Stephen Sondheim News

January and February have seen sell-out performances at the Crazy Coqs and March and April look set to continue the trend.

Bay Area Cabaret has announced that due to an unavoidable scheduling conflict, Stacey Kent, originally scheduled to perform on March 15, has been forced to postpone her appearance to next season. In her place, Bay Area Cabaret will present Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter JUDY COLLINS. With a crystalline voice that famously introduced generations to her own interpretations of songs by Joni Mitchell ('Both Sides Now'), The Beatles ('In My Life'), Bob Dylan ('Mr. Tambourine Man') and others in a career that has spanned more than 50 years, Ms. Collins holds a remarkable place in the music lexicon. Her repertoire encompasses folk music, show tunes, pop, and rock and roll. Ms. Collins will perform one-night-only, 8pm, Saturday, March 15, at the historic Venetian Room of the Fairmont San Francisco, 950 Mason Street. Subscriber tickets for Stacey Kent will be honored and additional tickets for non-subscribers ($65, plus a limited number of $100 premium seats) are now available at www.bayareacabaret.org or by phone at City Box Office (415) 392-4400.

Mercury Theater Chicago and The Hypocrites will feature Stephen Sondheim: The Man and The Music, a post-show talk back discussion on the renowned composer with Dr. Mark E. Lococo, Professor and Director of Theatre at Loyola University Chicago; Dr. Sarah Gabel, Chairperson for the Department of Fine and Performing Arts at Loyola University Chicago; and Director Geoff Button, following the 8:00 p.m. performance of INTO THE WOODS on Friday, February 7 at the Mercury Theater Chicago, 3745 N. Southport Ave. With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and the book by James Lapine, The Hypocrites bring their heightened and playful sense of theatricality to the musical INTO THE WOODS through March 30.

Será un curso intensivo de fin de semana, y se podrá elegir entre dos fines de semana distintos para cursarlo, ambos en el mes de marzo. César Belda se ocupará de la dirección musical.

'Assassins' was presented by Bullet Theatre Collaborative at Union County Arts Center's Hamilton Stage. The Rahway audience was captivated by the show.

A fascinating Q&A session with the cast and director of the recent West End premiere production of the Stephen Sondheim 'musical review' PUTTING IT TOGETHER is now available to view.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts presents An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin February 18 to 23, 2014 in the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater. Appearing together again after their Tony Award winning performances in Evita, Patti LuPone joins Mandy Patinkin onstage for eight performances. Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin are two of Broadway's most venerated performers, having both won a Tony Award for their performances in Andrew Lloyd Webber's groundbreaking Evita in 1980. Since then they have both starred in film, television, the concert stage and back to Broadway. An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin brings them together again - at last. Press opening night is Thursday, February 20, 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival will honor Academy Award-nominated actor Bruce Dern with the Modern Master Award at the 29th edition of the Fest

Natalie Wood's portrayal of Gypsy Rose Lee and Rosalind Russell (in Ethel Merman's original role) as an overbearing mother, in the big screen adaptation of Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim's Broadway musical Gypsy, lead the pack of movies in February on Reel 13.

Broadway headliner, popular recording artist and concert performer Liz Callaway is set to bring her supreme singing skills across the pond today with a series of shows, marking her UK solo concert debut.

YALE REPERTORY THEATRE presents the world premiere of THESE PAPER BULLETS!, a modish ripoff of William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, adapted by Rolin Jones, with songs by Billie Joe Armstrong, and directed by Jackson Gay, March 14-April 5 at the University Theatre (222 York Street). Opening Night is Thursday, March 20.

Cameron Mackintosh, widely considered to be the most successful theatrical producer of all-time, becomes the first British producer ever to be inducted into The Theater Hall of Fame at a ceremony this evening Monday, January 27 at the Gershwin Theatre in New York. Mackintosh is joined by this year's fellow inductees actors Cherry Jones and Ellen Burstyn; directors Jerry Zaks,George C. Wolfe and Lynne Meadow; designer David Hays; and, posthumously, playwright Lorraine Hansberry. Shubert Organization Co-CEO and President, Robert Wankel, will accept the honor on Mackintosh's behalf, who is unable to attend due to a long-planned trip to Myanmar.

Mercury Theater Chicago, 3745 N Southport Ave., presents The Hypocrites' production INTO THE WOODS, directed by Geoff Button* with Musical Direction by Matt Deitchman, previewing February 6, opening Tuesday, February 11 at 7:30 p.m. and running through Sunday, March 30.

"Everybody's got the right to some sunshine." Nine characters looking for either love, equality or a common voice, deliver that message on the Farmington Players stage in the Stephen Sondheim musical, Assassins. They are determined to change the world by targeting the United States President in pursuit of their own twisted versions of "The American Dream."

At last night's 56th Annual Grammy Awards, Grammy nominee Sara Bareilles appeared in a special performance with four-time GRAMMY winner and 2014 MusiCares Person of the Year Carole King.

Sierra Stages presents the landmark musical comedy COMPANY from February 27 through March 22 at the historic Nevada Theatre in Nevada City. Set in a swinging New York City of the early 1970's, COMPANY is a two hour ride with five married couples, three single women--and Bobby, the only eligible bachelor in the group--as the show examines and celebrates married life and its alternatives through a series of comic vignettes and powerhouse musical numbers.

Celebrity Series of Boston celebrates its 75th Anniversary Season and brings in Tony Award-winning baritone Brian Stokes Mitchell for his third appearance. With the virtuosic accompaniment of Tedd Firth on piano, Stokes plays a cast of characters from a range of Broadway musicals, from CAMELOT to CAROUSEL, and SOUTH PACIFIC to MAN OF LA MANCHA.

New Repertory Theatre has announced 2014-2015: the 30th Anniversary Season, PARADOX: HEROES & ANTIHEROES, VIRTUES & VICES.

As they continue their 47th Season, the Gallery Players' first production of the New Year will be Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's elegantly sophisticated romantic comedy A Little Night Music. Based on the Ingmar Bergman film 'Smiles on a Summer Night,' the five-time Tony winning musical features an elaborate score of waltzes, including the Grammy-winning 'Send in the Clowns.' Night Music features the most iconic traits of Sondheim's repertoire, boasting a complex score riddled with hilarious wit. A delicate dream of a musical, the sentimental comedy follows a trio of mismatched lovers as they twist, turn, and tumble toward their true love. While the material is sure to impress, make no mistake that the lavish costumes and luxurious set will invite Gallery's audiences for a taste of 'The Glamorous Life.'

A Tony Award-winner straight from Broadway, a 20th century classic and a beloved tale from Shakespeare paired with a tour de force musical by Stephen Sondheim will highlight the 2014-2015 Mainstage Season from PlayMakers Repertory Company.