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Exclusive: Corbin Bleu and Stephanie Styles will headline a private industry reading in January of the Broadway-aimed musical comedy Get Happy, a new stage adaptation of the MGM film classic Summer Stock.

The invitation-only reading will be held on January 17 in New York City, according to producers Steve Peters and Michael Londra of VenuWorks Theatricals, Greg & Marissa Frankenfield of Excelsior Entertainment, and executive producers Carolyn Rossi Copeland and Nancy Nagel Gibbs.

Get Happy is produced by special arrangement with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures.

The musical premiered last year under the title Summer Stock in a well-reviewed and sold-out run at Connecticut’s Goodspeed Musicals. Featuring a book and additional lyrics by four-time Emmy Award winner Cheri Steinkellner, Get Happy includes many of the film’s famous songs such as “You, Wonderful You,” “Dig for Your Dinner,” “Happy Harvest,” and the title song, which...

Now that it’s officially July, I am preparing for one of my favorite holidays - Jaws Day. Some people celebrate Independence Day, but I choose to use the time to celebrate the release of one of my very favorite films. It’s a summer movie, an epic adventure, and a terrifying piece of horror. I watch it every July the 4th, without fail. It’s the main event of the day, and I’ll usually pepper in other summer horror around the edges, but ultimately, it’s all about Jaws.

This year, I also had the privilege of augmenting that celebration with a new addition to the Jaws cannon - a performance of the brand new musical, Bruce. Produced by the Seattle Repertory theater and directed by Donna Feore, I got in on the world premiere run of a new play. A musical (!) about the production (!!!) of my favorite...

The Seattle world premiere of the Jaws-inspired stage musical Bruce has reeled in its Steven Spielberg: The Tony-nominated actor Jarrod Spector will play the young filmmaker circa 1974 as he confronts various challenges while directing what would become the most ferocious of all summer blockbusters.

Not least of those challenges: the “highly dysfunctional mechanical star named Bruce,” as the musical’s synopsis states, referring to the robot shark that made filming a nightmare.

Based on The Jaws Log, a 1975 nonfiction behind-the-scenes account of the film’s production by Jaws co-screenwriter Carl Gottlieb, the musical, directed and choreographed by Stratford Festival’s Donna Feore, begins previews at Seattle Rep’s Bagley Wright Theater on May 27, with opening night set for June 8. The engagement runs through June 26.

“After watching Jaws the first time, for years I was so terrified of the water I could barely step foot in a swimming pool, let alone the ocean,...

The Broadway-aimed stage musical adaptation of the Vacation film franchise has a new launch: The Griswolds’ Broadway Vacation, The Musical will debut in September at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre.

Originally planned, pre-Covid, for Fall 2020, the musical (formerly known by working title Broadway Vacation) will run from Sept. 10 to Oct. 1 in Seattle, followed by an engagement at Houston’s Theatre Under the Stars from Oct. 25 to Nov. 6.

The dates were announced today by producer Ken Davenport. The announcement described the engagements as “prior to Broadway,” with Broadway dates and venue “to be announced.”

The musical is based on the characters from the Warner Bros. Vacation franchise, which starred Chevy Chase and included 1983’s National Lampoon’s Vacation, National Lampoon’s European Vacation (1985), National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989), Vegas Vacation (1997) and the 2015 remake Vacation starring Ed Helms.

“I couldn’t think of a better place for...

Bruce, a previously announced new musical based on Jaws screenwriter Carl Gottlieb’s 1975 memoir The Jaws Log, is resurfacing: Seattle Rep will stage the world premiere next May, the regional theater company announced today.

Featuring music by Richard Oberacker and book and lyrics by Oberacker and Robert Taylor (the team behind the 2017 Broadway musical Bandstand), Bruce tells the story of a virtually unknown 26-year-old director named Steven Spielberg who in 1974 sets out to film an adaptation of the best-selling novel Jaws.

Reads the musical’s synopsis: “While invading a sleepy fishing island off Cape Cod to shoot on the open ocean, he faced several challenges including weather, water, hostile locals, an exploding budget, endless delays, and a highly dysfunctional mechanical star named Bruce, to bring his vision to life in what proved to be one of the biggest success stories in film history.”

The musical, to be directed and choreographed...

Even a killer shark – or a broken-down mechanical version thereof – is looking like a welcome sign of hope these days: New Jersey’s Paper Mill Playhouse announced today that its 2020-2021 theater season will include Bruce, a world premiere musical about the problem-plagued filming of Steven Spielberg’s 1975 classic Jaws.

Based on screenwriter Carl Gottlieb’s 1975 memoir The Jaws Log, Bruce will be directed and choreographed by Donna Feore, known for her work with Canada’s Stratford Festival, with a book and lyrics by Richard Oberacker and music by Robert Taylor (the duo behind Broadway’s 2017 Bandstand). Bruce will be a co-production with Seattle Rep, and is set for a June 9 – July 4, 2021, debut engagement at the Paper Mill Playhouse.

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Broadway Vacation The Musical, with characters from the popular Chevy Chase-fronted film franchise, will make its world premiere at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre this Fall.

Though no announcement was made regarding actual Broadway plans for Broadway Vacation, the Seattle venue has been the starting ground for various New York-bound productions over the years, including Hairspray, Aladdin, Memphis and First Date starring Zachary Levi, among others.

The Seattle production was announced today by 5th Avenue’s Artistic Director Bill Berry and Broadway producer Ken Davenport.

The musical will feature a book, music and lyrics by David Rossmer and Steve Rosen, with direction and choreography by Donna Feore. Casting was not announced.

“We could not be more thrilled to create the world premiere of this joyfully riotous story at The 5th,” said Berry. “I can’t wait to begin our 2020/21 season with...

The 5th Avenue Theatre hasannounced that it will begin its 202021 Season with the world premiere of Broadway Vacation, The Musical, produced in association with Ken Davenport. Broadway Vacation features a book, music, and lyrics by writers and performers David Rossmer and Steve Rosen The Other Josh Cohen and direction and choreography by Donna Feore. Playing Fall 2020, Broadway Vacation marks the 24th new musical to be produced by The 5th Avenue Theatre.