All stories by Mark on BroadwayStars

Friday, October 30, 2015

Harry Potter Tickets—What’s Left of Them—Go on General Sale Today by Robert Viagas and Mark Shenton

Having watched nearly seven months' worth of tickets sell out in a matter of two days to people who signed up for pre-sale, producers of the upcoming London stage play Harry Potter a…

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:45AM

Tickets to London Phenomenon Harry Potter Now on Sale to the General Public Through May 2017 by Robert Viagas and Mark Shenton

Having watched nearly seven months' worth of tickets sell out in a matter of two days to people who signed up for pre-sale, producers of the upcoming London stage play Harry Potter a…

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:32AM

Tickets to London Phenomenon Harry Potter Now on Sale to the General Public Through April 2017 by Robert Viagas and Mark Shenton

Having watched nearly seven months' worth of tickets sell out in a matter of two days to people who signed up for pre-sale, producers of the upcoming London stage play Harry Potter a…

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:32AM
Thursday, October 29, 2015

Harry Potter Stage Show Producers Warn Scalpers That Resold Tix Will Not Fly by Robert Viagas and Mark Shenton

Producers of the upcoming London stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts I & II are warning ticket buyers that they will not accept any ticket they find has been resold. F…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:06PM
Wednesday, October 28, 2015

London Harry Potter Stage Show Conjures “Unprecedented” First-Day Ticket Sales by Robert Viagas and Mark Shenton

Earlier Oct. 28, producers of the upcoming London stage sequel Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts I & II announced that the first three-month block of tickets had sold out w…

SOURCE: Playbill at 04:44PM

Tickets for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Disappear Within Hours; New Block On Sale by Robert Viagas and Mark Shenton

All tickets for the first booking period (June 7-Sept. 19, 2016) for the London stage sequel Harry Potter and the Cursed Child sold out within hours during priority sale Oct. 28. As a re…

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:04AM
Monday, October 26, 2015

Woman Removed from Bodyguard Tour Audience for Singing “Loudly and Badly” During Show by Robert Viagas and Mark Shenton

An audience member who insisted on singing "loudly and badly" during an Oct. 24 performance by the national touring company of The Bodyguard in Nottingham, U.K., was removed from t…

SOURCE: Playbill at 10:36AM
Friday, October 16, 2015

Benedict Cumberbatch’s Hamlet Screening Breaks National Theatre Record by Robert Viagas and Mark Shenton

The Oct. 15 live international screening of Hamlet, starring Oscar nominee Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role, was seen by more than 225,000 people around the world, making it the larges…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:45PM
Thursday, October 15, 2015

Benedict Cumberbatch’s Hamlet Screened in Cinemas Around the World Today (Video) by Robert Viagas and Mark Shenton

The recent sold-out London production of Hamlet, starring Oscar nominee Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role, is broadcast to cinemas around the world Oct. 15 as part of the National T…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Saturday, October 3, 2015

Do strong female roles in theatre make audiences feel uncomfortable? by Mark Shenton and Liz Hoggard

Vicky Featherstone, director of London’s Royal Court theatre, has said audiences are less at ease with female leads than with male ones. Is she right?Mark Shenton, joint lead critic and as…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:27AM
Friday, September 18, 2015

Harvey Fierstein Will Freshen Up Funny Girl Script for London by Adam Hetrick and Mark Shenton

Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein, whose Broadway hit Kinky Boots has just opened in the West End, has been tapped to revise the original book to Funny Girl in advance of the musical's …

SOURCE: Playbill at 10:39AM
Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Top tips for your acting CV by Louise Dearman and Mark Evans

What should you put on your stage acting résumé? Louise Dearman and Mark Evans, the stars of Wicked and The Book of Mormon, offer some adviceShare your tips and resources below the lineYou…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 09:45AM
Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Watch London’s Funny Girl, Sheridan Smith, Sing! (Video) by Andrew Gans and Mark Shenton

Sheridan Smith will star in the first major London production of Funny Girl since its original 1966 West End run this fall.

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:17AM

Edinburgh festival 2015: the six shows you shouldn't miss by Lyn Gardner, Mark Lawson and Brian Logan

A Desert Island Discs spoof, brooding circus performers who strip naked and a Yoko Ono-inspired love-fest … our critics choose their hot tickets at this year’s fringeO No!In less skilled…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 02:49AM
Friday, August 14, 2015

Stephen Fry and Baby Spice Will Time Warp in One-Night-Only London Rocky Horror Event by Robert Viagas and Mark Shenton

Tony nominee Stephen Fry will join Emma Bunton (a.k.a. Baby Spice of the Spice Girls) and "The Great British Bake Off" host Mel Giedroy in the upcoming special London performance o…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:53PM

Michael Ball Mack & Mabel Sending Roses to Broadway? by Robert Viagas and Mark Shenton

The new U.K. revival of Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart's 1974 Broadway musical Mack & Mabel, starring Michael Ball and Rebeccca LaChance in the title roles, is considering a Br…

SOURCE: Playbill at 09:09AM
Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Broadway struggles to control cellphone etiquette by Jennifer Peltz and Mark Kennedy - The Associated Press

Theatres have been struggling with rude audience members texting and taking calls for years, but things have gotten even worse this year.

SOURCE: Toronto Star at 07:51PM
Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Broadway stars, patrons decry the unsavoury use of smartphones by Jennifer Peltz and Mark Kennedy

As Broadway faces off against pocket-size sound-and-light shows, performers and some patrons say a hyper-connected culture are shredding the immersive experience of live theatre

SOURCE: The Globe and Mail at 03:01PM
Monday, July 20, 2015

Ain't misbehavin'? Broadway audience faux pas get spotlight by Jennifer Peltz and Mark Kennedy

NEW YORK (AP) -- Come on along and listen to the lullaby of Broadway: Marimba ringtones! Rat-a-tat texting! The shaming "shhhhh!"...

SOURCE: Associated Press at 07:05AM
Friday, July 17, 2015

Listen to 2 Songs from Colorful Bend It Like Beckham London Cast Album! by Robert Viagas and Mark Shenton

Bend It Like Beckham, the new British musical version of the 2002 film of the same name, is getting set to original its cast album and has released teasers for two tracks from the score, whi…

SOURCE: Playbill at 01:42PM
Wednesday, May 27, 2015

The Pajama Men on Leslie Nielsen: 'All class – and a complete moron' by Shenoah Allen and Mark Chavez

The absurdist standup duo applaud the silver-haired master of deadpan comedy and his regular collaborators David Zucker, Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 08:24AM
Monday, May 25, 2015

Love Story Cast Recording, Featuring Emma Williams, Michael Xavier, Due Feb. 7 by Andrew Gans and Mark Shenton

The original London cast recording of Love Story, the West End musical version of the Erich Segal novel that became the famous tear-jerker film of the same name, will be released Feb. 7, acc…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM

Million Dollar Quartet Rocks London Beginning Feb. 8 by Andrew Gans and Mark Shenton

The London production of the Tony-nominated musical Million Dollar Quartet begins performances Feb. 8 at the Noël Coward Theatre prior to an official opening Feb. 28.

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:58PM
Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Elaine Paige’s 50th Anniversary Concert Screened in U.S. Cinemas, Starting Tonight by Andrew Gans and Mark Shenton

Elaine Paige's sell-out 50th anniversary farewell concert I'm Still Here, which was filmed in October 2014 at the Royal Albert Hall, makes its U.S. debut beginning May 12.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Saturday, May 2, 2015

Are West End audiences better than Broadway’s? by Matt Wolf and Mark Shenton

After US movie star John Goodman praised British theatre-goers following his UK stage debut last week, two leading critics discuss whether you get a better class of punter on one side of the…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:00AM
Monday, April 27, 2015

Imelda Staunton Gypsy Recording Released Today by Andrew Gans and Mark Shenton

The cast album of the Imelda Staunton London production of Gypsy is released by First Night Records April 27.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Thursday, April 23, 2015

Elaine Paige’s 50th Anniversary Concert Screened in Cinemas Worldwide, Starting Tonight by Andrew Gans and Mark Shenton

Elaine Paige's sell-out 50th anniversary farewell concert I'm Still Here, which was filmed in October 2014 at the Royal Albert Hall, begins worldwide screenings April 23.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Music Theatre International Makes Plans for Global Expansion, Bringing Broadway to Untapped Markets by Mark Shenton and Adam Hetrick

Music Theatre International (MTI), already the largest company in the field of licensing performance rights to musicals in its extensive catalogue in America, has announced a big internation…

SOURCE: Playbill at 08:43AM
Monday, April 6, 2015

Listen to Tracks from Imelda Staunton Gypsy Recording by Andrew Gans and Mark Shenton

The complete track listing has been announced for the cast album of the Imelda Staunton London production of Gypsy, which will be released by First Night records April 27. Samples from the 1…

SOURCE: Playbill at 04:09PM
Tuesday, March 17, 2015

'The Sound of Music' film celebrates a golden anniversary by Mark Kennedy and Sandy Cohen

NEW YORK (AP) -- The hills are alive with the sound of a big, lucrative anniversary....

SOURCE: Associated Press at 10:52AM
Saturday, March 14, 2015

Fire Destroys Historic Grand Hall at South London’s BAC by Mark Shenton and Robert Viagas

A serious fire has destroyed a historic part of South London's influential BAC (once known as Battersea Arts Centre). The fire, which broke out in the venue's Grand Hall March 14 at …

SOURCE: Playbill at 09:27AM

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