Paul Vogt News

'MINKSY'S' book writer Bob Martin is featured on Toronto's TheStar.com chatted about his work on the new musical 'Minsky's', Bob Martin created and starred on Broadway in The Drowsy Chaperone.

Minsky's opens February 6, 2009, at Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre and continues through March 1 (previews began January 21). Featuring music by three-time Tony Award-winning composer Charles Strouse (Bye Bye Birdie, Annie, Applause) and lyrics by Susan Birkenhead (Jelly's Last Jam and Triumph of Love), Minsky's is Center Theatre Group's second collaboration with Tony Award-winning writer Bob Martin and director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw (The Drowsy Chaperone).

Save Our Theatre benefit raises $45,000 for North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, Massachusetts

'Minsky's' opens February 6, 2009, at Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre and continues through March 1 (previews began January 21).

'Minsky's' opens February 6, 2009, at Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre and continues through March 1 (previews began January 21). Featuring music by three-time Tony Award-winning composer Charles Strouse ('Bye Bye Birdie,' 'Annie,' 'Applause') and lyrics by Susan Birkenhead ('Jelly's Last Jam' and 'Triumph of Love'), 'Minsky's' is Center Theatre Group's second collaboration with Tony Award-winning writer Bob Martin and director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw ('The Drowsy Chaperone')

Last night in Beverly Hills, Monday January 26th, The Paley Center for Media saluted the work of award-winning composer Charles Strouse in the third of its concert & conversations series, PaleyAfterDark. The composer of such great Broadway hits including Bye Bye Birdie, Golden Boy, Applause, Annie, and Rags, Strouse with special guests Bonnie Franklin (who nominated for a Tony award for Applause) and cast members of Minsky's shared a rare evening of story and song which celebrated his illustrious career and the Los Angeles debut of his latest musical triumph, Minsky's. The program was illuminated by archival footage of rare Strouse material from the Paley Center's collection and finished with a musical performance by the composer singing an arrangement of favorites from 'Put on a Happy Face' to 'Tomorrow.'Minsky's is based on the Bud Yorkin-Norman Lear production of 'The Night They Raided Minsky's.' Charles Strouse has touched the life of almost every American in the last half century with his musical works. There may be no other living composer from America's popular songbook whose work is as integrated into the popular culture as that of Charles Strouse.His music has attracted top recording artists from the last half-century with covers of his songs recorded by such diverse pop artists as Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Bobby Darin, Harry Connick, Jr., Bobby Rydell, Jay Z, Vic Damone, Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone, Grace Jones and Duke Ellington and his Orchestra.Strouse has written the score to over 30 stage musicals, 14 scores for Broadway, four Hollywood films, two orchestral works and an opera.He has been inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Theatre Hall of Fame.

On January 4th 2009, after over 2,641 performances, the curtain fell at the Neil Simon Theater on the final performance of Broadway's 2003 Tony Award winning musical HAIRSPRAY starring original cast members Harvey Fierstein and Marissa Jaret Winokur. BroadwayWorld's cameras were there to party with the cast one last time! Look for more BWW Hairspray fun coming soon-stay tuned Hairhoppers!

Minsky's is a big, racy, new musical comedy set in a time when entertainment was about legs and laughs, and you had to push the limits to keep the customers buying tickets. A rollicking backstage story, set in Prohibition Era New York City. Tony Award winning costume designer Gregg Barnes talked about his creations for MINSKY'S on the show's official site in a wonderful audio/video essay that we are excited to bring you here on BWW TV!

Former SNL genius, Celebrity Autobiography mainstay and gifted comic actress Rachel Dratch is a member of the cast of the currently in rehearsal musical Minsky's, she reveals her joy of working with composer Charles Strouse and her hope of it continuing to Broadway in the future to NYMag.com's Diana Scholl.

Casting is complete and rehearsals have begun for the world premiere of 'Minsky's,' which opens February 6, 2009, at Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre and continues through March 1 (previews begin January 21). Featuring music by three-time Tony Award-winning composer Charles Strouse ('Bye Bye Birdie,' 'Annie,' 'Applause') and lyrics by Susan Birkenhead ('Jelly's Last Jam' and 'Triumph of Love'), 'Minsky's' is Center Theatre Group's second collaboration with Tony Award-winning writer Bob Martin and director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw ('The Drowsy Chaperone').

'Cashino,' the long-running LA cult hit brought that special magic back to the Laurie Beechman Theater on Sunday November 23rd

Harvey Fierstein returned to his Tony-winning role as the greatest Broadway mother of them all, Edna Turnblad in Hairspray on Tuesday, November 11th. BroadwayWorld was there to cheer our favorite 'Mama' on as he celebrated becoming a 'Hairhopper' again!

Harvey Fierstein will reprise his Tony-winning performance as Edna Turnblad beginning tonight!

Producers of HAIRSPRAY, the Tony winning Best Musical, have announced that the show will close on Jan. 4, 2009.

After over 1,000 performances as Broadway's favorite big-girl Tracy Turnblad, Shannon Durig will take her final 'Hairspray' bow on Sunday, April 13, 2008. Amidst teasing-up her towering hair and busting-down TV segregation, Shannon has fostered a loving family among the nicest kids in town...

Logo, a division of Viacom Inc.'s (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B) MTV Networks, today announced the DVD release of The Big Gay Sketch Show: The Complete Unrated Second Season, on April 29, 2008, available on LOGOonline.com and retailers nationwide.

'Cashino,' the long-running LA cult hit debuted in New York at the Laurie Beechman Theater (407 W. 42nd Street) on Sunday, October 1 at 9PM.

The stars were out Monday night, September 17 at a New York City celebration for North Shore Music Theatre's incoming Artistic Director and Executive Producer Barry Ivan.

On Friday, September 7, The After Party, a free weekly-concert at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, was special guest co-hosted by Michelle Dowdy (Hairspray) with other guest co-host Alysha Umphress.

On Friday, August 17, The After Party, a free weekly-concert at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, hosted by Brandon Cutrell and Lisa Asher, welcomed special-guest Telly Leung.