Leader of the Pack

A new feature documentary spotlighting the life of R&B singer and Broadway performer Darlene Love is in production from director Barry Avrich and producers Taraji P. Henson and Mark Selby.

For the past two seasons, 14 or 15 new musicals have opened on Broadway. Even in the challenging first two seasons coming out of the pandemic, Broadway saw 8 or 9 new musicals opening. And in the last four full seasons prior to the pandemic, Broadway saw an average of 11 new musicals per season. What gives?

Taylor Swift’s new album The Life of a Showgirl dropped on October 3rd, and it includes plenty of references—some explicit and some ambiguous—to real showgirls throughout history. Many of these women have a Broadway past worth exploring that adds new context to Swift’s songs.

Just In Time’s origin story as well as overall conceit has much in common with one of Broadway’s very first jukebox musicals, which was ahead of its time. In 1985, Leader of the Pack, telling the story of pop singer-songwriter Ellie Greenwich, opened at the Ambassador on Broadway. Learn all about pop music bio-musicals here!

A memorable musical event, featuring a heartfelt tribute to the untimely passing of the accomplished music director Christopher Riddle, son of legendary arranger Nelson Riddle, as well as an inspiring interview with distinguished Sinatra Scholar Charles L. (Chuck) Granata, will be presented by producer Karen Morris of Sand Castle Communications and founder of The Rat Pack Music Alliance.

At the height of its fame, the musical Les Misérables was the Dorsia of Broadway, a hot-ticket event that reached Hamilton levels of excessive prices, elite A-list attendees, and legions of fans who’d revisit the show through repeat viewings, memorization of the cast recording, and fierce debates of West End vs. Broadway performers.

Overture Center has revealed its 20th Anniversary 2024/25 season. Broadway at Overture welcomes back audience-favorite “Wicked,” also celebrating its 20th anniversary year, and includes the Wisconsin premieres of “& Juliet,” “Shucked” and “The Neil Diamond Musical: A Beautiful Noise.”

Grand Rapids Civic Theatre announced the ’24/’25 season lineup, which features multiple area community theatre premieres and a family favorite as a part of next season’s offerings, in addition to an exciting new effort to make live theatre more accessible for young audiences. Learn more about the full lineup here!

Amas Musical Theatre and the Amas Musical Theatre Lab, will present developmental lab readings of Onward & Upward, a new musical based on the play “Up (The Man in the Flying Chair)”, with music by Charlie Romano, lyrics by Will Wegner, book by Will Wegner and Charlie Romano at Ripley-Grier Studios.

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director) has announced an extension for the world premiere musical Cornelia Street. The production, which will begin performances this Friday, January 20th and open on Tuesday, February 14th, will now play through Sunday, March 5th, Off-Broadway at Atlantic Stage 2.

Atlantic Theater Company has announced casting for the world premiere musical Cornelia Street, with a book by Tony Award winner Simon Stephens. Find out who is joining the cast, the performance schedule and how to get tickets.

SINGING REVOLUTION is a contemporary production designed to inspire American youth with the ideas that peaceful resistance, social justice, and acts of kindness can change the world.

As live performances return to venues throughout Southern California, Irvine Barclay Theatre has announced nearly 20 shows that it has added to its season, which kicks off on September 19 with the country chart-topping trio The Gatlin Brothers.

The criteria are that these shows have been nominated for Best Musical from the 3rd Tony Awards (the ceremony that started the Best Musical category) in 1949 to the nominations of what will now be the 74th Tony Awards in 2021. I will be determining their signs based upon their Broadway premiere date. With those rules in mind, here we go!

John Wick reloads for another worldwide smash hit when John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum arrives on Digital August 23 and on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (plus Blu-ray and Digital), Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital), DVD, and On Demand September 10 from global content leader Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B). The highly anticipated third film in the blockbuster John Wick franchise is an action-packed, international thrill ride that is now Rotten Tomatoes Certified Fresh

The 1985 Broadway season might have been one of the weakest on record for musicals; in fact, only three shows were nominated for Best Musical at the Tony Awards that year. We had an Ellie Greenwich jukebox musical (Leader of the Pack), one of Harold Prince's big budget disasters (Grind), and a musical based on Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Big River). Needless to say, at least in my opinion, Big River won the Tony Award for Best Musical and several other awards in part due to a lack of competition. Despite some catchy songs by Roger “King of the Road” Miller the show suffered, in my opinion anyhow, from there simply being too much of it. William Hauptman's book tried to focus on multiple stories as opposed to having Huck and his relationship with runaway slave Jim be the true heart.

Fans of the famous "SOUR THEN SWEET" SOUR PATCH KIDS candy are in for a chilly treat, as it was announced today that J&J Snack Foods Corp. (JJSF) has introduced SOUR PATCH KIDS Flavored Ice Pops through a new license with Mondelz International. With a sweet frozen base and unique sour swirl, fans of SOUR PATCH KIDS candycan explore their sweet and sour sides in a whole new way starting this spring. SOUR PATCH KIDS FlavoredIce Pops will be sold in retail and club stores throughout the U.S. and Canada.

The nonprofit AT&T Performing Arts Center announced the 2018 season of its distinctive speakers series #hearhere. From poetry to performance and beyond with #hearhere you'll experience the radical imaginations, passion, humor and knowledge of iconic personalities who shape the way we experience our world and each other.

As difficult as it is to fathom, some 27 years ago my first review of Les Miserables the internationally renowned musical based upon the iconic 1861 Victor Hugo novel about a reformed bread thief who is pursued over the decades by a relentless lawman in post-Revolutionary France was published, yet one thought remains consistent and steadfast. If faced with someone who claims to dislike musical theater, take them to see Les Mis (as the theatrical juggernaut is known throughout the world thanks to countless revivals, regional production, televised spectacles and one Oscar-winning film) for its epic storytelling, emotionally driven character studies and a lush and memorable score that is sure to win over the most hardened opponents of the art form.

Today, we very proudly shine the spotlight on PSM Daniel Brewer, the dean of production stage managers in this region, and the resident stage manager at Nashville Children's Theatre. In 2011, he was among that year's First Night Honorees in recognition of his truly exceptional career and for the grace and skill with which he does his job. In fact, we wouldn't be at all surprise to find his headshot next to the very definition of "stage manager" in reference books.

Porchlight Music Theatre and Artistic Director Michael Weber are proud to announce the 2016 - 2017 season of Chicago's hit musical revue series, New Faces Sing returning to Uptown Underground, 4707 N. Broadway and debuting at Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln Ave in Skokie. In tribute to the original New Faces series that ran on Broadway and on film from 1934 - 1968, Porchlight Music Theatre last year created this Chicago musical revue series, New Faces Sing Broadway, as a showcase for the best emerging musical talent now performing on Chicago stages. Each edition is a journey from the start to the finish of a entire musical season on Broadway, peppered with photos and films of the era in an exciting multimedia presentation with a favorite Chicago theatre veteran hosting and introducing the next generation of music theatre artists and acting as your guide through a past season on the Great White Way. Seating is general admission; tickets are $22, with no drink minimum and are available at porchlightmusictheatre.org.

How many of these great songs do you know from underappreciated musicals?

From fluffy entertainments to serious dramas, JERSEY BOYS has helped the jukebox musical grow.

MSG Network today announced “The Garden's Defining Moments,” a special 20-part television event presented by SAP, celebrating some of the greatest moments at Madison Square Garden spanning the legendary venue's more than 135-year history.

Dundalk Community Theatre kicks of its 41st season with a blast from the past, Leader of the Pack. Director/Choreographer Tom Wyatt transports the audience back the 1960's to experience the life and music of Ellie Greenwich. Greenwich songs include some of the most popular songs of that decade: 'Chapel of Love', 'Be My Baby', 'And Then He Kissed Me', and 'Da Do Ron Ron' to name a few. The show runs from today, October 24 to November 2.