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Saturday, May 01, 2004

[ TS ] The sun shines on Combs by RICHARD OUZOUNIAN
posted at 5/1/2004 01:56:52 PM by James Marino | Item Link



[ NYT ] Transformative Powers of A-Rod and P. Diddy by WILLIAM C. RHODEN

posted at 5/1/2004 11:04:36 AM by James Marino | Item Link

Friday, April 30, 2004

News:

[ P ]  December Bride: Shocking Guests, Celeste Holm Marries Beau at 85th Birthday Party
Broadway and film star Celeste Holm proved April 29 that after all these years she's still a girl who cain't say no. The Oklahoma! actress surprised guests at her 85th birthday party at Sardi's by summoning a Supreme Court judge and marrying her opera-singer beau, Frank Basile.

[ P ]  Assassins Stars Cerveris, Gemignani, Kassebaum Perform in New York City, May 2

Features:

[ P ]  Rebel Without a Song
Ra�l Esparza, a powerful musical presence on the New York stage, switches gears for Larry Kramer's landmark play, The Normal Heart

Thanks to American Theater Web for the following features!

[ LADN ]  Way off Broadway by H.S. Wilson
Fred Willard stars in his wife's musical comedy, world-premiering in Upland, as seasoned pros work side by side with Grove Theatre regulars

[ SD ]  Heavy fare by Anne Marie Welsh
Nicky Silver returns to San Diego with taboo-rich 'Food Chain'

[ BG ]  ART's Brustein explores Jewish identity in his play in progress by Maureen Dezell

posted at 4/30/2004 05:15:17 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link



Reviews:

[ TM ]  The Siegel Column
Barbara & Scott share their thoughts on two family dramas that have much in common: A Raisin in the Sun and Roar.

[ CU ]  Jumpers

News:

[ B ]  Celebrated New Yorkers to Announce Tony Noms

[ P ]  Bloomberg, Lauper, Falco and Other New Yorkers to Announce Tony Nominations May 10

[ B ]  Off-Broadway's The Normal Heart Extends

[ P ]  Hijuelos' Pulitzer-Winning Novel May Become Mambo Kings Musical on Broadway

[ P ]  Garber, Caldwell, Ivey Join Cast of Los Angeles A Little Night Music; Irons, Stevenson Out

[ P ]  Imogen Stubbs Turns Playwright: We Happy Few to Premiere in West End in June


Features:

[ P ]  PLAYBILL ON OPENING NIGHT: Hooray for Bollywood, at Bombay Dreams

[ B ]  Video: Raisin Rises Up Again on Broadway

[ B ]  Video: Jumpers Leaps to a B'way Triumph

[ B ]  Video: Assassins Opens With a Bang!

[ B ]  Video: Sixteen Wounded Opening Night

posted at 4/30/2004 04:07:47 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link



[ CCT ] Kern's 'Cabaret Girl' gets dusted off, restaged

[ CST ] Cash-strapped Noble Fool dims the lights

posted at 4/30/2004 12:34:31 PM by James Marino | Item Link



Features:

[ P ]  DIVA TALK: A Chat with Call Me Madam's Kim Criswell PLUS News of LuPone, Andrews and Ripley

[ B ]  Photo Op: A Boisterous Bash for Bombay Dreams


News:

[ B ]  Kelli O'Hara to Play Lucy in Wildhorn's Dracula

[ P ]  Is JazzAge Musical Headed for Broadway?

[ P ]  Princesses Will Arrive on Broadway in July 2005; Lane and Comley Produce the Zippel Musical

[ P ]  Fascinating Aida Makes New York Theatrical Debut in May

[ P ]  Wicked Co-Star Guests on "Theater Talk" April 30

[ P ]  Deborah Cox Extends Aida Stay Through September

[ P ]  Dame Edna Expected on Broadway, With A Vengeance, Nov. 5

[ P ]  Wilson Replacement Named for Kennedy Center Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

posted at 4/30/2004 12:21:15 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link



"Bombay Dreams" - Reviews:

[ B ]  Reworked Bombay Dreams Faces New York Critics

[ WP ]  'Bombay Dreams': Belly Up in Bollywood by Peter Marks

This musical makes the Broadway season's other towering misfires, "Taboo" and "The Boy From Oz," seem like worthy candidates for literary analysis by Renaissance scholars.

[ JN ]  Rude awakening from 'Bombay Dreams' by JACQUES LE SOURD
In the end, this musical may be less faithful to the traditions of Bollywood than it is to the relentlessly tasteless and overblown British musical imports of the mid-1980s.
We find we don't miss them a bit.

[ DN ]  A Bombay dream come true by Howard Kissel
Like musicals of yesteryear, the show's only desire is to amuse, which it does.

[ TS ]  Putting the bomb in Bombay by RICHARD OUZOUNIAN
Bombay Dreams is a Broadway nightmare.
There's no other way to describe the misbegotten monstrosity, which opened in New York last night.

[ NJ ]  Reality looms for extravagant 'Dreams' BY MICHAEL SOMMERS
Rampaging across the stage like a wild and woozy pink elephant, "Bombay Dreams" is a lush, obvious and incredibly silly new extravaganza.

[ B ]  Ragas to Riches by Ken Mandelbaum
What slender fun there may have been in the original version has been seriously diminished.

[ NYP ]  'DREAMS' IS A SARI AFFAIR by CLIVE BARNES

[ USA ]  'Bombay Dreams': A plain old bomb by Elysa Gardner

How do you say "mind-numbing bunk" in Hindi? I couldn't tell you, but after attending a certain preview performance last weekend, I'd like to propose a new English-language synonym: Bombay Dreams (* out of four).

[ TB ]  Bombay Dreams
Review by Matthew Murray

If you're suffering from a ravenous hunger for rich, intelligent musical theatre, you're unlikely to be satiated by Bombay Dreams. But while this Technicolor patchwork quilt of a musical at the Broadway Theatre is hardly an example of masterful craftsmanship, it's still the most satisfying new musical of the Broadway season.

[ Y ]  'Bombay Dreams' a Bland Musical by MICHAEL KUCHWARA, AP Drama Critic
The problem is "Bombay Dreams" can't decide whether it wants to spoof or celebrate those over-the-top, hokey and often downright silly musicals that are the backbone of Bollywood, the Indian film industry.

[ NYT ]  THEATER REVIEW | 'BOMBAY DREAMS'
Coloring by the Numbers: A Brightly Bland Bollywood by BEN BRANTLEY

This retooling of a hit from London feels trapped in a listless limbo between tipsy spoof and sober sincerity.

[ SUN ]  Bhangra Chameleon by JEREMY McCARTER
I do so like what grandma calls "shouty shouty pop music."

[ HC ]  Extravaganza Out Of Element by MALCOLM JOHNSON
Spectacular 'Bombay' Unlikely To Overcome Its Narrow Appeal

[ ND ]  A Bollywood of bubblegum BY GORDON COX
Melodies and dance hold 'Bombay Dreams' together

[ TM ]  Bombay Dreams
Reviewed By: David Finkle


Other Reviews:

[ B ]  DVDs: Sondheim Thrillers by Ken Mandelbaum
SWEENEY TODD (Warner Home Video)
THE LAST OF SHEILA (Warner Home Video)

[ Y ]  Whishaw's 'Hamlet' Is Youthful by MATT WOLF, Associated Press Writer
John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier, Richard Burton, Peter O'Toole, Derek Jacobi, Ben Whishaw. Ben who? Anyone wondering what an unknown 23-year-old is doing in the same sentence as these legends of the British theater can find out over the next three months at London's Old Vic Theatre, where Whishaw this week became the latest, and youngest, Dane ever to walk that venerable stage.

Features:

[ TM ]  Peter Filichia's Diary
There's something theatrical happening in New York City at almost every hour of the day or night.

[ NJ ]  M�naging middle age: Playwright's thoughts on sex after 50 lead to threesome's 'Immoral Imperatives' BY PETER FILICHIA
Playwright Jeffrey Sweet says that James Glossman is the best agent he's ever had.

[ BG ]  Musical's closing was jarring for Jackie Mason by Nick A. Zaino III
What did he learn from that? "Very little," he deadpans. "That I should stop thinking of myself as a guy who belongs in a musical."

[ BH ]  Mason mines news for jokes by Dean Johnson

[ CST ]  One man's 'Groucho' a show to enjoy BY MIRIAM DI NUNZIO

"I never cared for cigars until I woke up one morning after 15 years of doing the show and realized I was craving a cigar," says actor-director-writer Frank Ferrante with a laugh.

[ CST ]  Legendary theater tale 'True' to life by Mary Houlihan
Marc Blitzstein's "The Cradle Will Rock" occupies a legendary chapter in American theater history.

[ DN ]  Harvey Fierstein 's final turn(blad) BY JOE DZIEMIANOWICZ

News:

[ NYT ]  ON STAGE AND OFF
Singing Sondheim by JASON ZINOMAN

B. D. Wong will appear in Stephen Sondheim's "Pacific Overtures," starting performances at Studio 54 on Nov. 12.

[ P ]  B.D. Wong to Star in Next Sondheim-Weidman Roundabout Revival Pacific Overtures; Dates Set

[ B ]  B.D. Wong Set for Pacific Overtures at Studio 54

[ V ]  Tribeca treads the boards

Hwang, Lonergan, Pugliese prodn's among featured works

[ NYT ]  Albert Paulsen, 78, Actor in Bad-Guy Roles, Dies
Albert Paulsen was a television, film and Broadway actor known for his portrayals of villains and gangsters.

[ IBDB ]  Albert Paulsen's Broadway Credits

[ LAT ]  Celebrating playwright Lawrence

A memorial celebration will be held for noted playwright-director Jerome Lawrence at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Mark Taper Forum at the Los Angeles Music Center.

[ NYP ]  LIZ SMITH
KLINE, JUDD ARE JUST 'DE-LOVELY'

[ P ]  Ailing Dreyfuss Misses Sly Fox Shows April 27-29, But Don't Count the Miser Out

[ B ]  Deborah Cox Extends in Broadway's Aida

[ B ]  Tony n' Tina to Return Earlier Than Expected

[ B ]  Davidson is Brick in Kennedy Center's Cat

[ R ]  'Follow My Leader' Play Lampoons Blair, Bush

LONDON - A gung-ho President Bush and a sanctimonious Prime Minster Tony Blair have made their singalong debut on the London stage this week -- in a musical satire about the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

[ BG ]  Boy just wants to have fun by Christopher Muther
Sure, his big Broadway debut was about as smooth as a drive in the Hamptons with Billy Joel, but don't think a small thing like "Taboo" is going to get in the way of the unsinkable and multitalented Boy George.

[ P ]  Today In Theatre History: APRIL 30

[ P ]  Brustein, Foreman, Kalb Talk Suzan-Lori Parks April 30

[ P ]  Kia Corthron Premiere Light Raise the Roof Starts Off-Broadway at NYTW, April 30

[ P ]  World Premiere Mystery Plays, with Millie Star, Begins April 30 at Yale Rep

[ P ]  New Musical, Desperate Measures, Is Measure for Measure Served Texas-Style, at Lyric Stage

[ P ]  Fairies Take Wing in Chamber Version of G&S Classic, Iolanthe, at NYC's Theater Ten Ten April 30-May 30

[ P ]  She Lives � One More Weekend: Revised Nefertiti Musical Gets Two Added Performances in Chicago, May 7-8

[ P ]  Off-Broadway Soloist Crosses bridge and tunnel to Present An Evening with Sarah Jones, May 1

[ P ]  Dame Edna Returns to Broadway With A Vengeance in November After San Francisco Run

[ NYT ]  'Wicked' Leads Drama Desk Nominations by STEPHANIE ROSENBLOOM

[ V ]  Drama Desk gets 'Wicked'

'Jumpers' shut out of noms

posted at 4/30/2004 07:56:02 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Thursday, April 29, 2004

Features:

[ TM ]  Loose Lips by: Brian Scott Lipton
Ann Reinking goes Spanish, Jeffrey Hatcher hopes to get away with Murder, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson is once again in a New York state of mind.

[ B ]  First Person: The Song of Bernadette by John Dossett

[ B ]  Photo Op: Fiddler Revival Goes on the Record

[ P ]  PHOTO CALL: Parker and Roberts Announce 2004 Drama Desk Nominations


News:

[ B ]  Dame Edna Returns to Broadway in November
Broadway.com has learned that the Tony-winning "housewife-turned-megastar" will open a new show at the Broadhurst Theatre on November 21.

[ P ]  TRIO TV Salutes Dame Edna May 30

[ P ]  Mamma Mia! Sings on "Ryan Seacrest" April 29

[ P ]  Complete Casting Announced for Paper Mill's Guys and Dolls

[ P ]  Musical Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death to Get Rare Revival Off-Broadway

[ P ]  Helluva Town: Show Tunes That Celebrate NYC Echo in Revue at Museum of the City of New York May 15-16

[ P ]  Gleason and Thomas Host 2004 Lortel Awards May 3; Public Tickets Available

[ P ]  Over the Tavern Writer Has New Catholic Comedy, Hail Mary!, Opening Buffalo Studio Arena Season

[ P ]  PBS Offers Profile of King and I's Yul Brynner April 29

[ P ]  Tony Awards Tickets On Sale in May

[ P ]  Call Me Madam's Kim Criswell to Release All-Berlin Solo Recording

[ P ]  Musical Lennon Project Heads to San Francisco Prior to Broadway Run in 2005

[ B ]  B'way-Bound Lennon to Try Out in San Francisco

[ B ]  Wicked Tops 2004 Drama Desk Nominations

[ TM ]  2004 Drama Desk Award Nominations Announced

posted at 4/29/2004 03:51:52 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link



[ P ]  2003-04 Drama Desk Award Nominations Announced; Wicked Leads Pack with 11 Nominations

[ HC ]  Mini-musicals at Hartford Stage, Long Wharf by Frank Rizzo

The Broadway-bound new musical "Little Women" will not play the Shubert this fall as anticipated. A spokesman for the theater says there were scheduling conflicts.

posted at 4/29/2004 10:09:22 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link



[ WSJ ] 'Raisin' and Falling by PEGGY NOONAN
A 40-year-old play reveals something awful about today's culture.

Well... I never thought Peggy Noonan would be linked on BroadwayStars... but here she is.

[ TNR ] THE PROBLEM WITH P. DIDDY'S BROADWAY DEBUT.
The Bomb by Jeremy McCarter

Jeremy McCarter, normally seen on these pages as the NY Sun critic/reporter, nails the issue of celebrity casting. An excellent read.

posted at 4/29/2004 08:45:52 AM by James Marino | Item Link



Features:

[ BS ]  Water Works
Ron Holgate and Christiane Noll relish roles in the envelope-pushing Urinetown: The Musical.

[ INQ ]  A spark of imagination from children's playwright by Desmond Ryan

News:

[ V ]  B'Way books 'Lennon'
World preem set for Feb. 1 in San Francisco

"Lennon" will arrive on Broadway in late March 2005. Formerly known as "The John Lennon Project," the new biotuner is coming off a successful reading last month.

[ NJ ]  Center stage by Peter Filichia
Interview with Sarah Jones.

[ HC ]  Highs and lows of Hartford Stage at 40

[ ND ]  PLAY BY PLAY
Brits export 'Jerry Springer' to Broadway by Gordon Cox

[ BSUN ]  Center Stage announces new season by J. Wynn Rousuck

Plus a revised version of Broadway's "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (second item).

[ BG ]  'Lion King' tops Broadway in Boston's upcoming shows by Maureen Dezell

[ BH ]  Broadway in Boston's new season: That's the ticket! by Terry Byrne

[ BG ]  Lyric Stage schedule begins with Sondheim, ends with 'Shakespeare' by Catherine Foster

[ BH ]  Lyric Stage Company 'Committed' to season

[ BH ]  Play in cardinal's words coming to Hub after all

[ P ]  Today In Theatre History: APRIL 29

[ P ]  That's Bollywood: Bombay Dreams Opens on Broadway April 29

[ P ]  Gilbert Minus Sullivan: Farce Engaged Opens Off-Broadway, April 29

[ LAT ]  Broadway vets at the beach

Broadway veterans Kevin Bailey, Misty Cotton and Kim Huber star in Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities' production of Frank Wildhorn and Leslie Bricusse's musical "Jekyll & Hyde," based on the Robert Louis Stevenson horror classic.

[ ATW ]  Broadway and Beyond: Prism Preserves Classic Musicals with Unique Bonus Tracks
XM Satellite Radio


Reviews:

[ BG ]  'Starlight Express' goes way off the track by Ed Siegel
I have seen the past of musical theater and its name is Andrew Lloyd Webber.

[ BH ]  Don't rush to catch this 'Express' train by Robert Nesti

[ CT ]  'Strictly' offers taste of vintage Sturges by Michael Phillips

posted at 4/29/2004 07:55:26 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Wednesday, April 28, 2004

Features:

[ B ]  Obscure Recordings: Sing Out, Sweet Land! by Ken Mandelbaum

[ TM ]  A Closer Look at...Los Angeles

Les Spindle reports on the current theater scene in the City of Angels and its vicinity.

[ P ]  With Caroline, Broadway Now Has Trio of '60s Soul Trios
Who says Broadway doesn't have soul?

[ B ]  Photo Op: A Glittering Gathering at the Roundabout Spring Gala

Reviews:

[ NYT ]  THEATER REVIEW | 'CHEF'S THEATER: A MUSICAL FEAST'
Theater and Dinner, Whirred Up in a Blender by ANITA GATES

This show at the Supper Club is an outlet for celebrity-chef worship, so it's too bad that the evening feels like cruise-ship entertainment.

[ TM ]  Tunes, Tomes, & Videos
Charles Wright offers a full report on Ellen Schiff's new critical anthlogy of six great American Jewish plays.

[ SUN ]  Into the Sherwoods by JEREMY McCARTER
American "propagandist" Robert E. Sherwood returns to Stephen Sondheim's New York.

[ ATW ]  Relationships, Booze, Race Off-Broadway
'Between Us' at MTC; 'Sun is Shining' at Brits Off-Broadway
Review by Andy Propst


News:

[ * ]  Cape Playhouse Announces its 2004 Season

[ CBS ]  A Raisin In The Sun

CBS 2's Dana Tyler talked with the cast.
Includes video clips.

[ B ]  Gleason and Thomas to Host the Lortel Awards

[ B ]  Broadway's Assassins Extends Through July 4

[ P ]  Independence Day Fireworks: Musical Assassins Extends on Broadway to July 4

[ P ]  Jerome Kern's 1917 Musical, Have a Heart, Gets NYC Concert Staging, May 4-16

[ P ]  Earle Gister, Yale Acting Master, Stages His Passion, The Seagull, in NYC, May 24-29 

[ P ]  Fierstein Preparing to Write Book for John Bucchino Musical, A Catered Affair

[ P ]  Burrows Joins Cast of Off-Broadway's Bug

[ P ]  Nat King Cole & Me, a New Musical, Gets World Premiere at Denver Center, May 13-June 5

[ P ]  Broadway Stars Alan Rickman and Mos Def Lead HBO Film "Something the Lord Made," May 30

[ P ]  Richard Dreyfuss to Miss April 28 Sly Fox Matinee; Auberjonois Fills In

[ P ]  Chef's Theater: A Musical Feast Employs New Ingredients Beginning May 13

[ P ]  Complete Casting Announced for Kennedy Center Streetcar

[ P ]  Under New Management: Tony n' Tina's Wedding Returns to NYC with Fired "Apprentice"

[ P ]  Gray's The Holy Terror to Close in London May 8

[ P ]  NPR Chats with Wicked Composer Schwartz in May

[ P ]  Drama Desk Award Nominations for 2003-04 Season to Be Announced April 29

[ TM ]  Roundtable Forum on Musical Theater for Family Audiences Set for Monday, May 3

posted at 4/28/2004 08:24:21 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link



[ B ]  Stage Notes: 04/28/04 by Paul Wontorek
Harvey Fierstein's exit interview; Assassins; A Raisin in the Sun.

posted at 4/28/2004 03:14:07 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link



[ PPG ] On Stage: On Broadway, it's easy to find a familiar face by Christopher Rawson
posted at 4/28/2004 02:29:26 PM by James Marino | Item Link



[ DN ] Letters to the Editor: It's a shame that "Gypsy" is scheduled to close at the end of May.
The author of this letter is WFAN's "Shakespeare in the Dark". It is nice to see the support for Broadway from the sports community.

posted at 4/28/2004 12:30:30 PM by James Marino | Item Link



"A Raisin in the Sun":

[ NYP ]  BOX OFFICE DIDDY by MICHAEL RIEDEL
SEAN Combs, as those of us in the theater call P. Diddy, may not be among the critics' darlings this season.
But he can lay claim to being a member of a club that's even more exclusive: actors who sell tickets.

[ NYP ]  CINDY ADAMS
Stars at the "Raisin" opening (second item).

[ P ]  PLAYBILL ON OPENING NIGHT: A Raisin in the Sun Shines

[ BBC ]  Mixed reception to P Diddy play

Hip-hop star Sean "P Diddy" Combs has received mixed reviews from US theatre critics after he made his Broadway debut on Monday.

[ NYP ]  PAGE SIX
SIX months after Sean "P. Diddy" Combs ran the New York City Marathon, the $2 million he raised for charities and public schools has yet to be fully distributed.

David Letterman had these alternate titles for Mr. Combs' Broadway debut:
"Thoroughly Modern Diddy"
"Diddy Get Your Gun"
"Guys and Ho's"
"My Fair Diddy"
He also remarked, "The opening was a big success - only three people were shot." :-)



Features:

[ BSUN ]  Playing her part by Mary Carole McCauley
Lynn Redgrave goes out of her way to help a new generation of actors learn the art.

[ TM ]  Peter Filichia's Diary
At the Shakespeare Theatre in D.C., Filichia checks out Five by Tenn, a program of short plays by Tennessee Williams.

[ DN ]  Scary no more by REBECCA LOUIE
'Rent' gets jolt of Spice Girl power

[ DN ]  An unlikely 'Dreams' team BY JOE DZIEMIANOWICZ in New York and ELLEN TUMPOSKY in London
"Bombay Dreams" opens on Broadway tomorrow with the fate of the big-budget musical resting on two very different people - a 20-year-old sophomore at NYU and a veteran Broadway script doctor.

[ ND ]  Bombay�s brassy �low art� diva BY BLAKE GREEN
Ayesha Dharker describes her career as a series of odd and happy happenstances, but she is definite about her image: She's a serious inde- pendent film actress, not a Bollywood musical creation.

[ ND ]  Hooray for Bollywood BY JOHN ANDERSON
That blend of flavors and story lines that Bollywood film fans know and love comes to Broadway Thursday with the opening of 'Bombay Dreams'

[ TIME ]  Julia's West End Workout by JAMES INVERNE
Hollywood's Ms. Stiles brings her rare gift for playing malicious women to the London stage
Thanks to NICHOLASici on All That Chat for the link!

[ BS ]  Viola Davis: Corsets as Metaphor
Actress Viola Davis does not feel that the issues her character, Esther, faces in "Intimate Apparel" are all that dated, despite the play's time frame of 1905.

[ DN ]  Few Rockette to the top by BREANNE L. HELDMAN
Our reporter gets her kicks as a Rockette

[ BH ]  'Kate' helps dancer make leap to dramatic roles by Robert Nesti
When Sean Palmer makes his entrance in "Kiss Me, Kate" this week at the North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, many in the audience will recognize him, and then wonder where they saw him before.

[ BS ]  Must Be the Season
Three L.A. theatre companies describe their experiences in selecting material.

[ TM ]  Photo File by: Joseph Marzullo

[ P ]  PHOTO CALL: O'Hare, Esparza, Others from Roudabout's Past Celebrate Non-Profit Company

[ LAT ]  Back on stage, a flair for truth by Hugh Hart

In "The Royal Family," Daniel Gerroll propels Tony Cavendish over the top and into the limelight.

Reviews:

[ NYT ]  THEATER REVIEW | 'SEVEN RABBITS ON A POLE'
Storm Clouds Ahead for an Immigrant Farmer by LAWRENCE VAN GELDER

Hope, dreams, pride, politics, love, lust and awful guilt drive John C. Picardi's play about a family tending a vegetable farm outside Boston in 1936-37.

[ NYT ]  THEATER REVIEW | 'BARE'
When in Boarding School Let the Sunshine In by ANITA GATES

This potentially touching story of two gay boys in love at a co-ed Roman Catholic boarding school has youthful promise written all over it, but isn't quite ready for prime time.

[ B ]  First You're Born
Review by Kevin Manganaro

[ VV ]  Second Shots
Sondheim and Weidman hail the chief-killers; Larry Kramer uses rant to fight the plague by Michael Feingold

Assassins; The Normal Heart

[ VV ]  Lorraine Hansberry's Raisin: Still Just as Fresh 45 Years Later by Michael Feingold

[ CU ]  A Raisin in the Sun

[ VV ]  Sightlines by Michael Feingold

Jumpers

[ HC ]  Stoppard's Thoughtful 'Jumpers' Is Exhausting Fun by MALCOLM JOHNSON

[ VV ]  Pains of Youth
Haunted by the past, Moran takes us into his confidence by Charles McNulty

The Tricky Part, by Martin Moran

[ TB ]  Light Lemonade at NJ Rep
Review by Bob Rendell

[ CT ]  Though caught in time warp, 'Bums' still poignant by Chris Jones

[ ATW ]  Loudmouth: You Can Do That With a Human Voice?
Review by Andy Propst

[ ATW ]  Meandering and Mysterious, 'Storm' Looks at Family in the Midwest
Review by Andy Propst

[ OCR ]  She's still charismatic after all these years by ERIC MARCHESE

'Always ... Patsy Cline,' with Christa Jackson and Sally Struthers.
Thanks to American Theater Web for the link!


[ TB ]  The Complete Lyrics of Frank Loesser and Enchanted Evenings
Book Reviews by Alan Gomberg


News:

[ NYP ]  PAGE SIX
Vanity Fair is gathering Broadway's biggest stars - Joel Grey, Alfred Molina, Ashley Judd, Ray Liotta, Mario Cantone, Anne Heche, Sean Combs, John Lithgow and more - at the Music Box Theater today for a huge group portrait by Mark Seliger.

[ NYP ]  LAYING DOWN THE 'LAW'
Jerry Orbach, who is leaving "Law & Order" this year after 12 seasons, hugged his co-stars Jesse Martin and S. Epatha Merkerson after filming his final scene over the weekend at the show's studios on the West side of Manhattan.

[ NYT ]  Arts Briefing by LAWRENCE VAN GELDER
Playwrights to appear before the Senate to negotiate new contract; WQXR considers going national; Elton John to play Radio City in July.

[ V ]  Gurney housing book for 'Mirth' musical
Playwright will workshop in May at Sundance Institute

A.R. Gurney ("Love Letters") is at work on a musical version of Edith Wharton's novel "The House of Mirth."

[ B ]  Holy Terror to Close in the West End on 5/8

[ BS ]  Center Acquires Stella Adler Archive

[ TM ]  Harvey Fierstein's House Seats for His Final Performance in Hairspray Are Up for Auction

[ BH ]  ART expands its worldview with new season, new space by Terry Byrne

[ BG ]  For ART, the new season brings a new stage by Catherine Foster

[ P ]  "Working in the Theatre" Seminars Continue with Heche, Plimpton, Rashad, Kushner and Pinkins

[ P ]  F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Musical Begins Previews in London April 28

[ P ]  Christopher Plummer to Appear in Shakespeare with Music June 3

[ P ]  Chatterbox's Seth Rudetsky Begins "All My Children" Stint April 28

[ P ]  Breaking Into Kathleen Turner's House Is No Easy Feat in New Comedy, Premiering at Atlanta's Alliance April 28

[ P ]  Off-Broadway Hit Frozen Solidifies on Broadway April 28

[ P ]  Rossellini Returns to Stendhal Syndrome Off-Broadway, April 28

[ P ]  New Nilo Cruz Work Beauty of the Father Makes World Premiere in Seattle, April 28

[ P ]  Richard Easton to Take Part in May 17 Play Reading

[ P ]  Margulies, Shinn, More World Premieres Featured in New South Coast Repertory Season

[ ATW ]  Broadway and Beyond: MN's Twin Cities Sing with Music This Month and Beyond
XM Satellite Radio

[ P ]  Rita Moreno Master Class Set for Moisés Kaufman Staging at Berkeley Rep, May 21

Go Donna Lynne!

posted at 4/28/2004 09:45:35 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Tuesday, April 27, 2004

Features:

[ B ]  First Person: Lucky Leading Lady by Phyllis Frelich

[ B ]  Photo Op: Raisin Rises Up Again on Broadway


News:

[ LHL ]  EBEN HENSON 1923-2004
His Pioneer Playhouse launched many careers by Jennifer Hewlett

Mr. Henson started Pioneer Playhouse in 1950 and produced more than 300 plays. His summer stage helped launch the careers of hundreds of young actors, including John Travolta, Jim Varney, Lee Majors and Bo Hopkins.
Thanks to the person who suggested this article via our suggestion box.

[ B ]  Broadway Grosses: The Cruellest Month
Although things were looking up a week ago, the week ending April 25 did not bring much good news to Broadway producers.

[ P ]  WNYC to Broadcast Chenoweth-LuPone Candide Live

[ B ]  Tony Honors to be Announced in the Fall

[ P ]  Tony Awards Schedule Announced; Tony Honors to Be Announced in Fall

[ ATW ]  Broadway and Beyond: Lots to See in Seattle
From world premieres ('Yankee Doodle') to old standards ('La Mancha', 'Woods')
XM Satellite Radio

[ ATW ]  Broadway and Beyond: Mystery, Marriage, and Music in NYC
'MacGuffin?', 'Have a Heart', 'New Faces '04', 'NYMTF
XM Satellite Radio


Reviews:

[ CU ]  Now That's What I Call a Storm

[ CU ]  Toxic Audio

[ ATW ]  A Raisin in the Sun: Star Draw for Admirable Slice of History
Review by Andy Propst

[ SUN ]  Guess Who's Coming to Broadway? by JEREMY McCARTER

Two shows opened at the Royale last night.

posted at 4/27/2004 03:26:55 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link



Features:

[ B ]  Random Notes on This and That: 4/27/04 by Ken Mandelbaum

Reviews:

[ B ]  Were Critics Sweet on A Raisin in the Sun?

[ TM ]  The Siegel Column

Barbara & Scott applaud the Roundabout's Assassins and Intimate Apparel but question the nominating procedure for the MAC Awards.

[ TM ]  In Token of My Admiration
Reviewed By: Kathryn Walat


News:

[ NYT ]  Claude (Fiddler) Williams, 96, Jazz Violinist, Is Dead by DOUGLAS MARTIN
Mr. Williams began swinging on string instruments before the word jazz was commonly used and played violin with many jazz greats.

[ IBDB ]  Claude Williams' Broadway Credits

[ P ]  Variety Spotlights Schwartz's Wicked

[ P ]  Golda's Balcony to Begin National Tour in September 2005

[ P ]  Burnham Lands Title Role in Tom Jones Musical; Gettelfinger and Bienskie Also Part of Cast

[ P ]  Broadway Grosses: April 19-25

[ P ]  Playwright Bargaining Legislation Reintroduced in Washington, DC

[ P ]  North Shore Kicks Off 50th Season with Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate

[ P ]  Goodnight, Moon: Moonlight Room to Close Off-Broadway May 2

[ P ]  Little Shop's Butler is Blanche in Streetcar Reading

[ P ]  Jim Caruso's Cast Party to Relaunch May 10 at Club Black's Pink Room

[ P ]  PBS to Air Vintage "Cinderella" Musical with Julie Andrews

[ P ]  Taboo's Morton to Make Solo Concert Debut May 30

posted at 4/27/2004 12:38:51 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link



"A Raisin in the Sun":

[ DN ]  'Raisin' da roof by DEREK ROSE and LEO STANDORA
Hip-hop mogul Sean (P. Diddy) Combs made his Broadway debut in a revival of "A Raisin in the Sun" last night and wowed the star-studded crowd.

[ TB ]  A Raisin in the Sun
Review by Matthew Murray

The new production at the Royale Theatre doesn't want to remind you that the play is important, it wants to remind you that the play is good. At that, and so much more, this production is almost a ravishing success.

[ NYT ]  THEATER REVIEW | 'A RAISIN IN THE SUN'
A Breakthrough 50's Drama Revived in a Suspenseful Mood by BEN BRANTLEY

Sean Combs's shadow precedes him in this seriously off-center revival of Lorraine Hansberry's epochal drama of an African-American family in Southside Chicago.

[ TM ]  A Raisin in the Sun
Reviewed By: David Finkle

If this production isn't 100% perfect, it's so close to perfection that the difference makes no never mind.

[ DN ]  Diddy does a pretty decent job onstage by Howard Kissel

[ WP ]  A 'Raisin' Shriveled By Laughter by Peter Marks

The overdependence on laughs throws the play off-kilter and may help to explain some spectators' confused responses -- why, at moments of pathos, they break into giggles.

[ USA ]  Sean Combs not a plum choice for 'Raisin in the Sun' by Elysa Gardner
* * � out of four

[ HC ]  Puff Daddy A Drag On 'Raisin' Revival by MALCOLM JOHNSON

[ NJ ]  Combs makes impressive Broadway debut BY MICHAEL SOMMERS

[ NYP ]  GIDDY FOR DIDDY by CLIVE BARNES

Confidently stepping into the role made famous by Sidney Poitier, Combs was - believe it or not - pretty damn good.

[ Y ]  Matriarchal Power in 'Raisin' by MICHAEL KUCHWARA, AP Drama Critic
Mother scores best. And that goes for daughter-in-law, too.

[ CST ]  Diddy on Broadway: It's as if something's holding him down BY HEDY WEISS

[ INQ ]  Female stars outshine Combs in 'Raisin' revival by Desmond Ryan

[ B ]  A Raisin in the Sun
Review by Eric Grode


"Jumpers":

[ NYP ]  CINDY ADAMS
The "Jumpers" opening (second item).

[ USA ]  'Jumpers' worth the plunge by Elysa Gardner
* * * * out of four

[ JN ]  Snob appeal by JACQUES LE SOURD
"Jumpers," a Tom Stoppard revival that opened last night at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre, is definitely this season's snob hit, aimed at highbrows and would-be highbrows.
The trouble for this elegant production may be: Are there really any snobs left who actually go to the theater?

[ INQ ]  Philosophical hoop-jumping by Desmond Ryan
Anyone with a taste for Monty Python-esque humor, virtuoso comic performances, linguistic razzle-dazzle, and artful direction (by David Leveaux) should not pass on the bizarre events that unfold on the stage of the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.

Other Reviews:

[ TM ]  Now That's What I Call a Storm
Reviewed By: Dan Bacalzo

[ CST ]  'Bums' seeks winning tradition at 25 BY DAVE HOEKSTRA

The "25th Anniversary Production" of "Bleacher Bums," with Gary Sandy.

[ CU ]  Democracy

[ WP ]  Mrs. Farnsworth's Subtle Act of Sedition by Peter Marks

[ USA ]  'Five by Tenn' showcases Williams' shorter, less memorable plays by Elysa Gardner

* * � out of four

[ ND ]  Review: "The Tricky Part" BY GORDON COX

[ Y ]  'Jailhouse Rock' Is a Karaoke Bore by MATT WOLF, Associated Press Writer


Features:

[ DN ]  LAByrinth troupe at a growth stage by ROBERT DOMINGUEZ

[ Y ]  Between good and evil by ROBERT HOFLER, Variety

Imagine it. Instead of "Wicked" selling out the gargantuan Gershwin Theater eight performances a week, a green-faced Demi Moore could be opening the film version of Gregory Maguire's novel in cineplexes everywhere.

[ Y ]  Fair pairs rarely shine by CHARLES ISHERWOOD, Variety
Interview with Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel.

[ BS ]  Take Two
Actors say roles are really better the second time around.

News:

[ V ]  April turning cruel for Broadway shows
'Phantom,' 'Horror,' 'Gypsy' see big drops

Lots of shows, fewer dollars: Not a good sign. Broadway's 31 productions brought in receipts of $15,843,640, down $1,228,517 or 7.2% from the previous record-setting session. There was no cigar last week.

[ B ]  Chef's Theatre Briefly Goes Dark for Retooling

[ B ]  Sam of The Apprentice to Join Tony n' Tina

[ WP ]  Backstage: Tennessee Volley by Jane Horwitz

"I've really come to love all of them," Kathleen Chalfant says of the five short Tennessee Williams plays at the Kennedy Center through May 9 under the rubric "Five by Tenn."

[ Y ]  Arthur Miller Named Distinguished Author

[ P ]  Today In Theatre History: APRIL 27

[ P ]  Trevor Nunn�s Hamlet Opens at London�s Old Vic April 27

[ P ]  Tim Robbins Joins Cast of His Own Off-Broadway Play, Embedded

[ P ]  Some Enchanted Evening: Jane Olivor Concert DVD and CD in Stores April 27

[ P ]  All Fed Up, No Place to Go: Diana Quick, One the Brits Off Bway, Stars in Woman Destroyed April 27-May 16

posted at 4/27/2004 07:54:21 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Monday, April 26, 2004

Reviews:

[ ND ]  Review: "A Raisin in the Sun" BY LINDA WINER
Combs is better than OK. He has presence playing someone besides his own formidable self. He projects. He allows himself to show a touching vulnerability as a man trapped in black America and infantalized by the mother who loves him.

[ FOX ]  Fox411 by Roger Friedman
P. Diddy Takes Broadway Like the N.Y. Marathon

I think Puffy has nothing to be embarrassed about in his Broadway debut. It's obvious that if he chose this profession he could make lots of progress. But I don't think that's what this is about. Combs is a PR bungee jumper. He's willing to take risks just to show he can survive them. There's been far worse stunt casting on Broadway over the years.
Third item.

Features:

[ B ]  Fresh Face: Essie Davis by Cara Joy David

[ B ]  Photo Op: Jumpers Leaps to a B'way Triumph

[ P ]  PLAYBILL ON OPENING NIGHT: Jumpers Jumps In

Well, whaddaya know? Jerry Herman appears to be right after all: The Man in the Moon is a lady.

[ TB ]  An Interview with Judy Blazer by David-Edward Hughes

News:

[ P ]  "Radio Playbill" Previews the Tony Nominations April 26-May 9

[ P ]  Maxwell, Bacon Star in New York Theatre Workshop Reading of Burning Deck

[ P ]  Glenn Close Once Again Considering Little Night Music

[ P ]  Boy Hopes to Be Orphan Annie in New Musical, That's Andy, Getting First Glimpse in NYC April 26

[ P ]  Hooray for Hollywood: Rabe's Hurlyburly Gets NYC Revival by NYC's T. Schreiber Studio

[ P ]  Still Sort of Grandish, Finian's Rainbow Extends to July 11 in NYC; O'Malley Joins May 12

[ P ]  Philly Favorite is Matchmaker in Walnut Street Hello, Dolly!, May 11-July 3

[ B ]  Barbara Cook's Broadway Set for London in May

posted at 4/26/2004 04:11:20 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link



[ B ]  DVDs: Give Me a Freak by Ken Mandelbaum
Kelli O'Hara has been mentioned for the cast of the upcoming Broadway Dracula.
CD: TABOO (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
CD: VIVIAN BLAINE SINGS PAL JOEY and ANNIE GET YOUR GUN (Decca Broadway)

Reviews:

[ B ]  Were NY Critics Moved by Stoppard's Jumpers?

[ TM ]  Jumpers
Reviewed By: David Finkle


Features:

[ TB ]  Cabaret Interview: Jane Olivor by Jonathan Frank

News:

[ P ]  Jerry Springer to Open on Broadway Oct. 20, 2005, After San Fran Bow

[ B ]  Springer to Try Out in Frisco; Sets B'way Date

[ P ]  Bounce Cast Album Release Date Now May 4

[ P ]  Tickets to Sondheim's The Frogs Go on Sale May 2

[ P ]  Gypsy's Sam Mendes Chooses Next Film Project

[ P ]  Academy Award Winner Dianne Wiest Set for West End Appearance

[ P ]  Hugh Jackman Is Van Helsing at Madame Tussaud's in May

[ P ]  Hewitt and Chaplin Join Cast of NBC's "A Christmas Carol"

[ P ]  Barbara Cook's Broadway Heads to London in May

[ P ]  Sly Fox's Rachel York to Take Part in Free Concert April 27

[ P ]  Side Show's Alice Ripley Set for TV and Concert Gig

[ P ]  Paul Rudd Is Part of Free Reading of Worry Baby April 26

posted at 4/26/2004 12:16:36 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link



Features:

[ NYT ]  Helping the Hip-Hop World Find 'A Raisin in the Sun' by LOLA OGUNNAIKE
In an effort to achieve audience diversity, promotional campaigns have been coordinated with hip-hop magazines and radio stations.

[ DN ]  Diddy does Broadway by CELIA McGEE
Sean Combs hopes to silence his critics tonight in 'Raisin'

[ DN ]  Puffy 'Raisin' B'way sales by SPENCER MORGAN
After a sluggish start, Broadway ticket sales have exploded, topping $136 million in the last eight weeks. That's up 25% over the same period last year, according to Crain's New York Business.

[ NYT ]  Bollywood on Broadway Courts South Asians by JESSE McKINLEY
"Bombay Dreams" producers have made a determined effort to get out the word that for the first time ever on Broadway, a show speaks directly to their culture.

[ NYT ]  Audio: Excerpts from 'Bombay Dreams'

[ TM ]  Peter Filichia's Diary

P.F. attends the Vital Theatre Company's production of the 1936 Pulitizer Prize winner Idiot's Delight.

[ NYT ]  Goodbye, 'Frasier'; Hello, Kelsey Grammer? by MICHAEL JOSEPH GROSS
Kelsey Grammer can leave "Frasier" � the final episode will be broadcast on May 13 � but can he leave Frasier Crane behind?
Includes a mention of his desire to return to Broadway in "La Cage aux Folles."

[ P ]  MARQUEE VALUE: Democracy at London's Wyndham's

Reviews:

[ B ]  Jumpers
Review by William Stevenson

The fact is most audience members won't follow the play's meandering philosophical discussions. But they should still enjoy the witty wordplay and the knockout performances by Simon Russell Beale, Essie Davis and the rest of the company.

[ SUN ]  "Philosophy and Bottoms," Broadway-Style by JEREMY McCARTER
Was it like this, I wonder, when Oscar Wilde treated Colorado miners to a lecture on Cellini?

[ ND ]  Philosophical gymnastics earn high score BY LINDA WINER
This is brainy, but full of heart. For all Stoppard's showing off, the effect is giddy with the joy of emotional and intellectual gymnastics.

[ DN ]  Oh, the humanities! by Howard Kissel
The current revival, presented by the British National Theatre, boasts a fine cast, led by Simon Russell Beale, and an impressive physical production. It is, however, largely insufferable.

[ NYP ]  PHILOSOPHY FUN-OH-FUN by CLIVE BARNES
Believe it or not, though, it's funny - screamingly funny.
Never mind the details. Just relax in your seat, think Monty Python - and let the jokes pour over you in some cheerful semantic blur.

[ NYT ]  THEATER REVIEW | 'JUMPERS'
Odd Brits A-Leaping With Bodies or Brains by BEN BRANTLEY

Verbal, emotional and physical leaps make this comic mystery one of the most entertaining exercise sessions available.

[ NJ ]  Highbrow has its hazards BY MICHAEL SOMMERS
The National Theatre of Great Britain hierarchy must be mad to think their fancy import, which opened yesterday at the Atkinson, warrants a run slated through the middle of August.

[ TB ]  Jumpers
Review by Matthew Murray

[ Y ]  'Jumpers' Mixes High Jinks, Low Comedy by MICHAEL KUCHWARA, AP Drama Critic

[ NYer ]  STALKERS AND TALKERS by JOHN LAHR

Sondheim and Stoppard on Broadway.

[ NJ ]  'Lemonade' in Long Branch: The title says it all BY PETER FILICHIA

News:

[ P ]  Broadway Bad Boy: Rap Mogul Sean Combs Opens in Raisin in the Sun April 26

[ P ]  Mrs. Farnsworth Hubby John Lithgow Reads and Signs New Book in New York City, April 27

[ P ]  Chicago Tony Winner Heads to the Chatterbox April 29

[ P ]  Elizabeth Franz Joins the Cast of Cullum Dresser in Tennessee

[ P ]  Fiddler Album Will Be Most Complete Recording Yet of Classic; Cast in Studio April 26

posted at 4/26/2004 07:41:15 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Sunday, April 25, 2004

Features:

[ NYT ]  P. Diddy's Broadway Crash Course by JASON ZINOMAN
Learning in a few months what others take years to study and master has been the most difficult challenge of Sean Combs's life.

[ ND ]  'Raisin' for a rap generation BY GORDON COX
Sean Combs stars in a Broadway revival and is one in a string of hip-hop and R&B artists on New York stages

[ DN ]  Planet Bollywood by ALEV AKTAR
Glittering excess rules in Broadway's new 'Bombay Dreams'

[ INQ ]  Bollywood meets Broadway by Aseem Chhabra
"Bombay Dreams" brings the flamboyant world of Indian filmmaking to a congenial setting on the Great White Way.

[ LAT ]  Booking a 'Bombay' trip by Patrick Pacheco
Writer Tom Meehan tinkers with the story of a hot British import to Broadway, where he's in heavy demand.

[ DN ]  Maid for B'way BY JOE DZIEMIANOWICZ
Tony Kushner's civil-rights-era musical moves uptown

[ NYT ]  EXCERPT
'Jumpers'

In this excerpt from Tom Stoppard's 1972 farce, a rumpled logician named George Moore becomes fascinated by his left sock.

[ LAT ]  More than just smarts by Barbara Isenberg
Simon Russell Beale has brought a vital heat and heart to the philosopher role in Tom Stoppard's 'Jumpers.' Now he's bringing it to Broadway.

[ UMO ]  A playwright and his muse get primitive on Broadway
When playwright Mark Medoff first met actress Phyllis Frelich, there was no sign that she would soon become his muse.
Many thanks to the person who submitted this article via our suggestion box!

[ CT ]  The 'Bums' are back by Chris Jones
The old Organic Theatre gang thinks the time is right for a new 'Bleacher Bums'
Joe Mantegna interview.

[ TS ]  How theatre saved a city by RICHARD OUZOUNIAN
Fifteen years ago, Chicago's downtown core was vacant after dark. Then the theatres moved in

[ BS ]  Museum Spotlights New Collection of Televised Theatre
The Museums of Television & Radio have an extraordinary collection of radio and television programming on file. But who would imagine the treasure trove of televised theatre also available.

[ P ]  STAGE TO SCREEN: Hensley Meets Jackman Again in "Van Helsing"
In honor of the summer movie season, which now begins in the first few weeks of spring, I�ve decided to look at two major action movies with big budgets, lots of special effects and, it turns out, strong theatre connections.

[ NJ ]  Where Cahn's oldies play to younger set BY PETER FILICHIA

[ B ]  Fresh Face: Laura Michelle Kelly by Kevin Manganaro

[ DN ]  Slacker hell by JENNIFER SOONG

Neil LaBute tackles America's young losers

[ NYT ]  The Very Model of a Modern Satirist by JEREMY McCARTER
"Engaged," a satire on marriage and money, makes the case that William S. Gilbert was much more than Arthur Sullivan's librettist.

[ NYT ]  A Musical Flop Does a Flip by DAVID MERMELSTEIN
The nearly forgotten 1967 musical "Sherry!" is the subject of a recent two-CD album with a cast of Broadway stars.
With audio excerpts.

[ NYT ]  The (Not Easy) Building of (Not Exactly) Lincoln Center for (Not) Manhattan by JAMES TRAUB
Harvey Lichtenstein's grand finale.

[ BG ]  Playwright and Southie native Lindsay-Abaire brings his skewed view to 'Kimberly Akimbo' by Catherine Foster

[ NYP ]  LIZ SMITH

THERE WERE stars aplenty at the American Theater Wing lunch honoring the late Isabelle Stevenson last week. So who was the most astonishing of all? I say Anne Heche, co-starring with Alec Baldwin on Broadway in "Twentieth Century."

[ HC ]  The Palace And The Glory?
Waterbury Hoping Theater Renovation Helps Revive Main Street

[ HC ]  Like A Soldier, To The Stage by FRANK RIZZO
He's Finally Ready: Hamish Linklater Lands Theater's Most Coveted Role

[ HC ]  Many Hamlets: Olivier, Branagh, Gielgud, Booth ... And Bernhardt? by FRANK RIZZO

[ P ]  MARQUEE VALUE: The Goat at London's Apollo

[ P ]  MARQUEE VALUE: Sight Unseen at the Biltmore


Thanks to American Theater Web for the following features!

[ CCT ]  Lead actors enjoying their big roles in 'Hairspray' by Pat Craig

[ SFC ]  WATERS WONDERS AT NEW FAMILY-FRIENDLY ROLE by Aidin VAzIri

[ SFC ]  BRUCE VILANCH WIGS OUT FOR 'HAIRSPRAY' by Joe Brown

[ SFC ]  GET WIGGY
MAKING HAIR STATEMENTS WITH POMPADOURS AND MULLETS by Delfin Vigil

[ IS ]  New '42nd Street' goes beyond the original by Peter Szatmary

Finding tap dancers for revival at Murat has been easier than in 1980.

[ IS ]  Alley is dancer's entry to '42nd Street' by Peter Szatmary

[ HT ]  Wopat dazzles in 'Chicago' by JAY HANDELMAN

[ ST ]  Nilo Cruz explores art, love and Lorca by Misha Berson

[ MST ]  Do reviews matter? No. Yes. Maybe. Depends. by Graydon Royce

[ CE ]  Bohmer to star in SCPA fund-raiser by Jackie Demaline


News:

[ B ]  O'Malley to Replace Errico for Finian's Extension

[ P ]  Will Death Takes a Holiday, With Banderas, Come to Broadway in Spring 2005?

Death Takes a Holiday, the final musical work of the late master librettist Peter Stone, in a collaboration with Maury Yeston, may bow on Broadway as early as the end of the 2004-05 season under the direction of David Leveaux, Playbill On-Line has learned.

[ BS ]  Hewitt, Chaplin Go 'Carol'-Ing by Nellie Andreeva
Jennifer Love Hewitt and Geraldine Chaplin are set to join the cast of NBC's "A Christmas Carol," a musical based on the stage production at New York's Madison Square Garden.

[ B ]  Primary Stages Announces 2004-2005 Season

[ TVG ]  BROADWAY STAR TO AMC

Rock singer Alice Ripley has joined the cast of All My Children in the recurring role of Pearly, a Las Vegas showgirl Erica encounters during her travels in Sin City.
Thanks to SQ on All That Chat for the link!

[ P ]  Talk Show Watch: Hugh Jackman and Rosie O'Donnell on "Leno," John Lithgow on "The View"

[ P ]  Leveaux and Company Mount a Moral Trapeze as Stoppard's Jumpers Opens on Broadway

[ P ]  Understudies from Assassins, Bombay Dreams, Wicked and Avenue Q Enter the Broadway Spotlight May 3

[ P ]  Kennedy Center's 12th Annual Gala Features Liza Minnelli April 25

[ P ]  Pistols Loaded, NC�s Triad Stage Takes a Shot at New Hedda Gabler Adaptation, April 26-May 16

[ P ]  George M. Cohan, Musical Comedy Pioneer, Sings in World Premiere, Yankee Doodle Dandy!, at Seattle's 5th Avenue

[ P ]  Seattle Repertory Theatre Presents Cruz' Latest Beauty, April 24

[ P ]  Drama League Announces Roster of Honorees

[ ATW ]  Broadway and Beyond: Music, Drama and Children's Theater in FL
Stroll down 'Orchard Street' or visit with 'Master Harold'
XM Satellite Radio

[ ATW ]  Broadway and Beyond: It It's Spring in NY, It Must Be Time for an Award
Highlights of the Lortel, Outer Critics Circle and Drama League Award Nominations
XM Satellite Radio


Reviews:

[ NYT ]  TV REVIEW | 'PLAINSONG'
Conflicted Desires, Refracted in Amber Haze by VIRGINIA HEFFERNAN

This movie of Kent Haruf's popular novel, which appears Sunday on CBS, confounds the usual formula by being morally ambiguous.
With Marian Seldes, Katie Finneran and Margo Martindale.

[ Y ]  Program Shows Williams Creations by MICHAEL KUCHWARA, AP Drama Critic

[ BSUN ]  Williams' one-acts premiere by J. Wynn Rousuck

[ TB ]  First You're Born
Review by Matthew Murray

[ Y ]  'Oleanna' in London in a Potent Revival by MATT WOLF, Associated Press Writer

[ SUN ]  Sondheim Shoots and Scores by JEREMY McCARTER

In "Assassins", Stephen Sondheim subverts everything--even himself.

[ TM ]  Chef's Theater
Reviewed By: David Finkle

[ CU ]  Tooth and Claw

[ ATW ]  Coming Out Story Feels Freshly Minted in Bare
Review by Andy Propst

posted at 4/25/2004 11:21:16 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

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BROADWAYSTAR'S FIVE DAY FORECAST


2007-08
Broadway Season

June 28 - Old Acquaintance (AA)

July 10 - Xanadu (Hayes) [Robert Ahrens, Dan Vickery, Tara Smith/B. Swibel and Sarah Murchison/Dale Smith]

Aug 19 - Grease (Atkinson)

Oct 4 - Mauritius (Biltmore) [MTC]

Oct 11 - The Ritz (54)

Oct 18 - Pygmalion (AA)

Oct 25 - A Bronx Tale (Kerr)

Nov 1 - Cyrano de Bergerac (Rodgers)

Nov 4 - Rock 'N' Roll (Jacobs)

Nov 8 - Young Frankenstein (Hilton)

Nov 9 - Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (St. James)

Nov 10: Local One Strike Begins

Nov 28: Local One Strike Ends

Dec 2 - Cymbeline (Beaumont)

Dec 3 - The Farnsworth Invention (Music Box) [Dodger Properties with Steven Spielberg, Dan Cap Productions, Fred Zollo, Latitude Link and the Pelican Group]

Dec 4 - August: Osage County (Imperial) [Jeffrey Richards, Jean Doumanian, Steve Traxler, Jerry Frankel, Steppenwolf]

Dec 6 - The Seafarer (Booth)

Dec 9 - Is He Dead? (Lyceum)

Dec 16 - The Homecoming (Cort) [Richards, Frankel]

Jan 10 - The Little Mermaid (Lunt)

Jan 15 - The 39 Steps (AA)

Jan 17 - November (Barrymore)

Jan 24 - Come Back, Little Sheba (Biltmore)

Feb 21 - Sunday In The Park With George (54)

Feb 28 - Passing Strange (Belasco)

Mar 6 - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Broadhurst) [Stephen C. Byrd]

Mar 9 - In The Heights (Rodgers)

Mar 27 - Gypsy (St. James)

Mar 29 - Macbeth (Lyceum)

Apr 3 - South Pacific (Beaumont)

Apr 17 - A Catered Affair (Kerr) [Jujamcyn Theaters, Jordan Roth, Harvey Entertainment / Ron Fierstein, Richie Jackson and Daryl Roth]

Apr 24 - Cry Baby (Marquis)

Apr 27 - The Country Girl (Jacobs)

Apr 30 - Thurgood (Booth)

May 1 - Les Liaisons Dangereuses (AA)

May 4 - Boeing-Boeing (Longacre)

May 7 - Top Girls (Biltmore)

TBA - Godspell

2008-09
Broadway Season

Oct 16 - Billy Elliot (Imperial)

Nov 08 - Dividing the Estate (a Shubert theater)

Dec 14 - Shrek: The Musical (Broadway) [DreamWorks]

Talked About
Not Scheduled Yet

TBA - 50 Words

TBA - Addams Family (Elephant Eye)

TBA - American Buffalo

TBA - An American Vaudeville [Farrell, Perloff]

TBA - The Beard of Avon [NYTW]

TBA - Being There [Permut]

TBA - Benny & Joon [MGM]

TBA - Billy Elliot

TBA - Brave New World [Rachunow]

TBA - Breath of Life [Fox]

TBA - Busker Alley [Margot Astrachan, Robert Blume, Kristine Lewis, Jamie Fox, Joanna Kerry & Heather Duke]

TBA - Broomhilda

TBA - Bye Bye Birdie [Niko]

TBA - Camille Claudel [Wildhorn]

TBA - Camelot

TBA - Carmen [Robin DeLevita and The Firm]

TBA - Catch Me If You Can

TBA - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon [Bob and Harvey Weinstein]

TBA - Cry Baby [Grazer, Gordon, McAllister, Epstein]

TBA - Designing Women [Alexis]

TBA - Don Juan DeMarco [New Line]

TBA - Dreamgirls [Creative Battery]

TBA - Duet

TBA - Equus

TBA - Ever After [Adam Epstein]

TBA - Fallen Angels (Shubert) [Kenwright]

TBA - Farragut North [Richards]

TBA - Father of the Bride

TBA - The Female Of The Species (TBA)

TBA - Fool For Love (AA) [Roundabout]

TBA - Girl Group Time Travelers

TBA - Golden Boy

TBA - Harmony [Guiles, Karslake, Smith, Fishman]

TBA - Hitchcock Blonde

TBA - The Importance Of Being Earnest

TBA - Jerry Springer: The Opera! [Thoday, McKeown]

TBA - Jesus Hopped The 'A' Train (Circle)

TBA - Josephine [Waissman]

TBA - Leap of Faith

TBA - A Little Princess [Ettinger, Dodger]

TBA - Midnight Cowboy [MGM]

TBA - The Minstrel Show - Kander and Ebb and Stroman

TBA - Moonstruck [Pittelman, Azenberg]

TBA - Mourning Becomes Electra [Haber, Boyett]

TBA - Monsoon Wedding

TBA - The Night of the Hunter

TBA - The Opposite of Sex [Namco]

TBA - Orphans

TBA - Pal Joey [Platt]

TBA - Paper Doll

TBA - The Paris Letter

TBA - The Philadelphia Story

TBA - Peter Pan

TBA - Porgy and Bess [Frankel, Viertel, Baruch, Routh, Panter, Tulchin/Bartner]

TBA - The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert

TBA - The Princess Bride

TBA - Princesses [Lane, Comley]

TBA - Poe the Musical

TBA - Rain Man [MGM]

TBA - Robin Hood

TBA - Secondhand Lions

TBA - South Pacific

TBA - Speed-the-Plow

TBA - Stalag 17

TBA - Starry Messenger

TBA - Syncopation

TBA - A Tale Of Two Cities

TBA - Torch Song Trilogy

TBA - Turn of the Century

TBA - West Side Story

TBA - The Wall [Weinstein, Mottola, Waters]

TBA - Will Rogers Follies [Cossette]

TBA - The Wiz [Dodger]

TBA - Zanna [Dalgleish]

This list is compiled from various sources. If you have corrections to the Broadway Season, please contact us.

 
   


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