Tommy Tune News

Producers David Mirvish and Barry & Fran Weissler just announced that the Tony Award-winning Best Musical TITANIC, with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and book by Peter Stone, will finally have its Canadian premiere in a brand new production directed by Thom Southerland. TITANIC will play a six-week engagement at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, from July 22 through August 31. TITANIC will then berth on Broadway in the Fall of 2014.

Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane, presents the Mel Brooks Broadway hit YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, previewing tonight, January 16, opening Thursday, January 23, and running through March 16, 2014.

Triple threat Broadway legend Chita Rivera will bring her iconic class and showmanship to the Valley Performing Arts Center January 25 for one performance only at 8 pm. In our chat she tells us a little bit about the new show and talks in great detail about the joys of her career.

The international hit show Menopause The Musical has identified Cleveland as a 'hot' national market and will play PlayhouseSquare's Hanna Theatre for 24 performances from today, January 14 through February 2, 2014.

Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane, presents the Mel Brooks Broadway hit YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, previewing January 16, opening Thursday, January 23, and running through March 16, 2014.

Celebrating the release of his new book, HAM: Slices of a Life (a collection of stories and essays), Tony Award nominee Sam Harris will make his Feinstein's at the Nikko debut in a show of the same name on Friday, January 24 at 8:00 PM and Saturday, January 25 at 7:00 PM.

Arcadia Performing Arts Foundation presents its first season at the Arcadia Performing Arts Center - Air Supply on Saturday, January 25 at 8 pm; America on Saturday, February 22 at 8 pm; Broadway star Susan Egan, the original Belle of Beauty and the Beast, on Saturday, March 1 at 8 pm; and The Temptations on Saturday, June 7 at 8 pm. This four concert season, presented by the Arcadia Performing Arts Foundation, is a means of raising funds to support arts in the schools and maintain this beautiful state-of-the-art facility.

The Marsh announces the return of Don Reed's autobiographical journey CAN YOU DIG IT? The '60s - Back Down East 14th, now coming back in the new year, today, January 4 through February 2, 2014 following wildly successful extended runs at The Marsh San Francisco and The Marsh Berkeley.

Lawrence Leritz will chat about his career and upcoming theatre projects for 2014 at 10;48 am on Spotlite Radio, December 23, 2013. Leritz recently choreographed 'A Broadway Holiday Concert 2013' for Huntington Disease NY, choreographing songs by Cole Porter and original cast members from Broadway's Grease. Audiences will recognize Lawrence Leritz from his recent film roles in The Adjustment Bureau with Matt Damon and in Julie Taymor's musical Across The Universe. Lawrence made his film debut in 'Easy Money' opposite Rodney Dangerfield. Television includes 2013 Emmy Winner, Night Of Too Many Stars, performing in 'Call Me Maybe' with Carly Rae Jepsen and Harvey Keitel on Comedy Central. Other appearances include the Saturday Night Live, All My Children and the Michael J Fox Show. Lawrence is also the star of the best selling exercise DVD, Total Stretch!

The Ford's Theatre 2013-2014 season continues with the musical Violet, directed and choreographed by Jeff Calhoun (Broadway'sNewsies), January 24-February 23, 2014. Violet features a dynamic score of bluegrass, gospel, country and rock music by four-time Tony Award-nominated composer Jeanine Tesori (the recent Fun Home; Broadway's Caroline, or Change;Thoroughly Modern Millie; Shrek the Musical). The Ford's production stars a first-class Washington cast led by Erin Driscoll in the title role.

The world's tastiest new musical will have its premiere this winter in NYC. The Chocolate Show!, arriving just in time for Valentine's Day, will begin performances on Saturday, February 1 with an official opening night set for Friday, February 14 at the 47th Street Theatre, 304 West 47th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues. Featuring book and music by Alan Golub & Laura Goldfader, lyrics by Mr. Golub, The Chocolate Show! is directed by Dan Foster, choreographed by Grady McLeod Bowman and under the music direction of Jeffrey Klitz, who also provided the musical arrangements and orchestrations. Tickets for The Chocolate Show! are $39.50 - $59.50 and can be arranged online at www.ticketcentral.com or by calling 212.279.4200 or at the TicketCentral Box Office located at 416 West 42nd Street. The 47th Street Theatre box office (304 West 47th Street) will open one hour before each performance.

Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane, presents the Mel Brooks Broadway hit YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, previewing January 16, opening Thursday, January 23, and running through March 16, 2014. The cast is led by Devin DeSantis as "Dr. Frederick Frankenstein" (Anyone Can Whistle with Patti LuPone at the Ravinia Festival, four years in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, and Pirates of Penzance, Boys from Syracuse and Hot Mikado at Drury Lane Theatre); Jeff Award winner Jeff Dumas as "Igor" (First National Tour of Spamalot Directed by Mike Nichols, Bounce at The Kennedy Center, NBC TV's Chicago Fire, The Merry Widow at Lyric Opera Chicago, Pacific Overtures at Chicago Shakespeare Theater and Winesburg, Ohio at About Face Theatre); and Johanna McKenzie Miller as "Elizabeth Benning" (Mary Poppins at Marriott Theatre, Fiddler on the Roof at Drury Lane Theatre, The Music Man at Marriott Theatre, Sunday in the Park with George at Ravinia Festival and The Three Musketeers at Chicago Shakespeare Theater). The production is Directed by Drury Lane Theatre Artistic Director William Osetek (Drury Lane Theatre's smash hit production of Spamalot and Jeff Award nominee for Best Director and Best Production for Thoroughly Modern Millie) and Choreographed by Jeff Award winner Tammy Mader (Sunset Boulevard, Gypsy, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Hairspray at Drury Lane Theatre).

Arcadia Performing Arts Foundation presents its first season at the Arcadia Performing Arts Center - Air Supply on Saturday, January 25 at 8 pm; America on Saturday, February 22 at 8 pm; Broadway star Susan Egan, the original Belle of Beauty and the Beast, on Saturday, March 1 at 8 pm; and The Temptations on Saturday, June 7 at 8 pm.

The international hit show Menopause The Musical has identified Cleveland as a 'hot' national market and will play PlayhouseSquare's Hanna Theatre for 24 performances from January 14 through February 2, 2014. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at the PlayhouseSquare Ticket Office, via phone at 216-241-6000 or online at www.playhousesquare.org.

Celebrating the release of his new book, HAM: Slices of a Life, (a collection of stories and essays - Simon & Schuster), Tony Award nominee Sam Harris will make his Feinstein's at the Nikko debut in a show of the same name on Friday, January 24 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, January 25 at 7 p.m. He calls the show a 'liter-usical' - a theatrical hybrid of excerpts from the book artfully interspersed with Broadway and pop songs. Tickets for Sam Harris range in price from $25-$35 and are available now by calling 866.663.1063 or visiting www.ticketweb.com.

54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents Chip Zien tonight, December 11.

The Marsh announces the return of Don Reed's autobiographical journey CAN YOU DIG IT? The '60s - Back Down East 14th, now coming back in the new year, January 4 through February 2, 2014 following wildly successful extended runs at The Marsh San Francisco and The Marsh Berkeley. Reed, an Oakland-born comedian, is currently the opening act/warm-up comedian for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The third installment in Reed's hilarious coming-of-age trilogy, CAN YOU DIG IT?, a view of the 1960s through the eyes of an awkward kid, will play Saturdays at 8:30pm and Sundays at 7pm in the The Marsh Berkeley Theater Stage, 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. For tickets, the public may visit www.themarsh.org or call 415-282-3055 between 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

Last night, 92Y celebrated songwriting legend Mike Stoller on the occasion of his 80th year with An 80th Birthday Celebration, a one-night-only Lyrics & Lyricists Special Event hosted by Paul Shaffer and directed and written by Randy Johnson (director/writer of A Night withJanis Joplin). Performers included: legendary vocal group The Coasters, along with artists Karen Akers,Mary Bridget Davies, Corky Hale, Maria Elena Infantino,Sally Kellerman, Bettye Lavette, Melissa Manchester, Billy Stritch, Tommy Tune and Steve Tyrell. Backed by Tyrell's band, the artists performed some of the greatest songs written by Stoller with his longtime lyricist partner Jerry Leiber and others. Check out photos from the special event below!

On Sunday, December 8, Joe Allen, owner of Joe Allen Restaurant, Orso Restaurant, and Bar Centrale (W. 46th Street, NYC) donated 50% of the entire day's proceeds from all three restaurants to Save the Children for the organization's Typhoon Haiyan Children's Relief Fund to benefit children affected by the super typhoon in the Philippines. The three restaurants total raised $10,000 to donate, and then a charitable regular at Bar Centrale matched their total. The grand total to be donated to Save the Children for their typhoon relief is $12,500.

The National Yiddish Theatre - Folksbiene's hit musical based on the 1975 Academy-Award-nominated film Lies My Father Told Me adapted from the works of Ted Allan will end its highly acclaimed run Sunday, December 15.