Judy Garland News

Written and directed by Jim Cartwright, the Olivier Award-winning THE RISE AND FALL OF LITTLE VOICE will begin a national tour at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre on Friday 31 August, with opening night on Tuesday 4 September. The show stars Beverley Callard as ‘Mari Hoff’, Ray Quinn as ‘Billy’, Joe McGann as ‘Ray Say’, Duggie Brown as ‘Mr Boo’ and Jess Robinson as ‘Little Voice’. (more...)

Chris Isaacson has announced that Upright Cabaret’s AMERICAN ICON Series ends another stunning season with VIVA LAS VEGAS - a presentation of personality and pop that honors the flashiest performers of all time: Elvis, Cher and Elton John. Joining the group of all-star performers will be Patrick Cassidy. (more...)

Bob Lappin and The Palm Beach Pops, Florida’s premier Pops orchestra, is offering another sensational season of sophisticated musical entertainment with the announcement of six signature concert series. Audiences are invited to hear “The Music You Love, Live” as the orchestra celebrates 21 years of outstanding music from The Great American Songbook with special guest artists including American Idol Finalist Tamyra Gray, pianist and vocalist, Tony DeSare, Broadway leading lady, Christine Andreas, and Vegas superstar Clint Holmes and more. (more...)

The Ringwald Theatre today announced the 3rd installment of its Gay Play Series (GPS). Last year’s outing was attended by hundreds of people over a ten day festival period. (more...)

Bea Arthur would have turned 90 years old on May 27, 2012. To celebrate her birthday, actor D.J. Schaefer is transformed as Bea Arthur and will join Judy Garland played by rewound tribute artist, Peter Mac in a very special show Bea Arthur and Judy Garland: Tribute Artists Celebrate 90th Birthdays. (more...)

The second annual "Night of A Thousand Judys" - the Pride concert to benefit The Ali Forney Center - will take place at Playwrights Horizons on Monday, June 18. (more...)

Judy and Company with Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Peggy Lee, Tallulah Bankhead and Katie Hepburn, ladies of screen, theatre and TV all sharing top billing, as usual is a joyous Peter Mac show. At the all new Peter Mac Supper Club in Hollywood, Garland opens and closes with a bevy of her hits including, "Almost Like Being in Love", "This Can't Be Love", "The Man That Got Away", "The Trolley Song" and "By Myself" from the film I Could Go On Singing. Garland is in rare form, never missing a beat, even getting in a dig about losing the Oscar for Star to Grace Kelly. Next comes Miss Tallulah Bankhead SINGING an outrageous "Everybody's F------But Me" and "Como te gusta mi pinga...", with Spanish making the obscenity sound acceptable, actually quite delicious. Jokes fly out of her trashy mouth, and there's even a raunchy Snow White fable. Following Tallu comes a hilariously, talk about stoned, Peggy Lee who gives her all to "Is That All There Is?" and the politically incorrect "Manana". Lee's synthetic blonde wig gives Mac some great dish lines. Then, like a tornado from QVC, in flies the one and only Liza Minnelli - ablaze in red sequins - giving us not two but three numbers "Say Yes", "Liza with a Z" and "Maybe This Time" with quite an interesting anecdote about how the former was actually written for Kaye Ballard but became a big hit in theCabaret film for Liza. The final guest is Kate Hepburn who treats us to her inimitable rendition of "Coco" and "The Glory of Love" echoing her unusual 27 year extra-marital relationship with Spencer Tracy. (more...)

To close out the 2012 season of 92nd Street Y’s Lyrics & Lyricists, Rex Reed pays tribute to the studio that gave us such iconic movie musicals as 42nd Street, Yankee Doodle Dandy, A Star is Born and My Fair Lady. (more...)

Today we are talking to one of the stars of the hit revival of HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING - which will be closing this Sunday after a 16-month run, so catch it while you can - who has also carved out an astonishingly accomplished resume on film and TV since her stunning, Emmy-winning small screen debut in a lead role as the young Judy Garland in ME & MY SHADOWS: LIFE WITH Judy Garland - the beautiful and tremendously talented Tammy Blanchard. Touching on many of her most memorable big screen and small screen roles and sharing her experiences of working with many of her impressive co-stars and creative collaborators - Bernadette Peters, Jessica Lange, Stephen Sondheim, Arthur Laurents, Sam Mendes, and her co-star on two films, the late Brittany Murphy - Blanchard eloquently illustrates her rise to stardom and the roles and performances she has given that she is fondest of - GYPSY to BELLA to THE GOOD SHEPHERD and beyond. Additionally, Blanchard clues us in on what we can expect from her multi-episode character arc on Showtime’s hit dramedy series THE BIG C and what it was like to play such a unique and unusual character - as well as her feelings on sharing the screen (and the onscreen bedroom) with previous InDepth InterView participants John Benjamin Hickey and Brian d’Arcy James. Plus, Blanchard shares how her new role as a mom has shaped her craft and career as well as future plans post-HOW TO SUCCEED, observations on GLEE and SMASH and much, much more! (more...)

Fast-Rising Cabaret Stars Will Dazzle Royal Room Fans from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day: Carole J. Bufford, Nicolas King, Jennifer Sheehan, Wayne Hosford & Ariana Savalas The Colony Hotel – which The Palm Beach Post has hailed as “probably the best place for cabaret on the planet” – plans another sizzling, song-filled summer with some really hot and fast-rising performers straight from Manhattan’s leading cabarets – several of whom are making their Royal Room debut and other performers who are returning favorites for loyal fans of the Royal Room Supper Club. The Colony Hotel’s world famous Royal Room is widely celebrated for presenting “immaculately staged cabaret performances” by well known Grammy- and Tony-winning stars (Condé Nast Traveler, February 2011). (more...)

“End of the Rainbow,” the acclaimed new play with music by Peter Quilter, starring two-time Olivier Award-winner and current Tony Award-nominee Tracie Bennett as Judy Garland and directed by Tony Award-winner Terry Johnson, is announced for the 2012-2013 season at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre at the Los Angeles Music Center. (more...)

Fanny Brice, America's Funny Girl will open May 23, 2012 and run until June 17, 2012. Previews begin May 20. Fanny Brice, America’s Funny Girl is a reworking of Maltz Jupiter Theatre’s 2009 hit production Fanny Brice: The Real Funny Girl. Writer and Director David H. Bell modified the script and is bringing Asolo Rep the most inspiring version yet. TCPalm raved, “Marya Grandy may not be the real Fanny Brice…but she just might be a new version of Ethel Merman. That’s with a little Patti LuPone and the emotional singing delivery al a Judy Garland tossed in for good measure”. WJTW FM said “what really brought the audience to its feet for a standing ovation however was the finale…it doesn’t get any better than that.” (more...)

Today we are kicking off BroadwayWorld’s month-long salute to the 2012 Tony Awards with a clip sure to set even the bleakest, darkest and blandest of nights alight - Liza Minnelli capping off the most spectacular opening number in Tony Awards history, the 2009 Tony Awards opening number, with a little aid from Elton John, Dolly Parton, Sutton Foster, Brian d’Arcy James and many more. (more...)

Fast-Rising Cabaret Stars Will Dazzle Royal Room Fans from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day: Carole J. Bufford, Nicolas King, Jennifer Sheehan, Wayne Hosford & Ariana Savalas The Colony Hotel – which The Palm Beach Post has hailed as “probably the best place for cabaret on the planet” – plans another sizzling, song-filled summer with some really hot and fast-rising performers straight from Manhattan’s leading cabarets – several of whom are making their Royal Room debut and other performers who are returning favorites for loyal fans of the Royal Room Supper Club. The Colony Hotel’s world famous Royal Room is widely celebrated for presenting “immaculately staged cabaret performances” by well known Grammy- and Tony-winning stars (Condé Nast Traveler, February 2011). (more...)

The Fred Ebb Foundation (Mitchell Bernard, Trustee) in association with the York Theatre (James Morgan, Artistic Director) is pleased to present an invitation-only showcase presentation entitled Trunk and Disorderly: Songs from the Deep Dark Trunk of Jeff Blumenkrantz, who received the 2011 Fred Ebb Award. The presentation will feature Drew Gehling, Dee Hoty, Dee Roscioli, and Sarah Stiles. (more...)

This summer, one of the greatest family musicals of all time is touching down in Grand Bend. The Huron Country Playhouse presents The Wizard of Oz for a limited three-week engagement, June 4th though June 23rd. (more...)

Deadline.com reports that NBC has officially picked up INFAMOUS, previously titled NOTORIOUS from Universal TV and BermanBraun. The project is penned by Liz Heldens. Broadway veterans Victor Garber and Tate Donovan will star. (more...)

Loretta Lynn, whose multi-decade career has firmly established her as one of Nashville’s most legendary performers, introduced Zooey Deschanel (Grammy and Golden Globe nominee and star and producer of Fox’s hit sitcom New Girl) to her audience last night during a performance at Opry Country Classics at the “mother church of country music,” the Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville. In much the same way that Lynn revealed that Sissy Spacek would be taking on the challenge of playing her on film—a role that ultimately won her the Academy Award for her critically lauded, transformative performance—she gave her blessing onstage to Deschanel. (more...)

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) Conservatory Director Melissa Smith announced today that honorary master of fine arts degrees will be conferred on acclaimed actress and comedian Mary Birdsong and California Shakespeare Theater Artistic Director Jonathan Moscone. (more...)

According to the New York Times, orchestrator, composer, pianist, conductor and musical director Mort Lindsey passed away from complications from a broken hip on May 4. He was 89 years old. Lindsey is survived by sons Trevor and David, daughters Bonney Dunn, Deborah Morris and Judy Grant, and sister Janet. (more...)