Stephen Schwartz News

Paper Mill Playhouse (Mark S. Hoebee-Producing Artistic Director, Todd Schmidt-Managing Director) is hosting its largest fundraising event of the year, The Center Stage Celebration on Friday, May 13th at the Hilton Short Hills. Tables and individual tickets are now on sale. For more information on Paper Mill Playhouse's Center Stage Celebration or to purchase tickets please contact Roberta Morton at 973-315-1663, rmorton@papermill.org or visit Paper Mill Playhouse's website, www.papermill.org.

Stephen Schwartz has teamed up with the New York City opera for the New York premiere of his first opera, Seance on a Wet Afternoon. The prodigious Oscar and Grammy Award-winning composer has written the scores to hit shows Godspell, Pippin, and Wicked, which continues to break Broadway attendance records and has become one of the most popular musicals of all time.

Variety is what distinguishes the mix of styles and stories in the 2011-12 series of HCA/TriStar Broadway at TPAC.

FEINSTEIN'S AT LOEWS REGENCY, the nightclub proclaimed 'Best of New York' by New York Magazine and 'an invaluable New York institution' by The New York Post, in association with producer Scott Siegel will continue its Spring 2011 season with 11 O'Clock Numbers at 11 O'Clock!

FEINSTEIN'S AT LOEWS REGENCY, the nightclub proclaimed 'Best of New York' by New York Magazine and 'an invaluable New York institution' by The New YorkPost, in association with producer Scott Siegel will continue its Spring 2011 season with 11 O'Clock Numbers at 11 O'Clock! The brand-new revue highlights the music that has galvanized Broadway audiences from the 1930s right through to the present. Using the term coined when Broadway shows started at 8:30 PM and needed a shot in the arm at about 11:00 PM to drive musicals to their big finish, 11 O'Clock Numbers have become almost mythic in their appeal. This show has an open-ended run at Feinstein's and will be performed at the hour these songs were intended to be heard: 11:00 PM.

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center announced today four musicals to be developed at its 2011 National Music Theater Conference under the leadership of Artistic Director Paulette Haupt.

BroadwayWorld.com has learned that the Broadway-bound revival of Godspell, which is now aiming for the Great White Way in the 2011-12 theatre season will likely play in the Circle in the Square Theatre, which is currently home to the open-ended run of LOMBARDI. No official announcement has been made and the production, which held its first event last week for the show's investors, had no comment as well. The production will be directed by Daniel Goldstein and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli.

Cole Escola, acclaimed for his inspired musical performances in Joe's Pub's recurring smash Our Hit Parade and Casserole Live, the live performance component of his hit television series, Jeffery & Cole Casserole, returns to Joe's Pub following eagerly anticipated solo debut there in January. With Cole's broad showmanship and sweetheart charm, his act hearkens back to a time when the great ladies of stage and screen dazzled the crowds in smoky rooms all over town. An exciting bill of standards, showtunes, Motown and original material brought to life by Cole's decidedly fresh perspective and raw energy under the direction of Ben Rimalower (Leslie Kritzer is Patti LuPone at Les Mouches) and featuring a band led by Bistro Award-winner Ray Fellman. Cole Escola premieres at Joe's Pub (425 Lafayette Street) on FRIDAY, MAY 20th at 11:30 PM and FRIDAY, MAY 27th at 11:30 PM.

New York City Opera General Manager and Artistic Director George Steel today announced the company's 2010-2011 season, which spotlights American composers and 20th-century works within a mix of world premieres, New York premieres and new productions. Offering audiences the opportunity to experience new and rarely performed operas as well as modern interpretations of traditional repertoire, the 2010-2011 season will also feature the launch of a concert series showcasing the non-operatic works of several of the composers of this season's operas. Taking advantage of the possibilities offered by the recent renovation of the company's home, the David H. Koch Theater, the concert series expands the repertoire and programming of City Opera and casts new light on the season's productions.

On Saturday, April 30 at 7:00pm, members of the Bay Area Cabaret & Theatrical communities join forces to raise funds for, and honor the work of, cabaret columnist and award-winning director Mike Ward, facing the final months of terminal, inoperable liver cancer.

First Stage Theater Academy's Young Company presents AN EVENING OF YOUNG COMPANY SHORTS with performances on Friday, May 6 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, May 7 at 3:30 and 7 p.m. at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, 325 W. Walnut St. in Milwaukee.

The company of the first North American tour of WICKED welcomes Amanda Jane Cooper as Glinda on Tuesday, April 19 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

New York City Opera's General Manager and Artistic Director George Steel will moderate an in-depth roundtable discussion on what defines the opera and musical theater genres at the Gershwin Theatre on the set of Stephen Schwartz's acclaimed Broadway production WICKED. He will be joined by a panel of distinguished composers and playwrights including Stephen Schwartz, Rufus Wainwright (composer and performer), Adam Guettel (composer of FLOYD COLLINS and THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA), John Kander (composer of CABARET and CHICAGO) and David Henry Hwang (librettist for operas such as ALICE IN WONDERLAND and THE FLY, playwright of M. BUTTERFLY, book for FLOWER DRUM SONG, TARZAN and AIDA on Broadway). The discussion precedes the New York premiere of Schwartz's first opera SEANCE on a WET AFTERNOON, opening at New York City Opera on Tuesday, April 19.

Sherry Vine will host and perform the LGBT even Vine and Spirits April 29th at 8 p.m. at the David H. Koch Theatre at Lincoln Center following the Stephen Schwartz's new show, SEANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON.

LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS & UPRIGHT CABARET are thrilled to announce the performers for its third show of their season, I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND: The Music of The Beatles, which will include James Snyder (Broadway: Cry-Baby, Pasadena Playhouse: Dangerous Beauty), Tom Lowe (London: Les Miserables, Cats) and Elizabeth Brackenbury (Vanities, Rock Of Ages), performing the music of The Beatles, and their own selections, under the musical direction of Todd Schroeder, in a one night only concert - I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND which will perform on Sunday, April 17, 2011 at 7:30PM at the NEW Cabaret Lounge at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd. in La Mirada.

Today we are talking to the composer of the new Broadway musical WONDERLAND, who is the only American composer to have had three of his shows running concurrently on Broadway - JEKYLL & HYDE, THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL and THE CIVIL WAR - and has since solidified himself as one of the most successful international musical theatre composers of the 21st century, with his globe-spanning productions of everything from THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO in Switzerland to CYRANO in Tokyo to TEARS OF HEAVEN in Korea to the forthcoming Broadway production of BONNIE & CLYDE - the warm and gracious Frank Wildhorn. Over the span of our considerable discussion last week we touched on everything from his pop music roots writing hits for Whitney Houston and Kenny Rogers, to his tenure at Atlantic Records and his series of recordings, shows and concerts with muse Linda Eder, as well as a thorough discussion of his compositional process, what inspires him in a story, his own favorite musicals, what the future holds - EXCALIBUR with Jim Steinman, perhaps? The world premiere of the long-awaited HAVANA? JEKYLL & HYDE: THE MOVIE MUSICAL? - and much, much more!

A day-of-performance lottery for a limited number of orchestra seats will be held daily for WICKED, which will be performing from May 4-15 at the Morrison Center.

As we approach April 15 (got YOUR taxes done yet?) and on into springtime, I trust you are making plans to frequent one of the several live performance and theatre venues here on the beautiful California Central Coast!

Chance Theater presents the World Premiere production of the quirky award-winning musical, The Boy in the Bathroom, April 23 - May 22, 2011. The play is directed by Chance Theater Artistic Director Oanh Nguyen. The production is a proud participant in both the 4th Annual Festival of New American Musicals and Arts Orange County's Imagination Celebration.

Supremely gifted. Stupendously stunning. Stupefying in her ability to hold magnetic sway over an audience. Kerry Ellis simply has it all and, now, following the worldwide success of her truly awesome collaboration with Queen's Brian May on their epic rock album ANTHEMS, May and Ellis are hitting the road for a UK tour kicking off at the Royal Albert Hall later this month. Over the weekend Kerry was kind enough to take a look back at her career with me - which includes her earth-shattering turns in WICKED in both the West End and on Broadway, plus her unforgettable turns in CHESS: LIVE IN CONCERT, on CD and DVD, as well as OLIVER and more - plus, we take a look ahead to what she would like to tackle next: a one-woman-musical ala TELL ME ON A SUNDAY, perhaps? Whatever she chooses to do, judging from her track record it is clear she will knock it clear out of the park.