Spike Lee News

The New York Musical Festival (NYMF), previously known as The New York Musical Theatre Festival, has announced that they have partnered with The ASCAP Foundation, The Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME), and SDC Foundation to curate three panel conversations with industry professionals, aimed at providing more insight into the musical development process.

Today in 2008, Passing Strange closed at the Belasco Theatre, where it ran for 165 performances. Passing Strange is a rock musical about a young African American's artistic journey of self-discovery in Europe, drawing on heavy elements of existentialism, metafictional comedy, and the Kunstlerroman. The musical's lyrics and book are by Stew with music and orchestrations by Heidi Rodewald and Stew. It was created in collaboration with director Annie Dorsen. The musical was developed at the Sundance Institute Theatre Lab in 2004 and 2005, one of the only works there ever to be invited back for a second round of development. It had productions in Berkeley, California and Off-Broadway before opening on Broadway in 2008, garnering strong reviews and several awards. Spike Lee filmed the musical on Broadway as a documentary, premiering the film in 2009.

On Saturday night, a chapter in Broadway musical history came to a close as Lin-Manuel Miranda, 2016 Tony Award winner Leslie Odom Jr. (Aaron Burr) andPhillipa Soo (Eliza Hamilton) all played their final performances in Hamilton.

Just last night, a chapter in Broadway musical history came to a close as Lin-Manuel Miranda, 2016 Tony Award winner Leslie Odom Jr. (Aaron Burr) and Phillipa Soo (Eliza Hamilton) all played their final performances in Hamilton.

To commemorate the departure of three of the show's leads, the production broadcast the curtain call on Facebook Live to more than 30,000 live viewers. Featured in the curtain call? The WEST WING theme song. 

Coming up at The Iridium are: NYC's all-women blues band JANE LEE HOOKER on July 23; ELLEN KAYE with UK guitarist PAUL ROSE and Ethan Fein and the LiveIt!LIVE Band on July 26; VERNON REID POWER TRIO on July 29; and soul singer/songwriter/guitarist RAUL MIDON on September 24 & 25. Scroll down for details!

During last night's 2016 BET AWARDS, Jennifer Hudson joined an all-star roster of artists who paid tribut to the late singer Prince. Below, watch video from her moving performance of the Prince classic 'Purple Rain.'

Singer/Songwriter sensation Randi Driscoll calls together friends from Broadway to benefit up-and-coming actor-driven ensemble, The Seeing Place. The show, 'Reinvention' touches on the immense challenge put before us when life throws us struggles we're not sure we have the strength to face.

SPIKE Lee's Lil' Joints, a short documentary series from ESPN Films that first premiered last summer, returns today, May 31, with four new films executive produced by award-winning producer and director SPIKE Lee. The films in the collection merge African American and sports narratives, all directed by African American filmmakers.

The Public Theater presents THE TOTAL BENT, with text by Stew and music by Stew and Heidi Rodewald, the team behind the Tony Award-wining musical Passing Strange, now through through Sunday, June 19. The production officially opened last night, Wednesday, May 25. Check out photos from the opening below!

Spike Lee's Lil' Joints, a short documentary series from ESPN Films that first premiered last summer, will return May 31 with four new films executive produced by award-winning producer and director Spike Lee.

NYC PodFest, Co-Produced by ThisMyShow Industries and Prince Street Entertainment, is thrilled to announce its all-star lineup  for its fourth annual festival will include 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' (CBS) & Stay Human band leader, Jon Batiste as a guest on a live taping of Paul Mecurio's '2 Chairs and a Microphone' on Saturday, May 21st at 9:45 pm at Cake Shop in New York City.

It's all good news today at the Music Box Theare... and we aren't just talking about Audra McDonald's pregnancy. It was also announced that during Ms. McDonald's hiatus from the production, Savion Glover, SHUFFLE ALONG's Tony Award-nominated choreographer, and widely considered to be the world's greatest living tap dancer, will step into the show, as envisioned by the Director and Book writer, George C. Wolfe.

Tonight, May 3rd, at 26 Bridge, Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC) will celebrate 50 years of supporting Brooklyn's diverse creative and cultural community.

The John W. Engeman Theater announces the cast and creative team for THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE.  Performances begin on Thursday, May 26 at 8:00pm and run through July 10, 2016.

Musical Theatre Factory (MTF) will present its monthly Factory Salon with guest host Rebecca Naomi Jones, and featuring the work of Justin Levine (Pepper and Sam), Sukari Jones and Ben Krauss, and Julia Jordan and Lisa DeSpain (Storyville) and performances by Jason Gotay (Spiderman, Bring it On) and Sara Kapner (bare the musical).

The Madison Square Garden Company and the Garden of Dreams Foundation celebrated the 'Decade of Dreams' the 10th annual Garden of Dreams Talent Show last night, April 11, 2016 at Radio City Music Hall. Hosted by MSG Networks' Jill Martin and Al Trautwig, this year's Talent Show celebrated the 10th anniversary of both the foundation and the talent show and showcased more than 22 different performances from 22 Garden of Dreams Foundation partner organizations. Scroll down for photos from the event!

?In one of D.C.'s social events of the year, the Kennedy Center pays tribute to America's immortal Motown hit-maker, the late singer Marvin Gaye, at the 2016 Kennedy Center Spring Gala on Sunday, June 5, 2016 in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. The evening's program celebrates Gaye's enigmatic and innovative contributions to the Motown sound during the peak of his career in the 1970s and 1980s, and his musical influence that spans generations. Hosted by actress, comedian, and television host Whoopi Goldberg, the gala performance is headlined by multi-Grammy Award-winning artist Michael Buble, and features a talented, all-star cast including Andra Day, Ledisi, and Jussie Smollett, star of the FOX hit show, Empire.

The Public Theater announced today that Stew and Heidi Rodewald will perform live with the on-stage band for THE TOTAL BENT, playing the guitar and bass, respectively. With text by Stew and music by Stew and Heidi Rodewald, the team behind the Tony Award-wining musical Passing Strange, which premiered at The Public in 2003, this world premiere musical is directed by Joanna Settle. Performances begin Tuesday, May 10 and continue through Sunday, June 12, with an official press opening on Wednesday, May 25.

On Tuesday, May 3rd, at 26 Bridge, Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC) will celebrate 50 years of supporting Brooklyn's diverse creative and cultural community.