Hottest Articles on BWW from Thursday, Jun. 28

1) Update: SMASH Picks New Broadway Songwriters for Season 2

In an interview with Variety, NBC's Robert Greenblatt revealed that he intends to increase the drama and shake up the music featured in the show by recruiting "up-and-comers" to compose new original music. (more...)

2) Stark Sands & Billy Porter to Lead Broadway Bound KINKY BOOTS - Full Cast Announced!

Producers Daryl Roth and Hal Luftig have announced the full cast and creative team for the World Premiere of Kinky Boots, the new musical that brings together four-time Tony® Award-winner Harvey Fierstein (Book) and Grammy® Award-winning rock icon Cyndi Lauper (Music & Lyrics). Directed and choreographed by Tony® Award-winner Jerry Mitchell, Kinky Boots will play the Bank of America Theatre (18 West Monroe Street, Chicago, IL) beginning October 2 through November 4, 2012, in advance of a Broadway opening. (more...)

3) Barbra Streisand Responds to Larry Kramer on NORMAL HEART Film

As Michael Riedel previously wrote in the NY Post, there is currently some tension between THE NORMAL HEART writer Larry Kramer and Barbra Streisand, who was set to direct a film version of the play back in 1986. The Streisand-directed movie never came to fruition, and when Kramer sent Streisand good reviews from the national tour that just opened in Washington D.C., Streisand responded to Kramer with: "Why make me sad that I'm not directing your wonderful play?" Kramer responed with an email to Streisand that can be found at the NYP. (more...)

4) Victoria Clark, Ann Harada & More Join Laura Osnes & Prince Charming Santino Fontana in Broadway-Bound CINDERELLA Workshop, 8/2 & 8/3

Victoria Clark, Harriet Harris, Ann Harada and Peter Bartlett will join Laura Osnes as Cinderella and Santino Fontana as the Prince in a workshop of the new production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's CINDERELLA August 2nd and 3rd in New York, it has been announced by the musical's producer Center Theatre Group in association with Robyn Goodman, Stephen Kocis and Jill Furman. (more...)

5) BWW TV: Meet the Cast and Creative Team of Bucks County Playhouse's A GRAND NIGHT FOR SINGING!

The Bucks County Playhouse (BCP) in New Hope, Pennsylvania, will celebrate its return with Rodgers & Hammerstein's A Grand Night for Singing, playing Monday, July 2 through Sunday, July 29. The cast and creative team met the press this morning, and BroadwayWorld's own Richard Ridge was there to chat about the upcoming show. Check out what they had to say below! (more...)

6) STAGE TUBE: ROCKY Stars Preview Musical Numbers in Germany

The new musical adaptation of ROCKY met the German press, including a mini-concert by the show's stars! The show will open this November in Hamburg under the direction of PETER AND THE STARCATCHER Tony nominee Alex Timbers. (more...)

7) Aaron Tveit Joins Angela Lansbury and Aaron Lazar in ANASTASIA Reading as 'Dimitri'

Currently set for the reading are Angela Lansbury and Aaron Lazar, along with the newly announced Aaron Tveit. Tveit - whose Broadway credits include NEXT TO NORMAL and CATCH ME IF YOU CAN and who will be seen as Enjolras in the highly anticipated LES MISERABLES film this December - will play Dimitri, the con man who brings Anastasia to the Empress (Lansbury) in an attempt to collect a reward. (more...)

8) Robert Cuccioli, Natascia Diaz & Drew Sarich to Lead CHESS Benefit Concert for The Actor's Fund, July 30

Tony Award-nominee Robert Cuccioli (Jekyll & Hyde, Les Miserables), Helen Hayes Award-winner Natascia Diaz (Man of La Mancha, Seussical, The Capeman, Carnival) and Drew Sarich (Les Miserables, Lestat, starring in the upcoming Broadway-bound production of Rocky the Musical in Europe) will star in the July 30th 7:30pm benefit concert of the Benny Andersson, Tim Rice and Bjorn Ulvaeus musical CHESS for The Actor's Fund. This special CHESS "In Concept" Concert will take place at LaGuardia Arts at Lincoln Center (100 Amsterdam Avenue). This stripped down all through-sung concert-version will focus on the music, lyrics and characters, emulating the original 1984 concept album and incorporating virtually all of the original London score. (more...)

9) Claybourne Elder, Mary Testa, John Hickok to Lead Kansas City Rep's PIPPIN

Kansas City Repertory Theatre's artistic director Eric Rosen has announced the cast of the Rep's production of Pippin. Rosen will direct the musical, which runs September 14-October 7, and kicks off the theatre's 2012-13 season. (more...)

10) STAGE TUBE: On This Day 6/28- DREAMGIRLS

Today in 1987, the FIRST Broadway revival of Dreamgirls opened at the Ambassador Theatre, where it ran for 177 performances. Dreamgirls features music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. Based upon the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Supremes, The Shirelles, JAmes Brown, Jackie Wilson, and others, the musical follows the story of a young female singing trio from Chicago, Illinois called "The Dreams", who become music superstars. The musical opened on December 20, 1981 at the Imperial Theatre, and was nominated for thirteen Tony Awards, including the Tony Award for Best Musical, and won six. It was later adapted into a motion picture from DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures in 2006. The 1987 cast featured Lillias White as 'Effie.' (more...)

11) Casey Hushion to Helm ELF Holiday Tour; Kicks Off at PPAC in Nov.

Though hot and sunny outside, theaters across the country already are thinking towards the holidays. As previously announced, NETworks Presentations will present a non-Equity tour of Elf The Musical, which will launch at the Providence Performing Arts Center from November 4 through November 10. Engagements will follow at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in Appleton from November 13 through November 18, Tampa's Straz Center for the Performing Arts from November 20 through November 25, and the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall from November 27 through December 2 in Fort Myers. The tour will end in St. Paul at the Ordway Theatre, playing from December 5 through December 30. (more...)

12) Tickets to EVITA Now as Low as $67

Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Tony Award®-winning musical returned to Broadway at last, starring Grammy® Award winner Ricky Martin (Les Miserables) and Olivier Award winner Elena Roger. Tickets are as low as $67. (more...)

13) Nora Ephron's LUCKY GUY Still Coming to Broadway

In early May, BroadwayWorld reported that Tom Hanks will be heading to Broadway in 2013 in Nora Ephron's LUCKY GUY. According to the New York Times, the production will still happen, despite Ephron's recent death. A new production timeline has not yet been announced. (more...)

14) Photo Flash: Tracy Letts' THREE SISTERS Adaptation Begins Previews at Steppenwolf Tonight, 6/28

Steppenwolf Theatre Company closes the 2011/12 season with Three Sisters, Anton Chekhov's humorous and affecting tale of longing for a better life, adapted by Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning ensemble member Tracy Letts, directed by Tony Award-winning ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro. Letts and Shapiro continue their celebrated collaboration following their acclaimed world-premiere production of August: Osage County (2007), bringing fresh insight to this classic story of a privileged family's changing fortunes. Check out photos from the cast and creative team in rehearsal below! (more...)

15) Photo Coverage: Meet the Cast of A GRAND NIGHT FOR SINGING - Erin Davie & More!

The Bucks County Playhouse (BCP) in New Hope, Pennsylvania, will celebrate its return with Rodgers & Hammerstein's A Grand Night for Singing, playing Monday, July 2 through Sunday, July 29. The cast and creative team met the press yesterday, June 27, and BroadwayWorld was there for the photo op. (more...)

16) STAGE TUBE: Inside the VIVA FOREVER! Announcement with the Spice Girls

Judy Craymer, producer of the global smash-hit musical phenomenon MAMMA MIA! earlier this week announced that the new musical, VIVA FOREVER! will open at the PICCADILLY THEATRE in London's West End in perfect time for Christmas. VIVA FOREVER! will preview from Tuesday 27 November and officially open on Tuesday 11 December 2012. Go inside the big announcement in the video below! (more...)

17) STAGE TUBE: Patti Murin, Natascia Diaz Talk the MUNY's CHICAGO!

The Muny features CHICAGO as its second show of its 94th season, running through July 1- directed and choreographed by Denis Jones. Patti Murin and Natascia Diaz star as Roxy Hart and Velma Kelly, joined by Justin Guarini as Billy Flynn. Also appearing are Jackie Hoffman as Mama Morton, Patti Cohenour as Mary Sunshine and Dean Christopher as Amos Hart. Meet the cast of the show in the videos below! (more...)

18) Rebecca Luker to Perform at 54 Below, 7/6 & 7

Next week, for two performances only on July 6 and 7 at 8PM, 54 Below will present Tony Award nominee Rebecca Luker in an evening of Jerome Kern music. (more...)

19) Trevor Nunn Helms Alan Ayckbourn's A CHORUS OF DISAPPROVAL in The West End; Nigel Harman et al. Lead

Trevor Nunn is to direct a cast including Rob Brydon, Nigel Harman and Ashley Jensen in Alan Ayckbourn's A Chorus of Disapproval opening at the Harold Pinter Theatre later this year. Joining the trio on stage will be Teresa Banham, Daisy Beaumont, Georgia Brown, Rob Compton, Matthew Cottle and Steven Edis, who is also the show's Musical Director. The production runs September 17, 2012 – January 5, 2013, with an opening night scheduled for September 27, 2012. (more...)

20) Jenna Leigh Green, Colin Hanlon, et al. to Star in IT'S ON! at NYMF

The New York Musical Theatre Festival and Janet Billig Rich & Rebecca Roffman present a staged reading of the new musical IT'S ON!, the T.V. show theme song musical. Readings will take place on Tuesday July 10th and Wednesday July 11th at The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at the Pershing Square Signature Center located at 480 West 42nd Street. The official opening is Tuesday, July 10th at 8:00 PM. (more...)