Hottest Articles on BWW from Friday, Jul. 20

1) BWW TV: SISTER ACT Performs at Broadway in Bryant Park 2012!

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!" (more...)

2) STAGE TUBE: Kelli O'Hara in Rehearsals For Williamstown's FAR FROM HEAVEN

FAR FROM HEAVEN began an engagement at the Williamstown Theatre Festival on the mainstage on July 19 and will run through July 29, 2012. Get a behind-the-scenes look (and listen) to the wonderful score and talented cast in rehearsals below! (more...)

3) InDepth InterView: PaTricia Kelly Discusses Gene Kelly @ 100, Lincoln Center Shows, SINGIN' IN THE RAIN HD & More

Today we are talking to PaTricia Kelly, the widow of one of the most iconic and influential performers in entertainment history, Gene Kelly, all about her husband's incomparable career on Broadway and in Hollywood, in honor of his centennial. Tracing Gene Kelly's journey from his theatre roots starring in Cole Porter's LEAVE IT TO ME!, Rodgers & Hart's PAL JOEY and William Saroyan's Pulitzer Prize-winning THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE on Broadway to his unforgettable screen appearances in many of the greatest movie musicals ever made - COVER GIRL, SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, THE PIRATE, AN AMERICAN IN PARIS and many more included - Mrs. Kelly gives us a look into the life of one of the most important artists of the twentieth century. In addition to behind-the-scenes stories involving Kelly's frequent collaborators - such as esteemed director Vincente Minnelli, songwriter and producer Arthur Freed, arranger Saul Chaplin and others - Mrs. Kelly also shares candid anecdotes involving her husband's involvement with directing Rodgers & Hammerstein's FLOWER DRUM SONG on Broadway, helming the feature film adaptation of HELLO, DOLLY! starring Barbra Streisand, as well as his appearing in two idiosyncratic movie musicals later in his life, LES DEMOISELLES DE ROCHEFORT (THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT) for Jacques Demy, as well as his au revoir to movie musicals in form of the Olivia Newton-John roller disco starrer XANADU. Additionally, Mrs. Kelly fills us in on all the details about this weekend's two-night Gene Kelly retrospective celebration, which she leads and narrates, as part of Gene Kelly @ 100 and her future plans for the multimedia presentation - each evening titled AN EVENING OF Gene Kelly and CHANGING THE LOOK OF DANCE ON FILM, respective - as she begins to tour the show across the country. Plus, reflections on SINGIN' IN THE RAIN's 60th anniversary and the recent Fathom HD premiere presentation in theaters, the impact of Kelly's work behind the camera, his choreographic legacy, what a legend is like at home, memories of attending the opening night of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (starring HELLO, DOLLY! lead Michael Crawford), what the master would say about GLEE, SMASH, BUNHEADS and today's movie musical renaissance, as well as much, much more! (more...)

4) JEKYLL & HYDE Essay Contest: Your Entry Could Appear in CD Liner Notes!

Broadway Records and BroadwayWorld.com would like to invite you to enter for a chance to have your essay included in the liner notes for the upcoming Jekyll & Hyde concept recording! (more...)

5) Photo Flash: Marissa Jaret Winokur, Debbie Gibson and More at Opening Night Red Carpet of SURF THE MUSICAL

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 a first look at the opening night cast party below. (more...)

6) Photo Flash: Production Photos and More Red Carpet Shots of SURF THE MUSICAL

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 production photos and more shots of the opening night red carpet below. (more...)

7) Hunter Foster, Jay Armstrong Johnson, and More Set for PIRATES! at the Muny

The Muny has announced principal casting for the sixth show of its 94th season, Pirates! (or, Gilbert and Sullivan Plunder'd), July 30 - August 5, directed by Gordon Greenberg and choreographed by Denis Jones. Conceived by Gordon Greenburg, Nell Benjamin and John McDaniel, Pirates! (or, Gilbert and Sullivan Plunder'd) features lyrics by W.S. Gilbert, and music by Arthur Sullivan. Revised book and lyrics are by Nell Benjamin, and music supervision, new arrangements and orchestrations are by John McDaniel. (more...)

8) FLASH FRIDAY: Paul Thomas Anderson's THE MASTER

A new Paul Thomas Anderson film only comes along once or twice a decade, so the recent teasers that have been released for his new film - a veiled Scientology parable titled THE MASTER, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Pheonix and Amy Adams - have been inspiring adulation amongst both Anderson's devotees (The Milk Drinkers?) and film fans alike, but what about yesterday's official trailer premiere? Sheer awe. When Philip Seymour Hoffman joined me in my InDepth InterView column in 2010, we spoke quite a bit about his previous work with Anderson on MAGNOLIA - which he called "an opera" - and BOOGIE NIGHTS, which is unquestionably a magnum opus; to say nothing of Hoffman's memorable turns in the respectively arresting and enchanting HARD 8 and PUNCH DRUNK LOVE - and the first news of this new religion-based project had just surfaced at that time, so this week's long-awaited release of the official theatrical trailer of THE MASTER is a promise of a new Anderson/Hoffman cinematic collaboration finally at long last fulfilled - and much, much more, as well. (more...)

9) The Village People Jukebox Musical Aiming for Broadway?

The Village People, the disco group first formed in 1977 which has since gone on to become a pop culture fixture, may be headed to Broadway. (more...)

10) Cast of ONCE to Perform on NBC's AMERICA'S GOT TALENT, 7/25

The cast of ONCE will appear on NBC's 'America's Got Talent' next Wednesday, July 25th at 9:00 pm ET. The announcement was posted on the show's Twitter page yesterday. (more...)

11) Tickets Go On Sale Today for GRACE, Starring Paul Rudd and Michael Shannon

Tickets for the Broadway Premiere of Grace, the acclaimed American play written by Award-winning writer Craig Wright (Mistakes Were Made, "Six Feet Under") and directed by Dexter Bullard (Tracy Letts' BUG), are now on sale to the general public, via Telecharge.com or by calling (212) 239-6200. (more...)

12) Photo Flash: Will Swenson and More in Rehearsal for Vassar Powerhouse's MURDER BALLAD

Vassar & New York Stage and Film present the 28th Powerhouse Theater season workshop MURDER BALLAD, starring Tony nominees Daniel Breaker (Passing Strange; Shrek: The Musical) and Will Swenson (Hair; Priscilla Queen of the Desert) as well as Dee Roscioli (Wicked) and Rebecca Naomi Jones (American Idiot; Passing Strange). The indie rock musical Murder Ballad is written by award-winning playwright Julia Jordan (Tatjana in Color; Sarah, Plain and Tall) and Juliana Nash (frontwoman for the indie rock band Talking to Animals), directed by Trip Cullman (Lonely, I'm Not; Assistance; A Small Fire). The show plays July 27 through July 29, 2012. See below for photos of the cast and creative team in rehearsal! (more...)

13) BWW Polls: What Other Star of 'The West Wing' Should Come Back to Broadway?

Earlier this week it was announced that WEST WING star and Emmy Award winner Richard Schiff will return to Broadway in the upcoming revival of David Mamet's acclaimed Pulitzer Prize-winning drama GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS. Schiff will star alongside Al Pacino, Bobby Cannavale, David Harbour, and Jeremy Shamos in the show. Schiff was one of many Broadway veterans to star in the long-running NBC drama, and though the show aired its final episode in 2006, we are wondering what other stars you'd like to see return to the stage. (more...)

14) Photo Coverage: WICKED, GHOST, MEMPHIS, and More Perform at Broadway in Bryant Park!

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). BroadwayWorld was there for the festivities, and we bring you complete photo coverage below! (more...)

15) THE FRIDAY SIX: Q&As with Your Favorite Broadway Stars- John E. Brady

Welcome to THE FRIDAY SIX: Q&As With Your Favorite Broadway Stars. Want to know what hooked them to a career in the theater? Their dream roles? Their Broadway crushes? Read on! In this next edition, we caught up with John E. Brady, who is starring as 'Wiesel' in NEWSIES- currently playing at the Nederlander Theatre! (more...)

16) Photo Flash: THIS WEEK IN PICTURES: JULY 14 - 20

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: 14th Annual Broadway Barks, Broadway plays Bryant Park, ANNIE's New 'Sandy' and so much more! (more...)

17) STAGE TUBE: On This Day 7/20- PASSING STRANGE

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 Kunstlerroman. 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. (more...)

18) Constantine Maroulis, Laura Osnes and More Set for FRANK & FRIENDS at Birdland, 8/13

On Monday, August 13, Broadway at Birdland presents multi-Grammy and Tony-nominated composer Frank Wildhorn in his monthly concert series called "Frank & Friends." Joining Frank onstage will be Constantine Maroulis (upcoming star of Jekyll & Hyde), Laura Osnes (Tony nominee/Bonnie & Clyde and upcoming Cinderella), Melissa van Der Schyff (Bonnie & Clyde) and Stark Sands (upcoming Kinky Boots). (more...)

19) Larry Cahn, Glory Crampton, Omar Lopez-Cepero et al. Set for FOREVERMAN at NYMF Tonight, 7/20

The new musical Foreverman, with book, music, and lyrics by Brett M. Boles, will be presented as an official selection of the New York Musical Theatre Festival's (NYMF's) 2012 Next Link Project, beginning performances tonight, July 20 and running through Sunday, July 28, at the PTC Performance Space, 555 West 42 Street (between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues). (more...)

20) EXCLUSIVE Photo Coverage: Rain Pryor in Rehearsal for FRIED CHICKEN AND LATKES

Edmund Gaynes in association with Daryl Sledge/Mother's Boy LLC will present the Off-Broadway premiere of Rain Pryor's one-woman show, Fried Chicken and Latkes, beginning an open-ended engagement on Saturday July 21st at the Actors Temple Theater (339 West 47th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues). BroadwayWorld brings you exclusive photo coverage of Pryor in rehearsal for the show below! (more...)