Theodore Bikel News

United Solo Festival will present writer/performer Phil Johnson in his latest solo work, A Jewish Joke - a drama about comedy as relevant today is it was during the McCarthy era - in a single performance on Saturday, September 17th at 4pm at The Studio Theatre @ Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street - just east of Broadway.)

National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene has just sent out the following letter in remembrance of Fyvush Finkel, who passed away over the weekend.

The Segal Centre is proud to announce the 18 person cast of their upcoming world premiere, Prom Queen: The Musical written by Kent Staines with lyrics by Akiva Romer-Segal and music by Colleen Dauncey. This original Canadian production will be directed by Marcia Kash and is developed in association with Producer Mary Young Leckie. Inspired by the incredible, true story of Marc Hall, the Ontario teenager who took his Catholic School Board to court when they refused to let him attend prom with his boyfriend, the highly-anticipated new musical will feature both fresh and familiar faces at the Segal Centre fromOctober 27 to November 20, 2016.

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.

"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.

The West Coast revival of the critically acclaimed Broadway play THE GATHERING by playwright Arje Shaw, directed by Joy Carlin, opens on Saturday July 23 at 8pm at the Live Oak Theatre in Berkeley.

The Los Angeles Jewish Symphony invites you to Let's Play LA! on Sunday, August 21st at 7:30pm, at the newly renovated Ford Theatres in Hollywood.

Tonight, July 6th, Tamra Hayden, who stellar career includes originating the role of Cosette in LES MISERABLES on Broadway, takes 'Love Is ...' to Feinstein's/54 Below.

?On July 6th, FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents Tamra Hayden's "Love Is . . ." celebrating the many facets of love with sexy jazz tunes such as: "Fever" and "Something's Gotta Give," rousing Broadway anthems such as: "It All Fades Away" from "Bridges of Madison County" and plenty of spontaneous hilarity to make for a perfect date night out.  You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll fall in love all over again!  Hayden is accompanied by Musical Director Dan Riddle and her fabulous 6 piece orchestra, featuring songs off her latest CD, "Love Is…"

The West Coast revival of the critically acclaimed Broadway play THE GATHERING by playwright Arje Shaw is set to be directed by  Joy Carlin, opening on July 22 at 8pm at the Live Oak Theatre in Berkeley. THE GATHERING debuted in 1999 Off-Broadway and subsequently transferred and premiered On Broadway.

Feinstein's/54 Below, Broadway's Supper Club, presents Tamra Hayden's 'Love Is . . .' celebrating the many facets of love with sexy jazz tunes such as: 'Fever' and 'Something's Gotta Give,' rousing Broadway anthems such as: 'It All Fades Away' from 'Bridges of Madison County' and plenty of spontaneous hilarity to make for a perfect date night out. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll fall in love all over again!

On July 6th, Tamra Hayden, who stellar career includes originating the role of Cosette in LES MISERABLES on Broadway, takes 'Love Is ...' to Feinstein's/54 Below.

Direct from Broadway and in its Mid-Western premiere, the refreshingly modern romantic comedy, It Shoulda Been You launches STAGES St. Louis' celebratory 30th Anniversary Season. This hilarious and heartwarming new musical about a madcap wedding celebration will run June 3rd - July 3rd at the Robert G. Reim Theatre in Kirkwood.

Conceived and Directed by Grammy nominated Producer, Director, Writer, and Composer Bruce Kimmel, L.A. NOW AND THEN, is a new musical revue about the city that was and the city that is.

Following its recent 2016 Arts Organization Award from the Missouri Arts Council and five St. Louis Theater Circle Awards, STAGES St. Louis has announced casting for its celebratory 30th Anniversary Season: It Shoulda Been You, The Drowsy Chaperone, and Sister Act.

A flood of Biblical proportions on the mighty Mississippi provides the dramatic backdrop to this gripping, edge-of-your-seat adventure. Adapted by Edward Morgan from the William Faulkner short story, 'Old Man,' WAY DOWNRIVER reveals an unlikely pair of souls who are bound together by the forces of nature. With honesty and humor, they struggle to overcome their fears and prejudice in order to survive their harrowing experience. You won't want to miss this exciting West Coast premiere.

A flood of Biblical proportions on the mighty Mississippi provides the dramatic backdrop to this gripping, edge-of-your-seat adventure. Adapted by Edward Morgan from the William Faulkner short story, 'Old Man,' WAY DOWNRIVER reveals an unlikely pair of souls who are bound together by the forces of nature. With honesty and humor, they struggle to overcome their fears and prejudice in order to survive their harrowing experience. You won't want to miss this exciting West Coast premiere.

California Musical Theatre announced the 2016-17 Broadway Sacramento season at the Community Center Theater, featuring four shows not previously presented in the series, one of which has been produced in the round at Music Circus a number of times but never before part of Broadway Sacramento.

The Anaheim Performing Arts Center Foundation (APACF) (www.apacf.org) is proud to announce the fifth annual fundraising Gala, which is to be held today, April 7th, 2016 at the City National Grove of Anaheim.

The National Touring Production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC, directed by three-time Tony Award winner Jack O'Brien, breathes new life into the venerable hills and introduces a star-in-the-making. Vivacious and talented Kerstin Anderson captivates us from the opening strains of the title song, and her passion and energy propel the show forward. More than five decades after its Broadway premiere, the powerful message of the story and the superb Rodgers and Hammerstein score still resonate.