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Cameron Mackintosh, the London theatre owner and impresario, nixed the idea of having a host introduce artists performing at Tuesday’s one-night-only Old Friends tribute show honoring the legacy of musical theatre genius Stephen Sondheim, who died in November at age 91.

“All you need are Steve’s words and music, and our cast. They speak, or rather sing, for themselves,“ Mackintosh explained to Deadline before the star-studded event began at London’s Stephen Sondheim Theatre.

Worked like a treat. Thirty minutes saved, because Old Friends wasn’t lumbered with a host.

In any case, no one needed to introduce actress Julia McKenzie when she walked onto the stage, for it was she who, with Mackintosh producing, was part of an ensemble that super-spread Sondheim in the West End over four decades ago with a revue entitled Side By Side by Sondheim.

She’s one of the composer and lyricist’s foremost interpreters.

All eyes were on Judi Dench.

The legendary actress was seated stage right, performing one of Stephen Sondheim’s greatest hits. The sound of her voice, accompanied by a 25-piece orchestra led by Alfonso Casado Trigo, held a hushed audience in awe.

There was spontaneous applause. The great dame was led off stage. She reappeared moments later to perform the number again.

“Goosebumps,” said Cameron Mackintosh, echoing the thoughts of those lucky enough to be gathered in the stalls of London’s Stephen Sondheim Theatre for several hours Monday, for a long day and night of technical technical rehearsal for Tuesday night’s celebration of Sondheim, a giant of theatre, who died last November at age 91.

Tuesday’s one-night-only show is called Old Friends, named after a number in the composer’s 1981 musical comedy Merrily We Roll Along. Mackintosh has been putting Old Friends together with Matthew Bourne and Maria Friedman staging,...

Today in 2002, Oklahoma opened at the Gershwin Theatre, where it ran for 388 performances. Oklahoma is the first musical written by the team of composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance with farm girl Laurey Williams. The original Broadway production opened on March 31, 1943. The 2002 revival featured Josefina Gabrielle as Laurey, Shuler Hensley as Jud, Patrick Wilson as Curly and Andrea Martin as Aunt Eller.

Today in 2002, Oklahoma opened at the Gershwin Theatre, where it ran for 388 performances. Oklahoma is the first musical written by the team of composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance with farm girl Laurey Williams. The original Broadway production opened on March 31, 1943. The 2002 revival featured Josefina Gabrielle as Laurey, Shuler Hensley as Jud, Patrick Wilson as Curly and Andrea Martin as Aunt Eller.

An ecstatic Hugh Jackman enjoyed a long overdue reunion with Maureen Lipman in London last night (July 7), 15 years after the pair originally shared the stage in the capital.

Jackman, currently sporting a shaved head, a black beard and moustache for his upcoming role of Blackbeard in Pan, was supporting former co-star Lipman at the press night for her new play Daytona at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.

The play is set in New York in 1986, and follows bickering, ballroom-dancing couple Elli (Lipman) and Joe (played by Harry Shearer - arguably best known for providing the voice for the many different characters in The Simpsons) whose lives change upon the re-emergence of long-lost brother Billy.

The pair looked thrilled to see each other again and hugged and laughed together as they posed backstage. Jackman later took to Twitter and enthused: "Just saw my great friend, the brilliant actor, Maureen Lipman in Daytona.

Today in 2002, Oklahoma opened at the Gershwin Theatre, where it ran for 388 performances. Oklahoma is the first musical written by the team of composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance with farm girl Laurey Williams. The original Broadway production opened on March 31, 1943. The 2002 revival featured Josefina Gabrielle as Laurey, Shuler Hensley as Jud, Patrick Wilson as Curly and Andrea Martin as Aunt Eller.

One of the reliefs of moviegoing is that you only have a one in a million chance of being in a theater with Madonna. But another is that if you’re a rabid stage fan and happen to constantly miss all the great stuff being produced in the U.K., Fathom Events is giving viewers a chance to see some of their most acclaimed works in a comfy movie house for only a fraction of the price, and the West End’s celebrated revival of the 1981 Stephen Sondheim/George Furth musical Merrily We Roll Along will be rollin’ along to about 460 U.

Today in 2002, Oklahoma opened at the Gershwin Theatre, where it ran for 388 performances. Oklahoma is the first musical written by the team of composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance with farm girl Laurey Williams. The original Broadway production opened on March 31, 1943. The 2002 revival featured Josefina Gabrielle as Laurey, Shuler Hensley as Jud, Patrick Wilson as Curly and Andrea Martin as Aunt Eller.

The classic (and first) Rodgers & Hammerstein musical Oklahoma! gets a Blu-ray release. This Royal National Theatre production features Hugh Jackman in the lead and director Trevor Nunn at the helm. After finishing their run on the London stage, the cast filmed the musical in a large soundstage made to resemble their staging.

Jackman plays the cowboy Curly who is in love with farm girl Laurey (Josefina Gabrielle), but their immature flirtation leads her to accept an invitation to the big social dance by creepy Jud (Shuler Hensley—who won an Olivier Award for this role). While Laurey's romantic drama plays out, Ado Annie (Vicki Simon) has her own relationship dilemma. She's torn between Persian peddler Ali Hakim (Peter Polycarpou) and her original sweetheart Will (Jimmy Johnston). With the help of Laurey's Aunt Eller (Maureen Lipman), the girls navigate the courtship rituals of frontier life.

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Blu-ray Release Date: Dec. 4, 2012

Price: Blu-ray $29.98

Studio: Image

The 1999 West End revival of the beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma! took London by storm…and catapulted the young Australian actor Hugh Jackman (Real Steel) to international stardom.

Oklahoma! forever changed the the concept of the stage musical, a particularly American art form. Not only did it provide some of the greatest show tunes ever written, including “Oklahoma!,” “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’,” “People Will Say We’re in Love,” and “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top,” but the musical numbers were written to move the story’s narrative forward as well. And Agnes de Mille’s breathtaking original choreography was something Broadway theatregoers had never seen before.

Directed by Trevor Nunn and choreographed by Susan Strohman, the 1999 film of the West End production of Oklahoma! Also stars Josefina Gabrielle, Maureen Lipman, Jimmy Johnson and Vicki Simon.

Image previously released a DVD edition of Oklahoma!

Today in 2002, Oklahoma opened at the Gershwin Theatre, where it ran for 388 performances. Oklahoma is the first musical written by the team of composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance with farm girl Laurey Williams. The original Broadway production opened on March 31, 1943. The 2002 revival featured Josefina Gabrielle as Laurey, Shuler Hensley as Jud, Patrick Wilson as Curly and Andrea Martin as Aunt Eller.

Kim Cattrall has been nominated for a coveted theater award. The "Sex and the City" star's turn as Amanda in "Private Lives" sees her considered for the Best Actress in a Play prize at the 11th Whatsonstage.com Awards.

She will face competition from "End of the Rainbow" star Tracie Bennett, Helen McCrory for her role in "The Late Middle Classes", "Ruined" star Jenny Jules, Nancy Carroll from "After the Dance" and "All My Sons" actress Zoe Wanamaker.

The Best Actor in a Play award will be contested by Benedict Cumberbatch from "After the Dance", Kim's "Private Lives" co-star Matthew Mcfadyen, "Hamlet" and "Measure For Measure" star Rory Kinnear, "Deathtrap" and "London Assurance" actor Simon Russell Beale, "The Real Thing"'s Toby Stephens and "All My Sons" star David Suchet.

"All My Sons" received more nominations than any other production, being considered for accolades in six different categories. The most...