It's So Nice to be Civilized

Jeffery Roberson, better known on stage and screen as his drag icon alter-ego Varla Jean Merman, will appear in New York this fall in the title role of Menotti's musical thriller The Medium at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater.

Broadway musical master Danny Holgate has passed away. 

Well-Strung will make their European debut in a show directed and co-written by Donna Drake, at Leicester Square Theatre from tonight 19 September - Saturday 21 September.

The Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater has announced the all-male string quartet, WELL-STRUNG, will set up for a three week run, beginning tonight, October 27 and closing on November 10. For tickets and show information please visit www.well-strung.com.

Jeffery Roberson, aka drag superstar Varla Jean Merman, will return to New York this fall in the title role of Menotti's musical thriller THE MEDIUM at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater, directed by Donna Drake, running from tonight, Oct. 25th - Nov. 11th.

On Friday, Nov 11th at 9pm Michael Raye, Kristen Gray & Bessye Scott return to Manhattan's Triad Theater, 158 West 72nd Street, in a triple-hitter of three amazing artists aptly titled, 'JUST THE THREE OF US.'

Director and actor Frank Corsaro has just been reported dead. He was 92. Corsaro was best known as the director of the 1961 production of The Night of the Iguana starring Bette Davis.

On Friday, Nov 11th at 9pm Michael Raye, Kristen Gray & Bessye Scott return to Manhattan's Triad Theater, 158 West 72nd Street, in a triple-hitter of three amazing artists aptly titled, 'JUST THE THREE OF US.'

International Drag Sensation Varla Jean Merman is returning to London for the first time in 10 years, joining newcomers Well-Strung,The Singing String Quartet, for a two-act evening of sublime entertainment at Leicester Square Theatre from Thursday 19 September - Saturday 21 September.

Varla Jean Merman aka Jeffery Roberson plays the title role in Menotti's THE MEDIUM at The Art House directed by Donna Drake. Produced by Provincetown Counter Productions in association with Mark Cortale this production runs from tonight, May 18th - June 3rd. Elizabeth Hastings who has conducted for both New York City Opera and College Light Opera on Cape Cod will music direct. The cast also includes Stefanie Izzo as Monica, Edmund Bagnell as Toby, Shannon Carson as Mrs. Gobineau, Peter Kendall Clark as Mr. Gobineau and Maria Elena Armijo as Mrs. Nolan. This production is slated to transfer to the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theatre in NY for a limited engagement in the fall. For Art House tickets please visit www.ptownarthouse.com or call 508-487-9222.

One Direction step aside, there's a new kind of boy band on the circuit! The all male string quartet Well-Strung features classical musicians who sing putting their own spin on the music of Mozart, Vivaldi, Rihanna, Adele, and more. Directed by Donna Drake and starring Edmund Bagnell; first violin, Christopher Marchant: second violin, Daniel Shevlin; cello and Trevor Wadleigh; viola, the show debuts at Joe's Pub tonight, May 1st at 7:30PM. Well-Strung was workshopped this past winter at Ars Nova and the group will be playing The Art House in Provincetown this July and August.

Well-Strung will make their European debut in a show directed and co-written by Donna Drake, at Leicester Square Theatre from Thursday 19 September - Saturday 21 September.

Called the 'hottest thing with a bow since Jennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games' by the New York Daily News, Well-Strung: the Singing String Quartet will return to Provincetown's Art House theater this season. Since the group's 3-month run at the venue last summer, they've been on a roll - with two recent hit New York productions Off-Broadway and their first album released this spring. Well-Strung will debut an all-new show for the summer, running from June 30 - Sept. 1. It is directed again by Donna Drake, and will feature new arrangements of songs by Pink, Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Swift and Third Eye Blind among others as well as new material written by Jeffery Roberson (aka Varla Jean Merman). For tickets, please visit www.ptownarthouse.com or call 800-838-3006.

The New York Musical Festival (NYMF) in association with Chinese Mother Jewish Daughter & Michael Chase Gosselin presents LUDO's Broken Bride, a new rock opera about one man's epic journey to save his true love's life, utilizing LUDO's entire discography. Adapted by Stacey Weingarten (NYMF: Les Enfants de Paris, Rescue Rue) with additional story and arrangements by Dana Levinson, the cast of 14 includes Spencer Clark (Regional: West Side Story, Romeo In Your Arms), Carson Higgins (Nat. Tour: American Idiot; NYMF: The Runaway Clone), Larry Hamilton (Off Bway: You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown; Captain Louie), Catherine Landeta (Regional: The King and I, Avenue Q, Bat Boy), Melissa Hunter McCann (TV: 'Tony Awards'; NY: Carnegie Hall's West Side Story, Encore's Paint Your Wagon), Gabrielle McClinton (Bway: Pippin; 1st Nat. Tour: American Idiot), Brendan Malafronte (Nat. Tour: Annie, The Producers, Singin' in the Rain), Jamen Nathakumar, Jackson Perrin, Devin Richey, Brian Charles Rooney (Bway: The Threepenny Opera; NYMF: Bedbugs!!!), Ashley Talluto (Nat. Tour: Flashdance, West Side Story), Michael Jayne Walker (Regional: Hair, Godspell, Tommy), and Amy Whitcomb (TV: 'The Voice;' 'The Sing-Off'). LUDO's Broken Bride is being staged at The Duke on 42nd Street a NEW 42ND STREET project, 229 West 42nd Street (bet. 10th and 11th Aves.) in NYC for five performances from Tuesday, August 2 through Saturday, August 6, 2016.

After a limited run in early June at The Art House, Producing Artistic Director Mark Cortale has announced that new musical 'Snail Road' will extend to play every Monday from June 27th through August 1st.

The first family musical about disability, Addy & Uno, features concept and book by Nava R. Silton, Ph.D., music and lyrics by Bonnie Gleicher, and will be directed by the Emmy-nominated Donna Drake (John Tartaglia's ImaginOcean and Netflix's Julie's Greenroom).

Back by popular demand, Well-Strung: The Singing String Quartet, will return to play a limited three-week engagement (February 28-March 16) at The Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater (10 West 64th Street - located in the YMCA).

Visit Feinstein's/ 54 Below for an evening featuring songs from the original musical 5th Republic to celebrate the return of the Paris-based company Broadway au Carre which features contemporary American Musical Theater writers in France every month.

The Public Theater announced new February dates today for THE TOTAL BENT by Stew and Heidi Rodewald and directed by Joanna Settle. The shift in dates for this Public Lab production is due to an unforeseen construction-related delay that prevented the show from getting into the theater on the scheduled start date. The Public Theater's building renovation has been underway since fall 2008 and is expected to be completed on time this summer.

Back by popular demand, Well-Strung: The Singing String Quartet, will return to play a limited three-week engagement (tonight, February 28-March 16) at The Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater (10 West 64th Street - located in the YMCA).

The Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater has announced the all-male string quartet, WELL-STRUNG, will set up for a three week run, beginning on October 27 and closing on November 10. For tickets and show information please visit www.well-strung.com.

Jeffery Roberson, aka drag superstar Varla Jean Merman, will return to New York this fall in the title role of Menotti's musical thriller THE MEDIUM at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater, directed by Donna Drake, running from Oct. 25th - Nov. 11th.

The FUN HOME author's join Micki Grant, Jane Cox, Ari Laura Kreith, Lear deBessonet, and Elsa Rael as honorees.

Varla Jean Merman aka Jeffery Roberson will play the title role in Menotti's THE MEDIUM at The Art House directed by Donna Drake. Produced by Provincetown Counter Productions in association with Mark Cortale this production will run from May 18th - June 3rd. Elizabeth Hastings who has conducted for both New York City Opera and College Light Opera on Cape Cod will music direct. The cast also includes Stefanie Izzo as Monica, Edmund Bagnell as Toby, Shannon Carson as Mrs. Gobineau, Peter Kendall Clark as Mr. Gobineau and Maria Elena Armijo as Mrs. Nolan. This production is slated to transfer to the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theatre in NY for a limited engagement in the fall. For Art House tickets please visit www.ptownarthouse.com or call 508-487-9222.

SISTER ACT, based on the Touchstone Motion Picture, tells the hilarious story of Deloris Van Cartier, a disco diva, whose life takes a surprising turn when she witnesses a murder. Under protective custody she is hidden in the one place she won't be found - a Convent! Disguised as a nun and under the suspicious watch of the Mother Superior, Deloris helps her fellow sisters find their voices as she unexpectedly rediscovers her own. A sparkling tribute to the universal power of friendship, sisterhood and music.

One Direction step aside, there's a new kind of boy band on the circuit! The all male string quartet Well-Strung features classical musicians who sing putting their own spin on the music of Mozart, Vivaldi, Rihanna, Adele, and more. Directed by Donna Drake and starring Edmund Bagnell; first violin, Christopher Marchant: second violin, Daniel Shevlin; cello and Trevor Wadleigh; viola, the show debuts at Joe's Pub on Tuesday, May 1st at 7:30PM. Well-Strung was workshopped this past winter at Ars Nova and the group will be playing The Art House in Provincetown this July and August.

The Public Theater announced today that Stew and Heidi Rodewald will perform live with the on-stage band for THE TOTAL BENT, playing the guitar and bass, respectively. With text by Stew and music by Stew and Heidi Rodewald, the team behind the Tony Award-wining musical Passing Strange, which premiered at The Public in 2003, this world premiere musical is directed by Joanna Settle. Performances begin Tuesday, May 10 and continue through Sunday, June 12, with an official press opening on Wednesday, May 25.