Based on the plays Miles Gloriosus, Pseudolus, and Mostellaria by Plautus (251-183 B.C.)
This hysterical musical features a beloved score by Stephen Sondheim and an uproarious book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. The musical's original Broadway production won several Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Book. Forum has also enjoyed several Broadway and West End revivals.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum tells the bawdy story of Pseudolus, a slave in ancient Rome, who goes to great lengths to gain his freedom by securing a courtesan for his young master, Hero. Scheming slaves, mistaken identities and courtesans each with their own gimmick deliver on the promise of the famous opening number, that there will be comedy tonight.
Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT), the professional producing arm of the Department of Dramatic Arts at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, continues its Nutmeg Summer Series with the Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller musical revue, Smokey Joe's Café, playing June 24 through July 4, 2010 in the Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre.
Broadway Tony-Award winning star Donna McKechnie debuted her brand-new incarnation of MY MUSICAL COMEDY LIFE in Australia, directed by Richard Jay-Alexander and presented by the Adelaide Cabaret Festival. She has wow-ed audiences, garnering rave reviews and multiple standing ovations in both Adelaide and Melbourne and now, just one stop remains in Sydney on Thursday, June 24th (see below for ticketing information), with the touring production presented by David M. Hawkins in association with the Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Here are a few special photos of one of Broadway's favorite leading ladies on, and back stage, delighting audiences down under, where we are hearing words used liked 'diva' and 'legend.' Early word is that the phone is ringing and offers are coming in from various markets and we're keeping our fingers crossed here for New York as well!
Menier Chocolate Factory Theatre's David Babani told the U.K. Daily Mail's Baz Bamigboye that plans are in progress to produce Stephen Sondheim & John Weidman's ROADSHOW at the venue.
Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT), the professional producing arm of the Department of Dramatic Arts at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, continues its Nutmeg Summer Series with the Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller musical revue, Smokey Joe's Café, playing June 24 through July 4, 2010 in the Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre.
The Irish play that led to riots in the streets of Dublin when it debuted 103 years ago and became a comic masterpiece, The Playboy of the Western World, opens the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival's 19th season. With previews June 16 and 17, the play opens June 18 in the Schubert Theatre and continues through July 3.
Broadway Tony-Award winning star Donna McKechnie enjoyed one of her greatesttriumphs as Sally, in the acclaimed revival of the Stephen Sondheim - James Goldman musical, Follies, in the spring of 1998.
Liz Callaway has joined the roster of stellar performers in Great Entertainers on Broadway, the new summer series of live performances by some of today's most talented and well known stage, television and cabaret entertainers which premieres in late July and early August at the Times Square Arts Center (TSAC) in the heart of New York City's world famous theatre district.
The Irish play that led to riots in the streets of Dublin when it debuted 103 years ago and became a comic masterpiece, The Playboy of the Western World, opens the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival's 19th season. With previews June 16 and 17, the play opens June 18 in the Schubert Theatre and continues through July 3.
Broadway Tony-Award winning star Donna McKechnie enjoyed one of her greatest triumphs as Sally, in the acclaimed revival of the Stephen Sondheim - James Goldman musical, Follies, in the spring of 1998. "She defined the art of torch singing with 'Losing My Mind,' raved Variety, joining the New York Times and other critics in unstintingly praising her performance. She is now coming to Australia for the first time in a new show directed by Richard Jay-Alexander.
Michael Cyril Creighton's online sitcom, 'Jack in a Box', premieres its 12th episode, now available for viewing at www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfWj3623oHY. 'Jack in a Box', the comedy about a down-on-his-luck (former) theatre Box Office Manager, welcomes two Tony-nominated guest stars: Alison Fraser and Mary Test
New York City Center will celebrate Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winner Stephen Sondheim on the occasion of his 80th birthday on Monday, April 26 with a gala celebration featuring stars who have shone in Sondheim musicals including Michael Cerveris, Barbara Cook, Raúl Esparza, Victor Garber, Joanna Gleason, Angela Lansbury, Patti LuPone, Donna Murphy and Bernadette Peters. Directed by Tony Award-winner John Doyle, the evening will highlight shows for which Mr. Sondheim has written both music and lyrics, and will feature a full orchestra conducted by Encores! Music Director Rob Berman. The Benefit will help fund New York City Center's artistic and education programs. In addition, a portion of the evening's proceeds will go to Young Playwrights Inc, a charity of great importance to Mr. Sondheim.
Stephen Sondheim is widely acknowledged as the most innovative, most influential, and most important composer and lyricist in modern Broadway history. He is the winner of an Academy Award, numerous Tony Award, multiple Grammy Awards and a Pulitzer Prize. Some of his other accolades include a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kennedy Center Honors (1993), the National Medal of Arts (1996), the American Academy of Arts and Letters' Gold Medal for Music (2006) and a special Tony Awardâfor Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre (2008).
Today we continue our critical appraisal of the entire English-language recorded canon of Stephen Sondheim - at the very least, all the major productions which were recorded - beginning where we have left off with the round-ups of GYPSY and WEST SIDE STORY, as well as the 2009 Revival Recording of A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, from the last few weeks. The last show for which Sondheim wrote lyrics-only, before he was quite able to get his own musical scores produced, was his collaboration with Richard Rodgers, DO I HEAR A WALTZ? Next, we continue with the first show for which he wrote music and lyrics, SATURDAY NIGHT, as well as the first show he wrote music and lyrics for that actually made it to Broadway, A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM.
It was 1969 - the final Summer of Love. I was a dyed-in-the-paisley hippie: sandals on my feet, elephant bell bottoms hugging low on my hips, love beads strung around my neck and flowers in my Jimi Hendrix size Afro...
The American Theatre Network is proud to announce the launch of Great Entertainers on Broadway, a new summer series of live performances by some of today's most talented and well known stage, television and cabaret entertainers. The series will be presented in late July and early August at the Times Square Arts Center (TSAC) in the heart of New York City's world famous theatre district.
Rehearsals begin today, Monday, April 5 for the World Premiere production of PARADISE FOUND, a new musical under the combined direction of Theater legend and 21-time Tony Award winner Harold Prince (the original productions of Cabaret, Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music, The Phantom of the Opera, Company, Follies, Evita) and 5-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman (Crazy For You, Show Boat, The Producers, Contact). This is their first collaboration since the landmark, Tony Award-winning revival of Show Boat. Following the New York rehearsal period, the production will open at London's acclaimed Menier Chocolate Factory with performances running May 19 through June 26.
Stephen Sondheim is widely acknowledged as the most innovative, most influential, and most important composer and lyricist in modern Broadway history. He is the winner of an Academy Award, numerous Tony Award, multiple Grammy Awards and a Pulitzer Prize. Some of his other accolades include a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kennedy Center Honors (1993), the National Medal of Arts (1996), the American Academy of Arts and Letters' Gold Medal for Music (2006) and a special Tony Awardâfor Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre (2008).
Stephen Sondheim is widely acknowledged as the most innovative, most influential, and most important composer and lyricist in modern Broadway history. He is the winner of an Academy Award, numerous Tony Award, multiple Grammy Awards and a Pulitzer Prize. Some of his other accolades include a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kennedy Center Honors (1993), the National Medal of Arts (1996), the American Academy of Arts and Letters' Gold Medal for Music (2006) and a special Tony Awardâfor Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre (2008).
Reprise Theatre Company's production of 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,' 1962's Tony-Award-winning Best Musical, will play its final performance on March 28 at UCLA's Freud Playhouse. Directed by David Lee, the production's book is by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.
Angela Lansbury and Catherine Zeta-Jones, currently starring in the Broadway revival of A Little Night Music, have joined the all-star cast performing in Stephen Sondheim's 80th birthday celebration April 26 at New York City Center. Like Lansbury and Zeta-Jones, all of the performers have either originated Sondheim characters or performed them in notable revivals.
Stephen Sondheim turned 80 on Monday, March 22nd, 2010 and he celebrated this landmark event with Roundabout Theatre Company at a special performance of Sondheim on Sondheim and star-studded tribute at Roundabout's 2010 Spring Gala: Sondheim 80.
Longtime collaborators James Lapine and John Weidman announced the renaming of Henry Miller's Theatre to the Stephen Sondheim Theatre. The renaming of the theatre is dedicated to Stephen Sondheim, the greatest and best known artist in American musical theatre on his 80th birthday. The announcement was made at the curtain call following Roundabout Theatre Company's gala performance of the new Broadway musical Sondheim on Sondheim.
From footage of the 1971 Tony Awards, Angela Lansbury presents Stephen Sondheim wins his first Tony Award for the music to 'Company', followed by Sondheim receiving his second Tony Award for lyrics for the same musical.
Putting It Together is a musical revue that showcases 30 of Sondheim's most beloved songs from such musicals as Sunday in the Park with George, Assassins, Company, Merrily We Roll Along, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd and others. Many of the classic Sondheim songs are presented in a context entirely different from that for which they were written, so the show is billed as a 'review' of the composer's work. Here's an excerpt of the revue - 30 snippets of incredible Sondheim songs!
Who better to talk about and teach Sondheim's music than the man himself. Here, he teaches students at Guildhall School the song 'Not Getting Married' from 'Company'.
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