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[ STARS ] Ragtime Harmony; Encores! Season Opener: Girl Crazy; Kudisch/Denman Home for the Holidays; What Next for Rob Marshall?; Oscars Going MTV Route; Tennessee Williams Symposium/Film Retrospective; Remembering Johnny Mercer; Idiots Return by Ellis Nassour

Posted by Tim Dunleavy at 10:39 AM | Item Link

[ TM ] Jim Brochu: The Pope and the Showgirl—and Zero

When Jim Brochu was 13, his goal was to be the first Brooklyn-born Pope. "Then," he says, "my father took me to see Gypsy, and afterward, we went back to see Merman, When she asked me, 'What are you going to be when you grow up?' I said, 'A showgirl.'" Well, that didn't quite happen, but now he's playing Zero Mostel in Zero Hour, the one-man show he's also written.

[ S ] A Moon To Dance By arrives in New Brunswick

It's happened many times in their 34-year marriage. Jane Alexander gets a tap on the shoulder from her husband, Edwin Sherin, who has a script in his hands. "Would you read this and give me an opinion on whether or not I should direct?" he asks. This time, the play was A Moon To Dance By, by Thom Thomas. And though Alexander and Sherin will open it at the George Street Playhouse this Friday, she's still a little surprised that she's in it.

[ NYP ] Flop-Secret

The latest trend in New York theater: reviving the biggest flops of all time. As The Post reported, producers Kevin McCollum and Jeffrey Seller are resurrecting Carrie. The other famous flop that's coming back is Paul Simon's The Capeman, which lost $11 million on Broadway in 1998.

[ NYT ] Beyond Electricity, Toward Female Emancipation, by Charles Isherwood

Alert the authorities. Shocking sexual acts are taking place in In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play, an inspired new comedy by Sarah Ruhl.

[ NYP ] Only Good Vibrations, by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Sarah Ruhl presents something a lot more intimate and a lot more daring: women's discovery of their own bodies and their own pleasure. It may be the first time we've seen characters repeatedly reach orgasm on a mainstream stage—in a Lincoln Center Theater production, no less—and it happens in a play that's smart, delicate and very, very funny.

[ DN ] Good buzz loses its charge, by Joe Dziemianowicz

After seeing Ruhl's previous works Dead Man's Cell Phone, Eurydice, and The Clean House, one expects an element of fantasy. She ends with one as she suggests an answer to the show's central question: To be seen, you have to really see what's around you. Sweet. But it's too lite to be illuminating.

[ ND ] Picking Up Good Vibrations In the Next Room, by Linda Winer

In the Next Room or the vibrator play is a great big idea with a mildly amusing play tacked onto it. The comedy is more substantial and less self-consciously whimsical than the three previous Sarah Ruhl plays that also have been luxuriously produced in New York in the past three years. But I still wish I understood the appeal.

[ TONY ] Reviewed by David Cote

Ruhl's subject is rich with comic possibilities, many of which, I'm glad to report, she elegantly and thoughtfully teases out. More, she doesn't just point at historical ignorance and cackle, but probes sympathetically, to portray a marriage warped by shame and secrecy, in which scientific ritual occludes common sense and instinct.

[ NYM ] The Story of Oh!, by Scott Brown & Stephanie Zacharek

In the Next Room or the vibrator play is pure pleasure. Plus: The strains of Ragtime.

[ WSJ ] Reviewed by Terry Teachout

Sarah Ruhl writes retchingly coy plays that pretend to be transgressive—a sure-fire recipe for success of a sort. In the Next Room or the vibrator play (trendy capitalization and punctuation by Ms. Ruhl, not me) is an all-too-typical example of her method.

[ USA ] In the Next Room will elicit paroxysms of mirth, sadness, by Elysa Gardner

Sarah Ruhl's In the Next Room or the vibrator play, which opened Thursday at the Lyceum Theatre, is set in the 1880s outside New York City, in the home of an impeccably gracious physician who has grown fond of the aforementioned gadget—as a therapeutic device. He uses it on hysterics, as emotionally disturbed women were known in that era, to produce healing, um, "paroxysms."

[ AP ] Electricity adds spark In the Next Room, by Michael Kuchwara

This provocative, often quite funny play, which Lincoln Center Theater opened Thursday at Broadway's Lyceum Theatre, is Ruhl's most entertaining work to date.

[ BLOOM ] Ruhl's Flighty Vibrator Play Lives Up to the Buzz, by John Simon

Wonders will never cease. Sarah Ruhl, whose previous work I execrated, has now written a smart, charming, iridescently funny-serious jewel.

[ BS ] Reviewed by David Sheward

Farce and drama blend in Sarah Ruhl's odd but endearing new work, In the Next Room or the vibrator play. This is the type of play no commercial producer in his or her right mind would ever mount on the Main Stem, but Lincoln Center Theater is presenting it at the Lyceum because South Pacific continues to run at the Vivian Beaumont. It's challenging and strange and addresses the uncomfortable issue of women's sexuality. Conventional Broadway audiences won't know what to make of it.

[ V ] Reviewed by David Rooney

Victorian repression gets a rude poke in Sarah Ruhl's typically idiosyncratic rumination on women's struggle to understand and explore their sexual selves, In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play. While the signature 19th century ailment being treated is "hysteria," the chief weakness is the bipolar disorder of the inconsistent second act, which shifts uncertainly between serious developments and the more farcical business of romantic cross-currents. But there are so many lingering moments of emotional truth, and even more of daring comedy, that the play amuses and charms even if it doesn't quite satisfy.

[ OOB ] Reviewed by Matt Windman

In the Next Room or the vibrator play, Sarah Ruhl's first play on Broadway following several major Off-Broadway mountings, is raw, fascinating and madly entertaining.

[ TM ] Reviewed by David Finkle

Sarah Ruhl's new comedy about the treatment of hysteria is genuinely hysterical.

[ HR ] Reviewed by Frank Scheck

Although it would seem to hold the promise of being an extended dirty joke, Sarah Ruhl's In the Next Room or the vibrator play actually is a surprisingly funny and sensitive portrait of the eternal disconnect between men and women.

[ EW ] Reviewed by Thom Geier

The plotline of In the Next Room, which just opened on Broadway, is not nearly as ribald as you might expect. That restraint is almost a shame, because Ruhl's play could have benefited from a broader, farcical touch. As it stands, In the Next Room occasionally seems like a barely dramatized version of a college lecture about the treatment of women in the 19th century (both medically and otherwise). Too often, the characters seem like types, stand-ins for some period point of view, rather than flesh-and-blood individuals.

[ NJNR ] New Broadway comedy explores Victorian sex lives, by Michael Sommers

A frisky new comedy equally naughty and nice in contents, In the Next Room or the vibrator play is Sarah Ruhl's thoughtful consideration of sex and the Victorian woman.

[ NJ ] Stimulating Comedy, by Robert Feldberg

Can I persuade you that a play that centers on the invention of the vibrator is warm, romantic and affecting, in addition to being very funny?

[ NYT ] Heart of a Small Town, Vast in Its Loneliness, by Ben Brantley

The first part of Horton Foote's Orphans' Home Cycle is a thrilling demonstration of an artist soaring into the realm of the epic.

[ WSJ ] Reviewed by Terry Teachout

Would that Foote could have lived to attend the New York opening of the first part of The Orphans' Home Cycle, co-produced by Signature and Connecticut's Hartford Stage, where all three installments were seen earlier this year. It will, I suspect, be remembered as the most significant theatrical event of the season, the kind of show you tell your grandchildren you saw.

[ TONY ] Reviewed by David Cote

Foote's understated epic is an authentic American classic about the birth pangs of the 20th century. It's told with humor, deep sadness and great writerly craft. I can't wait to see what happens next.

[ AP ] Horton Foote chronicles a man's search for family, by Michael Kuchwara

If Part 1 of The Orphans' Home Cycle is any indication, we are in for a remarkable journey.

[ BS ] Reviewed by Erik Haagensen

From the moment the redoubtable Pamela Payton-Wright settles into her train seat and, as an enthusiastic elderly Southern Baptist, engages the young male stranger seated before her with ladylike aggression, you know you are in the best of hands. By the time director Michael Wilson's bone-deep production of the first part of Horton Foote's The Orphans' Home Cycle is over, nearly three hours have passed in the blink of an eye. I wanted the second part to begin immediately.

[ TM ] Reviewed by Dan Bacalzo

Signature Theatre Company's production of Horton Foote's nine-play, three-part opus gets off to an excellent start.

[ EW ] Reviewed by Melissa Rose Bernardo

Happiness is illusory and joy fleeting, but there's much melancholy beauty to be found in the first third of the late Horton Foote's nine-play Orphans' Home Cycle at Off Broadway's Signature Theatre Company.

[ NJ ] A heartbreaking story from Horton Foote, by Robert Feldberg

Posted by Matthew Murray at 10:11 AM | Item Link

[ TM ] Josh Hamilton, Marin Ireland, Maggie Siff, et al. Set for New Group's A Lie of the Mind

[ P ] Hamilton, Ireland, O'Connell, Nivola, Siff and Whaley Cast in A Lie of the Mind Off-Broadway

[ P ] Dullea to Head Cast of I Never Sang for My Father Off-Broadway

[ TM ] Tarell Alvin McCraney's Brother/Sister Plays Extends at Public Theater Through December 20

[ P ] McCraney's The Brother/Sister Plays Extend at the Public

[ B ] The Brother/Sister Plays Extend at the Public Theater

[ TM ] Lady With All the Answers, Starring Judith Ivey, Extends Through December 20

[ B ] The Lady with All the Answers, Starring Judith Ivey, Extends Off-Broadway

[ TM ] Jeff McCarthy to Play Sweeney Todd for Barrington Stage

[ P ] Jeff McCarthy to Star in Barrington's Sweeney Todd

[ TM ] Simon Burke to Replace Burke Moses in Toronto Sound of Music

[ B ] East Village Opera Company Plans Mash-Up Version of The Sound of Music

[ TM ] Prospect Theater Company Announces Cast for Peter Mills and Cara Reichel's Evergreen

[ BS ] Knight Music By Les Spindle

T.R. Knight and other well-known actors take the daring plunge into musical theater.

[ BS ] Prime Time By Jenelle Riley

Back Stage recently sat down with four actors who have carved indelible characters on television: some over the course of several seasons, some in just a handful of episodes.

[ NYT ] ArtsBeat
'The Sound of Music' Turns 50 By ERIK PIEPENBURG

[ B ] Glee-Cap: Ep. 10: Hot for Teacher

[ TM ] PHOTOFLASH: Lucy DeVito, Katie Finneran, Capathia Jenkins, Rhea Perlman and Rita Wilson Join Love, Loss and What I Wore

[ TM ] PHOTOFLASH: Christina Ricci and Sigourney Weaver Honor Ang Lee and James Schamus

[ P ] PHOTO CALL: Equivocation at Geffen Playhouse in L.A.

[ P ] PHOTO CALL: The Acting Company's Shakespearean Masquerade Benefit

[ V ] My Wonderful Day
Review By MARILYN STASIO

Are all 8-year-olds as terrifyingly alert to their elders' childish behavior as the little girl in Alan Ayckbourn's achingly funny new play, "My Wonderful Day?" Possibly. But it's hard to imagine a more hilarious or endearing performance of such a child than the one given by 28-year-old Ayesha Antoine in this sublime production, directed by the playwright.

[ CU ] Elyse Sommer on Ragtime

The restaged musical adaptation of E. L. Doctorow's novel is better than ever!

[ P ] Curtains Up for a Cure Concert to Feature Kimball, Murney, Von Essen, Champlin and More

[ TM ] Elizabeth Marvel to Star in PBS' Louisa May Alcott Film Biography

[ TM ] Judy Gold, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Mary Testa, et al. Set for Lea Delaria's Holiday Ho-Ho-Ho-Down

[ TM ] Rosie Benton, Jason Dirden, Nikkole Salter, et al. Set for Arena Stage's Stick Fly

[ TM ] Lynn Nottage's Ruined, Daniel Breaker in A Doctor in Spite of Himself Part of Intiman's 2010 Season

[ P ] White Plains Holiday Concert to Feature Moore, Earley, Larsen, Wyman and More

[ TM ] Jackie Mason Set for December 9 Performance at Comix

[ TM ] Ruth Katz, Elizabeth Streb, Sally Jenkins to Join Anna Deavere Smith for Let Me Down Easy Talkback

[ TM ] Lincoln Center's David Rubinstein Atrium to Present Target Free Thursdays Performances

[ TM ] Liz Callaway, Charles Strouse, Michael Winther, et al. Set for Kaufman Center Benefit

[ TM ] Loretta Devine to Play Upright Cabaret in December

[ P ] Reduced Shakespeare Company's Completely Hollywood (abridged) to Play Kennedy Center in Summer 2010

[ P ] First Three Plays of Foote's Orphans' Home Cycle Open Off-Broadway Nov. 19

[ P ] Dinner With Rapp and Pascal? Rent Tour Begins Auction for BC/EFA

[ P ] Wallflower Sessions Concert to Feature Thompson, Greer, Weiss, Daniel and Mindelle

[ P ] Cleale Joins Feldshuh, MacRae and Shew for Boynton Beach Club Readings

[ P ] Sharon Gless, Stephen Macht to Star in Round-Heeled Woman World Premiere

[ P ] Broadway Can! to Feature Carvajal, Kelso, Moriber, Rice, Rockwell, Shuford and More

[ P ] Shubert Organization Confirms Development Agreement with Producers Cole and Zollo

[ TM ] Shubert Organization to Partner with Producers Robert Cole and Frederick Zollo

[ TM ] Baayork Lee to Direct and Choreograph Flower Drum Song

Posted by Tim Dunleavy at 4:05 PM | Item Link

[ NYT ] Shubert Reaches a Deal With Two Stage Producers By PATRICK HEALY

The powerful Shubert Organization has struck a new business deal with two theater producers that may lead to greater competition among other producers.

[ P ] Shubert Organization, Zollo and Cole Partner to Develop Shows

[ P ] A Tale of Two Cities Returns as PBS Concert, DVD and CD; Barbour, Burkhardt, Toro, Earley Are Back

[ TM ] Tale of Two Cities Concert to Be Broadcast on PBS Beginning November 26

[ P ] Tharp's Sinatra-Themed Come Fly With Me Aiming for Broadway in 2010

[ LAT ] Composers and lyricists make pitch to join Teamsters By Richard Verrier

Seeing demand for movie and TV music growing and take-home pay shrinking, about half of a group of 400 sign up to band together with an unlikely ally.

[ B ] Katie Finneran to Fill In for Ailing Kristin Chenoweth in Love, Loss and What I Wore

[ TM ] Kristin Chenoweth to Delay Joining Love, Loss, and What I Wore Due to Illness

[ TM ] Reba McEntire, Casts of West Side Story, Ragtime, Dreamgirls Set for CBS' Thanksgiving Day Parade Broadcast

[ P ] West Side Story, Ragtime and Dreamgirls to Sing for CBS on Thanksgiving

[ CT ] Baayork Lee to direct 'Flower Drum Song' in Chicago next summer by Chris Jones

[ V ] 15 docs on Oscar shortlist

List will be whittled to five nominations

[ TM ] Obie Winner Jerome Eskow Dies at 84

[ IBDB ] Jerome Eskow's Broadway Credits

[ TB ] On the Town
Review by Tim Dunleavy

This is an exuberant production that is sure to surprise and delight, even if you think you know the show.

[ WSJ ] This Broadway Baby Is Now 95 By WILL FRIEDWALD

For Eunice Healy, this weekend's revival of "Girl Crazy" will recall her own time dancing on stage, in the original 1930 cast with Ethel Merman and Ginger Rogers, conducted by George Gershwin.

[ TDF ] Two (or Three, or Six) Designers Are Better Than One By MARK BLANKENSHIP

The Wingspace collective puts a new spin on design

[ JSTGY ] Quick Q&A: John Treacy Egan by Patrick Lee

[ HC ] Hartford Stage's "Orphans' Home Cycle:" How Did It Do? By Frank Rizzo

[ ND ] Horton Foote, Tarell Alvin McCraney tell family stories By LINDA WINER

[ NY ] Michael Cerveris Worries All Day While Wearing Someone Else's Hair

[ P ] PLAYBILL.COM'S BRIEF ENCOUNTER With Michael Cerveris

With his latest assignment, Michael Cerveris continues to be arguably the most versatile leading man on Broadway.

[ USA ] Michael Cerveris of 'Fringe' relishes role of the Observer By Gary Levin

[ USA ] Mercado: Too Broadway for 'Idol,' perfect for 'Dreamgirls' By Kristin McGrath

[ B ] Speaking in Tongues' Ian Hart on Disliking Theater, Hollywood Honesty and the Impact of Harry Potter

[ TM ] Michael Sheen Is A New Man By: Ann Lieber

The popular stage and film star takes on the role of a vampire leader in The Twilight Saga: New Moon.

[ LAT ] Culture Monster
Daniel Day-Lewis says he avoided dancing in 'Nine' by David Ng

[ TONY ] Nine's new look by Adam Feldman

[ B ] Watch It: Dancing with the Stars Previews 'Be Italian' from Nine

[ OCR ] Duncan Sheik's 'Spring Awakening' comes to O.C. By RICHARD CHANG

Thanks to John_Patti on All That Chat for the link.

[ BBC ] Front Row

Alan Bennett interview on BBC Radio.

[ P ] Playblog: Broderick & Lonergan: Fortysomething Messengers

[ B ] Videos: The WaMu Welcomes the Wintry Wonderland of Wintuk

[ TM ] PHOTOFLASH: Christine Lahti, Annie Potts, Jimmy Smits, Ken Stott Join Broadway's God of Carnage

[ B ] Photo Op: The New Stars of God of Carnage Take the Stage

[ P ] PHOTO CALL: Chicago Celebrates 13 Years on Broadway

[ P ] PHOTO CALL: Post No Bills at Off-Broadway's Rattlestick Playwrights Theater

[ P ] PHOTO CALL: On the Town at Paper Mill Playhouse

[ TONY ] Q&A: Sir Alan Ayckbourn by David Cote

[ NYT ] Video: "My Wonderful Day"

[ WSJ ] Ayckbourn Stages Ayckbourn

Brits Off Broadway has brought the popular playwright's own production of 'My Wonderful Day' to New York. It's a textbook example of how to effectively stage a comedy, says Terry Teachout.

Plus "On the Town" ("better than any musical now playing on Broadway, 'South Pacific' included") and "Ragtime."

[ NYT ] Quiet, Innocent Child, Always on the Watch By BEN BRANTLEY

A compellingly still center lurks within the farcical storm of "My Wonderful Day," the charming, rueful new comedy written and directed by Alan Ayckbourn.

[ TM ] My Wonderful Day
Reviewed by: David Finkle

Alan Ayckbourn's new bittersweet comedy is among his best and most touching plays.

[ AP ] Review: Ayckbourn's new play enlivened by a child By JENNIFER FARRAR

Ayckbourn wrote and directs this witty, thoughtful farce, which includes the original British cast from the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Yorkshire, England.

[ NYP ] Sunny end to initially uneventful 'Day' By ELISABETH VINCENTELLI (** 1/2)

[ TM ] PHOTOFLASH: Paula Abdul Attends Radio City Christmas Spectacular Opening

[ B ] Photo Op: Dreams Come True as Charities Help Kick Off The Radio City Christmas Spectacular

[ TM ] The Radio City Christmas Spectacular
Reviewed by: Brian Scott Lipton

The annual holiday favorite starring the Rockettes continues to live up to its name.

[ P ] PHOTO CALL: Mary Poppins Flies into Los Angeles

[ OCR ] 'Mary Poppins' brings some of film's magic to the stage By PAUL HODGINS

[ CU ] Show Boat

Can't help lovin' those songs in the Signature Theatre's revival.

[ MW ] Show Time by Tom Avila

Signature's revival of Show Boat avoids choppy waters in bringing a Broadway classic to an Arlington port

[ DCTS ] Show Boat at Arlington, VA's Signature Theatre
Review by Hunter Styles

[ TB ] Show Boat
Review by Susan Berlin

[ WP ] Signature's 'Show Boat'? Too often, it just keeps roilin' along By Peter Marks

Signature Theatre set out to solve problems in its revival of the inherently difficult "Show Boat," and in the process coughed up some new ones. Sapped of its vivacious epic strength, starved for any trace of the flavors of its evocative locales, the musical now comes across as wan and bloodless -- a boat in dry dock.

[ BS ] Circumcise Me - Reviewed by MARK PEIKERT

Oy vey. This one-man show about converting to Judaism suffers from an orthodox sense of humor.

[ TE ] Review of The Big Bupkis (off-Broadway) by Richmond Shepard

[ CU ] What We Once Felt - Review by Simon Saltzman

With tickets at $20, this is a great way to not only discover a new and talented writer but also a play that covers new and uncharted territory

[ CU ] Sholom Aleichem: Laughter Through Tears

Theodore Bikel's loving tribute at the Folksbiene

[ DCTS ] Nightingale and Finian's Rainbow

Broadway's own Richard Seff reviews Lynn Redgrave's monologue on her grandmother, and the astonishing, tuneful revival of Finian's Rainbow

[ TB ] November, Mrs. Whitney and Destry Rides Again
San Francisco Reviews by Richard Connema

[ NYP ] Engine still set at 'Idol' By FRANK SCHECK

They've been all over Broadway, so it's no surprise to find "American Idol" alumni doing cabaret. Exhibit A: Melinda Doolittle, a Season 6 finalist whose elimination was one of the show's more egregious verdicts, just opened at Feinstein's.

[ TM ] Marc Kudisch, Jeffry Denman to Present The Holiday Guys at Gotham Comedy Club

[ P ] Kudisch and Denman Will Be The Holiday Guys in December

[ TM ] Victoria Clark to Join New York City Gay Mens Chorus for Holiday Concert

[ P ] Tale of Two Cities Star Barbour to Offer Holiday Concerts in New York and L.A.

[ P ] Steady Rain Adds Final Benefit Performance

[ B ] Jackman & Craig Schedule Benefit Closing Performance of A Steady Rain

[ TM ] A Steady Rain, with Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig, Adds December 6 Benefit Performance

[ P ] Krakowski's Live CD Due in Stores in March 2010; Will Return to Feinstein's, Too

[ TM ] Jane Krakowski's Live at Feinstein's at The Regency CD To Be Released March 23

[ TM ] The Civilians Return to Colorado Springs With This Beautiful City

[ P ] Civilians Musical This Beautiful City to Return to Colorado

[ TM ] Anne Bogart, Rebecca Gilman, Will Power, Doug Wright Set for Heart Is a Lonely Hunter Panel

[ P ] Gilman, Bogart, Power and Wright Set for Heart Is a Lonely Hunter Panel

[ TM ] Johnny Depp Named People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive

[ B ] The Beautiful Boys of Glee Make People's 'Sexiest Men Alive' List

[ P ] Ruehl and Chalfant to Be Part of Spalding Gray: Stories Left to Tell at Bay Street

[ P ] Esparza, Ziemba, Jenkins and Sperling Join 92nd Street Y's Lyrics & Lyricists Season

[ TM ] Judy Gold, Chad Kimball, Julia Murney, Meredith Patterson, et al. Set for Curtains Up For A Cure Fundraiser

[ TM ] Shakespeare's Globe Theatre's Love's Labour's Lost to End U.S. Tour in New York City

[ TM ] JoBeth Williams and Stephen Collins to Guest Star on ABC's Private Practice

[ TM ] Patricia Clarkson, Veanne Cox, Leslie Ayvazian to Join Nicky Silver for Vineyard Voices

[ TM ] Liza Minnelli, Michael Feinstein Set for Post-Screening Discussion of Liza's at the Palace at Paley Center

[ TM ] Donny Osmond, Kelly Osbourne, Mya Advance to Dancing With the Stars Finals

[ TM ] Trezana Beverley, Adam Gwon, Mark Nadler, et.al. Set for Urban Stages' Cabaret Nights for the Holidays

[ P ] Casting Complete for LATW's Crumbs from the Table of Joy

[ P ] Coolidge, Kind, Bart, Hensley, Testa and More Set for Reading of Secret Life of Cartoons

[ P ] Don't Quit Your Night Job to Feature Baldwin, Glover, Kind and More

[ P ] Circumcise Me, One-Man Comic Play About Identity, Opens Off-Broadway

[ P ] WTC View Reading to Feature Urie, Graynor, Tam and Macchio

[ P ] New Brent Barrett Holiday Recording Now Available for Digital Download

[ P ] NYMF Gala to Feature Groff, O'Hara and [title of show] Cast

[ P ] Johnston and Chlumsky Headline So Help Me God! Off-Broadway Nov. 18

[ P ] Brescia, Cates, Craig, Hurlbert, Moriber Set for Free Arts and Artists Concert

[ P ] CHART TOPPERS, Second Week of November

[ P ] Dylan Thomas Conjured by Wyn Davies in Do Not Go Gentle Off-Broadway

[ P ] Today in Theatre History: NOVEMBER 19

[ P ] Feeling Electric: In the Next Room or the vibrator play Opens on Broadway

[ P ] Mando Alvarado's Post No Bills World Premiere Opens Off-Broadway

[ P ] They've Got Rhythm: Gasteyer, Knight, Kudisch Lead Gershwin's Girl Crazy for Encores! Nov. 19-22

[ B ] Andrew Lloyd Webber Suffers Medical Setback After Cancer Surgery

[ P ] Andrew Lloyd Webber Hospitalized Again

[ TM ] Jennifer Hudson To Star in Film Biography of Winnie Mandela

[ TM ] 2010 Lucille Lortel Awards to Be Held May 2 at Terminal 5

Posted by Tim Dunleavy at 9:55 AM | Item Link

[ STARS ] Wonderful Town, by Michael Portantiere

The Paper Mill Playhouse has gifted us with an excellent production of On the Town, a challenging show that has defeated many other estimable artists.

Posted by Matthew Murray at 9:26 AM | Item Link

[ NYP ] Talking cure for B'way ills by Michael Riedel

[ 411 ] Scratch "Spider-Man" For Tonys 2010; Add "Ragtime" By: Roger Friedman

See it, buy tickets for it; this "Ragtime" is headed to next June's Tony Awards.
However: "Spider Man: Turn of the Dark" is not. I am told by insiders that it won't open before August.

[ MAIL ] Andrew Lloyd Webber's prostate cancer setback: Composer rushed to hospital with post-operative infection By Simon Cable

[ TM ] Dreamgirls Extends NYC Run at the Apollo Through December 12

[ P ] "Not Going" So Fast: Dreamgirls Extends by a Week at NYC's Apollo

[ B ] Dreamgirls Extends Run at the Apollo Theater

[ NJ ] NJPAC cancels second week of "The Color Purple" By Matthew Oshinsky

[ WP ] BACKSTAGE: The lights go dark at Catalyst Theater By Jane Horwitz

[ V ] Jennifer Hudson to star in 'Winnie'

Thesp to play former wife of Nelson Mandela

[ I ] Hard-hitting take on military life draws blood By Jeremy Miles and Chris Green

Actor retires hurt from Royal Shakespeare Company drama after stage fight gets out of hand

[ P ] Playblog: It's @ActuallyNPH; Harris Joins Twitter

[ TB ] Hunter Gatherers and Waiting for Godot
Reviews by Tim Dunleavy

Theatre Exile's Hunter Gatherers is rude, nasty, and not for the squeamish. It's also a whole lot of fun.

[ PW ] Waiting for Godot - Review By J. Cooper Robb

Amaryllis Theatre Company disappoints with its production of Samuel Beckett's classic.

[ TM ] Peter Filichia's Diary: Jersey Boys: Bigger Isn't Better

[ NJ ] Anything but 'Perfect': Bickford Theatre production swings and misses

[ G ] Romeo and Juliet - the care home version by Charlotte Higgins

Octogenarian versions of Shakespeare's lovers to feature in Bristol production

[ TIMES ] Will this black Cat on a Hot Tin Roof be lucky in London? by Lucy Powell

An all-black Cat on a Hot Tin Roof sold out on Broadway. Can it find the same success in the West End?

[ NYT ] Mother and Child Reunion Onstage By DAVE ITZKOFF

Rhea Perlman and Lucy DeVito are the first mother-daughter pair to join the rotating cast of the play "Love, Loss, and What I Wore."

[ NY ] Christine Lahti on Starting God of Carnage Anew, Following a Tony Winner

[ B ] First Person: Daniel Jenkins Asks an Old Pal to Describe His Love

[ TONY ] Q&A with Matthew Freeman by David Cote

[ NYP ] Elton better for bash By CINDY ADAMS

Nobody wanted anything to do with me. I asked the Food Network's Sandra Lee is she marrying Andrew Cuomo -- and she left me flat. I asked Daniel Craig how he relaxes after those tense scenes on Broadway, and he murmured: "Want a quote, I'll give you a f - - - ing quote" and said: "I drink a lot and take narcotics." He, too, then walked away.

[ B ] Videos: Share the Opening Night Excitement at Ragtime!

[ B ] First Look: Photos of Matthew Broderick & Co. in The Starry Messenger

[ B ] Photo Op: Matthew Broderick & Friends Celebrate the Arrival of The Starry Messenger

[ TONY ] Casting news: Unlikely heartthrob edition by Helen Shaw

[ NYT ] Slide Show

[ NYT ] Lives in the Bayou Tap All the Realism of Dreams By BEN BRANTLEY

Watching Tarell Alvin McCraney's "Brother/Sister Plays," you experience the excited wonder that comes from witnessing a new, authentically original vision.

[ TM ] The Brother/Sister Plays
Reviewed by: Dan Bacalzo

Tarell Alvin McCraney's trilogy is full of theatrical magic, poetic lyricism, and richly layered characterizations.

[ V ] The Brother/Sister Plays
Review By DAVID ROONEY

If there's an heir to the legacy of August Wilson, the gifted 29-year-old McCraney may be on his way to claiming that title.

[ DN ] 'In the Red Brown Water:' magic runs deep as realism & poetry flow in Southern-set drama by Joe Dziemianowicz (****)

[ YN ] Tarell Alvin McCraney examines Southern urban life By JENNIFER FARRAR, Associated Press

McCraney's poetic, crackling dialogue is conveyed in his distinctive style, where the actors speak their own stage direction, then perform it.

[ TB ] The Brother/Sister Plays
Review by Matthew Murray

On the basis of his two plays heretofore seen in New York, Tarrell Alvin McCraney could justly be considered a young playwright who's capable of anything. But with The Brother/Sister Plays, which just opened at The Public Theater, McCraney and his writing are proving that sustaining themselves over an extended evening are abilities that are currently just millimeters beyond their grasps.

[ VV ] Ragtime and The Brother/Sister Plays Spin Black American History into Folk Tales By Michael Feingold

[ CU ] Elyse Sommer on The Brother/Sister Plays

Tarell Alvin McCraney's unique style affords a director ample opportunity to create powerful stage images and for the actors to shine in multiple roles

[ NYP ] Fine cast upstages heavy-handed 'Plays' By ELISABETH VINCENTELLI (** 1/2)

[ BS ] The Brother/Sister Plays - Reviewed by ERIK HAAGENSEN

While there are definitely elements to admire here, there's also a good deal of overblown mythologizing combined with a paucity of convincing character writing.

[ STAGE ] Theatre on the front pages.... By Mark Shenton

[ G ] Editorial: In praise of... late Alan Bennett

Don't panic. Not the late Alan Bennett but late Alan Bennett - thankfully a different thing.

[ G ] Arts Diary: The Habit of Art lets actorly habits relax

Alan Bennett's new play-within-a-play has one specific advantage that actors ought to love, writes Charlotte Higgins

[ I ] Bennett the maestro returns with a multi-layered masterpiece by Paul Taylor (*****)

[ G ] The Habit of Art (****)

This is a multi-levelled work that deals with sex, death, creativity, biography and much else besides, says Michael Billington

[ T ] The Habit of Art at the National Theatre, review By Charles Spencer (****)

Age has failed to wither Alan Bennett's powers in the deeply and unexpectedly moving The Habit of Art at the National Theatre.

[ MAIL ] The habit of art: First night review By Quentin Letts

The Habit of Art has as many creamy layers as a Danish slice.

[ TIMES ] The Habit of Art at the Lyttleton, SE1 by Benedict Nightingale (***)

[ ES ] Alan Bennett is back in the habit with brilliant but flawed play By Henry Hitchings (***)

[ STAGE ] The Habit of Art - Review by Susan Elkin

[ BN ] Alan Bennett's Play 'Habit of Art' Is Tosh: Review by Warwick Thompson (*)

[ B ] Videos: The WaMu Welcomes the Wintry Wonderland of Wintuk

[ NYT ] Derring-Do Antics, All in Pursuit of Snow By KEN JAWOROWSKI

Action is everywhere in "Wintuk," the family-oriented holiday extravaganza from Cirque du Soleil. Emotion, however, is in somewhat shorter supply.

[ TM ] Show Boat
Reviewed by: Michael Toscano

Eric Schaefer's reinvention of the landmark 1927 musical is too streamlined for its own good.

[ NYT ] On the London Stage, a 'Little Voice' Grown Powerful By MATT WOLF

Jim Cartwright's "The Rise and Fall of Little Voice" tells of a teen familial face-off; and "Pains of Youth" presents a creepy image of pre-wartime doctor

[ V ] On the Town
Review By ROBERT L. DANIELS

With an appealing cast directed by Bill Berry and choreographed by Patti Colombo, the Golden Age musical hums with bounding energy and soars with Leonard Bernstein's exhilarating score in a revival far more satisfying than George C. Wolfe's production a decade ago.

[ BR ] Paper Mill's 'On the Town' captures the Apple's zest BY JIM BECKERMAN

[ BS ] Sholom Aleichem: Laughter Through Tears - Reviewed by GWEN OREL

Schmaltz, catharsis, nu? Theodore Bikel's "Sholom Aleichem: Laughter Through Tears" is a compelling homage from a compelling performer.

[ TM ] Sholom Aleichem: Laughter Through Tears
Reviewed by: Adam R. Perlman

Theodore Bikel's one-man show about the great Yiddish writer surprisingly lacks humor.

[ NYT ] Extending the Reach of a Great Yiddish Writer, Unto the Next Generation By RACHEL SALTZ

Theodore Bikel wrote and stars in this pleasantly nostalgic but meandering show about Sholom Aleichem, the great Yiddish writer.

[ BS ] Peter and the Wolf - Reviewed by LISA JO SAGOLLA

This delectable blend of live orchestral music and imaginative, fun-filled, contemporary choreography is propelled by narration dramatically delivered by Brian Blessed.

[ NYT ] Twice as Many Antics for the Duck, the Cat and the Wolf By JAMES R. OESTREICH

The London company In the Wings has developed a 30-minute "prequel" to Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf," with new music by Philip Feeney.

[ NYT ] Period Piece, Modern Issues: Dealing With Financial Woes By KEN JAWOROWSKI

The treasure hunters at the Actors Company Theater have unearthed another jewel with "The Late Christopher Bean."

[ NYT ] Plot Twists Staged by a Choreographer By ROSLYN SULCAS

There is not even a hint of staginess in Wendy Woodson's one-woman play "She Turned On the Light."

[ BN ] King Charles Threesome Sparks Play About Aphra Behn: John Simon

[ V ] Baby It's You
Review By JULIO MARTINEZ

"Baby It's You" has the legs to potentially make a successful trip to the Big Apple once it achieves a more symbiotic balance between music and storyline. The onstage talent is certainly in place.

[ V ] Mary Poppins
Review By PHIL GALLO

Broadway leads Ashley Brown and Gavin Lee deliver pert, perfectly tuned perfs, and every element that surrounds them -- the ensemble, Bob Crowley's tone-shifting sets and costumes, the powerhouse orchestra -- makes this one of the most satisfying road shows to hit an L.A. stage.

[ VV ] The Provincetown Playhouse Meets the Ontological in The Verge By Alexis Soloski

[ VV ] Brits Off Broadway Should Toss Red Sea Fish Back By Alexis Soloski

[ TB ] Sleep No More? How could I after what I just experienced? By Matthew Small

[ TM ] Power Chords By: Andy Propst

Reviews of Michael Feinstein and Cheyenne Jackson's The Power of Two, Glee soundtrack, Marcy & Zina: The Album and more.

[ DN ] Must-'Glee' TV: Why we sing its praises by David Hinckley

[ P ] Bryce Ryness, Tituss Burgess and Rebecca Naomi Jones Join Salvage Concert Reading

[ P ] Ayckbourn's My Wonderful Day, a Revealing Homework Assignment, Gets U.S. Premiere

[ P ] Vogel's A Civil War Christmas Opens at the Huntington Nov. 18

[ P ] A New Shakespeare "History Play" Emerges in Equivocation, With Groener & Spano in L.A.

[ P ] Oliver!, With Panaro, DiVita, Lawton, Opens in Philly

[ NYT ] Arts, Briefly: 'Hair' Extends From Broadway to London
Compiled by DAVE ITZKOFF

[ NYT ] Arts, Briefly: 'Oleanna' to Close
Compiled by DAVE ITZKOFF

[ TONY ] School's out: Oleanna to close January 3 by David Cote

[ NYT ] Arts, Briefly: Dates Set for Kander and Ebb's New Musical
Compiled by DAVE ITZKOFF

[ TONY ] Another new Kander and Ebb show? by Adam Feldman

[ P ] Michael Feinstein to Direct Jazz at Lincoln Center for 2010-11 Season

[ TONY ] Theater news roundup by David Cote

Posted by Tim Dunleavy at 9:05 AM | Item Link

[ P ] Tenure Ends: Broadway's Oleanna Will Close Jan. 3, 2010

[ TM ] Oleanna to End Broadway Run January 3

[ B ] Broadway Production of David Mamet's Oleanna to Close in January

[ P ] Vineyard to Give Kander & Ebb's Scottsboro Boys Full World Premiere

[ TM ] Susan Stroman to Direct Kander and Ebb's The Scottsboro Boys at the Vineyard in February

[ B ] Susan Stroman to Direct Kander & Ebb's The Scottsboro Boys at the Vineyard

[ P ] Hickorydickory Playwright Wegrzyn Wins 2009 Wasserstein Prize

[ TM ] Marisa Wegrzyn Wins 2009 Wasserstein Prize

[ TM ] Beth Fowler, Noah Racey, et al. Set for Irish Rep's Ernest in Love

[ P ] Wilde Again: Fowler, Racey, Maloney and More to Star in Off-Broadway's Ernest in Love

[ TM ] Kathleen Chalfant, Mercedes Ruehl, Ain Gordon, et al. Set for Bay Street's Stories Left To Tell

[ TM ] Rosemary Prinz to Star in Neil Simon's Lost in Yonkers for Three-State Tour

[ TM ] Russell Hornsby, Charlayne Woodard, et al. Set for LATW's Crumbs from the Table of Joy

[ P ] Dreamboats and Petticoats Will Return to West End in 2010

[ P ] Playblog: New Songs by Schwartz and Five for Fighting

[ V ] Actor Dennis Cole dies at 69

Starred in '60s, '70s TV shows

[ IBDB ] Dennis Cole's Broadway Credits

[ P ] ONSTAGE & BACKSTAGE: Bella Pelosi, Plus a Harlem Home By Seth Rudetsky

[ P ] PLAYBILL.COM'S CUE & A: Tony Yazbeck

[ B ] Q&A: Tony Winner Bill T. Jones on Art, Life, Death and Broadway's Fela!

[ TM ] PHOTOFLASH: Dick Van Dyke Appears Onstage with Mary Poppins Touring Cast

[ TM ] PHOTOFLASH: Theodore Bikel, Lauri Peters, Brian Davies, et al. Help Celebrate Sound of Music 50th Anniversary

[ P ] PHOTO CALL: The Brother/Sister Plays Opening Celebration

[ P ] PHOTO CALL: The Addams Family in Rehearsal

[ TM ] PHOTOFLASH: Matthew Broderick, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Starry Messenger Cast Celebrate

[ NY ] The Entertainer By Stephanie Zacharek

Ragtime could use just a little more dissonance.

[ TM ] Gavin Creel to Perforrm at Symphony Space on December 7

[ TM ] Orlando Jones to Guest Star on House

[ TM ] Stockard Channing, Jude Law, Marcia Gay Harden, Michael Urie, et al. Donate Items for LIFEbeat Online Auction

[ TM ] James Barbour to Present Holiday Concerts in NYC and LA

[ TM ] Bradley Cooper, Chris Pine, et al. Named GQ "Men of the Year"

[ TM ] U.K. Tour of High School Musical 2 to End Three Months Early

[ TM ] Austin Pendleton, Edward Albee, Marian Seldes, et al. Celebrate Jerry Tallmer at November 23 Benefit

[ TM ] Lucie Arnaz, Debby Boone, Raul Esparza, James Naughton, et al. Set for Lyrics & Lyricists

[ TM ] Nine Cast to Appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show

[ TM ] Lee Hall Adapts Billy Elliot for New Young People's Initiative in U.K.

[ P ] BBC Launches Star Search for Wizard of Oz's Dorothy

[ P ] O'Dwyer Joins Arena Stage Fantasticks

[ P ] Chenoweth, Gunn, Hamlisch and More Will Join Bell for PBS Concert

[ P ] U.K.'s Variety Club Awards Honor McKellen and Spacey

[ B ] Creel, Harris, Sieber and More Top Out Magazine's List of 100 Honorees

[ P ] Edward Woodward, British Stage Actor and Star of "The Equalizer," Dies at 79

[ P ] Ron Sproat, Librettist and Soap Writer, Dies at 77

[ TM ] Writer Ron Sproat Dies at 77

Posted by Tim Dunleavy at 4:07 PM | Item Link

News from the last few days:

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Friday, November 20, 2009

This morning's Peter Filichia:

This morning's Michael Riedel:

This morning's reviews of In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play:

This morning's reviews of The Orphans' Home Cycle - Part 1: The Story of a Childhood:

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Features:

Reviews:

News:

Features:

"My Wonderful Day":

"The Radio City Christmas Spectacular":

"Mary Poppins":

Other Reviews:

News:

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

This Morning's Peter Filichia:

Features:

"The Brother/Sister Plays":

"The Habit of Art":

"Wintuk":

Other Reviews:

News:

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Features:

"Ragtime":

News: