On-Stage, as well as the infamous columnist and commentator, Michael Musto of the Village Voice. (Reairing on CUNY TV, Channel 75 on Saturday, February 7 at 8:30 PM, Sunday, February 8 at 12:30 PM, and Monday, February 9 at 7:30 AM, 1:30 PM, and 7:30 PM.)

The producers of Blithe Spirit are looking for a real-life psychic or medium to work closely with the cast of the upcoming Broadway show to guarantee that each performance is every bit as genuine as possible. Auditions were held on Thursday, January 22, 2009 at Sardi's (234 West 44th Street), across the street from The Shubert Theatre, where Blithe Spirit will be beginning performances on Thursday, February 26, 2009. The official opening of the show is on Sunday, March 15, 2009. The producers are seeking real-life mediums or actors who are also mediums to prepare a two-minute audition to conjure the spirit of Noel Coward or to display any psychic abilities. This psychic or medium chosen will receive full credit as the show's official consultant in the show's Playbill. Psychics and mediums came from all around the globe in the search for the best fit for Blithe Spirit. Among those who auditioned were a psychic sexologist, a psychic who has been featured in Time Out New York as one of the best in the city, a medium who has worked closely with the FBI to help solve murder cases, and many others that have experience conjuring deceased performers and politicians.

In addition to airing weekly on Thirteen and (5 times weekly) on CUNY TV, Theater Talk is also now telecast on NJN every Thursday at 11:30 PM. NJN is available to all Digital TV viewers in the NYC area. Check your local listings! New This Week... Friday, January 23rd on Thirteen 1:00 AM (Saturday morning) Christopher Plummer and John Simon The master actor joins us to discuss his fascinating memoir In Spite of Myself. Also on board to assess Plummer's critically-acclaimed autobiography, is critic John Simon of Bloomberg News. (Reairing on CUNY TV, Channel 75 on Saturday, January 31 at 8:30 PM, Sunday, February 1 at 12:30 PM and Monday, February 2 at 7:30 AM, 1:30 PM, and 7:30 PM.) Also telecast on Thursday at 11:30 PM on NJN. Coming Up... Friday, January 30th on Thirteen 1:00 AM (Saturday morning) Spring Preview A look ahead at Broadway's spring season with reporters Jesse Green of New York Magazine and Patrick Pacheco of On-Stage, as well as the infamous columnist and commentator, Michael Musto of the Village Voice. (Reairing on CUNY TV, Channel 75 on Saturday, February 7 at 8:30 PM, Sunday, February 8 at 12:30 PM, and Monday, February 9 at 7:30 AM, 1:30 PM, and 7:30 PM.)

On Wednesday, Jan 14th following the 8 pm performance of IN THE HEIGHTS - Ghostlight Records and ITH hosted a 'Grammy Night' Talkback. 100 Grammy University students as well as the Grammy board came to see the show and talk with the Tony winning creative team. The IN THE HEIGHTS album is nominated this year in the Best Musical Show Album. Tony winner Lin-Manuel Miranda lead the talk along with Alex Lacaimore and Bill Sherman, also Tony winners for their work on the show. IN THE HEIGHTS opened to critical acclaim, going on to win four 2008 Tony Awards (Best Musical, Best Score, Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations), and garnering a 2008 Grammy Award nomination for the original cast album. In November, 2008, Universal Pictures acquired the rights to produce a feature film based on IN THE HEIGHTS. The news of a 2009 GRAMMY Nomination for Best Musical Show Album, for their double-CD release of 'In The Heights' (already a Tony Award Winner for Best Musical and Best Score,) capped a dominant year for Ghostlight Records.

The producers of Blithe Spirit are looking for a real-life psychic or medium to work closely with the cast of the upcoming Broadway show to guarantee that each performance is every bit as genuine as possible.

On Wednesday, January 14th, IN THE HEIGHTS and GHOSTLIGHT RECORDS will host a TALKBACK event for GRAMMY UNIVERSITY Students. The evening begins with an 8pm performance of the Tony Award Winning 'In The Heights' at the Richard Rodgers Theatre.

The Stratford Shakespeare Festival 2009 season ? a playbill reflecting the Festival's commitment to producing the works of William Shakespeare and his contemporaries, along with other classical theatre repertoire and the work of living playwrights is now offering tickets to the public.