Gene Nelson News

Today, we return to last year's Days Of Cabaret Gratitude with THE ARTIST.

Tuesday June 28th, 2022, marks the 120th Anniversary of the birth of legendary Broadway composer Richard Rodgers, Rob Morrison's Musical Theatre Melodies will commemorate the occasion with the broadcast and streaming premiere of the Museum of the City of New York's A CELEBRATION OF RICHARD RODGERS, recorded live at The Imperial Theatre, New York City, on March 26th, 1972.

In this episode, Ben and Daniel discuss the results of Roses and Daffodils: The Essential Follies Playlist. For this project, listeners voted weekly for their favorite versions of the Follies female solos, and 'Friends of the Pod' appeared with Ben and Daniel on 'Next Year, Some Year' to weigh in on the deeper cuts.

When and where can you find Oklahoma! streaming? We have your answer here!

La producción original de OKLAHOMA! en Broadway se estrenó el 31 de marzo de 1943 en el St. James Theatre de Nueva York. Fue dirigida por Rouben Mamoulian, coreografiada por Agnes de Mille y protagonizada por Alfred Drake.

Today, October 11th marks the 65th Anniversary of the Oklahoma! film premiere!

BroadwayWorld Book Club is officially off and running! Or should we say, reading! The first BroadwayWorld Book Club selection is Jennifer Ashley Tepper's The Untold Stories of Broadway Volume 1. Tepper has just released the first volume of the book for free on Kindle!

On this day in 1971, the original production of the musical theatre classic, Follies, opened on Broadway. 

Porchlight Music Theatre and Artistic Director Michael Weber are proud to announce the continuation of the fourth season of Chicago's hit "lost" musicals in staged concert series, Porchlight Revisits Little Me, music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Carolyn Leigh and book by Neil Simon based on the novel by Patrick Dennis, with direction by Porchlight Artistic Director Michael Weber, musical direction by Linda Madonia, choreography by Craig Miller with special guest choreography by veteran Bob Fosse dancer Jane Lanier and starring Jeff Award-winner Matt Crowle. Porchlight Revisits Little Me is presented for three-nights-only Tuesday, Feb. 28 through Thursday, March 2 at 7:15 p.m. and is performed on the set of Porchlight's The Scottsboro Boys (previews begin Friday, Feb. 3) at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. Tickets for Little Me are $35. All tickets include access to the popular pre-performance event, Behind the Show Backstory, a multimedia presentation, created and hosted by Weber that discusses that evening's production including the show's creative history, backstage gossip and the state of the art on Broadway that season. Single tickets to Little Me are available at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org or by calling the Stage 773 box office, 773.327.5252. 

Porchlight Music Theatre and Artistic Director Michael Weber are proud to announce the continuation of the fourth season of Chicago's hit "lost" musicals in staged concert series, Porchlight Revisits Little Me, music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Carolyn Leigh and book by Neil Simon based on the novel by Patrick Dennis, with direction by Porchlight Artistic Director Michael Weber, musical direction by Linda Madonia, choreography by Craig Miller with special guest choreography by veteran Bob Fosse dancer Jane Lanier and starring Jeff Award-winner Matt Crowle. 

Porchlight Music Theatre and Artistic Director Michael Weber are proud to announce the continuation of the fourth season of Chicago's hit "lost" musicals in staged concert series, Porchlight Revisits Little Me, music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Carolyn Leigh and book by Neil Simon based on the novel by Patrick Dennis, with direction by Porchlight Artistic Director Michael Weber, musical direction by Linda Madonia, choreography by Craig Miller with special guest choreography by veteran Bob Fosse dancer Jane Lanier and starring Jeff Award-winner Matt Crowle. 

The Daily Mail's Baz Bamigboye has announced that Imelda Staunton will star as Sally in a London revival of Follies by Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman.

Get all of Doris Day's best-loved movie musical classics!

Today we are talking to a terrifically talented stage and screen performer who has appeared in dozens of film, TV and stage projects over the course of his forty-year career, the thoughtful and charming Treat Williams. In this all-encompassing conversation, Williams and I discuss the many stages of his career thus far, from his early roots co-starring alongside the likes of John Travolta and Marilu Henner in GREASE and OVER HERE! on Broadway in the 1970s, to leading the film adaptation of Terrence McNally's THE RITZ to headlining Milos Foreman's stirring film version of HAIR to starring in handful of other iconic films from his heydey at the top of the Hollywood heap - Steven Spielberg's 1941, Sergio Leone's ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA and Sidney Lumet's PRINCE OF THE CITY included - and even working with Woody Allen on the caustic HOLLYWOOD ENDING. In addition to sharing candid and observant behind-the-scenes stories from the sets of those landmark properties, Williams also reveals his role in the STAR WARS sequel THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and reflects on his brief time in London with Carrie Fisher, George Lucas and company. Plus, Williams shares his recollections of working with many of his most memorable theatrical collaborators, with some especially intriguing anecdotes surrounding his time spent playing Buddy in the 2001 Roundabout revival of Stephen Sondheim & James Goldman's FOLLIES - with some tales involving the man behind the musical, as well as the ghost of David Belasco - and his insights into his work with David Mamet on OLEANNA, BOBBY GOULD IN HELL, TEXAN and others. As if all of that were not enough - most pertinent of all - Williams gives us the 411 on his season-long arc on USA's hit nighttime drama WHITE COLLAR and imparts his enthusiasm for working with similarly multi-talented many-format star Matt Bomer and the rest of cast and crew while also revealing some details on where his dastardly character is headed in tonight's episode and all the way into 2013 when the show picks up after the hiatus coming up. Also, Williams sheds some light on his spate of upcoming projects. All of that and much, much more!

Kritzerland has just announced a second edition for the critically acclaimed newly remixed cast album for FOLLIES- The 1971 Original Broadway Cast Recording. For only the second time in Kritzerland history, Kritzerland is doing a second edition of one of our limited edition CDs (the first was for Promises, Promises). The reaction to this newly mixed version of Follies has been overwhelming, and the original first edition of 1500 copies was gone by the time word had spread and reviews had appeared. Stephen Sondheim called the new mix "a miracle" and that's been pretty much the reaction from everyone, including original co-director and producer Harold Prince, cast members John McMartin (the original Ben) and Harvey Evans (the original Young Buddy), Ted Chapin (the author of Everything Was Possible, the book about the creation of Follies), and logo creator David Edward Byrd. At the request of Mr. Sondheim, we are issuing this one-time only second edition so that it will be available for those who either hadn't heard about it or were too slow ordering.

Kritzerland has just announced that it will present a very special limitededition CD release: FOLLIES- The 1971 Original Broadway Cast Recording NEWLY REMIXED AND REMASTERED, featuring music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. They released the following statement on the album:

James Goldman and Stephen Sondheim's FOLLIES closes tonight, June 9, at Los Angeles' Ahmanson Theatre after a critically acclaimed run. Nominated for eight Tony Awards, the show has been through quite the journey, beginning at Washington, D.C.'s Kennedy Center in May 2011, then making its transfer to Broadway's Marquis Theatre, where it opened in September of 2011 and ran through January 22, 2012, and finally traveling to L.A. for its May 9, 2012, opening. As a farewell to Follies, BroadwayWorld brings takes you through this journey with photos, video and highlights from all three productions below.

James Goldman and Stephen Sondheim's Follies, which was just nominated for eight Tony Awards, begins previews tonight, May 3 at 8 p.m. at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre. Performances of the exclusive Los Angeles engagement of the Kennedy Center's critically acclaimed Broadway production of Follies will continue through June 9, 2012. Opening is set for May 9.

Center Theatre Group will soon present FOLLIES starring Victoria Clark (replacing Bernadette Peters), Jan Maxwell, Danny Burnstein, and Ron Raines. The limited engagement will play May 3 through June 9, 2012. The opening is scheduled for May 9. Check out photo sof the cast in action, as featured on CTG's Facebook page, below.

Center Theatre Group has posted costume renderings from the upcoming production of FOLLIES on their Pinterest page. The production will star Victoria Clark (replacing Bernadette Peters), Jan Maxwell, Danny Burnstein, and Ron Raines.