Susan Cella News

Tonight, September 13th, Gavin Creel and Dale Hensely (The Fantasticks) are rounding up their Broadway friends to give blind and intellectually disabled performers a chance to do something they would never otherwise be able to do - shine on Broadway.

On September 13th, Gavin Creel and Dale Hensely (The Fantasticks) are rounding up their Broadway friends to give blind and intellectually disabled performers a chance to do something they would never otherwise be able to do - shine on Broadway.

It's like 'Modern Family' meets wedding party drama when Saugatuck Center for the Arts' Mason Street Warehouse (MSW) theatre company presents It Shoulda Been You, a musical comedy about an unforgettable wedding day with a game-changing plot twist.

It's like 'Modern Family' meets wedding party drama when Saugatuck Center for the Arts' Mason Street Warehouse (MSW) theatre company presents It Shoulda Been You, a musical comedy about an unforgettable wedding day with a game-changing plot twist.

The 67th Music Circus season continues with the classic Leonard Bernstein musical comedy On The Town. This will be just the third time the Bernstein masterpiece has been produced at Music Circus, and its first appearance in the Wells Fargo Pavilion; previous Music Circus productions were in 1955 and 1961. Performances of On The Town are Tuesday, July 11 through Sunday, July 16 at the Wells Fargo Pavilion.

After auditioning performers in New York City, Los Angeles and Sacramento, California Musical Theatre has confirmed casting for all five shows in the 67th Music Circus season. The cast is loaded with Broadway veterans-some of whom are making their Music Circus debuts-Tony Award nominees, and audience favorites from previous Music Circus productions.

Having had the privilege to serve as Broadway World's Maine Editor for more than three years now, I can say with pride that the state, though remote as it may seem from the epicenter of the theatre world, Broadway, is blessed to be home to so many thriving theatre companies who produce exciting, vibrant seasons. As I compiled my list for 2016 with many familiar names, I was also struck by the extraordinary consistency of excellence these companies maintain. Here are my personal choices of the best in Maine, grouped by theatre and show.

Marc Robin directs Ira Levin's creepiest play at the Fulton. Come and sit in Veronica's room with her. If you can.

 The nationally regarded Fulton Theatre opens its 2016/2017 Ellen Arnold Groff Studio Series with a chilling Victorian thriller in the Tell Studio Theatre. The Ira Levin mystery, Veronica's Room, runs through October 30, with two added performances on Sunday, October 23 and Sunday, October 30 at 6:30 pm.

One week into the virtually sold-out run of MSMT's Fiddler on the Roof, cast members, Bill Nolte, Susan Cella, Erick Devine, and Rachel Rhodes-Devey, together with MSMT's Managing Director Stephanie Dupal convened in the third Peek Behind the Curtain panel discussion at the Curtis Memorial Library on July 27, 2016, to examine the phenomenon of the show that continues to mesmerize audiences fifty-two years after its Broadway debut. In response to moderator Carla Maria Verdino-Sullwold's observation that Fiddler is a show which - like its characters - survives, the participants discussed their individual perspectives on the show, their characters, and the universal themes that continue to speak powerfully to audiences.

Maine State Music Theatre's third 2016 main stage production is a cause for celebration! After twenty-one years, the beloved Bock-Harnick musical, Fiddler on the Roof returns to the Pickard stage in a monumental production directed and choreographed by Gary John LaRosa, that stunningly weaves a rich and joyous tapestry of laughter, tears, and joy. Maintaining its perfect dramatic and emotional equipoise, this Fiddler on the Roof travels between tradition and change, monumental events and mastery of detail.

"I haven't specifically counted," the dynamic actress sitting opposite me replies. "Somewhere between 1000-2000 performances, I think. I've done the role with Theodore Bikel and Harvey Fierstein, on both national tours, and in regional and stock houses all over the country." Susan Cella is speaking of her signature portrayal of Golde, the vehicle which has brought her to the latest stop in her artistic journey, Maine State Music Theatre in a new production of the Bock-Harnick musical, Fiddler on the Roof, that opens July 20.

'This is like a real homecoming. The last time I worked at Maine State Music Theatre was in 1995, and it was also Fiddler on the Roof,' says nationally acclaimed director-choreographer Gary John LaRosa. La Rosa, who is widely considered one of the reigning authorities on the beloved 1964 Bock-Harnick bitter-sweet musical about Russian Jews confronting a changing world, has in his own words, 'literally done dozens' of Fiddler productions throughout his vibrant, busy career. 'I've actually stopped counting,' he says with a smile, though we note that among all these, he staged the 50th anniversary Fiddler gala on Broadway, as well as at least four of these won prestigious theatre awards and nominations. This month he finds himself in Brunswick, Maine, directing a thirty-six person cast in MSMT's third main stage show of the 2016 season.

Bill Hanney's award-winning North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) presents a new production of FUNNY GIRL, starring Broadway's Shoshana Bean in the lead role of Fanny Brice. FUNNY GIRL opened Tuesday, June 7 and plays through Sunday, June 19, 2016. BroadwayWorld brings you a first look at the cast in action below!

It's a lot to ask of a leading lady to make audiences forget Barbra Streisand in the role that catapulted her to stardom. That's one of the reasons why FUNNY GIRL, the musical that forever linked Streisand to the title character Fanny Brice, has never been revived on Broadway. Well, look no more, producers. If ever there was an actress who could fill Streisand's shoes and make FUNNY GIRL her own, it's the star who's currently electrifying audiences in the role at North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly: Shoshnna Bean.

Bill Hanney's award-winning North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) presents a new production of FUNNY GIRL, starring Broadway's Shoshana Bean in the lead role of Fanny Brice. FUNNY GIRL opened last night, Tuesday, June 7 and plays through Sunday, June 19, 2016. BroadwayWorld brings you a first look at the cast in action below!

Bill Hanney's award-winning North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) will soon stage a sparkling new production of FUNNY GIRL, starring Broadway's Shoshana Bean in the lead role of Fanny Brice. FUNNY GIRL began performances last night, June 7 and plays through Sunday, June 19, 2016. Below, watch as Bean performs the show's finale for the first time!

Bill Hanney's award-winning North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) will soon stage a sparkling new production of FUNNY GIRL, starring Broadway's Shoshana Bean in the lead role of Fanny Brice. FUNNY GIRL starts performances tonight, Tuesday, June 7 and plays through Sunday, June 19, 2016. Check out a first look at rehearsals below!

Bill Hanney's award-winning North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) will soon stage a sparkling new production of FUNNY GIRL, starring Broadway's Shoshana Bean in the lead role of Fanny Brice. FUNNY GIRL starts performances on Tuesday, June 7 and plays through Sunday, June 19, 2016. The cast is currently in rehearsals, and Bean just released a preview of her take on the show's classic 'Don't Rain on My Parade' - check it out below!

It's a role that she's been waiting her whole life to perform. Now Shoshana Bean is getting her chance.