Pacific Symphony to Celebrate André Previn as Part of 15th American Composers Festival, 5/28
by Matt Smith - May 12, 2015
Orange County, Calif.-May 11, 2015-One of America's most versatile and prolific living composers, Andre Previn, joins Pacific Symphony as the honored guest and focus of the 15th American Composers Festival (ACF). Previn, who has been called one of America's least easily categorized musicians, began his remarkable career as a Hollywood "wunderkind" and a best-selling jazz pianist. Now 86, Previn has received four Academy Awards for his work in film, 10 Grammy Awards for his recordings (plus one more for his Lifetime Achievement), and he is also an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He's held a series of major conducting posts, including the L.A. Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra, but now exclusively composes. The concert is led by Music Director Carl St.Clair, whose great admiration for the legend shaped this year's ACF to reveal the scope of Previn's prowess as a composer.
BWW Feature: April Showers Show Tunes Bring Young Love
by Matt Tamanini - Apr 19, 2015
"April showers may come your way, they bring flowers that bloom in May!" So go the words of the old Tin Pan Alley song. When the days begin to get longer, and the daffodils work to pop up through the dirt, we know that spring is just around the corner. April is that gateway to birds singing, grass growing, and romance blooming. This month we look at spring and the season's sweet rains that give life to young love.
Rubicon Theatre's THE LAST FIVE YEARS Announces Director and Full Cast
by Matt Smith - Jan 19, 2015
December 18, 2014 (Ventura, CA) - Rubicon Theatre Company of Ventura has just announced the director and cast for the company's mainstage production of The Last Five Years, Jason Robert Brown's emotionally powerful, intimate pop musical about two New Yorkers in their twenties who fall in love and try to hold on to each other when life leads them in opposite directions. Rubicon's production will be helmed by Rubicon Resident Artist Stephanie A. Coltrin, who won an Ovation Award for Miss Saigon in L.A. The role of up-and-coming novelist Jamie Wellerstein will be played by Louis Pardo, whose credits include the National Tour of Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley and work with South Coast Rep, San Diego Rep, and Musical Theatre Guild. Ashley Fox Linton stars opposite Pardo as Cathy Hiatt, an aspiring young actress. Fox Linton's credits include Glinda in the Broadway National Tour of Wicked and Cosette in Les Miserables.
Tony-Winning SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE Comes to Los Altos Hills; Opens February 19 at Lohman Theatre
by Robert Diamond - Jan 17, 2015
Multi-award winning Foothill Music Theatre presents SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. Inspired by the iconic pointillist painting 'A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte' by Georges Seurat, this funny, heartfelt musical delves into the inner-lives of both the artist and his subjects.
The Collegiate Chorale to Perform SUSANNA with Isabel Leonard, 2/3
by Tyler Peterson - Jan 12, 2015
The Collegiate Chorale continues its 2014-15 season with George F. Handel's Susanna on February 3, 2015 at 8pm at Town Hall, 123 W. 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036. Tickets are $30-$95 and are available at TicketMaster.com. For more information, visit http://collegiatechorale.org/performances/susanna.
Photo Flashback: A Fond Farewell - Remembering The Stars We Lost in 2014
by Walter McBride - Jan 1, 2015
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.
Broadway's duChateaus Conduct Children's Choir at UN Today
by BWW News Desk - Nov 20, 2014
Husband and wife conductors Charles duChateau (Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark, South Pacific) and Annbritt duChateau (Aladdin, Mary Poppins) will lead a diverse group of young performers to sing at the 25th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child at the United Nations (UN) today, November 20.
LA Chamber Orchestra Welcomes New Board President, Members
by Tyler Peterson - Oct 29, 2014
The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, one of the nation's leading orchestras renowned for its wide-ranging repertoire and adventurous commissioning initiatives, has named attorney Dana Newman President of the Board of Directors, announced LACO Executive Director Rachel Fine. The Altadena resident succeeds Gene Shutler, who assumes the role of Chairman of the Board after completing a three-year term as President. Fine also announced the appointment of four new board members to three-year terms: Ahsan Aijaz (Los Angeles), vice president, Fortress Investment Group; Leslie Lassiter (Beverly Hills), Los Angeles market manager, J.P. Morgan Private Bank; Raulee Marcus (Long Beach), president, Pinnacle Management; and attorney Shaheen Nanji (Pacific Palisades), principal, Integrated Technologies Group and community leader.
All Aboard - Meet the Full Cast of THE LAST SHIP, Setting Sail Tonight on Broadway!
by Meet the Cast - Oct 26, 2014
THE LAST SHIP - the new musical with music and lyrics by 16-time Grammy Award-winner Sting and book by Tony Award winner John Logan and Pulitzer Prize-winner Brian Yorkey opens tonight, October 26. The Last Ship is directed by Tony Award winner Joe Mantello and choreographed by Olivier Award winner and Tony Award nominee Steven Hoggett. Scroll down to learn more about the full cast and watch the company onstage in a commercial for the show below!
BWW REVIEWS: World Regional Premiere of WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN Is Expertly Done, Coolly Received
by Paul W. Thompson - Sep 28, 2014
David Yazbek has shown himself to be a Broadway composer-lyricist to be reckoned with, after a splashy debut with 2000's "The Full Monty," and a meaningful follow-up with 2005's "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels." Both film adaptations, they won Drama Desk Awards for him, as well as Tony nominations. 2010's "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown", also a film adaptation, was Tony-nominated for its score as well, though it suffered a truncated run of only 69 performances. Theatre at the Center in the Chicago suburb of Munster, Indiana, is the location for the show's world regional premiere.
New York City Center Kicks Off 11th Annual FALL FOR DANCE FESTIVAL Today
by BWW News Desk - Sep 12, 2014
New York City Center's 11th annual Fall for Dance Festival will feature free performances in Central Park and 24 acclaimed dance companies and artists from around the world, in six unique programs in September and October 2014. In keeping with the Festival's commitment to make dance accessible to everyone, the Festival will kick off with two FREE evenings of dance at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, in association with The Public Theater, today and tomorrow, September 12 and 13 (rain date, September 14) and will continue at City Center from October 8 - October 19 with all tickets at $15. The Festival's many free pre-show events will include dance lessons and panels by choreographers, artists and dance educators. Tickets will go on sale Sunday, September 14 at 11 a.m.
Photo Flashback: Remembering Mary Rodgers
by Walter McBride - Jun 27, 2014
As BroadwayWorld reported yesterday, Mary Rodgers Guettel died at her home in Manhattan yesterday morning after a long illness, according to her son Alec Guettel. She was 83 years old. We remember the Broadway legend below.
Pacific Symphony's American Composers Festival Continues for 14th Year with FROM SCREEN TO SCORE This Weekend
by BWW News Desk - May 8, 2014
Pacific Symphony's critically-acclaimed American Composers Festival (ACF) continues for the 14th year with 'From Screen to Score: New Concert Music by Famous Film Composers'-who happen to be four of today's biggest Hollywood heavy-hitters: John Williams ('Star Wars,' 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' 'E.T., the Extra Terrestrial'), Howard Shore ('Lord of the Rings,' 'The Hobbit,' 'Hugo'), James Horner ('Titanic,' 'Star Trek,' 'Apollo 13') and Elliot Goldenthal ('Alien 3,' 'Batman Forever' and 'Batman and Robin'). Together, these iconic composers boast 11 Oscars and countless billions of box office dollars. They also hold the ironic position of simultaneously being the most-heard orchestral composers ever (the soundtrack for 'Titanic' sold 30 million copies), yet their music is the least performed.
BWW Preview: THE MUSICAL OF MUSICALS (THE MUSICAL!) Comes to the Quality Hill Playhouse in Kansas City
by Steve Wilson - Apr 20, 2014
The Musical of Musical (The Musical!) opens on April 25 at the Quality Hill Playhouse in Kansas City. Joanne Bogart and Eric Rockwell wrote the musical that opened off-Broadway in 2003 at the York Theatre and again in 2005 at the Dodger Stages. The musical played on London's West End utilizing the same cast from March 31, 2006 through April 22, 2006 at the Sound Theatre., Jon
Pacific Symphony's American Composers Festival Continues for 14th Year with FROM SCREEN TO SCORE, 5/8-10
by BWW News Desk - Apr 8, 2014
Pacific Symphony's critically-acclaimed American Composers Festival (ACF) continues for the 14th year with "From Screen to Score: New Concert Music by Famous Film Composers"-who happen to be four of today's biggest Hollywood heavy-hitters: John Williams ("Star Wars," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "E.T., the Extra Terrestrial"), Howard Shore ("Lord of the Rings," "The Hobbit," "Hugo"), James Horner ("Titanic," "Star Trek," "Apollo 13") and Elliot Goldenthal ("Alien 3," "Batman Forever" and "Batman and Robin"). Together, these iconic composers boast 11 Oscars and countless billions of box office dollars. They also hold the ironic position of simultaneously being the most-heard orchestral composers ever (the soundtrack for "Titanic" sold 30 million copies), yet their music is the least performed.
Richard Maltby, Jr. Directs Star-Studded Cast for DTC's AIN'T MISBEHAVIN', Now thru 4/27
by BWW News Desk - Apr 2, 2014
Delaware Theatre Company will close its 35th season with the 35th anniversary of the hit musical AIN'T MISBEHAVIN', conceived by Richard Maltby, Jr. and Murray Horwitz. Delaware Theatre Company's production will be directed by original Broadway director and co-creator Richard Maltby, Jr. and feature his own handpicked cast alongside the original designs from the 1978 Tony Award-winning production.
New York Philharmonic to Return to Bravo! Vail for 12th Annual Summer Residency, 7/18-25
by BWW News Desk - Mar 28, 2014
The New York Philharmonic will return to Bravo! Vail in Colorado for the Orchestra's 12th- annual summer residency there, performing six concerts July 18-25, 2014. Music Director Alan Gilbert will conduct three programs, July 18-20, featuring works by composers for whom he has advocated during his tenure, ranging from Nielsen to The Marie-Jose?e Kravis Composer-in- Residence Christopher Rouse. The other Philharmonic concerts will be conducted by Bramwell Tovey (July 23 and 25) and Ted Sperling (July 24), and will feature works by Copland, Gershwin, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, and Loesser, among others.
Meet the Cast of West End's MISS SAIGON; Returns May 3, 2014
by Nicole Rosky - Mar 27, 2014
Miss Saigon, currently booking for performances through to Saturday 25th October 2014, will make its highly anticipated return to the West End on Saturday 3 May 2014 at the Prince Edward Theatre, in the musical's 25th anniversary year. Cameron Mackintosh's new production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg's epic musical has played in 300 cities in 15 different languages, winning awards around the world since the sensational record-breaking run at London's Theatre Royal Drury Lane 25 years ago. This epic love story tells the tragic tale of young bar girl Kim, orphaned by war, who falls in love with an American GI Chris--but their lives are torn apart by the fall of Saigon.
Meet the full company below!
STAGE TUBE: On This Day 3/18- Sutton Foster
by Nicole Rosky - Mar 18, 2014
Happy Birthday, Sutton Foster! Foster's portrayal of Reno Sweeney in Roundabout Theatre Company's production of Anythng Goes earned her the 2011 Tony Award Best Leading Actress in a Musical. Sutton also starred on Broadway as Princess Fiona in Shrek: The Musical, for which she was honored with Tony and Drama Desk nominations, and the Outer Critics Circle Award. Prior to that, Sutton was Inga in the Mel Brooks musical, Young Frankenstein, Janet Van De Graaff in The Drowsy Chaperone (2006 Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations, LA Ovation Award) and Jo March in Little Women: The Musical (2005 Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle Award nominations). She is the recipient of the 2002 Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Astaire Awards for her performance as Millie Dillmount in Thoroughly Modern Millie, a role she created in the 2000 La Jolla Playhouse premiere.