Todd Graff News

The Broadway at Birdland concert series was proud to present a live recording of 'The Ensemblist' with an all-star cast on Monday, June 16. Scroll down for photos!

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: WHEN WE WERE YOUNG AND UNAFRAID raises the curtain off-Broadway, MOTOWN gets a new 'Berry Gordy', a great selection of new cast albums hit the shelves and more!

KIDS IN THE BUSINESS, a new comedy written and directed by Todd Graff, will have an industry reading today, June 17, featuring Andy Karl ('Rocky'), Jennifer Simard ('Disaster!'), Angela Grovey ('Joyful Noise'), Eden Duncan-Smith ('The Lion King'), Sam Poon ('Billy Elliot') and Sadie Sink ('Annie').

KIDS IN THE BUSINESS, a new comedy written and directed by Todd Graff, will have an industry reading on Tuesday, June 17, featuring Andy Karl ('Rocky'), Jennifer Simard ('Disaster!'), Angela Grovey ('Joyful Noise'), Eden Duncan-Smith ('The Lion King'), Sam Poon ('Billy Elliot') and Sadie Sink ('Annie').

The Buck Creek Players will continue their 40th Anniversary Season 'Fabulous at 40' with the Indianapolis premiere of Carrie: The Musical, opening tonight, May 30th, and continuing for a limited run three weekends through Sunday, June 15th.

The cast and creative team of the hit Off-Broadway musical Murder for Two are teaming up with some of New York's brightest up and coming composers and BroadwayWorld.com every Monday night for their spring concert series, Murderous Musical Mondays. Composers Sam Carner & Derek Gregor continue the series on Monday, June 2, 2014, immediately following the 7pm performance of Murder for Two at New World Stages (Stage 5 - 340 West 50th Street).

Building on the success of five years of sold out shows and an incredible list of alumni, writing team Sam Carner and Derek Gregor will once again host their annual "Barely Legal Show-Tune Extravaganza" concert on August 21st at 7pm and 9:30pm at 54 Below, New York's premier cabaret venue.

The Village Voice, the nation's largest alternative weekly newspaper, will hold the 59th Annual Obie Awards tonight, Monday, May 19, 2014, at Webster Hall in the East Village, 125 East 11th Street. The Obies will be co-hosted by the distinguished actress Tamara Tunie, whose many memorable stage performances include the lead in the Public Theater's Troilus and Cressida, while her film and television credits include Devil's Advocate, FLIGHT, City Hall, Snake Eyes, Eve's Bayou, The Caveman's Valentine, The Red Road, 'Law and Order: SVU', '24', 'Sex and The City', 'NYPD Blue'.

The Buck Creek Players will continue their 40th Anniversary Season 'Fabulous at 40' with the Indianapolis premiere of Carrie: The Musical, opening Friday, May 30th, and continuing for a limited run three weekends through Sunday, June 15th.

Long Wharf Theatre, under the leadership of Artistic Director Gordon Edelstein and Managing Director Joshua Borenstein, will present The Last Five Years, written and composed by Jason Robert Brown, from tonight, May 7 through June 1, 2014 on the Claire Tow Stage in the C. Newton Schenck III Theatre.

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts presents The Trumpet of the Swan, A Novel Symphony for Actors and Orchestra, adapted by Pulitzer Prize-winner Marsha Norman from E.B. White's timeless children's novel, with music by Tony Award-winning composer, Jason Robert Brown. Norman and Brown are also currently represented on Broadway with the new musical adaptation of The Bridges of Madison County.

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts presents The Trumpet of the Swan, A Novel Symphony for Actors and Orchestra, adapted by Marsha Norman from E.B. White's timeless children's novel, with music by composer, Jason Robert Brown. Norman and Brown are also currently represented on Broadway with the new musical adaptation of The Bridges of Madison County. The Trumpet of the Swan, part of the Jack Elliott Family Concert Series, runs for a limited engagement, this weekend, May 2 - 4, 2014 at the Bram Goldsmith Theater.

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts presents The Trumpet of the Swan, A Novel Symphony for Actors and Orchestra, adapted by Pulitzer Prize-winner Marsha Norman from E.B. White's timeless children's novel, with music by Tony Award-winning composer, Jason Robert Brown. Norman and Brown are also currently represented on Broadway with the new musical adaptation of The Bridges of Madison County.

Hotel Nikko San Francisco and Michael Feinstein are proud to welcome star of stage and screen, Jeremy Jordan, to Feinstein's at the Nikko for four performances only - tonight, May 1 (8 p.m.); Friday, May 2 (8 p.m.); Saturday, May 3 (7 p.m.); Sunday, May 4 (7 p.m.).

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts presents The Trumpet of the Swan, A Novel Symphony for Actors and Orchestra, adapted by Marsha Norman from E.B. White's timeless children's novel, with music by composer, Jason Robert Brown. Norman and Brown are also currently represented on Broadway with the new musical adaptation of The Bridges of Madison County. The Trumpet of the Swan, part of the Jack Elliott Family Concert Series, runs for a limited engagement, May 2 - 4, 2014 at the Bram Goldsmith Theater.

Long Wharf Theatre, under the leadership of Artistic Director Gordon Edelstein and Managing Director Joshua Borenstein, will present The Last Five Years, written and composed by Jason Robert Brown, from May 7 through June 1, 2014 on the Claire Tow Stage in the C. Newton Schenck III Theatre.

Hotel Nikko San Francisco and Michael Feinstein are thrilled to announce the one-year anniversary of Feinstein's at the Nikko with a lineup of stars from stage and screen, along with local luminaries, during the month of May. Since opening its doors in May 2013, Feinstein's at the Nikko has quickly been embraced by locals and tourists alike and was recently named one of the 'Top 10 Best Music Venues in San Francisco' (SFist). Located within Hotel Nikko (222 Mason Street, San Francisco), Feinstein's at the Nikko has played host to a wide variety of entertainers, including Sutton Foster, Tommy Tune, Paula West, Linda Eder, Steve Tyrell, Mitzi Gaynor, and Cheyenne Jackson to name a few! Tickets for all upcoming performers are available by calling 866.663.1063 or visiting www.ticketweb.com.

The Village Voice, the nation's largest alternative weekly newspaper, announced today that tickets will go on sale April 9, 2014 for the 59th Annual Obie Awards on Monday, May 19, 2014, at Webster Hall in the East Village, 125 East 11th Street.

Today we are talking to a multi-talented creative force who has had a hand in crafting a wide range of memorable and vivid characters over the course of his career as both a screenwriter and a director - the earnest and energetic Richard LaGravenese. Detailing the finer points of his forthcoming stage-to-screen iteration of Jason Robert Brown's beloved cult musical THE LAST FIVE YEARS starring Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan, LaGravenese traces the development of the project from his earliest inspiration through to the final finished film, now awaiting distribution. Additionally, LaGravenese opens up about the casting process and reformatting of the piece for the cinematic medium, as well as previews some of the standout moments we can anticipate when the film is finally released - musical, dramatic, stylistic and otherwise. Besides all about THE LAST FIVE YEARS, LaGravenese also discusses his screenplay for the recent rapturously-received HBO Liberace biopic Behind the Candelabra and reacts to its international success, as well as shares thoughts on the cast and the script as it was realized on film by director Steven Soderbergh. Plus, LaGravenese offers us the exclusive 411 on his upcoming currently untitled CW TV series, directed by Taylor Hackford, and sheds some light on his contributions to Angelina Jole's new film UNBROKEN, as well as previews his forthcoming WE TV project coming up later this year, too. All of that, a look back at P.S. I LOVE YOU and more in this expansive conversation with a noted modern entertainment master.

Hotel Nikko San Francisco and Michael Feinstein are proud to welcome star of stage and screen, Jeremy Jordan, to Feinstein's at the Nikko for four performances only - Thursday, May 1 (8 p.m.); Friday, May 2 (8 p.m.); Saturday, May 3 (7 p.m.); Sunday, May 4 (7 p.m.).