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When Will Finn's and John Standford's animated musical Western "Home on the Range" was released, it came with an elegiac announcement. Disney, you see, had been struggling throughout the early 2000s. The 1990s renaissance was over, and much of the studio's more recent output was either failing critically or commercially. Films like "Fantasia 2000," "The Emperor's New Groove," and "Atlantis: The Lost Empire" were only modest successes, while films like "Dinosaur" and "Brother Bear" were coming and going without much notice. The studio's clunky sci-fi epic "Treasure Planet" notoriously lost buckets of money, which didn't inspire confidence. It didn't help that DreamWorks was attracting huge animation audiences with films like "Shrek" — a notoriously anti-Disney movie.

As such, to appear competitive, Disney announced that "Home on the Range" was going to be the studio's last-ever traditionally hand-drawn feature film. After that, it was to be 100% CGI. Animation purists panicked, feeling...

2004's Home on the Range was meant to be Disney's final hand-drawn film in their long history of dominating traditional animation at the box office. The movie starred Roseanne Barr, Dame Judi Dench, and Jennifer Tilly as three cows attempting to save their small farm from ruin. Home on the Range came during a very transitional time for the Walt Disney Company. Computer animation was slowly becoming the new hot tool for cartoon movie-making and CEO Michael Eisner was on the verge of being ousted from a company he led through a successful Renaissance Era in the 1990s. A year prior, Roy E. Disney (nephew of Walt Disney) had also resigned from his positions as Chairman of the Board and Vice Chairman of Feature Animation due to his displeasure with the company.

Because of all the turmoil during Home on the Range's production and development, it's no surprise that...

The Bold and the Beautiful (B&b) spoilers for Tuesday, June 11, 2024, tease Steffy laying down the law with her husband.

The Bold and the Beautiful Spoilers: Finn Gets His Marching Orders

Steffy Forrester Finnegan (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) knows she needs to keep her husband in check or he will do all sorts of crazy things.

For example, he attended Sheila Carter (Kimberlin Brown) and Deacon Sharpe’s (Sean Kanan) wedding without her permission and that just wouldn’t do.

Trending! The Bold And The Beautiful Spoilers: Carter Walton Dumps Katie?

Steffy made John ‘Finn’ Finnegan (Tanner Novlan) promise to stay away from Sheila and he promised he would.

Now, she needs him to stay away from Hope Logan (Annika Noelle). She doesn’t trust Hope at all and thinks that Finn and Hope have been spending way too much time together.

She doesn’t believe her husband would really stray, but...

Twenty-five years ago -- November 25, 1992, to be exact -- in the city of Agrabah, a street rat, an outspoken princess and an eager-to-please genie were at the center of another groundbreaking animated musical from Walt Disney Pictures.

Telling the story of a young man who falls in love with a princess and befriends a genie as he aspires for something more in his life, Aladdin quickly became a touchstone in Disney’s canon of animated films. Following the romance-driven The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, the 1992 movie boasted a bigger sense of humor -- largely thanks to Robin Williams’ performance as Genie -- and more action.

Earning universal praise, Aladdin earned $217 million at the U.S. box office and maintains a 94 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But like its predecessors, the soundtrack, with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman, propelled it to awards success, winning it two Academy...

Julianne Boyd, artistic director of Barrington Stage Co. announced that the Bscnyc sold out Benefit recently held at the Friars Club was the theatre company's most successful New York City event to date having raised 125,000 for the 2018 New Works Initiative. The evening featured performances by Bsc actors and the presenting of the William Finn Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre to Joe Iconis.

The invitation proclaimed An Evening of Pure Joy and the Barrington Stage Company's NYC Benefit held at The Friars Club last night surpassed all expectations. A star studded roster from the Bsc actors bench filled the Friars Club with song as Tony Award Winning ComposerLyricist William Finn presented Joe Iconis with the William Finn Award for Innovation and Excellence in Musical Theatre. Julianne Boyd, artistic director and founder of Barrington Stage Company, Mary Ann Quinson, Board Chair, and Marita O'Dea Glodt, opened the evenings festivities. The Sro guests in the legendary Friars Club were entertained by Bsc performers, Jennette Bayardelle, Allison Blackwell, Ellen Harvey, Lauren Marcus, Kyle Dean Massey, Jeff McCarthy, Anastasia Mccluskey, Anne L. Nathan, Will Roland, Scarlett Strallen, Will Swenson,Jason Sweetooth Williams,Eric William Morris, and Stephanie Umoh. Musical direction was by Darren Cohen.

Last night Lucasfilm released the new trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi and it completely blew fans away. I'm sure you've all seen it by now, but if you haven't... you're crazy, and you need to watch it now!

There is a ton of stuff going on in this trailer and there is so much to talk about! It was just such an awesomely intense trailer filled with a bunch of unexpected plot points! As you go through the screenshots, I've added a few bits of commentary to start a conversation.

This first series of shots shows Kylo Ren and the First Order are preparing for battle and preparing to once again take on the resistance.

This is right where The Force Awakens ended and Rey will start her trining with Luke Skwalker.

As Luke is training her he discovers that Rey is one hell of a powerful wielder of The Force.

First appearing on Tony ballots for “An American in Paris,” Brandon Uranowitz has scored his second nomination for featured actor in a musical thanks to his charming and comedic take on Mendel in James Lapine and William Finn’s “Falsettos” revival. He sat with Backstage for a Facebook Live interview May 23 to discuss how musical theater actors should choose an audition song and why working with Christian Borle, Stephanie J. Block, and Andrew Rannells was a master class in stage acting. On auditioning for ‘Falsettos’ again and again.“I auditioned—and I’m not exaggerating—once a month from February to June. It was a nightmare. It wasn’t just, like, audition and then, ‘We’ll see what happens.’ It was audition and then, ‘It’s not going to go any further.’ The first couple of times, I had to literally mourn the loss of the job. I wanted it so badly.

First appearing on Tony ballots for “An American in Paris,” Brandon Uranowitz has scored his second nomination for featured actor in a musical thanks to his charming and comedic take on Mendel in James Lapine and William Finn’s “Falsettos” revival. He sat with Backstage for a Facebook Live interview May 23 to discuss how musical theater actors should choose an audition song and why working with Christian Borle, Stephanie J. Block, and Andrew Rannells was a master class in stage acting. On auditioning for ‘Falsettos’ again and again.“I auditioned—and I’m not exaggerating—once a month from February to June. It was a nightmare. It wasn’t just, like, audition and then, ‘We’ll see what happens.’ It was audition and then, ‘It’s not going to go any further.’ The first couple of times, I had to literally mourn the loss of the job. I wanted it so badly.

It looks like Star Wars fans may be in for one hell of a surprise later this year. It isn't uncommon for promotional materials for movies to make bold claims, but some recently discovered marketing for Star Wars: The Last Jedi is being extra bold. If this new information is to be believed, Star Wars: The Last Jedi is going to feature the "most shocking truth in Star Wars history." More shocking than Darth Vader being Luke's father? More shocking than Ewoks defeating the Empire? More shocking than Greedo shooting first in the 1997 Special Edition of Star Wars: A New Hope?

The news comes from the very reliable fan site Star Wars News Net. They recently came across a Japanese promotional pamphlet for Star Wars 8 and, even though it was in Japanese, they were able to get it translated. Now, since it is a rough translation, it can't be taken as gospel,...

With two supporting actor Tony Awards under his belt, the versatile and immensely talented Christian Borle finally spent an opening night as a Broadway leading man earlier this season, playing neurotic New Yorker Marvin in a limited run revival of William Finn's Falsettoes. Now, with the New York premiere of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory underway, Borle is placed into a position many stars have had to deal with at one time or another carrying a sagging show upon his shoulders to create the illusion that everything is just swell.

"I'm the end of the line," Arthur Miller once asserted. "Absurd and appalling as it may seem, serious New York theater has died in my lifetime."

Many might argue otherwise. In fact, the best proof that theatre is still alive and kicking is Focus on Playwrights, the new coffee-table book, the cover of which showcases the life-crinkled face that once overlooked the birth of A View from the Bridge, All My Sons, and The Crucible. Yes, photographer Susan Johann’s scintillating collection of over 90 playwrights, whom she’s shot over 20 years -- and the inclusion of sharply revealing interviews with some of the same, is the best retort to anyone ready to cremate modern drama.

Some of those captured for publications such as Vogue and the New Yorker are now deceased (e.g. August Wilson, Edward Albee, and Joe Chaikin) while others are very much functioning (e.g. David Henry Hwang,...

Ghostlight Records will celebrate the cast album of the critically acclaimed Broadway revival of William Finn and James Lapine's Tony Award-winning musical Falsettos - based on the Lincoln Center Theater production -with a special in-store performance and CD signing at Barnes amp Noble on Friday, January 27 at 700 Pm. The date also marks the album's worldwide digital release, with physical copies also available a a two-disc set available online and in stores.

On Monday, November 14, the Theater People podcast welcome's Tony nominee Brandon Uranowitz. He made his Broadway debut in 2011's Baby It's You. He earned a Tony nomination for his turn as Adam Hochberg in last year's An American In Paris, and he can currently be seen in the role of Mendel in William Finn and James Lapine's critically acclaimed revival of Falsettos. For the episode, Uranowitz discusses the six months of auditions he went through to win the role of Mendel, how James Lapine was lovingly hard on him during the show's rehearsal process, and shares a memory of accompanying Katie Holmes on a shopping spree during his pre-Broadway days when he worked as a sales associate.

Lincoln Center Theater's Platform Series, a forum for public discussion between Lincoln Center Theater artists and interested theatergoers, continues on Thursday, November 17 with William Finn, Composer and Lyricist of Falsettos, and Ira Weitzman, Lincoln Center Theater's Musical Theater Associate Producer. Lct's critically acclaimed production of Falsettos, produced in association with Jujamcyn Theaters, is currently playing on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theater 219 West 48th Street.

The fact that William Finn and James Lapine's 1992 Broadway musical Falsettos began as two separate one-act musicals - parts two and three of a trilogy - that premiered Off-Broadway nine years apart makes it unique theatre piece, especially when you consider that the heighted awareness of the AIDS epidemic that occurred during those nine years gave each one, despite being about the same characters, significantly different tones.

It’s very unlikely that William Finn will ever get a better production of his groundbreaking musical “Falsettos” than the revival that opened Monday at the Walter Kerr Theatre. Top among its assets are leading men Christian Borle and Andrew Rannells, who play the not-always-well-matched lovers Marvin and Whizzer. Borle and Rannells have made their mark on Broadway playing outrageous musical-comedy caricatures, and doing so with true brilliance. Here, they’ve put away their alpha comics, and without losing any of our rapt attention, portray identifiable human beings. They’re amply supported by Stephanie J. Block and Brandon Uranowitz, displaying great comic chops in the.

The four male characters in Falsettos, the joyously funny, shatteringly sad 1992 chamber musical forged out of two earlier one-acts by composer-lyricist William Finn and co-writer/director James Lapine, spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to be men. At a moment when election ugliness has pushed Americans of both genders to take a long, hard look at the male psyche, that might sound like more of an onerous thing. But the endearing awkwardness, the confusion and self-doubt with which this show's characters tackle that question makes it a pleasure to accompany them as

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When Falsettos first premiered on Broadway in 1992, the show gained instant status as a game changer. With William Finn's brave new style of musical theatre composition and in placing the lives of queer characters at the forefront of its storytelling, the show has become a cultural landmark and a blueprint for the array of modern musical theatre that followed in its wake.

When Falsettos first premiered on Broadway in 1992, the show gained instant status as a game changer. With William Finn's brave new style of musical theatre composition and in placing the lives of queer characters at the forefront of its storytelling, a tactic that had not yet been seen in musicals up until that point, the show has become a cultural landmark and a blueprint for the array of modern musical theatre that followed in its wake.

Lincoln Center Theater's new production of William Finn and James Lapine's Tony Award-winning musical Falsettos will begin previews Thursday, September 29, and run for 14 weeks only at the Walter Kerr Theatre 219 West 48 Street. Opening night will be Thursday, October 27. The company will include Anthony Rosenthal as Jason, Tracie Thomsas Dr. Charlotte, Brandon Uranowitz as Mendel, Betsy Wolfe as Cordelia, Stephanie J. Blockas Trina, Christian Borle as Marvin, and Andrew Rannells as Whizzer.

Prior to their breakthrough musicals, many writers had extraordinary early-career shows hitthestage that you may not have heard of. From Lynn Ahrens amp Stephen Flaherty'sLucky Stiffto Richard Rodgers amp Lorenz Hart'sPoor Little Ritz Girlto William Finn'sIn Trousers, these pieces of work represent our best Broadway writers....beforeBroadway knew their names. Join us to hear auspicious songs fromtheinfluential shows that shaped careers and lives, just asKurt Vonnegut'sGod Bless You, Mr. Rosewatershapedthefutures of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken.

Lincoln Center Theater, in association with Jujamcyn Theaters, has announced that Anthony Rosenthal as Jason, Tracie Thoms as Dr. Charlotte, Brandon Uranowitz as Mendel, and Betsy Wolfe as Cordelia will join Stephanie J. Block as Trina, Christian Borle as Marvin, and Andrew Rannells as Whizzer in its new production of William Finn and James Lapine's Tony Award-winning musical Falsettos. Falsettos will begin previews Thursday, September 29, and run for 14 weeks only at the Walter Kerr Theatre 219 West 48 Street. Opening night will be Thursday, October 27.

Happy Birthday, Mary Testa Testa is a two-time Tony Award nominee, for performances in revivals of Leonard Bernstein's On the Town 1998 and 42nd Street 2001. She made her debut as Miss Goldberg in William Finn's one-act musical In Trousers 1979, part one of his 'Marvin Trilogy,' winning audiences over with her rendition of 'Set Those Sails' and 'I Am Wearing a Hat,' as well as 'The Rape of Miss Goldberg by Marvin.' She returned to Broadway in July, 2007 in the musical-theater remake of the 1980 film Xanadu for which she received a Drama Desk Award nomination.

Today in 2005, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee opened at the Circle in the Square Theatre, where it ran for 1136 performances. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a one act musical comedy conceived by Rebecca Feldman with music and lyrics by William Finn, a book by Rachel Sheinkin and additional material by Jay Reiss. The show centers on a fictional spelling bee set in a geographically ambiguous Putnam Valley Middle School. Six quirky adolescents compete in the Bee, run by three equally-quirky grown-ups. The 2005 Broadway production, directed by James Lapine, was nominated for six Tony Awards, winning two, including Best Book. The show has spawned various other productions in the U.S., including a national tour with performances in Canada, and Australian productions.

Apparently, fandom has a reading comprehension problem. That's not a particularly nice thing to say, but based on the way people continue to report information about a possible fifth Indiana Jones film, it must be true. It's the only explanation. Let's look at the facts. When Disney bought Lucasfilm, Indiana Jones was one of the assets that they purchased. But Indy is a very different thing than "Star Wars,' and it always has been. "Star Wars" is more than just a single story, and it's more than a particular set of characters. In recent years, shows like "The Clone Wars" and "Star Wars: Rebels" have shown just how ready the audience is to welcome new characters into their hearts, and that theory will be put to the test in a major way with "The Force Awakens" next week. Will Finn, Rey, and Kylo Ren find themselves embraced by fandom...

With Entertainment Weekly’s The Force Awakens issue about to hit the streets, fans of the Star Wars saga have been blessed with new images featuring heroes new and old. Insert raised hands emoji here.

The most interesting and revealing shot from this batch of 13 images features John Boyega’s Stormtrooper Finn seemingly shouting at a bloodied Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac). Since the last trailer, we know that Poe has been captured and tortured by at least one of the many bad guys in The Force Awakens – but our money is on Sith wannabe Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Will Finn save Poe from Kylo? Is that why he leaves the First Order in a Tie fighter?

We’ll find out on December 18.

Check out all the images below, and don't forget to grab your tickets to The Force Awakens' opening night and marathon before they're all sold out!

The battle of the sexes is on Some of the most memorable Broadway characters will square off inGuys vs. Dolls A Musical Survey of Sex and Sexismfeaturing the songs of Cole Porter, Frank Loesser, Rodgers amp Hammerstein and many more. Explore the passion and perils of love and marriage as depicted by the great writers of Broadway, including Cole Porter, Frank Loesser, Irving Berlin, Lerner amp Loewe, Yip Harburg, Burton Lane, Rodgers amp Hammerstein, Rodgers amp Hart, Stephen Sondheim, Jule Styne, Meredith Willson, William Finn, Maltby amp Shire and Jerry Herman.

DC Foundation is pleased to announce that Andrew Rannells will host the Mr. Abbott Award Gala honoring James Lapine on Monday, October 19, 2015. The event will include special performances by Bernadette Peters, Christine Ebersole, Christian Borle, and Marin Mazzie with appearances by Stephen Sondheim, William Finn, and others. Directed by Leigh Silverman, the Mr. Abbott Award Gala will take place at Stage 48 605 West 48th Street.The event will begin at 630 p.m.

Title: Return to Sender Rlj Entertainment Director: Fouad Mikati Writers: Patricia Beauchamp and Joe Gossett Cast: Rosamund Pike, Shiloh Fernandez, Nick Nolte, Camryn Manheim, Rumer Willis, Illeana Douglas In theaters, VOD and iTunes on August 14th. Miranda (Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl) is an aspiring surgical nurse with a lot of hidden talents and is beloved by all who know her. One of her coworkers sets her up on a blind date, and Miranda reluctantly accepts. The day of the date, a man comes to her door whom she assumes is Kevin (Billy Slaughter), it turns out to be William Finn (Shiloh Fernandez), a man she’s seen in passing and obsessed [ Read More ]

The post Return to Sender Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

Barrington Stage Company Bsc, the award-winning theatre in Downtown Pittsfield, Ma, under the leadership of Artistic Director Julianne Boyd and Managing Director Tristan Wilson, will present the premiere of You're Standing in My Way A New Song Cycle by William Finn and Deborah Abramson, from tonight, August 14, through August17 at Mr. Finn's Cabaret, located on the lower level of the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield.

Jenni Barber, Quentin Earl Darrington, Bradley Dean, Dan Fogler, Ana Gasteyer, Josh Lamon, Aaron Lazar, Alyse Alan Louis and Rema Webb join Jonathan Groff in the Encores Off-Center production of William Finn and James Lapine's A New Brain, running tonight, June 24, through June 27, 2015. The production is directed by James Lapine, with choreography by Josh Prince. BroadwayWorld brings you highlights from the production below...

A New Brain, the killer musical about a songwriter facing a life-threatening brain condition, could only have been written by William Finn. For one thing, it’s highly autobiographical. When Finn accepted his two Tony awards for Falsettos in 1992, he was already suffering from what he’d been told was an inoperable brain tumor. (“From the rear, I look like I’m walking on a sailboat,” he said of his trips to the podium.) The musical itself began during his recovery, when James Lapine, his Falsettos book writer, insisted that he make notes about what he was experiencing. After the success of surgery to correct what turned out to be not a tumor but an arteriovenous malformation (not many musicals use that phrase), those notes organized themselves into songs that explored the unexpected gift of survival and the problem of creativity. Originally performed in revue format, the songs eventually became...

Jenni Barber, Quentin Earl Darrington, Bradley Dean, Dan Fogler, Ana Gasteyer, Josh Lamon, Aaron Lazar, Alyse Alan Louis and Rema Webb join Jonathan Groff in the Encores Off-Center production of William Finn and James Lapine's A New Brain, running through June 27, 2015. The production is directed by James Lapine, with choreography by Josh Prince. BroadwayWorld brings photos from the opening night after party below...

Jenni Barber, Quentin Earl Darrington, Bradley Dean, Dan Fogler, Ana Gasteyer, Josh Lamon, Aaron Lazar, Alyse Alan Louis and Rema Webb join Jonathan Groff in the Encores Off-Center production of William Finn and James Lapine's A New Brain, running tonight, June 24, through June 27, 2015. The production is directed by James Lapine, with choreography by Josh Prince. BroadwayWorld brings you highlights from the production below...

Jenni Barber, Quentin Earl Darrington, Bradley Dean, Dan Fogler, Ana Gasteyer, Josh Lamon, Aaron Lazar, Alyse Alan Louis and Rema Webb join Jonathan Groff in the Encores Off-Center production of William Finn and James Lapine's A New Brain, running tonight, June 24, through June 27, 2015. The production is directed by James Lapine, with choreography by Josh Prince. BroadwayWorld brings you a first look at the cast in action below...

Jonathan Groff Jenni Barber, Quentin Earl Darrington, Bradley Dean, Dan Fogler, Ana Gasteyer, Josh Lamon, Aaron Lazar, Alyse Alan Louis and Rema Webb will soon star in the Encores Off-Center production of William Finn andJames Lapine's A New Brain, running June 24 - 27, 2015. The production will be directed by James Lapine, with choreography by Josh Prince. Below, we take you inside the rehearsal room with the company...

Today we are talking to a Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist celebrated for his uniquely designed mainstages musicals showcasing a fiercely idiosyncratic style and flair all his own, the one and only William Finn. Outlining the new version of A New Brain set to be presented later this month at City Center as part of the Encores Off-Center series, Finn discusses his original intentions behind many moments in the show as well as shares his inspiration for many musical moments in the melodic and moving score, as well. Additionally, Finn shares fresh news of his long in developtment musical adaptation of George S. Kaufman amp Edna Ferber's The Royal Family Of Broadway and provides preliminary details on the forthcoming revival of his groundbreaking Tony Award-winning musical Falsettos set to premiere later this season, as well. Plus, Finn imparts his enthusiasm for the upcoming 10th anniversary cast reunion of his...

Happy Birthday, Mary Testa Testa is a two-time Tony Award nominee, for performances in revivals of Leonard Bernstein's On the Town 1998 and 42nd Street 2001. She made her debut as Miss Goldberg in William Finn's one-act musical In Trousers 1979, part one of his 'Marvin Trilogy,' winning audiences over with her rendition of 'Set Those Sails' and 'I Am Wearing a Hat,' as well as 'The Rape of Miss Goldberg by Marvin.' She returned to Broadway in July, 2007 in the musical-theater remake of the 1980 film Xanadu for which she received a Drama Desk Award nomination.

Today in 2005, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee opened at the Circle in the Square Theatre, where it ran for 1136 performances. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a one act musical comedy conceived by Rebecca Feldman with music and lyrics by William Finn, a book by Rachel Sheinkin and additional material by Jay Reiss. The show centers on a fictional spelling bee set in a geographically ambiguous Putnam Valley Middle School. Six quirky adolescents compete in the Bee, run by three equally-quirky grown-ups. The 2005 Broadway production, directed by James Lapine, was nominated for six Tony Awards, winning two, including Best Book. The show has spawned various other productions in the U.S., including a national tour with performances in Canada, and Australian productions.

Today we are shining a spotlight on some rarely discussed and unusual connections between the world of William Shakespeare and theatrical pop culture at large. Given the wide breadth of material contained within the canon of the Bard, it is certainly no understatement to claim that the connections are virtually endless between many modern tropes, terms, themes and ideas that derive in his classic plays - whether they be tragedies, comedies, histories or latter plays - yet the intriguing aspects of many of the lesser-known theatrical connections between Shakespeare and modern theatre are illuminating and fascinating to unearth. Ranging from the influence of Shakespeare on some of our greatest musical theatre masters - Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim and William Finn included - through to the inspiration behind both Broadway's most lucrative production in history The Lion King and the longest-running show in NYC to date The Fantasticks, the impact of...

Producer Jordan Roth, President of Jujamcyn Theaters, announced today that William Finn and James Lapine's landmark musical, Falsettos, the theatrical masterpiece that forever reshaped our collective definition of family, will return to Broadway next Spring with an all new production directed by Mr. Lapine. Falsettos premiered on Broadway in 1992 - after its characters first captured the hearts of theatergoers Off Broadway - garnering rave reviews and seven Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, and going onto win for Best Original Score Finn and Best Book of a Musical Lapine and Finn.

Today we are talking to an instantly recognizable stage stalwart who has lit up Broadway and beyond for more than three decades since her debut in William Finn's In Trousers - the one and only Mary Testa. Discussing all aspects of her exemplary new album created in collaboration with acclaimed orchestrator Michael Starobin, Have Faith, Testa imparts the impetus behind the concept album and outlines what motivated the wildly eclectic song choices included on the release - ranging from the Beach Boys, Prince and Aerosmith to Michael John Lachiusa, William Finn, Jill Sobule and many more. Furthermore, Testa eloquently describes the fascinating and compelling theme upon which the album is based - the journey of a soul through life ostensibly a search for faith - and relates the sonic experience to her own spiritual pursuits. Additionally, Testa clues us in on what we can expect from her upcoming promotional...

According to the New York Times, Encores has just announced the upcoming 2015 season for its Off-Center series. Included in the line-up is William Finn's A New Brain running June 24-27, starring Jonathan Groff Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party running July 15-18, starring Off-Center veteran Sutton Foster and Little Shop of Horrors running July 1, with original cast member Ellen Greene.

And we're back with another episode of The 100! What will happen in "Long into an Abyss?" Where does Abby stand now that Jaha's back? Will Finn and Clarke ever get back to the way they were? Will Jasper, Monty and the others escape the Mountain Men? And will Octavia get through to Lincoln? From what I've seen, it's not looking too good for Lincoln right now.

Having seen Mary Testa in a cabaret concert in Houston, I feel I had an idea of what to expect from her and Michael Starobin's album Have Faith. While I expected it to be eccentrically eclectic and haunting, nothing could have prepared me for how it was beautifully hypnotizing and simultaneously so unlike anything I've ever heard before. The unique album utilizes well-known pop songs hits from The Beach Boys to Alanis Morissette and songs written by William Finn and Michael John Lachiusa to explore thoughts on faith and doubt in ways that are equally alluring and unexpected.

TriArts Sharon Playhouse, under the leadership of Artistic Director John Simpkins and Managing Director Justin Ball, presents William Finn and James Lapine's Tony-winning musical Falsettos, running now through July 20. Falsettos Original Broadway cast members Michael Rupert, Stephen Bogardus, Chip Zien, Jonathan C. Kaplan, and Heather MacRae attended the Saturday, July 12 performance of 'Falsettos' with a talkback afterwards. Scroll down for production photos and pictures of the Broadway cast...

To mark The 100's arrival in the UK, Caroline talks to Thomas McDonell, the actor behind Finn...

Interview

Thomas McDonell plays handsome, floppy-haired rebel Finn in hit Us series The 100, which is due to return for a second season next year. As The 100 starts on E4, Caroline caught up with the actor to talk season one, Finn's role in the ensemble, and more. (Before we start, a gentle warning for the faint-hearted, Mr McDonell's language is tinged blue at points below...)

Congratulations on the show’s success in America, which has been huge – how have you found the reaction both here with the buzz that’s been building and in the Us where audiences have already cottoned on to it?

Well, it’s pretty fun that people really seem to like it, and interesting that people are really watching it, following it and paying attention. I think that’s all really cool.

Following on from Sam Raimi’s endeavour into the fantastical world of Oz last spring, we now have another spin-off from the treasured and widely renowned world created by author L. Frank Baum. This time, adapting his grandson Roger S.Baum’s novel, directors Will Finn and Dan St. Pierre bring us Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return, delving into this surreal universe in computer animated form.

Though biding her time in Kansas, Dorothy (Lea Michele) is alerted to the danger ongoing in her beloved Oz, with the dastardly Jester (Martin Short) wreaking havoc in the name of the Wicked Witch of the West, turning innocent civilians into marionettes. Transported back magically with the help of the Scarecrow (Dan Aykroyd), the Tin Man (Kelsey Grammer) and the Cowardly Lion (James Belushi), Dorothy then has a task on her hands to reach the castle, embarking on an adventure across Oz alongside...

Chicago – The so-called “legend of Oz” will cease to be legendary if they keep producing lame re-engineerings of the 1939 classic “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” Close on the heels of last year’s dud, “Oz the Great and Powerful,” comes the dully rendered “Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return.”

Rating: 2.5/5.0

The screenplay – by Adam Balsam and Randi Barnes – is strictly boilerplate, with no consideration for creating something different for the Dorothy and Oz story, just an odd updating of the Kansas atmosphere and a rather depressing disaster area in the town after the first tornado. The voice casting of TV actress Lea Michele (“Glee”) as Dorothy is a sure sign of a way to lower the budget, and although some of the elements are interesting (the voice of Patrick Stewart as a talking piece of wood), overall the film will work as a glazed-eye babysitter for the kids, while adults...