Platinum Broadway

Easy to Sneer At and to Love - Jukebox Musicals and ’80s Rock Ballads - NYTimes.com

Easy to Sneer At and to Love - Jukebox Musicals and ’80s Rock Ballads - NYTimes.com.

So that’s a lot of people who might be appalled by the idea of “Rock of Ages,” an unrepentant jukebox musical that opens on Tuesday at the Brooks Atkinson Theater. With a libretto assembled from more than two dozen lighter-waving rock anthems of the Reagan era, from Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive” to Night Ranger’s “Sister Christian,” the production arrives on Broadway with a lot of baggage, but also a charmed history. The show has already made it farther than anyone — including its creators — expected. And if “Rock of Ages” goes further still, it will be because of the artists whose relentlessly infectious songs would seem to be the biggest strike against it.

Little House on a Big Stage - Ma, Pa and Half Pint Now Sing on That Prairie - NYTimes.com

Link: Little House on a Big Stage - Ma, Pa and Half Pint Now Sing on That Prairie - NYTimes.com.

Laura, Nellie and Almanzo. Charles and Caroline Ingalls. The wide open land, the unforgiving climate, the death of a baby boy. The characters and stories of “Little House on the Prairie” have delighted readers and television viewers for generations, but now they are being put to a test not unlike a cruel Midwestern winter: Will they thrive in the forbidding world of new American musicals?

Glory Days Begins Previews Tomorrow, 4/22 (BroadwayWorld.com)

Link: Glory Days Begins Previews Tomorrow, 4/22 (BroadwayWorld.com).

GLORY DAYS, a new musical by Nick Blaemire (Music and Lyrics) and James Gardiner (Book) will begin previews tomorrow, Tuesday April 22nd at 8pm, at Broadway’s Circle in the Square Theatre (235 West 50th Street, NYC). Opening night is Tuesday, May 6 at 6:45PM. GLORY DAYS received its world premiere at DC’s Signature Theatre (January 2008) in a sold-out, critically-lauded production, directed by Signature Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer (Broadway’s Putting It Together), who will recreate his staging for Broadway. GLORY DAYS marks Signature’s first direct-to-Broadway transfer.

High Flying, Adored: Boeing-Boeing Revival Lands on Broadway April 19

Link: Playbill News: High Flying, Adored: Boeing-Boeing Revival Lands on Broadway April 19.

The age when leggy, high-flying stewardesses were the ultimate fantasy for men returns April 19 with the new Broadway production of the 1960s-set sex farce, Boeing-Boeing, starring Bradley Whitford and Mark Rylance, at the Longacre Theatre. Tony Award winner Christine Baranski also makes a landing in the comedy by French playwright Marc Camoletti, translated by Beverley Cross and Francis Evans for a smash London run some 40 years ago. The much-produced play ran briefly on Broadway and blossomed in theatres around the country. Saucy Baranski (Broadway's The Real Thing, Rumors, The House of Blue Leaves) doesn't play one of the three international "air hostesses" juggled by Whitford's architect character, Bernard. She's the maid, Berthe, in his Paris apartment, which teems with activity. The comedy was a recent Olivier Award-nominated West End hit in a revival directed by Matthew Warchus (The Lord of the Rings, Broadway's recent Life x 3, Follies and True West) and starred Olivier Award nominee Mark Rylance as a school chum of Robert's who comes for a visit. Both repeat their duties for the otherwise recast Broadway staging, which officially opens May 4.

'South Pacific' Begins March 1 at Lincoln Center (BroadwayWorld.com)

Link: 'South Pacific' Begins March 1 at Lincoln Center (BroadwayWorld.com).

Lincoln Center Theater's new production of Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein's prize-winning musical classic South Pacific, directed by Bartlett Sher, begins performances Saturday, March 1 at 8PM at the Vivian Beaumont Theater. Opening night is Thursday, April 3 at 6:30PM. Based on James Michener's Pulitzer Prize winning book Tales of the South Pacific, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific has music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan.

Sam Buntrock - Sunday in the Park With George - Theater - New York Times

Link: Sam Buntrock - Sunday in the Park With George - Theater - New York Times.

WHEN people think of Broadway special effects, the first things that probably come to mind are big, lumbering spectacles like the chandelier in “Phantom of the Opera.” Such elements are designed to drop jaws, stop shows and above all draw attention. But they don’t always draw good reviews.

Disney Wonders if a Mermaid Can Follow a Trail Blazed by a Lion - New York Times

Link: Disney Wonders if a Mermaid Can Follow a Trail Blazed by a Lion - New York Times.

What could have been a debacle became one of the savviest moves in recent Broadway history: Take a hugely successful animated movie and pair it with a director who has a serious non-Broadway pedigree. The result, “The Lion King,” under Julie Taymor’s direction, was a critical and commercial smash, changing the dynamics of Broadway and remaking Disney Theatrical Productions, the little corporate experiment that put the show together.

NY Gilbert & Sullivan Players to Offer Sneak Preview of 2008 Season

The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players will present a free sneak preview of their 2008 season at 4pm on Sunday, December 9 at the Greek Church (302 West 91st Street). The 2008 season, to take place at City Center from January 4-13, will feature performances of Princess Ida, The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado, Trial by Jury, and revue G&S a la Carte. Among the performers will be Keith Jurosko, Stephen Quint, Laurelyn Watson Chase, Michael Scott Harris, and Angela Smith. The troupe will return to City Center, June 6-15, where the repertory will include H.M.S. Pinafore, The Gondoliers, The Mikado, and The Pirates of Penzance. For more information on the sneak preview, call 212-769-1000 or visit www.nygasp.org. To order tickets for the 2008 season, call 212-581-1212 or visit www.citycenter.org.

'Queens Blvd' Musical Opens Tonight, Extends 1-Week (BroadwayWorld.com)

Link: 'Queens Blvd' Musical Opens Tonight, Extends 1-Week (BroadwayWorld.com).

Signature Theatre Company is pleased to announce a one-week extension for their world premiere production of Queens Boulevard (the musical) by 2007-2008 Playwright-in-Residence Charles Mee, directed by Davis McCallum, and choreographed by Peter Pucci. The production, previously scheduled to end its run December 30, will now run through January 6. Previews began on November 6, 2007 at The Peter Norton Space (555 West 42nd Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues). Opening Night is tonight, Monday, December 3, 2007.

'The Little Mermaid'

Link: 'The Little Mermaid' Swims on Broadway, New Opening Jan.10

The new Broadway production of Disney's The Little Mermaid will resume performances tonight, Thursday, November 29. Prior to the canceled performances due to the recent labor dispute, the show played five sold out previews at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street). The previously scheduled opening night of December 6 has been cancelled and The Little Mermaid will now have its official press opening on Thursday, January 10 at 8PM. The Little Mermaid is based on the Disney film and the classic fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. The company features Sierra Boggess as 'Ariel,' Sean Palmer as 'Prince Eric,' Norm Lewis as 'King Triton,' Tituss Burgess as 'Sebastian,' Eddie Korbich as 'Scuttle,' Jonathan Freeman as 'Grimsby,' Derrick Baskin as 'Jetsam,' Tyler Maynard as 'Flotsam,' Cody Hanford and J.J. Singleton as 'Flounder,' and Sherie Rene Scott as 'Ursula.'

'The Little Mermaid' Postpones Opening

As a result of the current labor dispute, the new Broadway production of Disney's The Little Mermaid has postponed its previously announced Opening Night performance (originally scheduled for December 6).  Previews will resume when the dispute is resolved and a revised plan for opening night will be announced at that time.

Disney Theatrical Productions' theatrical stage production of The Little Mermaid, based on the Disney film and the classic fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, began previews at Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on November 3.

The company features Sierra Boggess as Ariel, Sean Palmer as Prince Eric, Norm Lewis as King Triton, Tituss Burgess as Sebastian, Eddie Korbich as Scuttle, Jonathan Freeman as Grimsby, Derrick Baskin as Jetsam, Tyler Maynard as Flotsam, Cody Hanford and J.J. Singleton as Flounder and Sherie Rene Scott as Ursula.

"The Little Mermaid takes place in a magical kingdom beneath the sea, where a beautiful young mermaid named Ariel longs to leave her ocean home to live in the world above. But first, she'll have to defy her father, the king of the sea, escape the clutches of an evil sea witch and convince a prince that she's the girl with the perfect voice," describe press materials.

Francesca Zambello directs, with a score featuring classic songs "Part of Your World," "Kiss the Girl" and the Academy Award-winning Best Original Song, "Under the Sea," composed by eight-time Academy Award winner Alan Menken and his longtime collaborator, the late Howard Ashman.  The musical debuts 11 new songs by Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater.  Book by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright Doug Wright. 

The cast also includes:  Adrian Bailey, Cathryn Basile, Heidi Blickenstaff, James Brown III, Robert Creighton, Cicily Daniels, John Treacy Egan, Tim Federle, Merwin Foard, Bahiyah Sayyed Gaines, Ben Hartley, Meredith Inglesby, Michelle Lookadoo, Joanne Manning, Alan Mingo, Jr., Zakiya Young Mizen, Betsy Morgan, Arbender J. Robinson, Bret Shuford, Jason Snow, Chelsea Morgan Stock, Kay Trinidad, Price Waldman and Daniel J. Watts.

The creative team includes Stephen Mear (choreography), George Tsypin (scenic design), Tatiana Noginova (costume design), Natasha Katz (lighting design), John Shivers (sound design), David Brian Brown (hair design), Angelina Avallone (make-up design), Sven Ortel (projection & video designer), Rick Sordelet (fight director) and Pichón Baldinu (aerial design).

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster at 212-307-4747, online at www.DisneyOnBroadway.com, or in-person at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street).

Performance schedule is: Tuesdays – Saturdays at 8PM; Wednesdays & Saturdays at 2PM; and Sundays at 3PM.

Aaron Sorkin - The Farnsworth Invention - Theater - New York Times

Link: Aaron Sorkin - The Farnsworth Invention - Theater - New York Times.

THE souvenir shop in Shubert Alley, the heart of the theater district, wasn’t open the other morning as Aaron Sorkin walked by, but he stopped and squinted in the window. Frowning, he expressed disappointment that the “Wicked” T-shirts were stacked untidily on a shelf, the logos unaligned. Mr. Sorkin once worked in this very shop, in the fall of 1983, when he was fresh from studying musical theater at Syracuse University and came to New York to get work as an actor.

'The Joke' with Gelber & Sadoski Opens Tomorrow, 10/20 (BroadwayWorld.com)

Link: 'The Joke' with Gelber & Sadoski Opens Tomorrow, 10/20 (BroadwayWorld.com).

Studio Dante, founded in 2003 by Michael & Victoria Imperioli, proudly presents the world premiere of The Joke, a new play by Sam Marks directed by Sam Gold. This limited Off-Broadway engagement will play Wednesday, October 17 – Saturday, November 10 at Studio Dante (257 West 29th Street). Opening Night is set for Saturday, October 20 at 8:00 PM.

'Pygmalion' with Danes, Mayes Begins Previews Tomorrow, 9/21 (BroadwayWorld.com)

Link: 'Pygmalion' with Danes, Mayes Begins Previews Tomorrow, 9/21 (BroadwayWorld.com).

Roundabout Theatre Company's Pygmalion will begin previews this Friday, September 21 at 8PM. Pygmalion stars Claire Danes in her Broadway debut as "Eliza Doolittle", Tony Award winner Jefferson Mays as "Henry Higgins", Tony Award winner Boyd Gaines as "Colonel Pickering" and Jay O. Sanders as "Alfred Doolittle." This new Broadway production of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion is directed by David Grindley at the American Airlines Theatre (227 West 42nd St).

Masked - Theater - New York Times

Link: Masked - Theater - New York Times.

The Israeli director Ami Dayan had planned to stage “Kiss of the Spider Woman” for the Denver Center for the Performing Arts last year. Then the radical Hamas party swept the Palestinian Authority elections, and Israel and the United States refused to negotiate with the new leadership. “I called the theater and I said, ‘Look, we’ve got to do a different play,’ ” Mr. Dayan recalled.

Xanadu - Theater - New York Times

Link: Xanadu - Theater - New York Times.

Long Island, 1980. A young boy named Robert Ahrens is dreaming of seeing the soon-to-be-released movie musical “Xanadu.” Then he sees it and, well, it isn’t as amazing as he imagined. Little does that young lad know that 27 years later, he will be producing a Broadway adaptation of that very same feature film failure

Xanadu's James Carpinello Sidelined by Injury: Theater News on TheaterMania.com

Link: Xanadu's James Carpinello Sidelined by Injury: Theater News on TheaterMania.com.

James Carpinello, who has been playing the leading role of Sonny in the Broadway musical Xanadu, injured his foot during a June 12 rehearsal. According to a production spokesman, he is temporarily out of the show and no determination has been made on whether or not the injury will necessitate him leaving the show permanently. Now in previews, the show is scheduled to open officially at the Helen Hayes Theater on June 26.

Donna Murphy - LoveMusik - Theater - New York Times

Link: Donna Murphy - LoveMusik - Theater - New York Times.

She’s a few days from opening in the Manhattan Theater Company’s production of “LoveMusik,” the Hal Prince-directed musical about the 25-year romance between Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya, and she’s out there every night, crooning “Speak Low” with her co-star, Michael Cerveris, and belting out “Surabaya Johnny” in her meticulously researched Lotte Lenyese accent. No, nothing is bothering Ms. Murphy. Well, there is that malady that she has been trying to shake for the last several years, a little condition that Broadway wags refer to as the “Donna Murphy syndrome.” Strictly speaking, it means a tendency to miss a lot of performances; more broadly, it is all the gossip and sniping that has been directed at Ms. Murphy, who also happens to be one of the most ecstatically reviewed musical actresses around.

Variety.com - Civilians get commerical run

Link: Variety.com - Civilians get commerical run.

Downtown docu-legit troupe The Civilians gets its first commercial Off Broadway run with a return of its show "Gone Missing," set for a summer engagement at the Barrow Street Theater. Company has attracted attention for productions, often with musical numbers, based on research and interviews about a particular topic. Shows include "The Ladies," "(I Am) Nobody's Lunch" and "Canard, Canard, Goose?"

Proclaimers bask in 'Sunshine'

Link: Variety.com - Proclaimers bask in 'Sunshine'.

With exquisite timing, a U.K. theater is premiering a musical based on the songs of a cult pop group only weeks after one of its iconic tunes has topped the British charts. Thanks to a new version of "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)," recorded for the Comic Relief charity by comedians Peter Kay and Matt Lucas, the Proclaimers are back in the spotlight, having hit No. 1 in Britain at the end of March. The success of the song, originally released in 1988 and later given an international platform on the soundtrack of "Benny & Joon," will only bolster the band's following in their native Scotland. It also stands to increase the chances of an extended life after its initial seven-week tour by Dundee Rep for the tuner "Sunshine on Leith: A Musical," which takes its name from the Proclaimers' second album.

Steve On Broadway (SOB): You've Got To Have The Utmost Faith: High Fidelity Opens Tonight

Link: Steve On Broadway (SOB): You've Got To Have The Utmost Faith: High Fidelity Opens Tonight.

This evening marks one of the theatrical season's least anticipated openings as High Fidelity debuts at Broadway's Imperial Theatre. If there's one musical that has suffered from a serious lack of positive buzz, it's this tuner. After suffering poor reviews during its Boston tryout, this latest musical based on a movie (based on Nick Hornby's popular bovel) has also been the subject of many negative stories

Q&A With 'Spring Awakening' Composer Duncan Sheik -- New York Magazine

Link: Q&A With 'Spring Awakening' Composer Duncan Sheik -- New York Magazine.

Those who know Duncan Sheik as a one-hit wonder (“Barely Breathing,” anyone?) may be surprised that he not only continues to churn out folk-pop but is now a Broadway composer. His music energizes the year’s most surprising transfer, a pop-rock adaptation of Spring Awakening, Frank Wedekind’s racy 1891 play of teen sex and suicide. Sheik talked to Boris Kachka about his initiation into the land of musicals.

Raul Esparza - Company - Report - New York Times

Link: Raul Esparza - Company - Report - New York Times.

THOSE who have doubts about the pressures that only children in immigrant families face just need to see Raúl Esparza imitating Mother. That’s mother with a capital M because Mr. Esparza’s mother, born in Cuba and shipped out at 14 to make her own way in the world, is theatrical and bossy enough to be a Sondheim character herself. Skip to next paragraph Enlarge This Image Sara Krulwich/The New York Times Raúl Esparza, who plays Bobby in the new production of “Company,” says the emotions raised in the musical have a particular meaning for him. Show Details Company Readers’ Opinions Forum: Theater Enlarge This Image Sara Krulwich/The New York Times Raúl Esparza, leaning against the piano in the revival of Stephen Sondheim's "Company." Consider that Mr. Esparza, just turned 36, is the star of “Company,” one of the most anticipated Broadway revivals of the season. It doesn’t even open till Wednesday, and already Mother is on him about the next step. “She says now you’re going to have to get some work in a TV show,” Mr. Esparza says in his dressing room, taking a break from the stuff that is tearing him apart

Company - The Musical

Link: Company - A Musical Comedy

Living single in New York can be hilarious and heartbreaking, even at the same time. And when you’re feeling the heat from all your married friends—and the 35 candles blazing away on your birthday cake—well, it could drive a person crazy. Celebrate the insanity, challenges and joys of being alive in COMPANY, the six-time Tony Award winning musical comedy by STEPHEN SONDHEIM and GEORGE FURTH. Side by side by side, five married couples, three single women and one charismatic, conflicted bachelor try to balance romance, commitment, friendship and sex in the city that never sleeps. 2006 Tony Award-winning director JOHN DOYLE, who turned Sweeney Todd into “an event theatergoers will be talking about for years to come” (The Wall Street Journal), brings his singular vision to another Sondheim masterpiece—and the result is “striking, revelatory and thoroughly compelling”

Company opens soon!

This new Broadway season brings another Stephen Sondheim musical back to the stage. This time it’s 1970’s Company. The musical played a run at Cincinnati's Playhouse in the Park earlier this year, and that entire cast has moved with the show to Broadway. That includes: Raúl Esparza as Robert, Barbara Walsh as Joanne, Keith Buterbaugh as Harry, Matt Castle as Peter, Robert Cunningham as Paul, Angel Desai as Marta, Kelly Jeanne Grant as Kathy, Kristin Huffman as Sarah, Amy Justman as Susan, Heather Laws as Amy, Leenya Rideout as Jenny, Fred Rose as David, Bruce Sabath as Larry, and Elizabeth Stanley as April.

Living single in New York can be hilarious and heartbreaking, even at the same time. And when you’re feeling the heat from all your married friends—and the 35 candles blazing away on your birthday cake—well, it could drive a person crazy. The musical is an honest, funny and sophisticated portrayal of five married couples as seen through the eyes of their mutual friend Robert, a bachelor evaluating the pros and cons of wedded life.

Opens: November 29, 2006
Theater: Booth

'Poppins' pops up on stage - USATODAY.com

Link: 'Poppins' pops up on stage - USATODAY.com.

Richard Sherman, who with his brother Robert wrote the music and lyrics for Walt Disney's 1964 film musical Mary Poppins, is perched on a chair in a midtown rehearsal studio. "OK, let's do the last chorus," he says. Sherman is speaking to George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, another, younger songwriting duo whose melodies and words supplement the Sherman Brothers' in the new stage version of Mary Poppins that opens Thursday at Broadway's New Amsterdam Theatre. On piano, Stiles bangs out a tune from the movie as Sherman sings with a charming faux-cockney accent: "Aaoow, it's a jolly 'oliday with Mary ... ." They croon a countermelody they wrote for the number as presented in the show, which premiered in London nearly two years ago. "To me, the big thrill is hearing it all come together," Sherman says after the trio has finished with a flourish. "It's like a good marriage." Like its Jolly Holiday, the new Poppins is the product of an Anglo-American wedding, between Disney Theatrical Productions and the British impresario Cameron Mackintosh (Cats, Les Misérables and The Phantom of the Opera).

New York Daily News - Theater - Howard Kissel: She'll always sound precocious

Link: New York Daily News - Theater - Howard Kissel: She'll always sound precocious.

Although it's no longer true that the sun never sets on the British Empire, there is a part of that empire that never lost its place in the sun. That is the extraordinary world of British children's literature - the novels of Charles Dickens with their forlorn waifs making their way through the world, the stories by an Oxford math teacher about a girl who falls down a rabbit hole, the tale of a boy who refuses to grow up, and a series about a wunderkind wizard with a lightning-bolt scar. One of these characters who defy the laws of gravity has just taken up residence on Broadway, doubtless for a long time to come: Mary Poppins. The new musical, opening Thursday at the New Amsterdam Theater, is the first project co-produced by the Disney Corporation and theater legend Cameron Mackintosh. It has been directed by Richard Eyre, better known for his productions of classics for Britain's Royal National Theater. The sets and costumes are by Bob Crowley, who has designed the grand Edwardian household of the Banks family so that it moves backward and forward, up and down, as if a camera were swooping in and out of closeup.

Company personal Reviews

Link: Company Reviews - Broadway Theater Reviews.

Company is a revolutionary, unconventional look at love and commitment in a complex modern New York. The show is a remarkably honest, clever and sophisticated portrayal of five married couples as seen through the eyes of their mutual friend Robert, a bachelor weighing the pros and cons of wedded life.

.Steve On Broadway (SOB): The Pirate Queen Sails Into Chicago Opening Tonight

Link: Steve On Broadway (SOB): The Pirate Queen Sails Into Chicago Opening Tonight.

After nearly one month of previews, the Broadway-bound Chicago tryout of The Pirate Queen opens this evening at the Windy City’s Cadillac Palace Theatre. Helmed by Frank Galati, the musical stars Stephanie J. Block in the titular role. As previously noted, this is the latest creation of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, the songwriting team responsible for such mega-musicals as Les Misérables and Miss Saigon. Produced at a cost of more than $10 million, this show promises to be every bit the spectacle that its predecessors were; in fact, it is purportedly set to become the most expensive tuner ever to be mounted on the Great White Way. How will this Riverdance-produced musical fare? Since I’ll be in the audience for tonight’s world premiere, I’ll not only be providing a synopsis of the major reviews of The Pirate Queen, but I’ll post my own critique as well.

Performances of `Mary Poppins' canceled - Yahoo! News

Link: Performances of `Mary Poppins' canceled - Yahoo! News.

The evening performance of "Mary Poppins" at New York's New Amsterdam Theatre was canceled shortly into the second act after the mammoth Banks family house, a large imposing structure, went off track, Tom Schumacher, producer and president of Disney Theatricals, said. Schumacher came on stage to talk to the New York audience as stagehands tried to fix the set. He likened the mishap to a California house coming off its foundation as the audience giggled. "You New Yorkers love to laugh at California," he said. After a wait of approximately 30 minutes, Schumacher reappeared to say the performance had to be canceled. Coincidentally, five hours earlier, the evening performance of "Mary Poppins" at London's Prince Edward Theatre was also canceled because of a technical malfunction, Schumacher said. The New York company of "Mary Poppins," which features Ashley Brown as Poppins, is now in previews — Wednesday evening was its 10th performance — and opens officially Nov. 16. The show is based on the stories of P.L. Travers and the popular Walt Disney film.

Too many spoonfuls of sugar?

Link: Variety.com - Too many spoonfuls of sugar?.

If any new tuner seems like a sure thing on Broadway this season, it's Disney's "Mary Poppins." But with three Mouse House musicals already on the boards, some industry watchers wonder if yet another will stretch the company's audiences too thin -- particularly those of "Tarzan," Disney's recent addition to its Broadway contingent, which hasn't soared at the box office since its May opening. Disney execs say they aren't worried. If "Poppins" proves the hit it looks likely to be, they argue, the overspill from the new entry might end up doing the existing shows a favor. "Poppins," currently in previews for a Nov. 16 opening, has a healthy advance, said to be around $18 million. As properties go, the 1964 pic is one of Disney's most popular. And the stage version is the product of not one but two legit powerhouses, Disney Theatrical Prods. and Cameron Mackintosh. " 'Mary Poppins' is one of the jewels in the Walt Disney crown," Thomas Schumacher, producer of Disney Theatrical, emphasizes. Disney decided to give "Poppins" pride of place in its showcase theater, the New Amsterdam. (To make way for it, the company moved long-runner "The Lion King" to a smaller house, the Minskoff.) Disney's other Rialto offerings -- "Beauty and the Beast," "Lion King" and "Ta

Variety.com - First 'Poppins' perfs perky

Link: Variety.com - First 'Poppins' perfs perky.

The Broadway season began to kick into gear last week, with sales rising by about half a million dollars over the previous week and a new addition to the boards from Disney. "Mary Poppins" ($307,183) started off promisingly, selling out its first two perfs. Whether that's the beginning of a trend or simply the temporary result of an influx of curious fans remains to be determined over the weeks leading up to the show's Nov. 16 opening.

Playbill News: Mary Poppins Lands on Broadway at New Amsterdam Theatre Oct. 14

Link: Playbill News: Mary Poppins Lands on Broadway at New Amsterdam Theatre Oct. 14.

Everyone's favorite flying nanny lands on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre when Mary Poppins — a co-production between Disney and Cameron Mackintosh — begins previews at the New Amsterdam Theatre Oct. 14. A hit in London, the new musical will officially open on Broadway Nov. 16. Ashley Brown, recently seen on Broadway as Belle in Beauty and the Beast, stars as Mary Poppins, the role immortalized on screen by Academy Award winner Julie Andrews. Gavin Lee, who starred as Bert in the London production, re-creates his role opposite Brown. The New York company also boasts Daniel Jenkins as Mr. Banks and Rebecca Luker as Mrs. Banks with Jane Carr (Mrs. Brill), Mark Price (Robertson Ay), Cass Morgan (Bird Woman), Ruth Gottschall (Miss Andrew, Queen Victoria, Miss Smythe) and Michael McCarty (Admiral Boom, Bank Chairman). Katherine Doherty, Kathryn Faughnan and Delaney Moro alternate in the role of Jane Banks, while Matthew Gumley, Henry Hodges and Alexander Scheitinger alternate in the role of Michael Banks.

deseretnews.com | Broadway hits filled with music in fall schedule

Link: deseretnews.com | Broadway hits filled with music in fall schedule.

The sound of Broadway this fall will include Stephen Sondheim, Bob Dylan and Marvin Hamlisch, not to mention Tom Stoppard, George Bernard Shaw, Victor Hugo, P.L. Travers and Dr. Seuss. Paul Kolnik, Associated PressMichael Barresse leaps across the stage during a scene from the revival of "A Chorus Line," which has just opened on Broadway. Musicals, as usual, dominate, and, before New Year's Day, nine will arrive in New York. Let's start with these shows — in the order of their openings.