Stephen Schwartz News

Beginning Friday, June 1st, Shuler Hensley will star as Dr. Hannibal Lecter in Off-Broadway's SILENCE! The Musical through June 24th, filling in for the vacationing David Garrison.

Polaris Productions, a non-profit children's theatre group will present the classic 1960 Tony Award winning musical Bye Bye Birdie starting tonight, May 10th at Hudson Guild Theatre. LeCee Galmiche Johnson directs a talented cast of young actors ages 4 through 20. Christopher Cooley is Musical Director. See photos of the cast below!

East West Players (EWP), the nation's largest producing organization of Asian American artistic work and the longest-running professional theatre of color in the country, concludes its 46th Anniversary season, themed Languages of Love, with Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, directed by Tim Dang and choreographed by Reggie Lee.

Rachel Potter will celebrate the release of her debut country EP, 'Live the Dream,' at Joe's Pub on May 13.

On Friday, May 18, legendary American opera soprano Lauren Flanigan, known for creating memorable contemporary opera roles, stars in 'Lauren Flanigan's 4th Annual 50th Birthday Bash,' presented by American Opera Projects and Music and Mentoring House. The evening is a marathon concert of fifty-four (54) rarely-heard songs performed by Flanigan and friends. Harlem's historic Italian bistro Ristorante Settepani, 196 Lenox Ave. at 120th St., will serve a special menu of Lauren's favorite appetizers and entrees. Tickets are $54 ($39 tax-deductible) and must be purchased in advance at http://flaniganis50again.eventbrite.com or at www.operaprojects.org. Proceeds go towards American Opera Projects' Composers & the Voice program that commissions, develops, and presents contemporary opera.

Hottest Articles on BroadwayWorld.com from this weekend Sunday, May 6, 2012 - Sunday, May 6, 2012.

A free concert celebrating the release of Over The Moon: The Broadway Lullaby Project, a multi-media charity project that includes a two-CD set of original lullabies composed and sung by Broadway's brightest stars, a lavishly-illustrated hardcover book of 17 songs from the album, a corresponding e-book encompassing the entire collection, and a documentary film. The project gathers many of contemporary theater's greatest composers and vocalists, as well as award-winning illustrators and set designers, all of whom donated their talent to this endeavor.

Hunter Parrish, who previously starred in the Broadway revival of GODSPELL, has joined the starry talent lineup of When You Believe: A Conversation With and Tribute To Stephen Schwartz on May 19 in Palm Springs.

Arroyo Grande High School Theatre Company presents Stephen Schwartz' PIPPIN, May 24-26. Performances will be held each day at 7PM, with a 2PM performance on May 26.

The company of Broadway's first-ever revival of Stephen Schwartz's rock musical GODSPELL last month welcomed a new leading man- stage and screen star Corbin Bleu (Disney's 'High School Musical,' Broadway's In the Heights) - to the starring role of Jesus. Get a first look at Bleu in the show below!

Nat Chandler (The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Phantom of the Opera), Teri Hansen (Showboat, Boys from Syracuse), and Mandy Gonzalez (Wicked, In the Heights) will appear in concert with Maestro John Varineau and the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra on Friday May 11th and Saturday May 12th at 8pm along with Sunday May 13th at 3:00pm in the DeVos Performance Hall.

Barbra Streisand may have just reached her 70th birthday, but her younger sister, Roslyn Kind, staged a celebration of her own, returning to the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts for a concert she called "Coming Home." Looking stylishly elegant in a black sequins top and matching pants, Kind commanded the stage with a veteran performer's poise and confidence. Unfortunately, microphone reverberation and sound echos caused frustration for Kind (as well as the audience) and got the show off to a rough start. It was only into about the sixth number that the sound problems were resolved and Roz was able to finally find her groove. In spite of the technical problems, however, she charmed her fans with her humor and personal stories, and wowed them with her pure, gorgeous voice.

Erin Cummings, star of TV's 'Spartacus' and 'Pan Am,' attended SILENCE! The Musical at P.S. 122 this past Friday, April 27th, joining a long list of luminaries who have turned up in the audience at the hit show over the past few months including Jodie Foster, Neil Simon, James Earl Jones, Kelly Ripa, Josh Groban, Lisa Lampanelli, Jonathan Demme, Matt Bomer (twice!), Joan Rivers, Chita Rivera, Jeremy Jordan, Stephen Schwartz, John Kander, James Lapine, Jonathan Groff, Justin Kirk, Corbin Bleu, Mario Cantone, David LaChapelle, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, TR Knight, Willie Garson, Seth Rudetsky, Steven Pasquale, John Rando, Telly Leung, Christian Campbell, John McDaniel, Eden Espinosa, Charlotte d'Amboise, Carol Woods, Anika Larsen, and Anthony Heald.

The company of the second North American tour of WICKED welcomes Christine Dwyer as Elphaba and Billy Harrigan Tighe as Fiyero today, May 2 in Durham, NC.

Tony Award-winning director John Rando attended SILENCE! The Musical at P.S. 122 on April 19th, joining a long list of luminaries who have turned up in the audience at the hit show over the past few months including Jodie Foster, Neil Simon, James Earl Jones, Kelly Ripa, Josh Groban, Lisa Lampanelli, Jonathan Demme, Matt Bomer, Joan Rivers, Chita Rivera, Jeremy Jordan, Stephen Schwartz, John Kander, James Lapine, Jonathan Groff, Justin Kirk, Corbin Bleu, Mario Cantone, David LaChapelle, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, TR Knight, Willie Garson, Seth Rudetsky, Steven Pasquale, Telly Leung, Christian Campbell, John McDaniel, Eden Espinosa, Charlotte d'Amboise, Carol Woods, Anika Larsen, and Anthony Heald. See the photo below!

Desert Theatre Ensemble Company today announced that Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet has declared May 19 to be recognized as 'Stephen Schwartz Day'.

The company of the first North American tour of WICKED welcomes PJ Benjamin as The Wizard on Tuesday, May 8 and Nicole Parker as Elphaba on Friday, May 18 in Denver, CO.