Rob Diamond News

Below, we continue our 'Meet the Staff' series by profiling our BWW TV, Movies and Music Managing Editor Caryn Robbins!

BroadwayWorld.com is very excited to announce that we will be returning to Joe's Pub at the Public Theater in 2014, kicking off a year-long celebration of the community and our 10th anniversary with regularly scheduled concerts, live streams and special events in a BIG way. The concert series will launch on January 20, 2014 with BROADWAYWORLD VISITS OZ, directed by Richard Jay-Alexander and with music direction by Mary-Mitchell Campbell. Tickets will go on sale on October 15, 2013 at 1pm. Below, watch a VERY special 10th Anniversary look back at the site's original concert series.

And this Monday, May 20th, John Bantay will do his farewell SPIN as he leaves to continue pursuing his career and becomes a stage manager at the long-running musical, Avenue Q. Speaking to John Bantay, I, of course, was curious as to what his favorite video clips have been over the years. He was reticent to put them in 'Top 10' format because, to him, he considers them all number 1's. So here's his hit list, in no particular order:

Today we are talking to a phenomenally talented performer who has starred in a string of contemporary musicals, ranging from replacement gigs in the Broadway productions of Elton John & Tim Rice's AIDA and Stephen Schwartz's WICKED to creating lead roles in Jim Steinman's DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES and Lin-Manuel Miranda's IN THE HEIGHTS, in addition to her memorable contributions to the Laura Nyro revue, ELI'S COMIN', Off-Broadway - the one and only Mandy Gonzalez. Discussing her time spent in many of the aforementioned shows as well as her experiences inhabiting the wildly different characters within each, Gonzalez shares her infectious enthusiasm for performance and her appreciation for having participated in such landmark shows. Most importantly, Gonzalez shares stories from the heated rehearsal rooms backstage at the 24-Hour Musicals celebration and what participating in the event that would form the basis for ONE NIGHT STAND, a documentary film being released in select cities this Wednesday, January 30. Additionally, Gonzalez reflects on her new role as a mom, as well as roles she would enjoy pursuing in the future, onstage and off, as well as her own favorite shows and scores. All of that and much, much more!

The cast and creative team of The Phantom of the Opera celebrated 25 Years on Broadway with a Gala Performance at the Majestic Theatre in New York City on Saturday night, January 26. BroadwayWorld was there for the after party and you can check out full photo coverage below!

MSNBC anchor Thomas Roberts, himself newly married to Patrick Abner, performed a brief wedding ceremony at the Beach reception, which was attended by the grooms' mothers and about 100 friends and other family members. Broadway Producer-director Richard Jay-Alexander sang Frank Loesser's 'What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?' at the ceremony along with custom lyrics and we've got the footage.

The big day is here! Follow our LIVE coverage starting from Tony Rehearsals starting at approximately 10am. Want to know who's performing what? What order to expect the awards in and other tidbits? Spoil yourself!

Saturday night, November 19th, Melissa Errico made her long awaited return to solo concert-ing at the newly renovated (beautifully) Joe's Pub. The venue was packed with family, friends and fans who, pretty much, went wild when she walked up onto the stage. She was accompanied by an unbelieveably expert trio of musicians led by the legendary John Oddo. The evening's music program was extremely well chosen and beautifully performed and sung. Errico's patter, storytelling and anecdotal skills were also on show, in top form and wildly entertaining.

It was March 12, 1994 when a young, 15 year-old Rob Diamond saw THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA on Broadway for the first time, and came home on 'cloud nine', my life forever changed. I still remember vividly falling asleep that night listening to and discovering Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman, Steve Barton and more on the show's original cast recording. I did this listening to a cassette tape that my parents had (which I had of course never before listened to), on my Walkman.

Till we meet again.As it has done for many people and businesses, big and small, the economic climate/recession has forced me to make a life altering decision.

Last night, December 8, Doug Maxwell and wife Liz Caplan, one of Broadway's most in-demand vocal coaches, hosted the official opening of Maxwell's Not for profit company, Visionary Media. Maxwell started his company in order to help retain employment for blind musicians and performers, studio engineers, and actors.

BroadwayWorld.com presents Twitter Watch, which brings you only the best and most interesting reports straight from the mouths of Broadway stars, shows and more on the hot social networking service - Twitter!

Twitter Watch shines a BWW spotlight on ELF, the new Broadway musical opening at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on November 14, 2010. The show has just opened its Twitter account and BroadwayWorld brings you their first Tweet below.

BroadwayWorld.com presents Twitter Watch, which brings you only the best and most interesting reports straight from the mouths of Broadway stars, shows and more on the hot social networking service - Twitter!

BroadwayWorld.com presents Twitter Watch, which brings you only the best and most interesting reports straight from the mouths of Broadway stars, shows and more on the hot social networking service - Twitter!

Twitter Watch shines a BWW spotlight on Adam Shankman, who directing and choreographing the movie adapation of ROCK OF AGES. Click Here to Follow Adam Shankman on Twitter!

Twitter Watch shines a BWW spotlight on Spider-Man himself, Reeve Carney, who is in his second day of SPIDER-MAN rehearsals in New York City. Click Here to Follow Reeve Carney on Twitter!

The Los Angeles Times' Gold Derby has done its yearly poll of Tony pundits (including of BroadwayWorld.com's editor-in-chief Rob Diamond). Who will win on Sunday night? Here's what they say...

Twitter Watch shines a BWW spotlight on Broadway star Brian d'Arcy James who is getting ready to re-join the cast of NEXT TO NORMAL on Broadway May 17. Click Here to Follow Brian d'Arcy James on Twitter!

Composer Andrew Lloyd-Webber has officially joined the long list of theater stars on Twitter. Andrew Lloyd Webber is the composer of The Likes of Us, Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, By Jeeves, Evita, Variations and Tell Me on a Sunday combined as Song & Dance, Cats, Starlight Express, The Phantom of The Opera, Aspects of Love, Sunset Boulevard, Whistle Down The Wind, The Beautiful Game and The Woman in White. He composed The film scores of Gumshoe and The Odessa File, and Requiem, a setting of The Latin Requiem Mass, for which he won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Composition. He has also produced in The West End and on Broadway, not only his own work, but The Olivier Award-winning plays La Bête and Daisy Pulls It Off.