Jimmy Ray News

The latest standings as of Monday, December 12th, have been released for the 2022 BroadwayWorld Central Virginia Awards! Nominations were reader-submitted and now our readers get to vote for their favorites.

The latest standings as of Monday, December 5th, have been released for the 2022 BroadwayWorld Central Virginia Awards! Nominations were reader-submitted and now our readers get to vote for their favorites.

This holiday season, make a beautiful memory and embrace the holiday season with 'Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn.'

Fort Salem Theater will present the 2005 hit off-Broadway musical I LOVE YOU BECAUSE - a RomCom inspired by the “opposites attract” stylings of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, with a bit of “Friends” and “Sex and the City” thrown in for good measure! I LOVE YOU BECAUSE runs November 4 - 13 and will feature three newcomers to the FST stage!

What did our critic think of BRIGHT STAR at CenterPoint Legacy Theater?

What did our critic think of BRIGHT STAR at Derby Dinner Playhouse? Derby Dinner Playhouse is known for it's crowd pleasing entertainment. While their usual fare seems to be cheesy fun; every once in a while they pick a lesser known gem of a show that audiences didn't know they would love. For example, Derby Dinner's production of Bonnie and Clyde comes to mind when I think about it in that fashion, and I'd say Bright Star falls into the category of a lesser known show turned real crown pleaser when they give it a chance.

Bluegrass and the Blue Ridge mountains soon take the Fort Salem Theater mainstage in Bright Star, the hit Grammy Award–and Tony Award–nominated Broadway musical written by comedian Steve Martin and celebrated songwriter Edie Brickell.

Garner Theatre Productions released its cast list for the Actor-Musician workshop of Bright Star, the Tony nominated bluegrass musical written and composed by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. This will be the first Toronto production of the Broadway musical. Bright Star's public presentations of the workshop will take place August 25 & 26.

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) presents Maytag Virgin, an uplifting Southern love story by Audrey Cefaly, a Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright. Called “Touching” and “A real joy to see” by DC Metro Theatre Arts, Maytag Virgin is a heartfelt comedy about love, loss, life, and laundry.

From award-winning screenwriter and playwright Steve Martin (Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Roxanne) and chart-topping singer-songwriter Edie Brickell comes a world premiere American musical inspired by their Grammy Award-winning collaboration “Love Has Come For You.” Bright Star features nearly 20 new songs—Americana with a touch of rock—and tells a beguiling tale that unfolds in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina between 1923 and 1945. Billy Cane, a young soldier just home from World War II, meets Alice Murphy, the brilliant editor of a southern literary journal. Together they discover a powerful secret that alters their lives. This is the regional premiere of this entertaining musical about enduring love, family ties, and the light of forgiveness that shines from a bright star.

Take a look at the teaser trailer for the world premiere musical Trading Places at Alliance Theatre! Inspired by the iconic and beloved 1983 Paramount Pictures film, Trading Places is a hilarious and contemporary musical reimagining of the prince and pauper fable. The cast is led by Aneesa Folds and Bryce Pinkham.

Alliance Theatre is presenting the world premiere musical, Trading Places. Inspired by the iconic and beloved 1983 Paramount Pictures film, Trading Places is a hilarious and contemporary musical reimagining of the prince and pauper fable.

The Summit Playhouse presents A BRIGHT STAR Written and composed by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, Directed by Lynn Polan with Musical Direction by Joe DeVico and Choreographed by Megan Ferentinos.

Next up at the Ahmanson, the Los Angeles engagement of the eight-time Tony Award-winning Hadestown opening April 27, 2022. Rachel Chavkin directs this touring cast which includes Nicholas Barasch as Orpheus, Morgan Siobhan Green as Eurydice, Tony Award winner Levi Kreis as Hermes, Kimberly Marable as Persephone and Olivier Award® nominee Kevyn Morrow as Hades. Also featured, Belén Moyano, Bex Odorisio, Shea Renne, Lindsey Hailes, Chibueze Ihuoma, Will Mann, Sydney Parra and Jamari Johnson Williams. Levi managed to find some time between his rehearsals and songwriting to response to a few of my queries.

The Reston Community Players continue their 55th Season with the new musical, Bright Star, a collaboration between Grammy, Emmy, and Academy Award-winner Steve Martin and Grammy Award-winner Edie Brickell. Inspired by a true story, this heartwarming tale features a rousing bluegrass score and runs April 22 – May 8, 2022 at CenterStage at Reston Community Center.

BRIGHT STAR at Hale Center Theater Orem summons a spark of light, joy, and hope in devastating darkness. The entire production is like a warm hug both for those for whom “Bright Star” is a sentimental favorite and the many who are experiencing its delights and heartbreaks for the first time.

This might be the first time this show has been done locally, but it's definitely the first time I have seen it. This beautiful show was created by Steve Martin & Edie Brickell. The story is based on a true event, not a true story.

Hale Center Theater Orem is set to produce 'BRIGHT STAR.' The show will play at the theatre from February 25th to April 9th, 2022. Written and composed by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, Bright Star tells the story of Alice Murphy, whose life is forever altered by the small town mentalities of Zebulon, North Carolina, and whose triumphant story of love and forgiveness has become a new musical theater favorite. Bright Star will leave you humming the soaring score for weeks to come!

After two long years in the making, BRIGHT STAR has finally come to life at the Omaha Community Playhouse.

This is the last chance to vote for the 2021 BroadwayWorld Houston Awards! The 2021 Regional Awards honor productions which had their first performance between October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021.