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You'd think -- what with getting the revival of "Jekyll & Hyde" ready for its 13 week-long, limited engagement at the Marquis Theatre -- that director Jeff Calhoun wouldn't have any time left for his other Broadway show, Disney's "Newsies ." But that's where you'd...

Huffington Post -- As Broadway's "Mary Poppins" gets ready to close, regional productions of this acclaimed Disney musical begin popping up all over As any good Mary Poppins fan will tell you, when the wind shifts from the East to the West, it's then time for that practically perfect...

When you think about the stage version of Disney’s “The Lion King,” what first comes to mind? For some, it might be Elton John & Sir Tim Rice ’s terrific score. While others might talk up the brilliant job that Julie Taymor did with staging this Tony Award-winner. Which Newsweek magazine called ...

SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t seen the Broadway production of Disney & Cameron Mackintosh’s “Mary Poppins” (or – for that matter – one of the touring productions of this acclaimed stage musical), now might be a very good time to bail out of today’s JHM story. Still here? Okay, then I’m going to assume...

The juggernaut that is Disney’s “The Lion King” just rolls on and on and on. The stage musical version of this Academy Award-winning animated feature isn’t just one of the most popular shows on Broadway. It’s now one of the most beloved pieces of entertainment in the world. Want proof? Then let’s take...

Can it really be almost twelve years since Julie Taymor ’s acclaimed stage adaptation of “The Lion King” first bowed on Broadway? Given that the London production just celebrated its 10 th anniversary at the Lyceum Theatre , I guess the answer to that question would have to be “Yes...

In a town like Las Vegas , where virtually every building screams “Look at me!” … Copyright 2009 Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. All Rights Reserved … how do you stand out from the crowd? Cut through all that visual clutter? That was the challenge that Disney Theatrical & the Mandalay...

A somewhat angry Tom B. writes in say: Enough with the stories about Comic-Con ! I think it’s pretty arrogant of you to assume that every JHM reader is interested in hearing about what’s going on in San Diego this year. You know what would be a nice change? If you posted a story about some Disneyana...

It’s the Hans Christian Andersen story that Walt Disney almost put into production back in the 1940s (as part of a live action / animated co-production with Samuel Goldwyn ). This is one of Kay Nielsen's Little Mermaid concept paintings for that aborted Hans Christian Andersen feature from the 1940s...

Do you want a true demonstration of the awesome power of Disney's "High School Musical" franchise? Well, never mind about the record-breaking advance ticket sales for " High School Musical 3 : Senior Year ." Or the fact that Salt Lake 's East High (i.e. the actual school where all three of the "HSM"...

Evidently that book review of Carol de Giere 's " Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz, from Godspell to Wicked " that this site ran two week back really struck a chord with JHM readers as we've received a number of Stephen Schwartz -related questions since then. First up, Gayle B...

There are so many movie-based musicals turning up on Broadway these days that the theater community has actually invented a somewhat derogatory term to describe these high profile productions: movsicals. And what with the rather tepid respection that " Young Frankenstein " and " The Little Mermaid "...

For all us Disneyana fans who grew up watching & loving " Mary Poppins ," spelling "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" is pretty much a piece of cake. Hell, most of us can still probably say " ... the biggest word you ever heard" backwards (Which -- according to Julie Andrews on this Academy Award...

For most people on this planet, the stage version of Disney's "The Lion King" first came on their radar when this Julie Taymor production initially opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre . Given the spectacular reviews this show received (Not to mention its amazing word-of-mouth) musical fans knew immediately...

When the North American National Tour of " Mary Poppins " opens in Chicago in March of 2009 ... Copyright 2007 Disney / CML. All Rights Reserved ... both Disneyana & theater fans are sure to be thrilled. After all, this road company will not only feature Ashley Brown (i.e. the actress who originated...

Remember how I mentioned in yesterday's story that there are senior officials at the Walt Disney Company who believe that " ... the HSM phenomenon will soon blow itself out." Well, this belief does not extend to Disney Theatrical . If anything, the folks who brought us " The Lion King ," " Mary Poppins...

Who is Hans Bacher ? Trust me, folks. If you're a Disneyana fan, you know this man's work. If you were creeped out by the look of the Beast's lair in " Beauty & the Beast " ... Copyright 2007 Disney Enterprises. All Rights Reserved ... or ever marveled at the clean, crisp design of the logo for the...

Do you want the Disneyana fan on your holiday shopping list to have a very "Mary" Christmas? Then be sure and pick them up a copy of Brian Sibley & Michael Lassell's " Mary Poppins: Anything Can Happen If You Let It " (Disney Editions, December 2007). Subtitled "The Story Behind the Journey from...

Natalie Dressed writes in to say: Thanks for plugging ASIFA-Hollywood 's upcoming screening of " Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure ." That was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid. And if I actually lived out in LA, I would definitely have made the trip over to the American Film Institute...