All stories by Michael Gioia on BroadwayStars

Monday, September 16, 2013

Annie's Lilla Crawford Will Be Little Red in Into the Woods Film, Featuring New Song by Stephen Sondheim by Michael Gioia

Lilla Crawford, who originated the title role in the 2012 Broadway revival of Annie, will play Little Red Riding Hood in the Disney feature film adaptation of Into the Woods, Walt Disney Stu…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:52PM

Tony Award-Winning Pippin On Sale Through August 2014 by Michael Gioia

A new block of tickets for Pippin, which received the 2013 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, has gone on sale. Tickets are now available through Aug. 31, 2014, producers for the musi…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:25PM

66th Annual Tony Awards and HBO's "Behind the Candelabra" Among Creative Arts Emmy Award Winners by Michael Gioia

The 66th Annual Tony Awards and the HBO film "Behind the Candelabra" were among the winners at the 2013 Creative Arts Emmy Awards, which were held Sept. 15 at the NOKIA Theater L.A…

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:59AM

The Awesome 80s Prom Will End Nine-Year Off-Broadway Run in November by Michael Gioia

The Awesome 80s Prom, the immersive theatrical event that invites theatregoers to prom night, will end its nine-year Off-Broadway run this November at The Wall, producers announced Sept. 16.

SOURCE: Playbill at 10:56AM

Broadway on the Web: Wesley Taylor and Mitchell Jarvis Prove That "It Could Be Worse" in Theatrical Web Series by Michael Gioia

The trials and tribulations of life in the world of theatre are being materialized on computer screens. In the three-part series "Broadway on the Web," Playbill.com profiles the th…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

Season 17 of "Dancing With the Stars," With Valerie Harper, Amber Riley, Corbin Bleu, Kicks Off Sept. 16 by Michael Gioia

Tony Award nominee Valerie Harper, "Glee" actress Amber Riley and Godspell actor Corbin Bleu are among the cast of Season 17 of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," which …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Sunday, September 15, 2013

Spider-Man Alternate Justin Matthew Sargent Graduates to Broadway's Newest Superhero by Michael Gioia

Justin Matthew Sargent, who recently joined the company of Broadway's Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark as the Peter Parker/Spider-Man Alternate, has graduated to the production's full-ti…

SOURCE: Playbill at 08:00PM

Reeve Carney Flies Out of Spider-Man Sept. 15; New Superhero Will Be Announced at Curtain Call by Michael Gioia

Reeve Carney, who originated the dual roles of Peter Parker and Spider-Man in Broadway's Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, takes his final flight with the musical Sept. 15. Following a coas…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

Barry Manilow's Harmony Musical, With Tony Yazbeck, Will Blum, Leigh Ann Larkin and More, Opens Sept. 15 by Michael Gioia

Harmony – A New Musical, a co-production between Atlanta's Tony-winning Alliance Theatre and Center Theatre Group that features music by Barry Manilow and book and lyrics by Bruce …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Friday, September 13, 2013

"Stage Blood" Memoir by Tony-Winning Director Michael Blakemore Will Be Released Sept. 19 by Michael Gioia

"Stage Blood," a new memoir by Tony Award-winning director Michael Blakemore about his time at the National Theatre, will be released by Faber & Faber Plays Sept. 19.

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:58AM

THE SCREENING ROOM: Evita's Rachel Potter Wows Judges on "The X Factor" (Video) by Michael Gioia

Rachel Potter, who played the Mistress in the Broadway revival of Evita, auditioned on the Sept. 12 broadcast of "The X Factor," which made its season premiere earlier this week on…

SOURCE: Playbill at 10:20AM
Thursday, September 12, 2013

Grammy Winner K.D. Lang Will Make Broadway Debut in After Midnight by Michael Gioia and Adam Hetrick

Grammy Award-winning artist K.D. Lang will make her Broadway debut in After Midnight, producers for the upcoming musical revue — which will boast a series of special guests — ann…

SOURCE: Playbill at 04:05PM

Tony Winner Steve Kazee Will Guest Star on CBS Drama "Elementary" by Michael Gioia

Tony Award winner Steve Kazee, who starred in the Tony-winning musical Once, will guest star on the CBS drama "Elementary," according to EW.com.

SOURCE: Playbill at 01:45PM

Well Go USA Acquires U.S. Rights to Cory Monteith Film "McCanick" by Michael Gioia and Carey Purcell

Well Go USA has picked up all U.S. rights (theatrical, non-theatrical, home video, television and digital/electronic) from Bleiberg Entertainment for "McCanick," the final fil…

SOURCE: Playbill at 01:36PM

Second Stage Celebrates 35th Anniversary With Special Offers; Discounted Tix for Little Miss Sunshine Go On Sale Sept. 12 by Michael Gioia

Second Stage Theatre is celebrating its upcoming 35th anniversary season with special retro prices and audience perks throughout the season. Tickets priced $19.79 (the year in which the comp…

SOURCE: Playbill at 10:38AM

New World Stages Opens Exhibit Featuring Work of Illustrator Ken Fallin Sept. 12 by Michael Gioia

"That Face," a gallery exhibit featuring the work of acclaimed illustrator Ken Fallin — whose drawings can be seen weekly in Playbill.com's Stage Portrait column — …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Wednesday, September 11, 2013

In the Heights, Starring Perry Young, Opens Sept. 11 at Philadelphia's Walnut Street Theatre by Michael Gioia

Walnut Street Theatre opens its 205th season with the Tony Award-winning musical In the Heights, which officially opens Sept. 11, following previews that began Sept. 3, on the WST Mainstage.

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:48PM

Adriane Lenox, Desmond Richardson, Karine Plantadit, Everett Bradley Join After Midnight with Fantasia Barrino; Cast Complete by Adam Hetrick and Michael Gioia

Tony Award winner Adriane Lenox will reprise her performance in the Broadway engagement of After Midnight, which will also feature Tony Award nominees Desmond Richardson and Karine Plantadit…

SOURCE: Playbill at 04:27PM

Pace University Will Stage First Production of Pasek and Paul's Award-Winning Dogfight Post Second Stage by Michael Gioia

The 2013 Lucille Lortel Award-winning musical Dogfight — an unlikely love story between a clumsy waitress and a Vietnam-bound soldier that features a pop-rock score by rising theatrica…

SOURCE: Playbill at 03:24PM

Tovah Feldshuh Will Succeed Andrea Martin in Broadway's Pippin by Michael Gioia

Tovah Feldshuh, known for her Tony-nominated work in Golda's Balcony, Saravà, Lend Me a Tenor and Yentl, will assume the role of Berthe — the role she played while Tony…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:41PM

PLAYBILL PLAYLIST: Pop Show's Capathia Jenkins, Leslie McDonel and N'Kenge Pick Favorite Michael Jackson Songs by Michael Gioia

Capathia Jenkins (Newsies, Martin Short: Fame Become Me), N'Kenge (Motown, Sondheim on Sondheim) and Leslie McDonel (American Idiot, Hairspray) are among the performers who will interpre…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Elton John Will Perform Tribute to Liberace at 2013 Emmy Awards by Michael Gioia

Tony and Academy Award-winning musician Elton John will perform a tribute to Liberace, the subject of Steven Soderbergh's Emmy Award-nominated film "Behind The Candelabra," at …

SOURCE: Playbill at 03:01PM

USA Network Drama "Graceland," With Aaron Tveit and Daniel Sunjata, Renewed for Second Season by Michael Gioia

USA Network has given a 13-episode, second-season renewal to the law-enforcement drama "Graceland," which features Catch Me If You Can and Next to Normal star Aaron Tveit, accordin…

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:29PM

Wicked's Lindsay Mendez Soars in 54 Below Jazz Concert Debut With Marco Paguia by Michael Gioia

Drama Desk Award-nominated actress and singer Lindsay Mendez, who stars as Elphaba in Broadway's Wicked, and Broadway pianist Marco Paguia made their 54 Below jazz concert debut Sept. 9.…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:39PM

Cory Monteith Film "All the Wrong Reasons" Wins Discovery Award at 2013 Toronto Film Festival by Michael Gioia and Carey Purcell

Canadian director Gia Milani received the Grolsch Film Works Discovery Award at the 2013 Toronto Film Festival for her film "All the Wrong Reasons," which stars late "Glee&quo…

SOURCE: Playbill at 09:49AM

Adam Chanler-Berat, Kerry Butler, Alexander Gemignani Read The Dogs of Pripyat Musical Sept. 10-11 in NYC by Michael Gioia

Adam Chanler-Berat, Kerry Butler and Alexander Gemignani are among the cast of the industry-only staged readings of The Dogs of Pripyat, which is offered Sept. 10-11 in Manhattan.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

North American Tour of The Wizard of Oz, Starring Danielle Wade, Kicks Off Sept. 10 in Las Vegas by Michael Gioia and Andrew Gans

The first North American tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's new stage adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, headed by Danielle Wade (as Dorothy), who was chosen by the Canadian public through CBC T…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Monday, September 9, 2013

Pittsburgh Musical Theater Launches Capital Campaign to Renovate Theatre and Educational Facilities by Michael Gioia

Pittsburgh Musical Theater has launched its first capital campaign — which will fund the purchase and transformation of the James Centre, the company's home in Pittsburgh's Wes…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:03PM

Blake Hammond and Guiseppe Bausilio Will Co-Star in NYC Reading of Ron Paolillo's The Lost Boy by Michael Gioia

Friends Always Creating Theatre will kick off its fifth season with a staged reading of The Lost Boy by late playwright and actor Ron Paolillo, starring First Date's Blake Hammond and Gu…

SOURCE: Playbill at 04:16PM

THE SCREENING ROOM: Ariana DeBose's They Say I'm Different Concert, With Jenn Colella, Charl Brown and More (Video) by Michael Gioia

…They Say I'm Different, a concert featuring Motown and Bring It On actress Ariana DeBose, was held Aug. 12 at Joe's Pub. Here are highlights from the evening. 

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:49PM

West End Return of Miss Saigon Sets Record for Largest Single-Day Tix Sales by Michael Gioia and Mark Shenton

Producer Cameron Mackintosh announced Sept. 9 that the forthcoming West End return of Miss Saigon set a new record for the largest single-day ticket sales in West End and Broadway history. S…

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:26PM

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