Paul Lynde News

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, the new performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street, presents some of Broadway's brightest stars.

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, the new performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street, will welcome the following events.

Chanhassen Dinner Theatres brings its audiences a fresh rendition of a musical classic never before seen on the Main Stage with BYE BYE BIRDIE. This all-American musical will light up the stage with preview performances from October 5 through 18. Official grand opening festivities take place on October 19. The production is slated to run through March 30, 2013.

CRT achieves the Impossible Dream - they got me to like 'Man of La Mancha.'

Bye Bye Birdie-conjuring up memories of Elvis Presley and the fan fervor that greeted a lot of musical acts in the 1950s and '60s-takes center stage at Dickson's Renaissance Center in June as the Renaissance Players present the musical theater classic tonight, June 1 through June 17.

Today we are kicking off the 2012 InDepth InterView Tony Awards Series with the director/choreographer of the hottest hit of the 2011-2012 theatrical season, NEWSIES, that was recently awarded with a boatload of Tony Award nominations, in addition to a short-running show that has a very vocal group of advocates and supporters that also received a handful of Tony noms, BONNIE & CLYDE - the passionate and visionary Jeff Calhoun. Discussing all aspects of his mega-hit with Disney's NEWSIES and his success d'estime with Frank Wildhorn's BONNIE & CLYDE, as well as all about his years spent developing both, Calhoun illustrates his process and sheds some light on many aspects of the creation of the wildly different vehicles, as well as his opinions on the theatrical environment of today. Additionally, Calhoun outlines his experiences working with NEWIES and BONNIE & CLYDE breakout stars Jeremy Jordan and Laura Osnes - both Tony nominees - as well as his many years spent as an associate choreographer for legendary Tony-winning master director Tommy Tune creating many remarkable musicals such as GRAND HOTEL and THE WILL ROGERS FOLLIES. Plus, Calhoun conveys his infectious enthusiasm for his craft and discusses what drives him to create while also sharing his humbled appreciation for the recognition of both his new musicals this season by the Tony Award committee and reflecting on his vast multitude of experiences in the theatre so far in his career - everything from starring in SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS and MY ONE & ONLY on Broadway to choreographing THE WILL ROGERS FOLLIES and BUSKER ALLEY with Tommy Tune and transitioning into directing/choreographing with the hit revivals of GREASE, BIG RIVER, PIPPIN, ANNIE GET YOUR GUN (with Graciele Daniele), BELLS ARE RINGING, as well as GREY GARDENS and the rest. All of that and much, much more in this career-spanning conversation with one of Broadway's best!

Bye Bye Birdie-conjuring up memories of Elvis Presley and the fan fervor that greeted a lot of musical acts in the 1950s and '60s-takes center stage at Dickson's Renaissance Center in June as the Renaissance Players present the musical theater classic June 1-17.

No, I don't have that kind of sixth sense. And, no, I wasn't alone. There were a few hundred people sharing the experience. That's what went through my mind as I watched impressionist Rich Little perform his new show, Jimmy Stewart & Friends at The LVH (formerly the Las Vegas Hilton) on press night.

Part 12 ANGRY MEN homage, part surrealistic NBC retrospective fever dream and 100% 30 ROCK absurd brilliance at its best, night's live episode of the gold standard NBC comedy series 30 ROCK was precisely that - pure gold. Not only did Tina Fey and the impossibly creative team of writers give the motley assortment of players that comprise the cast a chance to seriously show off their live sketch show skills and theatrical training, but provided Broadway and Hollywood crossover star Alec Baldwin with some of his strongest material to date - with the charismatic erstwhile comedian absolutely killing in his moments portraying a host of wacky and weird characters besides the usual stone-faced Jack Donaghy, a role which has brought him a copious amount of well-deserved statuettes over the six seasons so far. Speaking of hosts, the Dean Martin parody, THE JOEY MONTERO SHOW, stands out as being perhaps the most memorable and guffaw-inducing of all the night's trove of treasures, which is certainly saying something significant - Baldwin owned. Besides the ingenuous conceit of paying tribute to the landmark original live television drama 12 ANGRY MEN acting as a fresh and amusing framing device for the episode, the opportunity afforded by Kenneth (Jack MacBrayer)'s hallucinatory flashbacks of fictional former lesser glories of NBC's long and storied history gave rise to the fabulous fodder allowing for some of the funniest sequences on the series in recent memory - moments that will linger in the mind and funny bone long after this episode or season. Yes, once again, 30 ROCK proved why it is the finest comedy on TV and why Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin have a special sort of chemistry that can only be compared to the finest pairs in the rich history of the form - Mary & Mr. Grant included.

Tennessee Shakespeare Company, the Mid-South's professional classical theatre, features legendary Broadway composer Charles Strouse in performance for its Third Annual Valentine's Gala on Friday, February 10 at 6:00 pm at Germantown Performing Arts Centre.

Tennessee Shakespeare Company, the Mid-South's professional classical theatre, features legendary Broadway composer Charles Strouse in performance for its Third Annual Valentine's Gala on Friday, February 10 at 6:00 pm at Germantown Performing Arts Centre.

In honor of Elvis Presley's 77th birthday, applauded singer-impressionist and comedian Tom Stevens brings his Elvis tribute show to the Suncoast Showroom for two performances, January 7 and 8, each evening at 7:30 p.m.

Take another trip over the rainbow with Judy Garland in a new cabaret concert specifically designed for the beautiful cabaret room at Tom Rolla's Gardenia.

In honor of Elvis Presley's 77th birthday, applauded singer-impressionist and comedian Tom Stevens brings his Elvis tribute show to the Suncoast Showroom for two performances, January 7 and 8, each evening at 7:30 p.m.

Take another trip over the rainbow with Judy Garland in a new cabaret concert specifically designed for the beautiful cabaret room at Tom Rolla's Gardenia.

Applauded singer-impressionist and comedian Tom Stevens, who recently performed his 500th show in Las Vegas, returns to the Suncoast Showroom for two performances, November 5 and 6, each evening at 7:30 p.m.

Applauded singer-impressionist and comedian Tom Stevens, who recently performed his 500th show in Las Vegas, returns to the Suncoast Showroom for two performances, November 5 and 6, each evening at 7:30 p.m.

Applauded singer-impressionist and comedian Tom Stevens, who recently performed his 500th show in Las Vegas, returns to the Suncoast Showroom for two performances, November 5 and 6, each evening at 7:30 p.m.

Applauded singer-impressionist and comedian Tom Stevens returns to the Suncoast Showroom for two performances, August 20 and 21, each evening at 7:30 p.m.

Audiences will probably be more familiar with the 1963 film version of BYE BYE BIRDIE from its innumerable screenings on television, with Dick Van Dyke, Ann Margaret, Janet Leigh, Maureen Stapleton and Paul Lynde all making vivid impressions under George Sidney's direction. But, seeing it live really is a special treat, especially on the expansive Muny stage. Opening night even provided the most gloriously mild weather one could have hoped for to enjoy this oft-played, but rarely perfected delight. Charles Strouse and Lee Adams wrote a number of memorable songs for this musical, and Michael Stewart's lightweight, but entertaining script which mixes romance and a satire on the cult of personality is a fairly sturdy framework to hang them upon. Happily, the production currently playing at the Muny is well worth your time and attention, and certainly beats seeing the film again for the umpteenth time.