Landing a starring Broadway role as the “King of New York” — aka Jack Kelly in the hit Broadway musical Newsies at the Nederlander Theatre – is certainly a dream come true for Corey Cott. The actor, who just graduated from Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama this past May, recently spoke with TheaterMania about his ambitious debut on the Great White Way.

THEATERMANIA. How did this role come about?
COREY COTT: I was auditioning for a bunch of stuff while I was in college. One day, I went to [casting director] Bernard Telsey’s office to audition for something else and found out that Newsies was looking for a Jack Kelly standby.… Read the rest

Perez Hilton launched his celebrity entertainment blog PerezHilton.com  in 2004, and has since created a media empire that includes television, radio, and music. Now, he’s making his New York stage debut in the Off-Broadway hit NEWSical the Musical at Theatre Row’s Kirk Theatre, September 8-October 7.

TheaterMania recently spoke with Hilton about his acting background, changes in the show, which celebrity friends he expects to see in the audience, why Oprah inspires him, and his career aspirations.

THEATERMANIA: You graduated from NYU with a BFA in Drama. Did you ever consider acting for a living?
PEREZ HILTON: I gave acting a shot when I graduated, but it didn’t work out.… Read the rest

In less than two years, Jared Gertner went from being an understudy to playing Elder Cunningham in the blockbuster Tony Award-winning musical The Book of Mormon at Broadway’s Eugene O’Neill Theatre to headlining the show’s first national tour, which launches on August 14 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in Denver, Colorado. TheaterMania chatted with Gertner about his journey with the show, performing at the Tony Awards, and his expectations of life on the road.

THEATERMANIA: How would you describe going from understudy to taking over the lead role of Elder Cunningham on Broadway, and now on tour?
JARED GERTNER: It’s been an incredible journey. I never covered a role before; I was never a standby.… Read the rest

THEATERMANIA: How would you describe the show?
FARAH ALVIN: It is a very broad comedy in the style ofAvenue Q. It has this equal opportunity vibe of making fun of everyone.

TM: Do you think this is a topical subject?… Read the rest