Sammy Davis, Jr. News

For its 52nd season, the Sony Centre For The Performing Arts will host a series of return engagements of favourite shows, and new theatrical treasures for Toronto audiences.

Some of Broadway's legendary leading ladies came out for Ben Vereen's opening week at 54 Below. Liza Minnelli, Chita Rivera and Bebe Neuwirth were among the stars to catch 'Steppin' Out with Ben Vereen' and visit with the star backstage following the performance. Other notable guests included Rachelle Rak (Catch Me if you Can). Check out photos of Vereen and his guests below!

Tonight, July 16, Broadway at Birdland presents multi-Grammy and Tony nominated composer Frank Wildhorn in his monthly concert series called "Frank & Friends." Joining Frank onstage will be gifted Grammy-nominated jazz singer Jane Monheit, and Las Vegas and Cafe Carlyle headliner Clint Holmes.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: Cumming takes on MACBETH, Broadway plays Bryant Park, ALADDIN opens at the Muny, and so much more!

After a successful first half of the year in Arts Centre Melbourne's State Theatre, the Morning Melodies concert series returns to its home in the newly refurbished Hamer Hall. Opera diva Suzanne Johnston finishes off the State Theatre season, before the likes of Orchestra Victoria, Victorian Opera and Kane Alexander perform in the acoustics of the new Hamer Hall.

Broadway in Casper has announced the offerings for the 2012-2013 season, and they include many familiar favorites.

Broadway legend and Tony Award winner Ben Vereen opened his hit show, "Steppin' Out with Ben Vereen," last night, July 10, at 54 Below. The show runs through July 21. A high energy tribute to the music of Broadway, along with musical selections made famous by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr., audiences can expect to hear classics such as 'Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries', 'Mr. Bojangles' and even 'Defying Gravity'. BroadwayWorld was on hand for a special sneak peek at Vereen's final rehearsal and brings you complete photo coverage of the event below!

Now, nearly a year after the diagnosis, followed by surgery and chemo, Cheryl Bentyne-for 30+ years the reigning soprano with 10-time Grammy winning vocal group, The Manhattan Transfer-celebrates her new cancer-free status with the release of Let's Misbehave on Summit Records, due out August 14. And she's celebrating the weekend before with a CD release party and All Star Jazz Benefit for the City of Hope Cancer Center at the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood.

Broadway legend and Tony Award winner Ben Vereen brings his hit show, "Steppin' Out with Ben Vereen," to 54 Below, July 10 - 21. A high energy tribute to the music of Broadway, along with musical selections made famous by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr., audiences can expect to hear classics such as 'Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries', 'Mr. Bojangles' and even 'Defying Gravity'. BroadwayWorld brings you a first look at Vereen in rehearsals below! Check back later for full photo coverage!

54 BELOW, the new performance venue located just below legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street, hosts some of Broadway's brightest stars tonight, July 9 through July 22. Coming up are Ben Vereen, Bucky Pizzarelli, Maury Yeston, MX Justin Vivian Bond, Joe Iconis, Jamie Deroy, Rebecca Luker, Annie Golden, Mara Davi and more.

Exhibitions and programs to be coming to the Jewish Museum.

Cabaret show producer Joseph Macchia (who is also a host at the Metropolitan Room) will be staging a second presentation of "Boys Night Out: The Music of the Rat Pack" at the Met Room on August 6 (9:30 pm), which will give him a month to work out the kinks after the show's somewhat shaky opening at the Met Room on June 18.

54 BELOW, the new performance venue located just below legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street, has announced July events.

Popular NJ husband/wife musical duo FRANCINE EVANS & JOEL ZELNIK will be appearing for the first time ever on an Off-Off Broadway production this fall. DESTINATION: Las Vegas - A Musical Journey will begin a run on Sun., Oct. 7 @3pm and continue through Sat, Oct. 13 @7:30, Sun., Oct. 21 @3pm and Weds., Oct. 24 @3pm.

Today we are talking to a Tony Award-winning legend famous for his performances starring in the original Broadway productions of PIPPIN and JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, as well as his celebrated turns in stage and screen projects as diverse as ALL THAT JAZZ, SWEET CHARITY, CHICAGO, FOSSE, WICKED, GRIND, ROOTS, I'M NOT RAPPAPORT, GOLDEN BOY, IDLEWILD, FUNNY LADY, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER and many more - the simply incredible Ben Vereen. Discussing many of his most fondly remembered roles and recounting his experiences working with many legendary directors and collaborators - Bob Fosse, Hal Prince, Tom O'Horgan, Herbert Ross, Ann Reinking, Dan Sullivan, Sammy Davis, Jr., Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli and many more among them - Vereen paints a vivid picture of a bygone Broadway and reminisces about many of the most significant theatrical creators of the past fifty years and his roles in their stage and film projects. Additionally, Vereen fills us in on what we can expect from his upcoming solo spotlight show - a career retrospective - that will be kicking off at 54 Below on July 10 for a two-week engagement before an even larger, Broadway-bound mounting later this year at Princeton. Also, Vereen elaborates on the causes closest to his heart, shares thoughts on GLEE and SMASH, future plans and much, much more!

Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Peggy Lee, Johnny Mathis, Ray Charles, Patsy Cline, Neil Diamond, Connie Francis, Sammy Davis, Jr. - their names are as familiar as our own, and their songs rekindle the memories of a lifetime. Now, the distinctive styles and memorable music of these incomparable artists are brought together in one truly amazing "concert" entitled, Unforgettable, which will be presented July 20-August 5 -Fridays & Saturdays at 8PM, Sundays at 2PM. Fountain Hills Theater 11445 N. Saguaro Blvd., Fountain Hills, AZ 85268.

On Monday, July 16, Broadway at Birdland is proud to present multi-Grammy and Tony nominated composer Frank Wildhorn in his monthly concert series called "Frank & Friends." Joining Frank onstage will be gifted Grammy-nominated jazz singer Jane Monheit, and Las Vegas and Cafe Carlyle headliner Clint Holmes.

On Thursday, three-time Tony Award-winning Broadway composer Richard Adler passed away at the ripe old age of 90. Responsible for two of the biggest Broadway smash hits of the 1950s, THE PAJAMA GAME and GAMN YANKEES, Adler never quite managed to equal his career-high double-hitter of that era, yet his earlier work with Tony Bennett ('Rags To Riches'), Doris Day ('Everybody Loves A Lover') and Marilyn Monroe (the iconic 'Happy Birthday, Mr. President') surely shall solidify his place in the firmament of entertainment history along with his two classic musicals from the Golden Age. Winning both Best Score and Best Musical for both THE PAJAMA GAME and DAMN YANKEES, Adler's partnership with lyricist Jerry Ross - which began on Broadway in 1953 with JOHN MURRAY ANDERSON'S ALMANAC - was tragically cut short just months after the DAMN YANKEES premiere when Ross was diagnosed with lung disease and passed away soon thereafter. Yet, thanks to the beloved film versions of THE PAJAMA GAME and DAMN YANKEES and continued interest in the entities as expressed in the revivals and reappraisals of both onstage from Broadway to Biloxi to Bombay year after year, the snappy, snazzy tunes of Adler and Ross live on eight times a week all around the world - even now, more than fifty years after they premiered. Unfortunately, Adler's subsequent shows with other collaborators post-1955 failed to capture the early magic of his previous projects with Ross and his earlier musical and theatrical endeavors in the pop arena, with the racially charged KWAMINA flopping on Broadway in 1961 (though he took home a Best Composer Tony Award for his efforts anyway) and the awkwardly titled MUSIC IS failing to recreate the magic of its source material, Shakespeare's TWELFTH NIGHT, in 1976. A MOTER'S KISSES, starring Bea Arthur and a young Bernadette Peters, died on the road, as well. In the intervening years, Adler attempted musical adaptations taken from a number of intriguing sources - OF HUMAN BONDAGE and others among them - though only his ballet scores seemed to reach an audience; particularly his last, commissioned for a new production of Lorca's THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA in 1998. Of course, THE PAJAMA GAME has had two Broadway revivals - most recently the rapturously received Kathleen Marshall-directed production starring Harry Connick, Jr. and Kelli O'Hara; and DAMN YANKEES famously returned to the Great White Way with much ado in 1994 starring Victor Garber. Now seems particularly ripe for remounting YANKEES, as we approach twenty years in its absence - especially given the musical's seriously smashing showing at Encores! in 2007. Who knows, perhaps some risky producer will even take a chance on a new production of KWAMINA, MUSIC IS, A MOTHER'S KISSES or one of the bottom drawer shows someday soon to see if they possess any of the limitless potential shown by Adler's earlier work. Or maybe a stage treatment of his TV musical GIFT OF THE MAGI (originally composed for then-wife Sally Ann Howes)? Or, better yet, how about a revue? What a stupendous songstack Adler created over the course of his career - 'Whatever Lola Wants' to 'Hey There' to 'Hernando's Hideaway' to 'You Gotta Have Heart' to 'Steam Heat' to the aforementioned Bennett, Day and Monroe standards and so many more chestnuts.

Premiere Props announced that they will be auctioning off over 1000 Hollywood costumes and props including several personal items from Hollywood icons Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Sammy Davis Jr., Liberace and Michael Jackson, plus hundreds of items from contemporary films including the "Harry Potter" and "Piranha" franchises, "What to Except When You are Expecting," and "Seeking a Friend For the End of the World" during their Hollywood Extravaganza VI today, June 23 and Sunday, June 24, 2012. The auction will take place at Premiere Props' headquarters in El Segundo, Calif. beginning at 11am PT, with a preview from 9-11am PT each day.

After a successful first half of the year in Arts Centre Melbourne's State Theatre, the Morning Melodies concert series returns to its home in the newly refurbished Hamer Hall. Opera diva Suzanne Johnston finishes off the State Theatre season, before the likes of Orchestra Victoria, Victorian Opera and Kane Alexander perform in the acoustics of the new Hamer Hall.