Playbill.com : News

PHOTO CALL: Josh Young, Krysta Rodriguez, Lindsay Mendez, Robin de Jesus, Jason Gotay Sing at Tim and Charlie's Farewell Tour

Matthew Blank — Mon, 06 May 2013 16:27 GMT

Tim and Charlie's Farewell Tour, an evening celebrating the composer and lyricist team Tim Rosser and Charlie Sohne, was presented April 28 at 54 Below.

Pittsburgh CLO Summer Season Features 42nd Street, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Phantom and The Little Mermaid

Carey Purcell — Mon, 06 May 2013 16:22 GMT

Casting has been announced for Pittsburgh's Civic Light Opera Summer Season. The festival of musicals, which runs May 31-Aug. 4, will include productions of 42nd Street, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Phantom and Disney's The Little Mermaid.

Producer Scott Rudin Confronts New York Times Writer in Printed Testament of Mary Advertisement

Michael Gioia — Mon, 06 May 2013 16:22 GMT

Tony Award-winning Broadway producer Scott Rudin, a lead producer on the short-lived 2013 Tony Award-nominated Best Play The Testament of Mary, criticized New York Times theatre reporter Patrick Healy, whose interview with playwright Colm Tóibín was published May 1, in the Times' Saturday Arts section theatre listings.

STAGE PORTRAIT: Christine Baranski, Walter Bobbie and More in City Center Encores! Production of On Your Toes

Mon, 06 May 2013 16:00 GMT

Acclaimed illustrator Ken Fallin's drawings of the greatest stars and scenes of the theatrical world are a recurring part of Playbill.com.

Oscar Nominee Jackie Weaver Joins "Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks" Film

Adam Hetrick — Mon, 06 May 2013 15:55 GMT

Jacki Weaver and Julian Sands have joined the cast of the film adaptation of Richard Alfieri's "Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks," which will star Cheyenne Jackson and Gena Rowlands.

Danielle Wade Will Star in North American Tour of Wizard of Oz; Itinerary Announced

Andrew Gans — Mon, 06 May 2013 15:43 GMT

Producers Bill Kenwright, The Really Useful Group, David Mirvish, Troika Entertainment & Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures announced May 6 that the first North American tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new stage adaptation of The Wizard of Oz will begin Sept. 10 at The Smith Center in Las Vegas, NV.

Eugene V. Wolsk, Veteran Producer and General Manager, Dies at 84

Robert Simonson — Mon, 06 May 2013 15:30 GMT

Eugene V. Wolsk, a theatre veteran who rose through the Broadway ranks from company manager to general manager to producer, died May 2. He was 84.

THE "Smash" REPORT: Season Two, Episode 14 or, Without You

Ben Rimalower — Mon, 06 May 2013 15:25 GMT

Playbill's weekly recap, with notes and comment, of the latest episode of the NBC musical drama series "Smash," about the dreamers behind Broadway musicals. Here's a look at the May 4 episode, "The Phenomenon."

PHOTO CALL: Inside the Press Room at the 2013 Lucille Lortel Awards

Matthew Blank — Mon, 06 May 2013 15:16 GMT

Maura Tierney and Aasif Mandvi hosted the 28th annual Lucille Lortel Awards May 5, when The Whale, The Piano Lesson and the musical Dogfight were honored in production categories. The Off-Broadway awards were presented at the Skirball Center.

Spider-Man's Katrina Lenk Will Join Broadway Cast of Once May 7

Michael Gioia — Mon, 06 May 2013 15:14 GMT

Katrina Lenk, who most recently starred in Broadway's Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, will join the cast of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Once beginning May 7 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre.

Anna Chlumsky Set for bareNaked Reading of Welcome to the White Room

Carey Purcell — Mon, 06 May 2013 15:01 GMT

Barefoot Theatre Company will present a free reading of Welcome to the White Room, a new play by Trish Harnetiaux, May 13 as part of its bareNaked Reading Series.

A.R.T. Season Includes Witness Uganda and The Tempest With Music and Magic by Tom Waits and Teller

Adam Hetrick — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:51 GMT

The American Repertory Theater has announced additional productions for its 2013-14 season, including a new adaptation of The Tempest, featuring music by Tom Waits, which is directed and adapted by Aaron Posner and magician Teller.

Billy Crudup and Shuler Hensley Will Join Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart in No Man�s Land and Waiting for Godot On Broadway

Andrew Gans — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:31 GMT

Tony Award winners Billy Crudup and Shuler Hensley will join the previously announced Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart in the upcoming repertory production of Harold Pinter’s No Man’s Land and Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot on Broadway this fall.

PHOTO CALL: The 2013 Lucille Lortel Awards � Red Carpet Arrivals

Joseph Marzullo — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:28 GMT

"Smash" Ratings Increase Following May 4 Episode

Michael Gioia — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:11 GMT

Ratings of NBC's "Smash," the Emmy Award-winning musical drama about the creation and inner workings of a Broadway musical, increased following the show's May 4 episode.

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike Will Offer Actors Fund Performance in June

Andrew Gans — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:03 GMT

The cast of Christopher Durang's Tony-nominated Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike will offer a special performance to benefit The Actors Fund next month.

Helen Mirren Rebukes Drummers Outside West End Stage Door During Performance of The Audience

Mark Shenton — Mon, 06 May 2013 13:54 GMT

Dame Helen Mirren publicly remonstrated a party of 25 gay drummers who were playing outside the stage door of the West End's Gielgud Theatre during a performance of The Audience.

Judy Kuhn's "All This Happiness" Due June 4 on PS Classics Label; Track Listing Announced

Andrew Gans — Mon, 06 May 2013 13:40 GMT

Three-time Tony nominee Judy Kuhn, recently seen as Fosca in Classic Stage Company's production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Passion, will release her latest solo recording, "Judy Kuhn: All This Happiness," on the PS Classics label, the company dedicated to the heritage of Broadway and American popular song.

A Musical: Madame Bovary Will Play Roy Arias Stage IV; Casting Announced

Andrew Gans — Mon, 06 May 2013 13:27 GMT

Passajj Productions will present A Musical: Madame Bovary, based on the novel by Gustave Flaubert, beginning May 17 at Roy Arias Stage IV.

Michael Rupert, Nancy Opel, Tony Yazbeck, Elizabeth Stanley and More Set for Barrington�s On the Town

Michael Gioia — Mon, 06 May 2013 04:00 GMT

Barrington Stage Company will kick off its 2013-14 season with the Bernstein-Comden-Green musical On the Town June 12 on the Boyd-Quinson Mainstage. The cast includes Tony Award winner Michael Rupert and Tony Award nominee Nancy Opel.

THE LEADING MEN: Tony Nominees Billy Porter and Stark Sands Kick Up Their Heels in Broadway's Kinky Boots

Michael Gioia — Mon, 06 May 2013 04:00 GMT

Billy Porter and Stark Sands, the leading men at the heart of Broadway's Kinky Boots, each earned a 2013 Tony Award nomination for his performance. Playbill catches up with the nominees.

Brandon Victor Dixon, Shoshana Bean and More Perform at May 6 Broadway in South Africa Celebration; Jay Manuel Hosts

Michael Gioia — Mon, 06 May 2013 04:00 GMT

Jay Manuel, known for appearing on television's "America's Next Top Model," hosts The Broadway in South Africa 5th Anniversary Celebration, which is held May 6 at Avenues, the World School, in Chelsea. Brandon Victor Dixon and Shoshana Bean are among the evening's performers

Nikolai and The Others, Starring Michael Cerveris, Stephen Kunken and John Glover, Opens Off-Broadway

Adam Hetrick — Mon, 06 May 2013 04:00 GMT

Nikolai and the Others, the world-premiere play from Richard Nelson that imagines a weekend shared by Russian artists George Balanchine, Igor Stravinsky, Nikolai Nabokov and more, officially opens Off-Broadway May 6 after previews that began April 4 at Lincoln Center Theater's Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater.

Steven Levenson's Core Values, Starring Reed Birney, Opens Off-Broadway May 6

Adam Hetrick — Mon, 06 May 2013 04:00 GMT

Steven Levenson's new play Core Values, about workplace team building, officially opens Off-Broadway May 6 after previews that began April 24 at Ars Nova. Reed Birney (Blasted, Circle Mirror Transformation, Picnic) stars.

Free Broadway's Future Songbook Series Presented May 6 in NYC

Andrew Gans — Mon, 06 May 2013 04:00 GMT

Broadway's Future Songbook Series — presented by Arts and Artists at St. Paul — continues May 6 in the Bruno Walter Auditorium at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center.

Broadway Backs Boston Benefit, With Nick Adams, Corey Mach, Kate Rockwell, Wallace Smith and More, Held May 6

Michael Gioia — Mon, 06 May 2013 04:00 GMT

Nick Adams, Corey Mach, Kate Rockwell and Wallace Smith are among the performers taking part in Broadway Backs Boston, an evening where Broadway performers come together to support those affected by the Boston Marathon tragedy, May 6 in New York City.

Playwrights Gala, Honoring Women Writers, Held May 6; LaChanze, Shuler Hensley, Kerry Butler Among Performers

Michael Gioia — Mon, 06 May 2013 04:00 GMT

Off-Broadway theatre company Playwrights Horizons holds its annual spring gala May 6 at the event space 583 Park Avenue. Tony Award winners LaChanze and Shuler Hensley as well as Tony nominee Kerry Butler are among the evening's performers.

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today In Theatre History: MAY 6

David Gewirtzman and Anne Bradley and Ernio Hernandez — Mon, 06 May 2013 04:00 GMT

1912 Richard Le Gallienne's Orestes stars Edyth Olive and Rathmel Wilson. It plays at London's Boudoir Theatre.

Dogfight, The Whale and The Piano Lesson Are Lortel Award Winners

Adam Hetrick — Mon, 06 May 2013 01:56 GMT

The Benj Pasek-Justin Paul musical Dogfight, as well as Samuel D. Hunter's The Whale were among the new works to take top honors at the May 5 Lucille Lortel Awards.

Kate Rockwell, Corey Mach, Jared Bradshaw and More Perform Tunes in Times Square in Free Concert May 5

Michael Gioia — Sun, 05 May 2013 13:37 GMT

Magical Music for LifeTM Foundation presents its second annual Tunes in Times Square benefit concert May 5 from 10 AM-6 PM at the Broadway Pedestrian Plaza between 46th and 47th Streets in Times Square.

VINTAGE PLAYBILL: Damn Yankees, 1956

Brynn Cox — Sun, 05 May 2013 04:00 GMT

On this date 58 years ago, Damn Yankees premiered on Broadway.

PLAYBILL VIDEO WEEK IN REVIEW: Barbara Cook, Alli Mauzey, Stephanie J. Block, Cyndi Lauper, Pasek & Paul and More

Playbill Staff — Sun, 05 May 2013 04:00 GMT

In the new series Playbill Video Week in Review, Playbill.com recaps its weekly coverage of Broadway performances, celebrity interviews, web series and opening nights – in case they were missed the first time around.

Who Would You Like to See Play Sally Bowles in a Broadway Revival of Cabaret? Playbill Readers Pick Their Favorites

Playbill Staff — Sun, 05 May 2013 04:00 GMT

Theatre fans are abuzz with reports of a 2014 Broadway revival of Cabaret, featuring Alan Cumming reprising his performance as the dark and deviant Master of Ceremonies who first invites audiences to "come to the cabaret."

World Premiere of The Royale Opens May 5 at Kirk Douglas Theatre

Carey Purcell — Sun, 05 May 2013 04:00 GMT

The world premiere of Marco Ramirez's new play The Royale opens May 5 at the Center Theatre Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre.

Colm Tóibín's The Testament of Mary, Starring Fiona Shaw as Biblical Icon, Closes on Broadway May 5

Adam Hetrick — Sun, 05 May 2013 04:00 GMT

The Testament of Mary, starring Tony Award nominee and four-time Olivier Award-winning actress Fiona Shaw as the mother of Christ, ends its Broadway run May 5 at the Walter Kerr Theatre after 16 regular performances.

Big Fish, With Norbert Leo Butz and Kate Baldwin, Ends Chicago Run May 5; Broadway Is Next

Michael Gioia — Sun, 05 May 2013 04:00 GMT

The world premiere of the new musical Big Fish, based on the 1998 novel by Daniel Wallace and the 2003 Columbia Pictures film written by John August, concludes its pre-Broadway engagement May 5 in Chicago. Following Chicago, the musical will swim into Broadway's Neil Simon Theatre beginning Sept. 5.

Lucille Lortel Awards Held May 5; Dogfight, Giant, Jake Gyllenhaal, Vanessa Redgrave Among Nominees

Adam Hetrick and Kenneth Jones — Sun, 05 May 2013 04:00 GMT

The Signature Theatre's The Piano Lesson, the rock musical Murder Ballad and Annie Baker's play The Flick are among the most-nominated productions of the 2013 Lucille Lortel Awards, noting excellence in Off-Broadway theatre, which are presented May 5 at the NYU Skirball Center.

Friends With Benefits: My Secret Obsession, With T. Oliver Reid, Felicia Finley and Tituss Burgess, Held May 5

Adam Hetrick — Sun, 05 May 2013 04:00 GMT

Tituss Burgess and T. Oliver Reid and are among the performers taking part in Friends With Benefits: My Secret Obsession, a fundraiser for BC/EFA, May 5 at the Duplex.

My Fair Lady, With Gregory Jbara, Laura Michelle Kelly, Cloris Leachman, Jonathan Pryce, Max von Essen, Plays Kennedy Center May 5

Andrew Gans — Sun, 05 May 2013 04:00 GMT

For its 21st annual Spring Gala, the Kennedy Center presents My Fair Lady in Concert May 5 at 8 PM in the Concert Hall. Tony Award nominee Marcia Milgrom Dodge directs and choreographs the concert staging, which features the 35-piece Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra conducted by music director James Moore.

The Rascals: Once Upon a Dream Ends Broadway Engagement May 5; North American Tour to Follow

Michael Gioia and Kenneth Jones — Sun, 05 May 2013 04:00 GMT

The Rascals: Once Upon a Dream, a new concert event written by guitarist Steven Van Zandt, with music and lyrics by Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati, concludes its limited Broadway engagement May 5. The group will embark on a North American tour beginning May 24.