William Finn News

Midtown Direct Rep (MDR), kicks off its 2015-16 season at the South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) with Theatre in the Loft, a series of staged readings of new plays and musicals. The Impossibility of Now, written by Y York and directed by Will Pomerantz, will be performed for one night only on Sunday, October 18, 2015 at 7pm at SOPAC (One Sopac Way, South Orange, NJ, 07079).  The reading is $15 and open to the public. Tickets can be purchased at www.sopacnow.org or by calling 973-313-ARTS (2787).  For direct link to purchase tickets, please CLICK HERE.

This week FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. To purchase tickets or for more information, visitwww.54Below.com/Feinsteins or call (646) 476-3551.

Broadway's 40 theatres aren't the only places to catch performances from your favorite stars! Well after Broadway orchestras begin their overtures, ensemble members take their dance breaks, and performers belt out their eleven o'clock numbers, the party continues at various cabaret venues throughout New York City. Below, BroadwayWorld brings you some cabaret highlights for this week as picked by our theatre editors, including: Jessica Keenan Wynn at 54 Below; Bring Him Home: Celebrating Kyle Jean-Baptiste; Lee Roy Reams Salutes His Leading Ladies; Lisa Howard at 54 Below; and Tovah Feldshuh: Aging Is Optional.

This October, FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW presents an exciting lineup of the brightest talent from Broadway and beyond. Located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street. For

The OBIE Award-winning NAATCO, National Asian American Theater Company, continues their 25th season with the World Premiere of ??Lloyd Suh's Charles Francis Chan, Jr.'s Exotic Oriental Murder Mystery. Ed Sylvanus Iskandar directs a cast that includes Jeff Biehl, Jennifer Ikeda, Peter Kim, Orville Mendoza, KK Moggie and Jeffrey Omura. This Off-Broadway limited engagement at Walker Space (46 Walker Street) will begin October 26th, with Opening Night set for November 2nd.  Performances continue through November 21st only.

Prospect Theater Company (under the leadership of Artistic Director Cara Reichel and Managing Director Melissa Huber), will be presenting a developmental reading of the new musical Marco Polo by Deborah Abramson (music) and Peter Mills (book and lyrics), on Monday, October 5.

Marvin just wants everyone to be happy. But that's harder to do since he's left his wife and son to be with the man he loves in FALSETTOS, the Tony Award-winning musical at Runway Theatre, running now through October 18, 2015. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

DC Foundation is pleased to announce that Andrew Rannells will host the "Mr. Abbott" Award Gala honoring James Lapine on Monday, October 19, 2015. The event will include special performances by Bernadette Peters, Christine Ebersole, Christian Borle, and Marin Mazzie with appearances by Stephen Sondheim, William Finn, and others. Directed by Leigh Silverman, the "Mr. Abbott" Award Gala will take place at Stage 48 (605 West 48th Street). The event will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Live On Stage's FALSETTOS is a mixed bag, but the costumes are fabulous!

Rannells stopped by this morning's TODAY and reveals that his role was originally written for a woman, and talks about how he and Hathaway bonded over their mutual love of Broadway.

This fall, Sierra Stages presents the groundbreaking musical "Falsettos" for ten performances only from November 5 through November 22 at the intimate Off Center Stage in Grass Valley. "Falsettos" is the final production of Sierra Stages' seventh season, and is directed by Sandra Rockman, with dance direction by George Jayne and musical direction by Ken Getz, who conducts the live band.

NBC recently announced that Tony-nominated actor Andrew Rannells (HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, BOOK OF MORMON) will stop by THE TONIGHT SHOW tonight, September 23rd.

?Royal Family Productions has named Michael Perreca, a long-time arts management professional, as its Executive Director, effective September 15, 2015.

With Labor Day in the rearview mirror, students all across the county are now diligently back to work on yet another school year. While students and teachers alike are back in their routines of homework and extracurriculars, BroadwayWorld's Jeff Walker and Matt Tamanini are focusing their monthly feature on the showtunes that celebrate the highs and lows of school and learning.

Good Day Philadelphia got into the spirit of Broadway today when they held their own The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee! The crew of Good Day Philadelphia got together with the cast of the Bucks County Playhouse production to share some laughs and show off their amazing spelling skills. Can you spell F-U-N?

The award-winning songwriter Joe Iconis returned to Barrington Stage Company with his popular cabaret, Joe Iconis & Family: Outcast Superstars. The first of three performances took place at Mr. Finn's Cabaret, at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center in Pittsfield last night and Broadwayworld was on the scene to catch shots of the evening. Check out photos from the show below!

The MIT Musical Theatre Guild presents THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE with Music & Lyrics by William Finn, Book by Rachel Sheinkin, Conceived by Rebecca Feldman. The show runs tonight, September 4, and September 5, 10-12, 17-19 at 8 PM and September 6 at 2 PM in the Kresge Little Theater.

Barrington Stage Company (BSC), the award-winning theatre in downtown Pittsfield, MA, under the leadership of Julianne Boyd Artistic Director and Tristan Wilson Managing Director, is proud to announce the return of award-winning songwriter Joe Iconis with his popular cabaret, Joe Iconis & Family: Outcast Superstars, for three performances this weekend, September 4, 5 and 6 at 8pm, at Mr. Finn's Cabaret, at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield. 

BroadwayWorld has learned that Falsettos, William Finn and James Lapine's landmark musical, will return to Broadway for the 2016-17 theater season in an all-new production directed by Lapine, who has also written the book for (and directed) Broadway's SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, INTO THE WOODS and PASSION.

The Astoria Performing Arts Center (APAC), recipient of the 2012 Caffe Cino Fellowship Award from the Innovative Theatre Foundation, is pleased to announce their 15th season which will include a world premiere play by Cheryl L. Davis (2014 AUDELCO Playwriting Award winner for Maid's Door), CAREFULLY TAUGHT, directed by Pat Golden (Assistant Director on Emily Mann's Broadway production of A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams), and the award-winning musical THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, directed by APAC Artistic Director Dev Bondarin (APAC's IT Award Nominated In The Bones and Merrily We Roll Along). Additionally, Bondarin is introducing a new program of works based on the Astoria community, called ASTORIA STORIES. APAC's performance venue is located at the Good Shepherd United Methodist Church, 30-44 Crescent St (@30th Rd), in Astoria, Queens.