Playbill News

Completing its 30th Anniversary Season, Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director; Ellen Richard, Executive Director) will present EVERYDAY RAPTURE, written by Dick Scanlan (Tony nominee for Thoroughly Modern Millie) and Sherie Rene Scott (Tony nominee for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), with musical supervision by Tom Kitt (Next to Normal, High Fidelity), directed by Michael Mayer (Tony Award winner for Spring Awakening).

Gay Marshall, last seen in the Off-Broadway revival of 'Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris' makes her Metropolitan Room debut tonight, Oct. 4th with a new show featuring the songs made famous by the legendary Edith Piaf. The Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd Street, New York's most talked-about intimate concert venue, celebrated its second anniversary in May 2008.

Although I hadn't read any of the first wave of reviews, by the time I was seated for my post-opening night press performance at the Hirschfeld it was pretty much common knowledge to the entire Broadway community that the new (and from the looks of her Playbill bio, the only) creation from bookwriter/composer/lyricist Jill Santoriello brought out gobs of that legendary New York theatre critic acid wit among the great majority of my colleagues.

Ghostlight Records confirms the 9/30 digital release of the Original Broadway Cast Album of '13, A New Musical'. This will be a rare instance where the cast album is recorded and released before performances have officially begun. The physical CD will be available for purchase at The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre in the weeks ahead, as well as via the Ghostlight website.

The Actors Fund is proud to announce a Special Benefit Performance of the Tony® Award winning revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific on Sunday, September 21st, 8 pm. The evening stars the original cast and is made possible by special arrangement with Lincoln Center Theater. Complimentary membership tickets can not be used for this performance.

TimesTalks will present 'Broadway Divas as Gay Icons featuring Patti LuPone' on Monday, Nov 03, 2008 6:30 PM EST at TimesCenter Stage.

The popular series THEATER TALK returns the first week in October for a new season of lively and entertaining interviews relating to the world of the stage and particularly the 2008-09 theater season in New York. Viewers may see it on public television (see list at end of release) or online at www.cuny.tv/series/theatertalk.

Lincoln Center announced today an exciting series of artistic and educational events and initiatives to celebrate its forthcoming 50th anniversary, officially beginning with a ceremony to commemorate the institution's original groundbreaking in 1959 and ending with a campus-wide open house. The anniversary celebration coincides with the physical transformation of Lincoln Center, designed to make the campus a more open, accessible and vibrant urban destination. Ribbon cuttings will be held throughout the year as redevelopment projects are completed.

The Covina Center for the Performing Arts' Artistic General Director Patrick Copeland and Artistic Producing Director Phil Miller are proud to announce that Brady Schwind, Artistic Director at The Neighborhood Playhouse in Palos Verdes, will direct CCPA's upcoming production of The Light in the Piazza in its Los Angeles Regional Premiere.

The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts in Worcester launches its first full season on Saturday, September 20th, with a bona fide Broadway Baby, Tony Award-winner Betty Buckley in concert with her quartet. Headed by long-time collaborator, renowned jazz pianist Kenny Werner, they will be joined by Tony Marino on bass, Billy Drewes on reeds, and drummer Anthony Pinciotti in a program featuring selections from Ms. Buckley's two recent CD releases, as well as songs she is known for from the Great White Way. The Hanover's 2008-2009 calendar will feature touring productions of Movin' Out, Cats, Annie, and Chicago, as well as an eclectic mix of music, comedy, dance, and special attractions for the whole family.

Clay Aiken, who will be making his anticipated return to Monty Python's SPAMALOT on Friday, September 19, has offered members of his fan club the chance to write his official Playbill biography. This marks the first time a Broadway actor has held a contest allowing fans to write their official Playbill biography through their official fan website.

The American Theatre Wing's 63rd Annual Antoinette Perry 'Tony' Awards will be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 7, 2009 (8:00-11:00 p.m., live EST) on the CBS Television Network. The awards honor theatre professional and distinguished achievement on Broadway. The cut-off for nomination eligibility on the 2008-2009 Broadway Season will be April 30, 2009.

Sh-K-Boom Records has announced that on September 9th they will be releasing the World Premiere Recording of Michael John LaChiusa's Little Fish, featuring Alice Ripley, Greg Jbara, Chad Kimball, Brooke Tansley and Robert Torti.

Award-winning actors Philip Seymour Hoffman, John Lithgow and other celebrities will offer one-of-a-kind entertainment experiences in a silent auction to benefit Westport Country Playhouse (Joanne Woodward and Anne Keefe, artistic directors, Jodi Schoenbrun Carter, managing director), at the historic Westport, Connecticut theatre's annual fundraising gala on Monday, September 15. In addition to celebrity auction items, there will be sports, vacation, fashion and jewelry auction packages. Full details of all silent auction items are available at www.westportplayhouse.org

Disney Editions announced today that they will release an updated edition of How Does the Show Go On?, Broadway producer Thomas Schumacher's introduction to the theater for young people.

For two weeks only, Off-Broadway will offer tickets for only $20 twenty minutes before show time. '20at20' is now a bi-annual celebration of NY's best shows, in the tradition of Restaurant Week!

Ghostlight Records is proud to confirm plans to record the Original Broadway Cast Album of '13, A New Musical'. The recording will be released digitally as of 9/30, and will be available for purchase at The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre soon thereafter.

Producers of a homegrown musical version of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice want to engage the local community in its journey to Broadway with an exclusive local 'first look' on Tuesday, October 21, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. in the upstate city's historic Eastman Theatre.

The Stratford Shakespeare Festival announces its 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.

The Actors Fund is proud to announce a Special Benefit Performance of the Tony® Award winning revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific on Sunday, September 21st, 8 pm. The evening stars the original cast and is made possible by special arrangement with Lincoln Center Theater. Complimentary membership tickets can not be used for this performance.