All stories by Michael on BroadwayStars

Monday, January 13, 2014

Disney Developing Animated Musical "Frozen" for the Stage by Adam Hetrick and Michael Gioia

Disney is in the early stages of developing its hit, Golden Globe Award-winning animated musical "Frozen" for the stage, according to Deadline.com.

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:05PM
Sunday, January 12, 2014

"Frozen," Cate Blanchett, Bryan Cranston, Elisabeth Moss, "12 Years a Slave" and "American Hustle" Are Golden Globe Winners by Adam Hetrick and Michael Gioia

The Disney animated film "Frozen," actors Cate Blanchett, Bryan Cranston, Amy Adams and Jennifer Garner are among the winners of the 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards, which presented by The H…

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:04PM
Friday, January 10, 2014

Jennifer Holliday Will Offer Performance and CD Signing at Barnes & Noble by Michael Gioia and Adam Hetrick

Tony Award-winning Dreamgirls star Jennifer Holliday, recently seen in a five-concert engagement at 54 Below, will appear at Barnes & Noble on the Upper East Side Jan. 24. 

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:06PM
Thursday, January 9, 2014

The Commons of Pensacola, Starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Blythe Danner, Given Two-Week Extension by Michael Gioia and Carey Purcell

The Manhattan Theatre Club's world-premiere engagement of The Commons of Pensacola, written by stage and screen star Amanda Peet, has been given a two-week extension through Fe…

SOURCE: Playbill at 04:23PM
Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Required reading by Sullivan White and Michael Bigelow Dixon

Twenty plays you should know before your first college theatre class The post Required reading appeared first on Dramatics Magazine Online.

SOURCE: Dramatics Magazine at 11:58AM
Sunday, December 29, 2013

Singer Carly Rae Jepsen Will Step Into Cinderella's Glass Slippers in 2014 by Michael Gioia and Adam Hetrick

Singer-songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen, who shot to fame with the #1 hit single "Call Me Maybe," will succeed Tony Award nominee Laura Osnes as the next star of Broadway's Cinderel…

SOURCE: Playbill at 10:36PM

Big Fish, Starring Norbert Leo Butz, Ends Broadway Run Dec. 29 by Adam Hetrick and Michael Gioia

Big Fish, the new Broadway musical based on the 1998 novel by Daniel Wallace and the subsequent 2003 film by John August that opened Oct. 6, ends its Broadway run Dec. 29 at the Neil Si…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Friday, December 27, 2013

Hey, Stars, Be Nice to the Stagehands. You Might Need a Loan. by Lorne Manly and Michael Cooper

The stagehands at New York’s nonprofit performance institutions enjoy the salaries and bargaining power of having hard-to-replace skills and jobs that can’t be outsourced.  &nb…

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 09:11PM

Pussycat Dolls' Nicole Scherzinger Will Not Join Broadway Revival of Pippin by Adam Hetrick and Michael Gioia

The Pussycat Dolls' Nicole Scherzinger will not be joining the Tony Award-winning revival of Pippin, according to a representative for the musical.

SOURCE: Playbill at 10:19AM
Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Playwright David Ives Joins Houdini Musical Creative Team; Producers Issue Statement on Hugh Jackman Departure by Adam Hetrick and Michael Gioia

Tony Award-nominated playwright David Ives (Venus in Fur) has joined the creative team of the Broadway-aimed musical Houdini, a representative for the production confirmed to Playbill.com.

SOURCE: Playbill at 01:52PM
Monday, December 23, 2013

Tony Winner Hugh Jackman Exits Broadway-Aimed Houdini Musical by Michael Gioia and Adam Hetrick

Tony Award winner Hugh Jackman has bowed out of Houdini, the upcoming musical aiming for a 2015-16 Broadway arrival, according to Variety. 

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:16PM

Michael Feinstein and Gianni Valenti to Open New Nightclub in Midtown Manhattan by Michael Gioia and Andrew Gans

Broadway and cabaret artist Michael Feinstein has partnered with Birdland owner Gianni Valenti to open a new Manhattan nightclub and restaurant in midtown, tentatively named Feinstein's …

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:43PM
Friday, December 20, 2013

Brian J. Smith Adds Dimension to Menagerie by Lisa Lewis, Celia Keenan-Bolger and Brian J. Smith Photo: Michael J. Lutch

“I wasn’t a popular kid. I wasn’t even a geeky kid,” said Brian J. Smith, who’s garnering raves as the … Read More →

SOURCE: nytheatremag.com at 04:52PM
Thursday, December 19, 2013

Young Souls Portray the Wit of ‘Hamlet,’ With Brevity by Michael Roston and Erik Piepenburg

Approximately 500 high school and college students recorded themselves delivering lines from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” in 15 seconds or less using Instagram.    

SOURCE: The New York Times Subscription at 04:49PM
Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Maltby & Shire: What Could Be Better?, With Carolee Carmello, Jose Llana, Jenn Colella and More, Held Dec. 17 by Michael Gioia and Adam Hetrick

Maltby & Shire: What Could Be Better?, a concert celebrating the work of Tony-nominated Big and Baby songwriters Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire, is held Dec. 17 at 54 Below.

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

Carolee Carmello, Michael Rupert and Jenn Colella Join Lineup for Maltby & Shire: What Could Be Better? at 54 Below by Adam Hetrick and Michael Gioia

Tony Award nominee Carolee Carmello, Tony Award winner Michael Rupert and Jenn Colella are among the artists who will be part of Maltby & Shire: What Could Be Better?, a concert cel…

SOURCE: Playbill at 01:50PM
Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Cast of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 Celebrates Album Release With Dec. 10 Barnes & Noble Appearance by Michael Gioia and Adam Hetrick

Cast members from Off-Broadway's Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 celebrate the release of the production's new Ghostlight Records cast recording with a B…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Thursday, December 5, 2013

Big Fish Broadway Cast Recording Will Arrive in 2014 by Adam Hetrick and Michael Gioia

Broadway Records has announced plans to release the original cast album of the new Andrew Lippa musical Big Fish, starring two-time Tony Award winner Norbert Leo Butz.

SOURCE: Playbill at 01:17PM

Mandy Patinkin on LIVE with Kelly and Michael by Live With Kelly and Michael

Homeland's Mandy Patinkin chats about shaving his beard, and Kelly and Michael surprise Mandy with an email from a first kiss.

SOURCE: YouTube at 12:17PM
Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Broadway Run of Billy Crystal's 700 Sundays Will Be Taped to Air on HBO in 2014 by Michael Gioia and Andrew Gans

Billy Crystal's Tony Award-winnig play 700 Sundays, one of the highest-grossing plays in Broadway history, will be taped Jan. 3 and 4 at the Imperial Theatre to debut exclusively on…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:25PM

Jeanine Tesori-Lisa Kron Musical Fun Home Given Fourth Extension by Michael Gioia and Adam Hetrick

The Public Theater continues to extend its critically acclaimed production of the Jeanine Tesori-Lisa Kron musical Fun Home. The world-premiere musical, based on the graphic memoir by A…

SOURCE: Playbill at 03:10PM
Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Alan Cumming, Michelle Williams, Sam Mendes and Rob Marshall Will Discuss Cabaret for "TimesTalks" by Adam Hetrick and Michael Gioia

The stars and directors of the Broadway revival of Cabaret, including Tony Award winner Alan Cumming and Academy Award nominee Michelle Williams, will be part of the New York Times "Tim…

SOURCE: Playbill at 10:53AM
Monday, December 2, 2013

Broadway Return of The Rascals: Once Upon a Dream Canceled by Adam Hetrick and Michael Gioia

The return Broadway engagement of The Rascals: Once Upon a Dream, which was to begin performances Dec. 16 at the Marquis Theatre, has been canceled.

SOURCE: Playbill at 03:29PM
Thursday, November 28, 2013

Casts of First Date, Janis Joplin, Cinderella Perform on Nov. 28 CBS Thanksgiving Day Parade by Michael Gioia and Andrew Gans

Cast members from Broadway's First Date, the Tony Award-nominated revival of Cinderella and A Night With Janis Joplin perform on CBS' The Thanksgiving Day Parade, which is …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Tate Donovan, Jonathan Groff, Dulé Hill, Martha Hunt Will Be Featured on CBS Thanksgiving Day Parade Broadcast by Andrew Gans and Michael Gioia

Additional participants have been announced for CBS' The Thanksgiving Day Parade, which will be broadcast live Nov. 28.

SOURCE: Playbill at 09:30AM

Into the Woods Film Will Feature New Song for Meryl Streep by Adam Hetrick and Michael Gioia

The upcoming Disney film adaptation of Into the Woods, which is currently filming in London, will feature a new song for the character of the Witch, played by Academy Award winner Meryl Stre…

SOURCE: Playbill at 08:58AM
Tuesday, November 26, 2013

The Bridges of Madison County Will Open on Broadway One Week Earlier Than Expected by Michael Gioia and Adam Hetrick

The new Broadway musical The Bridges of Madison County, starring Kelli O'Hara and Steven Pasquale, will now open Feb. 20, 2014, at 8 PM at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre — one week …

SOURCE: Playbill at 08:09PM

Cast of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 Will Celebrate Album Release With Barnes & Noble Appearance by Michael Gioia and Adam Hetrick

Cast members from Off-Broadway's Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 will celebrate the release of the production's new Ghostlight Records cast recording with a B…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:19PM
Sunday, November 24, 2013

Big Fish Cast and Creative Team Appear at 92Y Nov. 24 by Adam Hetrick and Michael Gioia

Big Fish composer Andrew Lippa, original novelist Daniel Wallace and screenwriter John August join cast members from the Broadway musical for a special Nov. 24 discussion at the 92nd Street …

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Saturday, November 23, 2013

The Last Five Years, With Betsy Wolfe and Adam Kantor, Plays Boston Concert Engagement at the Huntington by Adam Hetrick and Michael Gioia

Adam Kantor and Betsy Wolfe, who co-starred in the acclaimed Second Stage Theatre revival of Tony Award winner Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years, begin a three-performance co…

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:50AM
Thursday, November 14, 2013

Tom Kitt and Amanda Green Pen Opening Song for Rockettes' Spring Show Heart and Lights by Adam Hetrick and Michael Gioia

Tom Kitt and Amanda Green are penning the opening song for Heart and Lights, the New York City-themed theatrical production at Radio City Music Hall starring the Rockettes, which will premie…

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:06AM

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