William Finn News

Caruso's Cast Party with Billy Stritch, which is a New York City institution and sought after attraction at important cabaret venues nationwide wowed the audience at Mr. Finn's Cabaret at Barrington Stage Co. last night. Mr. (William) Finn himself was present for the always funny and sophisticated show biz banter that is the hallmark of any Cast Party when Caruso and Stritch bring their music and comedy to what is arguably the most famous 'Open Mic' in the entertainment world.

The hilarious musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will be presented at Hatbox Theatre from July 18th through 28th. Performances will run for two weeks only on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30pm, and Sundays at 2:00pm. Tickets are $17 for adults, $14 for members, seniors and students and $12 for senior members. Tickets may be reserved by calling 603-715-2315 or purchased online at www.hatboxnh.com.

The cast of "Mamma Mia!" at Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, PA has caught the July 4th spirit!

 11th Hour Theatre Company has announced an exciting 15th Anniversary season. The only company in the city dedicated to producing all musicals has created a line-up of two Next Step Concerts of rarely produced musicals and a Mainstage musical years in the making. The season kicks off with a concert version of William Finn and James Lapine's Falsettos.  Then the company starts 2020 with a bang and a concert of Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Tim Rice's Chess. In the Spring, 11th Hour tackles a musical it has been hoping to produce for years: John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask's sensation Hedwig and the Angry Inch. 11th Hour is also introducing a new series of Musical Theatre Salons for this upcoming season as well, which are exclusive member's only events featuring intimate conversations with some of Philadelphia's most well-known musical theatre talents. Subscriptions are available online at www.11thhourtheatrecompany.org or by phone at 267-987-9865.

Blackfriars Theatre presents its 2019-2020 BTSI (Blackfriars Theatre Summer Intensive) production: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Following an eclectic group of six mid-pubescents vying for the spelling championship of a lifetime, the Tony Award-winning musical was penned by Rachel Sheinkin, from a concept by Rebecca Feldman and music by multiple award-winning composer and lyricist, William Finn. While candidly disclosing hilarious and touching stories from their home lives, the tweens spell their way through a series of (potentially made-up) words, hoping never to hear the soul-crushing, pout-inducing, life un-affirming 'ding' of the bell that signals a spelling mistake. Six spellers enter; one speller leaves! At least the losers get a juice box.

Back in 2015, the Seattle theater scene was abuzz with a brand-new musical premiering at the Seattle Rep from local wunderkind Justin Huertas called 'Lizard Boy'. I even remember seeing a workshop of it in 2013. Since then the Lizard has gone on to perform all over, including San Diego and New York, and Huertas has gone on and produced even more new musicals including an adaptation of 'Howl's Moving Castle' at Book-It (which is coming back again this season) and a new one coming to the Seattle Rep next year, 'Lydia and the Troll'. And now, over at ArtsWest, Huertas has given us another of his signature quirky love stories with the World Premiere of 'The Last World Octopus Wrestling Champion'. And with his new show we can easily see that the promise of greatness abounds, not only with Huertas and this show but within the show as well.

Porchlight Music Theatre announces that Peabody and multi-Emmy award-winning composer Larry Grossman of West Hollywood, California, has joined Porchlight's Advisory Board.Grossman partnered with Porchlight Music Theatre earlier in 2019 with Porchlight's popular music series Porchlight Revisits presenting Minnie's Boys, a 1971 Broadway musical about the early years of the Marx Brothersfeaturing music by Grossman.

Los Altos Youth Theatre proudly presents its summer musical production, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, featuring an age-appropriate cast, including three adults. Winner of the Tony and the Drama Desk Awards for Best Book, this show has charmed audiences across the country with its effortless wit and humor.

Musical Theatre of Anthem (MTA) announces their upcoming production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee!

Following sold out engagements at 54 Below, The Triad NYC, United Solo Festival, Barrington Stage Company (Tony Award-winning William Finn's Cabaret Series) and a nationwide tour from Washington D.C. to Hawaii, the captivating Amy Oestreicher presents Passageways: Songs of Connection, Abnormal & Sublime. An adventurous multimedia journey of original song, art, story and humor as an unexpected passageway through crisis to home, Passageways is written performed, composed, and with mixed media art created by Amy Oestreicher (Gutless and Grateful at 54 Below, RAINN & TEDx Talks) with musical direction and arrangements by Bob Goldstone and direction by Shellen Lubin. Performances of this new theatrical event will coincide with the launch of Amy Oestreicher's new book My Beautiful Detour (Singing Tree Publishing, 2019), and a talk-back and book-signing will be held after each performance. Three performances of Passageways will be staged at HERE, 145 6th Avenue in New York City from August 6-8, 2019.

'Don't roll your eyes at me,' a person of influence instructs a promising young musical theatre writer. 'I'm the chair of the Second-Coming-Of-Sondheim Award so I know what the f... I'm talking about!'

As the fiftieth anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising brings the state of LGBTQ+ rights in America to the forefront of the national conversation, Princeton Summer Theater will open its 2019 Season on June 20 with William Finn and James Lapine's timeless and timely Falsettos, directed by PST Artistic Director Daniel Krane.

Splashy casting news is plenty exciting but we're taking a moment to give a shoutout to the casts of some of Broadway's long-running shows. Meet the current cast of The Book of Mormon below!

Overall, FALSETTOS makes a strong impression at Kennedy Center and is most definitely worth the trip.

Today's subject Eden Espinosa is currently living her theatre life as part of the national tour of the William Finn/James Lapine musical Falsettos where she is portraying the role of Trina. The show is currently playing in the Eisenhower Theater at the Kennedy Center and will continue through June 23rd. The tour will then travel to Charlotte, North Carolina for its final stop where it will end on June 30th.

Natasha J Barnes (Cordelia), Daniel Boys (Marvin), Matt Cardle (Mendel), Gemma Knight-Jones (Charlotte), Laura Pitt-Pulford (Trina) and Oliver Savile (Whizzer) will star in the eagerly awaited European premiere of the multi award-winning musical, Falsettos.

The 2011 musical adaption of the 2006 Academy Award-winning film Little Miss Sunshine comes to the stage in a hilarious and heart-warming production. The show is currently making a stop at Brighton Theatre Royal as part of a UK tour directed by Mehmet Ergen.

In an airy rehearsal room on the Princeton University campus, a group of students and recent graduates stare down a baseball diamond they leap, cheer, and curse the umpire-or at least that's what they're pretending to do as they conclude the fourth day of rehearsals for William Finn and James Lapine's Falsettos, the opening production of Princeton Summer Theater's 2019 Season.

We chat with Max von Essen about his starring role in FALSETTOS. The show plays Kennedy Center June 11-23.