Nigel Wright News

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Today's big news: THE VELOCITY OF AUTUMN opens on Broadway, ANNAPURNA opens off-Broadway and more!

Since wowing audiences as the highest-ranking vocal group ever on NBC's America's Got Talent, JC Fisher, Marcus Collins and John Hagen bring their diverse brand of harmonic, pop melodies to the Stockton Symphony's Pops & Picnic concert on Saturday, May 3. Concert attendees will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the biggest musical party of the year at University of the Pacific's Spanos Center. Doors open at 5:45 and the concert begins at 8:00 pm.

Tonight, January 10, 2014, The Wonderful Wizard of Song, The Music of Oz Composer Harold Arlen, which started previews on December 17, 2012, and opened officially on January 10, 2013, will celebrate its one year anniversary at The St. Luke's Theatre (308 W 46th Street).

On Friday, January 10, 2014, The Wonderful Wizard of Song, The Music of Oz Composer Harold Arlen, which started previews on December 17, 2012, and opened officially on January 10, 2013, will celebrate its one year anniversary at The St. Luke's Theatre (308 W 46th Street).

Goldhaber, the 'wonderfully imaginative' (JazzTimes) and youthfully carefree sweet tenor who People Magazine says 'will have you giddy one moment, melancholy the next and loving every note!' begins previews tonight, Monday, Dec. 17, in THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF SONG: The Music of Harold Arlen, a musical revue featuring classics like 'Stormy Weather,' 'Come Rain or Come Shine,' 'Lets Fall in Love,' and all the much-loved tunes from The Wizard Of Oz, at the St. Luke's Theatre, 308 West 46th Street, NYC. The show officially opens Monday, January 10, 2013.

THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF SONG: The Music of Harold Arlen, a musical revue featuring Stormy Weather, Come Rain or Come Shine, Paper Moon, Accentuate-The-Positive, Lets Fall in Love, and all the much-loved tunes from THE WIZARD OF OZ, begins previews at St. Luke's Theatre, 308 West 46th Street, NYC tonight, December 13 and opens officially on Thursday, January 10 at 8 PM.

The Music of Harold Arlen, a musical revue featuring classics like "Stormy Weather," "Come Rain or Come Shine," "Lets Fall in Love," and all the much-loved tunes from The Wizard Of Oz, at the St. Luke's Theatre, 308 West 46th Street, NYC.

THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF SONG: The Music of Harold Arlen, a musical revue featuring Stormy Weather, Come Rain or Come Shine, Paper Moon, Accentuate-The-Positive, Lets Fall in Love, and all the much-loved tunes from THE WIZARD OF OZ, begins previews at St. Luke's Theatre, 308 West 46th Street, NYC on Thursday, December 13 and opens officially on Thursday, January 10 at 8 PM.

This record-breaking, Tony-nominated production of Tim Rice's and Andrew Lloyd Webber's landmark musical will continue its open-ended run following the original stars' departure. The new stars will be announced at a later date.

THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF SONG: The Music of Harold Arlen, a musical revue featuring Stormy Weather, Come Rain or Come Shine, Paper Moon, Accentuate-The-Positive, Lets Fall in Love, and all the much-loved tunes from THE WIZARD OF OZ, begins previews at St. Luke's Theatre, 308 West 46th Street, NYC on Thursday, December 13 and opens officially on Thursday, January 10 at 8 PM.

Beginning Monday, September 3, 2012, Ricky Martin's performance schedule as Che in the hit production of EVITA will be Tuesdays at 7pm, Wednesdays at 2pm & 8pm, Thursdays at 8pm, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 2pm & 8pm. Max von Essen and Daniel Torres will alternate in the role of Che at Monday evening performances. The schedule change is part of a slight restructuring of Mr. Martin's appearance agreement with producers and will not change his overall number of performances in EVITA.

MASTERWORKS BROADWAY announces that the New Broadway Cast Recording of Evita hasdebuted at #1 on Billboard's Cast Album chart. Produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Nigel Wright with Tim Rice as Executive Producer, this is the first complete English language stage recording of the show since the original 1979 Broadway cast album.

Russell Grant, Mary Byrne and RhydIan Roberts are the new stars of Grease for the next leg of its hugely successful UK tour. They will all don the sparkly suit to play the role of 'Teen Angel' in the smash hit musical and will leave audiences hopelessly devoted to their charms from this month.

Check out this behind-the-scenes look at Ricky Martin and Elena Roger recording 'High Flying Adored' for the complete New Broadway Cast Recording of EVITA. The video will be released everywhere tomorrow, June 26, where you will then be able to watch it below. But to view it now, visit the AOL Music Blog (http://blog.music.aol.com/2012/06/25/ricky-martin-high-flying-adored-video-premiere-exclusive/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed)!

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: Broadway Bares earns big money, Meryl & Kevin reunite, Laura gets a solo show, and so much more!

Masterworks Broadway will release the complete New Broadway Cast Recording of Evita, the first complete English language stage recording of the show since the original 1979 Broadway cast album. The two-CD set, produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Nigel Wright, with Tim Rice as Executive Producer, is set for release June 26, 2012. Below, BroadwayWorld brings you photos of Ricky Martin, Elena Roger, Michael Cerveris, Michael Grandage and the cast of EVITA in the recording studio!

Russell Grant, Mary Byrne and Rhydian Roberts will be the new stars of Grease for the next leg of its hugely successful UK tour. They will all don the sparkly suit to play the role of 'Teen Angel' in the smash hit musical and will leave audiences hopelessly devoted to their charms from this July.

MASTERWORKS BROADWAY has announced details of the release of the complete New Broadway Cast Recording of Evita, the first complete English language stage recording of the show since the original 1979 Broadway cast album. The two-CD set, produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Nigel Wright, with Tim Rice as Executive Producer, will be released on June 26, 2012. Visit MasterworksBroadway.com for more information as it develops.

On Friday, I had the exceptional honor of talking to the most successful composer in the world, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, all about the unprecedented new HD film version of his thrilling new musical coming to movie theaters in February, a continuation of the story begun in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, titled LOVE NEVER DIES. In addition to outlining the impossibly detailed process of bringing a production as complex as the Simon Phillips Australian staging of LOVE NEVER DIES to the big screen, we also discuss the genesis of the show and what an immense achievement it is to now have the original musical - in the form of the 25th anniversary Royal Albert Hall production of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA - as well as the sequel - LOVE NEVER DIES - committed to celluloid, mere months apart. Also, 2012 is certainly the year of the Lord on Broadway thanks to new revivals of two of his most beloved musicals, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR and EVITA (the latter starring Ricky Martin), as well as the 10,000th performance of PHANTOM on Broadway. Plus, Lloyd Webber clues us in on which musical of his he would like to film next - SUNSET BOULVEVARD, with either Madonna or original Tony-winning star Glenn Close - and he also elaborates on the indescribable allure of the Phantom legend, now, nearly thirty years after the original show's debut and expresses his enthusiasm for the revolutionary new age of theatre-on-film we are experiencing now - all of that and much, much more!

August 25th marks the 70th anniversary of the national release of the iconic movie classic 'The Wizard of Oz.' Sam Arlen , the son of the musical wizard Harold Arlen who penned the famous movie score including the Oscar winning song, 'Over The Rainbow,' created the foundation to teach children and under-served audiences the cultural importance of The Jazz Pop standard, an indigenous American art form.