Richard Eyre News

The Met's popular free Summer HD Festival returns for the third year beginning on Saturday, August 27 in Lincoln Center Plaza with Donizetti's Don Pasquale starring Anna Netrebko, conducted by Maestro James Levine.

Last night at the 10th annual Helpmann Awards celebrating excellence in the performing arts, Australia's equivalent of the Tony® Awards, MARY POPPINS set a new Helpmann record, winning eight awards, including Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical for Richard Eyre and Matthew Bourne and Best Choreography in a Musical for Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear. Additional winners were Verity Hunt-Ballard for Best Female Actor in a Musical; Matt Lee for Best Actor in a Musical; Philip Quast for Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical; Stephen Brooker and Michael Tyack for Best Music Direction; Peter Grubb for Best Sound Design.

The 2011 Helpmann Awards® Ceremony was held earleir today. Monday 1 August at Opera Theatre, Sydney Opera House, hosted by Jonathan Biggins will Host the Awards Ceremony.

Cadillac Broadway in San Antonio and producers Thomas Schumacher of Disney Theatrical Productions and Cameron Mackintosh announced today that tickets for the long-awaited production of MARY POPPINS will go on sale to the public at 10 a.m., Friday, July 15.

Based on the popular children's book series by P.L. Travers that Disney shaped into an even more renowned movie musical, the stage iteration's current touring company has temporarily taken up residence at the Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts in Orange County for an extended four-week limited engagement through August 7. Joyfully engaging but oddly peculiar, this stage version of MARY POPPINS--which weaves peppy elements from the much-beloved Disney movie with less-bouyant passages from Travers' darker, moodier books--is easily likable, but can be challenging to really love.

Olivier Award winner Laura Michelle Kelly, The West End's original MARY POPPINS, returns to the Broadway company on Tuesday, July 19 (8pm) at the New Amsterdam Theatre. She re-joins Tony Award nominee Gavin Lee, who originated the role of Bert in the West End and on Broadway.

The Orange County premiere of MARY POPPINS opens tonight, Friday, July 15 at 7:30 p.m. at Segerstrom Center for the Arts for a limited engagement of four weeks through Sunday, August 7.

The Orange County premiere of MARY POPPINS opens tonight, Friday, July 15 at 7:30 p.m. at Segerstrom Center for the Arts for a limited engagement of four weeks through Sunday, August 7.

The Orange County Performing Arts Center and producers Cameron Mackintosh and Thomas Schumacher announced today that the award-winning musical MARY POPPINS will begin performances at Segerstrom Hall in Costa Mesa on Thursday, July 14, 2011 for a limited engagement of three weeks through Sunday, July 31, 2011. Opening night is set for Friday, July 15 at 7:30 p.m.

The annual Helpmann Awards® recognise distinguished artistic achievement and excellence in the many disciplines of Australia's vibrant live performance sectors, including musical theatre, contemporary music, comedy, opera, classical music, theatre, dance and physical theatre. The Helpmann Awards also incorporates the JC Williamson Award for outstanding contribution to the Australian live performance industry.

Richard Eyre will direct Nicholas Wright's compelling new play The Last of the Duchess at Hampstead Theatre. In an upstairs bedroom in a mansion near Versailles, Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor lies near the end of her life. According to a report by Baz Bamigboye for Daily Mail, the production will star Sheila Hancock as Maitre Suzanne Blum and Anna Chancellor as Caroline Blackwood. The production runs October 20 through November 26.

According to a report by Baz Bamigboye for Daily Mail, Tom Hiddleston is currently in talks to star in BBC TV'sHenry IV Parts 1 and 2. The project, which will be featured at the arts Olympiad, will be dircted by Richard Eyre.

On Monday, June 27, Sex & The City actress Kim Cattrall spoke about her career, offering insights to fellow actors as part of the SAG Foundation's Conversations Program presented at the presented at the NYIT Auditorium on Broadway. BroadwayWorld was on hand for the talk and brings you the full discussion below! It was just announced yesterday that Kim Cattrall and Paul Gross will star on Broadway this autumn in Noël Coward's Private Lives directed by Richard Eyre at the Music Box Theatre. Previews will begin on Sunday November 6; opening night is Thursday November 17. The limited engagement runs through February 5 2012. Cattrall starred as Amanda in Sir Richard Eyre's production of Private Lives at London's Vaudeville Theatre in 2010. The production received rave reviews from the critics and played a sell-out season. It will play a limited run at Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre prior to Broadway. Cattrall will be joined by Paul Gross in the role of Elyot for the production.

Kim Cattrall and Paul Gross will star on Broadway this autumn in Noël Coward's Private Lives directed by Richard Eyre at the Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th Street). Previews will begin on Sunday November 6; opening night is Thursday November 17. The limited engagement runs through February 5 2012.

The Portland premiere of MARY POPPINS opens tonight, Friday, June 24, 2011 at 7:30pm at the Keller Auditorium for a limited engagement of three weeks through Sunday, July 10, 2011. MARY POPPINS plays Tuesday through Friday evenings at 7:30pm, Saturdays at 2:00pm and 7:30pm and Sundays at 1:00pm and 6:30pm. 'We're very excited that Mary Poppins has flown into town and that audiences in Portland will have the opportunity to experience this blockbuster musical' said Portland Opera General Director, Christopher Mattaliano. 'Tickets are on sale and great seats are still available.'

Everybody's been talking about the animatronic pig which cost a reported £100,000 for Cameron Mackintosh's new musical comedy BETTY BLUE EYES, based on the Handmade Film 'A PRIVATE FUNCTION' by Alan Bennett and Malcolm Mowbray. BETTY BLUE EYES is the first original musical Cameron Mackintosh has produced in ten years. It started previews at the Novello Theatre in the West End on 19 March and opened on 13 April. Reelkandi TV got the first look at the production highlights and now BroadwayWorld brings you a glimpse of the exciting production below!