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Normally, when we get a press release from a local theater company about its latest work, the press release includes, you know, the name of the play. But Philly theater company Lightning Rod Special bucked that trend this week went they sent us a notice announcing its musical comedy about abortion, which debuts in August at the Painted Bride. “We were going with ‘Fetus Chorus,’” explains co-creator Alice Yorke, pictured below. “But there were a lot of mixed feelings about it. The best comment we got was, ‘I understand you want to provoke your audience, but do you want to...

On this date in 1955, a new musical opened on Broadway called "Damn Yankees". I love this song and what it tells us.

Grease will be the word in the halls of Fox this week. The network's three-hour live telecast of the musical was a ratings success. Nielsen has the performance averaging 12.2 million viewers and a handsome 4.3 rating among adults 18-49. That's after early numbers gave the performance a 7.4 overnight rating among households. Fox easily had first-place status on broadcast for the night and saw its score in the key demo rival TV's biggest live musical in recent memory. This being the network's first live musical, its only ratings comparisons will be to NBC's last three efforts. Topping the first...

It’s that time again. On Thursday, December 3, NBC will be presenting The Wiz Live (8 PM Eastern). The Wiz is a product of that period in the 1970s when Broadway was producing “all-black” versions of everything. It is an urban, African-American version of The Wizard of Oz. The show gave us the popular song “Ease On Down the Road”. In a nice casting touch, Stephanie Mills, who originated the role of Dorothy in the 1975 Broadway cast, will be playing Auntie Em. The production will also feature Queen Latifah as the first female Wiz. By now, the plot should...

The Off-Broadway musical Daddy Long Legs has announced that it will be the first-ever Off-Broadway performance to be broadcast online to the world for free on Dec. 10 at 8 PM ET. Following the live broadcast, the performance will be replayed in the respective times in Los Angeles (8 PM PT), London (8 PM GMT) and Tokyo (JST). To register for the live stream, visit the website here. The two-actor production officially opened at the Davenport Theatre Sept. 28. The new musical, about a romance that spans several years and is developed through letters, features music and lyrics by Tony...

Percival Mackey & His Band plays "Mercenary Mary Selections" on UK Columbia 9062, issued in 1925. Mercenary Mary is a musical comedy with book and lyrics by William B. Friedlander & Isabel Leighton. Music is by Con Conrad & William B. Friedlander. The show was more popular in England than in America. The New York opening was at the Longacre Theatre on April 13, 1925. It closed in New York after 136 performances. In England it opened at the London Hippodrome on October 7, 1925, running for 262 performances.

Deke Rivers (Elvis) is a delivery man who is discovered by publicist Glenda Markle and country-western musician Tex Warner who want to promote the talented newcomer to fame and fortune, giving him every break he deserves. Romantic complications arise as Susan, another singer in the group, offers him devoted admiration as Glenda leads him on with promises of a golden future.

Game of Thrones: The Musical. For Red Nose Day on NBC, Coldplay and the cast of Game of Thrones join forces for the band's most important project yet: a musical for HBO’s Game of Thrones.

Watching the livestream of Monty Python's last ever performance on GOLD, it was impossible not to experience a tingle of sadness. So this was it, the final performance by the most influential comedy troupe of all time. Forty-odd years since Monty Python's Flying Circus revolutionized television humour and unleashed a legion of surreal catchphrases John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones and Michael Palin departed the stage at London's O2 Arena to the strains of their darkly hilarious (or is it hilariously dark?) anthem Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life. Watching the swan-song was a 15,000 live...

The Clinton family has taken the center stage in politics, and in July an adaption of the former first family will take center stage in musical theater. “Clinton: The Musical” will make its U.S. debut in New York City’s New York Musical Theater Festival this summer, from July 18-25. “It’s hard enough being president by yourself. Bill Clinton’s problem is that there are two of him. Literally,” the show’s description reads. “Clinton follows two Bill Clintons and Hillary on their quest to save their presidency, change America and prove that ‘politics is show business for ugly people.’” The Clintons will...

Former President Bill Clinton will be the subject of an unusual musical called, appropriately enough, ‘Clinton.’ The satire about the 42nd commander in chief features two stars ‘because he led two parallel lives,’ says book writer Paul Hodge of the show that launches next month at the New York Musical Theatre Festival. For years, Bill Clinton’s troubling two-sidedness has had tongues wagging. Now, with wife Hillary poised for a presidential run, it has musical theater performers belting. It takes two actors to play the 42nd commander in chief in “Clinton,” a singing satire that capitalizes on the comment that “there’s...

A hundred million miracles are happ'ning ev'ry day, And those who say they don't agree Are those who do not hear or see.– Oscar Hammerstein III,"A Hundred Million Miracles", from Flower Drum Song What are you doing right now? Silly question, of course: You're reading this article. But have you contemplated the miraculous chain of events that enables you to read these words? I am sitting here at my keyboard, typing these words. A few clicks send them out and a few more clicks post them on this site. Then, with just a few clicks, you are able to read...

... Producers said Sunday they plan to get “Rocky” up and punching at the Winter Garden Theatre by February following a successful debut in Hamburg last fall. Based on the Oscar-winning 1976 film, the musical features a score by “Ragtime” veterans Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, and a story by Thomas Meehan, who wrote “The Producers” and “Hairspray.” Originally written in English but translated into German for its world premiere and billed as “Rocky: Das Musical,” the show is produced by Stallone and Stage Entertainment USA. ... The musical stays close to the film, which charted the rise and romance...

NEW ITV1 talent show Superstar is pitting 100 singers from around the country in a battle to win the lead role in a new stage version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical Jesus Christ Superstar.

The casting of actors not noted for their singing abilities led to some mixed reviews. Variety stated that "some stars, especially the bouncy and rejuvenated Streep, seem better suited for musical comedy than others, including Brosnan and Skarsgård."[21] Brosnan, especially, was savaged by many critics: his singing was compared to "a water buffalo" (New York Magazine),[22] "a donkey braying" (The Philadelphia Inquirer)[23] and "a wounded raccoon" (The Miami Herald),[24] and Matt Brunson of Creative Loafing Charlotte said he "looks physically pained choking out the lyrics, as if he's being subjected to a prostate exam just outside of the camera's eye."[25]

NEW YORK — The profane musical "The Book of Mormon" and the zany revival of "Anything Goes" received the most nominations Friday from the Drama Desk, which honors both Broadway and off-Broadway productions.

Everyone seems to be taking a stab at reviewing Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark, and it ain't pretty. The theater critics seems to have had it with the production, which has postponed the opening of the musical several times, and they are lashing out their reviews today basically slamming the show. We are no experts in the musical theater field, but we have seen the show (twice) and we disagree with the opinions of the much hailed theater connoisseurs. We loved the show, and here is why we think people will see it: • Flying is awesome. There are aerial...

The popular show 'Glee' has caused a stir with lesbian fantasies, gay kissing, teen pregnancy and racy photos of the actors - the new season is sure to display more immorality-promoting content. As 'Gleeks' everywhere eagerly anticipate the return of their show, they should be reminded that it isn't just innocent, happy show tunes that this 'groundbreaking' show promotes.

BINH THUAN, Nov 19 (Bernama) -- A set of stone musical instrument dating from 3,000 years ago was unearthed by a farmer in Da Kai commune, Duc Linh district, when he dug holes for planting coffee trees, according to Vietnam news agency on Friday. The music instrument comprises of five slabs of black blue stone, which when arranged from small to big form a trapezoid. This is a typical character of ancient lithophone, different from new lithophones or sounding stone slabs. The instrument has been handed over to the Binh Thuan museum. Earlier, the Binh Thuan museum in coordination with...

Excellent, Obama musical!