Today in 1981, the second Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof opened at the New York State Theatre, where it ran for 53 performances. Featuring music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, the story centers on Tevye, the father of five daughters, and his attempts to maintain his family and Jewish religious traditions while outside influences encroach upon their lives. The original Broadway production of the show, which opened in 1964, had the first musical theatre run in history to surpass 3,000 performances. It spawned four Broadway revivals, a successful 1971 film adaptation, and the show has enjoyed enduring international popularity.
While the iconic and critically acclaimed GONG SHOW LIVE is preparing for its 2015-2016 Off-Broadway Season in Manhattan, the acclaimed lunatic comedy has been commissioned for one blowout Event and Extravaganza at the beautiful BOULTON CENTER for the PERFORMING ARTS in Bay Shore, Long Island.
Step Up Productions is pleased to conclude its 2014-15 season with Beth Henley's Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning dark comedy CRIMES OF THE HEART directed by Brad Akin, playing May 8 - June 14, 2015 at The Athenaeum Theatre (Studio One), 2936 N. Southport Ave. in Chicago.
Tonight, April 24 at 8:30 p.m. in Zankel Hall, acclaimed musicians from Afghanistan, India, and Tajikistan join together for In the Footsteps of Babur, a program celebrating the exuberant vitality of the Mughal court in the 16th century.
Stravinsky's twentieth-century operatic masterpiece The Rake's Progress will return to the Met stage for a revival of three performances only, opening May 1 and continuing through May 9. Music Director James Levine leads the performances, with rising stars Paul Appleby and Layla Claire in the central roles of the carefree Tom Rakewell and his faithful sweetheart, Anne Trulove; Stephanie Blythe as Baba the Turk, the hot-tempered bearded lady whose life becomes entangled with Tom's; English bass Brindley Sherratt in his Met debut as Anne's father, Trulove; and Gerald Finley as Nick Shadow, the mysterious man who encourages Tom to trade respectability for a life of aimless pleasure.
On Twitter Watch, Josh Gad wrote ' that stage veteran and film star Ian McKellen has joined Disney's upcoming live-action adaptation of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST as 'Cogsworth'.
Set for a release on March 17, 2017, the beloved tale will be retold for the big screen with a modern live-action lens and the help of transformative CG magic. As BroadwayWorld previously reported, Emma Watson and Dan Stevens will star as Belle and the Beast/Prince respectively, and Luke Evans will play the role of Gaston. Emma Thompson has joined the cast as Mrs. Potts and Kevin Kline as Belle's father, Maurice. As BWW announced previously, Josh Gad will reportedly take on the role of Le Fou, with six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald playing Garderobe.
Eight-time Oscar-winner Alan Menken, who won two Academy Awards for the 1991 animated classic, will score the new BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, which will feature new recordings of the original songs in addition to several new songs written by Menken and Sir Tim Rice. Bill Condon will direct from a script by Stephen Chbosky, and the film will be produced by Mandeville Films' David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman. Production begins in May at Shepperton Studios in London.
Disney also recently announced it will be creating live-action versions of MULAN and PINOCCHIO, joining reboots of THE JUNGLE BOOK, PETE'S DRAGON and WINNIE THE POOH. The live-action adaptation of CINDERELLA, starring Lily James, just hit the big screen this winter.
McKellen was last seen on the big screen as 'Gandalf' in THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES (a role he originated in THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy) and will soon appear in MR. HOLMES and THE DRESSER. He is also well known for his role as 'Magneto' in the X-MEN movies.
The Olivier-winning, classically trained actor last starred on Broadway in NO MAN'S LAND and WAITING FOR GODOT opposite Patrick Stewart. Before that, he appeared in DANCE OF DEATH, IAN MCKELLEN: A KNIGHT OUT AT THE LYCEUM, WILD HONEY, IAN MCKELLEN: ACTING SHAKESPEARE, AMADEUS -- which earned him a Tony Award in 1981 -- and THE PROMISE. McKellen was a member of the Old Vic and has performed at the Chichester Festival, in the West End, and with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre and more.
1991's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST was an animated musical romantic fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Based on the traditional French fairy tale of the same name by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont,Beauty and the Beast is the 30th film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. Additionally, it is third in the Disney Renaissance period. Starring Paige O'Hara and Robby Benson, Beauty and the Beast focuses on the relationship between the Beast (Benson), a prince who is magically transformed into a monster as punishment for his arrogance, and Belle (O'Hara), a young woman who he imprisons in his castle. The film also features the voices of Richard White, Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers, and Angela Lansbury, who occupy supporting roles.
The film was a box office success, and has since garnered over $424 million worldwide. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST was nominated for several awards, winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. Beauty and the Beast became the first animated film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture; it also received five additional Academy Award nominations, including Best Original Score, Best Sound, and three separate nominations for Best Original Song. Ultimately, the film won Best Original Score, while Best Original Song was awarded to its title song. In 2002, Beauty and the Beast was deemed 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant' by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
In April 1994, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST became Disney's first animated film to be adapted into a Broadway musical.
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El Rey Network Founder and Chairman Robert Rodriguez sits down with award-winning film and theater director, university professor, author, activist, and political organizer Luis Valdez
The Public Theater announced additional casting today for the 2015 Free Shakespeare in the Park season, beginning Wednesday, May 27 at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. This summer will feature Shakespeare's late romances with THE TEMPEST, directed by Tony Award nominee Michael Greif, and CYMBELINE, directed by Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan. Jesse Tyler Ferguson will return to the Park this summer as Trinculo in THE TEMPEST, along with Hamish Linklater and Lily Rabe teaming up again with Daniel Sullivan on CYMBELINE to play Posthumus Leonatus/Cloten and Imogen, respectively.
On Friday, April 24 at 8:30 p.m. in Zankel Hall, acclaimed musicians from Afghanistan, India, and Tajikistan join together for In the Footsteps of Babur, a program celebrating the exuberant vitality of the Mughal court in the 16th century. Featured artists on the program-presented by Carnegie Hall in partnership with Robert Browning Associates-include Homayun Sakhi (Afghan rubab), Rahul Sharma (santur), Salar Nader (tabla), Sirojiddin Juraev (dutar and tanbur), and Mukhtor Muborakqadamov (Badakhshani setar).
El Rey Network Founder and Chairman Robert Rodriguez sits down with award-winning film and theater director, university professor, author, activist, and political organizer Luis Valdez
hotINK at The Lark is proud to present four play readings, written by playwrights who hail from the Middle East and Eastern Europe: MRS. GHADA'S PAIN THRESHOLD by Abdullah Alkafri (Syria), translated by Hassan Abdulrazzak; I.D. by Amahl Khouri (Jordan); MINE WATER by Csaba Szekely (Romania), translated by Mari Albert; THE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF WASHING MACHINES by Elise Wilk (Romania), translated by Ioana Ieronim.
Product by Mark Ravenhill will play the Arcola Theatre, 24 Ashwin Street, Dalston, London E8 3DL from Monday 27th April to Saturday 23rd May 2015. Press night: Tuesday 5th May, 8pm.
Maria Callas got the world used to hearing singing that was not always pitch-perfect yet still essential listening. I kept thinking about this at the Met the other night during the new production of Rossini's LA DONNA DEL LAGO with a cast headed by a couple of stars, mezzo Joyce DiDonato and tenor Juan Diego Florez, who are well known for their bel canto style.
This March, 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. Below, find the schedule for upcoming events over the next month.
Step Up Productions is pleased to conclude its 2014-15 season with Beth Henley's Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning dark comedy CRIMES OF THE HEART directed by Brad Akin, playing May 8 - June 14, 2015 at The Athenaeum Theatre (Studio One), 2936 N. Southport Ave. in Chicago.
the cell in association with The Furies will present a newly adapted version of Henrik Ibsen's GHOSTS entitled GHOSTS AFTER IBSEN written by Thomas Kilroy and directed by Austin Pendleton. Previews begin Monday, March 2, 2015 and the production will run until Thursday, March 19, 2015 at the cell, 338W 23rd St. The official opening will be on Friday, March 6th at 7:00 PM.
The Public Theater announced the line-up today for the 2015 FREE Shakespeare in the Park season, continuing a 53-year tradition of free theater in Central Park. Since 1962, over five million people have enjoyed more than 150 free productions of Shakespeare and other classical works and musicals at the Delacorte Theater. Conceived by founder Joe Papp as a way to make great theater accessible to all, The Public's free Shakespeare in the Park continues to be the bedrock of the Company's mission to increase access and engage the community. This summer, free Shakespeare in the Park will feature Shakespeare's late romances with THE TEMPEST (May 27-July 5), directed by Tony Award nominee Michael Greif, and CYMBELINE (July 27-August 23), directed by Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan.
Broadway fans had plenty of reasons to celebrate this year, with dozens of shows having opened since January, hundreds of actors having made their debuts, and many more having returned to the stage for critically acclaimed performances. Not all news was good though, as we also suffered a loss of an incredible amount of talent.
Below, BroadwayWorld sends a fond farewell to those who passed away in 2014.
The Claire Trevor School of the Arts (CTSA) at the University of California, Irvine is thrilled to announce that as part of our 50th anniversary season the Department of Dance will stage a revival of founding faculty member Eugene Loring's classic American ballet, Billy the Kid. The work will be featured as part of Dance Visions, an annual constellation of faculty works which runs from February 11 - 15, 2015 in the Claire Trevor Theatre. The program will also include choreography by outstanding current faculty members Tong Wang, Shaun Boyle, and Donald McKayle.
The Film Society of Lincoln Center will present Let There Be Light: The Films of John Huston, December 19 - January 11,
The first Globe for All free Shakespeare tour will begin today, October 28 and will culminate in three low-cost performances on November 7 - 9 in the Globe's Hattox Hall, part of the Karen and Donald Cohn Education Center in the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center.
The Old Globe invites your participation and coverage as it begins presenting shows through an exciting new producing platform, Globe for All. This free-of-charge tour of a professional production of Shakespeare will allow the theatre to serve more communities throughout San Diego by collaborating with a diverse range of local organizations. Old Globe Artistic Director Barry Edelstein directs the first production, Shakespeare's fascinating romance All's Well That Ends Well. He has cast local professional actors, including recent graduates of the Old Globe/University of San Diego Graduate Theatre Program. The first Globe for All free Shakespeare tour will begin October 28 and will culminate in three low-cost performances on November 7 to 9 in the Globe's Hattox Hall, part of the Karen and Donald Cohn Education Center in the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center.
Theatre at the Center, 1040 Ridge Road, Munster, celebrates its 25th anniversary season in 2015 by bringing to the stage hilarious spoofs, rock n' roll musicals and heartwarming stories, each with a close relationship to iconic films. The season opens with ON GOLDEN POND, the touching, funny, and warmly insightful story that went from a Tony Award on Broadway to the Oscar winning film, running February 26 through March 29. Overflowing with heart and humor, the extraordinary new Broadway musical, BIG FISH, will inspire audiences to live life to the fullest May 7 to June 7. Fans of "the King" of Rock n' Roll will be thrilled to join in song and dance at ALL SHOOK UP! THE MUSIC OF ELVIS PRESLEY. Inspired by the movies and songs of Elvis Presley as well as the William Shakespeare comedy Twelfth Night, the musical runs July 16 through August 16. SPAMALOT, the uproariously hilarious Monty Python-inspired farce about King Arthur and his band of raunchy knights runs September 17 through October 18. Returning to Theatre at the Center during the holiday season is the nostalgic family favorite A CHRISTMAS STORY, running November 19 to December 27.
The 'Alley Theatre @ UH' season begins with Betty Buckley, Hallie Foote, Annalee Jefferies and Veanne Cox in award-winning Texas playwright Horton Foote's The Old Friends, a Southwestern premiere.
CHICAGO, IL - Craig Bouchard, international entrepreneur and New York Times Best-Selling Author, creates a unique transmedia entertainment event with his new children's fantasy, 'The Adventures of Ai' (www.adventuresofai.com). Using nonfiction elements, this novel, set in 16th century Japan, unlocks the potential of a global generation of preteens. The book is distributed globally through Apple, Google, Samsung and Amazon as an ebook and through the Adventures of Ai game, improving traditional publishing models.
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