Summer and Smoke

Ned Van Zandt was in the Chelsea Hotel the night of Nancy Spungen’s death, and he was with Sid and Nancy just before her sad demise. Ned was also an actor during the 1970s in Hollywood heyday and cavorted with Chaka Khan, Steely Dan, director Hal Ashby and others, he was away in San Francisco when a double murder occurred in his apartment in LA.

London Theatre Week is the West End’s biggest promotion, giving you the chance to see over 50 amazing award-winning musicals and stunning plays with tickets from £15, £25 or £35

Are you bound for the Philadelphia area this fall.  There’s so much to see and do that our readers will like to know about. 

First look photos! San Francisco Playhouse concludes its 20th Anniversary Season with the hit Broadway musical A Chorus Line. In this groundbreaking work, twenty-four hopeful dancers undertake a grueling audition for eight coveted spots in the back-up chorus of an unnamed Broadway show.

Next month, 54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club & Private Event Destination, will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond. A recipient of the 2022 Tony Awards Honor for Excellence in the Theatre, 54 Below celebrates Broadway musicals and writers of the past and present, promoting an ongoing engagement with their work.

This week's Theater Stories features The Circle in the Square Theatre! Learn about the Circle in the Square Theatre School, the 2019 Tony-winning revival of Oklahoma!, the show that was most recently set to be performed in the theatre, American Buffalo, and much more!

Last night, August 30, the 37th annual MTV Video Music Awards aired, in a socially-distanced event spread out across New York City. Check out the full list of winners!

Summer Street Theater is one of the delights of the season and has been central to Theater for the New City's mission since the organization's first such production in 1976.

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the 101 greatest protest songs from 1939-2020. See if your favorite songs or artists made the list!

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the greatest theatrical works (non-musical) from 1920-2020; see if your favorites made the list!

Boston Calling, headlined by the Foo Fighters (Friday, May 22), Rage Against The Machine (Saturday, May 23) and the Red Hot Chili Peppers (Sunday, May 24), announced today a food & drink lineup for the 2020 festival that can be rivaled only by its musical counterparts. With such a wide variety of options to choose from that will offer festival attendees a taste of Boston's culinary diversity, there is something to satisfy all kinds of cravings.  Festival-goers will be treated to a one-of-a-kind experience celebrating the best of Boston's hometown food and drink scene as this year's selection ranges from recently opened ventures to longtime fan-favorites, including veteran Boston Calling vendor Tasty Burger, and new additions like world-renowned beloved pizza masters, Regina Pizzeria, and award-winning Greek restaurant GreCo. Along with the festival's diverse mix of new and returning restaurants, the lineup also includes a wide assortment of drink options to choose from, including craft beers and wines. Boston Calling takes place on Memorial Day Weekend, May 22-24, 2020, at the Harvard Athletic Complex in Allston (65 North Harvard Street, Boston). Limited Single Day Friday and Sunday and 3-Day passes are available at www.bostoncalling.com. Saturday GA and VIP tickets are SOLD OUT.

Laguna Playhouse announces the final cast and creative team to join acclaimed film, TV and theatre veterans Frances Fisher (a?oeTitanic,a?? Native Gardens, Barbeque), as a?oeQueen Eleanora?? and Gregory Harrison (a?oeTrapper John, M.D.,a?? Broadway's Chicago, Steel Pier), as a?oeKing Henry IIa?? in THE LION IN WINTER

Laguna Playhouse Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham and Executive Director Ellen Richard are thrilled to announce that acclaimed film, TV and theatre veterans Frances Fisher (a?oeTitanic,a?? Native Gardens, Barbeque), will star as a?oeQueen Eleanora?? and Gregory Harrison (a?oeTrapper John, M.D.,a?? Broadway'sChicago, Steel Pier), will star as a?oeKing Henry IIa?? in its upcoming production of THE LION IN WINTER, written by James Goldman and directed by Sheldon Epps.  

Roundabout Theatre Company has announced the company and design team for the new Broadway production of Tennessee Williams' Tony Award-winning play The Rose Tattoo.

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director/CEO) has just announced a new Broadway production of Tennessee Williams' Tony Award-winning play The Rose Tattoo starring Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei as 'Serafina,' directed by Trip Cullman (Roundabout's Significant Other, Choir Boy).

Just in! Two-time Tony Award and three-time Emmy Award winner Laurie Metcalf and two-time Emmy Award winner Eddie Izzard will star on Broadway next season...

BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) is pleased to celebrate an evening of exceptional songwriting at its 67th Annual BMI Pop Awards.  In an event 22 years in the making,Sting, already a BMI Icon, will be honored for his enduring hit single “Every Breath You Take,” which has become the Most Performed Song in BMI's catalog of over 14 million musical works.  The award ceremony will also celebrate multi-platinum GRAMMY Award-winning band Imagine Dragons with the BMI President's Award, and Martin Bandier, legendary music publishing executive, will be named a BMI Icon, the first time a music publisher has been given this honor. The private event will be hosted by BMI President and CEO Mike O'Neill and Vice President Worldwide Creative Barbara Cane and will take place on Tuesday, May 14th at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA. 

Virginia Repertory Theatre announces the company of the third production of the 2018/19 Children's Season, Pinocchio, opening Friday, March 29, 2019, at the Children's Theatre at Willow Lawn. This play tells the classic tale of Geppetto's little wooden puppet whose only wish is to be a real boy.

Theater for the New City's award-winning Street Theater Company will open its 42nd annual tour August 4 with 'SHAME! Or The Doomsday Machine,' a rip-roaring musical in which the Theory of Relativity explains modern politics. Free performances will tour closed-off streets, parks and playgrounds throughout the five boroughs until September 16. Book, lyrics and direction are by Crystal Field; the musical score is composed and arranged by Joseph Vernon Banks. (Schedule follows at bottom of this document.)

The Case Western Reserve University/Cleveland Play House MFA Acting Program announces the debut performance of the Class of 2020. Fifth of July, from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lanford Wilson, will run in the Helen Theatre at Playhouse Square.

The Cleveland Orchestra announced a special event during its 50th anniversary Blossom Music Festival season: Roger Daltrey performs The Who's TOMMY with members of The Who Band and The Cleveland Orchestra. The Who's classic rock opera, Tommy, will be performed by The Cleveland Orchestra and vocalist Roger Daltrey, the iconic lead singer of The Who, on Sunday, July 8, 2018 at 8:00 p.m. at Blossom Music Center. This special event does not include an opening act.

This summer, Sierra Stages brings the excitement of the hit musical 'Chicago' to Nevada City with an all-local Nevada County production playing from July 13 through August 5 at the historic Nevada Theatre. Set amidst the razzle-dazzle decadence of the 1920s, 'Chicago' tells the story of Roxie Hart, a chorus girl who murders her lover. Desperate to avoid a conviction, Roxie dupes the public, the media and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by hiring Chicago's slickest criminal lawyer, Billy Flynn, to transform her crime into a barrage of sensational headlines. Scroll down for a sneak peek at the company in costume!

This summer, Sierra Stages brings the excitement of the hit musical 'Chicago' to Nevada City with an all-local Nevada County production playing from July 13 through August 5 at the historic Nevada Theatre. Set amidst the razzle-dazzle decadence of the 1920s, 'Chicago' tells the story of Roxie Hart, a chorus girl who murders her lover. Desperate to avoid a conviction, Roxie dupes the public, the media and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by hiring Chicago's slickest criminal lawyer, Billy Flynn, to transform her crime into a barrage of sensational headlines. Scroll down for a sneak peek at the company in costume!

Since first achieving fame as a teen pop sensation in the 1950s, Neil Sedaka has kept America singing for six decades. He brings the timeless hits of his storied career to Heinz Hall to perform with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra during the PNC Pops weekend May 12-14.

I am incredibly proud of all my kids and Ryan is pursuing his dream as a performer. He has been performing for quite awhile now as a professional and I have had the idea that this would be so since about his Junior year in High School. I have always taken the time to include my kids (when they have shown an interest) into the shows I was doing. Ryan and his older sister, Kaitlynn, were able to be more inundated with it at a young age as I was more active as a professional performer and they got to be backstage and at rehearsal, and often in shows with me. Whenever I was in a show that needed kids, I got them an audition and, since they were talented, often got cast, so we were able to share the stage. Sound of Music, South Pacific, Music Man, Secret Garden, A Christmas Carol, all shows that my kids been able to share with me.