Today's birthdays include: Louis Armstrong and William Schuman.

Lots of people emailed to ask about the Godspell opening. I am sad to report that I missed it due to the requirements of being a boyfriend. After all is is my Duty, and I am a Slave of Duty, so, instead of heading to Godspell, I hopped a train to Philadelphia and attended the Republican National Convention and watched some real theatre. Does it scare you that they gave me press credentials? It sure scared me!

But never fear, because Forrest was out and about at the Godspell show and after-party. He bring us these pictures. (Captions to come. Eventually.)

League Says Summer 2000 Shows Best Growth in Five Years

NYC's Gorilla Rep Has Pirates of Penzance on a Real Ship, Aug. 4-28
In case you were wondering where the Slave of Duty comment came from...

Billy Stritch Returns to FireBird Promoting New CD, "Jazz Live," Aug. 3

New Hair Day: OB's ImPerfect Chemistry Pushes First Preview to Aug. 15

Offers Starting to Go Out for Roundabout's Revival of Follies

Laramie Project to Be HBO Film; Off-Bway Staging Waning
Okay troopers, get out and rally the your friends to go and see this show.

Feldshuh Takes Tallulah Hallelujah! to NYC's Fairbanks Sept. 19

Hasselhoff Will Be New Gruesome Twosome in Bway Jekyll & Hyde Oct. 17
Playbill calls this "The worst-kept secret in Broadway casting..." It's funny, none of the major sites ever mentioned it before.

Issues and Parables by Ken Mandelbaum Follies

Spirit of Broadway Musical On Track for Lyceum in 2001

Drabinsky, KPMG Accounting Firm Settle Litigation

Godspell's Beatitudes by Peter Filichia

Rocky Horror Finalists Announced

Real Life on the New York Stage

On Broadway by Ken Mandelbaum

Hasselhoff to Suit Up For 'Jekyll'
You all laughed at me when I told you this on 6/21. At that time, Mandelbaum was still reporting that Mr. Knight Rider was going into AGYG. Ken does not seem to be talking about that anymore...

'Godspell' Divine in Spots

Can a Batt understudy a Cat? We'll see.

Trying to remember the future. Getting rid of new friends and finding old ones.

Lion King, Death of a Salesman, Dame Edna Top B'way Box-office for 1999-2000 Season

Doctoring I'm Solomon by Peter Filichia

'Game' Shows Prep For Off Broad Bows. Interactive theater pieces set for fall

I never realized how many of your were historians until yesterday's comment about Francis Scott Key. The New York Times describes him as, "American lawyer and composer of U.S. national anthem." I didn't think he wrote the music, but when the "paper of record" says he is a composer, I don't disagree! Well, truth be told, Grolier online says:

The words of "The Star-Spangled Banner" were written by Francis Scott Key on Sept. 14, 1814, inspired by the sight of the U.S. flag at Fort McHenry withstanding a nightlong bombardment from an offshore British warship. He indicated that the words were to be sung to the Anacreontic song, a melody he had used 9 years earlier for another poem. "The Star-Spangled Banner" attained popularity quickly but was no more prominent as a patriotic air than "Yankee Doodle" or "Hail Columbia."

So my appologies for the error.

Word over at the Forum on Tallkin Broadway is that Glen Close could be doing The Visit... hmmm... I don't think so. But she is gearing up for something here in town.

Backer Balks, Lansbury Walks - And Now...

Paper Mill Playhouse Announces 2000-01 Season Featuring Chita Rivera

Updated Godspell Reopens at NYC's Theatre at St. Peter's Aug. 2
I am looking forward to seeing this tonight!

Macaulay Culkin Sets Sights on West End Credibility in Nelson's Melville

Showtime Plans to Air Flockhart Bash on TV, Aug. 28

ABBA Musical Mamma Mia! Opens U.S. Tour in November 2000. Broadway is a possibility in fall 2001

And the Winner of FutureFest Is ... by Robert Viagas

Warlow's Warbucks by Ken Mandelbaum
Tom Hewitt as Frank... hmmm...

Sam Mendes, Jerry Garcia and Francis Scott Key (the man who wrote the hardest song next to "If I Loved You") share today as their birthday.

On Broadway, Where Actors Get Physical

Remember that haiku from a few days ago? Well, I think it was just answered!

Roundabout Will Assume Lease on American Place Theatre in July 2002

New Musical, Marty, Get Reading in NYC, Aug. 1
It's about a guy who starts a record store in Times Square and charges too much for CDs. Oh wait, that's been done already!

Candlelight Vigil for Community Arts Activist Armando Perez Takes Place Aug. 1

Merman's Original 'Annie Get Your Gun' Reissued on CD
I can see the line from Footlight Records going all the way back to Chelsea...

NYC Fringe Fest Boasts 175 Productions; Begins Aug. 16

B'Way B.O. Takes Small Step North. 'Jekyll,' 'Kate' show improvement while 'West,' 'Mason' shutter.

Little Women Still Moving Forward by Sean Patrick Flahaven

Matchpoint at Dayton by Peter Filichia

Toronto Star: Manilow Musical Shopworn
Copa review.

"They don't make shows like Copacabana any more. They also don't make eight-track tapes or leisure suits for the same reason."

Ouch. (I stubbed my toe.)

Who's That Woman? by Ken Mandelbaum
Ken is mentioning that Carol Woods is in the running for Follies. We told you that last week.

CRH. G. Truck. Goin' muddin in the Yoda. :-) IMY2.

New Fever CD? by Ken Mandelbaum
Although Ken does not mention this, there is considerable buzz around town that SNF is worth another view because Sean Palmer, who has taken over the role of Tony from James Carpinello, is really outstanding.

Teresa Sterne, Musical Prodigy, Sacrificed Her Own Art So Others Might Be Heard.
From 1965 to 1979, as the director of Nonesuch Records, Teresa Sterne turned a budget classical label into one of the most adventurous companies in the business. But most of the young artists she nurtured had no idea that she had been a piano prodigy.

Today's "Seussical" ad in the Boston Globe.... SCARY!

Broadway Classroom: Bringing People Behind The Scenes On Broadway by Gordon Greenberg

Today's birthdays include Hilary Swank, Delta Burke, Laurence Fishburne and Henry Ford (1863 - 1947)

Should We Blame Stephen Sondheim? by Peter Filichia

Library of Congress Questions Management of Gershwin Trust
Thank you to Max O. Preeo of CASTRECL for the link

Far Out in the Land of Shakespeare. At the Utah Shakespearean Festival, the organizers, actors and volunteers are still a bit dazed about having won the regional theater Tony Award last month.

A Summer Veteran Gets New Life by Robert Simonson
(About the Westport Playhouse)
Yes, Robert Simonson of Playbill in the New York Times.

A Star Emerges From the White House Halls
(Allison Janney in The West Wing)

Playing When He Wants, and Remembering

You have less than one day left to put together your Rocky Horror audition videotape. Today's overcast and rainy conditions make it the perfect Sunday project. Here are some last minute tips for you:

1) Don't forget to slate at the beginning of the audition and label your tapes! Make sure that you are not taping over something important, like you little brother being born.

2) And also make sure that nothing personal is on the tape after your audition is finished, like say some various home movie you made with an ex.

3) Our rule of thumb always includes adding that little something special to let the person who opens the tape know that you are really serious about the audition. Perhaps it may be photocopied articles of you from high school shows or letters of recommendation from a director you have worked with. My dad taught me something important in life: "If you are going to say anything, say it with cash."

PS - Try and pick a part that has not been cast yet.

Coming soon: www.RockyHorrorLive.com. A Theatre.com site. You would think that Jordan would know better. The Donkey Show website was a much better website than anything Theatre.com ever created. (What happened to the cool Donkey Show website? It's gone.)

On this day in 1905, Clara Bow was born. She passed away in 1965.

BroadwayStars spot check: Quiz: Who is this and what has he done? (Don't cheat!) Your Answer?

Getting Away, the Dutch Way -- Unmistakably Dutch
Oh, nevermind. I thought this was something else. (But it is a good read!)

Chief is Selected for the Rebuilding of Lincoln Center

Douglas Mitchell Redfest Ends July 29; Last Reading July 30
I love what One Arm Red is doing by fostering the development of new works.

Singing Sondheim In Fynsworth Alley by Sean Patrick Flahaven
What I find interesting in this rewritten press release is the last line:

"The Stephen Sondheim Album will be available on Fynsworth Alley's website (which officially debuts September 1) in a special edition with an extra track (one of the above) on October 1, and available in stores three months later."

That makes the first release from Fynsworth Alley available in the stores just in time for... January. What a huge risk to depend on internet sales to carry through the holiday season.

Fringe Shows Invade New York, Aug. 16 to 27

David Henry Hwang's Revised Flower Drum Song Headed for Broadway

More Mortifying Moments by Jim Caruso

I love this song, don't you?

"Toby, where are you love?
Nothing's gonna harm you,
not while I'm around..."

Judi Dench... Starring in The Visit???

From TB:
"That's the rumor I heard. I don't know if it's true, but it would make great sense.

The "official" call I got was that we were "postponed" till January 29th (first rehearsal) and would open right on Bway with Angela, but you never know......."

Weissler-produced SOUTH PACIFIC?

Cats extending? No. Are you wondering why all the sudden we are seeing articles about Cats definitely closing in Sept? It seems as though BC/EFA was raising some money by putting closing night tickets up for auction on UltimateBid.com (via eBay). When eBay pulled the tickets due to a technical problem, rumors started circulating that the show has been extended. Not true.

Arci's Place. Spent part of last night with John Miller, owner of Arci's Place after Mark Nadler's show, "The Wildest Party". Mark's show is great with a retrospective of the 20s, which Mark calls the longest decade on record because it lasted from 1920-1933. (As long as prohibition lasted.) Back to John, he has quite the lineup of talent coming into his house over the next few months. I encourage you to check out this leading venue the next time you are in the area (Park & 31st). And the food is just as good as the talent!

Godspell gets a real website. The current NYC much talked about production of Godspell, finally has a good website. The "official website" of this NET Theatrical Productions is not on par with the quality of this production. So, here comes along Joe Landry, a fan, who makes a website to support this show. It is a great website. If you know anyone at NET Theatricals, point them to this site: http://www.godspell.homepage.com/. If the producers threw a little money to Joe and paid for hosting to eliminate the ads on Joe's website, they have a winner on their hands.

If you are a member of a PR agency or General Press Rep office and you submit an item through a Blind submission that is obviously intended to be just a hit for your client, not only will we not run it, but we will slam you with bad press. Then we will tell your client. There is a very clear statement about spamming us through the Blind link. All press releases should be sent via the Contact link or to [email protected]. Please honor it as you are flooding our email. <ominous music> We don't like that. You have been warned. </ominous music> :-)