Queens Theatre News

Currently in the midst of its critically acclaimed second full season, fast-rising Titan Theatre Company has just been named a 2014 recipient of the Queen Arts Fund Grant, under the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. The announcement was made on Wednesday January 29, 2014. The grant has been designated towards organizational support for Titan Theatre's upcoming production of King Lear starring Broadway veteran Terry Layman (Broadway's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Twelve Angry Men) in the title role. The production will April 25 - May 11 at the Queens Theatre. A full list of grant recipients can be found on the Queens Council on the Arts website here (http://queenscouncilarts.org/2014-queens-arts-fund-recipients/).

Broadway's golden age of musical theatre wouldn't be what it is today without the incredibly talented Jewish composers and lyricists of the 20th century. Together they created an enduring legacy that is enjoyed by millions of people across the world every year. Despite its name, The Jewish Legacy is a show for everyone that takes you from the very beginnings of musical theatre, just over a century ago, to some of the most up-to-date and intriguing musical theatre being written today. The stories that have been told and the people who have been part of this journey come together for this amazing night, with a few amusing anecdotes along the way, to celebrate such unforgettably famous shows as West Side Story, Funny Girl, Fiddler On The Roof, The Wizard Of Oz and South Pacific with classics including My Funny Valentine, Over the Rainbow, Tonight, There's No Business Like Show Business and Wouldn't It Be Loverly?.

59E59 Theaters is thrilled to announce that the Little Opera Theatre of NY returns with Rossini's comic opera OPPORTUNITY MAKES THE THIEF (L'OCCASIONE FA IL LADRO OSSIA IL CAMBIO DELLA VALIGIA).

FRIGID New York presents A Hard Sparks production: CHICKEN-FRIED CICCONE: A TWANGY TRUE TALE OF TRANSFORMATION, written and performed by J.Stephen Brantley and directed by David Drake. The show will run February 20th - March 3rd, 2014.

The award-winning Vital Theatre Company has announce the World Premiere of PEACE, LOVE, AND CUPCAKES THE MUSICAL with Book, Music and Lyrics by Rick Hip-Flores, directed by Jennifer Curfman and based on the popular chapter book, PEACE, LOVE, AND CUPCAKES: THE CUPCAKE CLUB written by Sheryl Berk and her 11-year-old daughter Carrie Berk. The production opens at Vital Theatre on 76th Street on Saturday, March 15th at 7:00 pm. Performances continue Fridays and Saturdays at 7:00 pm through April 27th, 2014. All tickets are $30.00. For tickets and information, please visit vitaltheatre.org, peaceloveandcupcakesthemusical.com or call (212) 579-0528. Vital Theatre is located at 2162 Broadway, 4th Floor, New York, NY (at West 76th Street and Broadway) on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

Joining the previously announced Reece Shearsmith as biology teacher Mr Stuart are Ashleigh Gray as Stephanie, Aaron Sidwell as Michael, Hannah Levane as Paulette and Niall Sheehy as Johnny.

The Inca Rose Duo, a pair of musicians who use music to develop cross-cultural understanding between the Americas, will perform traditional South American music at Valencia College on Feb. 11.

Queens Theatre (QT), in conjunction with the acclaimed Aquila Theatre, presents William Shakespeare's TWELFTH NIGHT, an innovative and exciting new production directed by Aquila Theatre Artistic Director, Desiree Sanchez (BAM's Herakles). TWELFTH NIGHT will play 4 performances only at Queens Theatre (14 United Nations Avenue South, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, NY 11368). Performances are Friday, February 14, 2014 at 2pm, Saturday, February 15, 2014 at 2pm and 8pm, and Sunday, February 16, 2014 at 3pm. Tickets are $42 for Friday?s performance and $49 for Saturday and Sunday performances; Rear seating $25 (for all performances). Tickets are available online at www.queenstheatre.org/shakespeares-twelfth-night or by calling the Box Office at 718-760-0064. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the Queens Theatre Box Office, Monday 10am to 2pm, Wednesday through Sunday 10am to 6pm. (Senior discount available, $20 student rush tickets available day of).

'Blind Angels' by Dick Brukenfeld is a nail-biting drama in which a news reporter (inspired by Daniel Pearl) is taken prisoner by a group of cosmopolitan, integrated, successful, secular Muslims who are embarking on a terrorist attack. The twist is, he has long relationships with two of his three 'hosts'--one is his ex-fiancee and the other was his college roommate. They are playing an endgame scenario that dwarfs what any small fry terrorist has tried before and they need him to tell their story. Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave., will present the play's world premiere run February 6 to March 2, directed by Melissa Attebery.

According to his official website, Alfie Boe has postponed his upcoming US Tour. A just-released statement reads: 'Regrettably we have to announce that the Alfie Boe Winter US Tour is being cancelled for now. We hope to reschedule and will announce as soon as we are able. Alfie is really sorry to disappoint his US fans, but we are hopeful we will be putting another tour in place in the not too distant future.'

Jemma Redgrave will play 'Lady Driver', Jason Durr will play 'Quine' and Jamie Glover will play 'Headingley' whenMichael Frayn's classic comedy, Donkeys' Years comes to Rose Theatre Kingston in 2014. This sparkling revival, which will open on the 6 February, will be directed by Lisa Spirling, making a return to the Rose following her acclaimed production of Michael Frayn's Here in 2012.

Samantha Bond (Passion Play, Amy's View, Downton Abbey, Outnumbered) plays Muriel Eubanks, a glamorous divorcee looking for love in Beaumont-sur-Mer on the French Riviera and John Marquez (Privates On Parade, The Taming of the Shrew, Doc Martin) plays Andre Thibault, Beaumont-sur-Mer's Chief of Police.

Marc Elliot, playing Mr. McQueen, joins the previously announced Richard Fleeshman as Bobby Strong, Jenna Russell as Penelope Pennywise and Jonathan Slinger as Officer Lockstock in the multi Tony Award-winning URINETOWN The Musical, directed by Jamie Lloyd (Macbeth, The Hothouse, The Pride) at the St James Theatre.

After a hard-fought contest, The Book of Mormon is 2013's BWW:UK Award winner for Best New Musical! Mormon and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory split the bulk of the awards for musical theatre between them - with The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time mirroring its success at this year's Oliviers.

Queens Theatre (QT) presents ArtsPower's THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD EARNS HER WHISTLE. Adapted for the stage by playwright and lyricist Greg Gunning and composer Richard DeRosa, it's a story about finding strength from within and always believing that anything is possible, a theme that can always be found in these beloved books. THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD EARNS HER WHISTLE will be at Queens Theatre (14 United Nations Avenue South, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, NY 11368) today, November 24th at 1pm and 3pm.

Theatre 167 has been awarded a grant from The Arch & Bruce Brown Foundation to support their current production of PIRIRA. Founded in 1994 by the late playwright/filmmaker Arch Brown in memory of his life partner of 28 years, Bruce Allen Brown, the Arch & Bruce Brown Foundation honors outstanding plays and fiction dealing with LGBT history or placing lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender characters in historical settings.

Queens Theatre (QT) presents ArtsPower's THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD EARNS HER WHISTLE. Adapted for the stage by playwright and lyricist Greg Gunning and composer Richard DeRosa, it's a story about finding strength from within and always believing that anything is possible, a theme that can always be found in these beloved books. THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD EARNS HER WHISTLE will be at Queens Theatre (14 United Nations Avenue South, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, NY 11368) on November 24th at 1pm and 3pm.

Pan American Musical Art Research (PAMAR), founded and directed by Polly Ferman (and this year celebrating its 30th Anniversary!) has announced the 8th annual Latin American Cultural Week, a sumptuous list of events showing the rich culture of Latin America, with music, dance and theater performances, films, visual arts, and auctions, today, November 15-24 all around town, including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and the Apollo Theater in NYC, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Queens Theater, with a couple of trips to the Ritz Theater in Elizabeth NJ and Symphony Hall in Newark NJ.

Queens Theatre (QT), in conjunction with two-time Drama Desk Nominee Parallel Exit, presents EXIT STAGE LEFT, a rollicking speed-of-light comedy. EXIT STAGE LEFT will play six performances only at Queens Theatre (14 United Nations Avenue South, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, NY 11368). Performances are December 27th through December 29th at 2pm and 7pm. Tickets are $25 and a Family 4-pack $80 (use code FAM4 at checkout) are available online at www.queenstheatre.org/exit-stage-left or by calling 718-760-0064. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the Queens Theatre Box Office, Mondays from 10am to 2pm, Wednesdays through Sundays from 10am to 6pm. (Senior discount available, $20 student rush tickets available day of).

Broadway actress, writer and filmmaker Christine Toy Johnson performs for one night only at Stage 72 (formerly the Triad) tonight, November 11, 2013 at 7:00pm as the final artist in Motown The Musical director Charles Randolph-Wright's 'Three Voices' concert series, which has also featured Nita Whitaker and Dodie Pettit.