Les Dennis, Sandra Marvin, Evelyn Hoskins Join WAITRESS UK and Ireland Tour
by Stephi Wild - Jan 22, 2026
Les Dennis, Sandra Marvin, and Evelyn Hoskins are set to join the cast of the UK and Ireland tour of WAITRESS, enhancing the beloved musical with their acclaimed talents.
Light Opera Of New Jersey Appoints Susan Speidel As Inaugural Youth In Arts Director
by A.A. Cristi - Jan 12, 2026
Light Opera of New Jersey (LONJ) has announced the appointment of Susan Speidel as the company's first Youth in Arts Director. This landmark position was established through the generous support of LONJ Trustee Shari Loe.
Light Opera Of New Jersey Appoints Susan Speidel As Inaugural Youth In Arts Director
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jan 12, 2026
Susan Speidel joins Light Opera of New Jersey as its inaugural Youth in Arts Director, a role supported by trustee Shari Loe to enhance arts accessibility for young audiences. Speidel will focus on developing educational programs and partnerships to engage youth in the arts.
Review: ASSASSINS at Arden Theatre Company
by Tony Oriente - Oct 6, 2023
Another thrilling and thought-provoking production at The Arden Theatre delivers an evening of something quite different. ASSASSINS is an evening of one of the tightest ensembles of dedicated performers that this reviewer has seen in quite some time.
Review: AN EVENING WITH AUDRA MCDONALD at BLOSSOM Music Center
by Roy Berko - Aug 21, 2023
What did our critic think of AN EVENING WITH AUDRA MCDONALD at BLOSSOM Music Center?
Photos: See Reed Birney, AJ Shively & More at Urban Stages' 38th Annual Benefit
by Chloe Rabinowitz - May 24, 2022
Urban Stages 38th Annual Gala took place on Monday, May 23rd, 2022 at the Central Park Boathouse.
Study Up on Irving Berlin and Celebrate Broadway's Return with #NoBusinessLikeShowBusiness
by Team BWW - Nov 10, 2021
Live theatre is officially back and Concord Theatricals is celebrating! 'There's No Business Like Show Business' is a digital celebration that launched just last month, marking the return of live theater and all of the incredible people who help to make it happen. The celebration coincides with the 75th anniversary of Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun and its iconic showstopper 'There's No Business Like Show Business,' a song that has more resonance than ever this year.
Photo Flash: Pasek & Paul's EDGES Gears Up to Hit the Stage at Chance Theater
by A.A. Cristi - Jul 2, 2021
Chance Theater will present the Orange County premiere of Pasek and Paul’s musical, Edges as the third show in its 23rd Anniversary Season, and the first show presented live and in-person since shutting its doors on March 13, 2020. This clever and charming musical is directed by Resident Artist James Michael McHale and music direction is by Resident Artist Robyn Manion. The show is performing July 9 - August 8, 2021.
BWW Spotlight Series: Meet Robert Yacko, One of the Busiest Triple-Threat Performers in Los Angeles
by Shari Barrett - May 3, 2020
With the current theatre world on hiatus, I have created a Spotlight Series on Broadway World which features interviews with some of the many talented artists who make our Los Angeles theatre community so exciting and vibrant thanks to their ongoing contribution to keeping the Arts alive in the City of the Angels. And just like all of us, I wondered how they are dealing with the abrupt end of productions in which they were involved. This Spotlight focuses on Robert Yacko, one of the busiest triple-threat performers in Los Angeles!
BWW Review: ANASTASIA National Tour Impresses All Ages at Gammage Auditorium
by Tim Shawver - Nov 2, 2019
The first clue that ANASTASIA was going to be different than what I expected was a note on the title page reading, “Inspired by the Twentieth Century Fox Motion Pictures.” Plural? A savvy journalist, I quickly asked Siri to bring up the imdb page for “Anastasia”. Turns out Fox made ANASTASIA twice, the 1997 animated movie and a 1957 film that scored Ingrid Bergman's second Oscar and marked Helen Hayes' transition to the big screen. And it turns out the musical version has more in common with LES MISERABLES and Ragtime than BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Gone is the hell-wizard Rasputin, his talking fruit bat sidekick, and the singing demon caterpillars. At intermission, I asked my third grade niece, Adalyn, how she was liking it. “It's awesome…it's real people, like no Beast or anything. No animals.” We decide that Disney staged musicals are great but more it's more impressive when you can achieve the magic without a story that departs from reality. ANASTASIA is historical fiction hypothetical. It poses a “what if…?” that a daughter of the last czar of Russia (The Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna) escaped when the czar's family was executed in 1918. Rumors persisted for decades that Anastasia did, in fact, escape. In 2007, DNA testing confirmed the remains of all four Grand Duchesses were in the Imperial grave. In this version, Terrence McNalley's book follows Anastasia's rediscovery of her identity after surviving the attack on her family and sustaining some plot enabling amnesia. Renamed “Anya” she grows up and makes a life in post-Revolution Russia. Anastasia's grandmother, the Dowager Empress (in a staggeringly moving performance by Joy Franz) has fled to France and offered a cash reward for anyone escorting the rumored alive Anastasia to Paris. The wily duo Vlad (Edward Staudenmayer) and Dmitry (Jake Levy) pull a My Fair Lady style makeover on Anya to collect the Dowager's prize. They are pursued by Gleb (Jason Michael Evans). A Soviet officer drawn to Anya romantically but tasked with finding and eliminating the last Romanov. Anya's memory becomes somewhat coaxed back, but the Dowager has stopped seeing Anastasia claimants after too much heart-break from countless frauds. It sounds dark, but with high-tech digital scenery and inspired performances across the cast it is delightful. Stephen Flaherty (Music) and Lynn Ahrens (Lyrics), responsible for bringing us Ragtime, ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, LUCKY STIFF, as well as the Oscar nominated songs carried over from the animated film. ANASTASIA is a perfect context for this pair. “Stay, I Pray You” (my favorite song of the evening) is evocative of Ragtime's “New Music”. The two songs literally race my heart in a strangely specific way. My real test of a National Tour at Gammage is how fast I get the music playing in my car on the way home. At ANASTASIA I was already finding, “Stay, I Pray You” walking through the parking lot. The rest of the score is similarly haunting. Lila Coogan, as Anya/Anastasia, powers through the score with nuance, clarity, and passion. Tari Kelly, as Countess Lily, and Stadenmayer (Vlad) were Adalyn's favorite performances and I have to agree. This incredibly gifted pair take the “triple threat” designation (singer, dancer, actor) and go quadruple with the addition of flawless comic timing. The choreography by Peggy Hickey is masterful. It somehow combines inventive and traditional throughout and the ten-minute slice of “Swan Lake” infused into “Quartet at the Ballet” is the highlight of the second act. It's a fun-size version that gets an under-represented art form onto the plate. This kind of trope often means the plot putting the plot on hold. But here, it is the connective tissue between Anya, Dmitry, the Dowager, and Gleb as they each bring us up to speed heading into the show's climax. Ultimately, the show's success comes from applying a higher artistic standard to the “previously-animated-film-now-theatrically-staged” genre. It cashes in on the name draw of the 1997 film then gives the viewer something much more enriched than what they think they are coming to see.
Photo Flash: Get a First Look at YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN at the Walnut Street Theatre
by Kaitlin Milligan - Sep 11, 2019
Photo Flash: Porchlight Kicks Off Season With CHICAGO SINGS
by Julie Musbach - Aug 20, 2019
Porchlight Music Theatre's 25th anniversary season began with the 14th Annual Chicago Sings concert: Chicago Sings 25 Years of Porchlight, Monday, Aug. 5 at 7 p.m., at The Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave, directed by Christopher Pazdernik and Artistic Director Michael Weber with music direction by David Fiorello and a band featuring Kelsey Boltz, Cara Hartz, John McCreary, Greg Strauss, Celeste Park and Jake Saleh.
Photo Flash: Westchester Broadway Theatre Presents PHANTOM
by A.A. Cristi - Sep 17, 2018
Yeston & Kopit's 'PHANTOM' made its New York Premiere here at WBT in 1992. During our record breaking nine- month run, over 120,000 people attended. Night after night, audiences rose to their feet for the stunning musical thriller. The original production was directed by William Pullinsi and starred Robert Cuccioli as the Phantom and Glory Crampton as Christine Daee. 'PHANTOM' returned to our stage in 1996 and 2007 directed and choreographed by Tom Polum, who had been in the original production. This extraordinary piece will grace our stage once again with Tom Polum at the helm.
Photo Flash: MAN OF LA MANCHA at the John W. Engeman Theater
by A.A. Cristi - Sep 17, 2018
The John W. Engeman Theater announces the cast and creative team for MAN OF LA MANCHA. Performances begin on Thursday, September 13 at 8:00pm and run through Sunday, October 28, 2018.
Photo Flash: Remembering the Great Marin Mazzie
by Walter McBride - Sep 17, 2018
Today, BroadwayWorld remembers Mazzie with an extensive photo gallery of her life onstage and off.
Photo Coverage: MAN OF LA MANCHA Opens at The John W. Engeman Theater Northport
by Genevieve Rafter Keddy - Sep 16, 2018
The John W. Engeman Theater announces the cast and creative team for MAN OF LA MANCHA. Performances begin on Thursday, September 13 at 8:00pm and run through Sunday, October 28, 2018.
Photo Flash: RAGTIME Comes to Berkeley Playhouse
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 21, 2018
Berkeley Playhouse continues their tenth anniversary season of professional theater for family audiences with their largest production of the season, Ragtime. A sweeping musical epic of hopes and dreams in an America facing change at the turn of the 20th century, Ragtime boasts Tony Award-winning score and lyrics by the Broadway powerhouse duo, Stephen Flaherty and Lynne Ahrens (Once on This Island, Anastasia, Suessical) and a book by four-time Tony Award-winner Terrence McNally (The Full Monty, Love! Valour! Compassion!, Master Class), based on the celebrated novel by E. L. Doctorow. Celebrating its twentieth anniversary of opening on Broadway this month, the original 1998 production was nominated for a staggering thirteen Tony Awards and fourteen Drama Desk awards.
Photo Flash: First Look at Sheila Hancock and Bill Milner in HAROLD AND MAUDE
by Julie Musbach - Feb 21, 2018
Olivier Award-winning West End star Sheila Hancock and Bill Milner (Dunkirk, X-Men: First Class, Son of Rambow) star in the London premiere of the black comedy romantic drama Harold and Maude.
Photo Flash: Get a First Glimpse at Sheila Hancock and Bill Milner in the UK Premiere of HAROLD & MAUDE
by Stephi Wild - Jan 30, 2018
Olivier Award-winning West End star Sheila Hancock and Bill Milner (Dunkirk, X-Men: First Class, Son of Rambow) are to star in the London premiere of the black comedy romantic drama Harold and Maude.
Photo Flash: Hudson Mainstage Theatre in Hollywood presents HONKY TONK LAUNDRY
by A.A. Cristi - Aug 11, 2017
YEE-HAW! CAZADOR ENTERTAINMENT and HONKY TONK PRODUCTIONS present the Los Angeles premiere of HONKY TONK LAUNDRY, a new musical written and directed by Roger Bean (The Marvelous Wonderettes, Life Could Be A Dream, The Andrews Brothers), with choreography by James Vasquez. HONKY TONK LAUNDRY will begin previews on Saturday, August 5, will open on Friday, August 11 and perform through Sunday, September 17 at the Hudson Mainstage, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood.
Photo Flash: First Look at THE FOUR IMMIGRANTS at TheatreWorks
by A.A. Cristi - Jul 11, 2017
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley kicks off its 48th season with the World Premiere of The Four Immigrants: An American Musical Manga. Drawn from one of the first ever graphic novels, set to an infectious Ragtime and vaudeville score by local composer/lyricist Min Kahng, the comic musical follows four Japanese immigrants in a world of possibility and prejudice: turn-of-the-twentieth-century San Francisco. From a tumultuous earthquake to an exhilarating World's Fair, the quartet pursues the American Dream, despite limited options in the land of opportunity. Directed by TheatreWorks Associate Artistic Director Leslie Martinson, and developed at TheatreWorks' 2016 New Works Festival, the World Premiere ofThe Four Immigrants: An American Musical Manga will be presented July 12-August 6, 2017 (press opening: July 15) at Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. For tickets ($40-$100) and more information the public may visitTheatreWorks.org or call (650) 463-1960.
Photo Coverage: Alice Ripley, Christiane Noll & More Sing the Musicals of the Last Decade at Broadway By The Year
by Genevieve Rafter Keddy - Jun 20, 2017
Tony Award winner Alice Ripley (Next to Normal), Erin Davie (Sunday in the Park with George, Side Show, Grey Gardens) and Drama Desk honoree Danny Gardner (Dames at Sea) will join Tony Award nominees Brandon Uranowitz (Falsettos, An American in Paris) and Christiane Noll (Ragtime, Chaplin, Jekyll & Hyde) two-time Nightlife Award winner Scott Coulter and more took part in for Town Hall's Broadway by the Year Series last night.
Photo Flash: Disney's LITTLE MERMAID Set to Dazzle at Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale
by Julie Musbach - Feb 11, 2017
A spectacular new production of Disney's The Little Mermaid kicks off at The Broward Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday, February 22, 2017 for a limited two week run. Featuring the critically acclaimed work of Director Glenn Casale, this beloved tale of a young mermaid's coming-of-age adventure is told like never before. Previously announced casting includes Diana Huey as Ariel and Matthew Kacergis as Prince Eric, with Broadway's Jennifer Allen as Ursula and Steven Blanchard as King Triton. Melvin Abston, Connor Russell and Jamie Torcellini join the cast as Sebastian, Flounder and Scuttle.
Photo Flash: Remembering Dick Latessa
by Walter McBride - Dec 23, 2016
Photo Flash: First Look at Laguna Playhouse and Lythgoe Family Panto's SLEEPING BEAUTY AND HER WINTER KNIGHT
by Ashlee Latimer - Dec 10, 2016
Playhouse Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham and Lythgoe Family Panto are thrilled to announce a very special holiday event, Cozi Zuehlsdorff ("Dolphin Tale" Films), Joely Fisher (Broadway: Cabaret, "Desperate Housewives"), Barry Pearl ("Grease"), The Book of Mormon's Benjamin Schrader, Jeff Sumner (Genie in Disney's Aladdin-A Musical Spectacular), "American Idol" finalist Vonzell Solomon and Conor Guzman (Pasadena Playhouse; The Fantasticks) starring in SLEEPING BEAUTY AND HER WINTER KNIGHT, book by Kris Lythgoe, choreography by Spencer Liff, musical supervisor Michael Orland, musical direction by Michael Sobie and directed by Linda Goodrich. "Last year's holiday confection returns with an all-new Lythgoe Family Panto event on our stage!" comments Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham. Remarks Becky Lythgoe, "We are delighted to be back at the Playhouse with our second show and with this extraordinary cast for a truly magical holiday show!" SLEEPING BEAUTY AND HER WINTER KNIGHT will begin performances on Wednesday, December 7; will open on Friday, December 9 at 7:30pm and will run through Friday, December 30, 2016 at the Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach.
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