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Saturday, November 16, 2002

[ B ]  Movin' Out Star William Marri� Dead at 33


posted at 11/16/2002 06:47:43 PM by James Marino | Item Link



News:

[ NYT ]  Eddie Bracken, Who Acted in Sturges Comedies, Dies at 87 by RICHARD SEVERO
Eddie Bracken's portrayals of bewildered and long-suffering comic heroes crowned a stage, screen and television career of more than 70 years.
ME: Mr. Bracken, my great uncle has always said you're the funniest guy he's ever seen.
EDDIE: Really? Well, he sounds like a very smart man! Yeah, we WERE pretty funny in those days, although usually it was when we were trying to be serious...


[ B ]  Broadway Vet Eddie Bracken Dead at 82

[ B ]  AGMA Challenges Equity Over Movin' Out

[ TM ]  HOLA, MTC Among Governor's Arts Awards Recipients

[ P ]  PHOTO CALL: Urban Cowboy: Ride the Bull

[ P ]  PHOTO CALL: Urban Cowboy: Can We Have This Dance

[ P ]  PHOTO CALL: Urban Cowboy: Lookin' For Love

[ P ]  Lippa's Wild Party Gets Rare Production at U of Buffalo, Thru Nov. 24

[ P ]  Ride 'Em Urban Cowboy: New Film-Based Musical Opens in Florida, Nov. 16

[ P ]  Elaine May's Adult Entertainment Begins Off Bway Nov. 16

[ P ]  Stephen Lang Rejoins Marlo Thomas in The Guys in NYC, Dec. 3-20

[ P ]  Peter Michael Goetz Heads Cast of Guthrie Christmas Carol, Nov. 16- Dec. 29

[ P ]  West End Actors Discuss Braving The Woman in Black Each Night

[ P ]  PHOTO CALL: Duncan Breaks Through The Fourth Wall in Gurney NYC Premiere

[ P ]  PHOTO CALL: Over the Wall: A.R. Gurney's Comedy Opens With Sandy Duncan

[ P ]  Coffee and Dvorsky Head Cast of North Shore's Christmas Carol

[ P ]  Redgrave's General From America Arrives at Off-Broadway's Lortel Nov. 16

[ P ]  TDF Offers TKTS Gift Certificates for the Holiday Ticket Buyer

[ P ]  Today In Theatre History: NOVEMBER 16

[ P ]  Eddie Bracken, Stage and Film Actor Who Had Paper Mill Roles, Dead at 87

[ P ]  'Men of Mamma Mia!' Calendar Is Road Show Fund-Raiser for BC/EFA

[ DN ]  'Universe' benefit is launched with a big bang and tiny plays by PATRICIA O'HAIRE

Broadway's talent universe will expand a little tomorrow and Monday at the Eugene O'Neill Theater.

Features:

[ HHW ]  Donna Lynne Champlin
Interview by Bruce Kimmel
Too bad she couldn't think of anything to say... ;-)

[ LAT ]  Doing as Miss Debbie Allen says by Valerie J. Nelson
A squirmy dance cast listens up as the choreographer rehearses them for a musical. (P.S. She doesn�t yell � she corrects.)

[ LAT ]  Professor Alexander by Diane Haithman
USC's new faculty member teaches actors how to work hard, not how to get ahead.
Jason Alexander.

[ B ]  Photo Op: Exclusive Peek at the La Mancha Recording

[ B ]  Photo Op: A Def Opening Night for Def Poetry Jam

[ B ]  Photo Op: The Fourth Wall Opening


Reviews:

[ NJ ]  Performing poetry -- Broadway show offers verses from hip-hop culture BY MICHAEL SOMMERS
Frankly, like many another middle-aged white theatergoer, I don't know hip-hop from bebop.
Fortunately, there's no need to be knowledgeable about hip-hop culture to see "Def Poetry Jam on Broadway," which opened Thursday at the Longacre Theatre.

[ NJ ]  Uneven riffs on jazz great BY PETER FILICHIA
Rome Neal saunters on the stage of the Crossroads Theatre Company in New Brunswick, wearing a dark blue plaid jacket that doesn't quite complement his black pants. The black-and-blue metaphor is fitting, though, considering the person he's playing: Thelonious Monk.

[ TM ]  Who Killed Woody Allen? Reviewed By: Brooke Pierce

[ TM ]  Frame 312 Reviewed By: Dan Bacalzo

posted at 11/16/2002 08:45:11 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Friday, November 15, 2002

[ Y ]  Obituary: Screen/stage Actor Eddie Bracken

[ IBDB ]  Eddie Bracken

posted at 11/15/2002 06:56:46 PM by the other James | Item Link



[ P ]  Well Alright Then: Harlem Song Will Stay Open Through Dec. 31

[ B ]  Harlem Song to Stay Open Through December 30

[ TM ]  The Siegels' Nightlife Notes

Solid musical research makes for highly entertaining shows by Morgan Sills and Carol Shedlin.

posted at 11/15/2002 03:23:19 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link



News:

[ P ]  Vanessa Williams Sings Carmen Jones Nov. 15-17 at Kennedy Center

[ P ]  Inside Broadway Offers Kids 'Sweetest Sounds' of Richard Rodgers in NYC Revue, Nov. 30-Dec. 15

[ P ]  Frankie's Falco Guests on "Connie Chung Tonight" Nov. 15

[ P ]  Report: Dame Edna Shortlisted for London's Edna in Hairspray

[ P ]  Comden to Introduce New Print of "Singin' in the Rain" at Film Forum Nov. 15

[ P ]  PBOL'S THEATRE WEEK IN REVIEW, Nov. 9-15: Victory for Churchill

[ P ]  London's National Theatre Serves Up Dinner Nov. 18

[ P ]  Report: Far Away Director Daldry Eyes Broadway with Other Churchill Work, A Number

[ P ]  DIVA TALK: Chatting With LaChanze Plus News of Merman, Murney & Maureen


Reviews:

[ B ]  CDs: Just a Lady with a Song by Ken Mandelbaum
MEGAN MULLALLY: BIG AS A BERRY (Fynsworth Alley)
YVONNE KENNY: MAKE BELIEVE (ABC Classics)
DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER: THIS IS NEW (Verve)
MERMAN IN VEGAS (Collectables)

[ B ]  Gotham Critics Praise B'way's Def Poetry Jam

[ TB ]  The Food Chain and Mneocchio
San Francisco Reviews by Richard Connema

Features:

[ PW ]  Tom Stoppard by J. COOPER ROBB
The Wilma Theater and Philadelphia Orchestra are working together on a rare staging of Tom Stoppard and Andr� Previn's collaborative work Every Good Boy Deserves Favor, a black comedy about a political prisoner and mental patient confined to a Russian insane asylum. We caught up with Stoppard by phone in the south of France.

[ TM ]  Photo File
Harvey Fierstein, Dick Latessa, Carol Channing, Russell Simmons, and other celebs appear before the cameras.

posted at 11/15/2002 01:06:26 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link



[ WSJ ]  Now You're the Ticket Master
This Wall Street Journal article from the other day discusses the growing online sources for Broadway tickets and discounts. Featured in the article are TheaterMania, Playbill Online and BroadwayBox.com. It will be interesting to see if ticket availability becomes a truely open market, like in London, where consumers can go to many sources for your theater tickets rather than just one. In the end, competition is good for 99% of the Broadway audience/community.

On another note... I went to a screening of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets the other day. I enjoyed it more than Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which I liked a lot. It is so exciting to see great movies of substance are still being made by large commercial studios.

Now that The Goat is closing, leaving The Golden empty, what play will step up into that real estate? I know there is a show that is looking and would love to get that space... we'll see.

The little show that could? Rumors have daily wraps of DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES in the six-figures for weeks now. If only they could stay in previews forever, it would seem like a good business plan. Back on June 18 I had written about Michael Crawford's star status and how I doubted that he could bring the numbers in. I am willing to concede that I was wrong, for now. Lets see the weeklys after the show opens. For those of you who cannot get to the Minskoff to see for yourself, there is a video clip of a good section of the show (in it's Austrian incarnation) that can be found at http://www.carpe-jugulum.com/. The whole site is over the top. But go to the MP3 section and all the way on the bottom are the three video clips. Enjoy! [Thanks to our #1 reader who sent the clip to us!]

posted at 11/15/2002 08:57:40 AM by James Marino | Item Link



News:

[ NYT ]  ON STAGE AND OFF
A Puzzler Scores by JESSE MCKINLEY

Stephen Daldry, who directed "Far Away" at the Royal Court in London two years ago, is happy to have "a second go" at the production, now at New York Theater Workshop.

[ NYP ]  A REAL TWO-FER by MICHAEL RIEDEL
LONDON - The celebrated British playwright Caryl Churchill has pulled off a neat trick: Two of the most sought after tickets in both London and New York are for plays she wrote.

[ B ]  Off-Broadway's Big Al to Close November 20

[ B ]  Albee's The Goat to Close on December 15

[ B ]  Solo Show Bartenders Moves to John Houseman

[ P ]  Goodspeed Opens Cult Musical, King of Hearts, Nov. 15

[ P ]  Gentleman of Verona Are Harold Lloyd and Buddy Rogers in San Jose's Staging Dec. 7-Jan. 12

[ P ]  Noth, McGrath, Skybell Are in Shinn's Literary Circle, What Didn't Happen, Nov. 15

[ P ]  Mary Ann Lamb Is York's New Girl in Town, Nov. 15-17

[ P ]  Aquila's Quirky Comedy of Errors Enters Final Weekend; Closes Off-Bway Nov. 17

[ P ]  Linn-Baker and Goede Are Frog and Toad in New Musical at NYC's New Victory, Nov. 15-Dec. 1

[ P ]  Julia Murney and Ric Ryder Sing Songs of Marzullo Nov. 24 at Duplex Cabaret

[ P ]  Barbra Offers Holiday Concerts in New York, Dec. 6-29

[ P ]  Report: Albee's Goat to Close on Broadway, Dec. 15

[ P ]  Rosie Perez Stars in Reading of New Gibson Play, Brooklyn Bridge, Nov. 24

[ P ]  DDD on CD; Off-Broadway's Debbie Releases Cast Album, Jan. 14

[ P ]  Sutherland, Saltzman, Kelly Headline Pittsburgh Public La Mancha in January 2003

[ TM ]  Tom Postilio and Company to Celebrate Frank Sinatra and the Holiday Season at Westbury Music Fair


Reviews � "Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam on Broadway":

[ NYP ]  'JAM' CHALLENGES B'WAY WITH A SLAM DUNK by CLIVE BARNES
POETRY is alive and well at the Longacre Theatre. Indeed, it's alive and kicking like a mule. "Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam on Broadway," which opened last night, is one of those indefinable creatures that turns up occasionally, challenging our concepts of what is theater and even what is Broadway.

[ NYT ]  THEATER REVIEW | 'DEF POETRY JAM'
Untamed Poetry, Loose Onstage by BEN BRANTLEY

Russell Simmons's production of poetry for the stage, with its electric performers, is currently the most singular offering in mainstream New York theater.

[ DN ]  Cast of poets takes B'way a long way from midtown by ISAAC GUZMAN
With a mult-culti cast of nine young spoken-word artists, the night of poetry, stories and beats sounds like an authentic shout from the streets.

[ ND ]  Rhyme, Reason and Rage by Linda Winer
Simmons' 'Def Poetry' delivers uptown/downtown to midtown

[ YN ]  Celebration of Rap Hits Broadway by MICHAEL KUCHWARA, AP Drama Critic
Its official title is a mouthful � "Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam on Broadway" � but this lively and defiant celebration of rap, ranting and rhythm is pretty straightforward in its presentation.

[ USA ]  'Def Poetry Jam' is all relative by Elysa Gardner
Def Poetry Jam, which opened Thursday at the Longacre Theatre, promises something that should be exciting to theater fans of all ages: a chance to see fresh talent reflecting a variety of perspectives.

[ TM ]  Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam on Broadway Reviewed By: Philip Hopkins

[ B ]  Def Poetry Jam Review by Adam Feldman

[ TB ]  Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam on Broadway Review by Matthew Murray

Other Reviews:

[ NYT ]  THEATER REVIEW | 'RADIO CITY CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR'
The Holidays Dance Into Town by LAWRENCE VAN GELDER

This aptly named extravaganza, with its time-tested mix of nostalgia and reverence, infuses its eager audiences with Christmas spirit.

[ NYT ]  THEATER REVIEW | `THE MAILMAN ALWAYS . . .'
Noir That Will Make You Blush by NEIL GENZLINGER

Tweed TheaterWorks's has created a ribald parody of the 1946 film "The Postman Always Rings Twice" and its 1981 remake.

[ LAT ]  Raft of hope on the 'Big River' by Sean Mitchell
Fueled by the show-stopping voices of Rufus Bonds Jr., as the runaway slave Jim, and Gwen Stewart, as the captured slave Alice, this revival of the 1985 Tony Award-winning musical adaptation of "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" at times shook the Taper like a gospel church to the sound of Roger Miller's powerful country spirituals about freedom denied and regained in Mark Twain's racially divided America.

[ LAT ]  THEATER BEAT
Skewed miracles, divine meetings

Norman Lear meets Norman Vincent Peale in "Acts of God" at Actors Workout Studio. Plus: "The Secret Love Life of Ophelia" (with Steven Berkoff),"The Oldest Man in Show Business" and more.

Features:

[ TM ]  Peter Filichia's Diary
Musicals Tonight! revives a little-known Rodgers and Hart show about a eunuch, his son, and a woman called Chee-Chee.

[ NJ ]  Fertile mind feeds Feldshuh repertoire BY PETER FILICHIA

[ CST ]  British playwright returns to Steppenwolf with the blues BY MARY HOULIHAN

[ BH ]  Right `Proportions': David Crane, Larry Coen mix styles into `Epic' comedy by Terry Byrne

[ TM ]  Tunes and Tomes

Dan Bacalzo reviews David Kaufman's new biography of the one-and-only Charles Ludlam.

posted at 11/15/2002 08:04:47 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Thursday, November 14, 2002

[ YN ]  Broadway's Tony winning `Goat' will close Dec. 15
posted at 11/14/2002 11:09:51 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link



[ BS ]  AGMA Movin' In on AEA by Roger Armbrust
The American Guild of Musical Artists is challenging Actors' Equity Association over performer jurisdiction in Broadway's new Billy Joel-Twyla Tharp musical "Movin' Out."

[ BS ]  Some Musical Groups Face Failing Financials
When recession hits and the wallets of patrons thin down, companies specializing in musical theatre can be especially hard hit.

[ P ]  Ewan McGregor Quits London Theatre Company, Natural Nylon

[ P ]  Jumping On My Shadow Nabs U.K.'s John Whiting Award

[ P ]  West End Les Miz Announces Cast Change

[ P ]  Camelle Returns to London Phantom Cast

[ TM ]  Tune, Errico, Shear, and McNeeley to Perform at UJA-Federation Event Honoring Schoenfeld

[ TM ]  Hilary Knight to Appear at Eloise Exhibition/Signing at the Plaza Hotel

[ AAS ]  McDonald's 'Happy Songs' not just for grins by Michael Barnes

Interview with Audra McDonald.
Thanks to American Theater Web for the link!

posted at 11/14/2002 03:57:17 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link



Features:

[ B ]  Lessons of the Season ('02-'03) #1 by Ken Mandelbaum
The Broadway revival of The Miracle Worker has been mentioned for the Music Box Theatre, and I'm now hearing that Urban Cowboy is eyeing the Broadhurst.

News:

[ P ]  Adolph Green's Life Celebrated Dec. 3 at the Shubert Theatre

[ P ]  Crix Invited to All Three Casts of La Boheme

[ P ]  Zimmerman Exchanges da Vinci for Seneca at Goodman Theatre

[ P ]  Report: Battle Brews Over Broadway Black Bottom

[ P ]  Broadway Star Vanessa Williams to Play Broadway Star in New TV Series

[ P ]  "Theater Talk" Welcomes Hairspray's Shaiman, Wittman, Latessa & Hoffman Nov. 15

[ P ]  Off-Bway's Little Ham Cast Album Available; Troupe Appears On Fox and WB

[ P ]  Where Have All the Tickets Gone?: TDF Comments on "Spotlight on Teachers" Matinee, Nov. 16

[ B ]  Goodman Pulls Notebooks; 2nd Stage Sked Stays

[ B ]  Adolph Green Tribute Set for December 3

[ B ]  Spotlight Shines on Billy Porter December 2


Reviews:

[ TB ]  One Red Flower: Letters from 'Nam Seattle Review by David-Edward Hughes

[ TB ]  The Spitfire Grill and School of Jesus Fish Minneapolis Reviews by Elizabeth Weir

posted at 11/14/2002 02:06:31 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link



News:

[ NYT ]  'Ma Rainey' Broadway Revival Is Threatened by Contract Dispute by RALPH BLUMENTHAL and JESSE McKINLEY
A highly anticipated Broadway revival of August Wilson's "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" is under attack by two of the producers of its original 1984 run.

[ ND ]  'Vampires' Is Delayed but Not Undead Yet by Gordon Cox
Elizabeth Williams, one half of the producing team Waxman Williams, said she and partner Anita Waxman are developing a new version of the 1965 musical "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever." The show will have a new book by Paul Selig, and Michael Mayer ("Thoroughly Modern Millie") is on board to direct.

[ USA ]  Beautiful people raise a pretty penny by Jeannie Williams
You don't hear De Niro singing "When you're a Jet ..." with Kevin Kline too often, nor do you see Bette Midler, Chita Rivera and Rita Moreno tearing up America, Whoopi Goldberg in I Feel Pretty or former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani as Officer Krupke, with Tony Danza as a delinquent.

[ B ]  B'way Critics Asked to See Baz's Boheme Thrice

[ B ]  Tea at Five Eyes B'way Bow in the Spring

[ DN ]  'Producers': Grab a seat!

The hottest ticket on Broadway seems to be cooling off.
For the first time since it opened in April 2001, "The Producers" is running radio and print ads touting the availability of seats.

[ P ]  Man of La Mancha Revival Cast Album Recorded Nov. 14; CD Out Jan. 7, 2003

[ P ]  PLAYBILL ON-LINE NOTEBOOK: Circle Rep's Legacy Seen Anew in the Theatre

[ P ]  Schedule of Upcoming Broadway Shows

[ P ]  Eight Frayn Farces Alarms and Excursions Spoof Technology in Berkeley Nov. 15-Dec. 22

[ P ]  Applause Books Reopens in Manhattan Nov. 19

[ P ]  Word! Def Poetry Jam Opens on Broadway Nov. 14

[ P ]  Bat Boy Wings Into DC, Playing Studio Theatre's Nascent Space Nov. 14-Dec. 8

[ P ]  Star-Studded Benefit for Underwood Theater Scheduled for Nov. 14

[ P ]  Verdon Redhead CD Available Dec. 10; Bonus Tracks By Prince, Callaway

[ P ]  Today in Theatre History: NOVEMBER 14

[ P ]  Taylor's Crowns Begins Previews at Second Stage, Nov. 13

[ TM ]  Lesbian Playwrights Are Recruiting

[ YN ]  Romeo and Juliet Go to India by Jayashree Lengade

BOMBAY, India (Reuters) - Romeo, a Muslim in a leather jacket? And Juliet, a Hindu girl in a tank top?

Features:

[ NYT ]  CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK
Kitchen-Sink Drama Gets a New Meaning by BRUCE WEBER

Each weekend, Ed Schmidt performs his one-man play "The Last Supper" in the kitchen of his Brooklyn apartment. At the end of the play, he serves his audience a delicious dinner.

[ DN ]  Russell Simmons' 'Def Poetry Jam' is making the hip hop to Broadway by HUGH SON
Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons helped bring urban music and comedy to the masses, but when he tried to introduce another language of the streets - poetry - to Broadway, he was met with a deafening silence.

[ MH ]  From screen to stage: 'Urban Cowboy' a tragic, tempestuous journey BY CHRISTINE DOLEN
Turning a hit movie into a successful Broadway musical isn't as simple a fait accompli as smashes like The Producers, Hairspray and The Lion King might suggest. Consider the journey of Urban Cowboy.
Thanks to Wayman Wong on All That Chat for the link!

Reviews � "The Fourth Wall":

[ DN ]  Gurney still writes WASPs with sting by Howard Kissel
Half a century ago, there were any number of playwrights who understood drawing rooms and what was funny about them.

[ NYP ]  ROLL OUT THE GURNEY: THIS 'WALL' FALLS FLAT by DONALD LYONS
THERE'S nothing sadder than a writer of drawing-room comedies who wants to be something more important.

[ NYT ]  THEATER REVIEW | 'THE FOURTH WALL'
Rearranging Furniture in Political Protest by BRUCE WEBER

A. R. Gurney's comedy expresses the kind of frustration and rue at the rightward march of the nation that New York's traditionally liberal audience will welcome as solace.

[ ND ]  A Work of Upheaval and Upholstery by Gordon Cox
One more and it'll be a trend: A.R. Gurney's "The Fourth Wall" is the second play to open this month in which the title character of Shaw's "St.Joan" figures integrally in self-referential theatrics.

[ NJ ]  Sandy Duncan twinkles in comedy BY MICHAEL SOMMERS
Opening yesterday at Primary Stages in an off-Broadway premiere starring Sandy Duncan, "The Fourth Wall" proves to be a playful little comedy garnished with liberal political undertones.

[ TM ]  The Fourth Wall Reviewed By: Philip Hopkins

[ B ]  The Fourth Wall Review by William Stevenson

Other Reviews:

[ DN ]  Radio City Yule jewel will sleigh ya by PHIL CORNELL
The holiday perennial is back at Radio City until Jan. 5, a 90-minute whirlwind of color and choreography.

posted at 11/14/2002 07:31:38 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Wednesday, November 13, 2002

News:

[ YN ]  Williams sets NBC sitcom
Vanessa L. Williams is developing a half-hour comedy series for NBC, playing a Broadway actress who returns to her small hometown to teach high school drama and raise her children.

[ P ]  This Is Our Youth Returns to West End Nov. 13

[ BS ]  Unions Closer on World Pact by Roger Armbrust

The North American performers unions have moved a step closer to forming a concrete international contract to globally protect actors in film, stage, and television productions.

Features:

[ TS ]  The passionate Patinkin by RICHARD OUZOUNIAN

[ BS ]  Interactive Dining

It may not be high art, but some dinner theatres are far from mediocre fare.

[ BS ]  Waiting for a Break
Restaurant and bar work is a natural fit for actors. That doesn't mean it's easy.

Reviews:

[ TS ]  Side Man hits false notes by RICHARD OUZOUNIAN

posted at 11/13/2002 05:33:27 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link



[ P ]  Easton, Strathairn Hear Music in Stoppard & Previn's Rare Boy, Nov. 20-26 in Philly

[ P ]  Easton, Wolf, Fitzgerald to Star in LCT's Ulster

[ B ]  Broadway Grosses: Movin' Up

[ B ]  Richard Easton Headlines Observe the Sons...

[ B ]  Bertish, Feldshuh and Ramirez Join Monologues

posted at 11/13/2002 02:54:34 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link



News:

[ P ]  Producers' Weber Replaces O'Donnell at Nov. 14 Chatterbox

[ P ]  Sing Out, Aunt Louise! Monk, Niemietz, Klein and Barrett in Pamela's First Musical

[ P ]  Christine Baranski Guests on CBS-TV's "Presidio Med" Nov. 13

[ P ]  Original Little Shop Star Wilkof in Talks to Star in Show's Bway Debut


Features:

[ TM ]  Help Is On The Way by: Brian Scott Lipton
Margaret Colin plays the disturbed wife of a ranch owner in Temporary Help.

[ B ]  Q&A: Elizabeth Parkinson by Melissa Rose Bernardo

[ B ]  From the Shelf: La Boh�me Videos--Part Two by Ken Mandelbaum

posted at 11/13/2002 12:19:08 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link



News:

[ NYP ]  DEVIL'S ADVOCATE by MICHAEL RIEDEL
EVERYBODY in the theater who'll be attending Sunday night's fund-raiser for Bay Street Theater and Friends in Deed will have their eyes trained on one man: Gerald Schoenfeld, chairman of the mighty Shubert Organization.

[ YN ]  Theater Designer Alan Tagg Dies
LONDON (AP) - Theater designer Alan Tagg, who produced the scenery for London's Royal Court Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company in a career spanning four decades, has died at age 74.

[ IBDB ]  Alan Tagg's Broadway Credits

[ TM ]  Rosie O'Donnell Cancels Broadway Chatterbox Appearance; Steven Weber Is Her Replacement

[ NYP ]  PAGE SIX

B.D. Wong will make everyone forget about the parenting of Rosie O'Donnell when his book, "Following Foo," is published by HarperEntertainment in May.
Third item.

[ BG ]  A phantom no more by Maureen Dezell
Standing at the head of the Opera House grand stairway yesterday, an upbeat Mayor Thomas M. Menino presented Clear Channel Entertainment executives with a building permit that allows work to begin on a long-awaited restoration of the landmark theater.

[ BH ]  Opera House restoration gets green light by Mary Jo Palumbo

[ P ]  Johanna Day Finds Bliss Off-Broadway, Beginning Nov. 13

[ P ]  Elizabethan Western Texarkana Waltz Opens NYC Debut Nov. 13

[ P ]  Alan Cumming Signs on for TV Series, a Gay "Hart to Hart"

[ P ]  Lark Theatre and Rasa Theater Stage Indian Diaspora Playwrights Fest in NYC Nov. 13-16

[ P ]  Trimming the Tree With Joan: Christmas With the Crawfords Returns Nov. 22-Dec. 28

[ P ]  Cable's "Jamie deRoy" Features Mason, Movin' Out and More Nov. 19

[ P ]  "Mane" Event: The Lion King Opens in Australia Oct. 16, 2003

[ P ]  Lion King Celebrates Fifth Anniversary on Broadway, Nov. 13

[ P ]  Hedwig, Starring Cahoon, Finally Arrives in San Francisco Nov. 13

[ P ]  Today In Theatre History: NOVEMBER 13

[ P ]  Long Runs on Broadway

[ P ]  Walnut Street's Sound of Music Runs Afoul of R&H Org; Fixes Expected by Opening


Features:

[ NYT ]  CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK
A Lofty Debut for a Houston Theater's Renovations by BRUCE WEBER

Capacious, well appointed and unusually situated, the Center for Theater Production is designed to help propel the 55-year-old Alley Theater to the top rank of American regional theaters.

[ USA ]  The Mouse is ready to roar onto the stage by Elysa Gardner
What do director Julie Taymor, choreographer Matthew Bourne, pop singer Phil Collins and the Harlem Globetrotters have in common?
All are involved in some way with developing Disney stage projects.

[ TM ]  Peter Filichia's Diary
The Zagats are now rating movies; Filichia takes a look to see how adaptations of stage properties fared.

[ NJ ]  Theater groups applaud behind-the-scenes players BY PETER FILICHIA
For the last 13 years, every New Jersey professional playhouse participated in the annual "Applause Awards" bestowed by the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, the consortium of professional theaters.

[ CST ]  Artistic directors turn corner on careers BY HEDY WEISS
There were two openings Monday night: the premiere of Art Shay's memory play "Where Have You Gone, Jimmy Stewart?" at the American Theater Company and a revival of Joe Orton's pitch black comedy "Entertaining Mr. Sloane" at Evanston's Next Theatre. And with them came the arrival of two new, young artistic directors facing all the challenges of mid-size theaters with solid histories, big ideals and modest budgets.

[ P ]  PLAYBILL ON-LINE'S BRIEF ENCOUNTER with Richard Greenberg
Take Me Out, the hot Off-Broadway drama about a professional baseball star who comes out of the closet, will be playwright Richard Greenberg's first Broadway credit in 14 years when it begins at the Walter Kerr on Feb. 4, 2003. But then, the way Greenberg's been produced in New York of late, he was bound to hit the jackpot eventually.

[ NJ ]  (Un)dress rehearsal BY CARRIE STETLER
Actors bare all in community theater production

[ NJ ]  Naked Broadway
On Broadway and off, it's not a good time to be flabby.

Reviews:

[ NYT ]  THEATER REVIEW | 'BIG AL'
A Literally Mad Chase by a Fan of Al Pacino's by BRUCE WEBER

Bryan Goluboff's sad and dully executed comedy is about an aspiring screenwriter with an Al Pacino fixation.

[ DN ]  Ibsen play a shadow of itself by Robert Dominguez
Scandalous in its time, Henrik Ibsen's "Ghosts" seems merely quaint and melodramatic now, even in the well-acted revival by the Classic Stage Company.

[ NJ ]  Radio City holiday pageant shows a few rough edges BY MICHAEL SOMMERS
Without appearing too much like the Grinch, let's observe that "The Radio City Christmas Spectacular" isn't quite up to snuff this season.

[ NJ ]  Flat 'Amen Corner' needs more music BY PETER FILICHIA
The African Globe TheatreWorks in Newark has taken a Broadway musical and turned it into a play with music.

[ BSUN ]  Play has some bright moments by J. Wynn Rousuck
August Wilson was a largely unknown writer when Ma Rainey's Black Bottom brought him national renown nearly two decades ago. It's taken Arena Stage a while to get around to this seminal work. Now that it has, director Tazewell Thompson has mounted an uneven production that, despite some vibrant moments, doesn't put enough trust in Wilson's words.

[ LAT ]  'Together': An elegant sum of parts of the Sondheim canon by David C. Nichols
The classy quasi-revue returns in a nuanced staging by International City Theatre.

[ IHT ]  'Romeo & Juliet,' the fiasco by Sheridan Morley
To understand what has gone so horribly wrong over here with a musical that has been running triumphantly in Paris for many months, we need to understand something about the French and musicals, which is basically that they hate them.
Thanks to ElleWhy on All That Chat for the link!

posted at 11/13/2002 07:49:46 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Tuesday, November 12, 2002

News:

[ P ]  Australian Tour of The Witches of Eastwick Canceled

[ P ]  Broadway Grosses: November 4-10

[ P ]  14th Annual Gypsy of the Year Competition Set for Dec. 9 and 10

[ P ]  Report: Broadway Producers Consider Recorded Music Should Musicians Union Strike

[ TM ]  SDCF to Honor Jack O'Brien with Mr. Abbott Award

[ BS ]  Joining the Clubs by Matthew S. Robinson

In today's tight economy, competition for entertainment dollars is extremely tight. Boston's Huntington Theatre is trying a new, innovative way to maintain and hopefully even expand their audience.

[ YN ]  MacBeth Descendants Feud Over Estate by ED JOHNSON, Associated Press
LONDON (AP) - It's a tale of toil, trouble and aristocratic squabbling worthy of the Bard.

Features:

[ BS ]  An 'Old Lady' of Unwithered Capacity by Simi Horwitz
The elegant--and decidedly mature--actress Sian Phillips insists that she has not experienced age discrimination in casting. "But then, I've always embraced age."

Reviews:

[ VV ]  WHEN WE DREAD AWAKEN by Alisa Solomon
Far Away by Caryl Churchill; Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen

[ VV ]  ALL'S REWRITE WITH THE WORLD by Charles McNulty
The Three Birds by Joanna Laurens; Moscow by Nick Salamone and Maury R. McIntyre

[ VV ]  Sightlines
Boca; Love in the Age of Narcissism; Peer Gynt

[ SPI ]  David Shiner: Droll solo clown recruits inspired helpers by JOE ADCOCK
This is what's called a "workshop production" of a "work in progress." It does not, however, need much work.
With Laurence O'Keefe and Debra Wiseman.
Thanks to American Theater Web for the link!

posted at 11/12/2002 05:29:36 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link



News:

[ P ]  Bertish, Fedlshuh, Class Act's Ramirez Next in Vagina Monologues Nov. 12-Dec. 1

[ P ]  Royal Shakespeare Company Present Jacobean Season at Gielgud

[ P ]  Director John Rando Returns to Work on Dance of the Vampires

[ P ]  English Actress Martine McCutcheon to Pen Book

[ P ]  London's We Will Rock You Releases Cast Recording

[ P ]  Adult Entertainment Bumps Opening Night to Dec. 9; Previews Start Nov. 16


Features:

[ TM ]  All Over the Map by: Dan Bacalzo
Hanukah is celebrated in Chicago, Los Angeles gets more absurd, and students brush up their Shakespeare in Massachusetts.

Reviews:

[ TM ]  Far Away Reviewed By: David Finkle

[ INQ ]  'Pal Joey' presents a Vera you won't soon forget by Desmond Ryan
The defining moment in the Prince Music Theater's production of Rodgers' and Hart's Pal Joey aptly places Christine Andreas before a mirror for a gorgeous treatment of "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" that's an act of revelation as well as restoration.
I'm going tonight.

posted at 11/12/2002 02:53:20 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link



[ YN ]  ABC, Steve Martin in Gay Murder Mystery by Michael Schneider
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - ABC is developing a gay version of "Hart to Hart," in which a pair of interior decorators stumble upon a murder each week.
The network has ordered a script for "Mr. and Mr. Nash," and Alan Cumming ("Cabaret") has signed to play one of the leads.

[ B ]  Fourth Sister Shifts Opening to November 21

[ B ]  Adult Entertainment Makes Way for Vampires Bow

[ B ]  Rhys Ifans Set for Donmar's Anarchist

[ P ]  New Cast Expected for London's Taboo Nov. 18

[ P ]  Schaeffer Helms Christmas Carol Rag, With Mrs. Scrooge Singing Show Tunes, Nov. 12-Dec. 22

[ P ]  Octavio Solis Wins ATC's 2002 Latino Playwriting Award; Entries for 2003 Sought

[ P ]  Ethel Merman's Disco Album Available On-Line Beginning Nov. 19

[ P ]  Glowacki's Fourth Sister Moves Opening to Nov. 21

[ B ]  From the Shelf: La Boh�me Videos--Part One by Ken Mandelbaum

posted at 11/12/2002 11:56:44 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link



News:

[ NYT ]  Contract Issue Has Broadway Considering 'Virtual' Music by ROBIN POGREBIN
Broadway producers are quietly preparing to keep their shows running with recorded music in anticipation of a strike by the musicians union when its contract expires in the spring.

[ YN ]  Luhrmann Wooing Broadway, Hollywood Style by Robert Hofler
NEW YORK (Variety) - Leave it to Baz Luhrmann to bring some savvy Hollywood press pizzazz to staid old Broadway.
Making his theater debut here, the Australian director of "Moulin Rouge" is promoting his incoming stage production of "La Boheme" with a movie-style media junket, complete with print-and-radio round tables and back-to-back mini interviews for TV journalists. A staggering 200 reporters are invited for Monday's press fest in Gotham.

[ V ]  BROADWAY BOUNCES BACK WITH B.O. BOOM
With all 28 shows up at the box office, Broadway recovered nicely from the previous session's traditional time-change jinx to post a record $14,945,386, a big $1,723,279 improvement. Paid attendance came in at a boisterous 231,227, only 10,000 under early November 2000, when 31 productions graced the boards.

[ P ]  Eunuchs, Concubines and Love Songs Revived in Rodgers & Hart's Chee-Chee, Nov. 12-24

[ P ]  Bat Boy Composer O'Keefe's Life Is Now a Sitcom

[ P ]  Actor Relives Nightmare of Working for the Mouse!, Nov. 22-Dec. 14

[ P ]  Cuccioli and Colin Help Launch Off-Broadway's Revelation Theatre, Nov. 12

[ P ]  Al Pacino's Salome: The Reading Begins, Nov. 12

[ P ]  PHOTO CALL: Ghosts Haunt Amy Irving

[ P ]  Frankie Avalon Reprises Movie Role in San Francisco Grease Jan. 14-26

[ P ]  Baldwin, White and Anderson Sing South Pacific at DC's Arena, Starting Dec. 6; Cut Song Added

[ P ]  NY Public Library Salutes Theatre Caricaturist With Free Exhibit, Nov. 22-Jan. 18

[ P ]  Danny Hoch Brings Free Hip-Hop Theatre to L.A. Nov. 12 and 22

[ P ]  Snow White Musical Pearl Sings With Debbie Allen at L.A.'s Geffen Nov. 12-Dec. 22

[ P ]  Today In Theatre History: NOVEMBER 12

[ ND ]  Captured by 'Imagination' by Gordon Cox

Playwright and poet Cornelius Eady accepted the 2002 Newsday Oppy Award yesterday for "Brutal Imagination," which gives poetic voice to the imaginary black criminal invented by Susan Smith, the infamous South Carolina woman who murdered her two young children in 1994.

Reviews - "Far Away":

[ NYT ]  THEATER REVIEW | 'FAR AWAY'
Where Trust Is Smothered by Violence by BEN BRANTLEY

In "Far Away," Caryl Churchill envisions a world in which nothing, but nothing, is to be trusted.

[ DN ]  The fierce menagerie by Howard Kissel
On the Internet this morning, I saw a story about a squirrel terrorizing a small town in England. Had the squirrel, I wondered, seen "Far Away"?

[ NYP ]  'FAR AWAY' NOT FAR ENOUGH by DONALD LYONS
ENGLISH playwright Caryl Churchill's "Far Away," at the New York Theatre Workshop, presents a nightmare vision of the world in three brief scenes set somewhere in the English countryside.

[ NJ ]  Absurd apocalypse -- Brilliant play envisions world destroyed by fear and hate BY MICHAEL SOMMERS

[ ND ]  Into the Cataclysm, One Piece at a Time by Linda Winer

Caryl Churchill's latest follows a girl's dream toward world nightmare

[ B ]  Far Away Review by Adam Feldman

Other Reviews:

[ BSUN ]  Various ways love sneaks up on you by J. Wynn Rousuck
There are a great many delightful elements in director Mark Lamos' production of Much Ado About Nothing at Washington's Shakespeare Theatre, but most delightful of all is Karen Ziemba's sparkling portrayal of witty Beatrice, disdainer of marriage.

[ WP ]  Purely Pleasurable Little 'Nothing' by Peter Marks
Not every top-rank Broadway hoofer can make the shift from legwork to classical work, but that's the leap Karen Ziemba has attempted, putting on a posh British accent and some becoming garden-party dresses in the gentle, genteel new "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Shakespeare Theatre.

[ NJ ]  Flunking the teacher -- Ill-prepared lead lowers grade for play that gets some answers right BY PETER FILICHIA

[ LAT ]  Fate is cruel, and a bit crude by Sean Mitchell

The Wooster Group's 'To You, the Birdie!' makes weird, heavily farcical sport of Greek tragedy.

[ NYT ]  CABARET REVIEW | STEVE ROSS
Channeling Cole and No�l for Starters by STEPHEN HOLDEN

For a singer and pianist as dapper as Steve Ross to weave his airy spell, the right ambience is essential.

Features:

[ DN ]  A matter of life and death by LANCE GOULD
'Tuesdays With Morrie' makes it to Off-B'way

[ LAT ]  This kid's cool onstage by Hugh Hart
For Eddie Karr, 15, the key to staying focused in 'The Visible Horse' is a sort of game with the audience: Don't blink.

[ WP ]  Backstage: Building an Impressive Rep by Jane Horwitz
"I'm past that," said 13-year-old Cartier A. Williams when asked whether he would like to attend the prestigious Duke Ellington School of the Arts. He wasn't being boastful. The Washington native plays 'Da Kid opposite dance phenom Savion Glover in "Bring In 'da Noise, Bring In 'da Funk," the much-lauded dance-based chronicle of the African American experience in 20th-century show business, which whirls into the Warner Theatre tonight through Sunday.
Third item.

posted at 11/12/2002 08:44:00 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Monday, November 11, 2002

News:

[ P ]  Harlem Song Will Run Through Nov. 17; Cast Recording Releases Nov. 26

[ P ]  Sartre's No Exit Added to 2003 Stratford Fest Season

[ TM ]  New La Mancha Cast Album to be Recorded by RCA

[ YN ]  Actress Dilys Hamlett Dies at 74

LONDON (AP) - Actress Dilys Hamlett, who starred in heavyweight roles from Shakespeare, Strindburg and Ibsen and helped to found Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre, has died at 74, theater officials said Monday.

Reviews:

[ TM ]  Ghosts Reviewed By: David Finkle

[ TNY ]  SHADOW PLAYS by JOHN LAHR
Doom with a view, in "Hollywood Arms" and "Book of Days."

posted at 11/11/2002 06:20:03 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link



News:

[ B ]  London's Taboo Welcomes New Cast Members

[ B ]  Gypsy of the Year Set for December 9 and 10

[ B ]  Cook, Leguizamo and Stritch Head West

[ P ]  Lane Goes from "Life of the Party" to "Charlie Lawrence" on New CBS Sitcom

[ P ]  Dillinger Lives! Gangster Is Subject of New Musical in Nov. 11-12 NYC Readings

[ P ]  London's Donmar Celebrates Wolf's Sam Mendes Tome Nov. 12

[ P ]  West End's Mousetrap Celebrates Anniversary With Special Gala Nov. 25

[ P ]  Wilson's King Hedley II Rides Into North London's Tricycle Dec. 10

[ P ]  Princess Diana Recalled at U.K.'s Greenwich Theatre

[ P ]  Dick Barton Returns to Stage at U.K.'s Croydon Theatre


Features:

[ TB ]  Cabaret Interview with Ruby Rims by Jonathan Frank

posted at 11/11/2002 02:44:42 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link



News:

[ B ]  Suddenly Mushnik by Ken Mandelbaum
Lee Wilkof, who created the role of Seymour in the original production of Little Shop of Horrors, will play Mushnik in this summer's Broadway premiere.

[ B ]  Harlem Song Hangs On Another Week

[ P ]  Brian Behan, the Irish Writer and Brother of Brendan, Dead at 75

[ P ]  New Lane-Morehouse Play, St. Nick, Gets NYC Reading

[ P ]  Report: L.A.'s Ahmanson Will Host Cook, Leguizamo, Stritch in Winter, Spring 2003

[ P ]  Casting Announced for Donmar Warehouse's Vortex, Dec. 5-Feb. 15

[ P ]  Gaines, Harrison, Whitfield & Stomp Take Part in Dec. 9 Help Benefit


Reviews:

[ B ]  Ghosts Review by Adam Feldman

[ TB ]  It's a Wonderful Life Cincinnati Review by Scott Cain

posted at 11/11/2002 12:41:16 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link



[ NYT ]  New York Times Editorial: Harlem Song
    The closing of "Harlem Song" would be a disappointment for the group of visionaries who wanted it to be an entertaining 90 minutes of music and dance that tell the story of African-American and Hispanic migrants to northern Manhattan. Of course it's a commercial venture, but it's one with � as one supporter put it � a "nonprofit sensibility." One of the producers' goals was to give people from elsewhere a reason to visit Harlem, see its revitalization, including the $13 million facelift of the Apollo, and sample its restaurants and other attractions.
It is not very often a musical makes it to the Editorial Page of The New York Times. The Times makes a compelling case for support of Harlem Song, both economic and artistic. Hopefully this will rally the Broadway community to make it to 125th Street to see this wonderful production.

posted at 11/11/2002 09:37:53 AM by James Marino | Item Link



News:

[ WP ]  In Moscow, the Show Must Go On by Susan B. Glasser
After Hostage Siege, 'Nord-Ost' Troupers Come Out Singing

[ YN ]  Show Must Go on for Moscow Siege Theater Cast
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Shaken but defiant, the cast of the Russian musical "Nord-Ost" wrapped up on Sunday concerts staged in memory of the 128 people killed after Chechen rebels stormed a Moscow theater during the show last month.

[ NYT ]  Stan Burns, Television Comedy Writer, Dies at 79
Mr. Burns won an Emmy for outstanding writing achievement in variety or music programs for the 1971-72 season of "The Carol Burnett Show."

[ P ]  Box Office for Tommy Tune: White Tie and Tails Opens Nov. 11

[ P ]  Bat Boy Composer O'Keefe's New Musical With Uhry About a Diva's Comeuppance

[ P ]  The 24 Hour Plays Strike Again Off-Broadway Dec. 2

[ P ]  New Musical, Insomnia, Gets NYC Reading Nov. 18, With Korbich, Peterson, Gillett

[ P ]  Frances McDormand Opens Far Away at New York Theatre Workshop, Nov. 11

[ P ]  Chalfant and Gyllenhaal Star in Free Reading of Ruby Sunrise Nov. 11

[ P ]  Midler, Moreno and Rivera Sing "America" in All-Star West Side Story Benefit Nov. 12

[ P ]  Chicago Celebrates Sixth Anniversary With Perforance and Party, Nov. 17

[ P ]  CCTP Reading Series Concludes with Barre-Directed Almost, Maine, Nov. 11

[ P ]  Tix Still Available for Added Weeks of Take Me Out at Public Theater, Nov. 12-24

[ P ]  Today In Theatre History: NOVEMBER 11


Reviews � "Ghosts":

[ NYT ]  THEATER REVIEW | 'GHOSTS'
An Ibsen Heroine Tries Out 20th-Century Eroticism by BEN BRANTLEY

A luscious-looking Amy Irving is naturally assured onstage in this otherwise stiff and convention-bound production of Ibsen's epochal drama.

[ NYP ]  SPIRITED IBSEN'S 'GHOSTS' by DONALD LYONS
DURING the 1880s, around the middle of his career, Henrik Ibsen more or less invented the modern drama in a series of exciting and contradictory plays in which a person - often a woman - is seen as trapped in the web of society.

[ ND ]  Ibsen's 'Ghosts' Soar at Speed of Light by Gordon Cox
Concision is rarely a virtue of Lanford Wilson's work. But the third of his works to be produced this fall, his translation of Henrik Ibsen's "Ghosts," makes for a sharp contrast: It's economical and downright speedy.

[ NJ ]  Shadowy 'Ghosts' lacks spirit BY MICHAEL SOMMERS

Other Reviews:

[ WP ]  'Ma Rainey': All the Colors of The Blues by Peter Marks
A new production of "Ma Rainey" is soon coming to Broadway with Whoopi Goldberg and Charles S. Dutton, but it's hard to imagine it could be much of an improvement on director Tazewell Thompson's version for Arena Stage.

[ LAT ]  A fitting start for SCR's new stage by Don Shirley
An overarching theme has emerged from the Richard Greenberg plays that were selected to close South Coast Repertory's Second Stage last spring and to open its new Julianne Argyros Stage last Friday. The two plays' concerns bounce off each other handily.

[ ND ]  A Rockette-Powered Holiday 'Spectacular' by Corey Takahashi
From the corner of Sixth Avenue and 50th Street, there are none-too-subtle signs you're near a spectacle with a capital "S."

[ YN ]  Bronte Sisters Come to Life on Stage by Julio Martinez

[ TB ]  Peggy-Ann and Miss Saigon
San Francisco Reviews by Richard Connema

[ TB ]  Three Sheets to the Wind and Fahrenheit 451 Los Angeles Reviews by Sharon Perlmutter

Features:

[ TM ]  Peter Filichia's Diary
George Abbott, Harold Prince, and Bob Fosse were just some of the legends associated with New Girl in Town, which is getting a rare revival this weekend.

[ TS ]  Jazz and family pack a wallop on stage by Richard Ouzounian
Interview with Warren Leight.

posted at 11/11/2002 07:40:07 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Sunday, November 10, 2002

[ SD ]  Revisions tighten Broadway-due 'Friends' by Anne Marie Welsh
'Imaginary Friends" is on its way to Broadway, after an Old Globe Theatre tryout � and plenty of tinkering by writer Nora Ephron and director Jack O'Brien.

[ FW ]  Live from New York, the casting 'Story' by Mark Lowry
When West Side Story opens this week at Bass Hall, you may notice a few local faces in the cast, mostly members of the Fort Worth Dallas Ballet. But many of the performers you won't recognize unless you've seen them on Broadway or in national tours.

[ MN ]  `Medea,' a story of obsessive love by Karen D'Souza
SOME SEE EURIPIDES' MYTHIC CHARACTER AS A HERO, OTHERS AS A MONSTER

[ SFC ]  Medea, our first drama queen by Robert Hurwitt
Euripides' tragic, complex icon has captivated audiences for 2,433 years

[ SFC ]  Abbey rethinks 'Medea' by Elena Park
Irish troupe brings new interpretation to classic

Thanks to American Theater Web for the links above.

[ NYT ]  Russian Musical Performed Again, in Requiem for Victims by STEVEN LEE MYERS
Two weeks to the day after the terrorist siege of a theater here ended with a daring, deadly rescue by Russian commandos, the cast of "Nord-Ost" returned to a new stage tonight for the first of two long-planned performances that had originally been meant as a promotional celebration of the show's role in bringing Broadway-style musicals to Moscow.
Thanks to Charlie_Baker on All That Chat for the link.

[ TB ]  Or Polaroids (Version 2.1) Review by Matthew Murray

posted at 11/10/2002 02:41:21 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link



[ NYT ]  Letters: Audra McDonald; Jonathan Demme; Carroll Dunham
Includes a letter to the editor by Sam Harris.

[ * ]  City Center Encores! 10th Anniversary Bash
The lineup, with a few names that didn't get into the ad in today's Times. I'm counting the days...

Tonight on NBC's "Law & Order: Criminal Intent": Tammy Blanchard (soon to be on Broadway in GYPSY) and Frank Converse (soon to be on Broadway in OUR TOWN).

posted at 11/10/2002 01:59:23 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link



Features:

[ WP ]  The Concert Musical: Score It a Hit by Peter Marks
With 'Carmen Jones,' a Hot Trend Storms the Stage

[ BG ]  'This is the way we were' by Catherine Foster
In a post-9/11 world, 'Our Town' has a new resonance

[ ND ]  Fast Chat: Sally Field

[ ND ]  Into New Territory by Sylviane Gold

'Movin' Out says it all: Twyla Tharp is taking ballet and the musical beyond their boundaries

[ LAT ]  Mavericks bow to change by Jan Breslauer
Alternative theaters, born to serve specific communities, adapt to new circumstances by entering the mainstream.

[ PP ]  Let's get this show on the road: How they do it BY DOMINIC P. PAPATOLA
Moving "The Producers" from town to town is as carefully choreographed a routine as the show's biggest production number.
The Pioneer Press has four other articles on "The Producers" and its arrival in Minneapolis; click their "Performing Arts" link to read them.
Thanks to American Theater Web for the link!


News:

[ NYP ]  LIZ SMITH
Debra Winger in "Frankie and Johnny"? (Seventh item.)

[ P ]  Talk Show Watch: Hairspray on 'Letterman', Mamma Mia! on 'Wayne Brady'

[ P ]  La Boh�me Leaves Its Heart in San Fran Nov. 10; Bway Love Affair Begin Nov. 29

[ P ]  Lion King Debuts TicketFast Technology and Celebrates 5th Anniversary

[ P ]  Sexton, Binion, Sasser and More Sing New Songs by Go Go Beach's Shaieb, Nov. 10-11

[ P ]  Irving Opens as Alving in Ibsen's Ghosts Nov. 10 at NYC's Classic Stage Company

[ P ]  Coward's Leading Lady Back On U.K. Stage

[ P ]  "Radio Playbill" Has Caveman Star and Headley CD, Nov. 11-16

[ P ]  Eric Grode's STAGE TO SCREEN: Goldenthal and Taymor's 'Frida'; 'Auto Focus'

[ P ]  "Beauty and the Beast" Makes Network TV Debut Nov. 10

[ P ]  Winokur, Fierstein, Butler, Morrison Among Hair Cares Participants Nov. 10

[ P ]  Today In Theatre History: NOVEMBER 10


Reviews:

[ BP ]  Mr. Lonelyhearts BY CAROLYN CLAY
John C. Reilly anchors the Huntington�s solid Marty
Thanks to John_C on All That Chat for the link!

[ TB ]  Brighton Beach Memoirs and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Dallas Reviews by John Garcia

posted at 11/10/2002 10:00:36 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link



[ NYT ]  A New Platform for the New Poets By JON PARELES
"Def Poetry Jam on Broadway" combines the ancient traditions of bards and griots and the more recent resurgence of spoken-word and hip-hop.

[ NYT ]  Caryl Churchill's Gripping Imagination By BENEDICT NIGHTINGALE
"Far Away," starring Frances McDormand, right, is one in a number of shrewd and daring plays by the British dramatist Caryl Churchill.

[ NYT ]  High Time for Comedy (and Political Outrage) By A. R. GURNEY

[ NYT ]  In This Musical, Some Sing, All Sign By DAVID MERMELSTEIN

posted at 11/10/2002 07:27:25 AM by Matthew Murray | 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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