Jeanine Tesori News

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Patrick Willingham) announced today that Shakespeare in the Park alumni Raul Esparza, Jesse L. Martin, Jerry Stiller, Christopher Walken, Sam Waterston and Jeffrey Wright will join Kevin Kline as Romeo and Meryl Streep as Juliet in a one-night-only benefit reading of ROMEO AND JULIET on Monday, June 18-- the 50th Anniversary of the opening of the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. (more...)

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

Tickets for North Shore Music Theatre's June season of 'Thoroughly Modern Millie' are now on sale with performances starting June 9 through to 23, 2012. (more...)

After more than 5,000 auditions in a coast-to-coast search, ANNIE has announced casting for the orphans for the new production of the classic Tony Award-winning Broadway musical. ANNIE will open on Broadway in Fall 2012 at a Nederlander theatre to be announced. The production will be directed by three-time Tony Award winner James Lapine and choreographed by Tony Award winner Andy Blankenbuehler. (more...)

Today we are continuing BroadwayWorld’s ongoing interview series with the stars and creative team of NBC’s hit musical drama series SMASH with a Broadway/Hollywood leading man who first made his mark on the stage creating a role in the Tony Award-winning TITANIC after having appeared in BLOOD BROTHERS and CAROUSEL and who has since starred in productions as diverse as SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS, DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, NEXT TO NORMAL, SHREK and many more - the jovial and multi-talented Brian d'Arcy James. Discussing all aspects of his role on SMASH as well as cluing us in on what we can expect from Monday’s highly awaited season finale, d'Arcy James and I also take a look back at his career onstage thus far and he shares fond recollections of working on TITANIC, SWEET SMELL, SHREK, NEXT TO NORMAL, TIME STANDS STILL and THE WILD PARTY Off-Broadway as well as offers his observations of his collaborators and co-stars in each endeavor. Plus, Brian also reveals his other current TV project: his character arc on Showtime’s dramedy THE BIG C, starring his TIME STANDS STILL co-star Laura Linney and previous John Benjamin Hickey, that begins this Sunday and continues through the rest of this month. Additionally, we also discuss his upcoming 54 Below concerts June 26-30 - as well as his thoughtful and candid opinions on some of his favorite songwriters and his own songs. Plus, comments on his film roles in HBO's GAME CHANGE, FRIENDS WITH KIDS, an upcoming short film - and much, much more! (more...)

The Muny will present THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE as a part of the 94th season in Forest Park. Set to star in the production are Broadway favorites Beth Leavel, Leslie Uggams, and Tari Kelly as Mrs. Meers, Muzzy, and Millie respectively. The production, running June 18-24, will be directed by Marc Bruni and choreographed by Chris Bailey. (more...)

“Our 34th season will be another ambitious one for the Coterie. The Coterie's Lab for New Family Musicals will host an awesome holiday production and work with the composing/writing team behind Shrek the Musical to create the premiere Theatre for Young Audiences version,” said Jeff Church, producing artistic director. “There will be several wonderful productions based on books: Christopher Paul Curtis' Bud Not Buddy, Lois Lowry's Number the Stars and a piece based on Scholastic's Dear America Series. (more...)

Idina Menzel started her camp for girls, A Broader Way, in 2010 with husband Taye Diggs. In this video, Idina and Taye talk about what exactly A Broader Way is, and how it has impacted their lives. (more...)

The Old Globe’s 2012-13 Season will feature the World Premieres of two new musicals: Allegiance – A New American Musical by Jay Kuo and Lorenzo Thione and A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder by Robert L. Freedman and Steven Lutvak. The season also includes George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion in celebration of the classic play’s 100th anniversary and the World Premiere of a new adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House by Anne-Charlotte Hanes Harvey and Kirsten Brandt. Two recent Broadway hits will make their San Diego debuts at the Globe: David Lindsay-Abaire’s Good People and Jon Robin Baitz’s Other Desert Cities. Rounding out the season are the West Coast Premiere of Bekah Brunstetter’s Be a Good Little Widow and the Southern California Premiere of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s The Brothers Size. (more...)

James William Productions and Stephenie Skyllas will present Kurt Peterson and Victoria Mallory in "When Everything Was Possible, A Concert (with comments)," for one night only, Sunday April 29th (7:30pm) at New York City Center (131 West 55th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues), as a benefit for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. They will be joined by a thirteen-piece band (Michael Rafter, Music Director), playing new orchestrations by Tony Award winner Jonathan Tunick. Larry Moss directs, with musical staging by Joshua Bergasse (“Smash”). Carolyn Wong will provide lighting design, with sound design by Leon Rothenberg and projection design by Telegraphicmedia. (more...)

Award winning SHREK THE MUSICAL® will celebrate its first year in the West End on May 6, 2012. To mark the first anniversary, SHREK THE MUSICAL® will open its doors to the public for a FREE, ogre-sized, family fete at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on May 6, 2012. There will be party games, competitions, sweet treats, storytelling, theatre tours and opportunities to meet the cast from 11am to 2pm. (more...)

Today in 2002, Thoroughly Modern Millie opened at the Marquis Theatre, where it ran for 903 performances. Thoroughly Modern Millie is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori, lyrics by Dick Scanlan, and a book by Richard Morris and Scanlan. Based on the 1967 film of the same name, it tells the story of a small-town girl, Millie Dillmount, who comes to New York City to marry for money instead of love - a thoroughly modern aim in 1922, when women were just entering the workforce. The production subsequently won six 2002 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Actress in a Musical for Sutton Foster. (more...)

Sundance Institute today announced the eight projects selected from nearly 900 submissions to participate in the 2012 Theatre Lab, July 9-29 at the Sundance Resort. Under the supervision of Philip Himberg, Producing Artistic Director, and Associate Director Christopher Hibma, the Lab is the centerpiece of the Theatre Program’s year-round work and is designed to support emerging and established artists and to create a place where their original work can be effectively mentored and challenged. (more...)

Strong leading performances, some tasty production values and well executed effects help compensate for many of the deficiencies in Shrek The Musical. The show is another sad reminder of how Broadway is currently bereft of creativity and imagination. Shrek is derivative drek. * * (out of 5) (more...)

Shrek the Musical just wrapped a successful week in Montreal, and heads into Toronto tomorrow night for a two week engagement at the Toronto Centre for the Arts. BWW sat down to talk with the Merritt David Janes, who plays Lord Farquaad, the 'vertically challenged villain' of the story. (more...)

Dancap Productions presents SHREK THE MUSICAL with book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanine Tesori. It will play the Toronto Centre for the Arts, March 20- April 1, for two weeks only. (more...)

SHREK THE MUSICAL is taking ogre Toronto! Dancap Productions presents SHREK THE MUSICAL with book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanine Tesori, running March 20–April 1 only at the Toronto Centre for the Arts. (more...)

Last night, March 12, Robert Redford hosted the first-ever New York benefit celebrating The Sundance Institute Theatre Program at The Bowery Hotel. Participants included Sundance Institute Theatre Program alumni Denis O’Hare (Performance of An Iliad, at New York Theatre Workshop), Lisa Peterson Scott Frankel, Jeanine Tesori, Georgi James and Christine Ebersole, who recreated ‘Little Edie Beale’ from Grey Gardens. BroadwayWorld was on hand and brings you photo coverage of the starry event below! (more...)

Last night, March 12, Robert Redford hosted the first-ever New York benefit celebrating the Sundance Institute Theatre Program at The Bowery Hotel. Participants included Sundance Institute Theatre Program alumni Denis O’Hare (Performance of An Iliad, at New York Theatre Workshop), Lisa Peterson Scott Frankel, Jeanine Tesori, Georgi James and Christine Ebersole, who recreated ‘Little Edie Beale’ from Grey Gardens. BroadwayWorld was on hand to speak to the guests and takes you inside the event below. (more...)

Patti LuPone, Richard Thomas, Mary Beth Hurt, Jay O. Sanders and Henry Stram will join forces with the previously announced Michi Barral, Cindy Cheung, Joel de la Fuente, Angel Desai, Ann Harada, Jennifer Ikeda, Paul Juhn, Peter Kim, Ken Leung, Li Jun Li, Jennifer Lim, Angela Lin, Paolo Montalban, Olivia Oguma, Jon Norman Schneider, Thom Sesma, Sab Shimono, Jade Wu, Jonny Wo, James Yaegashi and Stacey Yen to raise funds that will go directly to Japanese theater artists devasted by last year’s earthquake when they appear in this Sunday’s March 11 benefit performances of Shinsai: Theaters for Japan, at the Great Hall at Cooper Union (Seventh Street at Third Avenue). (more...)