Broadway fans had plenty of reasons to celebrate this year, with dozens of shows having opened since January, hundreds of actors having made their debuts, and many more having returned to the stage for critically acclaimed performances. Not all news was good though, as we also suffered a loss of an incredible amount of talent.
Below, BroadwayWorld sends a fond farewell to those who passed away in 2014.
Gloucester Stage Company kicked off the 35th Anniversary Season on June 12 with Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, the internationally acclaimed musical revue of satirical and poignant songs by the late Belgian genius, Jacques Brel. Scroll down for a first look at the cast!
In 1968 'Hair,' dubbed the American Tribal Love-Rock musical, exploded on Broadway. It shocked the nation, but gave an accurate picture of a world rocked with chaos. The Vietnam war raged, the peace movement flourished, draft cards were burned, rebellion against traditional values exploded. 'Drugs, sex and rock and roll' became the mantra of the day and were clearly exposed on stage. The show's book was strong and the score was filled with top ten hits including 'Aquarius,' 'Good Morning Starshine,' 'I Believe in Love,' and 'Where Do I Go?' It became the seminal musical theatre offering illustrating 'theater representing the era from which it comes.'
Woodie King Jr's New Federal Theatre kicks off its 44th season with the first play of 'The Ed Bullins Project' - two revivals from his 'Twentieth Century Cycle of Plays' - IN THE WINE TIME, to be followed by The Fabulous Miss Marie this spring. In The Wine Time, directed by Mansoor Najee-ullah, will begin performances October 25th at Castillo Theater (543 West 42nd Street), continuing through November 24th. Opening Night is set for Thursday November 7th.
Maine State Music Theatre opens its 53rd season with an Off-Broadway musical comedy hit, THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES, which runs from June 8th through June 25th at the Pickard Theater in Brunswick.
Signal Ensemble Theatre presents the first show of its eighth season, Tom Stoppard's comedy 'The Real Inspector Hound,' the ensemble's inaugural presentation in their permanent theater space at 1802 W. Berenice Ave., a 50-seat venue in Chicago's North Center neighborhood. Theatre critics Moon and Birdboot attend the premiere of a new murder mystery and are swept into the whodunit they are viewing. As Moon laments his status as a second-string reviewer, and Birdboot considers adultery with one of the shows actresses, they soon find themselves inside the play-within-a-play, implicated in the lethal activities of an escaped madman. In a hilarious send-up of Agatha Christie-style melodrama, Stoppard's 1968 work is just as rooted in absurdism as it is in satire. Kicking off Signal's 'Season of Comedy,' this play set in the theater will appropriately open Signal's new performance space. The show will run about 65 minutes with no intermission.
The Transport Group's production of Mart Crowley's 'The Boys in the Band' has announced its cast. The show directed by Jack Cummings III will begin its previews on February 12. The show will run from February 19 to March 14.
Mel Brooks' The Producers runs at Way Off Broadway Theatre through November 7, 2009.
Hitch a rainbow ride through ancient Egypt when Pittsburgh CLO kicks off its 63rd Summer Season with Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Cheer for the kid in the coat May 26 through June 7 at the Benedum Center in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh's Cultural District.
Berkeley Repertory Theatre greets the new year by proudly presenting its 50th world premiere, a new comedy about marriage, intimacy, and electricity from the creators of Eurydice. Celebrated playwright Sarah Ruhl and Obie Award-winning director Les Waters come together again for the debut of In the Next Room (or the vibrator play). Commissioned by Berkeley Rep and staged in the state-of-the-art Roda Theatre, this hotly anticipated play begins previews on January 30, opens February 4, and closes March 15. BART and Wells Fargo serve as season sponsors for Berkeley Rep's 41st year of fearless theatre, and the executive producer for this show is the Strauch Kulhanjian Family.
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