Ted Sperling News

Last night, Thursday, September 26, 54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, launched its first of six performances celebrating the extraordinary 30-year collaboration of Tony Award-winning songwriting team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime, Once on This Island, My Favorite Year, Seussical, Lucky Stiff, the upcoming Rocky, and more). In 'Nice Fighting You: A 30th Anniversary Celebration,' September 26 - 28, Ahrens and Flaherty offer six very special concerts featuring their best known songs, rare gems and even some never-before-heard material, performed by a rotating cast of Broadway stars. Last night's opening night concert featured Tony nominee Stephanie J. Block (The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Anything Goes), Tony nominee Liz Callaway (Baby, Anastasia), Tony Award winner LaChanze (Dessa Rose, Once on This Island), Kecia Lewis (Dessa Rose, Once on This Island), Sean McCourt (Wicked, A Man of No Importance), Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell (Ragtime, Kiss Me Kate) Tony Award nominee Mary Testa (42nd Street, Lucky Stiff), and musical direction by Tony Award Winner Ted Sperling (South Pacific, The Light in the Piazza, and The Other Josh Cohen). The evening features musical arrangements by Neil Douglas Reilly.

54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents the Tony Award-winning songwriting team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime, Once on This Island, My Favorite Year, Seussical, Lucky Stiff, the upcoming Rocky, and more) in celebration of their thirty years of collaboration. In 'Nice Fighting You: A 30th Anniversary Celebration,' September 26 - 28, Ahrens and Flaherty will offer six very special concerts featuring their best known songs, rare gems and even some never-before-heard material, performed by a rotating cast of Broadway stars including Annaleigh Ashford (Kinky Boots), Stephanie J. Block (Anything Goes, The Mystery of Edwin Drood), Liz Callaway (Baby,Miss Saigon, Anastasia), Kevin Chamberlin (Seussical, Dirty Blonde), Lilla Crawford (Annie),Lewis Grosso (Newsies), Tony Award winner LaChanze (The Color Purple, Ragtime, Once on This Island), Quentin Earl Darrington (Ragtime), Rebecca Luker (Cinderella, Mary Poppins, Nine), Marin Mazzie (Kiss Me Kate, Ragtime, Passion), Sean McCourt (Wicked, A Man of No Importance), Tony winner Brian Stokes Mitchell (Kiss Me Kate, Ragtime, Women on the Verge...),Jessica Molaskey (Sunday in the Park With George, Songs for a New World, A Man of No Importance), Bobby Steggert (Big Fish, Ragtime), Mary Testa (42nd Street, Lucky Stiff), and Tony Award Winner, Director/Music Director Ted Sperling (South Pacific, The Light in the Piazza, andThe Other Josh Cohen).

North Haven Arts and Enrichment will present the world premiere of RED EYE OF LOVE, a new musical comedy. The book and lyrics are by Arnold Weinstein and John Wulp. The music is by Sam Davis.

A grassroots online fundraising campaign has begun for a New York City revival of Michael John LaChiusa's 2005 Off-Broadway musical SEE WHAT I WANNA SEE, spearheaded by producer Colby Levin.

North Haven Arts and Enrichment will present the world premiere of RED EYE OF LOVE, a new musical comedy. The book and lyrics are by Arnold Weinstein and John Wulp. The music is by Sam Davis.

Bravo! Vail Announces today that a limited number of reservations for The Linda and Mitch Hart Soiree Series are now open and available to the general public. The Linda and Mitch Hart Soiree Series features four private performances in four unique and spectacular homes throughout the Vail Valley. Truly an experience, these events are some of the most exclusive and sought-after performances produced by Bravo! Vail.

Tonight, June 22 at 8:30pm and Sunday, June 23 at 4pm, Caramoor kicks off the 68th Summer Festival with its first ever Broadway production, She Loves Me. Joining the cast will be John Cullum, Ryan Silverman, Brad Oscar, Etai BenShlomo and Jonathan Freeman. Michele Lynch will choreograph.

Bravo! Vail Announces today that a limited number of reservations for The Linda and Mitch Hart Soiree Series are now open and available to the general public. The Linda and Mitch Hart Soiree Series features four private performances in four unique and spectacular homes throughout the Vail Valley. Truly an experience, these events are some of the most exclusive and sought-after performances produced by Bravo! Vail.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham) last night presented its Gala performance of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. The complete cast of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE featured Glenn Close as Ruth, Rocio Del Mar Valles as Isabel, Montego Glover as Kate, Jonathan Groff as Frederic, Eric Idle as The Sergeant, Kevin Kline as The Pirate King, Norm Lewis as Samuel, Anika Noni Rose as Mabel, Martin Short as Major-General Stanley, and Betsy Wolfe as Edith. BroadwayWorld was there for the special event and you can check out photos from the sta-studded arrivals below!

The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham) last night presented its Gala performance of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. The complete cast of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE featured Glenn Close as Ruth, Rocio Del Mar Valles as Isabel, Montego Glover as Kate, Jonathan Groff as Frederic, Eric Idle as The Sergeant, Kevin Kline as The Pirate King, Norm Lewis as Samuel, Anika Noni Rose as Mabel, Martin Short as Major-General Stanley, and Betsy Wolfe as Edith. BroadwayWorld wa sthere for the special event and you can check out photos from the curtain call below!

The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham) announced today that due to inclement weather, The Public Theater Gala performance of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE will now happen on the rain date, Tuesday, June 11 at 8:00 p.m. at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. A stand-by line for tomorrow's concert performance will start forming at 6:00 p.m. with any available tickets given out just prior to curtain.

From June to August, Orchestra of St. Luke's presents its 34th summer season at the Caramoor Music Festival, taking place in the beautiful al fresco Venetian Theater at Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts in Katonah, New York. The five-concert series offers something for every musical taste, with a Broadway musical, symphonic masterworks, elegant chamber music for unusual groupings, and a longtime tradition of OSL's Caramoor residencies-Bel Canto operas under the baton of Will Crutchfield.

The Public Theater announced today that Kevin Kline will reprise his Tony Award-winning role of The Pirate King with Glenn Close as Ruth, Eric Idle as the Sergeant, and Martin Short as Major-General Stanley in the one-night-only concert performance of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE for The Public's annual gala. Co-chaired by Sir Howard Stringer, Arielle Tepper Madover, and Renee Beaumont, this unforgettable summer evening will also honor the late Nora Ephron who was a long-time board member and consummate lover of The Public's Shakespeare in the Park.

The New York Philharmonic will present An Enchanted Evening with Paulo Szot, a one-night-only performance in which Tony Award winner and Metropolitan Opera artist Paulo Szot and divas from Broadway and television team up in a diverse program of Brazilian, Broadway, and concert songs.

Petruchio and Katherine backstage. Romeo and Juliet on a fire escape. From Kiss Me, Kate to West Side Story, Shakespeare has left his mark on the American Songbook. Tony Award-nominated director Mark Lamos (Cymbeline, Seascape) makes his Lyrics & Lyricists debut revealing the ties between Stratford-on-Avon and Shubert Alley in the 2013 season closer, Brush UpYour Shakespeare: The Bard and the Broadway Musical, tonight, June 1 and June 2 & 3.

92nd Street Y announces the 2014 line-up for Lyrics & Lyricists, with Deborah Grace Winer in her sixth season as series artistic director. To offer their unique perspectives on the American Songbook, L&L guest artistic directors this year feature three Tony Award winners-a director (Kathleen Marshall, in her L&L debut), music director (Ted Sperling) and lyricist (David Zippel)--a top musical theater historian (Robert Kimball), and Broadway royalty (Ted Chapin of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization).

On Saturday, June 22 at 8:30pm and Sunday, June 23 at 4pm, Caramoor kicks off the 68th Summer Festival with its first ever Broadway production, She Loves Me. Joining the cast will be John Cullum, Ryan Silverman, Brad Oscar, Etai BenShlomo and Jonathan Freeman. Michele Lynch will choreograph.

The Public Theater announced today that Public Theater alumna and Academy Award winner Meryl Streep and Sir Howard Stringer will honor their friend and colleague, the late Nora Ephron, a long-time Public Theater board member, at The Public's Gala on Monday, June 10 at the Delacorte Theater, where the benefit evening will culminate in a concert performance of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE.

Petruchio and Katherine backstage. Romeo and Juliet on a fire escape. From Kiss Me, Kate to West Side Story, Shakespeare has left his mark on the American Songbook. Tony Award-nominated director Mark Lamos (Cymbeline, Seascape) makes his Lyrics & Lyricists debut revealing the ties between Stratford-on-Avon and Shubert Alley in the 2013 season closer, Brush UpYour Shakespeare: The Bard and the Broadway Musical, on June 1, 2 and 3. Lamos is joined by vocalists Christine Andreas, Daniel Breaker, Britney Coleman, Max Von Essen, and Heather Jane Rolff.

The Public Theater announced today that Kevin Kline will reprise his Tony Award-winning role of The Pirate King with Glenn Close as Ruth, Eric Idle as the Sergeant, and Martin Short as Major-General Stanley in the one-night-only concert performance of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE for The Public's annual gala. Co-chaired by Sir Howard Stringer, Arielle Tepper Madover, and Renee Beaumont, this unforgettable summer evening will also honor the late Nora Ephron who was a long-time board member and consummate lover of The Public's Shakespeare in the Park.