Arena Theatre, committed to new, recent and classic American plays and musicals, has announced the titles of The Downstairs New Play Reading Series in May and June.

A look at the top trends and stories in London theatre from 2016.

The production at the Aldwych Theatre will also welcome several new cast members in the coming months.

The new holiday musical features original music and holiday carols reimagined through pop, jazz, and gospel.

The box office at the Shubert Theatre, located in Manhattan at 235 W. 44th Street, opens for business Jan. 21 for the Broadway premiere of the London hit Matilda The Musical, which will begin previews March 4.

The box office at the Shubert Theatre, located in Manhattan at 235 West 44th Street, will open for business Jan. 21 for the Broadway premiere of the London hit Matilda The Musical, which will begin previews March 4 at the Shubert Theatre.

Olivier Award winner Lesli Margherita, Gabriel Ebert, Lauren Ward and Karen Aldridge will be part of the Broadway premiere of the hit London production Matilda The Musical, which will begin previews March 4, 2013, at the Shubert Theatre.

Eartha Kitt, Daniel Beaty, Lynda Gravatt and Passing Strange were among the winners of the 2007 annual Vivian Robinson/AUDELCO Recognition ("The VIV") Awards.

The Broadway-aimed jukebox musical will now debut at Shakespeare Theatre Company.

Matthew Warchus has announced his inaugural season as artistic director of London's Old Vic, where he has succeeded Kevin Spacey's ten-year tenure. Groundhog Day, a musical version of the 1993 film of the same name, which has already announced Broadway plans to open March 9, 2017, will be premiered at the Old Vic first in 2016. Warchus himself directs, leading a team of collaborators reunited from Matilda, including composer Tim Minchin, choreographer Peter Darling and designer Rob Howell.

Bryn Terfel and Emma Thompson reprise the roles they performed in a semi-staged production of Sweeney Todd, produced by the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center last year, at the London Coliseum beginning March 30. Directed by Lonny Price and with orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick, opening is March 31 for a run through April 12 only.

The winners of the 2012 Laurence Olivier Awards, announced in a ceremony at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden April 15, saw a record seven wins for the Broadway-bound Matilda - the Musical, including being named Best New Musical, as well as both the Best Actor in a Musical (Bertie Carvel) and Best Actress in a Musical (shared between the original quartet who originated the role) and Best Director (Matthew Warchus).

The nominations for the 2012 Laurence Olivier Awards saw the RSC's production of Matilda the Musical, which has already announced its intention to open on Broadway in 2013, lead the way with ten nominations in the maximum possible categories for a musical, including a collective nomination for its four young actresses who share the title role as Best Actress in a Musical.

Singer Rosemary Clooney headed the list of award winners honored at the annual Manhattan Association of Cabaret and Clubs (MAC) Awards on April 1.

Digging through American history - literally - is the premise of Suzan Lori Parks' The America Play, ending its southeastern premiere with Atlanta's Actor's Express Feb. 24. Performances began Jan. 11 with an opening Jan. 14. Actor's Express artistic director Wier Harman directs.

Digging through American history - literally - is the premise of Suzan Lori Parks' The America Play, opening its southeastern premiere with Atlanta's Actor's Express Jan. 14. Performances began Jan. 11 for a run through Feb. 24. Actor's Express artistic director Wier Harman directs.

Digging through American history - literally - is the premise of Suzan Lori Parks' The America Play, making its southeastern premiere with Atlanta's Actor's Express Jan. 11-Feb. 24. Opening night is set for Jan. 14. Actor's Express artistic director Wier Harman directs.

Brian d'Arcy James, Rebecca Luker, Mary Cleere Haran, Debbie Shapiro Gravitte and Jane Krakowski are among Broadway and cabaret stars who will sing the songs of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart in the PBS broadcast of "The Rodgers & Hart Story: Thou Swell, Thou Witty," 8-9 PM (ET) Jan. 6.

Hello, diva lovers. Hope you caught the wonderful tribute to John Kander and Fred Ebb on "The Kennedy Center Honors" program this past Wednesday evening on CBS. If all TV could be this moving, I'd never leave my apartment! But, truly, what a classy, heartfelt tribute to these two Broadway legends. Kudos to whomever thought to include live performances from both Tony-winning Cabaret Emcees, Alan Cumming and Joel Grey. How exciting it was to watch Cumming sing "Willkommen" and then see Joel Grey appear out of nowhere to finish the song. If that wasn1t enough, the Tony-winning star of the most recent production of Chicago , Bebe Neuwirth, brought her own unique style to "All That Jazz" and was then followed by the incandescent star of the original production, Chita Rivera. And, how could such an honor be given to Kander and Ebb without the star of their first Broadway musical and the woman who has brought their music and lyrics into more homes around the world than anyone, Liza Minnelli? Although Minnelli1s voice appears to be in poor shape, her love for these two men made any vocal problem irrelevant. Wonderful tributes were also bestowed upon Bill Cosby, Willie Nelson, Shirley Temple Black and Andre Previn. A class act! . . . As we enter 1999, some of this column1s favorite ladies return to the stage. Let1s hope it1s a banner year for divas (and diva lovers)!