Nicole Rosky - Page 335

Why are there so many Jewish comedians? When Comedy Went to School answers this question with an entertaining portrait of this country's greatest generation of comics - the generation that includes the likes of Jerry Lewis, Sid Caesar, Jackie Mason, Mort Sahl, and Jerry Stiller, all of whom make appearances in the film, telling jokes and telling their stories.

The Muny's third show of its 95th Season, Nunsense Muny Style!, directed by Matt Lenz, choreographed by Teri Gibson, and supervised by Dan Goggin, will feature an all-star cast. The show runs through July 7 and in the videos below, you can meet cast members Ken Page and Phyllis Smith!

Happy Birthday Claude-Michel Schonberg! Schonberg is best known for his collaborations with the lyricist Alain Boublil. Thier stage musical version of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, which opened at the Palais de Sports in Paris in 1980, opened to acclaim in London in 1985 and on Broadway in 1987. In 1989, their success continued with the musical Miss Saigon, which starred Lea Salonga and Jonathan Pryce. Schonberg's next project with Boublil was The Pirate Queen, a musical about the 16th century Irish pirate, chieftain and adventuress Grace O'Malley, which opened on Broadway on April 5 2007.

Happy Birthday Audra McDonald! The actress earned three Tony Awards by the age of 28 - for her performances in Carousel, Master Class, and Ragtime. She was nominated for another Tony Award for her performance in Marie Christine before she won her fourth in 2004 for her role in A Raisin in the Sun. She reprised her Raisin role for a 2008 television adaptation, earning her a second Emmy Award nomination. Her first Emmy nod came in 2001 for her performance in HBOs Wit. Fans of the small screen also regognize McDonald from her work on ABC's Private Practice. She most recently starred on Broadway as the title role in Porgy and Bess, for which she won a Tony Award.

July Fourth is at last here, marking the official start to summer 2013. While there will be plenty of time today for fireworks and sparklers, real theatre fans know that there is no better way to celebrate our country's birthday than with a salute to a truly American institution- Broadway! BroadwayWorld is celebrating Independence Day with a collection of Broadway's most patriotic tunes, from shows such as 1776, THE WILL ROGERS FOLLIES, GEORGE M., WEST SIDE STORY, RAGTIME and so many more!

In the hilarious video below, Funny or Die does a mock PSA for the treatment of 'Patti Issues' to promote Off-Broadway/Touring Solo Play PATTI ISSUES, written and performed by Ben Rimalower, directed by Aaron Mark. Featuring Alan Cumming, Tonya Pinkins, and even LuPone herself, check it out to below to find out if you have your own Patti issues!

Marc Blitzstein's The Cradle Will Rock, the inaugural show of New York City Center's new Encores! Off-Center series, will play for five performances, July 10-13 at City Center- starring Danny Burstein, Eisa Davis, Raúl Esparza, Peter Friedman, Aidan Gemme, Judy Kuhn, David Margulies, Martin Moran, Michael Park, Robert Petkoff, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Anika Noni Rose, Matthew Saldivar and Henry Stram. The cast and creative team met the press earlier today and BroadwayWorld's Richie Ridge was there to chat with the whole gang. Check out what they had to say and catch a special performance preview below!

Just last week, the Supreme Court struck down California's Proposition 8. The decision comes after the Court held hearings about the legality of the state's gay marriage ban in March. The decision will now allow gay marriage to resume in California, however it does not legalize it in other states. Stage and screen star John Barrowman just posted a video (below) announcing that he and partner Scott Gill would be taking advantage of their new rights by tying the knot. BroadwayWorld sends our congratulations to the happy couple!

According to Variety, Broadway veterans Eileen Atkins, Marcia Gay Harden, Hamisch Linklater and Simon McBurney have all joined the cast of Woody Allen's new, untitled comedy. Also starring are previously announced Colin Firth, Jeremy Shamos, and Emma Stone. The Gravier Productions film is produced by Allen's longtime associates, Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum.

With candor and humor, a manic-depressive Iranian-American Muslim woman chronicles her experiences with both clinical and cultural bipolarity.

Wendy Williams began her Broadway debut engagement as Matron 'Mama' Morton in the Tony Award-winning musical smash Chicago last week on Friday, June 28. Williams, who was originally set to begin performances at the Ambassador Theatre (219 W. 49th St.) on Tuesday, June 25, was sidelined with a sinus infection earlier last week. BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge was there for her opening night and you can check out highlights from the curtain call and interviews with Williams and the cast below!

Does Jesus Really Love Me?: A Gay Christian's Pilgrimage in Search of God in America is part memoir and part investigative analysis that explores the explosive and confusing intersection of faith, politics, and sexuality in Christian America.

Today in 1985, Singin' in the Rain opened at the George Gershwin Theatre, where it ran for 367 performances. Singin' in the Rain is a musical with a book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, lyrics by Arthur Freed, and music by Nacio Herb Brown. Adapted from the 1952 movie of the same name, the plot closely adheres to the original. Set in Hollywood in the waning days of the silent screen era, it focuses on romantic lead Don Lockwood, his sidekick Cosmo Brown, aspiring actress Kathy Selden, and Lockwood's leading lady Lina Lamont, whose less-than-dulcet vocal tones make her an unlikely candidate for stardom in talking pictures. Directed and choreographed by Twyla Tharp, the cast included Don Correia as Don, Mary D'Arcy as Kathy, Peter Slutsker as Cosmo, and Faye Grant as Lina.

'ANNIE: It's the Hard-Knock Life, From Script to Stage,' a Primetime PBS special premiereD nationally on PBS last week. Annie: It's the Hard-Knock Life, From Script to Stage, follows the creation of a single production number in the current Broadway revival of the classic musical: the tuneful and rhythmic 'It's the Hard-Knock Life.' From the earliest discussions among the production team, through the casting process, into choreography and vocal rehearsals, onto the stage, and finally, into performance, the film traces the young cast's journey to Opening Night. Miss the documantary? Watch it all by clicking below!

Manhattan Theatre Club's American premiere of Tarell Alvin McCraney's Choir Boy, the new play featuring gospel music directed by Trip Cullman will open July 2 at MTC's The Studio at Stage II - Harold and Mimi Steinberg New Play Series at New YorkCity Center - Stage II (131 West 55th Street). BroadwayWorld brings you highlights below!

Return once more to a galaxy far, far away with this sublime retelling of George Lucas's epic Star Wars in the style of the immortal Bard of Avon. The saga of a wise (Jedi) knight and an evil (Sith) lord, of a beautiful princess held captive and a young hero coming of age, Star Wars abounds with all the valor and villainy of Shakespeare's greatest plays. 'Tis a tale told by fretful droids, full of faithful Wookiees and fearstome stormtroopers, signifying...pretty much everything. Clic kbe low to check out the amazing Shakespearean inturpretation titled: 'William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily a New Hope.'

Elizabeth Gilbert's first novel in twelve years is an extraordinary story of botany, exploration and desire, spanning across much of the 19th century. The novel follows the fortunes of the brilliant Alma Whittaker (daughter of a bold and charismatic botanical explorer) as she comes into her own within the world of plants and science. As Alma's careful studies of moss take her deeper into the mysteries of evolution, the man she loves draws her in the opposite direction-into the realm of the spiritual, the divine and the magical. Alma is a clear-minded scientist; Ambrose is a Utopian artist. But what unites this couple is a shared passion for knowing-a desperate need to understand the workings of this world, and the mechanism behind of all life. The Signature of All Things is a big novel, about a big century. Exquisitely researched and told at a galloping pace, this story novel soars across the globe-from London, to Peru, to Philadelphia, to Tahiti, to Amsterdam and beyond. It is written in the bold, questing spirit of that singular time. Alma Whittaker is a witness to history, as well as maker of history herself. She stands on the cusp of the modern, with one foot still in the Enlightened Age, and she is certain to be loved by readers across the world.

Goodman Theatre's world premiere of Disney's The Jungle Book began previews on June 21 (opening night is July 1) and, with a second extension week just added, now runs through August 11. The show opens tonight, July 1 and you can check out highlights below!

Happy Birthday Terrence Mann! Mann's Broadway credits include the Beast in the Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast, Rum Tum Tugger in Cats, Inspector Javert in Les Miserables and Chauvelin in The Scarlet Pimpernel. He also has starred in additional Broadway productions including Lennon, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Getting Away With Murder, A Christmas Carol, Rags, Barnum, Jerome Robbins' Broadway and Jekyll & Hyde. He has earned multiple Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle nominations.

Roundabout Theatre Company presents the world premiere of The Unavoidable Disappearance of Tom Durnin by Steven Levenson, directed by Scott Ellis. The cast includesChristopher Denham as 'James Durnin,' Lisa Emery as 'Karen Brown-Canedy',Sarah Goldberg as 'Katie Nicholson,' David Morse as 'Tom Durnin,' and Rich Sommer as 'Chris Wyatt'.