Daniel Smith News

3-D Theatricals (3DT) rings in its 2017-1018 season at both the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center (RBPAC) and the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts (CCPA) with Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein, a musical comedy from the Broadway creative team of the 12-time Tony Award winning smash hit The Producers. The production, with music and lyrics by Brooks and a book by Thomas Meehan, is a hilariously tuneful show based on the 1974 smash hit film Young Frankenstein which was a wickedly inspired re-imagining of the Mary Shelley classic from the comic genius of Mel Brooks. David Lamoureux directs with Corey Hirsch serving as Musical Director and Daniel Smith as Choreographer. Dino Nicandros* stars as Frederick Frankenstein with Danny Blaylock as The Monster , Julia Aks as Inga , Erik Scott Romney as Igor/Victor Frankenstein , Tracy Rowe Mutz* as Frau Blucher , Ashley Fox Linton* as Elizabeth , and Richard Gould* as Inspector Kemp/Hermit . *Denotes members of Actors Equity Association.

THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE is a hip musical comedy which follows six young people in the throes of puberty, who are overseen by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves, as they learn that winning isn't everything and that losing doesn't necessarily make you a loser. The musical, featuring emotionally revealing musical selections filled with side-splitting lyrics written by William Finn, chronicles the overachievers' angst of six precocious adolescents who turn out to be the unlikeliest of heroes: a quirky yet charming cast of outsiders for whom the Bee is the one place where they can stand out and fit in at the same time.

In her new latest play KING OF THE YEES, now enjoying its World Premiere at Center Theatre Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City, Yee shares the tale of how her father Larry has been a driving force in the Yee Fung Toy (Yee Family Association), a seemingly obsolescent Chinese American men's club formed 150 years ago in the wake of the Gold Rush when workers from China were brought to San Francisco to assist in the building of the much-needed railroads crossing America. And while the story may be totally fictionalized, it seemed very real to me, especially since Yee wrote herself as well as her father into the play, having them introduced in an innovative, comical, and interactive way during the preamble to the production. For those of you lucky enough to be seated in the front row, be prepared to interact with the overly friendly and well-intentioned Larry Yee, portrayed with energy and glee by Francis Jue.

Sundance Institute's Theatre Lab kicks off today with the announcement of this year's participating acting company and creative advisors. The Lab, which runs through July 30 at the Sundance Resort in Utah, is supervised by Artistic Director Philip Himberg and Producing Director Christopher Hibma, and is the centerpiece of the Institute's year-round work with the theatre community. It's one of 24 residency Labs the Institute hosts each year for independent artists in theatre, film, new media and episodic content.

The world premiere production of 'King of the Yees' opened at Center Theatre Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre this Sunday, July 16, and BroadwayWorld has photos from the festivities below! Written by Lauren Yee, directed by Joshua Kahan Brody and produced in association with Goodman Theatre, 'King of the Yees' will continue through August 6, 2017.

Sundance Institute's Theatre Lab kicks off today with the announcement of this year's participating acting company and creative advisors.

The world premiere production of 'King of the Yees' will open at Center Theatre Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre this Sunday, July 16. Written by Lauren Yee, directed by Joshua Kahan Brody and produced in association with Goodman Theatre, 'King of the Yees' will continue through August 6, 2017. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Center Theatre Group has announced the casting for the world premiere production of "King of the Yees" by Lauren Yee. Directed by Joshua Kahan Brody and produced in association with Goodman Theatre, "King of the Yees" begins previews July 9, opens July 16 and continues through August 6, 2017, at the Kirk Douglas Theatre.

The corn was high as an elephant's eye at the Alex Theatre in Glendale last Sunday as Musical Theater Guild presented a staged reading of Rodgers and Hammerstein's bucolic musical State Fair, the only musical R&H wrote specifically for the screen. State Fair wasn't adapted for the stage until 1996, the final show produced by David Merrick, Broadway's notorious 'abominable showman.'

Palos Verdes Performing Arts concludes its 34th season with a new production of Meredith Willson's musical comedy 'The Music Man' to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the critically acclaimed Broadway classic. The production will run for 11 performances, April 21-May 7 at the 450-seat Norris Theatre.

Explore the vivid history of America's largest Chinatown through the eyes of a new generation in Lauren Yee's King of the Yees - a Goodman Theatre-commissioned world premiere that was developed in the 2015 New Stages Festival. Yee's longtime collaborator Joshua Kahan Brody directs her offbeat and electric joy ride about living in the contemporary world while honoring one's rich ancestral heritage - and the conflict that ensues. The production will debut at A Contemporary Theatre and Canada's National Arts Centre later this year. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below! 

Musical Theatre Guild, the winner of the Los Angeles Drama Critic's Circle Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in the theatre, concludes the 2016-2017 season by taking family audiences to the fair!

Carousel is Rodgers and Hammerstein's favorite musical. Produced on Broadway in 1945 with John Raitt and Jan Clayton in the roles of Billy Bigelow and Julie Jordan, it was R & H's second hit in a row, Oklahoma! being the first, with a string of others to follow. Any Rodgers & Hammerstein musical is among the very best there is in the annals of musical theatre history. The incredibly beautiful music alone is enough to keep an audience riveted, but Hammerstein's books were also laden with topical themes and much food for thought, as with Carousel that becomes a sort of parable for love, forgiveness and redemption. In their current beautifully mounted revival of Carousel, MTW may be assured of a gigantic hit.

Explore the vivid history of America's largest Chinatown through the eyes of a new generation in Lauren Yee's King of the Yees - a Goodman Theatre-commissioned world premiere that was developed in the 2015 New Stages Festival. Yee's longtime collaborator Joshua Kahan Brody directs her offbeat and electric joy ride about living in the contemporary world while honoring one's rich ancestral heritage-and the conflict that ensues. The production will debut at A Contemporary Theatre and Canada's National Arts Centre later this year. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the company in rehearsal below!

 Musical Theatre West presents Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical masterpiece Carousel March 24 - April 9 at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach.  Voted 'the greatest musical of the twentieth century' by TIME magazine, Carousel explores the timeless message of message of love, hope, forgiveness, and redemption.  

This past weekend, the world premiere of Like Watchmen took place at Bethel College. Written by Bethel student Kayla Rundquist and directed by other fellow student Alex Price, Like Watchmen tells the story of three women who wait out a storm in a church for the return of their respective sailors from Lake Superior; two are wives, and one is a daughter. Over the course of 50 minutes, the brand-new play takes the audience on a whirlwind of emotional reveals, turmoil, and anguish.

We would like to invite you, family and friends to our fall musical production of 'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee' at Fort Hayes High School. It's a fantastic show that even involves some audience participation!

Tongue in Cheek Theater Productions (TIC) presents a nine-performance revival of Gina Gionfriddo's comedy Rapture, Blister, Burn from tonight, October 26, through November 5, 2016, in midtown NYC. 

The Costa Mesa Playhouse opens the musical "The Addams Family," opening Oct. 28, just in time for Halloween.

When October hits and Halloween horror movies begin to flood late night TV, you can always count on at least one station somewhere airing Mel Brooks' 1974 classic comedy YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN. But this year, the situation is a little different. With the recent passing of Gene Wilder, who stars in the title role and also co-wrote the film with Brooks, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN has been making many more appearances than usual in tribute to Wilder's uncommon genius. As a writer and actor, the film was some of his finest work and will continue to make audiences laugh for years to come.