Follies Revival

A private industry reading of a new stage musical Farmyard Follies will be held May 15th. An original musical, the work features a score and book by Blake Allen (Insomnia; the shards of an honor code junkie) and Critic's Choice Award Winner, Christopher Seeber (aka Tina Burner from RuPaul's Drag Race Season 13) and is inspired by an idea by three-time Canadian Screen Award Nominee Aimée Beaudoin (Caution: May Contain Nuts). Drama Desk-Nominee and Lortel Award Winner Tye Blue (Titaníque) is directing with Allen as musical director. 

Filled to the brim with flashy dance numbers, classic Broadway tunes, and capped off with a heart fluttering love story, Royal City Musical Theatre's production of CRAZY FOR YOU satisfies all of your musical cravings.

Top stories: Find out who took home Lucille Lortel Awards, plus watch an exclusive video message from Lin-Manuel Miranda!

This month, the reader question was: I’ve heard Shucked parodies a lot of musical tropes w/ references to Oklahoma!, The Music Man, etc… We’ve seen that a lot on Broadway lately - Something Rotten, Mean Girls, Bad Cinderella, Be More Chill, etc… It seems to be becoming more and more popular - when did it start, why do audiences love it?

What is it about juicy backstage drama that so intrigues audiences? For decades, people have flocked to films and plays portraying the exciting events that happen behind the curtain. Arguably, the most famous musical on this topic was written by the God of musical theatre: Stephen Sondheim. It’s title: Follies.

The 2023 Tommy Tune Awards from Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) had a triumphant return to the stage last night as a deafening crowd cheered with delight at each award that was given.

'My Childhood,' the first single from composer David T. Little's modern opera Black Lodge, is available now from Cantaloupe Music on all digital services.

A Spotlight On Leading Ladies, a concert featuring West End stars Alexia Khadime (currently playing Elphaba in Wicked), Christine Allado (Hamilton, Prince of Egypt) and Emma Hatton (Wicked, Evita, We Will Rock You) will be available to stream for a limited time only. 

The Murder Mystery returned to the historic Wilburton Inn this spring after a pandemic gap. The Wilburton Inn, originally built in 1902 as a single-family residence, has been a famous Vermont resort since 1945.

Theatre Resources Unlimited (TRU) has announced the star-studded cast of  TRUSPEAK… HEAR OUR VOICES!, an evening to raise awareness of current social issues, as well as awareness of the work TRU has been doing for the theater community for over 30 years.

Bergen County Players (BCP), one of America's longest-running little theater companies, will present the final production of its successful 90th season, FROM SCREEN TO STAGE, opening on June 9, 2023.

The 2023 Tony nominees are already winners... literally. For some, this marks their first nomination, but others have already won Tony Awards in seasons past. We took a look at which nominees have won at least a Tony or two (or seven!) - amongst them, they've gathered a total 79 awards!

In a recent interview, Kelly Clarkson revealed that she is currently 'writing something for Broadway.' While there are currently no other details about Clarkson's Broadway musical debut, she has discussed her 'dreams' of being on Broadway in the past. Her hit single 'Since U Been Gone' can currently be heard on Broadway in & Juliet.

The musical revue Sondheim on Sondheim will come home to the Bridewell Theatre this summer (4-8 July) when leading amateur theatre company Sedos present this showcase of the composer's best-loved work in the venue where it was first produced.

Chita danced onto the stage at the Skirball Center to present the Chita Rivera Lifetime Achievement Award to her friend and collaborator, 96-year-old John Kander.

The Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year competition – affectionately known as SSSSPOTY – was inaugurated in 2007, and in 2023 returns for its 15th year. The gala final will be held, fittingly, in the Sondheim Theatre, on the afternoon of 11 June 2023.

On May 18th, 2023, DPAC hosted Triangle Rising Stars, central North Carolina’s High School Musical Theatre Awards, with host Clay Aiken and special guest Tony Award Winner Beth Leavel.  Lilly Pritchard from Heritage High School won the coveted Triangle Rising Stars Best Actress award and Noah Colvin from Enloe High School won the Triangle Rising Stars Best Actor award.  

The Cape Cod Theatre Project (CCTP) announces its 2023 Season of New Plays, running Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 PM ET from June 29th-July 22nd at Falmouth Academy's Simon Center for the Arts. For the second consecutive year, CCTP will highlight female voices, with workshops of staged readings by Steph Del Rosso (June 29-July 1), May Treuhaft-Ali (July 6-July 8), Fernanda Coppel (July 13-15) and Mary Elizabeth Hamilton (July 20-22).

Music Theatre of Connecticut (MTC), Fairfield County's premier professional theater company, has announced its annual fundraiser event, One Summer Night at MTC: The 2023 Gala, taking place on Saturday, June 10th, 2023 at 6:30pm.

ASCAP Award-winning playwright/producer Chip Deffaa's 'Broadway And Vaudeville Legends' CD Is Out Now. The album features 26 historic recordings--many never before available on CD--by early 20th Century Broadway luminaries such as George M. Cohan, Fanny Brice, and Irving Berlin.

As public booking opens, the Menier Chocolate Factory has announced initial casting for the world première of the new musical, The Third Man. Learn more about who will be starring in the show here!

PS CLASSICS, the label dedicated to the heritage of Broadway and American popular song, has announced the release of the debut album from actor-singer Matthew Scott, who has been lighting up the Broadway stage since making his debut in Jersey Boys. 

The Triangle Rising Star Awards is a regional competition that brings together high school musical theater students from Central and Eastern North Carolina to perform and compete for the chance to represent the Triangle in The National High School Musical Theater (otherwise known as The Jimmy) Awards in New York City on June 26th.

FRIGID New York will present Odd Salon NYC: SPECTACULAR at The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street) on Wednesday, June 14 at 7pm (doors at 6:30pm) The performance will also be available to livestream.

Get an exclusive first listen to Matthew Scott's “When the Earth Stopped Turning” off his upcoming album The Jesus Year: a letter from my dad.

A live theatrical adaptation of “Jim Henson’s Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas” is making its Chicago debut this holiday season at the Studebaker Theater at the historic Fine Arts Building.

Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tony Award-winning Evita returns to the West End this summer in an all-star concert at the iconic Theatre Royal Drury Lane, accompanied by the 30-piece London Musical Theatre Orchestra (LMTO).

Barrington Stage Company has announced the 2023 Summer Series of Mr. Finn’s Cabaret on the lower level of the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center from June 4 through September 3. 

Warwick Institute of Culture presents a one night only special benefit performance: Broadway At The Wick located at The Wick Theatre in Mountain Lake Park, 46 Bowen Rd, Warwick, NY 10990 (former Kutz Camp) on Wednesday May 17th. Doors open at 6:30pm for raffles and refreshments, performance begins at 7:30pm.

MusicalFare will present SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM On the Premier Cabaret Stage June 2 – June 18, 2023.

Full casting has been confirmed for the West End transfer of Chichester Festival Theatre's sublime new production of Crazy For You. The classic Gershwin musical which is brought to life on stage by the renowned, multi-Tony and Olivier award-winning director and choreographer Susan Stroman, will play a strictly limited 6-month season at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in London, with performances beginning on Saturday 24 June 2023.

Next week, 54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club and 2022 Tony Awards Honoree for Excellence in the Theatre, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond. 54 Below celebrates Broadway musicals and writers of the past and present, promoting an ongoing engagement with their work.

54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, will present Broadway veterans Ali Ewoldt, LaVon Fisher-Wilson, Donna Vivino and Stuart Zagnit in 'Welcome to Sammy's', a concert of the music of 'Sammy's Bowery Follies'.

WWe lost a giant of the arts on November 26, 2021.  Steven Sondheim was ninety-one years old.  Now eighteen months later, Lyric Opera has produced James Lapine’s 2008 retrospective SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM of his friend’s life work.

Award-winning cabaret star returns to NYC with a new show and a great interview.

As rehearsals begin, the Menier Chocolate Factory has announced full casting for the world première of the new musical, The Third Man. Learn more about who is starring in the show here!

San Francisco Playhouse concludes its 20th Anniversary Season with the hit Broadway musical A Chorus Line. In this groundbreaking work, twenty-four hopeful dancers undertake a grueling audition for eight coveted spots in the back-up chorus of an unnamed Broadway show.

MICHA, The Michael Chekhov Association has announced that American playwright Gracie Gardner has been selected as the first recipient of the Theater of the Future Fellowship. 

The Muny announced that Bryonha Marie, Mamie Parris, James T. Lane, Alan H. Green, Thom Sesma, Meredith Aleigha Wells, Madeleine Doherty, Katy Geraghty, Brandon Espinoza, F. Michael Haynie and Darron Hayes will star in the divine musical comedy Sister Act, August 14 - 20, 2023.

Berkshire Theatre Group (BTG) and Kate Maguire (Artistic Director, CEO) have announced casting for two of its summer 2023 shows: Million Dollar Quartet, a three-time Tony Award–nominated once-in-a-lifetime musical evening back by popular demand with some of the same cast as 2017 and Photograph 51, an intriguing portrait of the race to discover the mysteries of the DNA double helix. 

El curso tendrá lugar en la escuela Aules (Barcelona) los días 18 y 25 de junio.

Atlantic Theater Company has announced a final extension for the world premiere musical Days of Wine and Roses. Adapted from the 1962 film and original 1958 teleplay, the new musical features a book by Tony Award nominee Craig Lucas, music & lyrics by Tony Award winner Adam Guettel, and direction by Tony Award nominee Michael Greif.

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and the Unicorn Theatre announced the full cast and creative team for The Tempest re-imagined for everyone aged six and over, revised and directed by Jennifer Tang. Learn how to purchase tickets!

Pan Asian Repertory Theatre will present NuWorks 2023, the annual experimental series of self-created work from innovative and diverse artists exploring an eclectic range of genres and techniques using poetry, text, dance, and music.

Next month, 54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club & Private Event Destination, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond. A recipient of the 2022 Tony Awards Honor for Excellence in the Theatre, 54 Below is a non-profit organization with a mission to preserve and expand the art of the cabaret, honor the music of Broadway, and provide an unparalleled experience to diverse communities.

His Broadway theater credits include Porgy and Bess (London production by Trevor Nunn), Sinatra At The Palladium, Sweet Charity, Kiss Me Kate (2000 Tony Award), Bells Are Ringing, Flower Drum Song, Parade, The Life, Cyrano, The Goodbye Girl, Will Rogers Follies, and Sinatra At Radio City. 

BroadwayWorld has learned that Harmony will transfer to Broadway at the Barrymore Theatre later this year! Direct from its sold-out, award-winning downtown run, Harmony, a New York Times Critic's Pick, begins performances on Broadway October 18th.

Dave Willetts, one of the UK's most critically acclaimed musical stars joins the cast of the West End revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Aspects of Love, which opens on 13 May 2023 at the Lyric Theatre in London.   He will play the role of Sir George Dillingham at every Monday performance from 29 May 2023, the role played by Michael Ball at every other performance.

The Tony Awards Administration Committee has announced that Jerry Mitchell Will Receive The 2023 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award in recognition of his outstanding dedication and contributions to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) and for more than three decades of volunteer service through the arts. 

New casting has been announced for the West End transfer of the critically acclaimed and Olivier Award-winning production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!. Joining the company are David King-Yombo as Mike, Paige Peddie as Ado Annie, and Sally Ann Triplett as Aunt Eller.