Charles Busch News

Philadelphia Theatre Company announces the world premiere of the new musical Stars of David to open its 2012-2013 season this fall. (more...)

Friday, June 1, Outlaugh 2012, an 8-night comedy festival featuring standup, sketches, short films, essays, improv and1-person shows, kicks off. America’s first and continuing queer Comedy Festival, Outlaugh has previously presented such names as Lea DeLaria, Margaret Cho, and Bob Smith. (more...)

The Boca Raton Theatre Guild’s 2012-2013 season will begin with a comedy, and end with a classic. A.R. Gurney’s Sylvia, and Kander & Ebb’s Chicago will run in September and March at the Willow Theatre in Sugar Sand Park. (more...)

Manhattan Theatre Club will celebrate Artistic Director Lynne Meadow’s 40th anniversary as the visionary and artistic leader of the organization with a special tribute on Monday, June 18. The event will begin at 6:30 PM with a VIP cocktail reception, followed by a 7:30 tribute event at the Samuel J. Friedman (261 West 47th Street). Immediately after the Friedman tribute event, a party will follow at Copacabana (268 West 47th Street). (more...)

Yesterday, May 21, the Actor's Fund held its annual gala at the New York Marriott Marquis, honoring Tony and Emmy Award winning artist and activist Harry Belafonte, acting duo Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller, and real estate developer David Steiner. BroadwayWorld was there and brings you photo coverage below! (more...)

In celebration of the LGBTQ community and its advocates, the NEW YORK NEO-FUTURISTS will perform a special, one-weekend-only version of their ongoing, award-winning show Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind featuring 30 short plays in 60 minutes. This year’s performance will feature 30 original LGBTQ-themed plays, including 15 world-premiers and 15 fan favorites from years past. (more...)

Following her holiday show in Provincetown last Christmas, and her debut at the Laurie Beechman Theater in New York City this past February, David Drake’s newest theatrical creation Tawny Heatherton will bring her blonde-swept brand of cheer back to the tip of the Cape for her very first summer-long engagement – with the premiere of TAWNY, TELL ME TRUE at the Crown & Anchor in Provincetown, MA. With onstage musical direction by John Thomas, TAWNY, TELL ME TRUE opens June 17th and performs every Sunday at 10PM thru Sept 2nd in the Crown Cabaret Room of the Crown & Anchor, 247 Commercial Street. Tickets are $25, and can be obtained in-person at the box office, or online at www.onlyatthecrown.com. (Note: *No performance on July 8th.) (more...)

The Peccadillo Theater Company announced complete casting today for the sold out industry reading of Sherri Heller’s new comedy MY MOTHER, MY SISTER & ME, starring Valerie Harper, this Monday, May 14th at the DR2 Theatre (103 East 15th Street). The presentation will be directed by OBIE Award winner, Dan Wackerman. Along with Valerie Harper, the cast will feature Marcelo Pereira, Anthony Reimer, Randy Schein, Barbara Walsh, Zoe Winters and Remy Zaken. (more...)

Patrons were treated to a classic trip down memory lane this week as four leading ladies of the legendary Persian Room New York came together for a book signing. Lainie Zazan, Michele Lee, Connie Stevens and Barbara Van Orden gathered at Barnes and Noble in California's The Grove to celebrate the release of Patty Farmer's new book “The Persian Room Presents.” Anecdotes involving audience celebrity sightings included Barbara Streisand (by Stevens), Milton Berle (by Van Orden), Jack Jones and his thighs (by Lee) and a mob king who struck her while performing (by Kazan). See photos of the leading ladies at the event below! (more...)

Lucas Papaelias, of Broadway’s ONCE is set to join the line up of the previously announced 17th annual LOWER EAST SIDE (LES) FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS. Papaelias is also known as LPfunK and is an actor/guitarist/composer who was nominated for a Drama Desk Award (Best Original Music in a Play) for his work in Adam Rapp's “Essential Self-Defense” at Playwrights Horizons. Most recently, he co-wrote the rock musical PYRAMIDICA: Songs of Freedom, which takes place live in a pyramid scheme company's “free” orientation, and was presented at the Vineyard Arts Project’s New Writers / New Plays Festival. He also conceived of, and composed, the rock opera ITHACA: a Perpetual Shredfest, the story of a Lower East Side rock band performing their final concert, which had presentations at Joe’s Pub and ARS Nova. (more...)

Directed by Scott Elliott, Women Behind Bars featured: Charles Busch (The Matron), Janeane Garofalo (Louise), Nancy Giles (Jo-Jo), Josh Hamilton (the men), Natasha Lyonne (Cheri), Cynthia Nixon (Blanche), Rosie O’Donnell (Gloria), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Guadalupe), Rhea Perlman (Granny, The Warden) and Jennifer Tilly (Ada). Check out photos below! (more...)

Bay Street Theatre held its First Annual Honors Benefit last night with some of the biggest names of the stage and screen converging at the Manhattan Penthouse in New York City to honor Joy Behar, AdriAnne Cohen and John Downing, all members of Bay Street's Board of Trustees. The evening was capped off by an amazing performance by the one and only Liza Minnelli to a standing-room only crowd. View photos below! (more...)

Coney Island USA & HT productions present Wonder Woman: A How To Guide for Little Jewish Girls, written by Cyndi Freeman and directed by David Drake @ Sideshow By The Seashore Theater, located at 1208 Surf Ave. Brooklyn, NY on Wednesday, June 6 at 9pm. Tickets are $10. For more information, visit www.coneyisland.com. (more...)

The Peccadillo Theater Company will present a special industry reading of Sherri Heller’s new comedy MY MOTHER, MY SISTER & ME starring Valerie Harper on Monday, May 14th at 7 pm at the DR2 Theatre (103 East 15th Street). The presentation will be directed by OBIE Award winner, Dan Wackerman. A full cast announcement will be forthcoming. (more...)

THE LYONS, which debuted last fall at the Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning Vineyard Theatre, officially opened last night, April 23, at the Cort Theatre. Previews began on April 5. THE LYONS comes to Broadway with its entire original cast: Linda Lavin and Dick Latessa along with Michael Esper, Kate Jennings Grant, Brenda Pressley and Gregory Wooddell. Mark Brokaw directs. BroadwayWorld was on hand for opening night, and we bring you photos from the starry opening night arrivals below! (more...)

Five years to the day after opening its doors to Detroit audiences, The Ringwald Theatre begins a four-week exclusive run of the holy comedy, The Divine Sister. Written by Charles Busch, author of the past Ringwald hits Die! Mommie! Die! and Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, this outrageous comedy pays homage to Hollywood’s most memorable nun movies and stars Ringwald’s favorite “lady,” Joe Bailey, and local radio personality Lisa Jesswein! (more...)

The writer of the musical Desperately Seeking Susan opens up about creating a flop in his new one man show Desperately Seeking the Exit. (more...)

On Monday, April 23, 2012, Theatre Communications Group (TCG) will elebrate its 50th c anniversary at a gala honoring Kenny Leon, Judith O. Rubin, and The Shubert Foundation, at Espace (635 West 42nd Street between 11th and 12th avenues). (more...)

Theater for the New City will present Charles Busch's new comedy JUDITH OF BETHULIA. The play, starring Busch, and directed by Carl Andress (The Divine Sister; Die, Mommie, Die!) will play a limited engagement of 24 performances from Friday, March 30 through Saturday, April 28 at Theater for the New City's Cino Theater (155 First Avenue). (more...)

Charles Busch’s "outrageous spoof of the sometimes silly, one-time ubiquitous genre, the nun movie, lifts the art of satire to heavenly heights. No sister act is too sacrosanct for this maestro of mockery, this prima donna of parody, to lampoon: from The Bells of St. Mary’s to The Singing Nun, Busch tempers his send-up of the sanctimonious with adoration, sentimentality and pure joy." (more...)