Nicole Rosky - Page 1085

Today in 1992, the second Broadway revival of Guys and Dolls opened at the Martin Beck Theatre (now the Al Hirschfeld Theatre), where it ran for 1143 performances. Guys and Dolls is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on 'The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown' and 'Blood Pressure', two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also borrows characters and plot elements from other Runyon stories, most notably 'Pick the Winner'. Premiering on Broadway in 1950, the original production ran for 1200 performances and won the Tony Award for Best Musical. The musical has had several Broadway and London revivals, as well as a 1955 film adaptation starring Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra and Vivian Blaine.

Today in 2000, The Wild Party opened at the Virginia Theatre (now the August Wilson Theatre), where it ran for 68 performances. The Wild Party is a musical with a book by Michael John LaChiusa and George C. Wolfe and music and lyrics by LaChiusa. It is based on the 1928 Joseph Moncure March narrative poem of the same name. The Broadway production coincidentally opened during the same theatrical season (1999-2000) as an off-Broadway musical with the same title and source material. Its plot centers on a party - fueled by bathtub gin, cocaine, and uninhibited sexual behavior - hosted by Queenie and Burrs, whose relationship is disintegrating. The cast included Toni Collette (making her Broadway debut) as Queenie, Mandy Patinkin as Burrs, and Yancey Arias as Black.

Today in 2001, the first Broadway revival of Bells Are Ringing opened at the Plymouth Theatre (now the Gerald Shoenfeld Theatre), where it ran for 68 performances. Bells Are Ringing is a musical with a book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Jule Styne. The story revolves around Ella, who works at an answering service and the characters that she meets there. The original Broadway production, directed by Jerome Robbins and choreographed by Robbins and Bob Fosse, opened on November 29, 1956 at the Shubert Theatre, where it ran for slightly more than two years, and starred Judy Holliday as Ella and Sydney Chaplin as Jeff Moss.

Green Day is currently in the studio recording three albums - a trilogy entitled ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, and ¡Tre! - that will be released by Reprise Records on Tuesday, September 25th 2012; Tuesday, November 13th 2012 and Tuesday, January 15th 2013 respectively. The albums are the follow-up to the Grammy®Award-winning 21st Century Breakdown, and are being produced by the band's long-time producer Rob Cavallo. ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, and ¡Tre! are being recorded in their hometown of Oakland, CA.

CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour, former UMass professor and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Chair Sheila Bair, playwright and gay-rights activist Martin Duberman, Iran hostage crisis negotiator Ulric Haynes Jr. '52, chemist David K. Lewis '64, New York Public Library President and former Amherst College President Anthony W. Marx, acclaimed narrative nonfiction writer John McPhee and hit songwriter Jim Steinman '69 will all receive honorary degrees from Amherst College during its 191st Commencement exercises on Sunday, May 20, at 10 a.m. on the school's main quad. Amherst President Biddy Martin will deliver the address during the May 20 ceremonies, and seven of the eight honored guests will speak to the approximately 443 members of Amherst's Class of 2012, their families and friends and the college and Western Massachusetts communities in a series of conversations that are free and open to the public on Saturday, May 19. The schedule of discussions with the honorary degree recipients is available on the Commencement website, www.amherst.edu/commencement.

Tony winner Scarlett Johansson, who is rumored to return to Broadway in an upcoming revival of CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, will show off her singing skills in the upcoming 'Days of Grace.' Johansson just recorded her own version of 'Summertime' from THE GERSHIN'S PORGY AND BESS for the film soundtrack.

Next week on SMASH, 'Bombshell' is turned upside-down by the arrival of movie star Rebecca Duvall (special guest star Uma Thurman). Karen (Katharine McPhee) and Ivy (Megan Hilty) are drawn into an uneasy alliance against their new rival -- but can they overcome their history? The romance between Tom (Christian Borle) and Sam (Leslie Odom, Jr.) heats up, while Julia (Debra Messing) and Frank (Brian d'Arcy James) must put aside their differences to address a family crisis. Check out a sneak peek of Thurman's big musical number below!

Manhattan Theatre Club's world premiere production of THE COLUMNIST, by Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner David Auburn, directed by Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan began previews on April 4 at MTC's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street). The limited engagement of THE COLUMNIST will open Wednesday, April 25 starring Tony and Emmy Award winner John Lithgow, Drama Desk Award nominee Margaret Colin, four time Tony Award winner Boyd Gaines, Tony Award nominee Stephen Kunken,Marc Bonan (Broadway debut), Grace Gummer ('Smash,' Arcadia), and Brian J. Smith (MTC's Come Back, Little Sheba; 'Stargate Universe'). BroadwayWorld brings you just-released production shots below!

Paper Mill Playhouse has just announced that American Idol finalist Syesha Mercado has been cast as Ti Moune in the Millburn, New Jersey, theater's production of Once On This Island (book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, music by Stephen Flaherty). More than 20 years after its premiere, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens are re-inventing their first musical with Tony-nominated director Thomas Kail (In the Heights, Lombardi, Magic/Bird) and choreographer Bradley Rapier (So You Think You Can Dance). Once On This Island begins performances on Wednesday, May 30, 2012, and runs through Sunday, June 24, 2012. Complete casting will be announced at a later date. Once On This Island is proudly sponsored by Bank of America.

Last night on GLEE, the McKinley High seniors prepared for graduation, and Matt Bomer guest starred as Blaine's big brother (Cooper). In the video below, catch some bonus footage of Cooper's audition tape. Clcik beow to check it out!

Today, April 11, Broadway legend Joel Grey celebrates his 80th birthday! Grey originated the role of the Master of Ceremonies in the Broadway musical Cabaret in 1966 for which he won the Tony Award. Additional Broadway credits include Come Blow Your Horn (1961), Stop the World - I Want to Get Off (1962), Half a Sixpence (1965),George M! (1968), Goodtime Charley (1975), The Grand Tour (1979), Chicago (1996), and Wicked (2003). Grey won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in March 1973 for his performance as the Master of Ceremonies in the 1972 film version of Cabaret.

Today in 1991, Miss Saigon opened at the Broadway Theatre, where it ran for 4092 performances. Miss Saigon is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover. The musical premiered at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, in London on 20 September 1989, closing after over four thousand performances, on 30 October 1999.The musical represented Schönberg and Boublil's second major success, following Les Misérables in 1985.

Next week on GLEE, The New Directions pay homage to the movie 'Saturday Night Fever' by grooving to disco-infused dance numbers, and THE GLEE PROJECT's Alex Newell makes his first appearance as 'Wade.' Check out a sneak peek of the upcoming episode below!

Country music legend Dolly Parton has endorsed the California premiere of 9 To 5: The Musical, for which she wrote the popular score. Nationally celebrated arts organization, CMT Marquee Productions, opens the premiere of the Broadway hit show on April 13. The show is produced by Marquee Productions, which mounts an annual musical with proceeds benefiting Children's Musical Theater San Jose. Marquee Productions shows feature adult actors from throughout the South Bay who donate their time to the organization. The musical runs through 22 at downtown San Jose's historic Montgomery Theater.

West End star Kerry Ellis recently wrote article for the Huffington Pst, in which she urges tourists to see a show while in London for the 2012 Olympics. Ellis writes: 'Theatre is part of the city's lifeblood and I know I'm not alone when I say that the Olympic Games this summer is a wonderful opportunity to introduce many of the fantastic shows currently being performed in the capital to the thousands of people visiting the city in July, most for the first time.'

According to the New York Times, the National Endowment for the Arts has just proposed a major cut in funding for PBS, which includes the theatre-themed 'Great Performances.' As a result of the more than $1 million that PBS will lose this year, shows like 'Great Performances' will receive $50,000 in 2012, compared to last year's $400,000.

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, directed by the Stratford Shakespeare Festival's Artistic Director and 2-time Tony Award winner Des McAnuff, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR just opened on March 22, 2012 at the Neil Simon Theatre (250 West 52nd Street). In the video below, Chilina Kennedy, who plays Mary in the show, chats with NBC New York about making her Broadway debut in the show. Click below to hear what she had to say!

Stage veteran Darren Criss may be through with his run in HOW TO SUCCEED, but that doesn't mean that he's done with Broadway. In a recent interview with Billboard, Criss revealed that he just made a trip to the Nederlander Theatre to see NEWSIES. Criss told Billboard: 'I'm a huge 'Newsies' fan, and I love that show. I wouldn't deign to think I could be in that show because I can't sing or dance like those kids. They put me to shame.'

The Original Broadway Cast Recording of NEWSIES is now available digitally today on Ghostlight Records. The album has debuted at #1 on the iTunes Soundtracks chart and #15 on the iTunes album chart.To purchase the album, visit iTunes here. The recording is set for physical release on May 15th, 2012. The physical release will feature three special bonus tracks including an exclusive version of "Santa Fe" performed by lead Jeremy Jordan accompanied by Alan Menken on piano. The full track listing is below. For more information on the cast recording, visit: http://newsiesthemusical.com/music

A Streetcar Named Desire starring Blair Underwood as Stanley, Nicole Ari Parker as Blanche, Daphne Rubin-Vega as Stella and Wood Harris as Mitch, began its limited Broadway run at the Broadhurst Theatre on April 3, 2012, and celebrates its opening Sunday, April 22, 2012. The production will run through July 22, 2012. Go behind the scenes of a photo shoot with the cast below!