All stories by Michael Gioia on BroadwayStars

Monday, December 10, 2012

The Lion King's Chantel Riley and Ben Jeffrey Appear on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" Dec. 10 by Michael Gioia

Chantel Riley and Ben Jeffrey, who play the respective roles of Nala and Pumbaa in the long-running Disney musical The Lion King, appear on the television game show "Who Wants to Be a M…

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:50AM

NY Premiere of Amy Freed's Restoration Comedy, Directed by Ed Sylvanus Iskandar, Opens Dec. 10 at The Flea by Michael Gioia

The Flea Theater presents the New York premiere of Restoration Comedy by Pultizer Prize finalist Amy Freed, officially opening Dec. 10, following previews that began Nov. 25, in New York Cit…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

Hollywood Christmas Parade, With Joe Mantegna as 2012 Grand Marshall, Airs Dec. 10 on the Hallmark Channel by Michael Gioia

The 2012 Hollywood Christmas Parade, presented by The City of Los Angeles and Associated Television International in Hollywood, CA, airs Dec. 10 on the Hallmark Channel from 6-8 PM ET. The e…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Sunday, December 9, 2012

Jason Hite and Taylor Trensch Bare Their Hearts in Off-Broadway Revival, Opening Dec. 9 by Michael Gioia

Bare, the coming-of-age rock musical set in a co-ed Catholic boarding school, officially opens Off-Broadway Dec. 9 at New World Stages, where the work — billed as a Pop Opera in 2…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

Tony Winner Judith Light Honored at TAG's 2012 Research in Action Awards Dec. 9 by Michael Gioia

Treatment Action Group, an independent AIDS research organization, honors Tony Award winner Judith Light at its 16th annual Research in Action Awards (RIAA) Dec. 9 at 404NYC.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Saturday, December 8, 2012

THE SCREENING ROOM: Andy Mientus, Lilli Cooper, Emma Hunton, Jason Gotay and More Sing Beyoncé (Video) by Michael Gioia

Emma Hunton, Andy Mientus, Lilli Cooper, Kate Rockwell, Jason Gotay and Eric Michael Krop were among the performers who took part in Broadway Sings Beyoncé, featuring new arrangements…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

Premiere of New Musical A Wind in the Willows Christmas, With Farah Alvin, Tituss Burgess, Begins Dec. 8 by Michael Gioia

Two River Theater Company presents the world premiere of A Wind in the Willows Christmas, a new musical inspired by the Kenneth Grahame children's classic, beginning Dec. 8, prior to an …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

Prospect's Death By Design Reading, With Cady Huffman, Rachel de Benedet, Adam Overett and More, Held Dec. 8 by Michael Gioia

Prospect Theater Company presents an invitation-only staged reading of Rob Urbinati's original play Death By Design, a mysterious whodunit inspired by Noel Coward and Agatha Christie, De…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

Tony Winner Betty Buckley Celebrates The Boys of Broadway Dec. 8 in Palm Springs by Michael Gioia

Tony Award-winning actress Betty Buckley brings her Ah Men! The Boys of Broadway concert to the West Coast Dec. 8 at 8 PM as part of Annenberg Theater's 2012-13 concert season …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

Oh, What a Flop! Benefit Concert, Featuring Tunes From Wonderland, Rags, Seussical, Smile and More, Held Dec. 8 by Michael Gioia

The Beautiful Soup Theater Collective presents Oh, What a Flop!, an annual celebration of Broadway's biggest flops that benefits the company's 2013 production of Arthur Bicknell…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

Norm Lewis and Marc Shaiman Join Debbie Gravitte for the 2012 All-Star Holiday Show Dec. 8 in NYC by Michael Gioia

Tony Award winner Debbie Gravitte returns to the Pace Presents Cabaret Series with her All-Star Holiday Show Dec. 8 at The Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

Frank Dain's The Magic of Mathis, Featuring Johnny Mathis Classics, Plays NYC's Don't Tell Mama Beginning Dec. 8 by Michael Gioia

Singer Frank Dain brings his The Magic of Mathis solo show, which was recently seen at New York City's Metropolitan Room, to Don't Tell Mama for two performances in December.&nb…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

"Degrassi" Star Jake Epstein Flies Into Broadway's Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark Dec. 8 by Michael Gioia

Jake Epstein, star of the popular teenage television series "Degrassi: The Next Generation," makes his Broadway debut in the high-flying musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark&…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Friday, December 7, 2012

Berkshire's 2013 Lineup Includes Audra McDonald, The Fifty Shades Parody, Oklahoma! and More by Michael Gioia

Five-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald, The Fifty Shades Parody and the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic Oklahoma! are among the lineup for Berkshire Theatre Group's 2013 spring sea…

SOURCE: Playbill at 04:57PM

"Sing My Own Way," Song by Morgan Karr and Steven Jamail Benefiting Rosie's Theater Kids, Released by Michael Gioia

Rosie's Theater Kids, the New York City-based non-profit organization founded by television personality and actress Rosie O'Donnell, has released the original song "Sing My Own …

SOURCE: Playbill at 04:12PM

Neil Patrick Harris Makes Appearance at Video Game Awards Dec. 7; Samuel L. Jackson Also Appears by Michael Gioia

Spike TV's "VGA TEN," the network's tenth annual video game awards, airs live from Sony Picture Studios in Culver City, CA, Dec. 7 at 9 PM on Spike TV. Broadway favorite Ne…

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:59AM

"A Very Broadway Christmas" CD, With Matthew Morrison, Susan Egan, Stephanie J. Block, Released Dec. 7; Track List Revealed by Michael Gioia

"A Very Broadway Christmas," a new Christmas CD that supports the Dr. Carol Channing-Harry Kullijian Foundation For The Arts in its mission to promote the arts in public education,…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

World Premiere of Marc Acito's How I Paid For College, Starring Alex Brightman, Begins Dec. 7 in VA by Michael Gioia

The Hub Theatre presents the world-premiere production of Marc Acito's How I Paid For College beginning Dec. 7 at John Swayze Theatre in Fairfax, VA. Alex Brightman stars.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

Shubert Alley, Band With Memphis Alumni Kevin Massey and Jamison Scott, Debuts Dec. 7 at 54 Below by Michael Gioia

Shubert Alley, a new country and bluegrass trio that features Memphis alumni Kevin Massey and Jamison Scott, makes its debut Dec. 7 at the Manhattan nightclub 54 Below.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Thursday, December 6, 2012

Maureen McGovern Will Come Home For the Holidays For Weeklong Engagement at 54 Below by Michael Gioia

Two-time Grammy Award-nominated vocalist and actress Maureen McGovern will offer her Home For The Holidays cabaret show for a weeklong engagement beginning Dec. 18 at the Manhattan nigh…

SOURCE: Playbill at 06:05PM

Broadway-Aimed Kennedy Musical, Celebrating the Legacy of John F. Kennedy, Workshops in Chicago Through Dec. 8 by Michael Gioia

Kennedy, a remake of the 1983 musical One Shining Moment that is aiming for a Broadway bow in November 2013, is presented in a free workshop through Dec. 8 in Chicago. The production co…

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:34PM

PBS 2013 Programming Will Include Mel Brooks Special, "Shakespeare Uncovered," "Downton Abbey" and More by Michael Gioia

PBS has announced programming for its 2013 winter/spring season, which will include an intimate portrait of Tony Award winner Mel Brooks, Jeremy Piven's portrayal of Harry Gordon Selfrid…

SOURCE: Playbill at 01:57PM

Tony Winner Judith Light Among Honorees at TAG's 2012 Research in Action Awards by Michael Gioia

Treatment Action Group, an independent AIDS research organization, will honor Tony Award winner Judith Light at its 16th annual Research in Action Awards (RIAA) Dec. 9 at 404NYC.

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:51AM

THE SCREENING ROOM: The Lion King Performs "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" on ABC's "The Chew" (Video) by Michael Gioia

Chantel Riley and Andile Gumbi, stars of the long-running Disney musical The Lion King, visited the ABC daytime program "The Chew" to perform "Can You Feel the Love Tonight&qu…

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:31AM

THE SCREENING ROOM: Cast Members From A Christmas Story Perform on "Good Morning America" (Video) by Michael Gioia

The cast of Broadway's A Christmas Story, The Musical, based on the classic 1983 film of the same name, visited the set of ABC's "Good Morning America" to perform "It …

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:00AM

Ellen Burstyn, Christine Baranski, Jon Robin Baitz Among Presenters at 2012 Theatre Hall of Fame Ceremony by Andrew Gans and Michael Gioia

Tony and Emmy Award winner Tyne Daly will host The 42nd Annual Theatre Hall of Fame ceremony, which will be held Jan. 28, 2013, at 7:30 PM in the Gershwin Theatre's North Rotunda.

SOURCE: Playbill at 09:30AM

NYU's Play Development Program, With Works by Greg Kotis, Steve Drukman, Tyler Grimes, Launches Dec. 6 by Michael Gioia

The Program in Educational Theatre at New York University's Steinhardt School launches a new play development pilot, curated by Amy Cordileone (New York University) and Sean Daniels (Gev…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Wednesday, December 5, 2012

TCG Will Publish Screenplay of Tony Kushner's "Lincoln" Biopic, Directed by Steven Spielberg by Michael Gioia

Tony Kushner's critically acclaimed screenplay for "Lincoln," the major motion picture directed by Steven Spielberg and inspired by Pulitzer Prize winner Doris Kearns Goodwin&#…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

Lila Feinberg's Love Lab, Recipient of Clifford Odets Ensemble Play Commission, Presented Dec. 5-8 in NYC by Michael Gioia

The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute presents Love Lab by playwright Lila Feinberg, the first recipient of The Clifford Odets Ensemble Play Commission, Dec. 5-8 at the Marilyn M…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Tuesday, December 4, 2012

London Revival of Oklahoma!, Starring Hugh Jackman, Released on Blu-ray Dec. 4 by Michael Gioia

The London revival of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's Oklahoma!, starring Tony Award winner Hugh Jackman, is released on Blu-ray Dec. 4.

SOURCE: Playbill at 04:36PM

54 Below Announces January Lineup: Michael Cerveris, Donna McKechnie, Linda Lavin, Linda Eder and More Will Perform by Michael Gioia

New Manhattan nightspot 54 Below, which features a starry lineup of Broadway favorites, has announced its schedule for January 2013. Tony Award winners Michael Cerveris, Hinton Battle, Linda…

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:15PM

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