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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

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    [ 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.

      This Morning's Peter Filichia:

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

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

      Features:

      [ 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

      "The Brother/Sister Plays":

      [ 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.

      "The Habit of Art":

      [ 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 (*)

      "Wintuk":

      [ 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.

      Other Reviews:

      [ 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

      News:

      [ 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


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