Steve Martin News

The Texas Rep Theatre Co., Houston's Uptown Classic Theatre, continues a tradition of theatrical excellence in it's Ninth season with Steve Martin's hysterical adaptation of Carl Sternheim's farce comedy The Underpants. Directed in a new production by Troy Scheid and featuring a stellar cast of Houston's finest performers, The Underpants will preview on May 8th, celebrate its gala opening on May 9th, and run 4 performances a week through June 1st.

Lately, it seems as if there's been something in the air in the Rhode Island theatre scene. Or maybe something in the drinking water. Something rather dark. There are a number of plays that have just ended, are running currently, or are about to open, which deal with very dark, disturbing or depressing themes and images. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, of course. And no rhyme or reason for why it's so pervasive right now, it's mere coincidence. Still, there's a lot of dark out there right now and it's nice to mix things up with lighter fare, perhaps something along the lines of the delightful production of Picasso at the Lapin Agile, presented by Counter-Productions Theatre Company, which just closed at Ninety-Five Empire.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Today's big news: THE VELOCITY OF AUTUMN opens on Broadway, ANNAPURNA opens off-Broadway and more!

The Old Globe today announced its 2014-2015 Season, beginning September 13 with the World Premiere of Bright Star, a new American musical with music by Edie Brickell and Steve Martin, lyrics by Edie Brickell, book by Steve Martin, based on an original story by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. Tony Award winner Walter Bobbie makes his Globe debut directing with this entertaining musical of enduring love, family ties, and the light of forgiveness that shines from a bright star.

A diverse cast of thirteen join Noor Theatre Artistic Director Lameece Issaq, Executive Director Maha Chehlaoui, and Producing Artistic Director Nancy Vitale for the world premiere of The Myth Project. This director-driven workshop production in three parts from Director/Writers Kareem Fahmy, Noelle Ghoussaini, and Pirronne Yousefzadeh, runs in repertory from Thursday, May 1 through Sunday, May 4 at New York Theatre Workshop's 4th Street Theatre.

Laguna Playhouse will present the return of Rita Rudner who will be performing her award-winning solo comedy, AN EVENING WITH RITA RUDNER and her new dress, for two performances only, Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1 at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach.

Rubicon Theatre continues the company's 16th Not Your Typical Season with a special run of Love, Loss, and What I Wore -- a witty and wise celebration of womanhood adapted by Nora and Delia Ephron, creators of such hits as 'When Harry Met Sally,' 'Sleepless in Seattle,' 'You've Got Mail,' 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants' and 'Silkwood.'

Phil Coulter is a musical renaissance man. As composer, producer, artist, arranger and musical director Coulter seems to have done it all, from producing the seminal albums by Planxty that ignited the Irish traditional music renaissance to hits by pure pop group The Bay City Rollers to composing and directing the global sensation Celtic Thunder.

The cast and creative team of the hit Off-Broadway musical Murder for Two are teaming up with some of New York's brightest up and coming composers and BroadwayWorld.com on select Monday nights for their spring concert series, Murderous Musical Mondays. Featured on Monday, April 21, 2014 will be the Pace New Musicals Writers' Room (curated by Ryan Scott Oliver), immediately following the 7pm performance of Murder for Two at New World Stages (Stage 5 - 340 West 50th Street). Meet the new composers below!

Stage and screen star Kevin Spacey was just honored by Museum of the Moving Image at its 28th annual Salute last night, April 9, 2014 in New York City. Spacey joins the ranks of past honorees who have received the Museum's Salute, including Clint Eastwood, Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Robert DeNiro, Goldie Hawn, Alec Baldwin, Dustin Hoffman, Hugh Jackman, Steve Martin, Al Pacino, Sidney Poitier, Jimmy Stewart, Julia Roberts, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Spielberg. BroadwayWorld was there for the special celebration and you can check out photos below!

Can a jealous actor fool his cheating wife? Lillian Groag (artistic associate at the Old Globe) directs a new adaptation of The Guardsman, the comic tour de force about love, fidelity and illusion by Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnar, opening May 17 at the NoHo Arts Center.

New York Stage and Film and Vassar College, this summer celebrating the 30th year of their Powerhouse Theater collaboration, are pleased to announce the three new works that will be featured on the Mainstage during the 2014 Powerhouse Theater Season, running from June 20 to July 27 at Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, New York). Subscriptions go on sale May 7; full programming and ticket sale information will be announced at a later date.

Classic Stage Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Greg Reiner, will present its popular First Look Festival, a series of one-night only staged readings, this year focusing on the remarkable work of playwright Caryl Churchill, whose plays have provoked, captivated and astounded audiences since she burst onto the scene in the late 1960s.

Whether you've been living under a rock for the past week or you're just in the mood for a recap, BroadwayWorld's 'This Week in Pictures' is here to satisfy your end-of-the-week fix! Take a look below to catch up on the latest happenings from the Great White Way to The West End (and everywhere in between) with coverage of press events, rehearsals, opening nights and more. Highlights this week include a look at opening night celebrations of IF/THEN, a first look at the West End production of DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, a sneak peak at THE REALISTIC JONESES, and more!

Jerry Mitchell's production of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, opened at the Savoy Theatre 2 April 2014. It stars Robert Lindsay, Rufus Hound, Katherine Kingsley, and Samantha Bond. Check below for photos from the press night!

Rubicon Theatre continues the company's 16th Not Your Typical Season with a special run of Love, Loss, and What I Wore -- a witty and wise celebration of womanhood adapted by Nora and Delia Ephron, creators of such hits as 'When Harry Met Sally,' 'Sleepless in Seattle,' 'You've Got Mail,' 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants' and 'Silkwood.'

Tony Award-winning Broadway hit DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS comes to the West End later this month with stage and screen stars Robert Lindsay and Rufus Hound in the leads and a new behind the scenes featurette detailing the set construction is now available to view.

As a featured event of its Tenth Anniversary Spring Rep season, Phoenix Theatre Ensemble (www.PhoenixTheatreEnsemble.org) will present 'Dogg's Hamlet, Cahoot's Macbeth' by Tom Stoppard from May 2 to 23, 2014 at The Wild Project 195 E. 3rd Street (at Ave. B). It's an evening of two short plays in which Stoppard radically shortens 'Hamlet' and 'Macbeth' to craft a witty Shakespearean two-step on serious themes of artistic dissent. Kevin Confoy directs.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, which is currently playing at the Savoy Theatre, stars Olivier, Tony and BAFTA award winning Robert Lindsay (Me And My Girl, Becket, Oliver!, My Family) and Rufus Hound (One Man Two Guv'nors, Celebrity Juice,and the winner of the recent Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special) as the conmen Lawrence Jameson and Freddy Benson competing for the riches and the heart of the young impressionable heiress, Christine Colgate played by Katherine Kingsley (Singin' in the Rain), who was just nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Michael Grandage's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Samantha Bond (Passion Play, Amy's View, Downton Abbey, James Bond Outnumbered) plays Muriel Eubanks, a glamorous divorcee looking for love in Beaumont-sur-Mer on the French Riviera and John Marquez (Privates On Parade, The Taming of the Shrew, Doc Martin) plays Andre Thibault, Beaumont-sur-Mer's Chief of Police. Check out photos of the cast in action below!

South Bend Civic Theatre stages Michael Hollinger's hilarious spy spoof Red Herring in the Warner Theatre April 25-May 11.