Sting News

Today we are talking to one of the most successful and accomplished composers and lyricists in Broadway and Hollywood history all about his participation in next week's hotly anticipated charity event UPRISING OF LOVE, co-produced with Bruce Cohen, hosted by Jane Lynch and starring Sting and Patti LuPone, among others - the one and only Stephen Schwartz. Schwartz sheds lights on what inspired him to curate the evening, as well as previews some of the entertainment set to be on hand and what audiences can expect from the Dustin Lance Black-penned benefit to raise awareness of gay bullying and support equal rights for all. Additionally, Schwartz looks back at his many major musical landmarks and touches upon the current revival of PIPPIN as well as long-running Broadway hit WICKED and the currently in development film adaptation of it. Plus, Schwartz comments on the upcoming screen-to-stage adaptation of THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, currently set to premiere in La Jolla later this year. Furthermore, Schwartz shares news on the development of several current projects he is working on at the moment, including the new stage musical based on the life of Emanuel Schikaneder and the animated big screen A.R. Rahman collaboration MUMBAI MUSICAL, with remarks on the recent stateside premieres of new musical MY FAIRY TALE and musical revue SNAPSHOTS, too. All of that, thoughts on Ariana Grande and Kanye West sampling 'Popular', GLEE covering 'Defying Gravity', reflections on some lesser-known compositions from his solo albums RELUCTANT PILGRIM and UNCHARTED TERRITORY, thoughts on a Broadway production of CHILDREN OF EDEN and much, much more!

Click below to watch a special moment from 'In Focus' with Eden Lane's one-on-one with composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz during the PIPPIN National Tour launch in Denver. Schwartz discusses a special one-night-only event he is executive producing. 'Uprising of Love: A Benefit Concert for Global Equality' will be hosted by Jane Lynch and features Sting, Patti LuPone, Celina Jaitly, Greg Louganis, Billy Porter, Chely Wright, and the casts of WICKED, ONCE, I AM HARVEY MILK, and more!

Executive Producers Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell, Pippin) and Bruce Cohen (American Beauty, Milk, Silver Linings Playbook) are proud to announce that Emmy Award winner Jane Lynch (Glee) will host Uprising of Love: A Benefit Concert for Global Equality on Monday, September 15th at Broadway's Gershwin Theatre (222 West 51st Street).

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? This weekend's big news: THE WINTER'S TALE begins at the Delacorte, 'MIGHTY REAL' starts performances off-Broadway, RUTHLESS! benefits BC/EFA, we remember Joan Rivers and more!

Singer Al Green; actor and filmmaker Tom Hanks; ballerina Patricia McBride; singer-songwriter Sting; and comedienne Lily Tomlin will receive honors for 2014 on THE 37TH ANNUAL KENNEDY CENTER HONORS

Sony/ATV Music Publishing has today announced the promotion of Jennifer Knoepfle to the role of Senior Vice President, Creative, based in the company's Los Angeles office.

The Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts (PTPA) will present Eight-time Grammy Award-winning jazz icon HERB ALPERT and his wife, the internationally renowned Grammy Award-winning singer LANI HALL on Sunday, October 12 at 7:00 PM. An Evening with Herb Alpert and Lani Hall will feature songs from their third album together, Steppin' Out, with their band, Michael Shapiro on drums & percussion, Hussain Jiffry on bass and Bill Cantos on keyboards and vocals. The program will include a jazz set sprinkled with Brasilian flavors and songbook favorites such as: 'Puttin' on the Ritz,' 'Moondance,' 'Let's Face the Music & Dance,' 'Fever,' 'La Vie en Rose,' a nostalgic Tijuana Brass medley and many others. Sunday, October 12 at 7:00 PM Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts, 71 E. Main St., Patchogue, NY 11772 Tickets: $38-$68 + fee, available the box office, by phone 631-207-1313, or at www.patchoguetheatre.com.

With a unique vocal sound she calls, 'Contemporary Blues,' Billie Williams has been conquering the nightclub and cabaret rooms of New York City-from the Metropolitan Room and Iridium Jazz Club, to Joe's Pub- and now The Cutting Room on September 13 at 9:30 pm.

Nashville's best and brightest studio musicians The Time Jumpers - including the venerable Vince Gill - bring Music City to Park City tonight, August 30. I

There is a hot new room in town for music and cabaret. Room 53 (314 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019) is a no cover, no drink minimum wine bar (great beers on tap too!) with amazing food influenced by French and Moroccan Cuisine. Tonight, August 29, piano / singer, Walt Frasier delivers a wide variety of music with special guests from Broadway and cabaret. From 8pm until midnight, Mr Frasier will play and sing rock, blues, Broadway, Jazz and even some Opera.

Birdland Jazz Club has announced its schedule for September 8 - September 14, featuring Marilyn Maye, Christian McBride Trio, Jane Monheit's Jazz Party, Natalie Douglas, and more!

One of the planet's premier percussionists, Cyro Baptista, leads a quartet of some of the most exciting musicians from the New York world music scene, in a unique, colorful performance at Pepperdine University's Smothers Theatre at 7 p.m. on Sunday October 5.

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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: RED EYE OF LOVE begins off-Broadway, Patrick Page can't stop being bad at 54 Below, Michael Cerveris goes to NOLA and more!

Executive Producers Stephen Schwartz have announced additional performers and presenters for Uprising of Love: A Benefit Concert for Global Equality on Monday, September 15th at Broadway's Gershwin Theatre (222 West 51st Street).

THE LAST SHIP -- the new musical with music and lyrics by 16-time Grammy Award-winner Sting and book by Tony Award-winner John Logan and Pulitzer Prize-winner Brian Yorkey -- will begin previews September 29 on Broadway, prior to opening night on October 26. The Last Ship is directed by Tony Award-winner Joe Mantello and choreographed by Olivier Award-winner and Tony Award-nominee Steven Hoggett. Musical direction, orchestrations and arrangements are by Emmy Award-winning and multi Grammy-nominated producer Rob Mathes. Check out a just-released commercial for the new musical below!

MTV, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), announced today that the 2014 'Video Music Awards,' the loudest and at times, the most controversial, annual live celebration of music, is set to make its triumphant return to the west coast when it airs LIVE from the Forum, presented by Chase, in Inglewood, CA tonight, August 24th.

In anticipation of the live 66th Annual Emmy Award broadcast on NBC on Monday, August 25th, BWW will be spotlighting the Emmy nominated TV performances of some of Broadway's biggest stars. If you want to follow along and interact with all of BroadwayWorld's Emmy coverage, check out #BWWEmmys on Twitter.

The penultimate episode in the dramatization of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot stories, THE LABOURS OF HERCULES, starring David Suchet, is now being streamed by AcornTV. This version is indeed an ambitious undertaking, as it attempts to steer her 1947 collection of twelve short stories, united with some effort under the themed umbrella of the mythological trials of Hercules, into one tale.