William Levy Signs On To Star In 'La Tempestad' Telenovela

William Levy has signed to star in a new telenovela, "La Tempestad," which will begin filming in February 2013, airing on Televisa. The show will film in Mexico under director Salvador Mejía.

This is the third project the two have worked on together. Levy will play Captain Fabre.

During a press conference in Mexico City announcing the series, Will also said he may be appearing in a four-week run on Broadway in "Chicago." Can you imagine Levy being in New York for an extended time? I'd be camping by the stage door every night. Oh, good god googmooga, the possibilities!!! *

'Smash' Adds Sheryl Lee Ralph To Season 2 Cast

The cast of Smash just keeps on dazzling. After dismissing nearly half a dozen minor characters at the end of Season 1, we were dazzled with the news that Jennifer Hudson was joining the cast of Season 2, set to launch in January 2013.

Also previously announced: the addition of "Danny, a straight, working-class Brooklynite in his mid-20s. He is sexy, charismatic & musically gifted, but self destructive and remote." And: "Joe, a Brooklyn-born guy in his early to mid-20s. He is gay, cute, incredibly open & optimistic."

And now, Hudson follows in Megan Hilty's Smash footsteps by getting a Broadway veteran as her mama. Sheryl Lee Ralph, who played Dreamgirls' Deena Jones on Broadway in 1981, has been tapped to guest on the NBC Broadway musical/drama, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Ralph will guest star as Cynthia, the mamer to Hudson's Veronica Moore.

Hudson's Veronica is described as a Tony-winning Broadway star who impacts the lives of Karen (Katharine McPhee) and Ivy (Hilty). The former Dreamgirls Oscar winner will appear in multiple episodes of Smash's second season. Broadway legend Bernadette Peters played ma to Hilty's Ivy in Season 1 of Smash.

See an awesome Season 1 wrap-up interview with Megan Hilty below... *

Spice Girls, Jennifer Saunders Launch Jukebox Musical 'Viva Forever'

All five Spice Girls reunited for the first time since 2008 to announce the launch of jukebox stage musical Viva Forever, which is jam-packed with their 1990s' hits, a la ABBA's Mamma Mia!

Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice), Emma Bunton (Baby Spice), Melanie Chisholm (Sporty Spice), Melanie Brown (Scary Spice) and Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice) posed at the St. Pancras Renaissance London Hotel, the site of their first music video "Wannabe," which was released (eek!) 16 years ago.

Helming Viva Forever is iconic gay fave Ab Fab's Jennifer Saunders; and producer Judy Craymer, who produced Mamma Mia! and is one of the wealthiest women in the U.K. as a result.

Viva Forever follows a talent competition and how a "Wannabe" star named Viva and her family are affected by the process. Viva applies for the talent contest with a group, but is faced with a decision about whether to go through to the next round solo or not at all. Of course, who cares about a plot: It's all about the music, right? All five Spice Girls were involved in creating the musical, which previews at London's Piccadilly Theatre in November. *

Tinatin & Timothy Graphenreed Debut "W-E" Before NYC Audience

Tinatin's theatrical show W-E, a collaboration with acclaimed Broadway veteran Timothy Graphenreed, debuted before a live audience Monday at New York's Triad Theater. The room was packed for the premiere, as I gently wept over and over... What a wonder my girl is. *

The Hills Are Alive... With A New TV Live Version Of 'Sound Of Music'

Inspired idea or blasphemy? The timeless Sound of Music, which has forever been one of my favorite things, is going to be aired live on NBC, in an attempt to bring the 1965 Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer film to a new generation.

The net has enlisted Smash producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (who turned Broadway hits Chicago and Hairspray into film musicals) to create a "television event," with a new cast of actors singing live—no pre-recorded music or lip-syncing.

"It isn’t our intention to produce a remake of the movie version of The Sound of Music," says Zadan. "What we want to do, instead, is to give audiences a completely fresh experience of this great Tony Award-winning stage musical in the form of a classic television event, combined with the spontaneity of a live performance."

The new live adaptation will be based on the 1959 Broadway show—not the film. No air date is set, although casting has begun. *

Tinatin & Timothy Graphenheed Close In On 'W-E' Performance

On Monday, I spent two hours at the Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC), way west on Manhattan's 37th Street, to watch a rehearsal with Tinatin and collaborator Timothy Graphenheed, for their full-length theatrical musical W-E (West Meets East). This coming Monday, July 2, they'll showcase their first full reading of the two-person production, which tells the story of a young girl's dream and accompanying journey from the Soviet Union to America... based, obviously, on Tina's own story, with music written primarily by the pair.

The musical parallels the book project that she and I have been working on for two-plus years... Four drafts later, we have a digital publishing deal... that is, following one more substantive edit. Looking forward to seeing that finish line, as Tinatin groups the book, the play, a soundtrack and a concert with her hero & muse in the Soviet nation of Georgia this September.

Meanwhile, let's have a look at Monday's first rehearsal off-book. It's a winner, let me tell you. *
Crash! Boom! A major thunderstorm added drama to the proceedings!

Voiceover Fun For Tinatin & Timothy Graphenreed's 'W-E'

Thursday eve I joined Tinatin and her partner, acclaimed Broadway veteran Timothy Graphenreed, for a voiceover to be used in their upcoming stage musical W-E. I'm damn sure my three lines are going to propel it into a gargantuan stage hit. An intimate first reading takes place this weekend—while I'm covering the New Music Seminar in NYC—followed by a public showcase July 2. Come on out and see us! * 

Ricky Martin Gets Mixed Bag In 'Evita' Reviews (While Crowds Pack Da House)

The reviews are in for the Broadway revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita, starring Ricky Martin, at New York's Marriott Marquis Theatre, and they're certainly mixed, at best. It appears these damn theater queens continue to hate on "Hollywood" celebs that cross to the Great White Way.

Among the few clear fans of Martin in his lead role as Che is Mark Kennedy, theater critic for AP. He writes, "He sings beautifully, dances gracefully, athletically climbs ladders, plays his role with a knowing sneer and elicits drools in his suspenders and tight white shirt. He even makes a mustache work. Ricky Martin is easily the best thing about this revival."

Of course, The New York Times' curmudgeonly Ben Brantley, who pretty much hates everything, had nothing nice to say about Ricky: "Despite the hard work of its spirited leading lady, the Argentine actress Elena Roger—supported by a barely there Ricky Martin and a sterling Michael Cerveris—this musical combination of history pageant and requiem Mass feels about as warmblooded as a gilded mummy." Blah, blah, blah... yeah, pretty much what one would expect from the ever-snippy Ben, right?

The Wall Street Journal, on the other hand, thinks Roger pretty much sucks: "She's a good actor and a wonderful dancer, but her voice is small and shrill, and she hasn't an ounce of star quality.

Melissa Rose Bernardo from Entertainment Weekly, agrees: "She's a fierce dancer. But more often than not, she's shrill and pitchy."

The 1979 Broadway debut of Evita catapulted the careers of Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin, and the 1996 movie version gave Madonna a boost in respect. Ricky is packing the house. So critics be damned. *

Ricky Martin Mustachio'd For Role In Broadway's 'Evita'

No need for words! Dashing, indeed!

THIS WEEKEND: $10 TICKETS!! Cannibalism, Murder, Incest!!!

My pal Alex Z and his gal Caroline's D.C.-based Molotov Theatre Group, will be in New York to co-host theatrical gross-out extrava-plasma "Fat Men in Skirts" Jan. 5, 6 and 7, 2012, at the Under St. Marks Theatre at 94 St. Marks Place in the East Village. The run is an alliance with Nosedive Productions, New York City’s "Theatre for Sick Little Monkeys."

Written by Nicky Silver (whose "Pterodactyls" and "Raised in Captivity" received back-to-back Drama Desk Award nods for Outstanding Play in the 1990s), dark comedy "Fat Men in Skirts" was Molotov Theatre Group’s fifth Capital Fringe Festival production, and the first ever in the competition to be "Helen Hayes Awards Recommended."

Nosedive Productions co-founding co-artistic director James Comtois said, "The folks at Molotov make exactly the type of theater that excites us at Nosedive: sweet, funny and horrifying. We’re thrilled to be bringing their delightfully effed up play up to New York from D.C."

If you're into cannibalism, mental illness, murder and incest, this is the place for you! Positively revolting! For tickets, click here. USE PROMO "MARZIPAN." *

'Fat Men In Skirts': Start Off The New Year With A Grimace!

My pal Alex Z and his gal Caroline's D.C.-based Molotov Theatre Group, will be in New York to co-host theatrical gross-out extrava-plasma "Fat Men in Skirts" Jan. 5, 6 and 7, 2012, at the Under St. Marks Theatre at 94 St. Marks Place in the East Village. The run is an alliance with Nosedive Productions, New York City’s "Theatre for Sick Little Monkeys."

Written by Nicky Silver (whose "Pterodactyls" and "Raised in Captivity" received back-to-back Drama Desk Award nods for Outstanding Play in the 1990s), dark comedy "Fat Men in Skirts" was Molotov Theatre Group’s fifth Capital Fringe Festival production, and the first ever in the competition to be "Helen Hayes Awards Recommended."

Nosedive Productions co-founding co-artistic director James Comtois said, "The folks at Molotov make exactly the type of theater that excites us at Nosedive: sweet, funny and horrifying. We’re thrilled to be bringing their delightfully effed up play up to New York from D.C."

If you're into cannibalism, mental illness, murder and incest, this is the place for you! Positively revolting! For tickets, click here.

'Swedish Style': Transported Back To The '80s (For One Day, Anyway)

Monday was like a weird, wondrous flashback to the early 1980s, as I delivered a PR package to Ayhan for his upcoming full-length theatrical rock musical Swedish Style, based on the break-up of super group Opus 10, a quartet in the spirit of ABBA.

After writing a press release, liner notes for an upcoming double-disc soundtrack, a website post, bios and synopsis treatment, I descended upon the Times Square off-Broadway theater where Ayhan and Chris H. were filming a promotional video for the production—complete with period costumes—to serve as photog for the session. The ensemble acted out a number of the musical numbers for Chris' film, as I snapped away. Ah, the '80s... If only music were as good now (said Grandpa)...