William Finn News

Talk about quirkiness and how it can be used to its best advantage in a musical! The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is terribly funny in a smart, slick, offbeat manner with prize worthy characterizations of lively eclectic people.It may be a tad long like the actual spelling out of words (that are not to be believed!)yet the exaggeration and contestants' varied reactions give rise to some great comic moments...and I love the audience involvement! Some of the contestants are picked from the audience and their ad-libs lend one.of.a.kind hilarity. The unpredictability in denouement is another big plus in the overall enjoyment of the show. It's like a real contest.

Today we are talking to a legendary leading lady famous for a few of the most iconic roles in some of the most memorable musicals of the 1980s and 1990s as well as a versatile vocalist and concert performer set to make her cabaret debut later this month - the ingratiating and amusing Randy Graff. Looking back at originating the role of Fantine in the original Broadway production of mega-hit mega musical LES MISERABLES and singing the unforgettable 'I Dreamed A Dream' eight times a week (and on the best-selling cast recording) as well as recounting her Tony Award-winning work in the endlessly entertaining Cy Coleman/David Zippel musical comedy CITY OF ANGELS, Graff share stories from behind the scenes and gives us a rare look at theatrical history in the making and her elemental role in both productions. Additionally, Graff opens up about some of her other most fondly remembered work, including her fantastic turn in Ed Kleban's A CLASS ACT, William Finn's FALSETTOS, Cole Porter's HIGH SOCIETY, the stage play and documentary MOON OVER BUFFALO co-starring Carol Burnett, the most recent revival of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF and much more. Most importantly, Graff generously outlines what we can expect from her upcoming solo shows at NYC hotspot 54 Below titled MADE IN BROOKLYN, in what will actually be the stalwart star's solo show premiere. In addition to all of that, Graff also touches upon some of her big screen and small screen work, ranging from LAW & ORDER to RENT, as well as recounts some theatrical tales involving theatre greats such as Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein, John Simon and more. All of that and much, much more awaits in this rich resume recounting retrospective with one of Broadway's best!

The original cast recording of William Finn's unusual and idiosyncratic first major musical IN TROUSERS is now available to order on iTunes.

Second Stage Theatre's production of THE HAPPIEST SONG PLAYS LAST, written by 2012 Pulitzer Prize winner Quiara Alegria Hudes and directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson, begins performances tonight, February 11.

One of the things I love about William Finn's shows is that he draws such rich and flawed characters which makes them all the more real and relatable. This is extremely true in his most popular work, "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee", currently playing at Seattle Musical Theatre, where the kids of the Bee, as well as the adults, work through their own idiosyncrasies. But the lovely thing about the show is that since the subjects are children, they don't deny their flaws but embrace them as a part of themselves and use them to their advantage. And the cast and crew of the SMT production recognize that and never poke fun of the characters but embrace and love them as well and that's what makes this show an absolute joy.

The evening will be co-hosted by two of the company's alumni actors: two-time Tony Award winner David Hyde Pierce (at PH in Richard Greenberg's The Maderati in 1987) and two-time Tony Award nominee, two-time Obie Award winner and 2012 Special Drama Desk Award winner Mary Testa (at PH in William Finn's In Trousers in 1979, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's Lucky Stiff in 1988, Tom Donaghy's From Above in 1998/Obie Award and Kathleen Tolan's The Wax in 2000).

Playwrights Horizons presents the New York premiere production of STAGE KISS, a new play marking the eagerly-awaited return of two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Sarah Ruhl (Dead Man's Cell Phone at PH; The Clean House, In the Next Room...) to the theater company. Directed by Rebecca Taichman (Milk Like Sugar at PH; the current Marie Antoinette, Orlando, The Scene, Luck of the Irish), the production begins previews this evening, February 7 at 8PM with an Opening Night set for Sunday, March 2 at 7PM. The limited engagement will play through Sunday evening, March 23 at Playwrights Horizons' Mainstage Theater (416 West 42nd Street).

THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, with Music and Lyrics by William Finn and Book by Rachel Sheinkin, Conceived by Rebecca Feldman with Additional Material by Jay Reiss, will be directed by Matt Giles with music direction by Justin Beal at Seattle Musical Theatre, tonight, February 7-23, 2014.

Tickets are now on sale for The Brown Paper Box Co.'s upcoming production, A NEW BRAIN, with music and lyrics by William Finn and book by Finn and James Lapine. The show will run Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM from February 21-March 9 at Rivendell Theatre in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood (5779 N. Ridge Ave.). Tickets can be purchased at www.brownpaperbox.org. Check out a first look at the cast in rehearsal below!

TriArts Sharon Playhouse, under the leadership of Artistic Director John Simpkins and Managing Director Justin Ball, celebrates its 25thAnniversary Season with the award-winning musicals Les Miserables and Falsettos, along with Disney's The Little Mermaid, on the Mainstage. Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie and the new musical Nine Wives (by Douglas J. Cohen and Dan Elish) will play Stage 2 in the Bok Gallery. The Youth Theatre will present the Tony-winning Spring Awakening.

THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, with Music and Lyrics by William Finn and Book by Rachel Sheinkin, Conceived by Rebecca Feldman with Additional Material by Jay Reiss, will be directed by Matt Giles with music direction by Justin Beal at Seattle Musical Theatre, February 7-23, 2014.

Este sábado 1o de febrero, Spelling Bee develó la placa conmemorativa por 50 representaciones, contando con el apadrinamiento de Freddy Ortega (de los MascaBrothers), Lola Cortés, y Kika Edgar.

This February and March at 54 BELOW presents an exciting lineup of the brightest talent from Broadway and beyond, including Christopher Sieber, Annaleigh Ashford, Randy Graff, Melinda Doolittle, Jeff Daniels, Linda Eder, Andrea McArdle, Sondheim Unplugged, Taboo: 10th Anniversary Reunion Concert, Beth Leavel, Lindsay Mendez and Derek Klena.

This February and March at 54 BELOW presents an exciting lineup of the brightest talent from Broadway and beyond, including Christopher Sieber, Annaleigh Ashford, Randy Graff, Melinda Doolittle, Jeff Daniels, Linda Eder, Andrea McArdle, Sondheim Unplugged, Taboo: 10th Anniversary Reunion Concert, Beth Leavel, Lindsay Mendez and Derek Klena.

At a press conference held at Barrington Stage Company's Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, Artistic Director Julianne Boyd announced the theater's 20th Anniversary 2014 season of musicals and plays that will take place in downtown Pittsfield in the Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, St. Germain Stage and Youth Theatre venues in 2014.

YALE REPERTORY THEATRE presents the world premiere of THESE PAPER BULLETS!, a modish ripoff of William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, adapted by Rolin Jones, with songs by Billie Joe Armstrong, and directed by Jackson Gay, March 14-April 5 at the University Theatre (222 York Street). Opening Night is Thursday, March 20.

Following a sold-out premiere at Joe's Pub last December, Shakina makes her 54 Below debut with ONE WOMAN SHOW: A Work In Progress, recounting in song and story the exploits and misadventures that led to her gender transition.

Congregation Beit Simchat Torah and Honorary Hosts, Betty Buckley, Andy Cohen, Carmel Dean, Harvey Fierstein, Moises Kaufman, James Lapine, Harriet Leve, Jordan Roth, Seth Rudetsky and Jeffrey Seller present a concert celebrating the music of two-time Tony Award winning Composer and Lyricist WILLIAM FINN, featuring some of the most beloved songs from Falsettos, The 25th Annual Putnum County Spelling Bee, A New Brain, Elegies, and more.

Pace University's Pace New Musicals (PNM) program (est. 2007 by Program Head Amy Rogers), dedicated to the discovery of new theater works, and Ryan Scott Oliver, composer- lyricist and producer, will present a staged reading of Little Miss Fix-It (book and lyrics by Kirsten A. Guenther and music by Joy Son) today, January 23-27, 2014.

Tickets are now on sale for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Drama Learning Center in Columbia. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee centers around a fictional spelling bee in Putnam Valley Middle School. Quirky adolescents compete in the Bee, run by equally quirky grown-ups. The 2005 Broadway production was nominated for six Tony Awards, and won two, including Best Book. As with the original Broadway production, this iteration will also involve audience participation. Select audience members will be brought up on stage to round out the cast as spellers each performance. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!