Regional Roundup: Top 10 Stories This Week Around the Broadway World - 6/19; MY FAIR LADY at the Muny, ON YOUR FEET! and More!

This week, we go around our Broadway World to feature stories in Maine, Chicago, Italy, and more. Check out our top 10 stories around our Broadway World below, which include FAME at Maine State Music Theatre, a "risky" FUNNY GIRL in Italy, and full coverage of Gloria Estafan's Broadway-bound ON YOUR FEET!, just to name a few.

East/Northeast

1. Maine: Editor Carla Maria Verdino-Sullwold reviews MSMT's FAME. She says, "Clark and Dumont have cast the show with insight, playing to the strengths of the individual actors, who are uniformly excellent. Reagan Danel Ogle makes a lithe, sexy, hard-edged yet vulnerable Carmen, whose ambitions prove self-destructive. She shines in her big vocal dance numbers - notably "There She goes/Fame" and "Bring on Tomorrow" and manages to tug at the heartstrings with Carmen's unraveling. Possessed of a lovely voice and fine sense of shaping a song, Stefanie Sable is a disarming Serena; Leah Nicoll brings down the house with "Mabel's Prayer," sung with a strong sense of gospel style and mordant humor. Sara Bond is an appealing Iris and proves herself to be a graceful, expressive dancer, and Sarah Kennedy etches a charmingly jaded portrait of drummer Grace/Lamb Chops." Read more here.

2. Washington, DC: Editor Ellen Burns reviews Wolf Trap's THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE. She says, "The NYGASP ensemble of players was of particularly fine voice as a group, and along with the leads, did a marvelous job with the familiar songs; most especially "I Am The Very Model of a Modern Major General," performed with charming hilarity by James Mills." Read more here.

Midwest

3. St. Louis, MO: Editor Chris Gibson reviews MY FAIR LADY at the Muny. He says, "Alexandra Silber is exceptional as Eliza Doolittle, capturing the voice and temperament of someone who yearns for so much more out of life, but is struggling along as a flower girl. She does splendid vocal work on "Just You Wait" and "Without You", but really lets her voice shine on "I Could Have Danced All Night". Anthony Andrews is equally strong as task master Professor Henry Higgins, and though he possesses a stern demeanor, you can't help but root for them to become a pair." Find out more here. We also have full production shots from the show here, as well as highlights here.

4. Chicago, IL: We're thrilled to feature full coverage of Gloria Estefan's Broadway-bound ON YOUR FEET! now playing at the Oriental Theatre in Chicago. Check out highlights here, and production shots here. We also have opening night pics here. What does our critic think? Editor Rachel Weinberg says, "This catchy jukebox musical manages to accomplish that rare feat of incorporating both dialogue and music in a way that makes the two feel of apiece, thanks to Alexander Dinelaris's clever book. With direction by Jerry Mitchell and superb choreography by Sergio Trujillo, "On Your Feet!" will certainly have audiences in the mood for dancing. And with Ana Villafañe in the lead role as Gloria, the musical has certainly found the superstar that it requires." Read her full review here. And to see a full roundup of other reviews, click here.

South/Southeast

5. Charlotte, NC: Editor Vickie Evans interviews playright Rory Sheriff on BE A LION. On the question of what inspired him to write BE A LION, he said, "I wrote "Be A Lion", two and a half years ago. Initially, I was working on a re-make of the 1975 romantic drama, "Mahogany" (directed by Berry Gordy and starring Diana Ross and Billy Dee Williams) about a fashion designer faced with a choice between following her dream or following her love. In the midst of writing the re-make, The Wiz, the movie, (starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson) was shown on TV. My mind began to wonder what happened to the other characters after Dorothy clicked her heels and returned to Kansas." Read more here.

6. Houston, TX: Editor Bryan Keyth-Wilson reviews the FADE TO BLACK PLAY FESTIVAL at The Queensbury Theatre. He says, "Houston has its share of fringe events, but there wasn't a playwright's festival celebrating the works of black playwrights until Denise O'Neal conceived the FADE TO BLACK festival. In their 3rd year of operation, the FADE TO BLACK festival is on the rise and serves as a platform for the creative voices of black theatre artists of the future. Not only do the playwrights get the chance to show their work, actors and directors have an opportunity to flex their creative muscles. An esteemed panel of judges read a lot of plays and narrowed it down to 10 titles that were rehearsed and presented last night." Read more on all his reviews here.

West

7. Seattle, WA: Editor John James DeWitt reviews ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT'S ME, KAREN CARPENTER. He says, "Unlike Blume's novel which focuses largely on Margaret Simon's religious identity crisis (Christian mother, Jewish father), Whitlock gleefully focuses on the more awkward and embarrassing aspects of young adulthood also featured in the book. The results are uproarious and guaranteed to get chuckles, if not outright guffaws." Read more here.

8. Salt Lake City, UT: Editor Tyler Hinton calls Hale Centre Theatre's THE LITTLE MERMAID "breathtaking." He goes on, "

Hale Centre Theatre's production does justice to the material in a massive production that shimmers in its own right. The production team, helmed by director John Sweeney, has conjoured a whimsical undersea world and an even more magnificent "world above." The striking choreography by Geoffrey Reynolds (with aerial work by Ramsi Nia Stoker) and superb music direction by Kelly DeHaan pulls all the right heartstrings as the story plays out across the exquisite, colorful background created by Kacey Udy (set design), Adam Flitton (lighting design), Tamara Baker and Jennifer Stapley Taylor (costume design), Trisha Ison and Krissa Lent (hair and makeup design), and Michelle Jensen (properties)." Read his full review here.

International

9. Italy: Editor Valeria Venturelli reviews FUNNY GIRL. She calls it a "risky choice" but it pays off in a big way. Check out her full review here.

National Tour Highlight:

10. The National Tour of THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY is set to launch in Des Moines, IA at the Des Moines Civic Center, with performances beginning Saturday, November 28th and an official opening on Tuesday, December 1st. We announced the full initial itinerary here.

This week, we'd like to welcome Alexander Garza and Brett Cullum as our newest editors in Houston.

Want to join our growing team? We have positions available in several U.S. regions and International countries! Contact christina@broadwayworld.com for more information!