Tony Sheldon News

Today in 2011, Priscilla Queen of the Desert opened at the Palace Theatre, wehre it is still running (currently 415 performances). Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a musical with a book by Australian film director-writer Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott, using well-known pop songs as its score. Adapted from Elliott's 1994 film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, the musical tells the story of two drag queens and a transsexual, who contract to perform a drag show at a resort in Alice Springs, a resort town in the remote Australian desert. The original Broadway cast includes Will Swenson as Tick (Mitzi), Tony Sheldon, again, reprising his role of Bernadette, and Nick Adams as Adam (Felicia).

Urban Stages Frances Hill, Founding Artistic Director and producer Peter Napolitano present the World Premiere of Character Man. Jim Brochu's new musical memoir now at Urban Stages Theatre (259 West 30th Street), with opening night set for Today March 5th. This limited run will continue through March 30th only. Robert Bartley directs, with musical direction by Carl Haan.

Urban Stages Frances Hill, Founding Artistic Director and producer Peter Napolitano present the World Premiere of Character Man. Jim Brochu's new musical memoir now at Urban Stages Theatre (259 West 30th Street), with opening night set for Wednesday March 5th. This limited run will continue through March 30th only. Robert Bartley directs, with musical direction by Carl Haan.

Urban Stages Founding Artistic Director Frances Hill and producer Peter Napolitano present the World Premiere of Character Man as part of its 30th Anniversary season. Jim Brochu's new musical memoir just opened Off-Broadway at Urban Stages Theatre (259 West 30th Street) Wednesday March 5th. This limited run, in previews now, will continue through March 30th only. Robert Bartley directs, with musical direction by Carl Haan. Character Man will have scenic & video design by Patrick Brennan, lighting design by Meghan Santelli and sound design by Sean Hagerty. BroadwayWorld brings you photos from opening night below!

Urban Stages Founding Artistic Director Frances Hill and producer Peter Napolitano present the World Premiere of Character Man as part of its 30th Anniversary season. Jim Brochu's new musical memoir begins an Off-Broadway run at Urban Stages Theatre (259 West 30th Street) tonight, February 28th, with opening night set for Wednesday March 5th. This limited run will continue through March 30th only. Robert Bartley directs, with musical direction by Carl Haan. Character Man will have scenic & video design by Patrick Brennan, lighting design by Meghan Santelli and sound design by Sean Hagerty.

The 2014 New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) today announced the Next Link Project musical selections. The 10 musicals were announced as part of the 11th edition of the Festival, which will take place from July 7 to July 27 at locations around midtown Manhattan in New York City, including The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street).

The new documentary about stage and screen legend Elaine Stritch, Elaine Stritch: SHOOT ME is set for a limited release beginning today, February 21, 2014 at New York City's IFC Center and Lincoln Plaza Cinema. The film just had its New York City premiere earlier this week and BroadwayWorld was there to capture photos of Stritch and friends on the red carpet. Check out full coverage below!

For its 22nd annual Spring Gala, the Kennedy Center will salute the more than 13 year tenure of Kennedy Center president Michael M. Kaiser with Camelot in Concert on Sunday, May 4, 2014 at 8 p.m. in the Concert Hall. The famed 1960 musical features book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner with music by Frederick Loewe and this semi-staged concert version will be adapted, directed and choreographed by Tony Award® nominee Marcia Milgrom Dodge. The concert staging will be accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Music Director James Moore. With this concert, Camelot makes its Kennedy Center debut. One of the co-chairs of the 2014 Spring Gala will be Laysha Ward, President, Target Community Relations.

Urban Stages Founding Artistic Director Frances Hill and producer Peter Napolitano present the World Premiere of Character Man as part of its 30th Anniversary season. Jim Brochu's new musical memoir begins an Off-Broadway run at Urban Stages Theatre (259 West 30th Street) February 28th, with opening night set for Wednesday March 5th. This limited run will continue through March 30th only. Robert Bartley directs, with musical direction by Carl Haan. Character Man will have scenic & video design by Patrick Brennan, lighting design by Meghan Santelli and sound design by Sean Hagerty.

Broadway's Nick Blaemire (Godspell), Andrew Keenan-Bolger (Newsies), Kyle Dean Massey (Wicked, Next To Normal), and musical theater composer Drew Gasparini complete the lineup of performers for Feels Like The First Time at NYC's (le) Poisson Rouge on Monday February 10, 2014 at 7:00pm, it was announced today.

On Monday, January 27, Broadway, jazz and pop performers jammed Jim Caruso's Cast Party at Birdland, as they have every Monday for the past ten years! The evening was made especially meaningful with the 5th 'Mentor Monday,' a monthly musical segment that pairs up and coming composers with established artists. Presenter Trevor McQueen combined Broadway's Lillias White with writers Ethan Pakchar and Douglas Lyons, a young songwriting team who began collaborating while touring with The Book of Mormon. The resulting performance was the song, 'Not Meant To Be in Love,' accompanied by Matt Aument, which gave Lillias ample opportunity to be vampy and campy and otherwise leave the audience helpless with laughter. It was a perfect way to introduce the community to Lyons & Pakchar's clever wordplay and catchy melodies!

Feels Like The First Time, a benefit concert presented by the popular website The Craptacular (thecraptacular.com), will bring together a host of Broadway stars at NYC's (le) Poisson Rouge on Monday February 10, 2014 at 7:00pm. In the evening of story and song, some of your favorite Broadway babies will recount their first time, and things could get... messy.

Over the weekend, Richard Skipper kicked off a yearlong celebration of the 50th anniversary of HELLO, DOLLY! with members of the original Broadway cast! In attendence for the special reunion were Nicole Barth (Original cast), Paul Berne (dancer, Original Company), Carleton Carpenter and Johnny Beecher (Sheridan (Cornelius Hackl and Barnaby Tucker: Mary Martin International Company), Wayne Clark (first National Company with Carol Channing), John Anthony Gilvey, David Hartman (Rudolph and Stage Manager: Original Company), Charles Karel (Original cast), Jan LaPrad (Original Company dancer), Joan 'Buttons' Leonard (original company), Bob Lydiard (Cornelius Hackl, Carol's first Broadway Revival), Lee Roy Reams (Cornelius Hackl 1977 tour and Broadway Revival, director 1996 Broadway tour and Revival),Megan Thomas (Carol's last tour), Andrea Bell (started with Carol Channing, as Ermengarde at the age of seventeen, in Carol's FIRST national tour as well as other productions.) Ron Young (dancer original cast). BroadwayWorld was there for the special event and you can check out photos from the reunion below!

Peggy Herman just brought 'Herman on Herman,' her tribute to Broadway legend Jerry Herman, to the Laurie Beechman Theatre. The concert featured many of the songs from the show's premiere in May of 2011, plus additional material that was added to the project in the intervening months. Check out photos from the concert below!

Richard Skipper is kicking off a yearlong celebration of the 50th anniversary of HELLO, DOLLY! with members of the original Broadway cast!

The Off Broadway Alliance, the organization of Off Broadway producers, theaters, general managers, press agents, and marketing firms, will hold another in its Sunday Seminars series, focused on the culture, business and history of Off Broadway this Sunday, January 12th.

Richard Skipper will be kicking off a yearlong celebration of the 50th anniversary of Hello, Dolly with members of the original Broadway cast! Flea market: 12:30 - 2:00- Great place to find music sheets, tapes, CD's etc. Members may bring their CD's to sell at the CD table.

Nominations were announced today for the Sydney Theatre Awards for 2013, which will be presented at a gala ceremony on Monday January 20, 2014 at 6pm at the Paddington RSL.

The Ninth Annual Goodspeed Festival of New Musicals, produced by Goodspeed Musicals' Max Showalter Center for Education in Musical Theatre, kicks off its much-anticipated three day festival of brand new works on Friday, January 17, at the Goodspeed Opera House with a staged reading of the timely musical Adam Lives. On Saturday, January 18, the musical fantasy A Proper Place debuts. On the final day of the festival, the unconventional Theory of Relativity by the team who wrote the Goodspeed and Broadway tuner The Story of My Life will be presented. Several special events will round out this exciting weekend. Tickets are available at the Goodspeed Box Office or by calling 860.873.8668 or online at www.goodspeed.org. Tickets are $15 each for one show, $10 each for students. This year's festival is sponsored in part by lead corporate sponsor RisCassi & Davis, P.C. with additional support by The Adolph and Ruth Schnurmacher Foundation, Inc. and The Noel Coward Foundation.

Darlinghurst Theatre Company and the Enright family hosted a special event at Eternity Playhouse this evening in honour of the late Nick Enright. Over the next three years, the Enright family is supporting Darlinghurst Theatre Company to produce three plays by the renowned Australian playwright including Daylight Saving in 2014, as well as two other works in 2015 and 2016.