Tony Awards To Celebrate Broadway Milestones

Generally the annual Tony Awards telecast only features musical numbers from currently nominated Broadway musicals, but this year's Tony broadcast is also going to feature appearances by the casts of two formerly nominated Broadway shows, The Lion King and Rent. The Lion King's return performance is in honor of the long-running Broadway musical's 10-year anniversary (the "Disney on Broadway" hit is still going strong and selling out regularly). For Rent, the return will be more bittersweet, since that 1996 Tony Award-winning Broadway phenomenon is finally calling it quits and closing its Broadway production in September. However, Rent has enjoyed a long and good life on Broadway, having played for over 12 years.

New Teen Musical Starts Broadway Previews 9/16

Move over High School Musical, there is a new teen musical on the scene, and it's coming to Broadway! Jason Robert Brown, Dan Elish, and Robert Horn's 13, which is currently in the midst of an engagement at the Goodspeed in Connecticut, is now planning to begin performances on Broadway at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (current home of the Broadway revival of The Country Girl) on September 16. Teenagers are the stars of the junior high school-based fish-out-of-water story in 13, which also has a band made up of teens. The Broadway-bound musical is directed by Jeremy Sams, with choreography by Christopher Gattelli and music direction by Tom Kitt. Jason Robert Brown, who has penned the score, made his Broadway songwriting debut with Parade in 1998, and more recently appeared on the Broadway stage as the bandleader in Urban Cowboy.

Shakespeare in the Park Kicks Off with Hamlet

The Public Theater's "Shakespeare in the Park" season begins at Central Park's Delacorte Theatre tonight with the first performance of Hamlet. Michael Stuhlbarg, who has appeared on Broadway in plays such as The Invention of Love and The Pillowman, is starring as the troubled title character. Stuhlbarg is ably supported by a talented cast, including Lauren Ambrose (Broadway's Awake and Sing!) as Ophelia, Sam Waterston (Law & Order) as Polonius, Andre Braugher as Claudius, and Margaret Colin (seen on Broadway last season in Old Acquaintance) as Gertrude.

Broadway's Passing Strange Celebrates Cast Recording Release At Listening Party Tomorrow

Passing Strange, the new Broadway musical that is already racking up awards right and left, will celebrate the release of its original Broadway cast album on iTunes tomorrow at a listening party being held at Saju Bistro. Saju Bistro is located at 120 W. 44th Street, right across from the Belasco Theatre where Passing Strange plays. Fans and the general public are welcome to join Passing Strange's cast, crew, and creative team at the (free) party, which will commence at 9:30pm on Tuesday, May 27, immediately following the 7pm performance of the show. Passing Strange's Broadway cast recording is being released on iTunes tomorrow as a "Digital Exclusive Release," and will be available on CD in July.

Off-Broadway Staple To Finally Close

Long-running Off-Broadway tourist trap I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change will finally close this July. The four-person musical revue about dating and relationships has played at Off-Broadway's Westside Theatre since the summer of 1996. With a total of more than 5,000 performances, I Love You ... will be the second longest-running Off-Broadway musical in history when it closes on July 27.

Macbeth Concludes Its Broadway Engagement

The new Broadway production of Macbeth, which originated at the Chichester Festival Theatre in England last year, concludes its Broadway run tonight. The production transferred to Broadway earlier this Spring due to the critical acclaim received during its brief engagement at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. This Macbeth starred Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: The Next Generation) as the ambitious title character, under the direction of Rupert Goold. And even though Stewart and company are leaving Broadway already, they may want to drop in again on June 15, when their show will be competing for Tony Awards in six categories, including Best Revival of a Play, Best Leading Actor in a Play, and Best Leading Actress (for Lady Macbeth, Kate Fleetwood).

Broadway in Bryant Park Begins July 10

On July 10, "Broadway in Bryant Park" kicks off with performances by the casts of Broadway shows Chicago, Spamalot, Cry-Baby, and the forthcoming [title of show], plus Off-Broadway's Stomp. The annual series takes place on Thursdays from 12:30 to 1:30pm on the lawn in New York City's Bryant Park (6th Avenue, between 40th and 42nd street). The concerts will feature performances from several other Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals through August 14.

Broadway Coming To a Theater Near Your

If you can't see the final performance of the long-running Broadway musical Rent on Broadway, then don't worry - you can just catch it at the cineplex. Rent will be a part of "The Hot Ticket," a new venture that will put filmed versions of live performance and sporting events into movie houses. Rent, which will have its final Broadway performance on September 7, will be coming to movie theaters at a later date to be announced.

Bruce Lee Musical Bound For Broadway

The idea of a Broadway musical about martial arts legend Bruce Lee might seem a bit crazy, but the just-announced Broadway-bound Bruce Lee: Journey to the West actually sounds pretty intriguing. The musical-in-the-making has a crack creative team headed by writer David Henry Hwang (M Butterfly), songwriter David Yazbek (The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), and director Barlett Sher (the current Broadway revival of South Pacific) - a group of such diverse and exceptional talents is likely to create something quite interesting. The show is going to fuse "sources as diverse as martial arts, Chinese Opera, modern dance, and pop music," in an effort to tell the story of how Bruce Lee "struggles to master his skills, purify his spirit and forge a link to unite East and West". Bruce Lee: Journey to the West is planning to arrive on Broadway in the 2010-2011 season.

Big Stars Set for Broadway Revival of All My Sons

An all-star cast is set for the upcoming Broadway revival of the Arthur Miller drama All My Sons. John Lithgow (Broadway's Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Dianne Wiest (the recent Off-Broadway The Seagull), Patrick Wilson (The Full Monty on Broadway, The Phantom of the Opera on film), and Katie Holmes (making her Broadway debut). The revival is expected to appear on Broadway late this year, but exact dates, a theater, and ticket information have not yet been announced. The original Broadway production of All My Sons was in 1947, and the first Broadway revival of the play was mounted in 1987.

August: Osage County and Passing Strange Top The List of Drama Desk Award Winners

The Drama Desk Awards, which honor the best shows and performers on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway, were held last night. August: Osage County took Best Play, Passing Strange won for Best Musical, and the top revival awards went to Boeing-Boeing and South Pacific. Gypsy nabbed three performance awards, for Patti Lupone, Laura Benanti, and Boyd Gaines. As expected Cry-Baby won for its excellent choreography, The 39 Steps won Unique Theatrical Experience, and Sunday in the Park with George got an award for its clever video/projection design. Best Music and Best Lyrics went to Passing Strange, while Best Book of a Musical was awarded to Xanadu.

Spring Stars Wave Goodbye To Broadway

Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele, who have played the leads in both the Off-Broadway production and the Broadway transfer of Spring Awakening, have their final performance at the Tony Award-winning musical today. Michele has been with the show since its early stages, and Groff earned a Tony nomination for his turn as Melchior in the Broadway hit. They will be succeeded by Kyle Riabko and Alexandra Socha. To get discount tickets to see Spring Awakening on Broadway, click here.

Drama Desk Awards Ceremony Tomorrow

The Drama Desk Awards, which annually celebrate the best of Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Broadway theater, will be held tomorrow night in New York City's LaGuardia Concert Hall. The event, which commences at 9pm, will be hosted by the hilarious cast of Broadway-bound musical [title of show]. The Drama Desks are sometimes seen as an indicator of how the Tony Awards will go, so Broadway buffs will want to take note of the results. However, the most likely candidate to take home the Tony for Best Musical this year, In the Heights, isn't even nominated for the Drama Desk - because it was eligible last year as an Off-Broadway show (it lost to juggernaut Spring Awakening). The Drama Desk Awards broadcast can be heard live on XM satellite radio's Broadway channel.

Idol Taylor Hicks To Make Broadway Debut

In another case of reality TV show mixing, American Idol winner Taylor Hicks is set to make his first Broadway bow in the Broadway revival of Grease. Season Five Idol winner Hicks will play the Teen Angel in Grease beginning June 6 in an engagement that is expected to go through September 7.

Broadway Awards Mania Continues

We're now knee-deep in awards season, and the latest to announce its winners is the Theatre World Awards. The Theatre World Awards, now in its 64th year, singles out talented performers playing their breakthrough Broadway or Off-Broadway roles. The actors and actresses receiving recognition for distinguished work on Broadway are de'Adre Aziza and Daniel Breaker (Passing Strange), Ben Daniels (Les Liaisons Dangereuses), Deanna Dunagan (August: Osage County), Alli Mauzey (Cry-Baby), Jenna Russell (Sunday in the Park With George), Mark Rylance (Boeing-Boeing), Jimmi Simpsons (The Farnsworth Invention), and Loretta Ables Sayre and Paulo Szot (South Pacific). Off-Broadway honorees were Cassie Beck (Drunken City) and Hoon Lee (Yellow Face).

Grease Reality TV Show Finalist Kate Rockwell Joins Broadway Cast of Legally Blonde

Kate Rockwell, one of the finalists on the NBC reality TV series Grease - You're The One That I Want, is coming to Broadway, but not as a cast member of Grease. Rockwell is joining the cast of Broadway's Legally Blonde as Elle Woods's sorority sister, Margot. Legally Blonde will be further in the grip of reality TV fever next month, when the Broadway musical comedy's own reality series debuts on MTV.

Tony Award Nominations Announced Today

This morning the nominations for the 62nd Annual Tony Awards were announced by David Hyde Pierce (Broadway's Curtains, TV's Frasier) and Sara Ramirez (TV's Grey's Anatomy, Broadway's Spamalot), and the musical In the Heights came out on top with an impressive 13 nominations. Other musicals that did well were Passing Strange and the Broadway revivals of South Pacific and Sunday in the Park with George; August: Osage County fared particularly well among the plays. Given that all of these shows were well-reviewed, their success was expected, and today's Tony nods actually yielded very few surprises. However, they have set up some pretty exciting contests for Tony night on June 15, when we'll find out which Broadway shows and performers reign supreme. If you want to judge for yourself, make sure you see as many of the noms as possible before then. To get discount tickets to see nominees like Passing Strange, August, and Sunday, click here.

Nathan Lane Leaves Broadway On July 13

Nathan Lane, star of the David Mamet election-year comedy November, will depart the Broadway play on July 13. No word yet on whether or not the role will be re-cast or if the show will close at that time. November is currently playing at Broadway's Ethel Barrymore Theatre and also features Laurie Metcalf and Dylan Baker in the cast. Get your discount tickets to see it with Nathan Lane now while you still can!

Whoopi To Host Broadway's Tony Awards

As she announced herself this morning on The View (which she co-hosts), Whoopi Goldberg will be the host of the 62nd Annual Tony Awards, which will broadcast live on CBS on June 15. Whoopi appeared on Broadway only a couple years ago in a solo show, and she also occasionally serves as a producer of Broadway shows. "I love Broadway and I'm thrilled to be doing anything for the first time," she said about the Tony gig, "I'm gonna have a blast."

Glory Days Closes On Broadway, Top Girls Opens

The new Broadway musical Glory Days, which opened last night, has sadly joined the exclusive club of Broadway shows that can claim both their opening and closing night as one in the same. This afternoon it was announced that its first official performance had also been its last, and that due to the bad reviews (as well as low advance sales), the producers have decided to close the musical immediately.

On a brighter note, tonight was the official Broadway opening of the Manhattan Theatre Club's revival of Top Girls. The Caryl Churchill play is scheduled to play a limited run at Broadway's Biltmore Theatre through June 22.

Glory Days Are Here Again On Broadway

The new Broadway musical Glory Days opened on Broadway tonight. The production is newly transferred from an engagement at the Signature Theatre in D.C. Glory Days is about four high school friends who come back to their old haunt a year after graduation and discover how much has already changed between them. To get discount tickets to see Glory Days at the Circle in the Square Theatre on Broadway, click here.

Lortel Awards Honor Off-Broadway Shows

The winners of the 2007-2008 Lucille Lortel Awards, which award excellence in New York's Off-Broadway theatre, were announced today. The honors were fairly evenly distributed among notable Off-Broadway productions including George Packer's Betrayed (Outstanding Play) and Adrienne Kennedy's Ohio State Murders (Outstanding Revival). Some of the recipients of acting honors included Elizabeth Franz in The Piano Teacher and Mare Winningham in 10 Million Miles. The closest thing to a sweep was The Adding Machine's four wins, for Outstanding Musical, Director, Lead Actor, and Lighting Design. This is the 23rd year for the Lortel Awards, which are presented by the League of Off-Broadway Theatres and Producers.

Boeing-Boeing Opens On Broadway Tonight

The Broadway revival of the 1960s farce Boeing-Boeing has its official Broadway opening tonight. The comedy about a bachelor juggling three flight attendant fiancees stars Bradley Whitford, Christine Baranski, Mark Rylance, and Gina Gershon. Boeing-Boeing is playing an open run at Broadway's Longacre Theatre. To get discount tickets to see the comic Boeing-Boeing, as well as other Broadway plays and musicals, click here.

12 Broadway Musicals To Be Featured In Concert

Visa Signature will be offering a taste of the Tonys by sponsoring a "Tonys Preview Concert," to be taped at Jazz at Lincoln Center on May 11. All of this season's Broadway musicals that are eligible for Tony nominations will perform at the event. The broadcast will air on CBS in the New York City area on June 7, but dates will vary in other markets, so check local listings. And don't forget to check out the Tony Awards ceremony itself, which will air on June 15.

Broadway Blonde Goes To Reality TV

"Legally Blonde the Musical: The Search for Elle Woods," a new MTV reality show, has set its debut date for June 2. Hosted by Haylie Duff (Hairspray), the 8-episode reality TV series follows the process of finding a replacement for the current star of Legally Blonde on Broadway, Laura Bell Bundy. Members of Legally Blonde's cast and creative team will appear on the show, and Broadway personality Seth Rudetsky will serve as music director and vocal coach to the Broadway hopefuls auditioning to win the role of Elle.