Richard Stafford News

Walnut Street Theatre concludes its thrilling 210th season with the award-winning Broadway hit, LEGALLY BLONDE: THE MUSICAL. Directed and choreographed by Richard Stafford, the high-energy musical begins previews on May 14, opens May 22, and continues through July 14.

Riverside Theatre present the effervescent award-winning musical, Legally Blonde. Sponsored by The O'Haire Group-Merrill Lynch Wealth Management and Riverside Theatre's Patron Producers Group, Legally Blonde performs on the Stark Stage from April 16 - May 5, 2019. Legally Blonde is a co-production between Riverside Theatre and the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia.  

The New York City Opera has announced that Andrew Bidlack, Liz Bouk, Lisa Chavez, Michael Corvino, Jessica Fishenfeld, Mark Heller, Brian James Myer, and Jordan Weatherston Pitts have been cast in its world-premiere production of the new opera STONEWALL, with music by Iain Bell, libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winner Mark Campbell, and direction by Leonard Foglia.   STONEWALL will open Friday, June 21 and run for five performances only through Friday, June 28 at the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center (in the Time Warner Center at Broadway and 60th Street).

2018 brought in a number of popular shows and events from the stages of Philadelphia and suburbs, right down to the Jersey Shore. Wish I could have seen them all. However, www.broadwayworld.com was there to see so many amazing people and creative teams bring out their best as my BWW colleagues also weigh in on their favorites. It was a difficult to choose from so many great offerings. So here are my picks.

'New York, New York! It's a helluva town!' Waxler Productions presents On The Town, which coincides with the centennial birthdays of Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins, for two performances only: August 30th, 2:00pm and 7:00pm. The Martha Graham Studio Theatre, 55 Bethune Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10014. On The Town is an Actors' Equity Association showcase.

'New York, New York! It's a helluva town!' Waxler Productions presents On The Town, which coincides with the centennial birthdays of Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins, for two performances only: August 30th, 2:00pm and 7:00pm. The Martha Graham Studio Theatre, 55 Bethune Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10014. On The Town is an Actors' Equity Association showcase.

Anything Goes,' the crowd pleasing 1930's musical composed by Cole Porter, is back at Westchester Broadway Theatre with gusto! (Westchester Broadway Theatre's 206th performance!)

The very first number in the stage version of Saturday Night Fever is an ensemble piece, Stayin' Alive, which sets the tone for the raw, realistic musical drama which follows. 'This show gave us a little bit of an edge and by bookending it with Beauty and the Beast and Singin' in the Rain, which are sweet and a little sugary, this enabled us to do something a bit different - something with an edge, bite and grit,' says Maine State Music Theatre's Artistic Director Curt Dale Clark. Clark, together with cast members Jacob Tischler (Tony Manero), Alexandra Matteo (Stephanie Mangano), Christina Carlucci (Pauline), and Anthony J. Gasbarre III (Joey), are speaking to BWW's Carla Maria Verdino-Sullwold in the season's third Peek Behind the Curtain panel discussion at Curtis Memorial Library, devoted to the exploration of the company's current main stage production of Saturday Night Fever, playing on the Pickard stage until August 4.

"This show is a boot camp in and of itself!" declares Jacob Tischler. Tischler is referring to his role as Tony Manero in Maine State Music Theatre's production of Saturday Night Fever, which begins its run at the Pickard on July 18th, and he is speaking to Broadway World about the colorful creative path that has brought him to this point in his career.

Bon voyage! Anything Goes, is the winner of three 2011 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival and considered one of the greatest Tap Dancing musicals of all time. A brassy nightclub singer, a starry-eyed stowaway and Public Enemy No. 13 are booked on a transatlantic luxury liner bound for romance and laughter.

Put on your platform shoes, your feather boas and get ready for one of the most popular musicals of all time.

Walnut Street Theatre concludes its landmark 209th season with the ultimate feel-good musical, MAMMA MIA! Filled with ABBA's catchiest hits, and directed and choreographed by Richard Stafford, this high energy musical begins previews on May 15th, opens on May 23rd, and runs through July 15th on the Walnut Mainstage.

Walnut Street Theatre concludes its landmark 209th season with the ultimate feel-good musical, MAMMA MIA! Filled with ABBA's catchiest hits, and directed and choreographed by Richard Stafford, this high energy musical begins previews on May 15th, opens on May 23rd, and runs through July 15th on the Walnut Mainstage.

Walnut Street Theatre concludes its landmark 209th season with the ultimate feel-good musical, MAMMA MIA! Filled with ABBA's catchiest hits, and directed and choreographed by Richard Stafford, this high energy musical begins previews on May 15th, opens on May 23rd, and runs through July 15th on the Walnut Mainstage.

I have a confession to make. Though I have seen hundreds of plays and musicals since MAMMA MIA! premiered on Broadway in 2000, until I saw Riverside Theatre's giddily silly, yet oddly emotional production-running now through April 29- I had never seen this polarizing jukebox musical; neither on stage, nor screen. However, it would have been impossible for anyone with even a passing interest in theatre or pop culture to not have heard countless opinions about the show, both good and bad, over the years. Is MAMMA MIA! hokey? Yes, it is. Does it have plot holes large enough that you could scuba through? In spades. Nearly two decades after it premiered in London, does it already feel even more dated than its disco-era music would lead you to believe? Absolutely. But, if you go in knowing and accepting MAMMA MIA! for what it is, then it is also an absolutely transportively entertaining night at the theatre.

Walnut Street Theatre concludes its landmark 209th season with the ultimate feel-good musical, MAMMA MIA! Filled with ABBA's catchiest hits, and directed and choreographed by Richard Stafford, this high energy musical begins previews on May 15th, opens on May 23rd, and runs through July 15th on the Walnut Mainstage.

New York City Opera continued its 2017-18 Chamber Opera Series with a unique double bill of Donizetti's Il Pigmalione and Rameau's Pigmalion, the first time these one-act gems will be presented on the same program. The production also marks the New York premiere of Donizetti's first opera. This double was directed and choreographed by Richard Stafford, with Gil Rose conducting the New York City Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Two performances of Il Pigmalione/Pigmalion were presented at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater on Saturday, March 24 at 3:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 25 at 4:00 p.m.

There's no 'Enry 'Iggins or 'Liza Doolittle in Donizetti's IL PIGMALIONE or Rameau's PIGMALION--we'll have to wait for Lincoln Center Theatre's MY FAIR LADY revival (based on Shaw's PYGMALION) next month for that. But this pair of oddities, produced by New York City Opera last weekend at the Gerald Lynch Theatre, gave us the chance to see how the legend of the man who fell in love with a statue and brought it to life was handled by a pair of major composers--if not proving their neglect has been unwarranted.

Riverside Theatre's production of Mamma Mia! adds two additional performances! Mamma Mia! runs April 10-29, 2018 on the Stark Stage and is sponsored by Dave Horner with additional support from Riverside Theatre's Patron Producers' Group. Mamma Mia! is a co-production with the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia.

Riverside Theatre, led by Producing Artistic Director/CEO Allen D. Cornell and Managing Director/COO Jon R. Moses, present one of Broadway's longest-running musicals, Mamma Mia! Sponsored by Dave Horner and Riverside Theatre's Patron Producers Group, Mamma Mia! performs on the Stark Stage from April 10-29, 2018. Mamma Mia! is produced in association with the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia.