David Spencer News

Jacob Whitesides today released his highly anticipated debut full length album WHY? via his own Double U Records.

Jacob Whitesides will release his long-awaited debut solo album Why? today, September 9th via Double U Records.

Paper Mill Playhouse, recipient of the 2016 Regional Theatre Tony Award, has just announced complete casting for Mel Brooks' award-winning musical The Producers, directed by Don Stephenson and choreographed by Bill Burns. The Producers features music and lyrics by Mel Brooks, a book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan, and the original Broadway direction and choreography by Susan Stroman.

Jacob Whitesides will release his long-awaited debut solo album Why? on Friday, September 9th via Double U Records.

?David Brighton is the world's best David Bowie impersonator and performer with one of the most entertaining tribute acts ever to hit the stage. His "Space Oddity" is a brilliant and astounding tribute, perfectly mirroring the electrifying superstar, an avante guard musician, composer, lyricist, actor and dramatist who was always ahead of what came next! >From pop/rock legend and mime dancer to space alien Ziggy Stardust, David Brighton and his stellar five-man band chronicle all of David Bowie's Ch-Ch-Changes in electrifying Technicolor.

COMING SOON: Hayes Theatre Company's Second Half Of 2016

?After a highly successful Melbourne season, Vic Theatre Company in association with Hayes Theatre Co is thrilled to be bringing their production of the Tony Award-winning musical comedy THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE to Sydney's Hayes Theatre Co for a strictly limited season from November 17.

Vancouver, BC ~  Vancouver Opera kicks off the exciting 2015-2016 season with Giuseppe Verdi's thrilling blockbuster, Rigoletto. Powerful baritone Gordon Hawkins will sing the title role, with international superstar soprano Simone Osborne as Gilda and acclaimed tenor Bruce Sledge as the Duke. Sensational melodies, heartbreaking drama and vivid characters make this dark, tender drama of love and revenge irresistible.

Vancouver, BC ~  Vancouver Opera kicks off the exciting 2015-2016 season with Giuseppe Verdi's thrilling blockbuster, Rigoletto. Powerful baritone Gordon Hawkins will sing the title role, with international superstar soprano Simone Osborne as Gilda and acclaimed tenor Bruce Sledge as the Duke. Sensational melodies, heartbreaking drama and vivid characters make this dark, tender drama of love and revenge irresistible.

The world premiere production of The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz: The Musical, based on the novel by Mordecai Richler, with book and lyrics by David Spencer and an original music by eight-time Oscar winning composer Alan Menken, is in the process of rehearsals for the recent production, and BroadwayWorld was on the scene to get an exclusive first look. Check it out below!

For Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award winner Alan Menken - his musical based on the book and film The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz is what he calls 'a passion project, definitely.' Menken's version of Duddy Kravitz as a musical, which he co-wrote with David Spencer, was originally produced in the 1980's in Philadelphia. 'We did it in Philadelphia and we had a provision in the contract where we had to have a first class production (which Philadelphian wasn't) in order for the rights to merge, and when that didn't happen nobody could do (license) this musical…' Menken told me from inside the Segal Centre in Montreal while on break from rehearsals.

The Segal Centre for Performing Arts is delighted to announce seven new performances to its world premiere production of The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz: The Musical, based on the novel by Mordecai Richler, with book and lyrics by David Spencer and an original music by eight-time Oscar winning composer Alan Menken.

The Segal Centre for Performing Arts is delighted to announce seven new performances to its world premiere production of The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz: The Musical, based on the novel by Mordecai Richler, with book and lyrics by David Spencer and an original music by eight-time Oscar winning composer Alan Menken.

The Segal Centre will close its blockbuster 2014-2015 Theatre Season with The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz: The Musical, a world premiere musical adaptation of Mordecai Richler's novel and the feature film by the same name, from June 7-28, 2015. This new production boasts an original musical score by Alan Menken, the legendary Oscar and Tony winning composer of Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, with book and lyrics by acclaimed lyricist-librettist David Spencerand direction by American theatre veteran Austin Pendleton. Presented with the generous support of RBC and Muse Entertainment.  Check out highlights below!

Below, BroadwayWorld brings you a first look at the production!

The Segal Centre closes its blockbuster 2014-2015 Theatre Season with The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz: The Musical, a world premiere musical adaptation of Mordecai Richler's novel and the feature film by the same name, through July 12, 2015. This new production boasts an original musical score by Alan Menken, the legendary Oscar and Tony winning composer of Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, with book and lyrics by acclaimed lyricist-librettist David Spencer and direction by American theatre veteran Austin Pendleton. Presented with the generous support of RBC and Muse Entertainment. The poignant Montreal coming of age story of ambitious scoundrel Duddy Kravitz, Canadian author Mordecai Richler's beloved anti-hero, will premiere as a brand new musical in the city where the story takes place. Let's see what the critcs had to say...

Closing off the Segal Centre's 2014-2015 season, this classic story follows young Duddy Kravitz (Ken James Stewart), a kid who's grown up in the ethnic ghetto of the post-war St. Urbain Street in Montreal. Duddy is eager to escape his dead-end neighborhood and be somebody. After being told by his elderly, Jewish grandfather (Howard Jerome) that "a man without land is nobody," Duddy employs his boyish charms and underhanded nature as he sets his sights on acquiring the land around a lake in the Laurentians.

The Segal Centre is proud to announce that its world premiere production of The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz: The Musical, set to open today, June 11, will receive a one week extension to meet audience demand. Based on the classic Montreal coming of age novel by Mordecai Richler, with book and lyrics by David Spencer, music by Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken, and directed by Austin Pendleton, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz: The Musical was officially scheduled to close on Sunday, June 28. It will now run an additional week through Sunday, July 5th. Tickets for these added performances are now on sale.

The Segal Centre will close its blockbuster 2014-2015 Theatre Season with The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz: The Musical, a world premiere musical adaptation of Mordecai Richler's novel and the feature film by the same name, from June 7-28, 2015. This new production boasts an original musical score by Alan Menken, the legendary Oscar and Tony winning composer of Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, with book and lyrics by acclaimed lyricist-librettist David Spencer and direction by American theatre veteran Austin Pendleton. Presented with the generous support of RBC and Muse Entertainment.

Mordecai Richler's landmark coming of age novel The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz is getting the all-star musical treatment in a world premiere musical adaptation produced by the Segal Centre for Performing Arts in Montreal from June 7 to 28th, 2015.