Michael Lawrence Quintos News

An accomplished, world renowned jazz vocalist with a clear affinity for musical theater, Jane Monheit is set to appear in Costa Mesa on October 5 for a one-night-only concert alongside fellow jazz star John Pizzarelli as part of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts' 2012-2013 Cabaret series. Recently, the two-time Grammy nominated songstress chatted with BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos about her upcoming OC return engagement and why she's so in love with showtunes.

On August 20, 2012, Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa held a special preview event to highlight its upcoming Broadway Series for the 2012 - 2013 Season. Presented at the Segerstrom Concert Hall, the showcase included live presentations from the national touring companies of MEMPHIS, WICKED and the much-anticipated Brit import WAR HORSE, interspersed with videos from each of the shows coming to Orange County starting in the Fall.

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Now back in Los Angeles where it all began, the five-time Tony Award nominated 80's musical ROCK OF AGES is once again rockin' the stage of the Pantages Theatre for a strictly limited one-week engagement through March 25. Right before the show's L.A. return, BroadwayWorld subjected ROCK OF AGES' lead rocker Scott to a few silly, rapid-fire questions.

Now back in Los Angeles where it all began, the five-time Tony Award nominated 80's musical ROCK OF AGES is once again rockin' the stage of the Pantages Theatre for a strictly limited one-week engagement through March 25. Right before the show's L.A. return, BroadwayWorld subjected ROCK OF AGES' leading lady Shannon Mullen to a series of silly, rapid-fire questions.

Singer/actress Lindsay Heather Pearce--who as a finalist on THE GLEE PROJECT won a two-episode arc as the bubbly 'Harmony' on GLEE this season--can currently be seen filling the shoes of a different kind of teen: an angst-y, late-19th Century teenager in the L.A. intimate theater premiere of the Tony Award-winning musical SPRING AWAKENING, now playing at the Theatre of Arts Egyptian Arena Stage in Hollywood through April 22. This new production of the rock musical finds Pearce playing Wendla, the very role originated by GLEE's own breakout star Lea Michele. So what's her next challenge? Taking on BWW's 'Silly Query' of course!

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A seven-years-and-counting fixture at New York's famed Café Carlyle (a spot he inherited from one of his mentors, the late Bobby Short), Steve Tyrell--a long-time behind-the-scenes music veteran-turned chart-topping jazz superstar--has returned to Orange County, California for a series of highly-entertaining shows at the Samueli Theatre as part of Segerstrom Center for the Arts' wonderful Cabaret Series through Sunday, January 8. Backed by a truly kick-ass jazz ensemble led by his music director Quinn Johnson behind the piano, Tyrell's rousing show truly set out to showcase a feel-good time, injecting lots of life to some very familiar tunes from the Great American Songbook.

Broadway is certainly full of them: those amazing performers dubbed as 'triple threats'--those singer/dancer/actor-types that are just brimming with an abundance of extraordinary talent. David Elder rightly belongs in this revered group, and has proven the label quite a lot over the years, working steadily on the stage with an envious consistency. For the holiday season, he's bringing his knack for entertaining audiences as one of the leads in the touring stage version of Irving Berlin's WHITE CHRISTMAS, playing at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa through January 1, 2012. Before arriving in Orange County where he'll spend the remainder of the holidays, Elder chatted with BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos about his early interests, his fulfilling career in musical theater, and his tap-happy foray into Danny Kaye's shoes.

Now starring as the title role in the NETworks produced 2nd National Tour of SHREK THE MUSICAL, recent University of the Arts grad Lukas Poost recently chatted with BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos to talk about his past influences and his greeny-fied alter ego in the relaunched tour (which continues its two-week engagement at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts through October 16).

Ali Ewoldt, the standout star of the on-going national tour of the latest Broadway revival of WEST SIDE STORY, wanted to really follow her dreams. Though always drawn to musical theater all her life, she decided to graduate from Yale with a degree in Psychology, thinking it was a 'safer' bet than to pursue a life in the theater. But her dreams proved to powerful to ignore, prompting her to take on musicals full-tilt, culminating in her Broadway debut as Cosette in LES MISERABLES. Now she's wowing audiences across America with her take on Maria, in the smash hit revival of WEST SIDE STORY, now playing at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Orange County, CA through September 18. Before landing in Costa Mesa with the tour, Ewoldt chatted with BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos to talk about her early theater experiences and working with the late Arthur Laurents.

n August 26 and 27, Nikki Blonsky--the Golden Globe-nominated star of the 2007 hit movie musical HAIRSPRAY--will join Tony nominee Lainie Kazan in the Atlantic City premiere of the hit off-Broadway smash MY BIG GAY ITALIAN WEDDING at the Hilton Hotel Casino Resort. Before the show premieres, NNikki once again sat down for an exclusive chat with BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos about her latest project and why she's having 'one heckuva gay summer.'

Triple-threat Nicolas Dromard seems to be on a roll. Already a burgeoning performer since his days as a toddler in his native Ontario, Canada, the charming actor-singer-dancer is currently wowing audiences across the country playing Bert in the National Tour of MARY POPPINS. The stage version of the beloved Disney film is now in the middle of its four-week extended engagement in Orange County, California at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa through August 7. Before arriving in the O.C., Dromard--while literally driving down the coast of California on the 4th of July--chatted for a bit with BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos about his early theater history, his influences, and how he morphed quickly from Chimney Sweep to WICKED's Winkie Prince then back again.

Singer/actress Nikki Blonsky truly embodies that notion of overnight success. Plucked from obscurity at age 17, then-newcomer Blonsky beat out hundreds of young girls from a nationwide open casting call to land the coveted lead role in the big-screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical HAIRSPRAY. On July 15-16, she will be slipping back into familiar territory as she joins MEN ALIVE: The Orange County Gay Men's Chorus for their 10th Anniversary Concert 'GREASY HAIRSPRAY' at the Irvine Barclay Theatre.

You wouldn't know it from his youthful looks, but actor Ethan Le Phong has been a longtime global chameleon for quite some time. His past roles have taken him from Germany to New York, from London to Los Angeles. And for almost a year now, he has been spicing things up as Pepper in the 2nd National Tour of the global hit musical MAMMA MIA. Before the show makes its anticipated return to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Orange County for a week-long engagement from June 21 - 26, the actor paused for a brief chat with BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos to talk about his role in the hit ABBA-rific musical, his influences as a kid, and his wish to see more Asian-Americans on the Broadway stage.

Back in Season 3 of the Fox talent search juggernaut American Idol, then 16-year-old Diana DeGarmo narrowly missed the coveted title, walking away as the first runner up. Fast forward to 2011 and the now 23-year-old is currently starring as the iconic Doralee Rhodes in the national touring company of 9 TO 5: THE MUSICAL, the Dolly Parton-scored Broadway musical adaptation of the cult 1980 film. The show performs a single-week run at the Segerstrom Center of the Arts in Costa Mesa from May 10 through May 15. DeGarmo recently chatted with BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos to talk about Idol, early shows, and her Dolly-fied role.

Each night, actor Patrick Lewallen gets to live out his rock star fantasy. Currently traveling the country as the scene-stealing narrator Lonny in the First National Tour of ROCK OF AGES, this Kansas City native is busy putting audiences into a head-banging frenzy, as they sing along to a bevy of guilty pleasure tunes from the biggest hair bands of the 80's. His hilarious antics in this Broadway musical--a show now being prepped for its much talked about big-screen adaptation--will soon take center stage at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa for a week's worth of shows on March 1-6. The self-admitted Pepsi addict chatted briefly with BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos about life on the road and his role as a crowd favorite.

Josh Lamon is truly living his dream. A self-admitted theater geek, Josh has spent the past few years making a name for himself on the boards, most recently in the Broadway cast of HAIR: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical. Originally from San Diego, Josh can currently be seen as crowd favorite Margaret Mead in the First National Tour of the 2009 Tony Award winner for Best Revival of a Musical, which continues performances at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts through February 6. Josh recently chatted with BroadwayWorld's Michael Lawrence Quintos about life on tour and offers some inside dish on his HAIR-raising co-stars.