The Wiz - 2006 - San Diego, CA (Regional) Articles Page 16

Stage Entertainment USA and Sylvester Stallone have announced that the new musical, ROCKY, will come to Broadway in 2014, beginning preview performances in February and officially opening in March at Broadway's historic Winter Garden Theatre. ROCKY received its world premiere in fall 2012 in Hamburg, Germany.

The second annual Under The Influence of Music Tour will hit the road this summer, starring two of the most dynamic and exciting performers in music, Wiz Khalifa and A$AP Rocky. The expanded, 20-city epic hip-hop trek will also feature special guests B.o.B., Trinidad Jame$, Joey Bada$$ & Pro Era and Berner, with performances by Chevy Woods and Smoke DZA.

Franklin School for the Performing Arts (FSPA) alumna Nadine Malouf was caught up in the fanfare surrounding Cameron Mackintosh and Tom Hooper's film adaptation of Les Miserables when she received the invitation of a lifetime to perform alongside Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and other principals from the film at the 85th annual Academy Awards on February 24 in Los Angeles.

Full casting has been announced for the Orange County engagement of FLASHDANCE - THE MUSICAL, the stage adaptation of the 1983 hit film that defined a generation. Joining Jillian Mueller as Alex and Matthew Hydzik as Nick are Katie Webber as Tess, Kelly Felthous as Gloria, DeQuina Moore as Kiki, Jo Ann Cunningham as Hannah, David R. Gordon as Jimmy, Matthew Henerson as Harry and Christian Whelan in the role of C.C.

San Diego Musical Theatre announces its second production of the 2013 season, Rodgers and Hammerstein's THE SOUND OF MUSIC, running May 10-26, 2013 with a press opening on Saturday, May 11, at The Birch North Park Theatre. THE SOUND OF MUSIC features Music by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and Book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse.

Tony and multiple Grammy Award-winner Dee Dee Bridgewater will star as one of the world's incomparable and legendary jazz artists --- Billie Holiday, in the celebrated musical 'Lady Day' opening Thursday, September 26th (6:30PM) at Times Square's Little Shubert Theatre (422 West 42nd Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues). Written and directed by Stephen Stahl, the musical will make its New York debut having been produced at the Theatre de Boulogne-Billancourt and Theatre du Gymnase Marie Bell in Paris as well as The Donmar Warehouse and The Piccadilly Theatre in London, where it received critical praise and garnered an Olivier 'Best Actress in a Musical' Award nomination for Ms. Bridgewater. Produced by Misty Road Productions the show's creative team also includes three-time Emmy Award winning composer & arranger Bill Jolly, who will serve as musical director. Preview performances are slated to begin Thursday, September 12th (8PM).

FLASHDANCE-THE MUSICAL, the stage adaptation of the 1983 hit film that defined a generation, will perform at the Majestic Theatre for eight performances June 18-23. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m., Friday, March 1.

Below, check out a clip of Jennifer Hudson belting out the show stopping number 'Home' from Broadway's 'The Wiz' on an upcoming episode of SMASH. On this season of the NBC musical drama, the Academy Award winning actress portrays Veronica Moore, a Tony Award-winning Broadway star.

FLASHDANCE - THE MUSICAL, the stage adaptation of the 1983 hit film that defined a generation, will make its Segerstrom Center premiere May 7 - 19, 2013.

A review of Orlando's Theatre Downtown cabaret benefiting local stage manager, Carla Young.

Dallas Theater Center will conclude its four-year Shakespeare cycle with one of the playwright's greatest tragedies King Lear, a co-production with Trinity Repertory Company and directed by DTC artistic director Kevin Moriarty. King Lear opens for previews tonight, January 18 and runs through Sunday, February 18.

Celebrating the most romantic night of the year, powerhouse songstress Felicia P. Fields will perform her all new show, Mess Around & Fall in Love, on Thursday, February 14 at 7:30 p.m. at Theatre at the Center, 1040 Ridge Rd. Filled with sassy hits like "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)", "Women Be Wise", "You Can Have My Husband But Don't Mess With My Man", and "I Got My Mojo Workin', Mess Around & Fall in Love brings entertainment to a new level and will have the audience singing and dancing in their seats for the entire 75-minute program. Dinner theater packages are available for $50 per person and performance only tickets are available for $35.

Page 73 Productions, an Off-Broadway theatre company dedicated to developing and presenting works by early-career playwrights, will support the development of four new plays by playwrights Mary Hamilton, Kait Kerrigan, Kimber Lee, and Cori Thomas as part of their 2013 Page 2 Workshop, it has been announced by Liz Jones and Asher Richelli, Co-Executive Directors of Page 73 Productions.

The Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour 55th Anniversary Celebration makes its way to Segerstrom Center for the Arts today, January 13 in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. The all- star ensemble will perform classic jazz and original compositions by critically acclaimed, Grammy Award-winning artists: bassist and musical director Christian McBride, vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, saxophonist Chris Potter, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, pianist Benny Green and drummer Lewis Nash.

For nearly four decades (1957-1994), Martha Swope was America's pre-eminent photographer of theater and dance, her discerning eye chronicling hundreds of classical ballets, modern dance, and Broadway performances and performers. But she also went behind-the-scenes, documenting what audiences never get to experience-the creative collaborations that make the magic on stage possible: rehearsals.

Dallas Theater Center will conclude its four-year Shakespeare cycle with one of the playwright's greatest tragedies King Lear, a co-production with Trinity Repertory Company and directed by DTC artistic director Kevin Moriarty. King Lear opens for previews on Friday, January 18 and runs through Sunday, February 18.

The world premiere of The Christmas Box, a musical stage adaptation of Richard Paul Evans' bestselling novel (music, lyrics, and book by David R. Naylor), is being presented at Empress Theatre in Magna this holiday season.

The Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour 55th Anniversary Celebration makes its way to Segerstrom Center for the Arts on January 13 in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. The all- star ensemble will perform classic jazz and original compositions by critically acclaimed, Grammy Award-winning artists: bassist and musical director Christian McBride, vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, saxophonist Chris Potter, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, pianist Benny Green and drummer Lewis Nash.

New York City Center will celebrate the 20th Anniversary of its Tony Award-winning Encores! series tonight, November 12 with a Gala Benefit starring Raul Esparza and Kelli O'Hara, and featuring performers who have starred in Encores! productions over the past two decades.

Broadway stars Emily Padgett and Matthew Hydzik will star as "Alex" and "Nick" in the world premiere of FLASHDANCE - THE MUSICAL, the stage adaptation of the 1983 hit film that defined a generation. Padgett and Hydzik will be joined on stage by the legendary Rachelle Rak in the role of "Tess." Sergio Trujillo, director and choreographer for the production returned to the home of FLASHDANCE and launch of the world premiere, Pittsburgh's Heinz Hall, to announce the lead casting from a press conference. Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Kevin McMahon, CEO of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, were also on hand to welcome the cast and creative team to Pittsburgh and to make a proclamation, naming January 1, 2013 as FLASHDANCE DAY. Celebrating its 30th Anniversary,FLASHDANCE kicks off a national tour January 1-6 at Heinz Hall and continues on to more than 20 cities with additional bookings to be announced:

Berkeley Playhouse opens its fifth season with Rodgers and Hammerstein's beloved final collaboration, THE SOUND OF MUSIC. Berkeley Playhouse founding Artistic Director Elizabeth McKoy helms this endearing family classic, featuring a cast of 40, with musical direction by Greg Mason and choreography by Staci Arriaga. THE SOUND OF MUSIC plays tonight, October 27 through December 2 (Press opening: October 27) at the Julia Morgan Theatre in Berkeley.

Just in time for Halloween, the first national tour of the new musical The Addams Family, will make its Seattle premiere tonight, October 24-November 11, 2012 at The 5th Avenue Theatre. Based on the bizarre and beloved family of characters created by legendary cartoonist Charles Addams, this smash Broadway hit brings the darkly delirious world of Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Grandma, Wednesday, Pugsley and, of course, Lurch to spooky and spectacular life.

New York City Center will celebrate the 20th Anniversary of its Tony Award-winning Encores! series on November 12 with a Gala Benefit starring Raul Esparza and Kelli O'Hara, and featuring performers who have starred in Encores! productions over the past two decades.

Former child star and teenage heartthrob actress/singer Renn Woods, best known for her roles as Fanta in the Emmy Award winning TV mini-series Roots, her unforgettable interpretation of "Aquarius" in Milos Forman's movie musical Hair, and as Dorothy in the first national tour of the Broadway musical hit The Wiz, has written a new stage musical, titled Sold: Renn Woods In Concert (A Play in Rhythm and Blues) adapted from her successful autobiographical one-woman show, A Diva Like Me. Musical selections from the first act of the new show will be presented for an invitation-only audience of theatre industry executives on Saturday, Oct. 20, 7 PM in PH1 Studio at Shetler Studios, 244 West 54th Street, 12th Floor (and short stairway to Penthouse 1).

Following its celebrated opening at Seattle Repertory Theatre, Pullman Porter Blues travels across the country to sweep D.C. audiences along for a ride in its world-premiere co-production at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Inspired by her grandfather's work on the postal trains, playwright Cheryl L. West, whose work at Arena Stage includes Jar the Floor and Play On!, returns with the tale of three Pullman train porters whose journey is underscored by Midwest blues songs, including "Sweet Home Chicago" and "This Train." Directed by Lisa Peterson (Arena's The Rainmaker and The Quality of Life), Pullman Porter Blues runs November 23, 2012 - January 6, 2013 in the Kreeger Theater.