Nicole Rosky - Page 484

Happy Birthday Alan Menken! For Disney, Menken has scored The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Pocahontas, each of which won him two Academy Awards. He also composed the scores for The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Enchanted, and Tangled. Menken has collaborated on several occasions with lyricists includingHoward Ashman,Tim RiceandStephen Schwartz. On Broadway, Menken has composed for The Little Mermaid, Little Shop of Horrors, King David, Beauty and the Beast and, now, Sister Act.

Today in 1976, Guys and Dolls opened at the Broadway Theatre, where it ran for 239 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 revivals as well as West End productions.

Today in 2008, Passing Strange closed at the Belasco Theatre, where it ran for 165 performances. Passing Strange is a rock musical about a young African American's artistic journey of self-discovery in Europe, drawing on heavy elements of existentialism, metafictional comedy, and the Künstlerroman. The musical's lyrics and book are by Stew with music and orchestrations by Heidi Rodewald and Stew. It was created in collaboration with director Annie Dorsen. The musical was developed at the Sundance Institute Theatre Lab in 2004 and 2005, one of the only works there ever to be invited back for a second round of development. It had productions in Berkeley, California and Off-Broadway before opening on Broadway in 2008, garnering strong reviews and several awards. Spike Lee filmed the musical on Broadway as a documentary, premiering the film in 2009.

The event continued this week with performances from the asts of GHOST (Richard Fleeshman, Caissie Levy, Da'Vine Joy Randolph), ZARKANA (Jason Nious, Jeremie Robert, Michael Duffy, Tom Cholot, Daniel Passer, Larry Wayne Wilson, Federico Pisapia, Vincenzo Schiavo, Giuseppe Schiavo, Marco Senatore, Keith Paraska, Peter Fand), SISTER ACT (Rashidra Scott, Alena Watters, Lael Van Keuren), MEMPHIS (Kevin Massey, Dan'yelle Williamson) and WICKED (Donna Vivino, Kate Fahrner). Click below to check out the performances from the cast of SISTER ACT, which included 'Fabulous Baby,' and 'Sister Act!'

The best of Broadway will be presented FREE on six consecutive Thursdays this summer with "106.7 Lite FM's Broadway in Bryant Park 2012" - a lunchtime series that began last week, July 12 at 12:30 p.m. on the Bryant Park Stage. Sponsored by Resorts World Casino New York City and hosted by Lite FM's on-air personalities, the twelfth annual presentation of open-air, On- and Off- Broadway lunch hour performances will run through August 16.

ITV's search for Andrew Lloyd Webber's new Jesus Christ Superstar began earlier this month. The winner's life-changing prize will be the leading role in a new arena tour of Tim Rice's and Andrew Lloyd Webber legendary rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar which will open at London's O2 arena.

According to her official blog, stage star Caroline O'Connor will return Leicester Curve Theatre in November to star in Hello Dolly! as the title role. O'Connor will reunite with Curve's Artistic Director Paul Kerryson (Director) for the season.

A legendary line-up of talent from the worlds of music, television, stage and screen join together for an unprecedented night of entertainment in 'From Dust To Dreams: Opening Night at The Smith Center For The Performing Arts' in Las Vegas, set to air on PBS on Friday September 21st at 9pm ET/PT. BroadwayWorld brings you a first look at the concert below!

In the video below, former actor and TV producer Arnie Walton, just one of the wonderful residents at The Actors Fund's Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, NJ, chats about some of his past experiences. Like his neighbors, he has many wonderful stories to share about his career in entertainment (including the thrill he felt appearing with Ezio Pinza in the Broadway cast of South Pacific). Here what he had to say in the video below!

Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus' MAMMA MIA! recently welcomed new principals Christy Altomare, Lauren Cohn, Daniel Cooney, Felicia Finley, Aaron Lazar, Graham Rowat and Zak Resnick who join Judy McLane as "Donna Sheridan" at the Winter Garden Theatre. Check out new production shots of the cast in action below!

A legendary line-up of talent from the worlds of music, television, stage and screen join together for an unprecedented night of entertainment in 'From Dust To Dreams: Opening Night at The Smith Center For The Performing Arts' in Las Vegas, set to air on PBS on Friday September 21st at 9pm ET/PT.

Bucks County Playhouse (BCP) (Jed Bernstein, Producing Director) will present their July Cabaret Series and "Sing-a-Long-a Sound of Music" this weekend. Broadway and television actor Jason Kravits (Relatively Speaking, "The Practice") will host "Sing-a-Long-a Sound of Music", a little over one week after what would have been Oscar Hammerstein II's 117th birthday, on Sunday, July 22nd at 6:30 p.m. at the Bucks County Playhouse (70 South Main Street). The presentation will be preceded by a special outdoor BBQ Style dinner hosted by Hamilton's Grill Room beginning at 5:00 p.m.

As previously reported, Julian Ovenden and Rosalie Craig will star in a new musical version of the film Finding Neverland, which starred Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet. The musical will feature Ovenden as Barrie, a role he played in two London workshops last winter, and Craig as Sylvia. The show begins rehearsals July 30 with a four to five week run scheduled at the Curve Theatre in Leicester. Performances will begin on September 21 and will run through October 18, 2012.

Broadway Star, Karen Mason (Wonderland, Mamma Mia! and the upcoming Broadway show, Rebecca), brings her talents to the intimate stage (78 seats) at CAP21 where she is performing in their benefit series, Concerts for CAP21. As CAP21 approaches their 20th Anniversary, the concert series celebrates all of the accomplishments the organization has had and its goals of the future. Karen Mason: Unfinished Business will be performed through July 19 and certain performances include a reception that is available for ticket buyers. Ticket Prices range from $25-$100. CAP21 is located at 18 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011. Tickets and additional information are available at www.cap21.org or by calling 646.213.5488. BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge was there for the first concert, and we bring you highlights from the event and interviews with the star of the evening below!

Surf the Musical, the feel-good production featuring the songs of the Beach Boys, is now open at the Showroom at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. BroadwayWorld brings you highlights from the show below!

Sydney Theatre Company's (STC) acclaimed production of Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov, adapted by Andrew Upton and directed by Tamas Ascher (whose staging of Ivanov for Katona Jozsef Theatre was critically acclaimed at Lincoln Center Festival 2009), will be a highlight of the Lincoln Center Festival this Summer.

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director), in association with Robert D. Wachs (producer of the hit films Beverly Hills Cop, Beverly Hills Cop 2, Coming to America), will mount a lab workshop of the new disco "revue-sical," Last Dance featuring the music of legendary pop master Paul Jabara (Enough is Enough, It's Raining Men, Last Dance, and more) with book by Shaun McKenna (Lord of the Rings, The Musical). Last Dance will play 5 performances, September 20 - 23, 2012 at at The York Theatre at Saint Peter's (Citicorp Building, entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue).

Signature Theatre presents the world premiere of HEARTLESS by Sam Shepard and directed by Daniel Aukin. All tickets for the initial run of the production are $25 as part of the Signature Ticket Initiative: A Generation of Access. The production runs August 7 through September 16, 2012 with an August 27 opening night in The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues). BroadwayWorld brings you photos of the cast in rehearsal below!

Recording artist Tony Vincent has officially released his debut EP, In My Head, which is now available for purchase on iTunes http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/in-my-head-ep/id542516071. The EP features four tracks including the single "Starting Over," which Tony released as a free download for fans in May.

Today in 2004, Assassins opened at Studio 54, where it ran for 101 performances. Assassins is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by John Weidman, based on an idea by Charles Gilbert, Jr. It uses the premise of a murderous carnival game to produce a revue-style portrayal of men and women who attempted (successfully or otherwise) to assassinate Presidents of the United States. The music varies to reflect the popular music of the eras depicted.The musical first opened Off-Broadway in 1990, and the 2004 Broadway production won five Tony Awards.