Mary and Max Photos - Canada

When a friend called me and invited me to join her for a middle school production of SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS:THE MUSICAL last week, I think it fair to say it wasn’t high on this reviewer’s list of things to do on a free Saturday night.

LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS & McCOY RIGBY ENTERTAINMENT are thrilled to present the West Coast Premiere of GRUMPY OLD MEN: THE MUSICAL, book by Dan Remmes, music by Neil Berg, lyrics by Nick Meglin, (Adapted from the Warner Bros. motion picture written by Mark Steven Johnson), additional orchestrations by Phil Reno, choreography by Michele Lynch, musical direction by Benet Braun and direction by Matt Lenz. GRUMPY OLD MEN: THE MUSICAL will preview on Friday, September 20, 2019 (with a press opening on Saturday, September 21 at 8pm) and runs through Sunday, October 13, 2018 at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd in La Mirada.  

Moonlight Stage Productions opens its 39th summer season with the hit show that has won more Tony Awards than any other musical. Mel Brooks' 'The Producers' comes to the Moonlight Amphitheatre for the first time June 12 to June 29 at 8:00 p.m. Featuring the Broadway national tour sets and costumes, this comedic masterpiece is based on Mel Brooks' 1968 film of the same name.

Ryan Murphy hosted a special performance of The Prom last night! At the show, he also announced that he will be developing the musical into a movie, as BroadwayWorld previously reported.

Last year I posted an article on my website about the top 10 shows I was the most excited for that would be in the Twin Cities across the 2018-2019 season. Some of them premiered in 2018 like Mamma Mia at the Ordway and, of course, the traveling production of Hamilton. However, as I look back at the least, a large majority of them are in 2019 and I'm still just as excited to see these productions as I was last year when I posted about them. Below are 9 shows that I can't wait to see in 2019!

Theatre Calgary presents the world premiere of MARY AND MAX - A NEW MUSICAL, with music & lyrics by Bobby Cronin, book by Crystal Skillman, directed by the organization's new artistic director, Stafford Arima, and orchestrations and music supervision by Anna Ebbesen.

J.T. Rogers' Oslo, winner of the 2017 Tony Award for Best Play, and Sarah Ruhl's Dear Elizabeth play in rotating repertory live on stage at the Barrette Center for the Arts in White River Junction, VT. Oslo plays September 19 - October 21 and Dear Elizabeth, October 4 - 28. For tickets and information, call (802) 296-7000 or visit northernstage.org. Tickets start at $19 for students and $34 for adults.

Tony Award nominee Jennifer Simard made her debut at The Green Room 42 on September 9 at 7:00 PM. Celebrated for her featured Broadway roles in Hello, Dolly!, Disaster! and more, Simard premiered her show 'Stigma' that celebrates the crazy in all of us, with laughs, tears, and rock-n-roll, featuring songs by some of her favorite artists.

Music Theatre Wichita concludes its 2018 Season with the return of Disney's "The Little Mermaid," directed and choreographed by Linda Goodrich, with musical direction by Thomas W. Douglas. The 60-member cast includes Broadway veterans working alongside some of the nation's most promising new talent, all showcased in an brand-new staging, featuring imaginative sets and costumes inspired by the classic Disney film. In 2011, Music Theatre Wichita was one of the first three theatres in the country to receive permission from the Disney Company to produce this title following its Broadway run, and the new edition marks the local premiere of the newly revised script and score. "The Little Mermaid" runs for ten performances, August 8-18 at the Century II Concert Hall in downtown Wichita, Kansas.

Music Theatre Wichita continues its 2018 Season with one of the first regional productions of the newly revised Pippin, reflecting the changes composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz and librettist Roger O. Hirson introduced in the 2013 Broadway revival. Directed and choreographed by Emmy-nominated Al Blackstone ("So You Think You Can Dance"), the lavish production features a 32-member cast in an all-new staging. The fourth of five self-produced musicals in MTWichita's 2018 season, the run continues through July 29. Disney's The Little Mermaid will conclude the season August 8-18.

Los Altos Hills will be alive with The Sound of Music this summer, when multi-award winning Foothill Music Theatre presents the Tony, Grammy, and Academy Award-winning musical. This beloved musical, set in Austria in 1938, follows novice Maria Rainer who becomes the governess for the von Trapp family, capturing the hearts of the seven children and their father, a widowed naval captain. As the Nazis occupy Austria, the family is forced make decisions which forever change their lives, fleeing their home in pursuit of freedom. Director Milissa Carey, music director William Liberatore, and choreographers Brett and C.J. Blankenship breathe new life into this classic tale of hope, love, and family. The Sound of Music will play July 19- August 5, 2018(press opening: July 20) at the Smithwick Theatre, I-280 & El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills. Tickets ($12 - $32) and information can be found at www.foothill.edu/theatre or by phone at (650) 949-7360.    

Broadway Barks, produced by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, took place yesterday, Saturday, July 14, 2018 in Shubert Alley.

Music Theatre Wichita continues its 2018 Season with the new Disney musical Freaky Friday. The third of five locally produced Broadway-scale productions, Freaky Friday plays July 11-15 at the Century II Concert Hall in downtown Wichita, KS.

Music Theatre Wichita continues its 2018 Season with a fresh take on the classic musical Guys and Dolls. The second of five locally produced Broadway-scale productions, Guys and Dolls plays June 27-July 1 at the Century II Concert Hall in downtown Wichita, KS.

Winners for the 63rd Annual Drama Desk Awards were announced just last night at The Town Hall. In keeping with Drama Desk's mission, nominators considered shows that opened on Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway during the 2017-2018 New York theater season in the same competitive categories.

Lookingglass Theatre Company concludes its 30th Anniversary season with the world premiere of 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas adapted by David Kersnar and Althos Low, from the books by Jules Verne, directed by Ensemble Member David Kersnar. 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas runs May 23 - August 19, 2018 at Lookingglass Theatre Company, located inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson. The Press Opening is Saturday, June 2, 2018 at 7:30 p.m.

American Repertory Theater announces complete casting and creative team for the world premiere musical Jagged Little Pill. The production begins previews on May 5, 2018 at the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA.

It's a Jule Styne Celebration! The York Theatre Company presents the 1968 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, Hallelujah, Baby!, with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and book by Arthur Laurents, the first of three shows in the Winter 2018 Musicals in Mufti Series celebrating the work of composer Jule Styne.

It's Saturday, and that means it's time for what has become one of the theatre community's most beloved traditions- BroadwayWorld's 'Saturday Intermission Pics' roundup! This week MISS SAIGON is the place to be during this chilly weather because the heat is on, AVENUE Q preps for charity with the uplifting reminder that problems like Trump are just for now, and company is shown all around from Broadway to off-Broadway to fabulous regional productions. Check out more Saturday Intermission Pics below!