Robert Russell News

Kelli O'Hara, the Tony nominated star of South Pacific is has a new 'production' in the works that will demand she take leave from the Lincoln Center hit starting in March, she is expecting her first child with husband Greg Naughton. No exact date has been announced for her departure, but production representatives confirmed the news of her upcoming exit. The hope is that she will return to the production at a future date after her leave of absence. She married her husband in 2007, an actor and the son of Tony winning actor James Naughton. Kelli O'Hara was nominated for a TONY for her current role as Nellie Forbush in South Pacific. She was also TONY nominated for The Pajama Game opposite Harry Connick Jr. (Tony, Drama Desk, OCC nominations) and The Light in the Piazza (Tony and OCC nominations). Other Broadway credits include Sweet Smell of Success opposite John Lithgow, Sondheim's Follies, Dracula, and Jekyll & Hyde. She recently released her first album Wonder in the World on Ghostlight Records.

Tony Award-winning actress Kristin Chenoweth has joined the cast of Kern and Hammerstein's Music in the Air, the second Encores! production of New York City Center's 2008-09 season, running February 5-8. (Ms. Chenoweth replaces the previously announced Marin Mazzie. Ms. Mazzie is no longer available due to the death of her father.) Music in the Air, a rarely seen 1932 musical, will be directed by Gary Griffin with music direction by Rob Berman and choreography by Michael Lichtefeld. The production runs for five performances at City Center, West 55th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues).

Marin Mazzie, Douglas Sills, Dick Latessa, Tom Alan Robbins, Sierra Boggess, Walter Charles, Anne L. Nathan and Sally Ann Howes have been cast in Kern and Hammerstein's Music in the Air, the second Encores! production of New York City Center's 2008 - 2009 season, playing for five performances, February 5 - 8 at City Center, West 55th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues). Music in the Air, a rarely seen 1932 musical, will be directed by Gary Griffin with music direction by Rob Berman and choreography by Michael Lichtefeld.

The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization is thrilled to announce that the first complete recording of Rodgers & Hammerstein's ALLEGRO will be released by Sony Masterworks Broadway on February 3, 2009. The CD is produced by David Lai, Bruce Pomahac and Ted Chapin.

Happy Holidays Everyone! Well ... here it is ... our BIGGEST CD coverage EVER and just in time for some last minute 'stocking-stuffer' inspiration ... even though a few of these are better used as coal, if you know what I mean.

The Actors Fund is proud to announce a Special Benefit Performance of the Tony® Award winning revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific on Sunday, September 21st, 8 pm. The evening stars the original cast and is made possible by special arrangement with Lincoln Center Theater. Complimentary membership tickets can not be used for this performance.

The Actors Fund is proud to announce a Special Benefit Performance of the Tony® Award winning revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific on Sunday, September 21st, 8 pm. The evening stars the original cast and is made possible by special arrangement with Lincoln Center Theater. Complimentary membership tickets can not be used for this performance.

South Pacific actress Loretta Ables Sayre will join Seth Rudetsky's Broadway Chatterbox tonight, August 14th 2008.

The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization confirmed today that principal orchestral and vocal work has been completed for the first complete recording of Rodgers & Hammerstein's ALLEGRO. A release date for the recording will be announced shortly.

Todd Rosenthal has won best scenic design of a play for his work on August: Osage County Michael Yeargan has won best scenic design of a play for his work on South Pacific

Mic Pool has won the 2008 Tony Award for best sound design in a play for his work in '39 Steps' Scott Lehrer has won the 2008 Tony Award for best sound design in a musical for his work on 'South Pacific'

39 Steps and South Pacific Win Best Lighting!

Bartlett Sher has won the 2008 Tony Award For Best Direction Of A Musical for his work on 'South Pacific'.

Paulo Szot has won the 2008 Tony Award for best actor in musical for his portrayal of Emile de Becque in 'South Pacific'.

Rodgers & Hammerstein's 'South Pacific' has won the 2008 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical!

Masterworks Broadway, in celebration of the critically acclaimed 2008 Broadway Cast Recording of Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific, proudly presents new episodes of 'Masterworks Broadway Podcast Theatre,' the acclaimed podcast series.

It's finally here! The jam-packed end-of-season roundup of CDs from our very own Naomi Plume (so big, it had to be put into two parts)...The good, the bad, the ugly...or to quote from the ad for the upcoming musical A TALE OF A TWO CITIES... 'it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.' We're so glad that we got to use that line first! So enjoy this very special two-parter - happy reading, happy listening, happy buying (or not) and good luck to everyone at the TONY Awards on Sunday night from all of us at BroadwayWorld.com.

The 2008 Broadway Cast Recording of Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific (Sony BMG Masterworks Broadway) currently leads the Billboard Cast Album Chart.

'South Pacific' cast album released nationwide today, May, 27th.

The show originally opened in New York in 1996, but it now holds the record for Off-Broadway's longest-running musical. With original lyrics and book written by Joe DiPietro (Over the River and Through the Woods) and a musical score composed by Jimmy Roberts (A...My Name is Still Alice