Scott Sanders News

The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin wants to try her hand at musical theater by making her Broadway debut in the Tony-nominated production of AFTER MIDNIGHT.

Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, releases 'Duke Ellington: The Original Recordings That Inspired The Broadway Hit After Midnight' today, May 27th on iTunes (iTunes.com/DukeEllington) that other digital retailers. The CD version hits stores June 17th.

On Tuesday evening, 9-time Tony award winner Tommy Tune hosted a dinner for the musical After Midnight to celebrate their 7 Tony Award nominations at his home on the Upper East Side. Guests for the evening included Andre Leon Talley, Ruben and Isabel Toledo, Mercedes Ellington, William Ivey Long, Rick Miramontez, Jean Doumanian, David Rockwell, Warren Carlyle and After Midnight producer Scott Sanders. Check out photos from the evening below!

The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County and Broadway Across America are pleased to present the national tour of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's passionate and elegant masterpiece EVITA. The Tony Award-winning musical will play at the Arsht Center's Ziff Ballet Opera House for a limited engagement from May 27 - June 1, 2014. EVITA closes the Broadway in Miami 2013-2014 subscription season presented by Bank of America. Scroll down for a sneak peek at the show!

The 80th Annual Drama League Awards Ceremony and Luncheon is being held this afternoon, May 16, at the Marriott Marquis Times Square, where winners will be announced for Distinguished Production of a Play, Distinguished Production of a Musical, Distinguished Revival of a Play, Distinguished Revival of a Musical, and the much coveted Distinguished Performance Award. This year's event, which began at noon, is hosted by Broadway veteran Jesse Tyler Ferguson. BroadwayWorld is updating the winners live! Check back in to find out who took home the big awards!

This week's New York Times In Performance video features Vanessa Williams performing the number "I Can't Give You Anything but Love,"

In the glow of its seven Tony® Award nominations, including one for Best Musical, producers Scott Sanders and Wynton Marsalis announced today that a trio of true music legends will make their way to Broadway this summer in After Midnight. Multi-award winning icons Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight and Natalie Cole (making her Broadway debut) are set to join the illustrious roster of 'Special Guest Star' vocalists in the red hot Broadway musical.

After Midnight, Broadway's smash hit Cotton Club musical, and recent 5-time Outer Critic Circle 2014 nominee, will celebrate Duke Ellington's birthday (April 29) and Jazz Appreciation Month with a week of special activities throughout the city. Directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle and featuring the big-band sounds of nine-time Grammy Award-winner Wynton Marsalis' Jazz at Lincoln Center All-Stars, After Midnight performs at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th Street).

Co-Hosts Judith Light and Christopher Sieber announced the nominations for the 2014 Drama League Awards, including Distinguished Production of a Play, Distinguished Production of a Musical, Distinguished Revival of a Play, Distinguished Revival of a Musical, and the much coveted Distinguished Performance Award. The 2014 Drama League Nomination announcement begins the month of celebrations leading up to the 80th Annual Drama League Awards, which will be held at the Marriott Marquis Times Square (1535 Broadway) on Friday, May 16, 2014 at noon hosted by Broadway veteran Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

Actress and singer Vanessa Williams, accompanied by a 17-piece orchestra, performed the jazz standard "Stormy Weather" from the new Broadway show AFTER MIDNIGHT

Veteran theatre actress, Diana Angelina has won the L.A. Weekly Theater Award for Best Leading Female Performance for her role in 'Remembrance', a play by Graham Reid at Theatre Forty. The 2014 L.A. Weekly Theater Awards took place last night at Exchange L.A.

The Lord Baltimore Hotel, one of the crowning architectural jewels of Baltimore, Md. when it was built in 1928, has been restored by Rubell Hotels through a complete transformation in which every surface has been touched by craftsmen, artisans, artists and designers to bring the hotel back to life. The grand French Renaissance landmark features 23 stories comprised of 440 guest rooms and suites, more than 20.000 square feet of event space, several dining and lounging spaces, one of the city's only rooftop event spaces, and more. The landmark hotel is included in the National Register of Historic Places and is a member of Historic Hotels of America.

Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) invites Houstonians to experience the passion and seduction of the Tony Award-winning elegant masterpiece EVITA, running May 6 - 18 at Hobby Center's Sarofim Hall.

For the first time in its 48-year history the Alhambra Theatre & Dining in Jacksonville (FL) will perform The Color Purple. Nominated for 11 Tony Awards in 2006, the show will open at the Alhambra on March 26 and run through April 27, 2014.

Multi-Platinum superstars Toni Braxton and Kenny 'Babyface' Edmonds are the latest Grammy Award-winning artists to join the roster of 'Special Guest Star' vocalists in the smash hit Broadway musical After Midnight. With an impressive 16 Grammy Awards between them, Braxton and Edmonds will play their first performance tonight, March 18, 2014, marking Edmonds' Broadway debut and Braxton's return. The duo will continue performances at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th Street) through Sunday, March 30, 2014.

It was announced today during a live appearance from the stage of the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, that Multi-Platinum recording artist and actress Vanessa Williams is set to join the roster of 'Special Guest Star' vocalists in the critically acclaimed Broadway musical, After Midnight. Williams will play performances from Tuesday, April 1, 2014 through Sunday, May 11, 2014 at theBrooks Atkinson Theatre (256 W 47th Street). Directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle, After Midnight began preview performances on Friday, October 18, 2013, and opened to rave reviews on Sunday, November 3, 2013.

Experience the passion and seduction in this elegant masterpiece, Tony Award-winning musical EVITA, presented as part of the Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Atlanta 2013/2014 season at the Fox Theatre.

Experience the passion and seduction in this elegant masterpiece, Tony Award®-winning musical EVITA, opening at the Majestic Theatre for eight performances, April 29- May 4. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m., Friday, February 14.

The cast of Broadway's AFTER MIDNIGHT, featuring Fantasia Burrino and 'Psych' star Dule Hill gave a high-energy performance on this morning's 'Today' on NBC.

The stunning new production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita will make its Twin Cities premiere January 28-February 2, 2014 at the Orpheum Theatre (910 Hennepin Ave.) in Minneapolis. This version features updated orchestrations, choreography and scenic design offering a more authentic portrait of Argentinean culture and Eva's rise to and fall from power. Tickets are available now in person at the State Theatre Box Office, online at HennepinTheatreTrust.org, by calling 1.800.982.2787 or visiting a Ticketmaster Ticket Center. It is presented by Hennepin Theatre Trust as a part of its 2013-14 Broadway Across America-Minneapolis Season.