All stories by Kenneth Jones on BroadwayStars

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Betsy Wolfe and Andy Karl Exit Broadway's Edwin Drood Feb. 10 by Kenneth Jones

The troupers of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, one of the best-reviewed musicals of the 2012-13 Broadway season, and now extended to March 10, say goodbye to Andy Karl and Betsy Wolfe on Feb. 1…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Saturday, February 9, 2013

UPDATED! After Blizzard Hits NYC, Broadway and Off-Broadway Still Playing Feb. 9 by Kenneth Jones

A classic "nor'easter" storm that swept up the U.S. East Coast and merged with another storm from the Midwest — commingling with Arctic high-pressure to the north —…

SOURCE: Playbill at 01:11PM

Broadway's The Heiress Draws Her Final Curtain on Feb. 9 by Kenneth Jones

The new Broadway revival of The Heiress ends its limited-engagement run on Feb. 9 with the 7 PM performance, an earlier-than-usual start time at the Walter Kerr Theatre. Producers previ…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Friday, February 8, 2013

UPDATED! As Blizzard Hits the Northeast, Broadway Shows Still Playing Feb. 8-9 by Kenneth Jones

A classic "nor'easter" storm barreling up the U.S. East Coast and merging with another storm drifting in from the Midwest — commingling with Arctic high-pressure to the n…

SOURCE: Playbill at 07:22PM

Pump Boys and Dinettes Will Not Fill 'Er Up on Broadway This Season by Kenneth Jones

The Broadway revival of Pump Boys and Dinettes, announced for a March 19 start at Circle in the Square Theatre, will not happen this season, after all. Producers have postponed the staging t…

SOURCE: Playbill at 07:11PM

First Preview of Talley's Folly, With Danny Burstein and Sarah Paulson, Bumped to Feb. 9 Due to Snow by Kenneth Jones

Roundabout Theatre Company's new Off-Broadway production of Lanford Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Talley's Folly, the delicate study of two disparate souls, played by…

SOURCE: Playbill at 04:00PM

UPDATED! As Blizzard Approaches the Northeast, Broadway Shows Still Playing Feb. 8-9 by Kenneth Jones

A classic "nor'easter" storm barreling up the U.S. East Coast and merging with another storm drifting in from the Midwest — commingling with Arctic high-pressure to the n…

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:00PM

Denver's New Play Summit, With Works by Matthew Lopez, Laura Eason, Marcus Gardley and More, Runs Feb. 8-10 by Kenneth Jones

Denver Center Theatre Company explores five plays in staged readings as part of the 8th Annual Colorado New Play Summit Feb. 8-10. The playwrights are Catherine Trieschmann, Matthew Lopez, L…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:25PM

Snow Business! As Blizzard Approaches the Northeast, Broadway Braces Feb. 8-9 by Kenneth Jones

A classic "nor'easter" storm barreling up the U.S. East Coast and merging with another storm drifting in from the Midwest — commingling with Arctic high-pressure to the n…

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:17AM

"So Much Happiness": Passion Revival, With Judy Kuhn, Melissa Errico, Ryan Silverman, Begins Feb. 8 by Kenneth Jones

Passion, the dark, Italian-set musical rumination on the light and dark nature of love — and the idea of unconditional love — gets its first New York City revival starting Feb. 8…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

Danny Burstein and Sarah Paulson Inhabit Talley's Folly Beginning Feb. 8 in NYC by Kenneth Jones

Roundabout Theatre Company's new production of Lanford Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Talley's Folly, the delicate study of two disparate souls, played by Danny Burste…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Thursday, February 7, 2013

Lyric Opera of Chicago Commits to Five Rodgers & Hammerstein Hits; Opera Season Will Include Rob Ashford, John Caird by Kenneth Jones

The major musicals of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II will find a home at Lyric Opera of Chicago between 2013 and 2017, the Lyric's general director Anthony Freud announced on F…

SOURCE: Playbill at 06:48PM

"Pounce 10, Paws 3": Producers Seek Cats to Star in Broadway's Breakfast at Tiffany's by Kenneth Jones

Cats is not returning to Broadway, but felines are being sought in an open call for the world-premiere Broadway production of Breakfast at Tiffany's, in which a cat plays a supporting ro…

SOURCE: Playbill at 01:24PM

Adding Machine's Jason Loewith Is New Artistic Director of Maryland's Olney Theatre Center by Kenneth Jones

Jason Loewith, the librettist, director, theatre administrator and new-plays advocate who most recently served as executive director of the National New Plays Network, has been named artisti…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:36PM

Donnybrook!, Musical of "The Quiet Man," Begins in NYC; James Barbour, Jenny Powers, Ted Koch, Kathy Fitzgerald Star by Kenneth Jones

James Barbour and Jenny Powers star in Irish Repertory Theatre's new production of Donnybrook!, the Johnny Burke-scored 1961 Broadway musical about the code of masculinity in Ireland. Of…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Stacy Keach Will Star as Falstaff at DC Shakespeare Theatre; 2013-14 Plays and Directors Announced by Kenneth Jones

Shakespeare Theatre Company, the Tony Award-honored Washington, DC, theatre, will stage plays by Noël Coward, William Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde in its 2013-14 season, artistic directo…

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:29PM

THE "SMASH" REPORT: Season Two Premiere, Or, Change Partners and Dance by Kenneth Jones

Playbill's weekly recap, with notes and comment, of the latest episode of the NBC musical drama series "Smash," about the dreamers behind Broadway musicals. Here's a look a…

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:58PM

Broadway's Assembled Parties to Star Sam Robards, Mark Blum, Judith Light, Jessica Hecht; Cast Complete by Kenneth Jones

Casting is complete for the Broadway world premiere of Richard Greenberg's The Assembled Parties, the family drama starring the previously reported Judith Light and Jessica Hecht, Manhat…

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:18PM

The Gift, Starring Kathy Baker, Chris Mulkey, Jaime Ray Newman and James Van Der Beek, Opens in L.A. by Kenneth Jones

James Van Der Beek, best known for his starring roles on TV's "Dawson's Creek" and "Don't Trust the B in Apartment 23," stars in the American premiere of Aust…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Scandalous Troupers Record Broadway Cast Album by Kenneth Jones

The company of the short-lived 2012 Broadway musical Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson reunited to make a joyful — for a cast recording — on Feb. 1.

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:06PM

Revised Version of Steamy Shakespeare's R&J Gets U.S. Premiere at VA Signature Feb. 5-March 3 by Kenneth Jones

Joe Calarco's popular all-male Shakespeare's R&J, refracting Romeo and Juliet through the story of four boys at a boarding school where the classic is banned, has been revised by…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

David Henry Hwang's The Dance and the Railroad Steams Into NYC Run at Signature Feb. 5 by Kenneth Jones

Ruy Iskander and Yuekun Wu are at the center of David Henry Hwang's The Dance and the Railroad, the play about Chinese workers forging the American Transcontinental Railroad, in a new Of…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

Bill Pullman Joins Broadway's The Other Place Feb. 5 by Kenneth Jones

Bill Pullman of TV's "1600 Penn" and Broadway's The Goat, Or Who Is Sylvia? and Oleanna, steps into the role of the worried husband, Ian, in the final month of the Broadway…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM

The Madrid, Starring Edie Falco, John Ellison Conlee and Phoebe Strole, Premieres Off-Broadway Feb. 5 by Kenneth Jones

The world premiere of Liz Flahive's The Madrid, featuring Tony Award nominee and Emmy Award winner Edie Falco as a teacher and mom, begins Feb. 5 at Manhattan Theatre Club's Off-Broa…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:00AM
Monday, February 4, 2013

Goodspeed's Hello, Dolly! Will Be Directed By Daniel Goldstein by Kenneth Jones

Daniel Goldstein, director of the recent Broadway revival of Godspell, will direct the new Goodspeed Musicals production of Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart's Hello, Dolly!, taking over …

SOURCE: Playbill at 05:14PM

Broadway's The Heiress Will Recoup Her Investment by Kenneth Jones

The producers of the new Broadway revival of The Heiress said on Feb. 4 that by the time the limited engagement ends on Feb. 9, the production will recoup its $3 million capitalization.

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:15PM

Guest List of Drama League's Audra McDonald Tribute Includes Tyne Daly, Judith Light, Julie White; Online Auction Is Live by Kenneth Jones and Andrew Gans

The Drama League will honor five-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald at its 29th Annual Musical Celebration of Broadway, which will be presented Feb. 11 at the Pierre Hotel. Newly announce…

SOURCE: Playbill at 11:59AM
Sunday, February 3, 2013

Musical Chasing Nicolette,With John Bolton, Kate Reinders, Nick Wyman, Gets Free NYC Reading Feb. 4 by Kenneth Jones

The Barrymore Award-winning musical comedy Chasing Nicolette, seen regionally, will get a Manhattan reading at 7 PM Feb. 4, under the direction of Gordon Greenberg. The cast includes John Bo…

SOURCE: Playbill at 12:46PM
Friday, February 1, 2013

Stagehands Union and Philadelphia Theatre Company Reach Agreement by Kenneth Jones

An agreement has been reached with IATSE Local 8, the union representing the stagehand employees, and the not-for-profit Philadelphia Theatre Company, the troupe announced on Feb. 1.

SOURCE: Playbill at 02:15PM

"Broadway Idiot," Documentary About American Idiot Musical, Will Debut in March by Andrew Gans and Kenneth Jones

A documentary about American Idiot's road to Broadway, entitled "Broadway Idiot," will debut at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Texas.

SOURCE: Playbill at 01:55PM

Richard Maltby, Jr. Will Direct World Premiere of A Dangerous Woman for Shakespeare NJ by Kenneth Jones

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's fall world-premiere production of Cathy Tempelsman's A Most Dangerous Woman, about the Victorian-era writer George Eliot, will be directed by …

SOURCE: Playbill at 01:42PM