Willy News

Voting has now opened for the 2014 BroadwayWorld Nashville Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of December 4th.

Voting has now opened for the 2014 BroadwayWorld San Francisco Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of December 4th.

Tucker Award-winning tenor Stephen Costello returns to New York's Metropolitan Opera this Today (Dec 11) to make his house role debut as Alfredo in La traviata, when he gives the first of five performances in Willy Decker's celebrated production. Costello has already sung Verdi's hero in high-profile productions on both sides of the Atlantic. This summer, his performances of the role at San Francisco Opera included a simulcast in the company's Opera in the Ballpark series, which was attended by an audience of more than 25,000 people.

Tucker Award-winning tenor Stephen Costello returns to New York's Metropolitan Opera this Thursday (Dec 11) to make his house role debut as Alfredo in La traviata, when he gives the first of five performances in Willy Decker's celebrated production. Costello has already sung Verdi's hero in high-profile productions on both sides of the Atlantic. This summer, his performances of the role at San Francisco Opera included a simulcast in the company's Opera in the Ballpark series, which was attended by an audience of more than 25,000 people.

City Theatre has announced a contract with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to implement the VSA Playwright Discovery Program in Pittsburgh classrooms.

Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel is noted for crafting play scripts which impact directly on the lives of people. A review of her works illustrates that she writes about issues that need to be expressed (AIDS, sexual abuse, prostitution, degradation of the individual), she favors writing about emotional circumstances which she expresses in narrative structures, and her works contain theatrical requirements that make for better viewing, than reading.

The Gifts of the Magi opened Thursday night at the dinner gala for the Summit Theatre Group at the Emaline Ballroom in Lees Summit, Mo. The price of a ticket included a dinner buffet served by Outback Steak House, in which the server limited patrons to portions because he did not know if he brought enough meats. Immediately following the meal the audience received an unfortunate serving of The Gift of the Magi.

As viewers shared their opinions of the broadcast through tweets and other social media, BWW has rounded up the reviews from TV critics. Check them out below to see if they believed in fairies!

Growing up, my brother, sister, and I wore out our VHS recording of one of Mary Martin's TV productions of PETER PAN. Mixed in between viewings of APOLLO 13 and THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, we learned every word to every song, and while I don't remember dancing along with the Lost Boys, there is no doubt that we could have, if asked. I've never seen the musical on stage, so, for me, PETER PAN simply belongs on TV; and producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan spared no fiary dust in creating a magical PETER PAN that reinforced why this holiday tradition should never grow up and fly away. Despite a handful of hiccups that befall many live productions, simply put, PETER PAN LIVE! is a triumph for children young and old.

The Grand Theater and the Road Company are excited to present you with one of the biggest, most haunting musicals to date‹and the area premiere‹based on the much beloved 1991 classic romance, Ghost. The Road Company is proud to present Ghost: The Musical, running January 22 ­- February 7, 2015.

Voting has now opened for the 2014 BroadwayWorld Nashville Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of December 4th.

Voting has now opened for the 2014 BroadwayWorld San Francisco Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of December 4th.

The Summit Theatre Group will kick off this Christmas season with the heart-warming musical 'THE GIFTS OF THE MAGI' in a dinner theatre presentation at the Emaline Ballroom, 616 SW Third Street in Lees Summit this weekend, December 4th, 5th and 6th. The show is simply wonderful entertainment for every member of the family.

Theatrical Outfit continues its 'Season of Compassion' with the uplifting musical The Gifts of the Magi and storytelling event A Christmas Memory, which explores the compassion needed and realized when people really love each other and can triumphantly navigate adversity.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre is proud to present the world premiere of X's and O's (A Football Love Story), a hard-hitting docudrama that examines our country's passion for a game that is life-giving yet lethal. Our singularly American sport is intricately woven into our culture and rituals, yet its traumatic effect on players and their families has us reexamining its place in our country's story.

Paper Mill Playhouse is proud to announce a special autism-friendly performance for its critically-acclaimed, holiday musical, Elf. Paper Mill Playhouse will offer this special autism-friendly performance of Elf on Tuesday, December 23, at 1:30pm. This performance is designed specifically for children on the autism spectrum or with other developmental disabilities.

La Traviata will return to the Met stage December 11 with two rotating casts of stars, all of whom are singing their first company performances of the principal roles. Latvian soprano Marina Rebeka, who made a notable debut as Donna Anna in the 2011 new production of Mozart's Don Giovanni, brings her acclaimed Violetta to the Met for the first time in the opening performances, with American tenor Stephen Costello as her impetuous lover Alfredo. Later performances will feature Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva—currently starring in her first-ever staged performances of Mimì in Puccini's La Bohème—as Violetta, opposite Italian tenor Francesco Demuro as Alfredo. The role of Giorgio Germont, Alfredo's father, will be shared by American baritone Quinn Kelsey and French baritone Ludovic Tézier. Marco Armiliato will lead all performances of Verdi's romantic tragedy this season. Willy Decker's acclaimed production had its Met premiere in 2010.

The New Year finds Grammy and ECHO Klassik Award-winner Fabio Luisi back at the helm of the Zurich Opera.

The Summit Theatre Group will kick off this Christmas season with the heart-warming musical "THE GIFTS OF THE MAGI" in a dinner theatre presentation at the Emaline Ballroom, 616 SW Third Street in Lees Summit this weekend, December 4th, 5th and 6th. The show is simply wonderful entertainment for every member of the family.

Paper Mill Playhouse presents the holiday musical, Elf. Based on the 2003 film starring Will Ferrell, Elf has a book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin, music by Matthew Sklar and lyrics by Chad Beguelin. Elf will be directed by Eric Ankrim and choreographed by Josh Rhodes. Elf will run eight times a week at the Millburn, New Jersey, theater now through January 4, 2015. The official press opening night is tonight, November 30, at 7:00pm.