1776 - 1997 - Broadway Articles Page 7

Today we are shining a solo spotlight on the historically-based musicals celebrating American figures in honor of July 4!

The 69th Annual Tony Awards are this Sunday June 7th at 8/9c hosted by Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming. It's the biggest award show of the Broadway season and it closes out a long award season for Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals and plays. We can't help but wonder what chances this year's Best Musical and Best Play nominees have of taking home the ultimate prize. 

OKLAHOMA! opens on Friday, July 17th , 2015, playing until Sunday, July 26th , and features an added mid-week matinee on July 22nd , at the 1,800-seat Kavli Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, located at 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks. 

The Muny announced today its complete cast for Stephen Sondheim (music and lyrics) and James Lapine's (book) Into The Woods, playing July 21-27. The production will be directed by Gary Griffin, choreographed by Chris Bailey and music directed by Brad Haak.

The 2016 season of New York City Center's Tony-honored Encores!series will open with Cabin in the Sky on February 10–14, 2016, followed by 1776 and Do I Hear a Waltz?. Jack Viertel is the artistic director of Encores!; Rob Berman is its music director.

The Muny announced today several principal cast members for the seven shows in its spectacular 97th season, which opens on June 15 with My Fair Lady. Full casts and companies will be announced throughout May.

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director; Andrew Levine, Executive Director), as part of its acclaimed Developmental Readings Series, presents Call My Publicist! - The Starry Education of a Broadway Press Agent, written and performed by Joshua Ellis. This premiere reading, directed by Gretchen Cryer will be presented for one-performance only TONIGHT, April 8, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. at The York Theatre Company at Saint Peter's (Entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue). The reading is open to the public with a suggested donation of $5.00.

The York Theatre Company, as part of its acclaimed Developmental Readings Series, presents Call My Publicist! - The Starry Education of a Broadway Press Agent, written and performed by Joshua Ellis. This premiere reading, directed by Gretchen Cryer will be presented for one-performance only on Wednesday evening, April 8, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. at The York Theatre Company at Saint Peter's (Entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue). The reading is open to the public with a suggested donation of $5.00.

Today in 1969, 1776 opened at the 46th Street Theatre (now the Richard Rogers Theatre), where it ran for 1217 performances. 1776 is a musical with music and lyrics by Sherman Edwards and a book by Peter Stone. The story is based on the events surrounding the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It focuses on, and partly fictionalizes, the efforts of John Adams to persuade his colleagues to vote for American independence and to sign the document. The production was nominated for five Tony Awards and won three, including the Tony Award for Best Musical. The musical was made into a film of the same name in 1972 and was revived on Broadway in 1997.

Four Tony Award-winning musicals will be presented in Center Theatre Group's 2015-2016 season at the Ahmanson Theatre of the Music Center of Los Angeles, it was announced today by CTG Artistic Director Michael Ritchie.

54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents Aaron Ramey, Jenna Leigh Green, Ashley Loren and Brian Charles Rooney in "Let's Duet!' on Thursday, March 12 at 9:30pm. Let's Duet! will be a fantastic evening celebrating the myriad fantastic ways that two voices have been brought together with powerful and moving melodies. You'll hear songs from Sondheim, The Secret Garden, and Aida, as well as new composers and favorites from radio and film!

Pioneer Theatre Company presents The Crucible, the American classic, reliving the era of Salem witch trials, tonight, February 13 - February 28, 2015.

TheaterWorks the award winning theater in downtown Hartford, under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero, announced today that DANCING LESSONS by Mark St. Germain will extend its run through Friday, March 6, 2015 due to popular demand.

Pioneer Theatre Company presents The Crucible, the American classic, reliving the era of Salem witch trials, February 13 - February 28, 2015.

If you've been a regular reader of this particular reviewer's musings, you know that every year there are long stretches of time where I just haven't been able to critique all the shows I've seen that deserve commentary. So I end up playing what they call in sports, 'Catch-up ball,' and post a mash up of belated reviews from past shows. It's kind of like a critic's version of the song 'Six Months Out of Every Year,' from Damn Yankees. Give or take a month or two, that's usually the time period during which I store unpublished reviews in my fevered brain and then unload them all in one seemingly endless column-like this one is going to be. If my cabaret-show reviewing days will be over (as chronicled here), I might as well go out with a bang-and relieve my procrastination guilt during holiday season. Now I can scratch one New Year's resolution off the list.

The Geffen Playhouse production of The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord, is extending for a third time, now through December 21, 2014. The production, in the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at the Geffen Playhouse, is written by Scott Carter, executive producer and writer for Bill Maher's Politically Incorrect and Real Time.

The Geffen Playhouse production of The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord, is extending again, now through December 7. The production, in the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at the Geffen Playhouse, is written by Scott Carter, executive producer and writer for Bill Maher's Politically Incorrect and Real Time.

The South Florida Theatre League's Remy awards, named in honor of Remberto Cabrera, the former Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs' Senior Cultural Administrator and Chief of Cultural Development, are given annually for Outstanding Service, and for Pioneering in South Florida regional theatre.

Griffin Theatre Company launches its 2014-15 season with a new, intimate version of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical TITANIC, with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston (Nine, Phantom), book by Peter Stone (Woman of the Year, 1776), new orchestrations by Ian Weinberger, directed by Scott Weinstein (Griffin Theatre's Spelling Bee, Chicago Shakespeare Theater's Seussical) and music direction by Elizabeth Doran (Timeline's Juno). TITANIC will play through December 7, 2014 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are available at www.theaterwit.org, in person at the Theater Wit Box Office or by calling (773) 975-8150.

Griffin Theatre Company will launch its 2014-15 season with a new, intimate version of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical TITANIC, with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston (Nine, Phantom), book by Peter Stone (Woman of the Year, 1776), new orchestrations by Ian Weinberger, directed by Scott Weinstein (Griffin Theatre's Spelling Bee, Chicago Shakespeare Theater's Seussical) and music direction by Elizabeth Doran (Timeline's Juno). TITANIC will play today, October 18 - December 7, 2014 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are available at www.theaterwit.org, in person at the Theater Wit Box Office or by calling (773) 975-8150. The press opening is Sunday, October 26 at 7 pm.

The Geffen Playhouse production of The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord, is now performing at the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at the Geffen Playhouse. Written by Scott Carter, executive producer and writer for Bill Maher's Politically Incorrect and Real Time, this whip-smart philosophical comedy features Larry Cedar (Deadwood, PBS's Square One TV), David Melville (Travel Channel Lawrence of America, film Ironclad) and Armin Shimerman (Quark on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Associate Artistic Director at The Antaeus Company) and will be again helmed by director, Matt August (Broadway How the Grinch Stole Christmas). Due to popular demand, the production has extended now through November 23.

The Geffen Playhouse announces its production of The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord. Written by Scott Carter, executive producer and writer for Bill Maher's Politically Incorrect and Real Time, this whip-smart philosophical comedy features Larry Cedar (Deadwood, PBS's Square One TV), David Melville (Travel Channel Lawrence of America, film Ironclad) and Armin Shimerman (Quark on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Associate Artistic Director at The Antaeus Company) and will be again helmed by director, Matt August (Broadway How the Grinch Stole Christmas). Discord began previews on October 7 with the press opening tonight, October 15. The closing date is currently scheduled for November 16.

The Geffen Playhouse announces its production of The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord. Written by Scott Carter, executive producer and writer for Bill Maher's Politically Incorrect and Real Time, this whip-smart philosophical comedy features Larry Cedar (Deadwood, PBS's Square One TV), David Melville (Travel Channel Lawrence of America, film Ironclad) and Armin Shimerman (Quark on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Associate Artistic Director at The Antaeus Company) and will be again helmed by director, Matt August (Broadway How the Grinch Stole Christmas). Discord begins previews tonight, October 7 with the press opening on October 15. The closing date is currently scheduled for November 16.

Signature Theatre presents Elmer Gantry, a musical version of Sinclair Lewis' best-selling novel, directed by Signature's Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer (Broadway's Follies, Million Dollar Quartet). Schaeffer collaborated on the last production of Elmer Gantry at Marriott's Lincolnshire Theatre in Chicago with authors John Bishop (book), Mel Marvin (music) and Bob Satuloff (lyrics) in 1998; the show has not been produced since then. This will be the 5th production in the show's history. Running in the MAX Theatre today, October 7 - November 9, Signature's production will include several brand new songs by Mel Marvin and Bob Satuloff and a reimagined script that John Bishop worked on until his death in 2006.