Carol Lawrence News

On Friday, May 11, PBS will present an encore broadcast of their enormously successful Great Performances special Chita Rivera: A Lot of Livin' to Do, a career retrospective of the legendary theatrical icon. The program features interviews, archival performance footage and songs from Rivera's concert repertoire including such numbers as "A Boy Like That," "America," "A Lot of Livin' to Do," "All That Jazz," and "Nowadays."  The encore broadcast will air in the New York area on THIRTEEN/WNET Friday, May 11 at 10:00 PM ET. (Check local listings in your area). 

4/15/18 ~ HONORING GEORGE CHAKIRIS, BARRIE CHASE & TONI BASIL There's a certain feeling that invades my consciousness when I attend a Dancer's Event... It is a deep, passionate, all-encompassing love amongst it's members. And that is what I was feeling, attending a most prestigious (in my opinion) Event; The Professional Dancer's Society 31st Annual Luncheon & “Gypsy” Award Ceremony, held Yearly in the International Room at the Beverly Hilton.

Porchlight Music Theatre and Artistic Director Michael Weber are proud to announce the final production in its 2017 - 2018 season of Chicago's hit musical revue series, New Faces Sing Broadway. New Faces Sing Broadway 1975, hosted by Donica Lynn with direction by Christopher Pazdernik and music direction by David Fiorello, is Tuesday, June 5 at The Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln Ave., Skokie at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday, June 6 at The Arts Club of Chicago, 201 E. Ontario Street, at 6:30 p.m. (The Arts Club presentation also includes a pre-show reception at 6:30 p.m. with performance at 7:30 p.m.). In tribute to the original New Faces series that ran on Broadway and on film from 1934 - 1968, Porchlight Music Theatre created the Chicago musical revue series, New Faces Sing Broadway as a showcase for the best emerging music talent now performing on Chicago stages. Each edition is a "time-machine" journey from the start to the finish of an entire musical season from the classic days of Broadway, peppered with photos and films of the era in an exciting multimedia presentation with a favorite Chicago theatre veteran like Donica Lynn hosting and introducing the next generation of music theatre artists while acting as your guide through a vintage year on the Great White Way. General admission tickets at Skokie Theatre are $22 and at The Arts Club of Chicago are $35 and are available at porchlightmusictheatre.org or at the Porchlight Music Theatre box office, 773.777.9884.

Florida Studio Theatre announces its 36th annual Richard and Betty Burdick New Play Reading Series, which will present three new staged readings by modern American playwrights. Part of FST's Sarasota Festival of New Plays, this three-day series will take place in Bowne's Lab Theatre on April 29, May 6, and May 13 at 3 PM each day. This series is free and open to the public, but reservations are required. Reservations can be made online at www.floridastudiotheatre.org, by phone at (941) 366-9000, or by visiting the FST Box Office.

PERRY LAYLON OJEDA , after a hit run at Palm Springs' Coachella Valley Rep and a string of high profile cruise ship performances, returns to Upstairs at Vitello's singing The Songs of Betty Comden and Adolph Green, the legendary and longest running creative partnership in American Theatre History.

Academy Award and Golden Globe winning performer George Chakiris and acclaimed dancer, Barrie Chase have been named the honorees for the Professional Dancers Society's (PDS) annual Gypsy Awards Luncheon, it was announced by PDS President, Mitzi Gaynor and PDS Board Chairman, Joni Berry.  Emmy and Grammy nominated choreographer/director/singer Toni Basil will receive the organization's Choreographer's Award.  PDS' 31st Anniversary Luncheon will be held on Sunday, April 15, 2018 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel (9876 Wilshire Blvd.) in Beverly Hills, CA.

Producers Darlene Kaplan, Laura Janik Cronin and Scott Newsome, in association with Alec Seymour, present the Off-Broadway premiere of The Stone Witch, a play by Shem Bitterman (A Death in Colombia, Influence).  Performances begin Monday, March 12, 2018 for an open-ended engagement atThe Westside Theatre - Upstairs (407 West 43rd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues).  Opening Night is Sunday evening, March 25, 2018 at 6:30PM.

Porchlight Music Theatre made its debut at The Arts Club of Chicago, 201 E. Ontario Street, with its hit musical revue series, New Faces Sing Broadway 1959, hosted by Gene Weygandt, directed by Adrian Abel Azevedo with music direction by David Fiorello, Tuesday, February 27.

'One of the few great musical comedies of the last thirty years.' - Howard Taubman' 'What a show! What a hit! What a solid hit!' - Walter Kerr' 'The best musical of the century.' - John Chapman'

 'You know this is the first time I ever heard of NOT sleeping with the author to get the part,' cracked a profoundly p.o.-ed Phyllis Newman at the fourth of five auditions she had to endure in order to land a big, star-making role on Broadway.

From the Horse's Mouth, the legacy-based dance/theater project, will begin its 20th anniversary year with "A Footnote in Ballet History," a special program honoring Magda Saleh, Prima Ballerina of Egypt.

Producer Dennis Grimaldi is proud to announce that Tony and Emmy Winner Len Cariou will star in two industry-only presentations of George Eastman's new play, HARRY TOWNSEND'S LAST STAND.  Cariou will be joined by Warren Bub (TV's Gotham, Tennessee Williams' The Mutilated at The New Ohio Theatre).

Producers Darlene Kaplan, Laura Janik Cronin and Scott J. Newsome, have announced, today, the cast and creative team for the Off-Broadway premiere of The Stone Witch, a play by Shem Bitterman (A Death in Colombia, Influence). Performances begin Monday, March 12, 2018 for an open-ended engagement at The Westside Theatre - Upstairs (407 West 43rd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues). Opening Night is set for Sunday evening, March 25, 2018 at 6:30PM.

Porchlight Music Theatre and Artistic Director Michael Weber are proud to announce the second production in its 2017 2018 season of Chicago's hit musical revue series, New Faces Sing Broadway 1959, hosted by Gene Weygandt, directed by Adrian Abel Azevedo with music direction by David Fiorello, Monday, Feb. 26 at Skokie Theatre, 7924 Lincoln Ave in Skokie at 7:30 p.m. In tribute to the original New Faces series that ran on Broadway and on film from 1934 1968, Porchlight Music Theatre created the Chicago musical revue series, New Faces Sing Broadway as a showcase for the best emerging music talent now performing on Chicago stages.

Director Isaac Klein stops by the studio to talk about his new book, SCHOOL OF DOING, featuring the lessons of Master Teacher, Director, and personal mentor, Gerald Freedman.

There was a whole lot of cheer at the Salvation Army Celebrity Red Kettle Kick Off attended by Cynthia Basinet (best known for her sultry 'Santa Baby', basketball legend former Laker AC Green, the beautiful Rams Cheerleaders and a host of other celebrities.

Dancers Over 40's last event of 2017, the 9th Annual Legacy Awards and Holiday Dinner, is its most joyous. This celebration honoring our very own members will be held on Monday, December 11th, from 6 to 9pm at LIPS Restaurant, 227 East 56th Street and will be hosted by TONY nominee Carol Lawrence (also a DO40 Advisory Board Member AND Legacy Award honoree), with live performances by Legacy Honorees Mary Jane Houdina and Ron Young, as well as consummate entertainer Sutton Lee Seymour!

The last week of October is packed with entertaining fun at Dino's Backstage and The Celebrity Room. Wednesday, October 25th is Bob Egan's Singer's Showcase, Thursday, October 26th is the Divas Of Broadway, Friday, October 27 features the talented vocalist, drummer, arranger and composer, Paul Jost, and Saturday, October 28 celebrates Halloween spirit at the Silver Screen Halloween Party hosted by Michael Richard Kelly with The Tom Adams Trio. Costumes invited on October 28th guests can come as their favorite actor/actress, or favorite movie role character to win the costume contest!

What do the Beatles, Dylan, Sting, Stones, Beyonc , Gaga, Madonna, the Taylors (Swift and James), Queen, Elvis, Bowie, Pink, Adele, the Monkees and Snoop Dog all have in common?

Musical Theatre West celebrates its 65th ANNIVERSARY SEASON with an outstanding line-up of classic and contemporary Broadway masterpieces, opening with Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony Award-winning production In the Heights, October 20 through November 5, 2017.