Marcus John News

Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of RENT, the Overture Center in Madison kicks off the year with the ground-breaking production from Tuesday, January 2, through Sunday, January 7, 2018. Honest and gritty to its core, RENT forever changed the face of musical theatre and continues to speak loudly and defiantly to audiences across generations and all over the world.

The New Year will kick off at Overture Center with the RENT 20th Anniversary Tour, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning landmark rock musical written by Jonathan Larson, from Tues., Jan. 2-Sun., Jan. 7, 2018.

The award-winning Titan Theatre Company is currently in rehearsal for its upcoming production of the Charles Dickens classic A CHRISTMAS CAROL, and BroadwayWorld has a behind-the-scenes exclusive!

Work Light Productions and The Smith Center for the Performing Arts announced casting for the highly-anticipated Las Vegas engagement of RENT Jan. 30 Feb. 3, 2018.

Rent was one of the first musicals I truly loved. My affinity for musicals didn't start as early as a lot of theatre people I know. I first picked up Rent in junior high, a 2-disc set from the library. I'd borrow it over and over until I learned all the words. Rent is the reason why angsty rock musicals will forever be my niche.

BWW BLOG: RENT 20th Anniversary Tour Takes on Oklahoma City's Civic Center Music Hall

November programming has been announced at City Winery Chicago. Highlights of the month include multi-night runs from Jazz vocalist (and Chicago transplant) Lizz Wright (Nov. 1-2), Herb Alpert of Tijuana Brass with his wife, Grammy-winning singer Lani Hall, (Nov. 6-7), and four shows over two days with saxophonist Kurt Elling (Nov. 25-26) plus a benefit for Merit School of Music with Nico Segal (previously known as Donnie Trumpet from the Chance the Rapper-affiliated band, The Social Experiment) and The JuJu Exchange (Nov. 28) and much more.

BroadwayWorld is excited to share brand-new photos from the RENT 20th Anniversary Tour - scroll down to check out the cast in action!

RENT is a rock musical with music, lyrics and book by Jonathan Larson. It won the 1996 Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize. The Broadway production closed on September 7, 2008 after a 12-year run of 5,123 performances, making it one of the longest running musicals of all time. The success of the show led to several national tours and numerous foreign productions and in 2005, it was adapted into a motion picture featuring most of the original cast members. This current touring production is the 20th anniversary production of Larson's re-imagining of Puccini's La Boh me. RENT follows an remarkable year in the lives of seven impoverished young artists struggling to survive and create a life in New York City's East Village during the thriving days of Bohemian Alphabet City, while under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. With its inspiring message of joy and hope in the face of fear, RENT is a timeless celebration of friendship and creativity, and a reminder to measure our lives with the only thing that truly matters love.

Under the direction of Evan Ensign, the 20th anniversary edition of RENT has become a no-fly zone for self-absorbed rockstar posturing and strutting.

BroadwayWorld presents a comprehensive weekly roundup of regional stories around our Broadway World, which include videos, editor spotlights, regional reviews and more. This week, we feature HOLLER IF YA HEAR ME, GYPSY, RENT, and More!

Rent. Jonathan Larson's musical masterpiece inspired by Puccini's La Boheme celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Its theme, characters and life lessons are as current today as they were 20 years ago. You can't help but believe that Mark, Maureen, Joanne, Mimi, Roger, Angel, Tom, and Benny, continue to be watched over by Mr. Larson, their creator and guardian angel, whose untimely death missed opening night of his legacy by a few short days. I think his sudden death gave all the more meaning to the song 'No Day But Today'. Launching careers of performers such as Anthony Rapp, Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs, today these big names continue to pay tribute to him singing the show's most popular tunes to an escalating fan base of Rent admirers.

The producers of the RENT 20th Anniversary Tour, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning landmark rock musical written by Jonathan Larson, have announced casting for the upcoming National Tour.

After 15 years on the road, the national touring production of MAMMIA MIA! will play its final performances at the Fabulous Fox in St Louis July 28 - 30.

Broadway Across America - Ft. Lauderdale presents the Farewell Tour of the smash hit musical Mamma Mia! at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. 20 year old Sophie is planning to marry, and wants her father to be present to give her away. Unfortunately, she does not know who her father is. After reading her mother's diary, she concludes he is one of three men, so she invites all of them to her wedding, on the Greek Island on which she lives with her still single mother, in the hopes of sorting it out.

The producers of Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus' MAMMA MIA!, the smash hit musical based on the songs of ABBA, have announced casting for the upcoming National Tour. MAMMA MIA! is one of the most successful musicals of all time, the eighth longest running show in Broadway history and one of only five musicals to have run for more than ten years on Broadway. The West End production is now in its eighteenth year. To date, MAMMA MIA! has been seen by over 60 million people worldwide in 50 productions in 16 different languages. MAMMA MIA! will embark on a farewell tour in the 2016-17 season, which also marks its fifteenth year on the road. Leading the cast of 30 is Sarah Wyatt as 'Donna Sheridan,' the independent single mother whose carefree past catches up with her on the eve of her daughter's wedding. Bride-to-be 'Sophie Sheridan' is played by Lizzie Markson; her fiance 'Sky' is played by Dustin Harris Smith. Sarah Smith and Betsy Padamonsky play Donna's best friends and former back-up band, 'Rosie' and 'Tanya,' (respectively) who reunite with their best friend on the island for Sophie's wedding. The three men from Donna's past and Sophie's possible dads are Shai Yammanee ('Sam Carmichael'), Marc Cornes ('Bill Austin'), and Andrew Tebo ('Harry Bright'). Sophie's & Sky's best friends are played by Chloe Kounadis ('Ali'), Niki Badua ('Lisa'), Austin Michael ('Pepper') and Max Ehrlich ('Eddie'). MAMMA MIA!'s ensemble features Kylie Brunngraber, Cashelle Butler, Juan Guillen, Joshua Taylor Hamilton, Stephanie Inglese, Matthew Janisse, Marcus John, Danny Lopez, Gabriella Marchion, Luke Monday, Catherine Nickerson, Alicia Osborn, Carlina Parker, Yael Reich, Alex Sheets, Julia Cassandra Smith, Ian Taylor and Brian Whitehill. MAMMA MIA! is produced by Work Light Productions, whose other touring productions include Cinderella, RENT 20th Anniversary Tour, Motown, Irving Berlin's White Christmas, Vocalosity and Something Rotten!. The original production of MAMMA MIA! was produced by Judy Craymer, Richard East and Bjorn Ulvaeus for Littlestar in association with Universal, the creative team responsible for bringing MAMMA MIA! to theatrical life includes some of the most gifted and celebrated talents of musical theatre and opera. With music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, MAMMA MIA! is written by Catherine Johnson and directed by Phyllida Lloyd. MAMMA MIA! has choreography by Anthony Van Laast, production design by Mark Thompson, lighting design by Howard Harrison, sound design by Andrew Bruce and Bobby Aitken, and musical supervision, additional material and arrangements by Martin Koch. The special edition cast recording of MAMMA MIA! is available on Decca Broadway. For information about MAMMA MIA! visit www.mammamiaontour.com

Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus' MAMMA MIA!, the smash hit musical based on the songs of ABBA, will continue its successful North American tour in 2015-2016. The tour will visit more than 50 cities including St. Louis, Chicago, Anchorage, Los Angeles, and Cleveland.

Casting has today been announced for Graham Linehan's award-winning comic adaptation of The Ladykillers, which returns to the West End from 29 June. The new cast will include Ralf Little (The Royle Family), Simon Day (The Fast Show), Angela Thorne (To the Manor Born) and Olivier Award winning actors John Gordon Sinclair (She Loves Me and classic film Gregory's Girl) and Con O'Neill (Blood Brothers and Telstar). Chris McCalphy will reprise his role as One Round following the show's recent UK tour.

Producer Daryl Roth announced today that casting has been completed for the premiere presentation of Larry Kramer's ground-breaking play, The Normal Heart, on Broadway. Mark Harelik (Mrs. Warren's Profession), Richard Topol (The Merchant of Venice), and Wayne Wilcox (Coram Boy) join the previously announced Ellen Barkin as Dr. Emma Brookner, Patrick Breen as Mickey Marcus, John Benjamin Hickey as Felix Turner, Luke Macfarlane as Craig Donner/Grady, Joe Mantello as Ned Weeks, Lee Pace as Bruce Niles, and Jim Parsons as Tommy Boatwright. Harelik will play the role of Ben Weeks, Topol will play Hiram Keebler/Examining Doctor, and Wilcox will play David. Joel Grey and George C. Wolfe will direct the presentation, which begins its limited 12-week engagement on Tuesday, April 19 at the Golden Theatre (252 West 45th Street), with an official opening night set for Wednesday, April 27.

Blue Box Productions is pleased to announce the latest installment of its Sticky series. Since 2003, Blue Box has produced over one hundred new 10-minute plays in this innovative, exciting series. Staged all over the bar in Bowery Poetry Club and intermixed with cabaret by Jeffrey Marsh, show times are Fridays, November 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30, from 7PM-9Pm at Bowery Poetry Club.