The classic story by George Gershwin, DuBose and Dorthy Heyward and Ira Gershwin is set in Charleston's fabled Catfish Row, where the beautiful Bess struggles to break free from her scandalous past, and the only one who can rescue her is the crippled but courageous Porgy. Threatened by her formidable former lover Crown, and the seductive enticements of the colorful troublemaker Sporting Life, Porgy and Bess' relationship evolves into a deep romance that triumphs as one of theater's most exhilarating love stories.
Broadway legend Andrea McArdle has two new albums set for release on Broadway Records. The first, '70s and Sunny: Live At 54 BELOW', was recorded during her triumphant debut at the new Broadway hotspot 54 BELOW and will be released today, December 11, 2012. The second recording, 'Calendar Dream', is an exciting new project that teams Andrea up with a stellar array of Broadway's most awarded writers to journey though a year of a woman's life.
Berkshire Theatre Group and Artistic Director/CEO Kate Maguire have announced a Spring 2013 line-up at The Colonial Theatre filled with outstanding music, theatre, comedy and family programming.
Five of the entertainment world's leading ladies will perform in New Orleans in 2013 as Seth Rudetsky's popular Broadway Concert Series makes the leap to NOCCA's Lupin Hall from its summer home at The Art House in Provincetown, MA. Patti LuPone, two-time Tony winner for Gypsy and as the legendary original Evita, will appear for two shows only on January 7th at 6:30 and 8:30. Sutton Foster, two-time Tony-winner for this year's Anything Goes and previously for Thoroughly Modern Millie and star of the ABC Family series Bunheads arrives for one show only on March 2nd at 7:30. Megan Mullally, two-time Emmy-winning star of TV's Will and Grace and star of Broadway's Young Frankenstein performs two shows only on April 6th at 7:30 and 9:30. Audra McDonald, a five-time Tony Award winner and recent star of Porgy and Bess on Broadway and TV's Private Practice will make her New Orleans debut with two shows only on May 18 at 7:30 and 9:30. Betty Buckley, the Tony winning legendary star of Cats and Sunset Boulevard will close the series on June 1 with two shows only at 7:30 and 9:30. The visiting Broadway artists will also be giving master classes for the NOCCA Institute's high school-aged musical theatre students. All five concerts are produced by Mark Cortale, long time producer/manager of Jeffery Roberson aka Varla Jean Merman, and will be hosted by Sirius/XM radio star Seth Rudetsky at the piano. The series is sponsored exclusively by the New Orleans Hotel Collection and Gambit. Tickets can be purchased at www.broadwaynola.com or by calling 800-838-3006.
Nominations for the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards were announced tonight by The Recording Academy and reflected an eclectic mix of the best and brightest in music over the past year, as determined by the voting members of The Academy. Scroll below to see the nominees for Best Musical Theater Album!
Sonnet Repertory Theatre just announced that Nikki Renee Daniels (The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess) will be joining SRT's previously announced Benefit and Cabaret November 12 at 92YTribeca, honoring award-wining director, Julie Taymor. Celebrating Taymor's visionary career, this evening will feature some of Broadway's greatest talents and legends.
Broadway legend Andrea McArdle has two new albums set for release on Broadway Records. The first, '70s and Sunny: Live At 54 BELOW', was recorded during her triumphant debut at the new Broadway hotspot 54 BELOW and will be released on December 11, 2012 and is available for pre-order HERE. The second recording, 'Calendar Dream', is an exciting new project that teams Andrea up with a stellar array of Broadway's most awarded writers to journey though a year of a woman's life.
The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.), under the Artistic Direction of Diane Paulus has announced the complete cast for its February 2013 production of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie, to be directed by Tony Award-winning director John Tiffany. Multiple Tony and Emmy Award winner Cherry Jones returns to the A.R.T. to play Amanda Wingfield, and will be joined by Zachary Quinto as Tom, Celia Keenan-Bolger as Laura, and Brian J. Smith as the Gentleman Caller. The Tony Award-winning design team includes set and costumes by Bob Crowley, lighting by Natasha Katz, and sound by Clive Goodwin.
On October 12, 2012, The New York Pops orchestra launched its 30th Season at Carnegie Hall with Some Enchanted Evening: The Music of Rodgers and Hammerstein. Music Director and Conductor Steven Reineke - described by The New York Times as a "polished, welcoming host" who is "young and vigorous, with a playful attitude" - led the orchestra in a highly-anticipated opening with Broadway favorites by beloved duo Rodgers and Hammerstein. The performance featured guest artists Aaron Lazar, Kelli O'Hara and Paulo Szot, along with Judith Clurman's Essential Voices USA and New York Theatre Ballet. The program included classics from Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I and The Sound of Music at Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage.
BroadwayWorld brings you photos from the concert below!
Today we are talking to a charismatic leading man who has made quite a mark on Broadway over the last few seasons, having participated in the original Broadways casts of Kander & Ebb's THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS (for which he received a Tony nomination for Best Actor), Green Day's AMERICAN IDIOT (as Favorite Son) and, most recently, the rapturously-received revival of THE GERSHWINS' PORGY & BESS (as Jake), which won the 2012 Tony Award for Best Revival - the multi-talented Joshua Henry. Discussing the creation, casting, rehearsal and reception of each of the aforementioned musicals, as well as working with his collaborators on said projects - John Kander, Susan Stroman, Billie Joe Armstrong, Tom Kitt, Michael Mayer, Audra McDonald, Norm Lewis, Diane Paulus and more included - Henry illustrates the process of bringing the three wildly different entities to the stage and how he shaped his disparate characters within them. Additionally, Henry also discusses his role in the original production of Lin-Manuel Miranda's IN THE HEIGHTS and that Tony-winning Best Musical's inception and legacy. Plus, Henry expounds on his new self-composed family-friendly musical, AMIGO DUENDE, directed by Luis Salgado, which begins performances October 5 at El Musio Del Barrio and also shares the inspiration behind it. All of that, first news on his starring role in COTTON CLUB PARADE at City Center (co-starring GLEE's Amber Riley), sharing the screen with Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson and the Fab Four in SEX & THE CITY: THE MOVIE, his role in the recent MOTOWN workshop (as Marvin Gaye), future plans and much, much more!
The Drama League announced today that five-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald will be the Honoree of The Drama League's 29th Musical Celebration of Broadway, on February 11, 2013 at the famed Pierre Hotel (2 East 61st Street).
MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL, based on the life of legendary Motown founder Berry Gordy, will open on Broadway at The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46 Street) on April 14, 2013. Preview performances will begin March 11, 2013. Last night, the show held a launch event for the anticipated world premiere at Lunt Fontanne Theatre. BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge was there for the festivities, where he chatted with the cast and creative team. Check out what they had to say and catch an exclusive interview with music legend Aretha Franklin Below!
MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL, based on the life of legendary Motown founder Berry Gordy, will open on Broadway at The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46 Street) on April 14, 2013. Preview performances will begin March 11, 2013. Last night, the show held a launch event for the anticipated world premiere at Lunt Fontanne Theatre. BroadwayWorld was there for the festivities, and you can check out full photo coverage below!
MOTOWN: THE MUSICAL, based on the life of legendary Motown founder Berry Gordy, will open on Broadway at The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46 Street) on April 14, 2013. Preview performances will begin March 11, 2013. Last night, the show held a launch event for the anticipated world premiere at Lunt Fontanne Theatre. BroadwayWorld was there for the festivities, and you can check out a preview below! Be sure to check back later for full coverage!
The 2012 Tony Award Winner for Best Revival of a Musical, The Gershwins' PORGY AND BESS will conclude its limited engagement at the Richard Rodgers Theatre (226 West 46th Street) today, September 23, 2012. The Gershwins' PORGY AND BESS began previews on Saturday, December 17, 2012, and officially opened on January 12, 2012. Upon closing, it will have played 322 performances. Below, BroadwayWorld takes you on a multimedia journey through the life of the longest-running production of Porgy and Bess to ever play on Broadway.
The 2012 Tony Award Winner for Best Revival of a Musical, The Gershwins' PORGY AND BESS becomes the longest-running production of Porgy and Bess to ever play on Broadway with its 306th performance today, September 11, 2012, breaking the record formerly held by the 1953 revival at the Ziegfeld Theatre. The show will conclude its limited engagement at the Richard Rodgers Theatre (226 West 46th Street) on Sunday, September 23, 2012.
Marking the 25th anniversary of the John Waters' original film, Principal Pops Conductor Jack Everly brings together an all-star cast of Broadway, film and TV stars for the full symphonic production of the Broadway musical, Hairspray. Hairspray: In Concert! will premiere with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Jan. 11-13, 2013, and with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Jan. 24-27, 2013.
Overflowing with enthusiasm and energy, the true star of the 2012 Tony Awards was unquestionably three-time host and affable Broadway spokesman extraordinaire Neil Patrick Harris, doing what he does best - namely, being the host with the most. Whether web-slinging behind Angela Lansbury and Ted Chapin or leading a spectacular production number with Patti LuPone and a lawnmower, Harris proved yet again why is he is the best in the biz at this sort of thing - well, right up there along with Hugh Jackman, at least. Speaking of whom, in addition to a goosebump-inducing trailer for the forthcoming Tom Hooper-directed film adaptation of the Broadway sensation LES MISERABLES, Hugh Jackman was featured on the Tony Awards telecast and personally on hand to receive a well-earned special Tony Award for his many fundraising successes over the course of his three-show Broadway career, as was crossover superstar Bernadette Peters who took home a special Tony Award for her BC/EFA and Broadway Barks efforts. Adding to the star quotient of the night was Broadway/Hollywood super direct Mike Nichols, giving one of the classiest (despite the CBS-sanction bleep; on the same word as during Danny Burstein's FOLLIES turn, "godammit", incidentlly) and most profound acceptance speeches on the Tony Awards in recent memory - breaking the current record with, now, six Best Director statuettes, by the way. As far as musical performances go, in addition to Harris's triptych of showstoppers throughout the show - without even mentioning the many biting and sassy remarks, jokes and offhand commets; staged and otherwise - there were some seriously strong showings from almost all new musicals and revivals currently running, and even one or two terrific turns from productions already shuttered. The musical highlights of the night were Josh Young and the cast of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR in a spirited and divine take on the title song from the celebrated Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice rock opera, as well as good showings from new musical head-to-head, nail-bite-worthy competitors, ONCE and NEWSIES, plus one or two other swoon-worthy moments, too. The 2011-2012 Broadway season may not have been a record-breaker insofar as outstanding content and memorable modern classics - while NEWSIES is certainly a smash, last year's THE BOOK OF MORMON is the type of hit we only see once a decade or so, and, therefore, is a bit eclipsed; and, ONCE won Best Musical, anyway - but Harris and the team of this year's show made it an unusually entertaining and unique Tony telecast, even when compared to the finest shows on the past - particularly those from the rightly lauded Cohen era. ONCE may have dominated the wins, but the many musical numbers showed that there is a lot of room for enjoyment whether or not your personal favorite show took home the prizes. Most of all, Neil Patrick Harris proved he was once, twice, three times a Tony triumph.
The Birmingham Hippodrome today announced full season information for its forthcoming 2012/13 season, which includes Cape Town Opera's PORGY AND BESS and Cameron Mackintosh's new production of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, THE KING AND I, WONDERFUL TOWN, DIRTY DANCING, SISTER ACT and BLOOD BROTHERS.
BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge was thrilled to sit down and speak with nearly all of this year's Tony Award nominees at the official Tony Brunch on May 2, 2012, and we will be bringing you special coverage on all of them throughout the awards season. Today we chat with Diane Paulus, nominated for Best Direction of a Musical for The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess.
The Birmingham Hippodrome today announced full season information for its forthcoming 2012/13 season, which includes Cape Town Opera's PORGY AND BESS and Cameron Mackintosh's new production of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, THE KING AND I, WONDERFUL TOWN, DIRTY DANCING, SISTER ACT and BLOOD BROTHERS.
The Birmingham Hippodrome today announced full season information for its forthcoming 2012/13 season, which includes Cape Town Opera's PORGY AND BESS and Cameron Mackintosh's new production of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, THE KING AND I, WONDERFUL TOWN, DIRTY DANCING, SISTER ACT and BLOOD BROTHERS.
Broadway in Indianapolis announces its 2012-13 season. The season will leap into play with the 2009 Tony Award-winning Best Musical BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL, an inspirational story, with music by Elton John, of one boy's journey to make his dreams come true. Two other new titles join the series: SISTER ACT, a comedy with glorious music and even greater heart, and Green Day's AMERICAN IDIOT, which has boldly taken the American musical where it's never gone before. JERSEY BOYS will be making its way back to Indianapolis after an engagement in June of 2010, telling the tale of The Four Seasons' road to stardom. Finally, this series will conclude with WEST SIDE STORY, the story of forbidden love with the legendary score by Bernstein and Sondheim.
Producers of The Gershwins' PORGY AND BESS have just announced plans for a national tour of the critically-acclaimed Broadway revival, set to launch in the Fall of 2013.
Producers Broadway Across America (John Gore, Thomas B. McGrath, Beth Williams), Howard Kagan and Barry Brown have just announced that the new Broadway musical TUCK EVERLASTING will have its pre-Broadway world premiere at Boston's Citi Performing Arts Center Colonial Theatre (106 Boylston Street) in June of 2013. With a book by Tony Award nominee Claudia Shear (Dirty Blonde), music by Chris Miller (The Burnt Part Boys), lyrics by Nathan Tysen (The Burnt Part Boys) and directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon), TUCK EVERLASTING is based on the novel by Natalie Babbitt. Broadway production details, design team and casting for TUCK EVERLASTING will be announced at a later date.
If you're looking for a quick roundup of this week's events, look no further: here are some of the best articles the week had to offer!
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