View more videos at: http://nbcnewyork.com.

Go behind the scenes of the hit new Broadway show MOTOWN THE MUSICAL. WNBC will air a thirty minute “making of” special this Saturday, May 18^th at 7:00PM, featuring interviews with the stars and creative team, as well as exclusive opening night and backstage footage from the show. Tune into WNBC Channel 4 in the New York metropolitan area.

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL, featuring music and lyrics from the legendary Motown catalogue and a book by Berry Gordy began preview performances on March 11 at The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46^th Street), and officially opened on April 14.

Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, MOTOWN THE MUSICAL is the real story of the one-of-a-kind sound that hit the airwaves in 1959 and changed our culture forever. This exhilarating show charts Motown Founder Berry Gordy’s incredible journey from featherweight boxer to the heavyweight music mogul who launched the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye and many more.

Featuring all the classics you love, MOTOWN THE MUSICAL tells the story behind the hits as Diana, Smokey, Berry and the whole Motown family fight against the odds to create the soundtrack of change in America. The music that shattered barriers, shaped our lives and made us all move to the same beat finally comes to Broadway in the season’s most anticipated world-premiere event.

Today’s Tweets from BBB
Follow us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/BBBway

Congrats @PIPPINMusical on their @dramaleague award for Musical Revival of the year! • • • RT @JoshRadner: Kind of ridiculous how amazing @PIPPINMusical is. See it if you can. (I can do that move, I just chose to watch) • • • Tune into WABC tomorrow night for all the highlights of the spring season on Broadway. • • • Mad Man star Vincent Kartheiser returns to @GuthrieTheater as Mr. Darcy in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE • • • Watch Frankie Valli’s amazing performance on “America Idol” last night @JERSEYBOYSInfo • • • Kevin Sessums talks with David Drake about THE NIGHT LARRY KRAMER KISSED ME and the benefit for @BCEFA this Monday • • •

New Apps Arrive on Google Glass
NYTimes.com/Bits Blog – by CLAIRE CAIN MILLER

Google Glass, the company’s Internet-connected glasses, will soon have seven new apps, including breaking news alerts from CNN, fashion features from Elle, Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook posts and reminder notes from Evernote.

Google wants developers to experiment with building apps tailored to Glass, as opposed to just transporting mobile apps to the new device. Glass is different than phones because it is in a user’s line of sight and has a smaller screen. So notifications, for instance, could easily be disruptive or unwanted.

To read this article in its entirety, please click the link below
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/16/new-apps-arrive-on-google-glass/

The new Broadway production of Roger O. Hirson and Stephen Schwartz’s beloved coming-of-age musical comedy PIPPIN has won the 2013 Drama League Award for Outstanding Revival of a Broadway Musical. The production is directed by Diane Paulus and features choreography by Chet Walker in the style of Bob Fosse and circus creation by Gypsy Snider of the Montreal-based circus company Les 7 doigts de la main (also known as 7 Fingers). PIPPIN is now playing at the Music Box Theatre (239 West 45^th Street).

This season PIPPIN has also won seven 2013 Outer Critics Circle Awards including Outstanding Revival of a Musical, Outstanding Director of a Musical (Diane Paulus), Outstanding Choreographer (Chet Walker), Outstanding Lighting Design (Kenneth Posner), Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Patina Miller), Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical (Terrence Mann), Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Andrea Martin). The show has received 10 Tony Nominations including Best Revival of a Musical, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical (Patina Miller), Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical (Terrence Mann), Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical (Andrea Martin), Best Direction of a Musical (Diane Paulus), Best Choreography (Chet Walker), Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Scott Pask), Best Costume Design of a Musical (Dominique Lemieux), Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Kenneth Posner), and Best Sound Design of a Musical (Jonathan Deans & Garth Helm); 6 Drama Desk Nominations including Outstanding Revival of a Musical, Outstanding Director of a Musical (Diane Paulus), Outstanding Choreography (Chet Walker & Gypsy Snider), Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Andrea Martin), Outstanding Costume Design (Dominique Lemieux), and Outstanding Lighting Design (Kenneth Posner).

This weekend, WABC-7 airs a half-hour special covering highlights of the spring season on Broadway, including ANNIE, THE ASSEMBLED PARTIES, I’LL EAT YOU LAST, JERSEY BOYS, LUCKY GUY, MATILDA THE MUSICAL, MOTOWN THE MUSICAL, PIPPIN, and more. “Broadway Backstage: Spring Preview” airs tomorrow, Saturday, May 18 from 7:00-7:30PM.

Hosts Michelle Charlesworth and Vanessa Williams, currently starring in THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL, present an exciting look behind the scenes at this spring’s biggest stars, blockbuster musicals, riveting revivals and brand new dramas on Broadway.

ANNIE

Emmy Award-winning actress Jane Lynch, who stars in the hit FOX television show “Glee,” makes her Broadway debut Wednesday, May 15 as tyrannical orphanage matron Miss Hannigan in the new production of ANNIE, nominated for a Tony Award^® for Best Revival of a Musical. The show’s timeless score includes “Maybe,” “It’s the Hard Knock Life,” “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile,” “Easy Street,” “I Don’t Need Anything But You” and the eternal anthem of optimism, “Tomorrow.” ANNIE features a book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin, with all three authors receiving 1977 Tony Awards^® for their work. ANNIE is playing on Broadway at the Palace Theatre.

For more information, please visit www.anniethemusical.com. Follow ANNIE on Twitter and on Facebook.

THE ASSEMBLED PARTIES

WABC goes behind the scenes with Tony Award^® nominee Judith Light, star of THE ASSEMBLED PARTIES, a world premiere play by Tony Award^® winner Richard Greenberg, directed by Manhattan Theatre Club’s award-winning Artistic Director Lynne Meadow. THE ASSEMLED PARTIES welcomes us to the world of the Bascovs, an Upper West Side Jewish family in 1980. Twenty years later, as 2001 approaches, the Bascovs’ seemingly picture-perfect life may be about to crumble. A stunning new play infused with humor, THE ASSEMBLED PARTIES is an incisive portrait of a family grasping for stability at the dawn of a new millennium. The show opened on April 17, 2013 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre and is nominated for three Tony Awards^®.

For more information on MTC, please visit www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com. Follow MTC on Twitter: @MTC_NYC and on Facebook.

I’LL EAT YOU LAST: A CHAT WITH SUE MENGERS

Bette Midler’s return to Broadway in John Logan’s new play I’LL EAT YOU LAST: A CHAT WITH SUE MENGERS, directed by Joe Mantello, opened April 24, 2013 at the Booth Theatre. Appearing on Broadway for the first time in almost 40 years, Tony and Grammy Award-winning superstar Bette Midler plays the legendary Hollywood agent Sue Mengers (1932-2011) in the new, one-character play.

For more information, please visit www.IllEatYouLast.com. Follow I’LL EAT YOU LAST on Twitter: @IllEatYouLast or on Facebook.

JERSEY BOYS

JERSEY BOYS star John Lloyd Young talks about his love of Juice Generation.  JERSEY BOYS is the Tony, Grammy and Olivier Award-winning hit musical written by Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe, and directed by two-time Tony Award^® winner Des McAnuff, and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo, and is now playing on Broadway at the August Wilson Theatre (245 West 52nd Street, btwn. Broadway and 8^th Ave.) in New York City.

For more information, please visit www.JerseyBoysInfo.com. Follow JERSEY BOYS on Twitter: @JerseyBoysInfo or on Facebook.

LUCKY GUY

Nora Ephron began her professional career as a reporter at The New York Post in 1962 and LUCKY GUY marks a return to her journalistic roots.  Her new work, nominated for six Tony Awards^® including Best Play, is about the scandal- and graffiti-ridden New York of the 1980s, as told through the story of the charismatic and controversial tabloid columnist Mike McAlary (Tom Hanks).  WABC chats with Tony nominee Courtney B. Vance, currently onstage at the Broadhurst Theatre as McAlary’s longtime editor, Hap Hairston. LUCKY GUY opened on April 1, 2013.

For more information, please visit www.LuckyGuyPlay.com. Follow LUCKY GUY on Twitter and on Facebook.

MATILDA THE MUSICAL

Directed by Matthew Warchus with a book by playwright Dennis Kelly and music and lyrics by Australian comedian, musician and composer Tim Minchin, MATILDA THE MUSICAL opened to rapturous reviews last month and has received 12 Tony Award^® nominations, including one for Best Musical. Based on the beloved novel by best-selling author Roald Dahl, MATILDA THE MUSICAL is the story of an extraordinary girl who dreams of a better life. Armed with a vivid imagination and a sharp mind, Matilda dares to take a stand and change her destiny.

For more information, please visit www.matildathemusical.com. Follow MATILDA THE MUSICAL on Twitter and on Facebook.

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL

WABC speaks with legendary Motown founder Berry Gordy; Brandon Victor Dixon, playing Mr. Gordy onstage; and Raymond Luke, Jr., the young man who’s making a name for himself in the role of Young Michael Jackson. Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright and featuring music and lyrics from the legendary Motown catalogue, MOTOWN THE MUSICAL opened at Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on April 14, 2013 and is nominated for four Tony Awards^®. Featuring all the classics you love, this exhilarating show tells the story behind the hits as Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, Berry Gordy and the whole Motown family fight against the odds to create the soundtrack of change in America.

For more information, please visit www.motownthemusical.com. Follow MOTOWN THE MUSICAL on Twitter: @MotownMusical and on Facebook.

PIPPIN

WABC speaks with Andrea Martin, Patina Miller, and Matthew James Thomas from the cast of Roger O. Hirson and Stephen Schwartz’s beloved coming-of-age musical comedy PIPPIN. Take a peek inside rehearsals where the circus meets Bob Fosse in this extraordinary musical revivial. Royal heir Pippin is spurred on by a mysterious group of performers to embark on a death-defying journey to find his “corner of the sky.” PIPPIN is noted for many Broadway standards including “Corner of the Sky,” “Magic To Do,” “Glory,” “No Time at All,” “Morning Glow,” and “Love Song.”

For more information, please visit www.PippinTheMusical.com. Follow PIPPIN on Twitter: @PippinMusical or on Facebook.

WABC-7’s Broadway Backstage: Spring Preview continues to focus the spotlight on the remarkable, one of a kind, institution that is Broadway. If you can’t make it to every show or just want to be in the know, this is the one to see for a complete rundown of all that the Great White Way is offering this season. The program can also be seen following the broadcast at www.7online.com/broadway.

Known for his current role as Pete Campbell in the AMC series “Mad Men,” Kartheiser first appeared at the Guthrie in 1986 as Tiny Tim in the Guthrie’s A Christmas Carol.

(Minneapolis/St. Paul) The Guthrie Theater today announced that Vincent Kartheiser, known to worldwide audiences as advertising executive Pete Campbell in the ongoing Golden Globe, Emmy and SAG Award-winning series “Mad Men”, will be featured in the iconic role of Mr. Darcy in the theater’s upcoming production of Pride and Prejudice based on the novel by Jane Austen, adapted for the stage by Simon Reade and directed by Joe Dowling. The final show of the Guthrie’s 50^th anniversary season, Pride and Prejudice will begin previews on July 6, with an opening night of July 12, and will run through August 31.

A native of Minneapolis, Kartheiser first appeared on the Guthrie stage at the age of seven as Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol, and subsequently appeared in 1990 Guthrie productions of Henry V and Henry IV. He made his film debut in 1993’s Untamed Heart alongside Marisa Tomei, going on to appear in the movies Little Big League, The Indian in the Cupboard, Alaska, Another Day in Paradise, Crime and Punishment in Suburbia and 2011’s thriller In Time.

Kartheiser has also previously been featured in the Joss Whedon television series “Angel,” and has guest starred in series including “ER,” the BBC miniseries “Money” and “The Cleveland Show.” He has worked as voice talent in the animated film “Rango” and will lead the cast of the upcoming animated series “High School USA!” Most recently, Kartheiser completed filming on the movie Beach Pillows and performed the lead role in Death of the Novel at San Jose Repertory Theatre before resuming filming on “Mad Men.”

Always at or near the top of every list of the most-loved novels in English, Pride and Prejudice tells the story of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy in 19^th-century England; it has proven to have evergreen appeal to all generations with its depiction of manners, marriage and morality.

The GUTHRIE THEATER (Joe Dowling, Director) was founded by Sir Tyrone Guthrie in 1963 and is an American center for theater performance, production, education and professional training. The Tony Award-winning Guthrie Theater is dedicated to producing the great works of dramatic literature, developing the work of contemporary playwrights and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. With annual attendance of nearly 500,000 people, the Guthrie Theater presents a mix of classic plays and contemporary work on its three stages. Under the artistic leadership of Joe Dowling since 1995, the Guthrie continues to set a national standard for excellence in theatrical production and performance. In 2006, the Guthrie opened its new home on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, the Guthrie Theater houses three state-of-the-art stages, production facilities, classrooms and dramatic public lobbies. www.guthrietheater.org

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Today’s Tweets from BBB
Follow us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/BBBway

Happy birthday @KeenanBlogger! #broadwaybirthdays • • • Check out the TV performance from @PIPPINMusical on the @Late_Show • • • The legendary Frankie Valli will perform on “American Idol” tonight. It’s the final show of the season. Tune in! • • •

Keeping Wi-Fi Always Within Range
NYTimes.com/Tool Kit – by THOMAS J. FITZGERALD

It’s enough to give tech devotees the shivers: imagine being stuck on a train with no Wi-Fi, or out of range of the free access provided by coffee shops and bookstores.

This map is usually on the carrier’s Web site or at its store. Network speed is important, too: a 4G network is faster than 3G, for example, and while 4G is about the fastest available, some 4G networks are faster than others. This is important, as the Wi-Fi options can be dizzying.

To READ THIS ARTCILE, please click the link below
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/16/technology/personaltech/keeping-wi-fi-always-within-range.html

The Billboard Charts ~ Issue Date: 2013-05-25

Billboard Top Broadway Cast Album Catalog:

#1.  Wicked, Original Broadway Cast Recording

#2.  NEW: Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Original Broadway Cast Recording

#3.  The Book of Mormon, Original Broadway Cast Recording

#4.  Once: A New Musical, Original Broadway Cast Recording

#5. Jersey Boys, Original Broadway Cast Recording

CLICK HERE to watch Patina Miller and the cast of PIPPIN perform on CBS’ “The Late Show with David Letterman.” PIPPIN is now playing at the Music Box Theatre (239 West 45^th Street)

PIPPIN leads the winners of the 2013 Outer Critics Circle Awards with 7 wins including Outstanding Revival of a Musical, Outstanding Director of a Musical (Diane Paulus), Outstanding Choreographer (Chet Walker), Outstanding Lighting Design (Kenneth Posner), Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Patina Miller), Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical (Terrence Mann), Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Andrea Martin).

PIPPIN has received 10 Tony Nominations including Best Revival of a Musical, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical (Patina Miller), Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical (Terrence Mann), Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical (Andrea Martin), Best Direction of a Musical (Diane Paulus), Best Choreography (Chet Walker), Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Scott Pask), Best Costume Design of a Musical (Dominique Lemieux), Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Kenneth Posner), and Best Sound Design of a Musical (Jonathan Deans & Garth Helm); 6 Drama Desk Nominations including Outstanding Revival of a Musical, Outstanding Director of a Musical (Diane Paulus), Outstanding Choreography (Chet Walker & Gypsy Snider), Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Andrea Martin), Outstanding Costume Design (Dominique Lemieux), and Outstanding Lighting Design (Kenneth Posner) and 3 Drama League nominations including Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical and the Distinguished Performance Award (Andrea Martin and Patina Miller).

Photo by Bruce Glikas for Broadway.com

Click here for more.

Today’s Tweets from BBB
Follow us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/BBBway

Last chance to see the great Mark Rylance in NICE FISH @GuthrieTheater! Final perf this Saturday, May 18. • • • RT @chriscolfer: Just saw this! And it’s AMAZING! Bette is incredible! • • • Tune into @charlierose tonight to hear four of @MATILDABroadway’s Tony nominees talk about the show. • • • @MTC_NYC announces THE ASSEMBLED PARTIES has been extended again. Tickets are now on sale through July 7! • • • @PIPPINMusical will launch in Sept 2014. Coming to a city near you! #JoinUs #MagicToDo • • • Check Out David Drake, B.D. Wong, Rory O’Malley and the Benefit Cast of THE NIGHT LARRY KRAMER KISSED ME @BCEFA • • •

Google Introduces New Search Tools to Try to Read Our Minds
NYTimes.com/Bits Blog – by CLAIRE CAIN MILLER

Google keeps trying to read our minds.

To read this article in its entirety, click the link below
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/15/google-introduces-new-search-tools-to-try-to-read-our-minds/

WARM, PROFOUND NEW WORK BLENDS QUIRKY SENSIBILITY

WITH MEMORABLE DEPTHS OF SPIRIT

“Nice Fish is … as significant as it is silly, altogether inexplicable and utterly beautiful.”
—Minnesota Monthly

“It amazes with its bravery … A wild ride into the depths of existence.”

—Minneapolis Star Tribune

Click HERE for photos

Click HERE for video scene from Nice Fish

Click HERE for review slideshow for Nice Fish

Opened Friday, April 12;

Playing through Saturday, May 18

on the McGuire Proscenium Stage at the Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis

(Minneapolis/St. Paul) Saturday, May 18, marks the closing of the daring and original world premiere play Nice Fish—written by Mark Rylance and Louis Jenkins, dedicated to Nataasha van Kampen and James Hillman.

This humorous and mythic story based on Jenkins’ prose poetry, taking place on the frozen waters of the Upper Midwest on the last day of ice fishing season, has been called an “unforgettable and altogether unique theater experience” by Minnesota Monthly, with AisleSay.com offering that “Nice Fish is nothing less than the Waiting for Godot of ice fishing, punctuating life’s long (and sometimes apparently senseless) wait with moments of reflection, physical comedy, absurdity, profound sadness, and startling delight.”

The production is directed by Rylance and Claire van Kampen (who also contributes original music) and features Rylance as Ron as well as actors Jim Lichtscheidl (Guthrie: Arms and the Man, The 39 Steps) as Erik, Emily Swallow (Guthrie: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, A Midsummer Night’s Dream) as Flo and Chris Carlson (Guthrie: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, God of Carnage) as Wayne. Nice Fish also features Bob Davis (Guthrie: Tales from Hollywood, Arsenic and Old Lace) as DNR Officer and Tyson Forbes (Guthrie: Peer Gynt, 1776) as Wainwright.

Rylance first appeared at the Guthrie a decade ago as Olivia in the Guthrie WorldStage Series presentation of an original practices production of Twelfth Night by Shakespeare’s Globe. His distinctive and immediate performance left an indelible impression on Twin Cities theatergoers. Rylance returned to the Guthrie two years after Twelfth Night for Measure for Measure, and these pair of Globe performances sparked discussions between Rylance and the Guthrie’s Joe Dowling that first led to Rylance’s stark and powerful performance in the title role of 2008’s Peer Gynt, and subsequently to Nice Fish. One of the most visceral and inventive actors of his generation, Rylance has won two Tony Awards for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (Boeing Boeing in 2008 and Jerusalem in 2011) as well as an Olivier Award and a Critics’ Circle Theatre Award. He was the first artistic director of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, where he served from 1995 to 2005.

Louis Jenkins is an evocative and frequently surrealist wordsmith whose work has been heard on “A Prairie Home Companion.” Jenkins’ work has been promoted in the public eye and ear by Rylance, who accepted both of his Tony Awards by reciting poems by Jenkins (including a discourse on the pastime of walking through walls). The play tells the story of Erik and Ron, who are ice fishing on the verge of the last blizzard of the Midwestern winter when they encounter mythic individuals who, as Rylance told The New York Times, “provide a little bit of a challenge.”

The artistic team includes Todd Rosenthal (Scenic Designer), Ilona Somogyi (Costume Designer), Mimi Jordan Sherin (Lighting Designer), Scott W. Edwards (Sound Designer), Michael Lupu (Dramaturgy), Lucinda Holshue (Voice and Dialect), Marcela Lorca (Movement), Tree O’Halloran (Stage Manager), Jason Clusman (Assistant Stage Manager) and Jon Ferguson (Assistant Director).

Nice Fish continues through May 18, 2013 on the McGuire Proscenium Stage at the Guthrie Theater. Single tickets start at $29 and are now on sale through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE, 612.225.6244 (Group Sales) and online at www.guthrietheater.org.

The GUTHRIE THEATER (Joe Dowling, Director) was founded by Sir Tyrone Guthrie in 1963 and is an American center for theater performance, production, education and professional training. The Tony Award-winning Guthrie Theater is dedicated to producing the great works of dramatic literature, developing the work of contemporary playwrights and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. With annual attendance of nearly 500,000 people, the Guthrie Theater presents a mix of classic plays and contemporary work on its three stages. Under the artistic leadership of Joe Dowling since 1995, the Guthrie continues to set a national standard for excellence in theatrical production and performance. In 2006, the Guthrie opened its new home on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, the Guthrie Theater houses three state-of-the-art stages, production facilities, classrooms and dramatic public lobbies. www.guthrietheater.org