Robert Lopez News

Yesterday evening, May 16, The New York Drama Critics' Circle presented their 2011 Drama Critics Circle Awards at Angus McIndoe Restaurant in Times Square. The 2011 recipients are Best Play: Good People, by David Lindsay-Abaire; Best Foreign Play: Jerusalem, by Jez Butterworth; Best Musical: The Book of Mormon, by Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Robert Lopez; Special Citations: The Broadway revival of The Normal Heart; Mark Rylance for La Bête and Jerusalem; and the direction, design and puppetry of War Horse.

The cast of THE BOOK OF MORMON will sign copies of the show's Original Broadway Cast Recording from Ghostlight Records on Tuesday, May 17 at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre (230 West 49th Street).

Looking for a show that's popping out with joy, wit & truth? Come see 3 sassy, soon-to-be-moms, Jessica Kostival, Elisa Van Duyne & Kristin Maloney, sing their hearts out in the playful, moving & intimate cabaret 'HOT MAMAS.' This cabaret, first performed in 2004, is being remounted at Don' t Tell Mamas this June. And yes, they are all pregnant - no costume pieces required.

The cast of THE BOOK OF MORMON will sign copies of the show's Original Broadway Cast Recording from Ghostlight Records on Tuesday, May 17 at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre (230 West 49th Street).

Acclaimed Off-Broadway theater company Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) has announced additional details for a second round of major items for its 2011 special online Auction.

While the possibility had been discussed before, it's now being reported that Sonia Friedman (producer of the West End's Legally Blonde, Arcadia, La Cage Aux Folles, A Little Night Music, and many more) will take the show to London next year.

While the possibility had been discussed before, it's now being reported that Sonia Friedman (producer of the West End's Legally Blonde, Arcadia, La Cage Aux Folles, A Little Night Music, and many more) will take the show to London next year.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) premieres Murder for Two-A Killer Musical, created by Joe Kinosian (music/book) and Kellen Blair (lyrics/book), May 12-June 19, 2011, Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare. This comedic Agatha Christie-like whodunit musical comes with a surprising twist: one actor plays the inspector, the other plays all 10 suspects, and both play the piano. Staged by CST veteran director David H. Bell, this 75-minute premiere features the show's co-creator Joe Kinosian playing the slew of hilarious would-be criminals and Chicago favorite Alan Schmuckler performing the role of the inspector. Tickets for Murder for Two-A Killer Musical Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare May 12-June 19, 2011, are $25-$30, with special discounts available for groups of 10 or more. All patrons receive a 40% parking discount at Navy Pier garages. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Chicago Shakespeare Theater's Box Office at 312.595.5600 or visit the Theater's website at www.chicagoshakes.com

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) premieres Murder for Two-A Killer Musical, created by Joe Kinosian (music/book) and Kellen Blair (lyrics/book), May 12-June 19, 2011, Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare. This comedic Agatha Christie-like whodunit musical comes with a surprising twist: one actor plays the inspector, the other plays all 10 suspects, and both play the piano. Staged by CST veteran director David H. Bell, this 75-minute premiere features the show's co-creator Joe Kinosian playing the slew of hilarious would-be criminals and Chicago favorite Alan Schmuckler performing the role of the inspector. Tickets for Murder for Two-A Killer Musical Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare May 12-June 19, 2011, are $25-$30, with special discounts available for groups of 10 or more. All patrons receive a 40% parking discount at Navy Pier garages. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Chicago Shakespeare Theater's Box Office at 312.595.5600 or visit the Theater's website at www.chicagoshakes.com

Theatre Talk congratulates all of the 2011 TONY Nominees, including 14 of this year's Theater Talk guests: David Lindsay-Abaire, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Jez Butterworth, Bobby Cannavale, Colman Domingo, John Kander, Robert Lopez, Trey Parker, Mark Rylance, Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman, Matt Stone, Susan Stroman, and Alex Timbers.

The Kleban Foundation is pleased to announce that the 21st Annual Kleban Prize for the most promising musical theatre lyricist has gone to Adam Gwon and the award for the most promising musical theatre librettist has gone to Michelle Elliott. The 2011 awards will be presented on June 27, 2011, in a private ceremony (by invitation only) at ASCAP.

THE BOOK OF MORMON features book, music and lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone. Parker and Stone are the four-time Emmy Award-winning creators of Comedy Central's landmark animated series, 'South Park'. Tony Award-winner Lopez is composer and co-creator of the long-running hit musical comedy, Avenue Q. The world premiere musical is choreographed by three-time Tony Award-nominee Casey Nicholaw (Monty Python's Spamalot, The Drowsy Chaperone) and directed by Nicholaw and Parker. THE BOOK OF MORMON stars Josh Gad as Elder Cunningham. Last night, he stopped by to chat with Jimmy Fallon about the show, audience reactions, and what it's like to receive a Tony nomination. Click below to view the video!

The first ballot for Best Play was radically fractured, with no single candidate garnering more than five of the 24 total votes. On the third (weighted) ballot, the race remained competitive, with Good People and Jerusalem winning 23 points and Other Desert Cities running just behind them with 22 points. Since no play reached the necessary threshold of 37 points, the Circle moves to a fourth ballot-newly approved in a bylaw change in January-that reduced the field to the third ballot's top four vote-getters (including The Motherf**ker with the Hat, which had received 11 points, narrowly edging out such contenders as Bengal Tiger in the Baghdad Zoo, The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, War Horse and The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures). On this ballot, in which previous proxy voters did not participate, Good People won with 34 points, with Other Desert Cities in second place with 30 points.

Good People, written by David Lindsay-Abaire, today won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award (NYDCC) for Best Play of the 2010-2011 season. The award for Best Foreign Play play went to Jerusalem, written by Jez Butterworth. The Book of Mormon received the award for Best Musical. The selections were made at the 76th annual voting meeting of the organization today at the offices of Time Out New York in Manhattan.

Due for release next week is Sh-K-Boom's cast recording for Broadway's THE BOOK OF MORMON. Today though, the album is the first Broadway cast recording to be made available on NPR's First Listen. To tune in to preview the album for free, click here.

THE BOOK OF MORMON will present an extra matinee performance, to be offered to fans of the show for free, according to Variety. This comes after the new musical by ‘South Park' creators earned 14 Tony nominations.

Yesterday morning, past Tony winners Anika Noni Rose and Matthew Broderick announced the 2011 Tony Awards nominees live from the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts in New York City. Today, BroadwayWorld talked to this year's nominees to hear their exciting stories of their reactions to the news. THE BOOK OF MORMON composer, lyricist, and book writer Robert Lopez went on the record about his double nomination and the story of how he became involved with the production!

Nominations in 26 competitive categories for the American Theatre Wing's 65th Annual Antoinette Perry 'Tony' Awards were announced May 3, 2011 by Tony Award winning actor Matthew Broderick and Tony Award winning actress Anika Noni Rose, at the Tony Award Nominations Announcement sponsored by IBM.

Nominations in 26 competitive categories for the American Theatre Wing's 65th Annual Antoinette Perry 'Tony' Awards were announced May 3, 2011 by Tony Award winning actor Matthew Broderick and Tony Award winning actress Anika Noni Rose, at the Tony Award Nominations Announcement sponsored by IBM.

Nominations for The 56th Annual Drama Desk Awards were announced on Friday, April 29, 2011, at 9:30 AM at the New York Friars Club, 57 East 55th Street, in Manhattan. Former Drama Desk Award winners Audra MacDonald and Liev Schreiber made the announcements. Other speakers included Isa Goldberg, President of the Drama Desk; Robert R. Blume, Executive Producer of the Drama Desk Awards; Barbara Siegel, chairperson of the Drama Desk Nominating Committee and Randie Levine-Miller, Director of Special Events for the Drama Desk, who has produced the nominations announcement ceremony at the NY Friars Club for the past 15 years.