Saturday, July 10, 2004

[ NYT ]  As Broadway Contract Talks Continue, Actors Toughen Stance By JESSE McKINLEY

[ WP ]  Touring Shows, Casting Off Equity
Cost, Quality Debated as Actors' Union and Producers Face Off Over Jobs By Nelson Pressley
For the source of what's tying New York in knots, look no farther than Vienna, Va., and Wolf Trap.
posted at 7/10/2004 11:33:53 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

[ V ]  Actors' Equity makes final offer
B'way strike still a possibility
Contract talks between Actors' Equity and the League of American Theaters and Producers concluded Friday at around 9pm ET. Shortly after midnight the union made what its spokesperson Maria Somma called "a final offer."
And here I thought that Equity was suppose to save actor's jobs, not cost them jobs...

[ V ]  Hearn provides color to 'Wicked'�
McCourt has played the Wizard in Grey's absence

[ V ]  Par seeks high-kicking aud for vaude�
Follies has run for 14 seasons, grossing $75 million

[ V ]  Spidey suited for stage�
Taymor to helm tuner; book writer Jordon may be on board

posted at 7/10/2004 09:24:09 AM by James Marino | Item Link

Friday, July 09, 2004

Features:

[ B ]  Stage Notes: 07/09/04 by Paul Wontorek

[ TM ]  Follow Spot By: Michael Portantiere
Martin Sherman's Bent and Christopher Durang's Beyond Therapy are back on stage in NYC. Plus: Here's to the real Cole Porter, not the mock!

News:

[ B ]  Dracula Delays Previews for the Third Time
The show will now begin performances at the Belasco Theatre on July 28 (there will be no matinee that day) to allow extra time for technical rehearsals.

[ P ]  Jenny Makes Her Mind Up: Neuwirth's Cult-Hit Kurt Weill Show Will Expand Schedule and Stay 'Til Fall

[ B ]  Here Lies Jenny Extends at the Zipper

[ P ]  George Hearn to Be the Wizard in Broadway's Wicked
Tony Award winner George Hearn will become the Wizard of Oz in the hit musical Wicked beginning July 20. A spokesperson for the musical confirmed that Hearn will replace Joel Grey.

[ B ]  George Hearn Steps into Wizard Role in Wicked

[ P ]  Florida Stage Has World Premiere of Ackerman's Ice Glen, Plus Sternhagen in Hanging Fire, in 2004-05

[ P ]  Equity and Producers Conclude Week of Negotiations

Reviews:

[ TM ]  The Siegel Column
The mesmerizing Mystery Plays, a new Miss Julie, a dim bulb of a play about tulips, and three worthy cabaret acts.

[ TM ]  Wrestling Porcelain
Reviewed By: Adam Klasfeld

[ CU ]  Wrestling Porcelain
posted at 7/9/2004 04:01:21 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

[ B ]  CDs: Danke F�r Die Lieder by Ken Mandelbaum
Word from the Gershwin is that George Hearn is assuming the role of the Wizard in Wicked.
CD: MAMMA MIA!-German Cast Recording (Polydor)
CD: AIDA-German Cast Recording (BMG)
DVD: AUTANT EN EMPORTE LE VENT-2004 French Cast (Warner Vision)

Features:

[ P ]  Echoes of Tennessee
The life of Tennessee Williams is mirrored in the three great works that the Kennedy Center presents as part of Tennessee Williams Explored, a four-month-long festival that began in April

[ P ]  A Mother�s Journey
Swoosie Kurtz stars as a grief-stricken woman confronting the loss of her child in Bryony Lavery�s powerful and compassionate play, Frozen

News:

[ P ]  Dougray Scott and Jasper Britton to Headline New London Becket

[ P ]  Los Angeles Jewish-Gentile Comedy Jewtopia Comes to NYC's Westside, Sept. 28

[ P ]  Wicked Goes International in March 2005

[ P ]  PBOL'S THEATRE WEEK IN REVIEW, July 3-9: A Merry Band

[ P ]  Ruthie Henshall Lands Role in Menken's "Christmas Carol"

[ P ]  Is Janet Jackson Having Bombay Dreams?
posted at 7/9/2004 12:40:51 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

[ NYP ]  'BOMBAY' SCHEMES By MICHAEL RIEDEL
IT may be wishful thinking, but it's not a bad idea: Janet Jackson in "Bombay Dreams."

Features:

[ NYT ]  The Festivals Come Thick, Fast and Wild By JESSE McKINLEY
While the offerings themselves range from the ridiculous to the sublime and back again, the volume of small theater festivals in July is impressive.

[ P ]  DIVA TALK: Catching up with Bernadette Peters Plus a Q & A with Barbara Cook

[ TM ]  Peter Filichia's Diary
Even show tunes are represented on Time-Warner Cable via Music Choice's Channel 636.

[ NJ ]  Hay Fever BY PETER FILICHIA
In Noel Coward's comedy "Hay Fever," Judith Bliss states, "Everything that happens is fate."
Jill Gascoine, who's playing the role at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey in Madison, certainly thinks that Judith has a point.

[ CSM ]  What Seurat left out of 'La Grande Jatte' By Amanda Paulson
Think you know this painting? A new exhibition bids everyone to look again.
Thanks to American Theater Web for the link!

[ TM ]  All Over the Map By: Adam Klasfeld and Dan Bacalzo
Seussical in Kansas City, Mama From China in Los Angeles, the Un-Conventional Comedy Convention in Boston, and 4 Edges in Fort Worth

[ BSUN ]  All hands on deck By Kirsten Valle
Young Victorian's 'Pirates of Penzance' reunites actor Kevin Kilner and two Hopkins lacrosse pals for a good cause.

[ BG ]  Spelling bee sketch gains the gift of song By Catherine Foster
William Finn interview.

[ BH ]  THEA HEAD By Terry Byrne
Julie Taymor interview.

[ DN ]  She bares the soul of strip clubs By ROBERT DOMINGUEZ
Waiting tables at topless bars provided Toni Kasper with more than just the occasional big tip.
Her experiences were the inspiration for "Stripped," a comedy - from a woman's point of view - about the pitfalls of working in a strip club.

[ CST ]  In-your-face humor serves up truth BY MARY HOULIHAN
"Culture Clash."

[ BS ]  Mature Might
People say age matters in our youth-obsessed culture. But doesn't older mean wiser? We talked with some older performers who feel they're only getting better.

[ BS ]  Shows That Enjoy Repeated Runs: It's Not So Easy
Why do any show for more than one run? The answer seems obvious: money, as well as exposure that may lead to that elusive golden role in a major play, movie, or TV series.

News:

[ B ]  Jewtopia Sets Dates for Westside Theatre

[ B ]  Liev Schreiber to Star in Spring Glengarry Revival

[ B ]  Will Kilmer Play Moses in Commandments Tuner?

[ DN ]  He awaits 'Jury' verdict By JAMES ENDRST
Producer ponders fate of Fox series

[ V ]  Par seeks high-kicking aud for vaude
Follies has run for 14 seasons, grossing $75 million
Paramount has set up a feature project based on the early days of the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, the long-running vaudeville review starring showbiz veterans, with producer Nelson Woss through his Endymion Films shingle.

[ P ]  Today in Theatre History: JULY 9

[ P ]  Where's Charley? Revival Includes More Loesser in Goodspeed Staging July 9-Sept. 25

[ P ]  National Theatre's A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Opens July 9

[ P ]  Where's Charlie? Lucy Liu Stars in Helm's Good Canary at New York Stage and Film

[ P ]  Full Cast for Williamstown's Tomei-Weber-Campbell Design for Living Announced

Reviews:

[ NYT ]  THEATER REVIEW | 'HOW TO BUILD A BETTER TULIP'
A Tulip Craze, Dutch Ghosts and Geneticists, All in a Tangle By D. J. R. BRUCKNER
Two genetic engineers are themselves engineered in a play "loosely based" on an 1850 Alexandre Dumas novel about a 17th-century Dutch financial bubble swelled by a tulip craze.

[ PBP ]  The Rat Pack as angels? You'll leave believing it By Hap Erstein
"Heaven Help Us," with Eddie Korbich, at Florida Stage.
Thanks to Jim for the link!

[ TB ]  Heaven Help Us
Florida Review by Kevin Johnson

[ DN ]  No gooey kid stuff by Robert Dominguez
"Children's Letters to God" turns out to be a whimsical and charming family-oriented production about the innocent joys and sometimes simple sorrows of growing up.

[ TS ]  And the answer is: mindless fun by RICHARD OUZOUNIAN
"Game Show."

[ PW ]  The Plays With Zing by J. Cooper Robb
These productions and actors stood out in an average theater season.

[ ATW ]  Broadway and Beyond: 'Caroline, or Change' Arrives on CD
XM Satellite Radio
posted at 7/9/2004 07:59:24 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Thursday, July 08, 2004

Features:

[ B ]  Q&A: Nancy Lemenager by David Drake

[ P ]  PHOTO CALL: Lynn Redgrave Honored at Women Center Stage Festival

Reviews:

[ TB ]  The Music Man
Pittsburgh Review by Ann Miner
Oh, there's trouble all right. Through a few casting missteps, the current CLO production of Meredith Willson's The Music Man is a disjointed and disappointing presentation of one of the most dependable musicals in theatre history.

News:

[ P ]  All-Star Pippin Concert Set for November 29

[ P ]  New Spate of Equity-League Talks Enter Day Three
posted at 7/8/2004 03:53:02 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Features:

[ TM ]  Loose Lips By: Brian Scott Lipton
Bernadette Peters goes to bat for dogs and cats, Roz Ryan struts her stuff at Danny's, and Rosie Perez is feeling Reckless.

[ B ]  Q&A: Hunter Foster by Lara De Meo

News:

[ B ]  Big Names Ready Spider-Man Musical for B'way
Talks are underway to create a Spider-Man musical with a libretto by Neil Jordan (Oscar winning screenwriter/director of The Crying Game), music by U2's Bono and the Edge and direction by Tony winner Julie Taymor (currently represented on Broadway by The Lion King), according to Variety.
What's next - Paul McCartney doing Speed Racer - The Musical?

[ P ]  Spider-Man Musical Likely with Taymor as Director

[ P ]  Cherry Jones to Headline Shanley's Doubt at MTC

[ B ]  Jones and Goldenhersh to Star in MTC's Doubt

[ P ]  Mireille Enos is Woolf's Honey; Broadway Engagement Begins March 12

[ B ]  Enos Joins Virginia Woolf; Boston Tryout Set

[ P ]  King's Head to Revive Death and the Maiden with Angelica Torn

[ P ]  Frozen Stars Appear at Union Square Barnes and Noble July 12

[ P ]  "The Goodbye Girl" Arrives on DVD July 20

[ P ]  Jekyll & Hyde in Concert Heads to Mohegan Sun in September

[ P ]  Montgomery and Robinson to Star in Fringe Rock Musical Rings

[ P ]  Millie's Mayer Lines Up Next Screen Deal; Bening to Star

[ B ]  Cantone's Whore to Open at the Cort in October

Reviews:

[ SUN ]  At Home with Andrei and Lise by JEREMY McCARTER
For all its loveliness and fine-tuned craft, the trouble with Mr. Fomenko's "War and Peace" is that he has staged "War and Peace."

[ TB ]  Eve Ensler's Thrilling Performance in The Good Body
San Francisco Review by Richard Connema
posted at 7/8/2004 12:57:59 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Features:

[ DN ]  Casting an 'Eye' back on B'way By JOE DZIEMIANOWICZ
Raising 'Rent': Jai Rodriguez reprises his role of Angel the HIV-positive transvestite.

[ CST ]  Off the ranch, Metcalf hoofs back to Chicago BY HEDY WEISS
No need to worry if you happen to overhear actress Laurie Metcalf chanting an old nursery rhyme -- the one that goes "Baa, baa, black sheep, have you any wool?"

[ CT ]  Brand new Mary Stuart Masterson by MICHAEL KILIAN

[ P ]  PHOTO CALL: First Lady Laura Bush Tours Emerald City at the Gershwin

News:

[ P ]  Assassins' Mario Cantone Acts Alone in Upcoming Laugh Whore on Broadway
Current Assassins star Mario Cantone will reteam with his Tony Award-winning director Joe Mantello on his solo show, Laugh Whore, which will open at Broadway's Cort Theatre Oct. 17, according to Variety.

[ P ]  "American Idol" Singer Justin Guarini to Star in Workshop of Beach Boys Musical Good Vibrations, July 29-Aug. 1

[ B ]  Idol Star Guarini Set for Vassar's Vibrations

[ B ]  Familiar Names Sign Up for NYC Fringe Fest

[ HC ]  Julie Wilson in Yale cabaret lineup by Frank Rizzo
Plus Williamstown casting news.

[ B ]  Broadway Grosses: Fourth Fizzles
The sunny Independence Day weekend was a stormy time on Broadway. Mamma Mia! plummeted $257,407, and Fiddler on the Roof was down $223,874.

[ P ]  Broadway Grosses: June 28-July 4

[ NYP ]  'EVERWOOD'S' NEW DOC CRIES WOLF By DON KAPLAN
SCOTT Wolf, the hunky star girls love and guys love to hate, is heading back to TV.

[ NYP ]  LIZ SMITH
Ashley Judd; Marlon Brando; Liza Minnelli; Broadway Barks.

[ NJ ]  Center stage by Peter Filichia
"If Trane Wuz Here" is the latest collaboration between tap master Savion Glover and poet reg e gaines.

[ TS ]  Idle hands shaping Holy Grail musical by RICHARD OUZOUNIAN
Python actor puts name on project

[ CST ]  Curry joins Pierce, Azaria in 'Spamalot' BY KEVIN NANCE
Tim Curry interview.

[ P ]  Today in Theatre History: JULY 8

[ P ]  William Finn Spoofs Spelling Bees in New Musical, Putnam County Spelling Bee, July 8-Aug. 1 in MA

[ P ]  Barbara Cook Chats and Signs CDs at July 8 Platform Series

[ P ]  "Broadway in Bryant Park" Kicks Off with Wonderful Town, Bombay Dreams, 42nd St., Mamma Mia! July 8

[ P ]  Cape Cod Theatre Project Begins Season With Daisey's The Ugly American

[ P ]  Yellowman Playwright Gets World Premiere of Raw Boys at Wilma in Philly in 2005

[ P ]  Camille Claudel, Lawnchair Man, Winesburg, Ohio Part of National Alliance for Musical Theatre Fest, Oct. 3-4

[ P ]  Broadway Producers and Actors Union Continue the Dialogue

[ P ]  Musicals Gemini, Chasing Nicolette, Einstein's Dreams and Randy Newman Play Philly's Prince in 2004-05

[ P ]  Junie B. Jones Navigates First-Grade Perils in New Musical by Theatreworks/USA, July 14-Aug. 20

[ P ]  Political Passion Play Kiki & Herb Will Die For You Set for Carnegie Hall, Sept. 19

Reviews:

[ NYT ]  CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK
The Greeks Conquer the London Stage With War and Sacrifice, but No Heroes By BEN BRANTLEY
In London, where theater often has a fraternal closeness to the morning's headlines rarely known across the Atlantic, the ancient Greeks are hot this summer.

[ NYT ]  THEATER REVIEW | 'WAR AND PEACE'
First Course of a Grand Russian Banquet By NEIL GENZLINGER
The Russian director Piotr Fomenko and his troupe, Theater-Atelier, returned to the Lincoln Center Festival on Tuesday with a stage adaptation of Tolstoy's "War and Peace."

[ DN ]  Russians win battle, lose 'War' by Howard Kissel

[ AJC ]  A grand old musical theater event By KATHY JANICH
"Yankee Doodle Dandy," with Sean Martin Hingston and Judith Blazer, in Atlanta.
Thanks to Danny for the link!
posted at 7/8/2004 08:05:56 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Wednesday, July 07, 2004

Features:

[ B ]  Preview 2004-2005: The Vampires Dance Again by Ken Mandelbaum

[ B ]  Photo Op: Justin Timberlake Pops in on Little Shop's New Seymour

News:

[ B ]  Mastrantonio to Star in the Donmar's Grand Hotel

[ P ]  Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio Confirmed for Donmar�s Grand Hotel

[ P ]  Christian Slater to Star In Edinburgh Cuckoo�s Nest

[ B ]  Slater Set for Cuckoo's Nest at Edinburgh Fringe

[ B ]  Spamalot Confirmed for B'way's Shubert Theatre

[ P ]  Knights and Dates Set for Monty Python's Spamalot Broadway Musical

[ TM ]  "Walkin' Broadway" Audio Tours Begin

[ P ]  Bloom Is Cleveland Play House's New Artistic Director

[ P ]  Woman in White Performance to Benefit Prince's Trust

[ P ]  Sing Along with Wicked on New CD

[ P ]  Gypsy's Peters to Release Second Carnegie Hall CD

[ P ]  Falco and Shalhoub to Announce Emmy Nominations July 15

[ P ]  It's Official: Assassins Takes Last Shot July 18

[ P ]  Avenue Q Resident Heads to the Chatterbox July 8

[ P ]  Lynn Redgrave Is Toast of "Women Center Stage" Festival, Starting July 7
posted at 7/7/2004 01:56:30 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

[ NYP ]  'SUN' SHINE BUOYS B'WAY By MICHAEL RIEDEL
One bright spot: "A Raisin the Sun" � which recouped its $2.5 million production cost in just nine weeks � took in $700,000 last week.

Features:

[ TM ]  Peter Filichia's Diary
The epistolary play, in which characters communicate exclusively through letters, is not Filichia's cup of tea.

[ NYT ]  A Tribute to Isherwood in the Land He Loved By BERNARD WEINRAUB
California will celebrate the centenary of Christopher Isherwood, the British expatriate who called his adopted home a "Promised Land."

[ BH ]  NSMT designs 'Beauty'-ful costumes By Robert Nesti
When North Shore Music Theatre chose "Beauty and the Beast" for its summer schedule, it took on a challenge almost as daunting as turning the Beast back into a handsome prince: making the production look different than the Disney version that's been running on Broadway for a decade.

[ BS ]  Out of Thin Air
Performers often rely on makeup, wigs, sets, props, lights, music, or even fellow cast members to help create a world onstage. But what if you have too little of that?

[ LAT ]  Nonstop, N.Y. to L.A. By Jan Breslauer
Broadway director Scott Ellis takes his high-energy act on the road as 'A Little Night Music' comes to Los Angeles Opera for its first summer offering.

Thanks to American Theater Web for the following stories!

[ LADN ]  'Alias' Victor Garber stretches his musical muscles By Evan Henerson

[ CPD ]  Cleveland Play House names Bloom as its new artistic director by Tony Brown

[ PTR ]  Civic Light Opera eyes 'Doctor Doolittle' for '05 By Alice T. Carter

[ AAN ]  'Duck Hunter' hits part of the target BY JENN MCKEE
Mitch Albom comedy doesn't entirely work, but it's plenty funny

Reviews:

[ TS ]  Satirical musical a tough sell
Assassins' sharp bite may be too much by RICHARD OUZOUNIAN
It seems today the whole world is turning old movies into Broadway shows, but I can think of one case where a current hit film has a lot in common with a 14-year-old musical, now enjoying an award-winning revival on Broadway.

[ VV ]  Fleur du Mal
Dumas's Black Tulip droops in Mark Giesser's new vase by Charles McNulty
How to Build a Better Tulip

[ VV ]  Looney Gestation
After 15 years, Kathy and Mo are still pregnant with laughs by Francine Russo
Afterbirth: Kathy and Mo's Greatest Hits

News:

[ BS ]  Seattle Repertory's Ott Ops Out

[ BS ]  Prudential Foundation Pledges $10M to NJPAC

[ P ]  Today in Theatre History: JULY 7

[ P ]  Starry Cast Performs A Little Night Music at Los Angeles Opera, July 7-31

[ P ]  Strathairn and Plunkett Star in Williamstown Premiere of Off-Broadway Bound Nelson Play, July 7-18

[ P ]  London's Donmar Revisits Pinter�s Old Times; Opens July 7

[ P ]  The Water Coolers, Spoofing Office Life, Gets South Florida Run July 7-Sept. 5

[ P ]  Lynn Redgrave Is Toast of "Women Center Stage" Festival, Starting July 7

[ P ]  One More Hand: Avenue Q Stars Sing Empty-Handed Again, Aug. 1

[ B ]  English Playwright Peter Barnes Dead at 73
posted at 7/7/2004 08:23:52 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Tuesday, July 06, 2004

Features:

[ B ]  Fresh Face: Carly Jibson by Kevin Manganaro

News:

[ Y ]  No pop on Broadway
July 4 -- on a weekend -- with great weather meant box office disaster for many Broadway shows.

[ P ]  Dodger Stages Open Underwater as Symphonie Fantastique Returns to Off-Broadway

[ B ]  Symphonie Fantastique Books Dodgers Stages

[ B ]  Casting Set for Off-B'way's The Oldest Profession

[ P ]  Mature Divas Helmond, Burke, Van Patten, Gillette and Glynn Star in Signature's The Oldest Profession

[ P ]  Cast and Creatives Set for World Premiere of Craig Lucas' Singing Forest in Seattle

[ P ]  Summer Play Festival Casts Feature Stanton, Maxwell, Molaskey, Porter
posted at 7/6/2004 07:54:47 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Features:

[ P ]  THE LEADING MEN: Joey, Joey, Joey
July is full of fireworks, and these three "Leading Men" are having a bang-up time: Joey McIntyre (Wicked), Burke Moses (The Frogs) and James Getzlaff (My Big Gay Italian Wedding).

[ CU ]  A CurtainUp Berkshire Interview
Michael Ritchie: Producer on the Move By Elyse Sommer

News:

[ B ]  Games Fills in at the Lyceum During Wife's Break

[ B ]  Mrs. Farnsworth Returns in Time for Conventions

[ P ]  Political Comedy Mrs. Farnsworth Returns to New York Stage, July 28-Sept. 4

[ B ]  Slava's Snowshow Sets Performance Dates

[ P ]  Slava's Snowshow Shows Up at Union Square, Aug. 24

[ P ]  After a Round of Golf, Michigan's Meadow Brook Has 2004-05 Season of Reza, Coward, Uhry, Kander & Ebb

[ P ]  Ron Bohmer to Star in Paper Mill Of Thee I Sing; Casting Near Complete

[ P ]  Actress Kellie Overbey Turns Playwright With Off-Broadway's Girl Talk, Nov. 4

[ P ]  Broadway Play Frozen May Become Film

[ P ]  Original Cast Members and Director Pack Gibson's Suitcase for La Jolla Run, July 6

[ P ]  Dame Edna to Play Broadway's Music Box Theatre in November

[ P ]  Alex Jennings to Star as Bush in Hare's Stuff Happens at London's National

[ P ]  Secrets and Sacraments: Bare: A Pop Opera To Begin Commercial Off-Bway Run Sept. 22

[ P ]  Lou Diamond Phillips Is Once and Future King of Siam, in North Carolina July 10-18

[ P ]  Peter Barnes, British Playwright of Red Noses and Ruling Class, Dead at 73

[ P ]  York's Free Musical Reading Series Begins July 18

[ P ]  Boy From Oz's Block to Sing Wicked Tune at Cabaret Debut in August

[ P ]  Hairspray's Winokur to Play "Celebrity Blackjack"

[ P ]  David Hasselhoff to Join London Chicago Cast

[ B ]  David Hasselhoff to Star as Billy Flynn in London

[ P ]  Sternhagen and Easton Hear Echoes of the War at the Mint, July 6

Reviews:

[ TM ]  The Siegel Column
Some final words about the "Brits Off Broadway" series and cheers for Jim Caruso's Cast Party in its new home at Birdland.

[ TM ]  Touch the Names
Reviewed By: Dan Bacalzo

[ B ]  Touch the Names
Review by William Stevenson
posted at 7/6/2004 04:10:39 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Features:

[ P ]  CHANNELING THEATRE: Tony Nominee Sunjata Does TV; Series Vet Gugino Debuts on Broadway

[ B ]  Stage Notes: 07/02/04 by Paul Wontorek

[ TM ]  Peter Filichia's Diary
"A" is for Abbott as Filichia flips through The Oxford Companion to American Theatre.

[ P ]  PLAYBILL ON-LINE'S BRIEF ENCOUNTER with Michael McKean
Filling the biggest shoes on Broadway since Nathan Lane initially bid farewell to The Producers is Michael McKean, the first actor to play weighty wife and mother Edna Turnblad in Hairspray since Harvey Fierstein.

[ TM ]  Postcards From the Edge
Adam Klasfeld flips through the eye-catching postcards for shows in the 2004 Midtown International Theatre Festival.

[ S ]  SU grad Hill earns cash on 'Millionaire' by JOAN E. VADEBONCOEUR
Ask Erin Hill about President Calvin Coolidge.

[ NYT ]  Politics and Partying Meet in the Hamptons By LOLA OGUNNAIKE
Sean Combs's Fourth of July soir�e doubled as an event for Citizen Change, his nonpartisan organization which is trying to increase minority participation in the electoral process.

[ BS ]  A Little Entranced
Morlan Higgins is now performing what is probably the most daunting role onstage in L.A., and perhaps one of the most daunting roles ever written.

[ NYT ]  The Broadway Producer Baby By BRUCE WEBER
Arielle Tepper, 31, has used a family inheritance to make herself into an eager new player in the treacherous world of theatrical producing.

[ NYT ]  EXCERPT
'The History Boys'
An excerpt from Alan Bennett's latest play, which is set in a Yorkshire school in the 1980's and concerns a fairly universal theme: the purpose of education.

[ BG ]  She's all that By Louise Kennedy
With Charles Busch's 'Auntie Mame' playing in Maine, a role model is revisited

[ HC ]  The Drama On The River By FRANK RIZZO
What Led Goodspeed's Board Of Trustees To Jump At A Surprise Offer To Take Center Stage In Middletown

[ HC ]  A Storied History: From 1876 In East Haddam To 2008 In Middletown by Frank Rizzo

[ NYT ]  CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK
Marshaling His Talent to Battle His Fame By A. O. SCOTT
Marlon Brando had a talent unequaled in his generation, and his rebellion against it made his long career both exemplary and frustrating.

[ P ]  PHOTO CALL: 42nd Street's Jones Immortalized at Sardi's

[ P ]  PHOTO CALL: Tony Nominee Nettleton Shows How to Build a Better Tulip Off-Bway

[ P ]  PHOTO CALL: Children Ponder God in Off-Bway's Letters

Thanks to American Theater Web for the following features!

[ PPG ]  Jeff Goldblum resurrects fond memories with a journey through his hometown haunts By Christopher Rawson

[ PTR ]  Till there was you By Alice T. Carter
Romance is blossoming onstage and off as the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera's production of "The Music Man" gets under way Tuesday at the Benedum Center.

[ NYer ]  A CRITIC AT LARGE
KING COLE by JOHN LAHR
The not so merry soul of Cole Porter.

[ NYer ]  PROFILES
Words and Music by Margaret Case Harriman
This Profile, by Margaret Case Harriman, appeared in The New Yorker in 1940, not long after Porter suffered a debilitating horse-riding accident.

[ SD ]  Dressing the part By Anne Marie Welsh
For Vilanch, 'Hairspray' is a blast, but the pantyhose are a killer

[ SJ ]  Amaral steps into dream role By Karen D'Souza
'PRODUCERS' OPENS TONIGHT IN SAN JOSE

[ SFC ]  BRANCHIN' AND MOVIN' 0UT by James Sullivan
Billy Joel interview.

Reviews:

[ B ]  CDs: Kim Conquers Berlin by Ken Mandelbaum
KIM CRISWELL: SOMETHING TO DANCE ABOUT (JAY)
JOHN BARROWMAN SWINGS COLE PORTER (First Night)
IT'S DE-LOVELY: THE AUTHENTIC COLE PORTER COLLECTION (Bluebird/BMG)
I SING! (JAY)

[ TB ]  Touch the Names
Review by Matthew Murray

[ BE ]  A life and death struggle by 'The Water's Edge' By Jeffrey Borak
What happens when a truth that has governed your life over an extensive period of time is shown to have been a lie, a fiction? That question goes to the heart of Theresa Rebeck's "The Water's Edge," an unsettling, ultimately unsatifying, play that is wrapping up a two-week run this weekend at the Williamstown Theatre Festival's Nikos Stage.

[ BE ]  Williamstown festival dresses up its cabaret By Jeffrey Borak

[ CU ]  Cabaret and Main

[ BH ]  'Auntie Mame' in Maine is plainly lame By Robert Nesti
Didn't Truman Capote advise us to be wary of answered prayers?
That's what came to mind while watching Charles Busch struggle through the opening-night performance of "Auntie Mame" at the Ogunquit Playhouse.

[ CU ]  Radiant Abyss

[ TB ]  110 in the Shade
Los Angeles Review by Sharon Perlmutter

[ WP ]  Descent to a Comeuppance By Peter Marks
'Fabulation' Pokes Fun at an Urban Elite

[ NYP ]  HEAVEN HELP US By Barbara Hoffman
Kids say the darndest things - sometimes, they even sing them. So it goes in "Children's Letters to God," a new musical based on the best-selling book of the same name.

[ HC ]  In Theaters This Season: 'Dazzle,' 'Mystery,' 'Metamorphoses' by Frank Rizzo

News:

[ BH ]  Hasselhoff, lawyer, ocean: There's gotta be a joke there
David Hasselhoff, star of TV's "Baywatch," is to appear as a lawyer in the London stage production of the hit musical "Chicago," promoters announced yesterday.
I'm reminded of Jimmy Kimmel's remark a few months ago, after Hasselhoff announced he would be recording a rap album:
"First TV, then theater, now rap -- is there anything this guy CAN do?"

[ NYT ]  Peter Barnes, Playwright Known for 'The Ruling Class,' Dies at 73 By WOLFGANG SAXON
The sardonic English playwright skewered the hypocrisy and corruption of the privileged and the despotic with slapstick humor and literary allusion.

[ NYT ]  Letters: The AIDS Crisis, on Stage

[ NYT ]  Arts Briefing By LAWRENCE VAN GELDER
The well-received A. R. Gurney anti-Bush play, "Mrs. Farnsworth," will reopen Off Broadway at the Flea Theater on July 28, while the Democratic National Convention (July 26-29) is taking place in Boston.
Last item.

[ R ]  A Flap Over 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' By Mariam Isa
South African lawyers are suing U.S. entertainment giant Walt Disney Co for infringement of copyright on "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," the most popular song to emerge from Africa, the lawyers said on Friday.

[ WP ]  Backstage
The Stage Guild Sets Its Sights on a New Home By Jane Horwitz

[ NYT ]  Weddings & Celebrations: Amanda Lipitz, Gregory Smith
The bride, 24, and bridegroom, 35, are theater producers.

[ P ]  Today in Theatre History: JULY 6

[ P ]  Jets and Sharks Speak Chinese in The Soup Comes Last, Solo Play About West Side Story in Beijing, Starting July 6 in NY

[ P ]  Hamlisch and Short Pay Tribute to Cole Porter at Kennedy Center

[ P ]  Begley, Douglas Are River City's Leaders in Pittsburgh CLO's Music Man, With Jeff Goldbum, July 6-18

[ P ]  Batter Up: Chuckleball, a New Sports Comedy Revue, Premieres in NYC July 6

[ P ]  Actors' Equity and Broadway Producers Return to Negotiating Table July 6

[ P ]  Laguna Playhouse Launches New Season with Forever Plaid, July 6

[ P ]  Lorna Luft�s One-Woman Show Opens in West End July 6

[ P ]  Saturday Night Fever Is Alive Again in London; Opens July 6

[ P ]  The Musical of Musicals Announces Extension

[ P ]  Marc Salem�s Mind Games to Play Full Week, Aug. 30-Sept. 5

[ P ]  I Am My Own Wife to Take Week Hiatus

[ P ]  Bat Boy Set to Fly to London�s Shaftesbury Theatre; Perfs.Begin Aug. 18

[ P ]  Jim Caruso's Cast Party to Reopen July 5 at Birdland

[ P ]  Rent in Concert Set for Aug. 1 in London

[ P ]  Beth Henley, Joe Hortua, Tectonic Theatre, Stephen Dillane Work in 2004 Sundance Theatre Lab July 5-25

[ P ]  "Evening at Pops" Season Features Tony Winners Mitchell and Chenoweth

[ P ]  Forbidden Broadway Summer Shock! Begins July 5

[ P ]  Brighton Beach Memoir: New Comedy The Wanderer Begins at The Flea, July 5

[ P ]  Summer Play Festival Begins Inaugural Run Off-Broadway, July 5

[ P ]  Peninsula Players' Summer Season Has Into the Woods with Fry and Adkins

[ P ]  Sirius Satellite Radio: Fiddler Cast Album on "Radio Playbill" July 5-18

[ P ]  Newman and Green Premiere Bernstein, Comden and Green July 3

[ P ]  Aquila Theatre's Man Who Would Be King, With a Cast of Three, Opens Off-Bway July 13
posted at 7/6/2004 09:30:35 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

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[Past News]

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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2007-08Broadway Season

2008-09Broadway Season

Talked AboutNot Scheduled Yet

2007-08
Broadway Season

2008-09
Broadway Season

Talked About
Not Scheduled Yet