Karen MacDonald Stars as Erma Bombeck in AT WIT'S END at MRT
Merrimack Repertory Theatre (MRT) announced today that critically acclaimed Boston actress Karen MacDonald will star next April in Erma Bombeck: At Wit's End by Allison Engel and Margaret Engel, and Terry Berliner, MRT's Interim Artistic Director, will direct.
Gattelli to Direct Ripley, Klena, Gehling and More in Reading Of THE SONG OF BERNADETTE
Tony winner Christopher Gattelli (Newsies, The Cher Show, My Fair Lady, SpongeBob) will direct an invite-only, developmental reading of the new musical, The Song of Bernadette, March 14th & 15th, starring Dear Evan Hansen's Mallory Bechtel as Bernadette, alongside Tony Winner Alice Ripley (Next to Normal, Side Show, American Psycho), Derek Klena (Carrie, Dogfight, Anastasia) and Drew Gehling (Waitress, Dave).
Casting Announced For SUMMER SHORTS 2018
Casting is complete for SUMMER SHORTS 2018, produced by Throughline Artists (J.J. Kandel, Producing Artistic Director) at 59E59 Theaters (Val Day, Artistic Director; Brian Beirne, Managing Director). SUMMER SHORTS 2018 begins on July 20 and runs through September 1. Two series featuring three one-act plays in each will play in rotating repertory Tuesday - Friday at 7:15 PM; Saturday & Sunday at 2:15 PM and 7:15 PM. Please note, there are no matinee performances on Saturday, July 21, Sunday, July 22, or Saturday, July 28.
Summer Shorts 2018 Festival Of New American Plays Returns To 59E59 Theaters For Its 12th Season
59E59 Theaters (Val Day, Artistic Director; Brian Beirne, Managing Director) is thrilled to welcome Throughline Artists (J.J. Kandel, Producing Artistic Director) with SUMMER SHORTS 2018, the annual festival of six short plays tailor-made for summer viewing, now celebrating its 12th season. SUMMER SHORTS 2018 begins on July 20 and runs through September 1. The general performance schedule is Tuesday - Friday at 7:15 PM; Saturday & Sunday at 2:15 PM and 7:15 PM. Please note, there are no matinee performances on Saturday, July 21, Sunday, July 22, or Saturday, July 28. Individual calendar schedule of performance dates for Series A and Series B is available for viewing/download. Press Opening for Series A is Sunday, July 29 at 2:15 PM. Press Opening for Series B is Sunday, August 5 at 2:15 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Single tickets are $35 ($24.50 for 59E59 Members). A Pair of Shorts (a ticket package to both Series A & B, available through August 15) is $55. To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or visit www.59e59.org.
BWW Reviews: You'll Be Crazy in Love With MARIEANN MERINGOLO'S New Monthly Show at the Metropolitan Room
As a young veteran of the New York cabaret scene and someone who rests comfortably in that performer's purgatory between celebrity and what the folks at the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC) calls “Major Artist,” Marieann Meringolo certainly doesn't need validation from a Stevie-come-lately reviewer like me. But nobody bats 1.000—in baseball, life, or cabaret—and, frankly, I didn't cheer in print for her slightly pretentious 2013 show Orchestrated, which seemed to feature a band big enough to bust through the far wall of the Metropolitan Room and arrangements that were more than a tad overblown. But in 2011, I loved her annual holiday show, In The Spirit, and had heard nothing but great things about her 2012 tribute to the music of Michael Legrand, so I was willing to consider Orchestrated a mere hiccup—depending on what she came up with next. Well, next arrived on the afternoon of Saturday, April 5 afternoon with Meringolo's new show, Crazy Love, at the Metropolitan Room.
Patrick Stanke, Mark Seibert & More Set to Lead Premiere of New Wildhorn Musical ARTUS - EXCALIBUR in Switzerland
The Theater St. Gallen announces the performers in the title roles of the world premiere of the musical ARTUS - Excalibur on 15 March 2014. Patrick Stanke will portray the figure of Arthur. Stanke's repertoire includes numerous leading and title roles. In 2012 he received the DaCapo Award for the best male voice. Mark Seibert will play the legendary figure of Lancelot. Seibert is currently appearing in the musical Elisabeth at the Raimund Theater in Vienna. The figure of the wizard Merlin will be played by Thomas Borchert, who is already familiar to St. Gallen audiences from his roles in the musicals Rebecca and MOSES - The 10 Commandments. The two heroines will be portrayed by Annemieke van Dam (Guinevere) and Sabrina Weckerlin (Morgan le Fay). Van Dam has interpreted the title role of Elisabeth in the eponymous musical and Sabrina Weckerlin was last seen in the German premiere of the Broadway musical Next to Normal - Fast Normal.
Shelley Fisher's THE HEBREW HILLBILLY to Play Santa Monica Playhouse, 10/12-11/3
Written and performed by singer songwriter Shelley Fisher, it is a one woman musical which chronicles Ms Fisher's Hollywood odyssey that begins in the heart of the Mississippi Delta in her hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, birthplace of Rock 'n' Roll, Blues and Bar-b-cue. Growing up Jewish in the deep South with a flamboyant mother who frowned on her dating the local redneck boys, The Hebrew Hillbilly begins singing as a little girl and never stops. From her early years as a blonde bombshell, through her current incarnation as The Memphis Belle of L.A., Ms Fisher has been on a show business rollercoaster that slows down just long enough for her audience to climb on board this deeply personal, yet universally appealing and hilarious ride. The production is directed by Rory Mitchell with 14 original songs written by Shelley Fisher, Kenneth Hirsch (musical director), and Harold Payne. The Hebrew Hillbilly will be shown at the Santa Monica Playhouse, (1211 4th St, Santa Monica) October 12 - November 3.
Frank Wildhorn's EXCALIBUR to Play St. Gallen Theatre
For ARTUS - Excalibur the St.Gallen Theatre is pleased to once again be working with the successful composer Frank Wildhorn, who previously composed the thoroughly successful musical in St.Gallen Der Graf von Monte Christo (The Count of Monte Christo) (Japanese premiere in 2013). Together with Ivan Menchell (script) and Robin Lerner (lyrics), he will turn the legendary tale of Arthur and his sword Excalibur into a stage musical.