Wayne Barker News

Musical and lots of Shakespeare

Westport Country Playhouse announces a world premiere musical revue, 'Sing for Your Shakespeare,' as the second production in its 2014 season, running tonight, June 3 - 22. Directed by Mark Lamos, and co-conceived by Lamos, Wayne Barker, and Deborah Grace Winer, the show is based on an original idea and production for 92nd Street Y's Lyrics & Lyricists, New York, NY. Celebrating its 84th season, Westport Country Playhouse was recently named Theater Company of the Year by The Wall Street Journal.

Something Old, Something New: Sing For Your Shakespeare Launches in Westport

Westport Country Playhouse's world premiere musical revue, "Sing for Your Shakespeare," playing June 3 - 22, will feature a six-member cast of Broadway talents: Karen Akers, Britney Coleman, Darius de Haas, Stephen DeRosa, Constantine Germanacos, and Laurie Wells. With selections from Cole Porter's "Kiss Me, Kate," Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's "West Side Story," and Rodgers and Hart's "The Boys from Syracuse," as well as numbers by Duke Ellington, Frank Loesser, and others, the production explores how the American Songbook has been inspired for decades by Shakespeare's works.

Guest conductor Jack Everly joins the Utah Symphony this weekend, May 2-3 for a trip down memory lane at Abravanel Hall. This special concert, celebrating the Baby Boom generation, highlights songs and television shows from the 1960s. The program features music by the Beach Boys, Frankie Valli, and the Beatles, and guest vocalists Roy Chicas, Jim Hogan, Marissa McGowan, N'Kenge, Kristine Reese and Max Quinlan.

Guest conductor Jack Everly joins the Utah Symphony on May 2-3 for a trip down memory lane at Abravanel Hall. This special concert, celebrating the Baby Boom generation, highlights songs and television shows from the 1960s. The program features music by the Beach Boys, Frankie Valli, and the Beatles, and guest vocalists Roy Chicas, Jim Hogan, Marissa McGowan, N'Kenge, Kristine Reese and Max Quinlan.

Westport Country Playhouse will host a '2014 Season Kick-off Block Party,' today, April 12, 4 to 7 p.m., offering a fun, party-like atmosphere with food trucks, games and activities for adults and kids, prizes, special ticket offers, and a look at the Playhouse's 'backstage experience.' Admission is free and open to the public.

Broadway In Chicago is thrilled to announce that five-time Tony Award winning PETER AND THE STARCATCHER, written by Tony Award nomineeRick Elice and directed by Tony Award-winner Roger Rees and Tony Award-nominee Alex Timbers, will play Chicago's Bank of America Theatre (18 West Monroe) from today, April 2 - 13, 2014.

The national tour of the Tony-winning play PETER AND THE STARCATCHER has cancelled its previously planned final engagement at Boston's Shubert Theatre, show representatives confirmed today. The tour's last stop will now be in Pittsburgh, PA, with the final performance set for May 25.

Westport Country Playhouse will host a '2014 Season Kick-off Block Party,' on Saturday, April 12, 4 to 7 p.m., offering a fun, party-like atmosphere with food trucks, games and activities for adults and kids, prizes, special ticket offers, and a look at the Playhouse's 'backstage experience.' Admission is free and open to the public.

Peter and the Starcatcher, the multi Tony Award- winning musical play written by Tony Award-nominee Rick Elice and directed by Tony Award-winner Roger Rees and Tony Award-nominee Alex Timbers, will bring its magic to Harris Center for the Arts in Folsom as a stop on its first National Tour.

Westport Country Playhouse announces a world premiere musical revue, 'Sing for Your Shakespeare,' as the second production in its 2014 season, running June 3 - 22. Directed by Mark Lamos, and co-conceived by Lamos, Wayne Barker, and Deborah Grace Winer, the show is based on an original idea and production for 92nd Street Y's Lyrics & Lyricists, New York, NY. Celebrating its 84th season, Westport Country Playhouse was recently named Theater Company of the Year by The Wall Street Journal.

Peter and the Starcatcher, the multi Tony Award- winning musical play written by Tony Award-nominee Rick Elice and directed by Tony Award-winner Roger Rees and Tony Award-nominee Alex Timbers, will bring its magic to Harris Center for the Arts in Folsom as a stop on its first National Tour.

Local author Ridley Pearson, along with Dave Barry, crafted an interesting 'prequel' to the story of Peter Pan with their entertaining novel PETER AND THE STARCATCHER. The stage production of this tale, written by Rick Elice, is a similarly imaginative effort that utilizes a relatively small cast, with just about everyone playing multiple roles, and a frenetic pace that captures the same qualities that distinguished the original work. An engaging touring production with a very talented cast played the Peabody Opera House this weekend (March 7-9, 2014), and it was well worth the trip.

PETER AND THE STARCATCHER, the five-time Tony Award winning musical play written by Tony Award nominee Rick Elice and directed by Tony Award-winner Roger Rees and Tony Award?nominee Alex Timbers, will play the Citi Performing Arts Center Shubert Theatre for a one week engagement, from May 27 - June 1, 2014. Presented in Boston by the Citi Performing Arts Center, tickets for PETER AND THE STARCATCHER are on sale.

Yesterday Artistic Director Mark Clements announced Milwaukee Repertory Theater's 2014/15 Season. 'Next season will offer strong stories that are substantive pieces of theater that are both enlightening and entertaining,' said Clements. 'The season includes two exciting world premieres, after all the terrible things I do and Five Presidents. We will also continue the tradition that I started upon my arrival by including a musical on our main stage - the first production in the Quadracci Powerhouse will be the award-winning musical, The Color Purple. Audiences responded so enthusiastically to last year's production of Ragtime, I believe they are in for another treat with The Color Purple.'

PETER AND THE STARCATCHER, the five-time Tony Award winning musical play written by Tony Award nominee Rick Elice and directed by Tony Award-winner Roger Rees and Tony Award-nominee Alex Timbers, will play the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) for a limited engagement from tonight, February 25 through Sunday, March 2, 2014.

The five-time Tony Award-winning musical Peter and the Starcatcher makes its Twin Cities premiere in a limited engagement March 11-16, 2014 at the Orpheum Theatre (910 Hennepin Ave.) in Minneapolis. Written by Tony Award nominee Rick Elice and directed by Tony Award?winner Roger Rees and Tony Award?nominee Alex Timbers, tickets are available now in person at the State Theatre Box Office, online at HennepinTheatreTrust.org, by calling 1.800.982.2787 or visiting a Ticketmaster Ticket Center. It is presented by Hennepin Theatre Trust as a part of its 2013-14 Broadway Across America-Minneapolis Season.

Ropes become rooms and oceans, people become doors, gloves become birds and some very clever staging, directed by Roger Rees and Alex Timbers.

PETER AND THE STARCATCHER, the Tony Award-winning musical play written by Tony nominee Rick Elice and directed by Tony winner Roger Rees and Tony nominee Alex Timbers, will make its Connecticut premiere at The Bushnell's Mortensen Hall tonight, February 18 as part of the 2013-2014 Bushnell Broadway Series co-sponsored by Travelers and Webster Bank.