S#*t Ed Asner says by Barbara Hoffman

Ed Asner doesn’t mince words: “I’m waiting for an affair,” he growls. “Got any leads?” “I’m asking you, you idiot!” Why, Mr. Grant — you’re hitting on me! Sitting down …

Coming Up This Week in Theatre - 9/29/2012

BroadwayWorld.com's Upcoming Events calendar for the week - updated on 9292012.

Should Ben Brantley Review Broadway Commercials? by James Sims

This is a commercial for the Broadway revival of “Annie”? Did I miss the shot of the title character, or perhaps the ragtag bunch of orphans doing a kick line?

Dear Straight Ally by RVCBard

(When you check your mail, you find a sparkly rainbow envelope with balloons attached. It's from Gay Agenda and addressed to Straight Ally. What could it be? Is it an invitation to be a gues…

The Fleas I Got This Year by JK

So, it's been a busy week for me!  Finally a chance to sit down and take a breath!Well, last Sunday, as you know, was the 26th Annual Broadway Flea Market and Grand Auction.  It wa…

Photo Flash: Saturday Intermission Pics, Sept 29 - EVITA Opens SIP Contest, Cast of ALLEGIANCE and More! by BroadwayWorld

It's Saturday, and that means it's time for BroadwayWorld's Saturday Intermission Pics round-up Today's photos feature something new and excitingBroadway's EVITA Tweeted Ever want to come ba…

Broadway Stars Lost To Television? by Jonathan Mandell

There were 39 TV season premieres this week, seven of them series premieres. A surprising number of these TV shows featured performers who established or embellished their reputations on Bro…

Arts | New Jersey: A Review of ‘Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist,’ in Madison by Michael Sommers

Poverty, grotesque comedy and violence characterize the Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey’s production of “Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist.”

Russia's Rostov Philharmonic Cancels JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR After Orthodox Protests by BroadwayWorld

According to BBC News, the Russian city of Rostov's philharmonic has canceled a production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar due to protests by Orthodox Christians.

A Chorus of Disapproval; Mademoiselle Julie – review by Susannah Clapp

Harold Pinter theatre; Barbican, LondonTrevor Nunn began the summer by directing a heavy-handed Kiss Me Kate; he ends it by staging a star-encrusted but tepid Chorus of Disapproval. What a w…

Some Like It Hip Hop – review by Luke Jennings

Peacock theatre, LondonGreat dance theatre doesn't come about by accident. It's born of constant experiment, reassessment and refinement. Some Like It Hip Hop was written, choreographed and …

The Guid Sisters – review by Clare Brennan

Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh; then touringMichel Tremblay's 1968 play is set in a working-class district of Montreal and written in the local French-Canadian dialect (called joual). Translated in…

How We Met: Rupert Grint and Matthew Lewis

Matthew Lewis 23

A chorus of Disapproval, Harold Pinter Theatre, London / Jesus Christ Superstar, O2 Arena, London

It starts with the finale. In the opening scene of Alan Ayckbourn's A Chorus of Disapproval – his 1984 seriocomedy revived by Trevor Nunn – a throng of 18th-century doxies dance round a …

Forever Crazy, Crazy Horse, South Bank, London

Arriving early at an unfamiliar venue is always a good idea, but half an hour of hanging around before the start of this saucy Parisian show staged in a tent behind the National Theatre is a…

The Bourne legacy: His third Tchaikovsky with a modern twist

What are we talking about? A new ballet from Matthew Bourne's New Adventures dance company. Taking composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky and choreographer Marius Petipa's 1890 ballet version of the fa…

Perez Hilton Sings 'A Perez Hilton Christmas' for Broadway's CAROLS FOR A CURE by BroadwayWorld

Celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton added his voice to the 2012 Broadways Carols for a Cure, Volume 14, singing an original song called A Perez Hilton Christmas, with music by Lynn Pinto a…

Celebrity News: Perez Hilton Records Track for 2012 Broadway's Carols for a Cure CD by David Gordon

Celebrity blogger and NEWSical the Musical: End of the World Edition star Perez Hilton recently recorded a track for the 2012 Broadway's Carols for a Cure album. Titled "A Perez Hilton Chris…

David Mirvish and Frank Gehry to Demolish Princess of Wales Theatre for King Street 'Culture and Condo' Complex by BroadwayWorld

According to the Toronto Star, David Mirvish and Frank Gehry are planning a culture and condo complex in Toronto's Entertainment District that would involve demolishing the Princess of Wales…

Photo Flash: First Look at Damian Norfleet, Adam Shapiro and More in Fiddlehead's RAGTIME by BroadwayWorld

Fiddlehead Theatre Company, in collaboration with the American Civil Liberties Union, with the support of Mayor Thomas M. Menino, City of Boston, present a new production of the Tony Award-w…

Queen for a Day: The Musical brings back 1950s TV show by Richard Ouzounian

Queen for a Day: the Musical is a yawningly conventional show that could have been written back in 1953, not just set there, writes Richard Ouzounian.

Lombardi in the spotlight

The triumphs, failures and personal struggle of the legendary Packers coach come to St. Paul.

Willie Cole: Magician of the mundane

Highpoint Center for Printmaking showcases new work by New Jersey artist Willie Cole.

Ticket giveaway: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf by Jesse North

It’s been 5 years since Amy Morton first screamed, “I’m running things now!” on Broadway in August: Osage County. Now the Tony nominee is back on the boards and mad as ever in the 50…

Theater spotlight: 'Next to Normal'

Dance spotlight: Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca

InDepth InterView: Linda Purl On HOMELAND, TRUE BLOOD, THE OFFICE, Feinstein's Show, Upcoming Album & More by Pat Cerasaro

Today we are talking to a busy and very recognizable actress who has appeared in over 100 TV and film properties since her debut in the 1970s and just this year played arcs on both the fresh…

Fuse Theater Review: Two Plays About Desperate People, Members of the 47% by Bill Marx

The questions at stake are good ones and not asked very often in contemporary plays: why do some win and others lose in America? And what are the responsibilities of the haves and the have-n…

BWW TV EXCLUSIVE: Carolee Carmello & George Hearn Talk Returning to Broadway in SCANDALOUS, Career-Changing Roles, and More! by Richard Ridge

Featuring book and lyrics by Kathie Lee Gifford and music by David Pomeranz and David Friedman, SCANDALOUS begins performances at Broadway's Neil Simon Theatre 250 W. 52nd St. on Saturday, O…

Jane Krakowski to Perform at Landmark on Main Street?s Spotlight Gala, 11/3 by BroadwayWorld

Landmark on Main Streets beautiful Spotlight Gala will be held on Saturday, November 3 at 7 PM. This years honorees were chosen for their commitment to the arts in the region and the communi…

‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at Glass Mind Theatre by Amanda Gunther by Amanda Gunther

Perchance you dream some feverish faerie nightmare but why dream it when you can see it played out in vibrant color as Glass Mind Theatre presents Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream…

Pottery or leather? by George Hunka

The traditional symbol for a ninth anniversary is “pottery,” the modern symbol “leather,” I’ve learned from conducting some not-too-intensive research on the In…

Podcast With “ASSASSINS”: Billy Pacholski, Kevin Webb & Libby Lane by Michael Roberts

Podcast with Billy Bill Pacholski, Kevin Webb & Libby Lane from Michael Roberts on Vimeo. Billy Pacholski will present “Assassins,” music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, boo…

Photo Flash: Over 300 Stars Gather to Celebrate Life Industry Advocate Dale Olson by BroadwayWorld

Among the over 300 individuals who gathered this week to honor the late PR Icon, Dale Olson, with an exhibit at the Hollywood Museum and former offices of make-up wizard, Max Factor, include…

BWW Blog: Stephanie Martignetti of Broadway's NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT - Last Blog! by Guest Blogger: Steph Martignetti

Well here we are at my last blog entry This month went by unbelievably fast The past few days have just been business as usually. I spent them running around to voice lessons, acting class …

How "If There is I Haven’t Found It Yet" Lost Its Way by Jan Simpson

  If There is I Haven’t Found It Yet, the dysfunctional family drama that opened at Roundabout Theatre Company’s Laura Pels Theatre this week, has been getting all kinds of a…

Nearly Lear

24th Street Theatre brings Canada’s international touring production to the U.S. for one weekend only. In this mischievous one-woman tour-de-force adaptation of King Lear, Susanna Hamnett …

"The Cocktail Hour: Music of the Mad Men Era" Seattle Symphony Pops by David-Edward Hughes

The Cocktail Hour: Music of the Mad Men Era, under the spirited baton Steven Reinecke, with scintillating star vocals by Broadway vet Hugh Panaro, on a brief hiatus from his run in the title…

"Big River" at Seattle's Village Theatre by David-Edward Hughes

Village Theatre, which produced the show locally in 1991, has now mounted a handsome new production of this so-so adaptation of Marks Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by William Haup…

Stage and Television Actor Michael O'Hare Passes Away by BroadwayWorld

According to published reports, television and stage actor Michael O'Hare passed away on Friday, September 28, 2012, from complications related to a heart attack he suffered last weekend. He…

‘The Rape of Lucrece’: A Concert Reading by Taffety Punk Theatre Company by Jennifer Perry by Jennifer Perry

Taffety Punk Theatre Company, one of the most innovative small troupes in Washington, DC, has taken on William Shakespeare again with its concert reading of the narrative poem, The Rape of L…

Mary Broome by Theasy.com

The Mint Theatre, Off Broadway By Jason Rost BOTTOM LINE: A period piece of morals and manners gets a new life with splendid performances and intriguing design. The Mint Theater rare…

"On Stage" Producer Gets "Newsies" Cameo

After getting a cameo in "Mary Poppins" two years ago, NY1's Frank DiLella recently got a chance to appear in the Broadway show "Newsies."

Short Fuse Book Review: Camille Paglia — She Raves by Harvey Blume

If you try to take Camille Paglia seriously, despite the occasional insight you might find along the way, in the end it's impossible to avoid the suspicion that you've made a category error.

5 Ticket Discounts for Today and Tomorrow 9/29 and 9/30

Constellation Theatre Company is offering $10 tickets for TAKING STEPS by Alan Ayckbourn Monday, October 1 at 8 pm at SOURCE 1835 14th St. NW  Use Code: ARTIST Join a vibrant mix of c…

Opening Applause for Celebrities? by Jonathan Mandell

Should audiences applaud celebrities at the beginning of a show? I was struck recently at the response at two different plays, when a handful of people started to applaud David Schwimmer (in…

‘Zero Cost House’ at Georgetown University by Jessica Vaughan by Jessica Vaughan

Zero Cost House is billed as playwright Toshiki Okada’s autobiography but, like Walden, Thoreau’s book that is quoted extensively in the play, this is more of a travelogue through the …

GYPSY OF THE MONTH: Sara Edwards of CHAPLIN by Adrienne Onofri

Sara has been in the first musical of Broadway's fall season two years in a row, 'Follies' last year and now 'Chaplin'.

Dream Cast: Harry Potter by Intern

More than anything, when I see something I think could or should be a show, I love to speculate about who would play what roles. I love the way casting works and I love sticking my favorite,…

The Place Prize: Eva Recacha on The Wishing Well by TheatreVOICE

INTERVIEW: EVA RECACHA Choreographer and Place Prize finalist Eva Recacha speaks to Diana Damian about her piece The Wishing Well, inhabiting memories real and imagined, and how chemistry ca…

Stars of Slapstick #1: Billy Bevan by Trav S.D.

This is the first installment in the second content stream we are producing in connection with our new book Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to Youtube. R…

Wit’s End Tonight by Trav S.D.

Wit’s End and the Dorothy Parker Society invite you to celebrate the end of Summer jazz age style at the Wit’s End’s Flapper Holiday with live hot jazz from Molly Ryan! Saturday, Septe…

BWW's On This Day - September 29, 2012

Here are the Broadway, Off-Broadway and West End shows which opened on September 29 along with all of the upcoming show openings, closings and special events

Interview: Rhinoceros Charges Into Brooklyn by Andy Propst

New Yorkers will get a rare treat when Eugene Ionesco's absurdist classic, Rhinocéros, takes to the stage at Brooklyn Academy of Music's Howard Gilman Opera House, October 4-6, as part of …

Scarlett Johansson starring in 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' by Ticket News

Scarlett Johansson, last seen on Broadway in the 2010 production of Arthur Miller′s A View From a Bridge, will be returning to Broadway. Johansson will play Maggie the Cat in Tennessee Wil…

Private Lives, Chichester Festival Theatre by David Benedict

“Has it ever occurred to you that flippancy might cover a very real embarrassment?" Elyot's response to fulminating Victor is a line of defence – and since he has run off with Victor's w…

The Wicked Stage: McTheatre – Have musicals joined the world of mass commercialisation? by Sarah Green

Having been wholly uninterested in anything related to the economics of theatre, I’d managed to get through three years of being a Musical Theatre undergraduate without ever hearing th…

BWW INTERVIEW: Debra Jo Rupp Does Dr. Ruth by Jan Nargi

Debra Jo Rupp is currently back at Barrington Stage in Pittsfield for a limited return engagement through October 7 of Mark St. Germain's Dr. Ruth, All the Way which enjoyed a sold-out 36-pe…

Chicago Theater Review: THE STRANGE UNDOING OF PRUDENCIA HART (Chicago Shakespeare) by Lawrence Bommer

A PUB CRAWL FROM FOLKLORE INTO FANTASY The black-box stage on the sixth floor of Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Navy Pier complex is now a Scottish pub. In these still-dark confines beneath…

By the Way, Meet Vera Stark: Theater Review by Myron Meisel

The Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of "Ruined" addresses the quandaries facing African-American artists in early 1930s Hollywood, first in the moment and then in hindsight. read more

Chicago Theater Review: GEOGRAPHY OF A HORSE DREAMER (Mary-Arrchie) by Erika Mikkalo

“SINCERE EFFORT” BY A NOSE IN THE FIFTH Sam Shepard’s Geography of a Horse Dreamer offers the lyric combination of the rough and ridiculous we expect of Shepard, with eponymous…

An Enemy of the People by StageGrade

Are critics for or against "An Enemy of the People"?

'Oleanna' cast is likably unlikable

Theater Oleanna Through Oct. 14 at Bristol Riverside Playhouse, 120 Radcliffe St., Bristol. Tickets: $10-$45. Information: 215-785-0100 or www.brtstage.org.

Susan Egan Plays The Cabaret at the Columbia Club in Indianapolis Tonight, 9/29 by BroadwayWorld

Susan Egan, one of Broadway and Disneys most celebrated performers, will take you on a journey from Broadway and beyond With her award-winning acting chops, her riotous humor, and a voice th…

Rome at the End of the Line: Theater Review by Myron Meisel

Playwright Daniel Serrano continues his trilogy, "Impossible Cities (Ciudades Imposibles)," with a meditation on the passage of time.read more

I’m Speaking On A Panel by Tim

The Dramatists Guild is in town! I mean, the New York contingent is in town. Gary Garrison, Executive Director of Creative Affairs, and Roland Tec, Director of Membership, are visiting San F…

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Wendy Caster

Reviewers are generally embargoed from writing about shows until their opening nights. The producers of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? opted for a different approach, inviting theatre blogg…

‘An Enemy of the People’ at CENTERSTAGE by Amanda Gunther by Amanda Gunther

Without power what good is the truth? To celebrate the opening of its 50th Anniversary Season, CENTERSTAGE presents Arthur Miller’s adaptation of Ibsen’s classic An Enemy of the People…

Review: 'The Giant Squid' by Howard Shapiro

A goofy break-out hit from the 2008 Philly Fringe festival returns to a bigger stage with more polish, less playfulness but the basic fun intact. Inquirer theater critic Howard Shapiro revie…

This post-apocalyptic ‘Hour’ is endless by Elisabeth Vincentelli

Post-apocalyptic plots are hard to screw up. Throw bedraggled survivors into dangerous situations, question civilization’s future, and your audience is hooked.But while all these elements …

Theatre For Thought, September 29, 2012 by The Charlebois Post

DIANA IN RUNYONLANDjoel fishbaneWhen you see a guy reach for stars in the sky, you can bet that he’s doin’ it for some doll. But when you see one of Canada’s best known directors take …

THE SCREENING ROOM: Broadway's Matt Zarley Releases New Music Video, "Change Begins With Me" (Video) by Michael Gioia

Singer-songwriter and stage actor Matt Zarley recently released his new music video, "Change Begins With Me," the title track from his latest CD. 

Sal Viviano and Jodi Benson Spend A Night at the Oscars Sept. 29 by Andrew Gans

Peter Nero and The Philly Pops return to the Patriots Theater at the Trenton War Memorial Sept. 29 for a benefit concert for the patients and residents of the St. Lawrence Rehabilitation Cen…

The Best of Everything, Based on Rona Jaffe Novel, Begins Sept. 29; Sas Goldberg, Alicia Sable, Tom O'Keefe Star by Michael Gioia

The Best of Everything, based on Rona Jaffe's 1958 controversial best-selling novel of the same name, begins performances Sept. 29, prior to an official opening Oct. 4, at HERE Arts Cent…

Psalmayene 24's Contemporary Pinocchio Tale, P.Nokio: A Hip-Hop Musical, Returns Sept. 29 by Michael Gioia

P.Nokio: A Hip-Hop Musical, a contemporary take on the classic story of Pinocchio by hip-hop theatre artist Psalmayene 24, returns to Maryland's Imagination Stage for a three-week engage…

Chicago's First Folio Conjures Past Hit Madness of Edgar Allan Poe, Staged in a Mansion, Opening Sept. 29 by Kenneth Jones

The Madness of Edgar Allan Poe: A Love Story, a popular and sold-out Chicago-area title in 2006, gets revived by First Folio Theatre in Oak Brook, IL, opening Sept. 29. Christian Gray plays …

STAGE VIEWS: Evita Star Rachel Potter by Andrew Gans

Playbill.com's series features actors commenting on their recent theatregoing experiences, what productions they are looking forward to and more. Here, via email, we hear from singing ac…

THE WEEK AHEAD, Sept. 29-Oct. 5: Grace Opens on Broadway, Annie Begins and Chicago Gets Kinky by Blake Ross

Playbill.com's weekly planner reminds you that producers are "calling all Matildas!"… Betty Buckley is a Vixen… Annie arrives in N.Y.C… Chicago gets Kinky&…

A.R. Gurney's Heresy, With Reg E. Cathey, Kathy Najimy, Annette O'Toole, Debuts Off-Broadway by Adam Hetrick

Reg E. Cathey, Kathy Najimy and Annette O'Toole appear in the world premiere of A.R. Gurney's Heresy, about a dark new American Dream, which begins Off-Broadway previews Sept. 29 at …

Playwright Stephen Belber Encourages Shifting Sympathies in His Family Drama Don't Go Gentle by Harry Haun

Tape and Match playwright Stephen Belber plays both sides of the ethical fence in his new Off-Broadway play Don't Go Gentle, starring Michael Cristofer.

PLAYBILL VAULT'S Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 29 by Ernio Hernandez and Robert Viagas

1921 The operetta Blossom Time opens on Broadway. With a score of Franz Schubert themes rearranged by Sigmund Romberg, the show will go on to reach a then-epic run of 576 performances and sp…

Legit revivals on repeat

Legit News: Plays challenge wisdom on how soon is too soon

Broadway Week ends, B.O. slumps

Legit News: Grosses fall as two-for-one sales promotion closes