Rita Moreno News

Growing up, we all have heroes, from cartoon characters that remind us of us to famous people who've overcome the same challenges we face. But finding these heroes isn't easy for everyone, especially young girls of color. That's why "Girls Who Colored Outside the Lines," a new coloring book looking to inspire little girls of color, is expected to make big waves. The book will feature portraits of awesome she-roes of color including Maya Angelou, Rita Moreno, Malala Yousafzai, Anna May Wong and other powerful role models drawn by artists of color.

Emmy Award winner Sally Struthers and Broadway & TV favorite Joyce Reehling headline Love, Loss, and What I Wore at Judson Theatre Company (Morgan Sills, Executive Producer and Daniel Haley, Artistic Director). Struthers is best known for her roles on All in the Family and  Gilmore Girls. Reehling is a beloved veteran of stage and television (Fifth of July, Law & Order). Love, Loss, and What I Wore opens Today, October 18 at 7:00 pm and runs through Sunday, October 21 at the Hannah Center Theatre (on the campus of The O'Neal School, 3300 Airport Road, Southern Pines, NC 28387).  Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

New York indie icon John Gallagher will be honored with a Lifetime Career Achievement Award on October 21 at the inaugural Cutting Room International Short Film Festival. A fixture on the New York scene for 40 years as a director, writer, producer, author, historian and educator, with a wide range of international filmmaking resources and relationships, and a highly regarded, encyclopedic knowledge of films and filmmaking, his track record is especially strong in discovering and mentoring new talent, both in front of and behind the camera.

Next week, FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club & Private Event Destination, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond.

John Leguizamo's Road to Broadway follows the always provocative Leguizamo as he prepares for his most challenging theatrical quest yet - cramming 3,000 years of Latino history into 90 minutes of stage time for his one man show. With extraordinary access to his creative process, the film traces the evolution of his latest success, Tony-nominated play Latin History for Morons, from its challenging premise through its triumphant debut. A special co-presentation of Great Performances and Latino Public Broadcasting's VOCES, John Leguizamo's Road to Broadway, directed by Ben DeJesus, premieres nationwide Friday, November 16 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings). The film will be available for streaming on November 17 at pbs.org/gperf and on PBS apps.

50 years after the original West Side Story film was released, the world is preparing for Steven Spielberg's upcoming remake.

Something's coming! It has been revealed that film star Ansel Elgort (Baby Driver, The Fault In Our Stars) has been cast in the leading role of Tony in Steven Spielberg's upcoming remake of the movie musical West Side Story.

Outfest, the Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization promoting equality by creating, sharing, and protecting LGBTQ stories on the screen, announced today that it will honor the producers and cast of FX Networks “POSE” at the 2018 Legacy Awards on Sunday, October 28th. Outfest will also honor writer/director Justin Simien (Dear White People), as well as 39-time Academy Award® winner, Sony Pictures Classics.

The Music Center has added James Taylor, Brandi Carlile and Scarlet Rivera to the previously announced powerful line-up of singers and musicians who will honor Joni Mitchell on her 75th birthday as part of JONI 75: A Birthday Celebration Live at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion* on November 6 and 7, 2018.  James Taylor and Brandi Carlile will join Glen Hansard, Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones, Chaka Khan, Diana Krall, Kris Kristofferson, Los Lobos, Graham Nash, Seal, and Rufus Wainwright to perform songs from Mitchell's prolific career.  Scarlet Riverawill be a featured guest member of the band.  Co-musical directors providing the musical arrangements for the evenings are drummer Brian Blade, who recorded three studio albums and toured extensively with Mitchell, and, pianist, composer, arranger producer Jon Cowherd.  The Music Center's Artistic Advisor Jorn Weisbrodt is the creator of the two evenings, and Danny Kapilian is the music producer. 

As part of its Developmental Reading Series, The York Theatre Company presents two-time Emmy Award Winner Sally Struthers and Head Over Heels Star Bonnie Milligan in Staged Readings of New Musical Oh My God...Broadway!!

Ninety-five years ago, writer and activist Upton Sinclair was pulled off a podium, arrested, and thrown in jail for reading aloud the First Amendment to the Constitution at a rally. This violation of the bedrock of American democracy led to the founding of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, now a legal and activism powerhouse.

Following the announcement of their Opening Night Film, Yen Tan's award-winning AIDS drama 1985, NewFest today announced the full lineup of their 30th annual celebration of the year's best LGBT films from around the world. The program of more than 140 narrative features, documentaries, episodic series and shorts runs from October 24-30 at the SVA Theatre, Cinépolis Chelsea, and The LGBT Community Center in New York City.

The co-creator of Netflix's One Day at a Time, Gloria Calderon Kellett, is producing a comedy at CBS, according to Variety. The comedy is in development from one of One Day at a Time's writers, Debby Wolfe.

 The Music Center announced it will present two star-studded concerts, JONI 75: A Birthday Celebration Live at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on November 6 and November 7, 2018, featuring an incredible array of singers and musicians who will honor one of the world's most remarkable artists, Joni Mitchell, on her 75th birthday.  On both nights, Glen Hansard, Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones, Chaka Khan, Diana Krall, Kris Kristofferson, Los Lobos, Graham Nash, Seal, and Rufus Wainwright, will perform songs from all stages of Mitchell's life and career, across the entire oeuvre of her 19 studio albums.  Co-musical directors, providing the musical arrangements for the evenings, are drummer Brian Blade, who recorded three studio albums and toured extensively with Mitchell, and, pianist, composer, arranger producer Jon Cowherd. 

Bronx Charter School for the Arts' students, staff, families and supporters have a lot to be excited about heading back-to-school. On Thursday, Aug. 30, educators, national leaders from the Arts community, elected officials, families and students will join the ribbon-cutting celebration as Bronx Arts opens a middle school for 6th-8th grade students. The middle school is located in the Soundview section of the Bronx, less than half a mile from the Bronx Arts Elementary School, the leading elementary school in the community. School administrators say the lottery selection process for the middle school attracted more than 280 interested rising 6th grade students and families and filled 75 available seats. The school will add additional 6th grade classes annually, reaching capacity in the 2020-2021 school year.

BroadwayWorld is sad to report that legendary playwright Neil Simon has died at 91. 

In 1962 West Side Story won 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Musical. Is it still worth seeing more than half a century later? Sure is! Jerome Robbins' energetic choreography remains riveting, and Leonard Bernstein's marvelous score is a perfect frame for Sondheim's affecting lyrics. A live performance of its musical soundtrack by the San Diego Symphony Orchestra gave the film an even greater impact. The dances seemed that much more energetic and exciting, and the closing Romeo and Juliet-like death scene more wrenchingly emotional. I don't think I've ever before heard more audible signs of a movie audience trying to repress tears.

King of Cuba, a new comedy by award-winning writer Cristina Garcia, has extended through August 26th at the historic Berkeley City Club (originally scheduled to close August 19). In King of Cuba, two aging Cubanos hilariously have a go at each other. Opening night Marga was described as 'dethroning machismo,' while the house erupted as El Comandante (Marga Gomez) remarked "Nobody has bigger cojones than I do." The night then roiled with laughter as the two silver haired Cubanos 'knock each other down' verbally and otherwise.