NationalTours Theatre + Broadway News

BWW Reviews: FLASHDANCE Splashes Down on the OC

(5/18/2013) - Despite having a cast of incredible triple threats, overall, FLASHDANCE: THE MUSICAL---the new, Broadway-bound stage musical based on the popular 80's-era movie of the same name---seems like a well-meant endeavor that needs a serious overhaul in its disjointed execution. The national tour company continues its Costa Mesa stop at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts through May 19.

Nikki Graham and Benedict Garett Join Lloyd Daniels in UP4AMEET? UK Tour

(5/17/2013) - Big Brother's NIKKI GRAHAME and BENEDICT GARRETT join X Factor heartthrob LLOYD DANIELS in hit naked comedy 'Up4aMeet?'

Tickets Go on Sale Today for GHOST BROTHERS OF DARKLAND COUNTY National Tour!

(5/17/2013) - AEG Live has announced that the southern gothic, supernatural musical Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, written by Stephen King, with music by John Mellencamp and T Bone Burnett, has confirmed a tour of 20 American cities throughout the Midwest and Southeast beginning October 10 in Bloomington, IN, and ending November 6 in Grand Rapids, MI. Tickets go on sale today, May 17 at 10am at aeglive.com.

Photo Flash: Sneak Peek - Jillian Mueller Teaches FLASHDANCE on KTLA-TV Tonight

(5/16/2013) - Tonight during KTLA-TV 6 p.m. news broadcast, Jillian Barberie, host of the new Hollywood Mix, visits with Jillian Mueller 'Alex' of Flashdance - The Musical. They go over the iconic splash-segment. Check out sneak peek photos from the taping below!

BWW TV Exclusive: On the Road with PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT- Episode 13!

(5/16/2013) - BWW is excited to spend a year on the road on the bus with the cast of PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT! In Episode 13 of our On the Road series, Wade McCullum brings us along for his adventures in Austin, Texas. Check out this installment below and tune in later for more episodes as the cast journeys across the country!

BWW Interviews: Kingsley Leggs Talks Career and Touring SISTER ACT

(5/16/2013) - While SISTER ACT's First National Tour was playing in Durham, North Carolina, I got a chance to talk with Kingsley Leggs, who plays Curtis Jackson, Deloris Van Cartier's gangster boyfriend and the show's villain. Kingsley Legs, who originated the role of Curtis Jackson on Broadway, spoke with me about his career, SISTER ACT's rehearsal process, preparing the First National Tour, SISTER ACT itself, and life on the road.

Sell a Door and Greenwich Theatres to Present SINCERELY, MR TOAD, July-Sept 2013

(5/15/2013) - David Hutchinson and Phillip Rowntree for Sell a Door Theatre Company in Association with Greenwich Theatre present Sincerely, Mr Toad, with Music by David Andrew Wilson, Book by David Hutchinson, and Lyrics with Katie McIvor.

BWW Reviews: THE ADDAMS FAMILY National Tour

(5/15/2013) - The kooky Addams Family have taken over the Orpheum Theater in Omaha, and we've got a review for you! *snap* *snap*

Scottish Opera and D'Oyly Carte Opera's THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE Makes Glasgow Premiere Tonight

(5/15/2013) - Marking a triumphant return from a ten year absence, D'Oyly Carte Opera Company bursts back onto the stage with an historic collaboration with Scottish Opera; taking an all-singing, all-dancing, richly theatrical production of The Pirates of Penzance on an extended, major UK tour following its premiere at Theatre Royal Glasgow tonight 15th May 2013.

WICKED Plays Extra Show at King's Theatre in Glasgow Tonight

(5/15/2013) - WICKED, the global musical phenomenon that tells the incredible untold story of the Witches of Oz, has added two extra performances to its Scottish premiere engagement at Glasgow's King's Theatre due to an overwhelming demand for tickets. The extra matinee performances are tonight 15 May 2014 and Thursday 29 May 2014 at 2.30pm and tickets are now on sale.

Photo Flash: New Production Shots from AN EVENING OF DIRTY DANCING UK Tour

(5/14/2013) - An Evening of Dirty Dancing has extended its UK tour into 2014 and introduces several cast changes this week. Check out new photos from the production below!

BWW Interviews: Jillian Mueller of FLASHDANCE National Tour Answers Our Silly Query

(5/14/2013) - After spending time on Broadway and on tour, triple-threat actress Jillian Mueller can now be seen dancing up a (ha ha) storm in the National Tour production of FLASHDANCE, in which she plays leading lady Alex Owens---yes, the sexy steel mill worker who moonlights as a maniac, maniac, on the floor. The stage incarnation of the hit movie of the same name continues performances through May 19 at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. While settling into her final week of shows here in Orange County, Ms. Mueller agreed to some of our silly questions. Thankfully, she played along!

Stephen King, John Mellencamp and T Bone Burnett's GHOST BROTHERS OF DARKLAND COUNTY to Kick Off National Tour, Oct 2013

(5/10/2013) - AEG Live has announced that the southern gothic, supernatural musical Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, written by Stephen King, with music by John Mellencamp and T Bone Burnett, has confirmed a tour of 20 American cities throughout the Midwest and Southeast beginning October 10 in Bloomington, IN, and ending November 6 in Grand Rapids, MI. Tickets go on sale Friday, May 17 at 10am at aeglive.com.

DIRTY DANCING to Follow VIVA FOREVER! at Piccadilly Theatre, Beg. July 12

(5/9/2013) - According to the Daily Mail, Piccadilly Theatre's owners are lining up a replacement to follow up VIVA FOREVER!'s closing on June 29. The UK tour of Dirty Dancing will begin performances at the Piccadilly on July 12 and runs through February 2014. Casting has yet to be confirmed. And if, for some reason Dirty Dancing cannot make the transfer, the Piccadilly's owners told the Mail they have another show in the wings.

BWW Reviews: PRISCILLA Is Anything But a Drag

(5/9/2013) - I never thought I'd see the day where a bus and truck company would actually put their bus on stage. The national tour of Priscilla Queen of the Desert is here to delight Austin audiences through May 12th, and there must be a RuPaul's Drag Race contestant somewhere out there who is completely out of glitter and sequins. This is one production that does everything it can to entertain and please the audience. Though it may be light on plot (at times It makes Mamma Mia look like Les Miserables), the lavishly flamboyant look and feel more than make up for any shortcomings. Priscilla is a campy, overblown, over the top, jeweled showgirl of a musical. Even Cher might suggest that the show could tone it down a bit. She'd be wrong. The zanier the show gets, the more the audience eats it up.

BWW TV: Behind-the-Scenes of BILLY ELLIOT Tour in San Diego

(5/9/2013) - BILLY ELLIOT performed at the San Diego Civil Theatre from April 30th - May 5th, 2013. BWW's correspondent, Audra Stafford has a behind-the-scenes look at some of the cast. Watch the video below!

BWW Reviews: THE ADDAMS FAMILY Moves into the Majestic

(5/8/2013) - They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky, they're altogether ooky, the Addams Family. I bet you just sang that in your head as you read it, am I right? You maybe event went back to read it again, snapping your fingers through the imaginary iconic musical intro to one of the most memorable television show theme songs in history.

BWW Interviews: Wade McCollum of PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT Tour Discusses Touring and Performing in High Heels

(5/8/2013) - I left high school a year early to go to a small acting conservatory in California called PCPA, the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts. It was a perfect training program for me, focused on acting, Shakespeare, voice and movement. It was a rigorous schedule, 10-6 every day except Monday and then rehearsal and performances at night. It was a challenge to find time to do homework. You could find me performing in 'The Miracle Worker' or 'Tommy' and meanwhile, offstage, I'd be trying to read 'Othello' and memorize 'A Lie of the Mind' for class the next day. It was a great place to train because there is a huge regional theatre intertwined with the conservatory, so we would take classes during the day and then act alongside our professors that night. It was an incredible way to see and honor everyone's unique process of crafting character, and begin to forge one's own process.

BWW TV Exclusive: On the Road with PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT- Episode 12!

(5/7/2013) - BWW is excited to spend a year on the road on the bus with the cast of PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT! In Episode 12 of our On the Road series, Taurean Everett brings us along for their adventures in Durham, North Carolina. Check out this installment below and tune in later for more episodes as the cast journeys across the country!

BWW Interviews: Broadway First-Timer Alex Finke Finds First National Tour is De-Lovely

(5/7/2013) - A year ago, Alex FInke was a college girl at the University of Michigan. While many of her contemporaries are likely still looking for a job or working their way up from the lower rungs of the corporate ladder, Finke is sailing through a career on the fast track, and she feels incredibly fortunate to be there. Tonight, she appears on the Ordway stage as debutante Hope Harcourt in the national tour of ANYTHING GOES, playing on the Saint Paul stage through May 12, 2013.

BWW Interviews: ADDAMS FAMILY'S Keleen Snowgren Talks Family and Ties to Texas

(5/6/2013) - Keleen Snowgren was born in Missesota but moved to Texas at a very young age. She considers herself a Yankee Texan and loves to spend time with ther family including her 25 cousins. Keleen shared with us her experiences on the road with a hugely popular new musical, THE ADDAMS FAMILY.

BWW Interviews: WICKED National Tour's Curt Hansen

(5/6/2013) - Hang on to your broomsticks and sparkly shoes, folks. Something WICKED is coming to New Orleans this week! Glinda and Elphaba are gracing The Big Easy with their magical presence for one month beginning this Wednesday, and they're bringing along their favorite fellow Ozians too!

THE WIZARD OF OZ North American Tour to Launch from Las Vegas in September 2013; Danielle Wade to Play 'Dorothy'

(5/6/2013) - Producers Bill Kenwright, The Really Useful Group, David Mirvish, Troika Entertainment & Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures have just announced that the first North American tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's new stage adaptation of THE WIZARD OF OZ will commence on September 10, 2013 at The Smith Center in Las Vegas, NV.

BWW Reviews: Quick Take of MARY POPPINS National Tour in Denver

(5/3/2013) - I must say that there was plenty of Disney magic in this visual extravaganza and it delighted my inner-child ever so much.

Photo Flash: First Look at Alison Luff and John Davidson in WICKED National Tour

(5/3/2013) - The company of the first North American tour of WICKED just welcomed Alison Luff as Elphaba and John Davidson as The Wizard during its engagement in Dallas, TX. WICKED will play the Music Hall at Fair Park through May 5. Check out photos of the new cast members in action below!

IATSE and Broadway League Reach New 3-Year Agreement; Improvements Made for Touring Workers

(5/2/2013) - After a lengthy process spread over five months, culminating in a fifteen-hour marathon session that ended in the early morning on May 2, 2013, the IATSE International and The Broadway League/Disney Theatrical Productions have reached a tentative agreement for a new three (3) year contract.

BWW TV Exclusive: On the Road with PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT- Episode 11!

(5/2/2013) - BWW is excited to spend a year on the road on the bus with the cast of PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT! In Episode 11 of our On the Road series, the cast brings us along for their adventures in West Palm, Florida. Check out this installment below and tune in later for more episodes as the cast journeys across the country!

BWW INTERVIEW: STAGE AND SCREEN STAR STEFANIE POWERS DRAWS ON PERSONAL EXPERIENCE FOR 'LOOPED'

(5/2/2013) - Beloved actress best known for television's 'Hart to Hart' steps into 'Looped' tour as the legendary stage and screen diva Tallulah Bankhead. Powers co-starred with Bankhead in the 1965 cult thriller 'Die! Die! My Darling!' which serves as inspiration for this Matthew Lombardo comedy.

BWW Preview: Surprise Visit from WAR HORSE at Texas Performing Arts

(5/2/2013) - Austin's Texas Performing Arts had a Season Preview Party on Thursday, April 25, 2013.

Sumayya Ali, Bryonha Marie Parham & More Join PORGY & BESS National Tour

(5/1/2013) - The National Tour of THE GERSHWINS' PORGY AND BESS, winner of the 2012 Tony Award for Best Musical Revival, will launch at San Francisco's Golden Gate Theatre this November. The tour, accompanied by a 23-piece orchestra, will begin performances Sunday, Nov. 10 with an official opening on Wednesday, Nov. 13. The national tour will travel to more than 20 cities in its first season in addition to San Francisco, including Los Angeles (Ahmanson Theatre), Seattle (5th Avenue Theatre), Dallas (Winspear Opera House), West Palm Beach, Tampa, Naples, Greenville, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Buffalo, East Lansing, St. Paul, Des Moines, Las Vegas, Tempe and Charlotte, with additional cities to be announced in the coming days.

BWW Interview: BILLY ELLIOT's Patti Perkins

(4/30/2013) - BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL is the joyous celebration of one boy's journey to make his dreams come true. Set in a small town, the story follows Billy as he stumbles out of the boxing ring and into a ballet class, discovering a surprising talent that inspires his family and his whole community and changes his life forever. Patti Perkins portrays Billy's Grandma in the touring production.

BWW Interviews: BILLY ELLIOT's Mitchell Tobin

(4/30/2013) - BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL is the joyous celebration of one boy's journey to make his dreams come true. Set in a small town, the story follows Billy as he stumbles out of the boxing ring and into a ballet class, discovering a surprising talent that inspires his family and his whole community and changes his life forever. Mitchell Tobin is one of the young men that portrays the lead character.

Alison Luff and John Davidson Join WICKED Tour Today

(4/30/2013) - The company of the first North American tour of WICKED will welcome Alison Luff as Elphaba and John Davidson as The Wizard today, April 30 in Dallas, TX.

THE RASCALS: ONCE UPON A DREAM to Launch North American Tour, May 24

(4/29/2013) - Producers Steven Van Zandt and Maureen Van Zandt, Marc Brickman, Larry Magid and BASE Entertainment have announced that the sold-out Broadway engagement THE RASCALS: ONCE UPON A DREAM will embark on a tour to play venues across North America. The tour kicks off May 24, 2013 at Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

BWW Reviews: ROCK OF AGES Blasts Des Moines Audiences Back to the 80's

(4/29/2013) - When Rock of Ages stopped in Des Moines for a limited engagement last week, the beat could be heard for blocks and audiences were on their feet before the last number was over.

BWW Interviews: PRISCILLA's Wade McCollum Discusses the Show as it Rolls into Durham

(4/29/2013) - Get out your most sparkly shoes, because Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is headed for Durham. This glitzy show follows drag queens through the Australian outback on a bus named, of course, Priscilla. The big production numbers are paralleled only by the heart of the storyline. Ultimately, it's a show about accepting yourself and others for their own brand of fabulous. I recently had the chance to speak with Wade McCollum, who plays Tick/Mitzi. I got the scoop on what it's like to perform in such a demanding show, how he prepared, and the ins and outs of his complex character.

JERSEY BOYS 1st National Tour Closes Today in San Francisco

(4/28/2013) - The Tony, Grammy and Olivier Award-winning hit musical Jersey Boys, the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, ends its first national tour at San Francisco's SHN Curran Theatre today, April 28, 2013, after playing a total of 2,598 performances on the road. The second national tour continues to travel throughout the country. Jersey Boys worldwide has been seen by over 15 million people.

THE PROFESSIONALS ON ICE Kicks Off UK Tour Today

(4/27/2013) - For the first time ever, the professional skaters who appear in ITV's Dancing on Ice will star in their own ice skating show, THE PROFESSIONALS ON ICE, and will be demonstrating their breath-taking skills on a national tour. The audience will be dazzled by national and world champions as they prove their prowess with hair-raising headbangers, daring double salchows and sensational split twist lifts. The venues are some of the biggest ice skating arenas in the country, with the biggest, the National Ice Centre in Nottingham, kicking off the tour today, 27 April. The tour will end in Dundee on 2 June.

50 SHADES! THE MUSICAL Continues North American Tour, Now thru June 2013

(4/26/2013) - Hot on the heels of sold-out engagements in New York and Chicago, "50 SHADES! THE MUSICAL," the original, critically-hailed parody of the phenomenally popular books, is taking its whips, feather dusters and outrageous laughs on a tour of North America.