Jason Williams News

Check out this weekend's highlights from some of your favorites, including Tituss Burgess, Billy Porter, Sir Patrick Stewart, and more!

Today's top stories: Madonna is working on a screenplay with Diablo Cody, and more!

Darkness RISING Project is a 501 (c3) composed of singers and musicians from the Black Broadway community whose purpose is to help those in the Black community begin conversations about mental health, provide access to resources, and erase the negative stigma of mental health issues.

Additional casting has been announced for Broadway Does Mother's Day, a digital variety show featuring sketches, performances and appearances from Broadway shows and stars.

Bucks County Playhouse has announced final casting for the world premiere production of the new musical-comedy adventure, 'Other World.' The musical, which celebrates the ability to find heroes in unexpected places, begins performances at the Playhouse on March 13 and run through April 11 with an official opening night on March 28.

Need an escape from your own family this holiday season? Don that Christmas sweater and join the Ryans 'round the tree at Straight Faced Lies, where secrets are buried deep in overstuffed stockings and the egg nog is spiked with dysfunction.

Freddie Falls in Love, a joyously unrestrained and captivating dance play starring some of today's hottest performers from stage and screen, including Matt Doyle and Melanie Moore, will play a limited theatrical engagement this summer at The Joyce Theater.

Asheville Creative Arts (ACA), Asheville's professional children's theatre, completes its 7th season with CHARLOTTE'S WEB. Adapted by Joseph Robinette from the beloved children's book by E.B. White, this production is directed by Abby Felder, features original folk music from Jonesalee (Gina Stewart and Brenda Gambill), puppets, costumes and sets by Edwin Salas Acosta, musical direction by Kylie Irvin, choreography by Isabelle Bowser, dramaturgey by Alex Smith, lights by Jason Williams with outreach from ACA's Community Development Director, Daniele Martin, and production and marketing support from Brook Bresnan. CHARLOTTE'S WEB will run at Magnetic 375 (375 Depot Street) from July 18-28, with public performances Fridays at 7, Saturdays at 4 (with all tickets pay-what-you-wish), and Sundays at 1pm (tickets to Friday and Sunday performances $12 for students and $23 for adults). A limited number of tickets to the public are available for weekday matinees, July 18 at 1pm, July 23-26 at 10am and 1pm. Tickets and more info at www.ashevillecreativearts.org.

Freddie Falls in Love, a joyously unrestrained and captivating dance play starring some of today's hottest performers from stage and screen, including Matt Doyle and Melanie Moore, will play a limited theatrical engagement this summer at The Joyce Theater.

Freddie Falls in Love, a joyously unrestrained and captivating dance play starring some of today's hottest performers from stage and screen, including Matt Doyle and Melanie Moore, will play a limited theatrical engagement this summer at The Joyce Theater.

Freddie Falls in Love, a joyously unrestrained and captivating dance play starring some of today's hottest performers from stage and screen, including Matt Doyle and Melanie Moore, will play a limited theatrical engagement this summer at The Joyce Theater. Presented by The Joyce Theater Foundation, the production, under the direction of Al Blackstone, will enjoy a two-week run from July 23-August 4. Tickets, ranging in price from $10-$65, can be purchased at www.Joyce.org, or by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800. Please note: ticket prices are subject to change. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at West 19th Street. For more information, please visit www.Joyce.org.

The Theater at the 14th Street Y continues to honor the edgy, diverse, and rich history of innovative culture-making in the East Village with the 2019-20 Season from September 6, 2019 through June 2020. All productions are chosen through a submission process and the curated season is co-presented by the Theater at the 14th Street Y. From a wide range of artists, the season is a deliberate program of artistic discourse around the theme of Life and Death.

Performing Arts Fort Worth proudly presents the first national tour of the hit Broadway production, A BRONX TALE, at Bass Performance Hall July 23-28. The show is part of Performing Arts Fort Worth's 2018-2019 Broadway at the Bass series. Tickets start at $44 and are on sale now!

The Theater at the 14th Street Y continues to honor the edgy, diverse, and rich history of innovative culture-making in the East Village with the 201 9-20 Season from September 6, 2019 through June 2020. All productions are chosen through a submission process and the curated season is co-presented by the Theater at the 14th Street Y. From a wide range of artists the season is a deliberate program of artistic discourse around the theme of Life and Death.

Freddie Falls in Love, a joyously unrestrained and captivating dance play starring some of today's hottest performers from stage and screen, including Matt Doyle and Melanie Moore, will play a limited theatrical engagement this summer at The Joyce Theater. Presented by The Joyce Theater Foundation, the production, under the direction of Al Blackstone, will enjoy a two-week run from July 23-August 4.

Since classical times, artists have always had to reconcile the demands of their patrons with their own artistic integrity.  In the 21st century, the patrons' demands can come from both the left and right. 'Zen A.M.,' a new comedy by Natalie Menna, illustrates the conundrum, nesting it in present-day issues of class identification, compassion, cultural identity and creative resistance.  Theater for the New City will present the world premiere of the piece May 31 to June 16, directed by Andrew Block.

Two iconic stars made a surprise appearance at last night's performance of A Bronx Tale in Boston. The show's creator, Chazz Palminteri, and co-director Robert DeNiro (who also directed, and starred in, the film) took the stage following curtain call to give a speech.

The North American tour of A BRONX TALE doo-wops its way into the Citizens Bank Opera House through April 14th as part of the 2018-2019 Lexus Broadway In Boston Season. It is at once a nostalgic stroll down memory lane with an original rock 'n' roll score, a gritty depiction of urban turf wars, and a well-told story about loyalty, love, and family. Based on Chazz Palminteri's 1989 one-man Off-Broadway play that inspired a 1993 film, the musical reunites the author with his directors, Jerry Zaks and Robert DeNiro, and they are joined by composer Alan Menken, lyricist Glenn Sater, and choreographer Sergio Trujillo. Like other musicals that have come before it (HAIRSPRAY, JERSEY BOYS, WEST SIDE STORY, to mention a few), A BRONX TALE feels familiar as it evokes a time, a place, and a genre that we recognize. It is a good, solid show with great music, performances, and design elements that provides a couple of hours of entertainment and escape.

The first words sung in A Bronx Tale, the tonally uneven and musically disappointing touring show that opened at D.C.'s National Theatre on Tuesday, are literally "this is a Bronx tale." The artistic subtleties don't get much better from there, as the musical (based on a movie based on a one-man show) proceeds to tackle issues from morality to racism with all the delicateness of a mobster smashing someone's head in with a baseball bat. Everything about this production is underwhelming from the performances to the design to the direction and choreography. Ultimately, A Bronx Tale is the perfect example of why we should stop adapting movies into musicals.

A BRONX TALE, the streetwise Broadway musical based on the one-man show and now classic film, will make its Washington, D.C. premiere at the National Theatre for one week only from March 26 through 31, 2019.