LAST CHANCE
April 18: Lena Hall may have finished her Tony-winning performance in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, but fans can still catch a glimpse of the talented performer at iconic cabaret venue Cafe Carlyle through April 17.
PREVIEWS
Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway stars in the recently extended Grounded Off-Broadway. Helmed by Julie Taymor, Hathaway takes to the stage at the Public Theater for this critically acclaimed one-woman show about a fighter pilot who returns from a middle-eastern war zone.
OPENING
April 16: The Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, The King and I has returned to Broadway and has its official opening night. In 1860s Siam, Anna, a British schoolteacher, is hired as part of King Mongkut's drive to modernize his country. Bartlett Sher directs Kelli O'Hara, Ken Watanabe and a cast of over 50 in the new lavish staging.
April 19: The Pulitzer-nominated Jeanine Tesori – Lisa Kron musical Fun Home, based on Alison Bechdel's graphic memoir, officially opens on Broadway following an acclaimed, popular Off-Broadway premiere. Sam Gold, who helmed the original production, directs much of the same cast, including Tony winner Michael Cerveris and Tony nominee Judy Kuhn.
April 20: Opera star and four-time Grammy Award winner Renee Fleming plays an opera diva in Joe DiPietro's new comedy Living on Love. Fleming depicts the fiery Raquel De Angelis, who is feuding with her husband, played by Tony nominee Douglas Sills. Read Playbill.com's feature in which leading lady Fleming opens up about indulging her inner diva.
April 21: Based on Boris Pasternak’s Nobel Prize-winning 20th-century Russian masterpiece, the Doctor Zhivago musical, which began previews March 27, brings together some of the most acclaimed and talented in the business. Directed by two-time Tony Award winner Des McAnuff, with a book by Academy Award nominee Michael Weller, music by two-time Grammy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Lucy Simon, lyrics by Tony Award nominee Michael Korie and Emmy Award nominee Amy Powers and choreography by Tony Award nominee Kelly Devine, the musical officially opens April 21. The cast is headed by Tam Mutu, Kelli Barrett, Tony Award nominee Tom Hewitt and Lora Lee Gayer.
April 22: The highly anticipated new musical comedy Something Rotten stars Tony winner Christian Borle and Tony nominee Brian d'Arcy James as dueling playwrights: William Shakespeare and the far less famous (and envious) Nick Bottom, respectively. Helmed by Tony Award-winning Aladdin and The Book of Mormon director-choreographer Casey Nicholaw, the show features a hugely talented cast and promises many laughs and an inspired, fresh score. Read Playbill.com's feature with Christian Borle and Brian d'Arcy James; the former "Smash" co-stars discuss competing for roles, skipping their out-of-town tryout and how Britney Spears influenced Borle's portrayal of William Shakespeare.
April 23: The formidable Chita Rivera stars as a wealthy widow seeking revenge and a last brush with romance in The Visit, the new Kander and Ebb musical that made its long-awaited Broadway debut when it began previews March 26. Based on Friedrich Dürrenmatt's 1956 play, it features a score by Tony Award-winning Cabaret and Chicago collaborators John Kander (music) and the late Fred Ebb (lyrics). The musical features a book by Tony Award-winning playwright Terrence McNally and is directed by Tony winner John Doyle. Read about The Visit's long journey to Broadway.
April 23: Pulitzer finalist Lisa D'Amour's Airline Highway had its world premiere at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre earlier this year where it garnered critical acclaim and an extended run. Directed by two-time Tony winner Joe Mantello, the colorful, New Orleans-set play delves into the lives of a rag-tag group of strippers, hustlers and philosophers. Read about Lisa D'Amour's inspiration for the play on Playbill.com.
SPECIAL EVENTS
April 18: The latest in immersive theatre experiences to hit New York is Speakeasy Dollhouse: Ziegfeld's Midnight Frolic. The Liberty Theatre off Times Square will be transformed for the site-specific show, which re-imagines Florenz Ziegfeld's lavish 1910-20's revues, complete with showgirls, burlesque and aerialists.
April 19: 54 Below will host a reunion concert featuring cast members from the original Broadway run of The Wedding Singer. Constantine Maroulis, Amy Spanger and Felicia Finley are among the stars who will perform hits from the 1980's-set Tony-nominated musical.
April 19: A new print of the iconic film "The Sound of Music," starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, will return to select cinemas nationally in celebration of its 50th anniversary. The special edition features a new introduction.
April 20: The anticipated Pulitzer Prize in Drama is announced at a ceremony at Columbia University in New York. Read Playbill.com's overview of the plays considered leading contenders for the Pulitzer Prize by industry insiders.
April 20 & 21: The 29th Annual Easter Bonnet Competition returns to the Minskoff Theatre with a blend of skits, songs and dancing performed by Broadway, Off-Broadway and touring companies. Proceeds benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
