Walter Bobbie News

Orchestrator Larry Moore has been praised by the New York Daily News as 'one of the most ingenious practitioners in his profession,' and you'll find no argument in that statement once you hear Larry's fascinating story. Stopping by to pull back the curtain on the role of an orchestrator, Larry tells Rob and Kevin what it was like orchestrating such musical series favorites as 'Unsung Musicals' and 'Lost in Boston,' which recording is the greatest cast album of all time, and how he got Stephen Sondheim his Pulitzer Prize!

Every week director Robert W Schneider and actor Kevin David Thomas pull back the curtain on neglected, forgotten, and underappreciated musicals, as well as bizarre performances, endearing television appearances, and all things show business. This Week: June is bustin' out all over and the birds are flying down to Rio!

Takarazuka, Japan's famous all-female musical theater troupe, makes its first appearance in New York in over 25 years with Takarazuka CHICAGO at Lincoln Center Festival July 20-24 only at the David H. Koch Theater, running concurrently with the Tony Award-winning show, with a legendary book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander, and lyrics by Fred Ebb, and now the number one longest-running American musical in Broadway history.    Just yesterday, the cast of Takarazuka CHICAGO was introduced to the cast of New York City's Broadway production by producers Fran and Berry Weissler. Check out photos from the special event below!

The Broadway cast members welcome the visitors from Japan's century-old troupe.

Audiences across America remember Nancy Dussault as Ted Knight's wife in TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT, Alan Arkin's wife in THE IN-LAWS, and as the original host of GOOD MORNING AMERICA. But before Nancy became a television and movie legend, she was heralded for her Broadway performances in DO-RE-MI, BAJOUR, and countless others!

Every week director Robert W Schneider and actor Kevin David Thomas pull back the curtain on neglected, forgotten, and underappreciated musicals, as well as bizarre performances, endearing television appearances, and all things show business. This Week: FLOYD COLLINS gets stuck in a cave and Ethel Merman gets stuck in a sitcom!

Broadway history has been made! For the first time ever, two Mexican-born actors are leading a Broadway musical. Latin superstars, and long-time friends, Bianca Marroquin and Jaime Camil will appear on stage opposite each other as 'Roxie Hart' and 'Billy Flynn' for 24 performances only through Sunday, July 31st  (when Mr. Camil ends his run).  Marroquin will continue in her role through Sunday, August 21st at the Ambassador Theatre (219 W. 49th St., NYC). BroadwayWorld was on hand for Marroquin's first curtain call and you can check out photos below!

Broadway history will be made when, for the first time ever, two Mexican-born actors will lead a Broadway musical. The producers of Chicago, Broadway's Longest Running American Musical, have announced that Latin superstars, and long-time friends, Bianca Marroquin and Jaime Camil will appear on stage opposite each other as 'Roxie Hart' and 'Billy Flynn' for 24 performances only beginning tonight, July 11th.

There are three types of musical theatre lovers: Fan, Obsessed, and Stephen Cole. Stephen, who has had a wonderfully varied career as a lyricist and librettist, invited Rob & Kevin over to the musical theatre mecca he calls his apartment to talk about the craft of writing, meeting Merman, and how social media sites, like Facebook's Forgotten Musicals page, is uniting musical theatre fans from across the globe!

How do hit Broadway musicals stay fresh after running for two decades?

The McLean Community Players' production of Footloose, the high-energy rock musical based on the movie of the same name, opens tonight, July 8, 2016, and runs weekends through July 24 at McLean's Alden Theatre.

Every week director Robert W Schneider and actor Kevin David Thomas pull back the curtain on neglected, forgotten, and underappreciated musicals, as well as bizarre performances, endearing television appearances, and all things show business. This week Behind the Curtain celebrates two great comediennes of the American Musical Theatre, Dorothy Loudon and JUNO!

Bright Star, the new musical from 2016 Tony Award nominees Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, plays its final Broadway performance today, June 26, after 30 preview and 109 regular performances. Below, BroadwayWorld takes you back through Bright Star's journey on Broadway!

George Lee Andrews holds the Guinness Book of World Records for the most performances in the same Broadway show, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. But, before he won that honor, he was Broadway's go-to character actor appearing in A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, STARTING HERE, and ON THE 20TH CENTURY.

Bright Star, the new musical from 2016 Tony Award nominees Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, will play its final Broadway performance today, June 26, after 30 preview and 109 regular performances.

Every week director Robert W Schneider and actor Kevin David Thomas pull back the curtain on neglected, forgotten, and underappreciated musicals, as well as bizarre performances, endearing television appearances, and all things show business. This week, they discuss the joys of intimate musicals, including 'They're Playing Our Song' and 'Spitfire Grill.'

The producers of IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS, the stage adaptation of the beloved classic film, have announced today that Lorna Luft will reprise her role as Martha Watson in the upcoming National Tour. Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

Maine State Music Theatre continues its impressive 2016 lineup of shows with two performances on June 20, 2016, of A Grand Night for Singing, a musical revue conceived by Walter Bobbie to showcase the glorious songs of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Directed and choreographed by Curt Dale Clark with tap choreography by Raymond Marc Dumont, the revue features a sixteen-member cast of young professionals drawn from the intern company and local Maine performers, who turn in a performance that offers not only grand singing and dancing, but also speaks to the huge reservoirs of talent that MSMT is proud to possess. The original 1993 twenty-seven song revue skillfully weaves together a wide range of Rodgers and Hammerstein's works in arrangements by Fred Wells (and lovely orchestrations by Michael Gibson and Jonathan Tunick) from both their smash hits like Oklahoma, Carousel, South Pacific, The Sound of Music, The King and I, and Cinderella, as well as gems from lesser-known shows like Allegro, State Fair, Flower Drum Song, and Pipe Dream. Patrick Fanning serves as MSMT's Music Director, conducting the wealth of melodic material with elan, delicious detail, and nuance and eliciting from the young cast lyrical and idiomatic renditions of beloved sings such as 'We Kiss in a Shadow,' 'Maria,' 'If I Loved You,' and 'This Nearly Was Mine' or upbeat numbers like 'Honey Bun' and 'Oh, What a Beautiful Morning!' The dynamically staged and imaginatively choreographed production by MSMT's Artistic Director Curt Dale Clark - with a dazzling, intricate tap number created by Raymond Marc Dumont for 'Kansas City' - is brimming with class, warmth, and humor. Clark inspires the cast to bring to their music and vignettes an infectious and embracing energy, an eloquence of emotion spiced with mischievous moments. His pacing is brisk, and he effectively builds a lively sense of character and communication among the cast members, who share their enthusiasm with the public, even interacting on several occasions with the audience in the house. By retooling the contexts of many of the songs, he is able to add a contemporary and universal touch to their appeal. Most of all, he helps these young artists find and share the timeless heart in this treasure trove of American musical theatre. Using the bare bones of the Ghost set makes for a minimal but attractive decor. The characterful casual and subsequently elegantly formal costumes by Travis S. Grant are carefully chosen for their complementary pastel hues; the kinetic lighting by Heather Reynolds and a well-balanced sound design by Nate Dickson contribute to making this revue offers a feast for eyes and ears. Working seamlessly as an ensemble, the youthful cast gives their all both in the big production numbers and in focused solos, amply illustrating the meaning of the musical theatre term 'triple threat.' They sing beautifully; they dance with technical aplomb, and they act with irresistible charm. Moreover, each and every one of them knows how to interpret a song - to make it more than a lyrical moment. Each has several occasions to shine, and Clark and Dumont have skillfully mined their individual strengths. Among the many highlights are a perky rendition of 'Surrey with the Fringe on Top' (Eric Berry-Sandelin, Katie Whittemore, Cameron Wright, Rachel Grindle, Hugh Cipparone, Berkley Jones), inspired vocal interpretations of 'If I Loved You (Jennifer Kennedy), 'It Might As Well Be Spring' (Berkely Jones)'This Nearly Was Mine,'(Matthew LaBerge), a smoldering account of 'Maria' (Alex Drost), a romantic 'We Kiss in a Shadow' (Giovanni DiGabrieli), a winsome 'All At Once' (Marty Lauter, Cipparone), and a single verse in 'Love Look Away' to bring tears to the eyes (Lauter), a feisty 'Stepsisters' Lament,' (Ali Sarnacchiaro, Haley Ostir, Megan Flynn), a spirited 'I Can't Say No' (Molly Keane-Dreyer, Kennedy), and a witty 'The Gentleman Is A Dope' (Alex Drost, Kyle Laing, Ostir, DiGabrieli, Lauter). The numerous ensemble numbers are enhanced by the strong camaraderie and chemistry among the players, making for some memorable comic and romantic moments such as the women's septet in sunny 'Wash That Man' and the men's octet in a plaintive 'Love Look Away.' The choreography is expressive, lyrical, and catchy by turns - ranging from ballet and modern to jazz and tap - with such numbers as the sweeping polka of 'Shall We Dance?' or the dueling tap in 'Kansas City' garnering special attention. Special mention to Berkely Jones, Marty Lauter, and Kyle Laing for their dance solos and impressive technique. To spend an evening with these magnificent Rodgers and Hammerstein classics makes it impossible not to take away a renewed appreciation for their geniuses and a love of their legacy. But A Grand Night for Singing does something else as well. It proves to be one more piece of evidence that MSMT is truly, as its catchphrase promises, 'Bringing Broadway to Brunswick.' Photos courtesy of MSMT, Roger S.Duncan, potographer Evita which begins on June 29 - July 16 at the Pickard Theater, 1 Bath Rd., Brunswick, ME, on Monday, June 20 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. For tickets call box office at 207-725-8769 or visit online at www.msmt.org

David Ian, producer of the international award-winning musical CHICAGO is delighted to announce that one of Britain's most-loved soap stars, Jessie Wallace, will play Mama Morton in the musical's touring production.

David Ian, producer of the international award-winning musical CHICAGO is delighted to announce that one of Britain's most loved soap stars, Jessie Wallace, will play the role of 'Mama Morton' when the show plays Nottingham Royal Concert Hall (15 - 20 August), Belfast Grand Opera House (5 - 10 September), Liverpool Empire (12 - 17 September), Glasgow King's Theatre (19 - 24 September), Aberdeen His Majesty's Theatre (26 September - 1 October), Bromley Churchill Theatre (10 - 15 October), Woking New Victoria Theatre (17 - 22 October), Canterbury Marlowe Theatre (24 - 29 October), Norwich Theatre Royal (31 October - 5 November) and Leeds Grand Theatre (22 - 26 November). www.chicagothemusical.com/uktour. Please see full listings below.