Richard Rodgers News

The Broadway community mourns the loss of accomplished author, screenwriter and composer, Mary Rodgers Guettel, who passed away on Thursday at age 83. The marquees of Broadway theatres in New York will be dimmed in her memory Saturday, June 28th, at exactly 7:45pm for one minute.

Whether you've been living under a rock for the past week or you're just in the mood for a recap, BroadwayWorld's 'this week in pictures' is here to satisfy your end-of-the-week fix! Take a look below to catch up on the latest happenings from the Great White Way to The West End (and everywhere in between) with coverage of press events, rehearsals, opening nights and more. Highlights this week include the opening night of TICK, TICK...BOOM!, the racy opening number from BROADWAY BARES, the Gypsy Robe ceremony of HOLLER IF YA HEAR ME, and more!

BroadwayWorld.com's SHOW BIZ: Rush, Lottery & Standing Room Only Ticketing Policies - updated on 6/27/2014.

As BroadwayWorld reported yesterday, Mary Rodgers Guettel died at her home in Manhattan yesterday morning after a long illness, according to her son Alec Guettel. She was 83 years old. We remember the Broadway legend below.

Today we are saluting a versatile and unique figure in theatre history who grew up as the daughter of one of the most important composers in musical theatre and contributed recognizable and fondly remembered works of her own, as well - Mary Rodgers Guettel.

Mary Rodgers Guettel died at her home in Manhattan this morning after a long illness, according to her son Alec Guettel. She was 83 years old.

Idina Menzel, LaChanze, Jenn Colella and the company of Broadway's If/Then just celebrated a special milestone at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. The company gathered backstage and marked the musical's 100th performance with cake, and BroadwayWorld was there for the festivities. Check out photos below!

Today in 1976, the second Broadway revival of Pal Joey opened at the Circle in the SquareTheatre, where it ran for 73 performances. Pal Joey is a musical with a book by John O'Hara (from his novel of the same title) and music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart based on a character and situations O'Hara created in a series of short stories published in The New Yorker. The original 1940 Broadway production was directed by George Abbott and starred Gene Kelly. There have been several revivals since, including a 2008-09 Broadway run, and a 1957 film adaptation starring Frank Sinatra, Rita Hayworth and Kim Novak. The 1976 cast featured: Christopher Chadman (Joey), Harold Gary (Mike), Terri Treas (Kid), Janie Sell (Gladys), and Gail Benedict (Gail).

Today in 1986, Arsenic and Old Lace opened at the 46th Street Theatre (now the Richard Rogers Theatre) where it ran for 221 performances. Arsenic and Old Lace is a play by American playwright Joseph Kesselring, written in 1939. It has become best known through the film adaptation starring Cary Grant and directed by Frank Capra. The play is a farcical black comedy revolving around Mortimer Brewster, a drama critic who must deal with his crazy, homicidal family and local police in Brooklyn, NY, as he debates whether to go through with his recent promise to marry the woman he loves.

The Pre-Broadway World Premiere of THE LAST SHIP, the new musical with music and lyrics by 16-time Grammy Award winner Sting, and book by Tony winner John Logan and Pulitzer Prize-winnerBrian Yorkey, opened at the Bank of America Theatre (18 W Monroe) and plays through July 13, 2014. THE LAST SHIP is directed by Tony winner Joe Mantello and has choreography by Olivier Award winner and Tony nominee Steven Hoggett. THE LAST SHIP will begin previews on Broadway at the Neil Simon Theatre (250 W. 52 St.) on September 29 prior to opening night on October 26, 2014.

„Eine Familienstory voll großer Gefuhle, Melodramatik, romantische Stimmung, sogar eine genau dosierte Prise bittere Zeitgeschichte, das Ganze vorbildlich entkitscht - was braucht es mehr?" Der Erfolg halt an, nicht zuletzt aufgrund der brillanten Verkorperung Georg von Trapps durch Musical-Star Uwe Kroger. In Salzburg regelmaßig ausverkauft, kommt „The Sound of Music" mit Originaldarstellern und -kulissen nun nach Munchen. Das Ensemble trifft im Prinzregententheater auf das Orchester des Staatstheaters am Gartnerplatz und Mitglieder der Bayerischen Theaterakademie August Everding und durfte auch hier die Herzen der Zuschauer im Sturm erobern.

NJTV, New Jersey's public television network, and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) announced the artists who will perform in the second season of American Songbook at NJPAC, to be taped before a live audience at the Arts Center for a series to air on NJTV, WLIW and THIRTEEN this fall.

When Margaret Whiting died on January 10, 2011, the news was like a dagger into the heart of the New York cabaret community. Whiting was a beloved singer for almost seven decades, who seemingly delivered every American popular song ever written, conquered almost every musical art form--from Big Band to Country to Musicals to Cabaret, from radio to the recording studio. On top of all that, Whiting worked with and mentored many New York cabaret musical directors and performers, including the late Mary Cleere Haran and K.T. Sullivan, who along with Whiting's daughter Deborah, hosted a 90th birthday Whiting tribute show on Monday night at Carnegie Hall's elegant Weill Recital Hall. Presented by The Mabel Mercer Foundation, for which Sullivan is Artistic Director, It Might As Well Be Spring! A Celebration in Song of the Life of Margaret Whiting was an almost three-hour concert featuring two All-Star teams worth of cabaret stars spanning a few generations.

William Shakespeare's famed star-crossed lovers bare their passion Uptown this summer as The Classical Theatre of Harlem (Ty Jones, producing artistic director; David Roberts, managing director) presents Romeo n Juliet at the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater in Marcus Garvey Park. Justin Emeka, who edited and adapted the tragedy to bring the colorful characters of Harlem to life, returns for the second year in a row as director. A preview will be held on Friday, July 4. Performances, which are free and open to the public, run from July 5 through 27.

Music from Lin-Manuel MIranda's new mini-musical, 21 Chump Street, is now available to download on iTunes. Featuring Lindsay Mendez and Anthony Ramos, the project was featured at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's THIS AMERICAN LIFE on June 7th as part of the 2014 'RadioLoveFest'. As a part of the event, nearly 50 actors, singers, dancers, musicians and comedians joined Ira Glass onstage at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Opera House...to try some things they'd never tried before. The result? Journalism turned into opera, into plays, into a Broadway musical.

In Celebrating Penny Fuller's stellar career, she will be sharing the stage with Richard Skipper recounting a 50+ year career in theater, television, film and in cabaret. She will be telling these stories to Richard Skipper of 'Richard Skipper Celebrates!' who interviews celebrities by blog and in a live setting such as the Spiral Theater Studio to get the essence of the artist's complete body of work.

The Kleban Foundation's 24th annual Kleban Prize for the most promising musical theatre lyricist has been awarded to Nathan Tysen and the 24th annual Kleban Prize for the most promising musical theatre librettist has been awarded to Arthur Perlman.The 2014 prizes will be presented tonight, June 23, 2014, in a private ceremony (by invitation only) hosted by ASCAP and BMI.

Gabrielle Stravelli - the acclaimed pop/jazz vocalist called "ingenious" by The Wall Street Journal and known from her tours with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, appearances at the 92nd Street Y and her long-running Soho jazz brunch - will perform an exclusive engagement at The Metropolitan Room for a two week run in July 2014. Her new show, directed by nightlife legend Marilyn Maye, will include selections from her debut CD Waiting in Vain and preview tracks for her upcoming sophomore release. The evening will feature classic standards like "While We're Young" and "Goody Goody," pop hits such as "Young Folks" (Peter, Bjorn and John) and "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" (John Fogerty), in addition to distinctive original compositions. She will be joined by Joshua Richman on piano, Pat O'Leary on bass and Eric Halvorson on drums.

Though it had previously seemed inevitable that O'Hara would appear as Anna next spring on Broadway, it is impossible to know for certain yet.