The world is thrilled by all the superheroes flying around these days! If they’re not talking about The Avengers movie, setting all sorts of national and international records, they’re talking about The Dark Knight Rises, the last installment of the ingenious, crime drama take on the Batman mythos. And while Joss Whedon (of Buffy fame, who also directed The Avengers) and Christopher Nolan are the two biggest names in comic book movies right now, the two biggest superhero names in comics are Spider-Man and Batman.

And they are both on the stage! Spider-Man has been reimagined as a rock musical with music and lyrics by Bono and The Edge of U2. The musical is precisely what you’d think–a production based on the comic book mythology as well as the popular trilogy starring Tobey Maguire. The production is downright notorious in fact, since there have been so many problems with it, mostly because of the many visual effects the show calls for. Yes, Spider-Man actually swings around the stage in some very intense combat scenes. There are no camera tricks when it’s live!

Batman is also getting into the Broadway scene with Batman: Live, a special effects laden circus of a comic book show, of interest to children and adults. The show started touring in the UK, and is making its rounds in America for the summer of 2012. Unlike the dark and cerebral movies, this production focuses on the fun elements of Batman, and so delves more into the subplot of Batman’s relationship with Robin. Along the way, viewers also see evil Arkham villains like the Joker, the Riddler, Penguin and Harley Quinn.

Think superheroes are too gay for Broadway? (Or is it the other way around?) Actually, superheroes in general are much more gay-friendly than you might anticipate. While Marvel Comics is busy celebrating the gay marriage of Northstar, the first openly gay X-men and superhero in American comic books, DC has been busy announcing a “coming out” issue, which will detail one major superhero character being reimagined as a gay or lesbian character. Speculation has centered on Wonder Woman, Batman, Green Lantern and Superman as the most likely to be outed.

Regardless, superheroes are certainly dominating entertainment headlines these days, from print to movies to music and stage productions!

The Sound of Music may well hold the honor of being the “greatest” Hollywood musical of all time–if for no other reason, than the fact that it homaged another musical that could arguably be called the greatest modern musical in Moulin Rouge. And as much as you would like to credit the brilliant film Cabaret (like Bob Fosse) with being the first to combine epic tragedy and musical comedy, you would be discounting the monumental achievement of The Sound of Music–among the first mainstream movies to tackle the subject matter of Nazi politics.

While it’s no longer shocking to see a cartoon making light of the Nazi regime, back in the 1960s (when the memories were still fresh) it was a very bold decision. The 1965 film was actually based on the musical from 1959. The musical stage play, written by Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, Russel Crouse and Howard Lindsay, was actually based on the memoir of real life matriarch Maria von Trapp.

The first stage play opened on November 16, 1959 and starred Mary Martin and Theodore Bikel. Even back in the late 1950s, reviews were stellar. Reviews stated that the show had a “strangely gentle charm” and “an unpretentious simplicity.” And of course, even way back when, it was criticized for being “too sweet for words, too sweet for music”, in the opinion of Walter Kerr of The New York Herald Tribune.

And there is that one little trifle about the ending. Did the real life von Trapp family hike over the Alps and escape to Switzerland? According to Maria von Trapp’s memoir, they actually walked to the local train station and escaped to Italy, then London and then the United States. But you can’t fault the producers for wanting to showcase those beautiful green hills now, can you?

And how’s this for interesting news? Andrew Lloyd Webber has expressed interest in writing a sequel to the film. In fact, he was heavy at work on it until an opportunity came to create a Phantom sequel. Now, we wait…

Come experience The Sound of Music and be delighted by this “too sweet” musical once again!

In 2006, a little independent Irish musical film took the screens by storm. One of the truly impressive feats of the picture Once was that all of the catchy songs were actually written by the stars, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, who then performed them all in the film. The film went on to win the Academy Award for original song in 2007, and the entire soundtrack received a Grammy nomination. For those who love the film there is some major news sure to make your day: you can now hear all your favorite songs live and in person at the Once show on Broadway!

The Broadway show began at the Bernard B. Jacobs theatre in March of this year, and has been getting some rave reviews, with 11 Tony Award nominations! You read that right, on May 1, 2012 the musical was nominated for a total of 11 awards, more than any other play or musical, with the closest being 9 nods for Peter and the Starcatcher as well as 9 nominations for The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess musical. Of the 11 nominations for Once, Best Musical, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress were all areas the musical was nominated in. Just how many awards will the musical actually win? You’ll have to catch the Tony Awards on CBS on June 10, 2012 to find out.

Seeing a musical on Broadway is an experience everyone should have at least “Once”! This musical with its catchy songs like “Falling Slowly”, “When Your Mind’s Made Up” and “Fallen From The Sky” is certainly an amazing show to see live. Of course, as much as we all would love to hop a plan and jet to New York to catch the show, it isn’t always possible. Cheer up fans! News has just hit the web that a national tour of the musical will begin in summer of 2013! No tour stops have been announced just yet, but news is sure to follow as we get closer to that date.

For those lucky enough to make it to New York Once is not to be missed. For fans elsewhere around the country, keep your eyes open for dates and times for the summer 2013 tour.

Charlie Chaplin may be remembered as one of the most iconic silent film stars of all time, and his slapstick comedy provided the inspiration for gads of goofiness that still goes on today. But life wasn’t always a ball of chuckles for Charlie, and now there’s a Broadway show that depicts what it was like to be Charlie Chaplin.

The show will come from La Jolla Playhouse where it began its initial run almost two years ago under the name Limelight: The Story of Charlie Chaplin; and it will begin previewing at the Barrymore Theater on Broadway on August 21, 2012 with an official opening booked for September 10.

The production crew includes director and choreographer, Warren Carlyle, who also worked on the La Jolla production; and it was written by composer, lyricist and writer, Christopher Curtis; and co-writer Thomas Meehan, who also has the credits of Hairspray and Annie behind his name. Producers Bob and Mindy Rich from Rich Entertainment Group will be producing the Broadway production, who are also producing the Broadway shows currently running, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Leap of Faith. There is no word on whether the cast from La Jolla will be taking part in the Broadway production.

While most know Charlie Chaplin for his comedic dance routines and his goofball idiosyncrasies, there was a lot behind the silence of the screen. This play will do a wonderful job of depicting just how much there was to Charlie Chaplin behind those silly routines, and is sure to get the rave reviews it received at La Jolla.

There has been perhaps no Broadway production that has undergone as many changes as the highly-anticipated, $12 million production Broadway showing of Flashdance. First it was set to open in New York this fall, after having a “pre-Broadway” tryout in Toronto. Now all that has changed and instead the summer will be used as a creative workshop, Toronto will be included as part of a North American tour, and Flashdance will finally land on Broadway in the fall of 2013.

Many rumors have flown about concerning what the holdup has been with the show, but fuel was added to the fire after Leap of Faith, produced by the same Marc Routh that’s producing Flashdance, is going to close out on Broadway this weekend with a $14 million loss. But, Routh says, the delay in the production has been due to theater constraints and the fact that the play needed more creative work; not the fact that the producers have run into money problems.

It was that creative work that prompted the workshop in Toronto this summer, rather than running the show as planned. Not wanting to leave Torontonians out, and seeing an opportunity to give the show even more exposure, a North American tour was planned, although dates have not yet been officially announced. It’s also at that Toronto workshop that producers will present the show to more investors, trying to collect the small remainder of the $12 million that’s needed to put on the show.

While most Broadway theaters are already booked for this coming fall, Routh is hopeful that after many of them close after the Christmas holidays as they typically do, Flashdance will have many options.