Three-For-All - 1997 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 10

Beginning Monday, February 2nd, the Tony-winning, record-breaking Broadway hit Chicago will welcome M. Kilgore as “Mary Sunshine” along with new ensemble members Austin Dunn, Danielle Marie Gonzalez, Christopher Kelley and Jeff Sullivan.

The California Bluegrass Association (CBA) has announced the lineup and ticket sales for the 51st Annual Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival, taking place June 18–21 at the Nevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley, California.

During and prior to the Golden Age of Broadway, songs regularly premiered on stage and then charted, spending time on the radio and becoming popular worldwide. In the 1960s, Broadway songs and popular music diverged, and work from musicals was no longer synonymous with chart hits. There have certainly been a good share of exceptions since that decade, as Broadway has evolved to mirror popular, current music genres. Several of the songs that have broken through to the Billboard charts can be heard on Broadway! 

The history of shows that have transferred from off-Broadway to Broadway is well documented. Hundreds of Broadway plays and musicals started out off-Broadway before making the leap to a Broadway house. But much more rare is the circumstance of a show starting out off-off-Broadway (that’s right, two ‘off’s!) and traveling all the way to the main stem. One of these shows is playing right now, and is a major theatre success story with off-off-Broadway roots!

Chicago on Broadway will welcome the return of Sophie Carmen-Jones in the role of “Velma Kelly” and Jacqueline B. Arnold in the role of “Matron Mama Morton” beginning Monday, January 26 at the Ambassador Theatre. 

The Denver Concert Band will feature clarinetist Jason Shafer from the Colorado Symphony in their upcoming performance of FORCES OF NATURE on February 15 at the Lone Tree Arts Center.

Giordano Dance Chicago has announced three world premieres to headline their upcoming April 10 & 11 Harris Theater program. The works are being choreographed by GDC Resident Choreographer and Emmy Award-winning Al Blackstone.

The Broadway production of Ragtime was a glorious accomplishment, a riveting testament to the original American musical and to all that America itself could be. The show ran for 834 performances at the Ford Center, closing in the final year of the 20th century. It was nominated for 13 Tony Awards, taking home four.

Park Avenue Armory has appointed Deborah Warner as its Anita K. Hersh Artistic Director. Warner was named a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 2006.

The actors have gathered, and the performance space is ringing with music.  Brief Cameo Productions’ concert staging of Side Show is scheduled to perform, and you can see rehearsal photos here!

LionHeart Productions is set to stage the compelling courtroom drama TWELVE ANGRY JURORS in Grant, Michigan, starting January 11, 2026. The production promises to deliver a powerful exploration of justice and human character, as twelve jurors deliberate the fate of a defendant in a gripping trial.

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that stage and screen actor John Cunningham died on Tuesday, January 6 at the age of 93. Learn more and read his obituary here.

This interactive murder mystery invites the audience to help solve the mystery. Clue The Musical asks audiences at Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre whodunit January 9-February 7.

Theatre By The Sea owner and producer Bill Hanney has announced the 2026 Summer Schedule, which will include four beloved musicals. The season will open with Little Shop of Horrors.

The North American tour of Disney’s The Lion King will welcome Zama Magudulela as Rafiki. Magudulela will begin performances on Tuesday, January 13 in Sacramento at the Safe Credit Union Performing Arts Center.

Ann Jackson Gallery will share a compelling selection of artworks from The Art of Dr. Seuss Collection at Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment.

The Martha Hill Dance Fund has revealed the honorees of the 2026 Martha Hill Awards. The Martha Hill Dance Fund has revealed The MESH Fellowship, a new initiative for mentoring emerging choreographers and professional dancers.

Marking its 31st year, LA Art Show will return to the LA Convention Center. Led by director and producer Kassandra Voyagis, the fair will feature more than 90 exhibitors.

Looking back over 2025, it appears I sat in a dark room and wrote barely legible thoughts into a notebook on about 150-odd occasions. By the grace of God and the BroadwayWorld UK editor, I saw a real smörgåsbord of delights, everything from highly anticipated West End theatre to opera, dance, circus, cabaret, comedy and immersive theatre.

Brief Cameo Productions has announced complete casting for its 2026 production: Side Show: In Concert. Performances of Side Show will take place at The Centerbrook Meeting House, 51 Main Street, Centerbrook, CT.

Cellist Alisa Weilerstein will join Palm Beach Symphony for the Masterworks Series Concert at Dreyfoos Hall at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach.

It wasn’t until later on in theatre history that revivals began including shows that weren’t initially well received or financially successful in their initial engagements. As musical theatre continued to evolve, and more shows entered the canon, a consensus began to grow about shows being worthy of additional exploration even if they hadn’t been hits the first time around. What about musicals that had been ahead of their time, musicals that had fallen prey to circumstances, early works by writers who became successful later on, and of course, shows that found an audience after closing via their cast recordings?

The idea of the concept album took flight at the same time as the idea of the rock musical. A concept album introduces audiences to the score of a musical by deliberately releasing an album of the songs before any live production exists at all. The concept album ostensibly stands on its own terms.

Cher, Paul Simon, Whitney Houston, and more will be honored during the Recording Academy’s Special Merit Awards Ceremony on Jan. 31, 2026. The event will celebrate the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award, Trustee Award and Technical Grammy Award recipients at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre. 

This season, three plays are receiving Broadway debuts which already made significant noise off-Broadway in their original productions, years ago. Becky Shaw, Bug, and Marjorie Prime will all be opening on Broadway in early 2026 in brand new productions. The first and last are spending time on Broadway at the Hayes under the auspices of Second Stage while Bug is being presented by Manhattan Theatre Club at their home, the Friedman.