The Music Man

Cortland Repertory Theatre has announced the nominees for their eleventh annual "Pavilion Awards" which recognize Outstanding Achievement in local high school theatre. For the seventh year, First Niagara Bank serves as the Corporate Sponsor for this program, which allows for many categories within the musical and non-musical genres. Musicals in consideration were held at the Cortland, Dryden, Groton, Homer, McGraw and Tully High Schools. Non-musical plays were also presented at Cortland, Homer and Tully. The nominees are as followings:

MAME, starring Andrea McArdle as Mame and Lea DeLaria as Vera Charles, will begin May 23, 2013 at Bucks County Playhouse. We had a chance to sit down with JD Triolo who plays young Patrick in the show.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts presents the national tour of Roundabout Theatre Company's Anything Goes in the Kennedy Center Opera House from June 11 to July 7, 2013. Winner of the 2011 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, Roundabout Theatre Company's Anything Goes sails direct from Broadway under the direction of Kathleen Marshall, who won the 2011 Tony Award for Best Choreography. The production features music and lyrics by Cole Porter; original book by P.G. Wodehouse & Guy Bolton and Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse; and new book by Timothy Crouse and John Weidman. Press opening night is Thursday, June 13, 2013 at 7:30 p.m.

Eager fans have bought up every seat for the rest of the run of the world premiere SENSE & SENSIBILITY THE MUSICAL, with tickets to the hit show now as hard to find as a Jane Austen heroine without a romantic secret.

Dolly looks swell as ever as Goodspeed Musicals brings everyone's favorite meddlesome matchmaker to its main stage. Hello, Dolly! will run from June 28 - September 8 at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Conn. Official Press Opening will be July 17, 2013.

The Muny announced principal casting for the sixth show of its fantastic 95th Season, Disney and Cameron Mackinstosh's Mary Poppins the Musical, directed by Gary Griffin and choreographed by Alex Sanchez. Mary Poppins the Musical is sponsored by Ameren.

Walnut Street Theatre concludes its landmark 204th season with an all-new production of Broadway and Hollywood's smash-hit, GREASE. Directed by Bruce Lumpkin, with choreography by Michelle Gaudette, this musical extravaganza begins previews tonight, May 14th, opens on May 22nd and runs through July 14th on the WST Mainstage.

Lynne Meadow (Artistic Director), Barry Grove (Executive Producer), and Mandy Greenfield (Artistic Producer) previously announced that THE EXPLORERS CLUB, the world premiere comedy by Tony nominee Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde), will be directed by Marc Bruni (Ordinary Days, Old Jews Telling Jokes) featuring Obie Award winner Steven Boyer and Tony Award winner Richard Easton.

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, the performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54thStreet, will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. 54 Below also launched its series of late night events. Joining Tuesday nights' popular "Backstage" with Susie Mosher is the "54 Piano Bar," a new vocal competition - 'The Callback," and more:

Director John DeGaetano thought he'd have trouble finding one Evita for a production opening June 21 at the Raven Performing Arts Theater. Instead, he found two.

Some of Broadway's brightest stars came out to cheer Rebecca Luker in her return to 54 Below on Thursday, May 9. Bernadette Peters, Martha Plimpton, Howard McGillin, Ron Raines, Sally Wilfert and Luker's husband Danny Burstein were among those who came backstage to visit with Luker following the opening night of her return engagement, 'Rebecca Luker sings Jerome Kern.' Scroll down for photos from backstage!

The 2013 FREDDY Award Nominations have just been announced. Scroll below for the full list of nominees!

Bay Street Theatre begins the 2013 Mainstage Season with Lend Me a Tenor (May 28 - June 23). This hilarious Ken Ludwig comedy started rehearsals this week in New York City under the direction of Don Stephenson. The cast includes Judy Blazer, Scott Cote, Betsy DiLellio, Donna English, Nancy Johnston, Noah Plomgren, Steve Rosen and Roland Rusinek. Ticket prices are $59.50 and $69.50. For more information call the Box Office at 631-725-9500 or buy online at www.baystreet.org.

The national tour of Roundabout Theatre Company's ANYTHING GOES, the new Broadway revival of Cole Porter's timeless classic musical theatre masterpiece, will make its St. Louis premiere May 28 - June 9 at the Fabulous Fox Theatre.

NJTV, New Jersey's public television network, and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) announced the production of a new music television series, American Songbook at NJPAC, taped before a live audience at the Arts Center and airing on NJTV and WNET this fall.

The Pit Stop Players, a thirteen-member instrumental ensemble composed of veteran Broadway pit musicians, will conclude their fourth season with special guest Cynthia Nixon narrating a new work, plus a newly commissioned chamber arrangement of Igor Stravinsky's towering masterpiece, 'The Rite of Spring.' The concert will take place tonight, May 6, 2013 at 8:00 pm at Peter Norton Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th Street, New York City.

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, the performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54thStreet, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond.

Act II Playhouse in Ambler, Pennsylvania is producing LEND ME A TENOR, which begins on May 7 and runs through June 8, 2013. Jeffrey Coon is part of this talented cast and he will also be performing in his own cabaret, " Some Songs and Silly Stories: An Alliterative Adventure" on May 21, 2013.

Bruce Kimmel's latest book is now available for preorder. Murder at the School Musical is Kimmel's 13th book and the 5th in the Adriana Hofstetter mystery series.

The Theatre UCF 2013-14 season focuses on fun and collaboration while delivering shows that are relevant to the community and the university's theatre students.

Paper Mill Playhouse has just announced the cast and creative team for Disney's The Little Mermaid, based on the classic animated film of the same title.

The Riverdale Rising Stars presents the first public performances of the new musical revue MID-LIFE 2! (The Crisis Continues). Written by brothers Bob and Jim Walton, the show will be presented as a staged reading starring Broadway guest performers on Wednesday, May 22 and Thursday, May 23 at 7:30pm.

Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT) will present three great musicals in its 2013 Nutmeg Summer Series, June 6 - July 21 in the Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre, Storrs. For tickets and information, call 860-486-2113 or visit www.crt.uconn.edu. All performances will be in the Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre, Storrs.

Off-Broadway's longest-running, smash hit musical comedy celebrating the triumphs and trials of the modern-day mating game I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE takes the stage at The Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire June 5, opening June 12 and running through August 11. The witty script and lyrics by playwright/lyricist Joe DiPietro and composer Jimmy Roberts showcase a dizzying spectrum of male/female relationships as four actors journey through a hilarious series of vignettes which cleverly explore the trials and tribulations of single life, dating, marriage, loss and heartbreak. The laugh-inducing, award-winning production will be directed and choreographed by Matt Raftery.

Walnut Street Theatre's 2012-2013 Independence Studio on 3 season concludes with a world premiere musical celebration of Dean Martin's life, DINO! An Evening with Dean Martin at the Latin Casino. Written by Armen Pandola and directed by Fran Prisco, the production begins with previews tonight, April 30th, opens May 2nd and continues through June 23rd in the Walnut's Independence Studio on 3.

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, the performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. 54 Below also launched its series of late night events. Joining Tuesday nights' popular "Backstage" with Susie Mosher is "54 Piano Bar," a new vocal competition - 'The Callback," and more:

Lynne Meadow (Artistic Director), Barry Grove (Executive Producer), and Mandy Greenfield (Artistic Producer) have announced full casting for the world premiere of THE EXPLORERS CLUB, the new play by Tony Award nominee Nell Benjamin, directed by Marc Bruni.

Tony Award winning, Kennedy Center Honree and Broadway and concert legend Barbara Cook (The Music Man, She Loves Me, Candide, Sondheim on Sondheim), Tony Award-winner Steve Kazee (Once, 110 in the Shade, Spamalot), Tony, Oscar, Grammy and Emmy Award-winning orchestrator Jonathan Tunick (A Chorus Line, Follies, A Little Night Music, Blazing Saddles, Sweeney Todd) with vocalist Rebecca Faulkenberry (Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, Rock Of Ages) all previewed their upcoming engagements at 54 Below earlier this week and BroadwayWorld's Randy Rainbow was there for the festivities. Check out sneak peeks of their shows below!

Distinguished director Richard Eyre returns to Chichester to open Festival 2013 with THE PAJAMA GAME. The production is at the Minerva Theatre, now through 8 June. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Today in 2000, the second Broadway revival of The Music Man openened at the Neil Simon Theatre, where it ran for 699 performances. The Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk before skipping town with the cash. In 1957, the show became a hit on Broadway, winning five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and running for 1,375 performances. The cast album won the first Grammy Award for 'Best Original Cast Album'. The show's success led to revivals and a popular 1962 film adaptation and a 2003 television remake.

STAGES ST. LOUIS is proud to announce casting for Always... Patsy Cline, Legally Blonde, The Musical and My Fair Lady. This season exceptional talent will bring life tothree passionate women who broke down society's barriers and stereotypes by refusing to be limited by the vision of others. STAGES also announces the cast for the Theatre for Young Audiences production of, the 'princess story' that started it all, Disney's Cinderella. All season and single tickets are on sale now.

Jump on the bandwagon and join in on the rip-roarin'and rootin'-tootin' fun as Rider University's Westminster College of the Arts presents 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers', running April 24-28 in the Bart Luedeke Center Theater on the main campus of Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's fantastical musical CATS, opens at the Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre on May 16 and will run through June 29. One of the most successful musicals the world has ever seen, CATS currently holds the record for the longest running show in the history of both Broadway theatre and British theatre. More than 48 million people have seen CATS since its 1981 London premiere and worldwide box office revenues are estimated to exceed $2 billion.

One of the all time great voices, Barbara Cook, comes to 54 Below for two very special weeks this April and May, debuting a brand new evening of music. Her pure soprano, haunting tone, and warm onstage presence make any evening with Barbara Cook an unforgettable nightlife experience. Not only are Ms. Cook's concert and cabaret performances the stuff of New York legend, but her life in the theatre has stretched from the creation of the leading female roles in the Broadway classics Candide, The Music Man, and She Loves Me, to her recent appearance in Sondheim on Sondheim, and a whole lot in between! Among a heavy mantle of awards, Ms. Cook has been honored with the Tony, Grammy, Drama Desk, and Drama Critics Circle Awards, has been inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame, and was recently presented with the Kennedy Center Honor. Cook just gave a special preview of her concert at 54 Below and you can check out photos below!

Tony Award winning, Kennedy Center Honree and Broadway and concert legend Barbara Cook (The Music Man, She Loves Me, Candide, Sondheim on Sondheim), Tony Award-winner Steve Kazee (Once, 110 in the Shade, Spamalot), Tony, Oscar, Grammy and Emmy Award-winning orchestrator Jonathan Tunick (A Chorus Line, Follies, A Little Night Music, Blazing Saddles, Sweeney Todd) with vocalist Rebecca Faulkenberry (Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, Rock Of Ages) all previewed their upcoming enagements at 54 Below earlier today. Check out a photo preview below!

Coming up at the Paley Center: a MAD MEN panel livestream, Peabody event with Amy Poehler, David Simon, and Charlayne Hunter-Gault, and A Salute to Broadway in honor of the annual broadcast of the Tony Awards. Details below!

Surflight Theatre, under the leadership of Executive Director Ken Myers presents Fred Grandy (TV's The Love Boat) and Christian Pedersen in Anthony Shaffer's Tony Award-winning thriller Sleuth, as part of the theater's 64th Season from May 8 through 18.

Elizabeth Ann Berg (Ensemble and Katie Nanna) shares a little about herself and her Twin Cities beginnings as MARY POPPINS gets set to open at the Hennepin Theatre Trust's Orpheum Theatre April 23 - 28, 2013.

Porchlight Music Theatre presents Pal Joey, book by John O'Hara, music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Lorenz Hart, tonight, April 20 - May 26, at Stage 773, 1225 West Belmont Ave. Directed by Porchlight Music Theatre's Artistic Director, Michael Weber with music direction by Porchlight Artistic Associate Doug Peck (reuniting with Weber for the first time since their collaboration on Porchlight's triumphant production of Assassins) and choreography by Porchlight Artistic Associate Brenda Didier, Pal Joey stars Adrian Aguliar, 'Joey Evans,' Susie McMonagle, 'Vera Simpson,' Laura Savage, 'Linda English,' Matt Orlando, 'Ludlow Lowell' and Sharriese Hamilton, 'Gladys Bumps.'

The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University has announced that three-time Emmy Award-winning actor Bryan Cranston will play the lead role of Lyndon Baines Johnson in Robert Schenkkan's new play All The Way opening the A.R.T.'s 2013-14 Season at the Loeb Drama Center. The production, directed by Bill Rauch, will begin performances on September 13, 2013.

Star of stage and screen Dick Van Dyke has been forced to cancel an upcoming public appearance due to an undiagnosed neurological problem. The actor was set to accept the Lifetime Achievement Award for Bettering Humanity through Comedy from New York City's 92nd Street Y on April 26.

Music Theatre of Connecticut MainStage, Fairfield County's award-winning professional theatre company, concludes their 2012/2013 Season with Cole: An Entertainment Based on the Words and Music of Cole Porter. The musical revue runs tonight, April 19 - May 12 at MTC Studio Theatre in Westport Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, with matinees Saturdays at 4 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m.

The Public Theater announced another two week extension today for the world premiere musical HERE LIES LOVE, with concept and lyrics by David Byrne, music by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, additional music by Tom Gandey and J Pardo, and choreography by Annie-B Parson. Directed by Alex Timbers, HERE LIES LOVE began performances on Tuesday, April 2 and has been extended twice due to high demand. The new 360 degree musical will now run through Sunday, June 2 in The Public's LuEsther Theater, with an official press opening on Tuesday, April 23.

The Cincinnati Pops' Lollipops Family Concerts are interactive programs specifically designed for children aged three to ten and their families. This weekend, the program will feature a new orchestral piece from lauded composers Jason Robert Brown and Georgia Stitt.

Coming up at the Paley Center: a MAD MEN panel livestream, Peabody event with Amy Poehler, David Simon, and Charlayne Hunter-Gault, and A Salute to Broadway in honor of the annual broadcast of the Tony Awards. Details below!