Love Never Dies: 12 Days of Christmas

The Love Never Dies cast and crew would like to wish you a Merry Christmas…

Featuring: Ramin Karimloo, Sierra Boggess, Summer Strallen, Joseph Millson, Liz Robertson, Adam Pearce, Niamh Perry, Jami Reid-Quarell, our fantastic Ensemble, the wonderful crew – and starring our Company Manager Nick as the man with the Five Gold Rings…

Kristin Chenoweth sings “Christmas Island”

Kristin Chenoweth takes you to a special island in her music video of “Christmas Island,” a cover she recorded for her 2008 album “A Lovely Way to Spend Christmas.”

Darren Criss (“Glee”) sings “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”

From the ASCAP: Darren Criss spent a few of his Glee free moments visiting the ASCAP Los Angeles offices, spreading a little Christmas cheer. We knew from his roles on the stage and on TV that Darren was an incredible singer, but we found out during his rendition of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” (written by Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin) that he’s also a beautiful piano player.

A FOX Christmas card filled with Glee

20th Century Fox chairmen Dana Walden and Gary Newman wanted a creative and funny Christmas video card this year, so they enlisted the creators of “Glee.” Click here to view their e-card, which features Jane Lynch and Matthew Morrison. (Please note that there are several expletives that are bleeped out.)

Broadway Cares Holiday Message 2010

A special message from Broadway stars was filmed backstage during the annual Gypsy of the Year competition. Go backstage with Sean Hayes, Kristin Chenoweth, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Molly Shannon, Carol Channing and more Broadway stars as they support Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS this holiday season. Help Broadway Cares fund more than 400 AIDS and family service organizations across the country and seven vital programs of The Actors Fund. What we do together makes a difference.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) is the nation’s leading industry-based, not-for-profit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organization.

Glee

Lynch, who portrays the slightly-psychotic cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester on “Glee,” confirmed that actress Gwyneth Paltrow and CBS News anchor Katie Couric will both make appearances, with Paltrow returning as substitute teacher Holly Holiday. Both celebrities had previously been mentioned, but no date for Paltrow’s appearance had yet been confirmed.

Lynch also said the Glee’s New Directions will be performing Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”

It’s got so much firepower. There is so much going on in the show that is crazy and funny and wild. I have a hissy fit the likes of which no one has seen before, where I try to destroy the locker room and principal’s office. I try to shoot one of my cheerleaders from a cannon.

Glee

Matthew Morrison, star of the hit FOX show, “Glee,” has been all over the news lately, promoting his new solo album and various other accolades. Check out the coverage in the post!

Can’t wait for his new album? Check out these cast recordings and DVDs he’s appeared in — other than “Glee.” And stay tuned for more information about the release of his solo album!

The Light in the Piazza (2005 Original Broadway Cast)

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific (The New Broadway Cast)

Once Upon a Mattress (2005 Television Movie)

Hairspray (Original 2002 Broadway Cast Recording)

One Day More (From the Album This Ordinary Thursday: The Songs of Georgia Stitt)

Music & Lyrics (Movie, 2007)

Matthew Morrison Making of the Album Teaser

Matthew Morrison talks with “Extra”

After being nominated for a second Golden Globe for the hit musical series “Glee,” he celebrated his nomination with an interview with “Extra.” He also discusses his upcoming world tour to promote his solo album and his plans for the holidays.

Matthew Morrison in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno 2010.12.10

He also stopped by “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” on Dec. 10 to discuss performing at the Kennedy Center Honors for Broadway composer-lyricist Jerry Herman, as well as talk about his upcoming solo album, and to pay tribute to the late actress Jill Clayburgh, whom he starred with in A Naked Girl on the Appian Way.

Matthew Morrison Sings “On the Street Where You Live” at Kennedy Center

Morrison gave a special, impromptu upbeat performance of Lerner and Loewe’s My Fair Lady classic “On the Street Where You Live” at the post-show dinner at the Kennedy Center Honors on Dec. 5.

Kyle Freesen asks: What ideas are bouncing around for the next show?

“Oh, my, there’s a lot on my plate at the moment. Daisy Prince and I are writing a new show together, which we hope to premiere in the spring of 2012. Marsha Norman and I are hard at work on a musical version of The Bridges of Madison County, and we’ll probably do a private reading of the first act early next year. Alfred Uhry and I are adapting a French musical for Kathleen Marshall to direct. I’ve been hired once again to write the score for the 2011 State Farm National Convention. A screenplay of 13 is currently being shopped to movie studios, and a movie of The Last Five Years is in pre-production. I’m trying to finish a new solo album for release this summer. And a German theater producer has asked me to write some songs for a musical version of a very famous fantasy novel. Not to mention Honeymoon In Vegas, which is on a path to Broadway in 2012, and a possible Broadway production of The Last Five Years which I will be directing! (Oh, I’ve also got a tour of Australia in February and March, The Trumpet of the Swan at the Kennedy Center in March, and concerts all over the world booked for the next year. Oh my God.)”

Paul Libin, chairman of The Broadway League and executive vice president of Jujamcyn Theaters, said in a recent statement: “The weather outside is frightful, but the Broadway shows inside are delightful!” He went on to say:

As of now, the Great White Way is open for business and all Broadway shows will perform today as previously scheduled. Whether you live in New York or are a visitor stranded in our city, it’s a wonderful time to see a show! Tickets to hit shows will be available due to cancellations from the cold winter storm.

Please check individual show information for holiday schedules and curtain times. For information about refunds or exchanges, theatregoers should contact their point of purchase.

Tonight is a great night to sit in a warm Broadway theatre and see one of Broadway’s great shows!

If you purchased tickets from Telecharge but are unable to attend due to the weather, you may exchange them. Here is more info from their website:

If you were unable to attend one of the Broadway shows listed below, you will be permitted to exchange your tickets which were purchased through Telecharge.com.

The following shows are permitting exchanges:
American Idiot
Billy Elliot, the Musical
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
Chicago
Driving Miss Daisy
Elf
Fela! The Musical
Jersey Boys
La Bete
La Cage aux Folles
A Little Night Music
Lombardi
Mamma Mia!
Memphis: A New Musical
The Merchant of Venice
Next to Normal
The Phantom of the Opera
Promises, Promises
Time Stands Still
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

To exchange your tickets all you have to do is:

1. Purchase new tickets to the same event
2. If your original tickets were mailed to you, return the original Sunday – Monday daytime or evening or tickets to Telecharge.com Customer Service, PO Box 998 Times Square Station, New York NY 10108-0998. Please include a note with the order number, date and time, and event of your new order.
3. If your original tickets were emailed to you or are being held at the box office, e-mail us at tickets@telecharge.com. Please include the order number, date and time and event of your new and original order.

Read & share theatre reviews, visit our blog (entries below), and become part of the theatre community!

After searching for reviews on a particular musical to help make a decision whether or not it was appropriate for my entire family, I could not find a site where people could give their reviews, thoughts, and even star ratings of theatrical productions.

As a professional writer with a passion for musical theatre, I decided to create such a site. Previously, I blogged at All About Musicals, and have moved all my blog entries over here.

(Here’s a complete list of this year’s nominees!)

The show heard round the world?

The 2010 Tony Awards will be viewed across four continents and in more than 45 countries around the world. How’s that for international acclaim? Yay for musical theatre!

Tony is growing up!

According to the NY Times:

For the first time in 43 years, Tony is growing up. The Tony Award statuette — a medallion mounted on a black pedestal with a curved armature — has gotten taller and heavier in advance of Sunday night’s ceremony at Radio City Music Hall. It now stands five inches tall, up from three and a quarter inches, and weighs 3 1/2 pounds, a two-pound gain. Howard Sherman, the executive director of the American Theater Wing, which administers the Tonys in partnership with the Broadway League, said the previous one felt light in the hand, and the change was meant to make it “feel more substantial.” “We know the physical scale of the Oscars, Emmys and Grammys,” he said. “While we’re not attempting to keep up with the Joneses, we felt this is a significant award, and it could feel and look a bit more significant.” When the first Tonys were given in 1947, winners received scrolls and a money clip, for the men, or a compact, for the women. In 1949, the award was turned into a medallion inside a presentation case. In 1967, the year the awards were first televised, the medallion was mounted onto a base.

Special performances

• Sean Hayes (star of television’s “Will & Grace”), nominated for his performance in Promises, Promises, will host the 64th Annual Antoinette Perry “Tony” Awards.

• The much-talked about opening medley will feature a pop-flavor, and includes 2010 Tony nominee Sherie Rene Scott performing a portion of “Up the Ladder” from her show, Everyday Rapture; the cast of Million Dollar Quartet performing “Blue Suede Shoes”; and many more surprises.

• Catherine Zeta-Jones will sing Sondheim’s “Send in the Clowns,” from the Tony-nominated revival of A Little Night Music. Zeta-Jones is nominated for a Tony Award for her performance as Desiree in the aforementioned musical.

• “Glee” stars Matthew Morrison and Lea Michele will also perform, though it’s not yet clear if they will perform together or separately.

• The entire cast of Million Dollar Quartet will perform a medley of “Down by the Riverside,” “Party,” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.” Nominated for Best Musical, this show tells the story of an impromptu jam session in 1956 that featured Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins. The entire cast consists of Eddie Clendening, Lance Guest, Tony-nominee Levi Kreis, Rob Lyons, Hunter Foster, and Elizabeth Stanley.

• The cast of Memphis will be led by Tony nominees Montego Glover and Chad Kimball in a medley of “Radio” and “Steal Your Rock ‘n’ Roll.” This critically-acclaimed musical tells the story of a white radio DJ who falls in love with a black singer in the 1950s in the midst of racial tension.

• The American punk rock trio Green Day will be making a special appearance and performance, in light of their rock-opera-turned-musical American Idiot, also nominated for 3 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

• The cast of the rock-opera American Idiot, the Tony-nominated musical inspired by the 2004 Green Day punk album of the same name, will be singing the title song.

• The cast of Promises, Promises (starring Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes) will perform.

• The cast of Come Fly Away, the Twyla Tharp show set to Frank Sinatra classics, will also perform.

• Christiane Noll, of the revival of Ragtime, will perform a portion of the ballad “Back to Before.” She is also nominated for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical.

• The cast of La Cage aux Folles, which features 2010 Tony nominees Kelsey Grammer and Douglas Hodge, will perform “The Best of Times.”

• The entire cast of Fela! will offer a montage of songs and scenes written especially for the Tony telecast. Fela! is an autobiographical show that tells the story of late Nigerian musician and political figure Fela Anikulapo Kuti,

Presenters for the 64th Annual Tony Awards

In alphabetical order:

• Paula Abdul
• Antonio Banderas
• Justin Bartha
• Patrick Breen
• Laura Benanti
• Cate Blanchett
• Laura Bell Bundy
• Michael Cerveris
• Kristin Chenoweth
• Barbara Cook
• Viola Davis
• Michael Douglas
• Kelsey Grammer
• Rosemary Harris
• Patrick Heusinger
• Katie Holmes
• Brian d’Arcy James
• Scarlett Johansson
• Angela Lansbury
• Anthony LaPaglia
• Laura Linney
• Lucy Liu
• Jane Maxwell
• Idina Menzel
• Lea Michele
• Helen Mirren
• Alfred Molina
• Matthew Morrison
• Chris Noth
• Bernadette Peters
• David Hyde Pierce
• Daniel Radcliffe
• Eddie Redmayne
• Mark Sanchez
• Liev Schreiber
• Tony Shaloub
• Will & Jada Pinkett Smith
• Stanley Tucci
• Denzel Washington
• Racquel Welch

If you’re in NYC, check out the Times Square simulcast

You know that big screen at Times Square? Well, the Tony Awards are taking it over! The entire ceremony is scheduled to be broadcast on the Clear Channel Spectacolor HD screen in Times Square at Broadway and 47th Street, beginning at 6 PM, until 11 PM.  Constantine Maroulis (Tony-nominated for Rock of Ages) will host. Get there early, because you’ll want to grab a seat — and a limited 1,000 seats will be available for the 5-hour event. The event will also feature New York 1′s pre-show, complete with red carpet coverage. From 7-8 PM, viewers will enjoy the first 15 Tony Award categories (known as the Creative Arts Tony Awards), which are not usually shown live and are available on the Tony Awards website. Of course, all of this will culminate in the national broadcast of the 64th Annual Tony Awards, which begins at 8 PM. Special guests will appear throughout the evening, including Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child and Chicago on Broadway.

For those who cannot make it out to Times Square, CBS will offer sneak-peeks at the festivities throughout the evening.

Still can’t get enough? Visit TonyAwards.com for more information!

The 64th Annual Tony Awards will air Sunday, June 13, at 8 Eastern/7 Central, on CBS. Actor Sean Hayes will host. For more information, visit TonyAwards.com.

Stay tuned here for some trivia about awards night!

Nominations for the 2010 American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards

Presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing

Best Musical

American Idiot
Producers: Tom Hulce & Ira Pittelman, Ruth and Steven Hendel, Vivek J. Tiwary and Gary Kaplan, Aged in Wood and Burnt Umber, Scott Delman, Latitude Link, HOP Theatricals and Jeffrey Finn, Larry Welk, Bensinger Filerman and Moellenberg Taylor, Allan S. Gordon/Elan V. McAllister, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Awaken Entertainment, John Pinckard and John Domo

Fela!
Producers: Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter and Will & Jada Pinkett Smith, Ruth & Stephen Hendel, Roy Gabay, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Edward Tyler Nahem, Slava Smolokowski, Chip Meyrelles/Ken Greiner, Douglas G. Smith, Steve Semlitz/Cathy Glaser, Daryl Roth/True Love Productions, Susan Dietz/Mort Swinsky, Knitting Factory Entertainment

Memphis
Producers: Junkyard Dog Productions, Barbara and Buddy Freitag, Marleen and Kenny Alhadeff, Latitude Link, Jim and Susan Blair, Demos Bizar Entertainment, Land Line Productions, Apples and Oranges Productions, Dave Copley, Dancap Productions, Inc., Alex and Katya Lukianov, Tony Ponturo, 2 Guys Productions, Richard Winkler, Lauren Doll, Eric and Marsi Gardiner, Linda and Bill Potter, Broadway Across America, Jocko Productions, Patty Baker, Dan Frishwasser, Bob Bartner/Scott and Kaylin Union, Loraine Boyle/Chase Mishkin, Remmel T. Dickinson/Memphis Orpheum Group, ShadowCatcher Entertainment/Vijay and Sita Vashee

Million Dollar Quartet
Producers: Relevant Theatricals, John Cossette Productions, American Pop Anthology, Broadway Across America, James L. Nederlander

Best Play

In the Next Room or the vibrator play
Author: Sarah Ruhl
Producers: Lincoln Center Theater, André Bishop, Bernard Gersten

Next Fall
Author: Geoffrey Nauffts
Producers: Elton John and David Furnish, Barbara Manocherian, Richard Willis, Tom Smedes, Carole L. Haber/Chase Mishkin, Ostar, Anthony Barrile, Michael Palitz, Bob Boyett, James Spry/Catherine Schreiber, Probo Productions, Roy Furman, Naked Angels

Red
Author: John Logan
Producers: Arielle Tepper Madover, Stephanie P. McClelland, Matthew Byam Shaw, Neal Street, Fox Theatricals, Ruth Hendel/Barbara Whitman, Philip Hagemann/Murray Rosenthal, The Donmar Warehouse

Time Stands Still
Author: Donald Margulies
Producers: Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow, Barry Grove, Nelle Nugent/Wendy Federman

Best Book of a Musical

Everyday Rapture
Dick Scanlan and Sherie Rene Scott

Fela!
Jim Lewis & Bill T. Jones

Memphis
Joe DiPietro

Million Dollar Quartet
Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

The Addams Family
Music & Lyrics: Andrew Lippa

Enron
Music: Adam Cork
Lyrics: Lucy Prebble

Fences
Music: Branford Marsalis

Memphis
Music: David Bryan
Lyrics: Joe DiPietro, David Bryan

Best Revival of a Play

Fences
Producers: Carole Shorenstein Hays and Scott Rudin

Lend Me a Tenor
Producers: The Araca Group, Stuart Thompson, Carl Moellenberg, Rodney Rigby, Olympus Theatricals, Broadway Across America, The Shubert Organization, Wendy Federman/Jamie deRoy/Richard Winkler, Lisa Cartwright, Spring Sirkin, Scott and Brian Zeilinger

The Royal Family
Producers: Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow, Barry Grove

A View from the Bridge
Producers: Stuart Thompson, The Araca Group, Jeffrey Finn, Broadway Across America, Olympus Theatricals, Marisa Sechrest, The Weinstein Company, Jon B. Platt, Sonia Friedman Productions/Robert G. Bartner, Mort Swinsky/Joseph Deitch, Adam Zotovich/Ruth Hendel/Orin Wolf, Shelter Island Enterprises, The Shubert Organization

Best Revival of a Musical

Finian’s Rainbow
Producers: David Richenthal, Jack Viertel, Alan D. Marks, Michael Speyer, Bernard Abrams, David M. Milch, Stephen Moore, Debbie Bisno/Myla Lerner, Jujamcyn Theaters, Melly Garcia, Jamie deRoy, Jon Bierman, Richard Driehaus, Kevin Spirtas, Jay Binder, StageVentures 2009 Limited Partnership

La Cage aux Folles
Producers: Sonia Friedman Productions, David Babani, Barry and Fran Weissler and Edwin W. Schloss, Bob Bartner/Norman Tulchin, Broadway Across America, Matthew Mitchell, Raise The Roof 4 Richard Winkler/Bensinger Taylor/Laudenslager Bergrère, Arelene Scanlan/John O’Boyle, Independent Presenters Network, Olympus Theatricals, Allen Spivak, Jerry Frankel/Bat-Barry Productions, Nederlander Presentations, Inc/Harvey Weinstein, Menier Chocolate Factory

A Little Night Music
Producers: Tom Viertel, Steven Baruch, Marc Routh, Richard Frankel, The Menier Chocolate Factory, Roger Berlind, David Babani, Sonia Friedman Productions, Andrew Fell, Daryl Roth/Jane Bergere, Harvey Weinstein/Raise the Roof 3, Beverly Bartner/Dancap Productions, Inc., Nica Burns/Max Weitzenhoffer, Eric Falkenstein/Anna Czekaj, Jerry Frankel/Ronald Frankel, James D. Stern/Douglas L. Meyer

Ragtime
Producers: Kevin McCollum, Roy Furman, Scott Delman, Roger Berlind, Max Cooper, Tom Kirdahy/Devlin Elliott, Jeffrey A. Sine, Stephanie P. McClelland, Roy Miller, Lams Productions, Jana Robbins, Sharon Karmazin, Eric Falkenstein/Morris Berchard, RialtoGals Productions, Independent Presenters Network, Held-Haffner Productions, HRH Foundation, Emanuel Azenberg, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Michael Kaiser, Max Woodward

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play

Jude Law, Hamlet
Alfred Molina, Red
Liev Schreiber, A View from the Bridge
Christopher Walken, A Behanding in Spokane
Denzel Washington, Fences

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play

Viola Davis, Fences
Valerie Harper, Looped
Linda Lavin, Collected Stories
Laura Linney, Time Stands Still
Jan Maxwell, The Royal Family

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical

Kelsey Grammer, La Cage aux Folles
Sean Hayes, Promises, Promises
Douglas Hodge, La Cage aux Folles
Chad Kimball, Memphis
Sahr Ngaujah, Fela!

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical

Kate Baldwin, Finian’s Rainbow
Montego Glover, Memphis
Christiane Noll, Ragtime
Sherie Rene Scott, Everyday Rapture
Catherine Zeta-Jones, A Little Night Music

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play

David Alan Grier, Race
Stephen McKinley Henderson, Fences
Jon Michael Hill, Superior Donuts
Stephen Kunken, Enron
Eddie Redmayne, Red

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play

Maria Dizzia, In the Next Room or the vibrator play
Rosemary Harris, The Royal Family
Jessica Hecht, A View from the Bridge
Scarlett Johansson, A View from the Bridge
Jan Maxwell, Lend Me a Tenor

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical

Kevin Chamberlin, The Addams Family
Robin De Jesús, La Cage aux Folles
Christopher Fitzgerald, Finian’s Rainbow
Levi Kreis, Million Dollar Quartet
Bobby Steggert, Ragtime

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical

Barbara Cook, Sondheim on Sondheim
Katie Finneran, Promises, Promises
Angela Lansbury, A Little Night Music
Karine Plantadit, Come Fly Away
Lillias White, Fela!

Best Scenic Design of a Play

John Lee Beatty, The Royal Family
Alexander Dodge, Present Laughter
Santo Loquasto, Fences
Christopher Oram, Red

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Marina Draghici, Fela!
Christine Jones, American Idiot
Derek McLane, Ragtime
Tim Shortall, La Cage aux Folles

Best Costume Design of a Play

Martin Pakledinaz, Lend Me a Tenor
Constanza Romero, Fences
David Zinn, In the Next Room or the vibrator play
Catherine Zuber, The Royal Family

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Marina Draghici, Fela!
Paul Tazewell, Memphis
Matthew Wright, La Cage aux Folles

Best Lighting Design of a Play

Neil Austin, Hamlet
Neil Austin, Red
Mark Henderson, Enron
Brian MacDevitt, Fences

Kevin Adams, American Idiot
Donald Holder, Ragtime
Nick Richings, La Cage aux Folles
Robert Wierzel, Fela!

Best Sound Design of a Play

Acme Sound Partners, Fences
Adam Cork, Enron
Adam Cork, Red
Scott Lehrer, A View from the Bridge

Best Sound Design of a Musical

Jonathan Deans, La Cage aux Folles
Robert Kaplowitz, Fela!
Dan Moses Schreier and Gareth Owen, A Little Night Music
Dan Moses Schreier, Sondheim on Sondheim

Best Direction of a Play

Michael Grandage, Red
Sheryl Kaller, Next Fall
Kenny Leon, Fences
Gregory Mosher, A View from the Bridge

Best Direction of a Musical

Christopher Ashley, Memphis
Marcia Milgrom Dodge, Ragtime
Terry Johnson, La Cage aux Folles
Bill T. Jones, Fela!

Best Choreography

Rob Ashford, Promises, Promises
Bill T. Jones, Fela!
Lynne Page, La Cage aux Folles
Twyla Tharp, Come Fly Away

Best Orchestrations

Jason Carr, La Cage aux Folles
Aaron Johnson, Fela!
Jonathan Tunick, Promises, Promises
Daryl Waters & David Bryan, Memphis

*     *     *

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Alan Ayckbourn
Marian Seldes

Regional Theatre Tony Award
The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, Waterford, Connecticut

Isabelle Stevenson Award
David Hyde Pierce

Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre
Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York
B.H. Barry
Midtown North & Midtown South New York City Police Precincts
Tom Viola

Tony Nominations by Production

Fela! – 11

La Cage aux Folles – 11

Fences – 10

Memphis – 8

Red – 7

Ragtime – 6

A View from the Bridge – 6

The Royal Family – 5

Enron – 4

A Little Night Music – 4

Promises, Promises – 4

American Idiot – 3

Finian’s Rainbow – 3

In the Next Room or the vibrator play – 3

Lend Me a Tenor – 3

Million Dollar Quartet – 3

The Addams Family – 2

Come Fly Away – 2

Everyday Rapture – 2

Hamlet – 2

Next Fall – 2

Sondheim on Sondheim – 2

Time Stands Still – 2

A Behanding in Spokane – 1

Collected Stories – 1

Looped – 1

Present Laughter – 1

Race – 1

Superior Donuts – 1
www.TonyAwards.com

While Walter deals with some upsetting news, he tells Olivia’s niece, Ella, a fairy tale that includes musical performances by Olivia and Agent Broyles.

Word has it that Special Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) will croon a Stevie Wonder song, and Junior Agent Astrid Farnsworth (Jasika Nicole) will belt a number from A Chorus Line.

This special musical episode is part of Fox’s sweeps week called “Fox Rocks,” with various popular shows featuring some sort of musical element. (Likewise, tonight’s episode of “Bones” involves a rock ‘n’ roll fantasy camp, though the episode is not musical.)

“Fringe” is not the first television series to delve into musical territory:

Perhaps the most famous musical episode was Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s superb “Once More, With Feeling.” (Season 6, episode 7) [Purchase the CD and the complete season 6.]

“Scrubs” had an episode called “My Musical,” (episode 6 of Season 6), which featured a patient hallucinating that everyone in the hospital was singing. [Purchase the music here, and the season here.]

“How I Met Your Mother” celebrated its 100th episode on January 11, 2010, with a number devoted to Barney’s (Neil Patrick Harris) love of suits. [Watch the video of "Suits, the Musical."]

An episode of “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” featured Neil Patrick Harris singing, as well. [Purchase the episode.]

And who could forget “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog,” though it was an Internet mini-series. Still VERY worth checking out, though, with the talents of Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, and Felicia Day. [Purchase the DVD.]

FRINGE returns for a second thrilling season that will continue to explore the unexplained phenomena and terrifying occurrences linked throughout the world – known simply as “The Pattern” – in pursuit of a larger, more shocking truth.

Set in Boston, the FBI’s Fringe Division formed when Special Agent OLIVIA DUNHAM (Anna Torv) enlisted the help of institutionalized “fringe” scientist WALTER BISHOP (John Noble) and his son, PETER (Joshua Jackson), to save her partner and lover from a mind-bending death. Through unconventional and unorthodox methods, the FRINGE team imagines and tests the impossibilities while investigating unbelievable events, macabre crimes, and mystifying cases involving pyrokinesis, neuroscience, cryonics, genetic engineering, astral projection, and other fantastical theories. When the unimaginable happens, it’s their job to stop it.

Agent PHILLIP BROYLES (Lance Reddick) guides the group, while by-the-book Agent CHARLIE FRANCIS (Kirk Acevedo) and Junior Agent ASTRID FARNSWORTH (Jasika Nicole) provide support and depth to the team. Underscoring the unfolding mysteries, enigmatic Massive Dynamic executive NINA SHARP (Blair Brown) asserts that the advancement of technology is changing the world of science, and conversely, the science of the world.

We’re in for an extra special treat, as Tony Award winner Idina Menzel (Wicked) and Tony nominee Jonathan Groff (Spring Awakening) are making guest appearances. Menzel plays the role of Shelby, coach of the rival glee club, Vocal Adrenaline, while Groff plays the lead member of Vocal Adrenaline. Interestingly, Groff, who played opposite Lea Michele in Spring Awakening, also portrays a potential romantic interest for Rachel (Lea Michele).

As if that wasn’t enough, we’ll also be treated to the world premiere of Sue Sylvester’s remake of Madonna’s “Vogue” video (a teaser, no doubt, for “Glee’s” April 20 all-Madonna episode). Sue’s version is being described as “an homage to Madonna with a brilliant shot-by-shot recreation of the groundbreaking music video,” and will feature Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch), Kurt (Chris Colfer), and Mercedes (Amber Riley). (After seeing Chris Colfer’s moves to “Single Ladies,” I’m really looking forward to seeing this!)

In the ‘Hell-o’ episode, “Glee” picks up as New Directions is fresh off their monumental win at Sectionals and feeling on top of the world. With an extra spring in their step, they get to work on new numbers for Regionals – including a memorable rendition of The Beatles’ “Hello, Goodbye.” But when Rachel and Finn’s budding romance hits a bump in the road after she becomes involved with a competitor, Jesse St. James (Groff), it threatens to derail the entire club. Mr. Scheuster pays a visit to Shelby Corcoran (Menzel), coach of Vocal Adrenaline, to confirm Jesse’s motives. Meanwhile, Will is newly single, but is he ready to take his relationship with Emma to the next level? And to top it all off, Sue Sylvester returns from her condo in Boca with a renewed focus on destroying Will and disbanding the glee club.

Fans will also be excited about other upcoming highlights of the next nine episodes of the first season, which include an all-Madonna episode (April 20, featuring songs including “Express Yourself,” “Like a Prayer,” “Vogue,” and more), a Lady Gaga-centric episode, and guest stars including Neil Patrick Harris, Olivia Newton-John, and Kristin Chenoweth, who will likely reprise her previous role as a former classmate of Mr. Shuester.

The cast of “Glee” includes Tony nominee Matthew Morrison (South Pacific, Light in the Piazza, Hairspray), Lea Michele (Spring Awakening), Jenna Ushkowitz (Spring Awakening), Dianna Agron, Chris Colfer, Kevin McHale, Cory Monteith, Amber Riley, Mark Salling, Jane Lynch, Jayma Mays, and Jessalyn Gilsig.

Can’t get enough Glee? Check out Glee: The Music Vol. 2 on Amazon, iTunes, Amazon mp3 and
Glee: The Music Vol. 1 on Amazon, iTunes, Amazon mp3. And don’t forget Glee: Vol. 1: Road to Sectionals, featuring the first 13 episodes of season one!

Also, be sure to check out the cast of “Glee” appearance on Oprah, and Matthew Morrison’s appearance on Ellen.

Check out the videos below: