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Updated, 5:12 Pm: Christopher Ashley, who won a Tony Award for directing the Broadway musical Come From Away, has just agreed to direct the feature film adaptation for the Mark Gordon Co., which is financing. Previously, August 15: Nominated for seven Tonys and winning for Best Direction, the Broadway musical Come From Away is being made into a movie, courtesy of the Mark Gordon Co. Two-time Tony nominees and Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk award winners Irene Sankoff…...

Come From Away has been 2017's little musical that could. Soon after opening at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, the show earned seven Tony nominations picking up one for director Christopher Ashley, coming as quite a shock to the creative team that has been nurturing the project since the beginning.

Come From Away has been 2017's little musical that could. Soon after opening at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, the show earned seven Tony nominations picking up one for director Christopher Ashley, coming as quite a shock to the creative team that has been nurturing the project since the beginning.

Come From Away has been 2017's little musical that could. Soon after opening at theGerald Schoenfeld Theatre, the show earned seven Tony nominations picking up one for director Christopher Ashley, coming as quite a shock to the creative team that has been nurturing the project since the beginning. 'We expected Canadian high schools to do it... and now we're on Broadway,' explained creator David Hein.

BroadwayWorld exclusively spoke to Tony Award Winning Director Christopher Ashley Come From Away about his new Broadway-bound musical, Escape To Margaritaville. Check out the video below...

Who knew Kevin Spacey would do so much singing? Kevin Spacey Kicks Off (With the Rockettes) Who knew Frank Underwood could sing? The host croons his way through homages to some of the season’s biggest hits, from “Evan Hansen” to “Sunset Boulevard.” “Come From Away” The Canada-set 9/11 musical earned a Tony for director Christopher Ashley — and impressed with its opening number, “Welcome to the Rock.” “Miss Saigon” Eva Noblezada was a teenager when she was cast to lead the revival of Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil’s 1989 re-telling of “Madame Butterfly.” And she wows in this medley. “Falsettos” Christian Borle,...

While Hamilton dominated Broadway theater in 2016, this year's Tony nominations are more evenly distributed.

The 71st annual Tony Awards nominations were unveiled on Tuesday morning live from the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. Announced by Jane Krakowski and Hamilton alum Christopher Jackson, the honorees were led by Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 with 12 nominations, including Best Musical and Best Leading Actor for Josh Groban's role in the War and Peace-inspired story.

Related: Kristen Bell Shares Dax Shepard's Hilarious Review of 'Hamilton' After Seeing the Musical for the First Time

Dear Evan Hansen landed nine nominations, two of which were for Best Musical and Best Leading Actor (Ben Platt of Pitch Perfect). The stage adaptation of Groundhog Day and the 9/11 musical, Come From Away, rounded out the Best Musical noms.

Bette Midler also scored a Best Leading Actress nomination for her performance in Hello, Dolly! -- her...

La Jolla Playhousepresents Freaky Friday, book by Bridget Carpenter TV's 'Friday Night Lights,' 'Parenthood', music and lyrics by the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning team of Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey Next to Normal, IfThen, based on the novel 'Freaky Friday' by Mary Rodgers and the Walt Disney motion pictures, to be directed by Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley, running tonight, January 31 , throughMarch 12, 2017 in the Mandell Weiss Theatre.

As previously announced, on Sunday, March 5, 2017 at 730pm, Works amp Process at the Guggenheim presents a discussion with Canadian writer duo Irene Sankoff and David Hein, Tony-nominated choreographer Kelly Devine, and Tony-nominated director Christopher Ashley on the creative process behind the new musical Come From Away, which will open on Broadway on March 12. Members of the cast will perform highlights from the show.

Signature Theatre presents the world premiere production of Disney's Freaky Friday. Developed by Disney Theatrical Productions expressly for licensing to theatres, Freaky Friday features a book by Bridget Carpenter, music by Tom Kitt and lyrics by Brian Yorkey. This premiere production will be directed by Christopher Ashley with choreography by Sergio Trujillo. Freaky Friday runs now through November 20 in Signature Theatre's Max Theatre. BroadwayWorld has photos from the opening night festivities below...

Signature Theatre presents the world premiere production of Disney's Freaky Friday. Developed by Disney Theatrical Productions expressly for licensing to theatres, Freaky Friday features a book by Bridget Carpenter, music by Tom Kitt and lyrics by Brian Yorkey. This premiere production will be directed by Christopher Ashley with choreography by Sergio Trujillo. Freaky Friday runs now through November 20 in Signature Theatre's Max Theatre. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below...

Signature Theatre presents theworld premiere production of Disney's Freaky Friday. Developed by Disney Theatrical Productions expressly for licensing to theatres, Freaky Friday features a book by Bridget Carpenter, music by Tom Kitt and lyrics by Brian Yorkey. This premiere production will be directed by Christopher Ashley with choreography by Sergio Trujillo. Freaky Friday runsnow throughNovember 20 in Signature Theatre's Max Theatre. Click below to watch highlights from the show...

Today in 2005, All Shook Up opened at the Palace Theatre, where it ran for 213 performances.All Shook Up is a jukebox musical with Elvis Presley music, with a book by Joe Dipietro. The story is based on William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Directed by Christopher Ashley, with choreography by Ken Roberson, the original Broadway cast included Cheyenne Jackson Chad, Jenn Gambatese Natalie Haller'Ed', and Jonathan Hadary Jim Haller.

Today in 2005, All Shook Up opened at the Palace Theatre, where it ran for 213 performances.All Shook Up is a jukebox musical with Elvis Presley music, with a book by Joe Dipietro. The story is based on William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Directed by Christopher Ashley, with choreography by Ken Roberson, the original Broadway cast included Cheyenne Jackson Chad, Jenn Gambatese Natalie Haller'Ed', and Jonathan Hadary Jim Haller.

The super storm that devastated the East Coast last month didn't halt the elections to the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society's national board. Hurricane Sandy, which made landfall in New York and New Jersey on Oct. 29, caused billions of dollars in damage and claimed some 100 lives. It was also a major disruption to the theater community, shutting down Broadway shows and delaying casting calls for actors. Despite the storm, there were a "record" number of ballots returned in the elections for the national board of the Sdc, a union representing professional stage directors and choreographers. Karen Azenberg, who was reelected as Sdc president, said she was "amazed by the participation and unity of Sdc's Membership." "Despite the aftermath from Hurricane Sandy a record number of ballots were returned and our Tellers Committee Members made it in to count them, demonstrating the resiliency and dedication of our membership," Azenberg said in a statement.

Happy Birthday Raul Esparza Since making his Broadway debut, Esparza has become only the second actor to receive Tony nominations in all four eligible acting categories. Most recently he took on the role of con artist Jonas Nightingale in the Broadway musical adaptation of Leap of Faith directed by Christopher Ashley. Additional Broadway credits include The Rocky Horror Show, Taboo, Company, Arcadia, and more...

Cate McCall

Kate Beckinsale, Nick Nolte and James Cromwell are starring in Karen Moncrieff's "The Trials of Cate McCall" for Sunrise Pictures and Pitbull Pictures with filming currently underway in Los Angeles.

Beckinsale plays a former hotshot prosecutor who threw her career away after becoming an addict. Hoping to regain credibility and win custody of her estranged daughter, she takes on the appeal of a wrongly convicted murderess and takes on both the system and her own inner doubts. [Source: Deadline]

Untitled Larry David Film

Larry David ("Curb Your Enthusiasm") is set to star in a new untitled improv-based comedy from Fox Searchlight.

"The Dictator" writers Alec Berg, Jeff Schaffer and David Mandel are penning the script while Greg Mottola ("Superbad," "Paul") is in negotiations to direct. [Source: Digital Spy]

Lucky Stiff

Jason Alexander, Nikki M. James, Dominic Marsh and Jayne Houdyshell have been cast in Christopher Ashley's film adaptation of the stage...

Today we are kicking off BroadwayWorlds exclusive multi-part InDepth InterView series focusing on the New York Pops 29th Birthday Gala concert celebrating the music and musicals of Lynn Ahrens amp Stephen Flaherty, Journey On, that will take place at Carnegie Hall on April 30 at 7 Pm by taking to the lyricist half of the lauded Tony Award-winning songwriting team herself, the thoughtful and candid Lynn Ahrens. In a wide-ranging conversation covering many of her theatrical collaborations with Stephen Flaherty from their first musical, Lucky Stiff, in the 1980s, to their Tony-winning success with Ragtime in the 1990s, to their astounding slate of shows since - Seussical The Musical, Dessa Rose and The Glorious Ones included - all the way up to 2012 and their new musical in pre-production in Germany, Rocky, based on the iconic 1975 Oscar-winning Sylvester Stallone-starring boxing film. Ahrens also shares firsthand news on the new Ahrens amp Flaherty...

Today in 2005, All Shook Up opened at the Palace Theatre, where it ran for 213 performances.All Shook Up is a jukebox musical with Elvis Presley music, with a book by Joe Dipietro. The story is based on William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Directed by Christopher Ashley, with choreography by Ken Roberson, the original Broadway cast included Cheyenne Jackson Chad, Jenn Gambatese Natalie HallerEd, and Jonathan Hadary Jim Haller.

It is a rare enough occurrence for a genuine born and bred Broadway star to emerge post-millennium, but one as astonishingly versatile as Raul Esparza, having scored accolades since his blazing debut in a string of hit plays and musicals, ranging from Mamet and Sondheim and Pinter to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and his aforementioned Broadway bow in The Rocky Horror Show, is a downright cause for celebration. Esparza makes his grand return to the Broadway stage in a musical with his upcoming starring role in Alan Menken amp Glenn Slaters adaptation of the Steve Martin film Leap Of Faith, featuring a country and gospel influenced score and a spirited, energetic production by Christopher Ashley who, incidentally, helmed Esparzas first Broadway show, Rocky Horror. While Esparza has been seen in many - most, if not quite all - Broadway seasons in the decade since 2001, he has also scored in leading...

Chicago – Sometimes high energy and spirited charisma are enough to redeem a mediocre musical, and that is precisely what “Memphis” has in spades. It’s not a wholly derivative show by any means, but it does tread through familiar troubled waters. Modern Broadway classics like “Hairspray” have already effectively illustrated that “Rock ’n’ roll is just Negro blues sped up.”

That memorable line is delivered late in “Memphis” by Felicia Ferrell (Montego Glover), a black club singer who becomes a singing sensation once she’s discovered by a smitten white DJ, Huey Calhoun (Chad Kimball), a character loosely based on Dewey Phillips. Racial tensions dissolve as music proves to be a uniting force. Yet while still under the threat of attacks in the ’50s-era South, Huey and Felicia must decide whether to stay put or make the move to the Big Apple.

Blu-ray Rating: 3.5/5.0

The plot unfolds precisely as one would expect,...

BroadwayWorld has learned that movie producers Peter Schneider, Laurence Mark and Barry Kemp are working on bringing 'Romy amp Michele's High School Reunion' to the stage. Based on the 1997 film of the same name, the musical just held a New York reading, which featured the talents of Kerry Butler, Lesli Margherita, Adam Kantor, and Mara Davi. Christopher Ashley directed the reading.

Chicago – In our latest direct-from-Broadway edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 15 admit-one passes up for grabs to the Chicago and Chicagoland screenings of the theatrical “Memphis” in HD! This special event will play for four nights only at dozens of theatres across Chicago and Chicagoland.

To win your free screening pass to “Memphis” courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, all you need to do is answer our question in this Web-based submission form. That’s it! These passes are valid at various screening times from Thursday, April 28, 2011 through Tuesday, May 3, 2011 at dozens of participating theatres across Chicago and Chicagoland. Directions to enter this Hookup and immediately win can be found beneath the graphic below.

The theatrical “Memphis” direct from Broadway in HD.

Image credit: Bwi Memphis

Here is the synopsis for the new theatrical release of “Memphis”:

“Memphis” takes place in the smoky halls and underground clubs of the...

Broadway is rampant today with word that the producers of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark will finally get a much-needed overhaul. That's expected to include the exit of Julie Taymor and a shutdown that will stretch several weeks to fix a book that led the $65 million musical to be pummeled by critics who reviewed it even though producers pushed back its opening date for the umpteenth time. Signs of an overhaul have been in the works for a while: Deadline told you first that the production was hiring playwright/Marvel Comics writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa to put a little more Spidey lore into the production and Bono and The Edge have been tweaking their tunes. I'm told that an official announcement is expected by today or tomorrow. Both The New York Times and New York Post have mentioned Christopher Ashley as the likely replacement director. Shutting down the production is a...

Broadway’s Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is about to face extensive changes, including a sixth delay and the possible exit of director Julie Taymor, according to a report in the New York Times.

Producers may halt performances for two to three weeks and delay the show’s official opening to sometime this summer in order to rework the $65 million production, which continues to be one of Broadway’s highest grossers despite an icy critical reception last month.

Veteran Broadway directors Christopher Ashley (Memphis) and Philip William McKinley (The Boy from Oz) have reportedly been approached about joining Spider-Man’s creative team,...

I think Montego Glover, the star of the hit Broadway show Memphis, can do anything.

Not only is she currently starring on Broadway, but she also displays her talent in video games, commercials, television and voice overs. Ok, a lot of people do that. But do they do it successfully?

Exactly! Seriously, she can do anything.

Currently, she is spending her evenings playing Felecia Farrell, a struggling singer in 1950’s Memphis. She sings, she dances and will break your heart by the end of the show.

I saw Montego when the show was at the La Jolla Playhouse and she was incredible. Once she’s on stage, you can’t take your eyes off of her. She absolutely takes over the stage.

If you get a chance, listen to the audio portion of the interview. You’ll get a chance to hear more questions and listen to her talk. She has an absolute perfect voice.