'Pete 'n' Keely': King and Queen of Kitsch (Ta-daaa!)
"Pete 'n' Keely," a campy minimusical by James Hindman, is precisely as funny as a pair of bell-bottom tuxedo pants. They are worn by George Dvorsky, half of a Vegas-y pair of entertainers in 1968.

On Stage and Off: Cold Comfort at the Till by Jesse McKinley

Thomas Babe, Playwright for Papp's Public Theater, Dies at 59

ALL THE WORLD'S A POSTING ON B'WAY
News, info, buzz light up the chat stage

O'DONNELL THROWS HER HAT IN 'CAT' RING
Star talker/thesp may perk up sales

'60s Spectacular by Ken Mandelbaum
(Pete 'n' Keely review)

Shades of '75 by Ken Mandelbaum

Last Hurrah for Tallulah Hallelujah!

Midtown International Theatre Festival Returns to NYC Next Year, July 13-Aug 5

Mark Taper New Works Festival Ends Dec. 16 With Goldberg, Manning

LuPone Packs Up Her Heart as Concert Gig Closes at LCT, Dec. 17

Before I Wake Receives Reading at L.A.'s Strasberg Center, Dec. 15 and 16

Game Over: Interactive Comedy Ends, Dec. 31, at 45 Bleecker

Seussical’s Trunk Fills With Gold Following O’Donnell Announcement

IATSE Wins Contract to Represent Troika’s Sound of Music Tour

Nat'l Music Theatre Network Names Tuners for 2001 Readings, Including Shine!

With Producers Calling Bart, Fitzgerald Is Fully Committed Starting Jan. 2

Steppenwolf's Cuckoo to Perch at Royale Theatre in Spring

Full Cast Announced for MTC's Time and Again; Bows Jan. 9, 2001

Broadway to Welcome Gary Sinise's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest at the Royale Theatre

Charles Busch Reprises His Holiday Spoof Times Square Angel Dec. 17

Old Money, Old Memories by Peter Filichia

Betrayal, He Says, She Says: John Slattery and Blythe Danner

Oh, Sherry! by Sean Patrick Flahaven

Hal Prince, Horton Foote Get Medal From Clinton

Blind Email Received:

There is a growing rumor on the west coast that Zale Kessler will be brought in to perform in "The Producers". Zale appeared in the original film version, as well as several of Mel Brooks' other films.

I don't really this this will come to pass. The Producers seem to be doing fine right now.

Another Blind Email Received:

You're right that Wildhorn alumni will be in BatBoy.....Doug Storm is back in the role he portrayed at past worskhops (though I don't know the character's name).

Just a note to those who don't like or agree with this website: Go away. We don't need you, and you won't be missed! And if you are going to be childish and send in rants and complaints through the "Blind Items" link, it just goes to prove my point that you would be better served at Broadway.com anyway. Nobody is forcing you to read this website.

Today's birthdays include: George Furth, Lee Remick and Shirley Jackson.

Innovative Theater Space Is Planning an Expansion
Symphony Space, the Upper West Side bastion of unconventional programming, plans to announce a $24 million campaign to raise money for its endowment and to unite its 22-year-old stage with the vintage Thalia movie theater around the corner.

Casting Herself as 'Seussical' Savior, O'Donnell to Don Cat's Hat
Rosie O'Donnell, Broadway's biggest booster, announced that she would take over a leading role in the "Seussical." Ticket sales immediately soared.

Top Women in Entertainment to Attend New York Women in Film and TV Lunch, Dec. 14

“Broadway’s Greatest Gifts” Performers to Appear on ABC’s World News Now

Protean Theatre Unleashes The Doctor in Spite of Himself in NYC, Dec. 14-30

Pete 'n' Keely, a Steve-and-Eydie-Like Musical Comedy Duet, Opens OB Dec. 14

New Federal Theatre to Celebrate 30 Years w/ Majestic March 25 Gala

NYC's Lark Reads Pera Palas Playwright Unel's Latest, Tolstoy’s Den, Dec. 14-15

Busch's Campy Times Square Angel a Hot Ticket in NYC Readings Dec. 17

Trim for the New Year: Broadway Les Miz Now Runs 2 Hours 58 Minutes

Al Pacino Declines Theatre Hall of Fame Honors; Event Planned for Jan. 29

Bulletin: Rosie O'Donnell Will Be Cat in the Hat in Seussical Jan. 16-Feb. 10

Rosie To Join Seussical as Cat in the Hat

Maurice Hines's Hip-Hop "Wonderland" Musical Yo, Alice! Debuts Dec. 14 in Atlanta

Off-Broadway Welcomes Mayes/Dvorsky Pete 'N' Keely Musical, Dec. 14

Broadway Gets a Little Christmas, Right This Very Minute

DRG To Record Bells Are Ringing

After the Foxy by Peter Filichia

One year ago today:
CEO: InTheater Magazine Plans To Continue (1999)

As we love to ask, "What does this mean to me?" Well, it means that you can have a better experience visiting Broadway.com. Also, it means that all our previous links to their site will not work. Oh well. (I am not going back to fix that!)

Also worthy of note is that Broadway.com finally created a staff/contact link. You can get to it under their "About Us" link at the bottom of the front page. You can find this information underneath the questionable claims to breaking stories and unsubstantiated financial goals. Was the $2,000,000 in ticket sales before or after the TDI purchase? And what was TDI's monthly before it was purchased? How many transactions were encompassed in the $2,000,000? If you are going to make claims, back them up.

On this day in 1928, George Gershwin's musical work "An American in Paris" had its premiere, at Carnegie Hall in New York. Today's birthdays include: Dick Van Dyke, Christopher Plummer, John Davidson and Robert Lindsay.

Christa Ludwig Guides Young Singers. Learning a performing art involves one-on-one work with a trusted teacher for years. So what can a famous prima donna or renowned concert pianist such as Christa Ludwig accomplish by giving one public coaching session?

Actor's Goal: To Make Kabuki Nothing to Snooze at. The art of Kabuki is constrained by traditions in the same way that its actors are bound by their costumes. But Kankuro Nakamura, a Kabuki rising star, contends that some of the theater's traditions will actually make his art more accessible.

Eldon Elder, Set Designer and Creator of the Delacorte Theater, Dies at 79

"Complete Lyrics of Irving Berlin" Will Appear in Fall 2001

Linda Eder Plays Carnegie Hall, Dec. 18

Allison Narver to Be New Artistic Director of Seattle's Empty Space, Feb. 2001

No Room at the Inn: Broadway Theatres and Their Bookings This Spring

Broadway Scenic Designer Eldon Elder Is Dead at 76

Barrett Gets His Gun: Brent Barrett to Fall for McEntire's Annie Oakley on Bway, Jan. 26, 2001

O’NEILL TAPS VIERTEL CHAIRMAN. Producer boasts long, award-winning career

B'WAY BUSY SPRING DELAYS 'CLOWNS' BOW. Smaller houses fill up

NOISES OFF: HEAD OF THE CLASS. Musical moves from MTC to Broadway in February

Broadway Ends a Busy Year -- and Millennium

David Hasselhoff and Michele Lee To Light Broadway Holiday Tree, Dec. 13

Twelve Days to Christmas by Peter Filichia

CHRISTMAS WITH THE CRAWFORDS by Forrest Mallard

Going back to an item from yesterday, there is a rumor of a two cast Copenhagen tour. One for major cities and the other for smaller cities/college campuses.

Today's birthdays include: Ed Koch, Cathy Rigby, Edward G. Robinson and Frank Sinatra.

LOL! We're all lab rats now!
Unnamed Broadway producer studying internet chat as a performance indicator.

Revised Working Extends in Chicago Through Jan. 14

"Ellen"'s Arye Gross Is Managing Artistic Director of L.A.'s Stages Theatre

The Scarlet Pimpernel Swashbuckles in Costa Mesa, Jan. 2-7

Broadway Grosses: December 4-10 - Part 1

DRG Records Musical Trio, 3hree, for Cast Album; Is Bway Next?

Fringe Fest Hit Urinetown! The Musical to Play OB in Spring

Albee's Baby Will Be Born Feb. 1 at NYC's Century Center; Previews begin Jan. 16

Copenhagen to Close on Broadway, Jan. 21: Tour to Follow

BTN Airs January 2001 Repeat of PPV Special, Smokey Joe’s Cafe

World Preem of Tolan's The Wax Starts Previews Dec. 12 in NYC

Holden Interviews Bernadette Peters in NYC "Diva" Series, Dec. 11

Jerome Records' Heart Sings for Genesius Guild Dec. 11

Another Musical with a Mask by Ken Mandelbaum

'Cukoo' Flying In

B'Way B.O. Continues Swing Shift. 11.1% bounce from previous week

Time Magazine Picks Top 10 Theatre Events of 2000

Smokey Joe Returning To Pay-Per-View in January 2001
Broadway Television Network owns Theatre.com's parent company, BroadwayOnline.com.

Broadway Copenhagen Closing Jan. 21

"Not having found a replacement cast of sufficient calibre, producers will end the Broadway run that day with a performance by the show's three-member cast -- Philip Bosco, Michael Cumpsty and Tony-winner Blair Brown.

The production will have played 21 previews and 326 regular performances at the Royale Theatre.

A national tour is scheduled to launch in San Francisco in fall 2001. Dates, cast and itinerary are TBA."

That is an interesting statement. They can't find good enough people to replace the cast so it will close. But, it will go out on tour. Will the tour have substandard talent? I don't think so. Then why make a statement like that?

Bebe Neuwirth Returning to B'way Chicago
Surely Bebe's revolving door at Chicago must be the subject of a Forbidden Broadway skit... if it isn't already.

Open Auditions for B'way Revival of 42nd Street, Dec. 12
I am pulling for that cute blonde who has, at least, one more ingenue in her...

Cancellations Eat Up "Rush" Tickets at Sam Shepard's Late Henry Moss

The Best Song in The Full Monty by Peter Filichia

JUDY'S SCARY LITTLE CHRISTMAS by Forrest Mallard

Bat Boy on Breakdowns. I forgot to mention that last week Bat Boy hit the Breakdowns for an off-Broadway run that rehearses in January for a February run. Dave Clemmons is casting it, so I think you may see some Wildhorn alumn as well as some Godspell (recent off-Broadway hit) alumn as well.

Do you think that anyone over at Broadway.com will notice that their ColdFusion is kicking out an error for the past five days?

Today's birthdays include: Rita Moreno, Ron Carey, David Gates, Donna Mills, Sir Kenneth MacMillan and Fiorello H. La Guardia.

From Naughty and Bawdy to Stars Reborn
The New 42nd Street has succeeded in finding uses for six of the seven theaters under its lease, with three of them as active stages, totaling about 5,000 new seats for live theater.

'Jane Eyre': An Arsonist in the Attic; a Feminist in the Making.
Even with a dignified performance by Marla Schaffel in the title role of the gloomy and mundane musical version of "Jane Eyre," little is captured in the way of the richly available nuances this story brings.
by Bruce Weber

'Sunday Brunch 4': Street Theater Moves Onto the Subway
Like any other show, "Sunday Brunch 4" began shortly after the doors closed and the audience got settled. Except, in this case, the doors were shiny, metal and mobile, and the audience just happened to be along for the ride.
by Jesse McKinley

Revisions: Reading a Play Demands Reading Between the Lines

This Week: Broadway Lights Up

Toronto Star: Jane Eyre little changed. Broadway musical even less effective than Toronto tryout. by Richard Ouzounian

The Voice Across the Moors by Ken Mandelbaum

How Were the Reviews?: Jane Eyre on Broadway

Broadway-Bound King Hedley Bows in Chicago Dec. 11

Status Report: 42nd Street Renewal at the Crossroads

Fassbinder's Bitter Tears Unravels Lesbian Love Off-B'way, Dec. 11

Who Must See Seussical by Peter Filichia

Christmas with MARIO CANTONE... and Friends Dec. 11

Bitter Tears of Petra Van Kant Flow at OB's Henry Miller Dec. 11

RSC's Secret Garden Set for Aldwych Opening, Feb. 27

What Clear Channel Still Wants for Xmas is a 25 Percent Stake in Mexican Broadcaster Televisa

Dec. 11 Gala Celebrates Fifth Anniversary of OB’s New Victory

Bway Producers Starting Full-Cast Rehearsals, Dec. 11
Ensemble rehearsals started last week. The cast has been sworn to secrecy about the jokes and such other details of the production. Today starts with a production team meeting with the cast, a description of the set and then a read thru with everyone, including the thousands of producers that are producing The Producers. (The show within the show within the show must be pretty good too.)

MTC Winter Benefit Has Lillias White, Brian d'Arcy James and More Jan. 8

King Hedley II Opens at Goodman's New Chicago Space, Dec. 11

Today's birthdays include: Kenneth Branagh, Harold Gould and Susan Dey (Guess who gave Susan Dey her first on-screen kiss? It was a birthday boy from a few days ago...).

Theater's Power of Fakery. Currently two shows, "Lypsinka! The Boxed Set" and "Proof," excel at combining live performance and fakery. This is what makes theater irreplaceable, what no other art form can match.

A Risky and Rewarding Television Role: Judy Garland. "Me and My Shadows," an ABC film starring Judy Davis as Judy Garland, illustrates the humiliations Garland faced at the end of her career and testifies to her extraordinary impact.

Labyrinth Theater Company: A 'Gym' for Acting, It's a Company, Too

Peter Brook Prefers His 'Hamlet' Lean

WE HEAR
THAT Broadway.com - which is being relaunched soon - still hasn't paid some of the free-lancers who toiled for its original launch . . .

Jane Eyre Makes Broadway Bow Dec. 10

Brenda Braxton Takes the Long Road Home Off-Broadway

Gershwin and Felder by Peter Filichia

Pascal, Ripley Stokes and More Record Lams Benefit Xmas CD, Dec. 10

Thoroughly Modern Millie Exits La Jolla Dec. 10; Begins Journey to Bway

OB's Class Act Ends Dec. 10, But Becomes Bway's Class Act

Jane Eyre Reveals Her 'Secret Soul' in Broadway Opening, Dec. 10

TDF Launches Second London Theatre Tour for Patrons w/Hearing Loss, March 24 - April 1

Eric Grode’s STAGE TO SCREEN: HBOff-Broadway, Sundance and “Quills”

Learned about the details of Lea Delaria's record deal from David Levy who pointed me to Jennifer Kalman's interview with Lea on Fynsworth Alley's website. I guess I will have to check their website every morning for breaking news!

North Shore Music Theatre (in Beverly, MA) has announced its 2001 season, complete with a production of MISS SAIGON. They also tease their audience with the line "Will the NSMT production team be up to the challenge of landing a helicopter on our stage?" It is unfortunate that they are focusing on the set rather than the material. It only sets up a disappointment in the long run.

Blind Item Received:

What well-known "show doctor" is being brought in by producers to "supervise" a highly anticipated spring musical revival? Hint: He should be used to "Civil Wars"

Well, that does not seem to blind...

Blind Email Received:

Christopher Fitzgerald will take over in "Fully Committed" as of Jan 2nd. Most recently, he played Jerry, The Man in the Flying Lawnchair, in Hal Prince's delightful "3hree"

Blind Email Received:

I've heard from several sources that "Bells Are Ringing" is experiencing similar financial troubles (much like "The Rhythm Club" did), leaving the Stamford, CT try-out and B'way arrival in doubt.

Blind Email Received:

From the perfect casting department: Godspell's Leslie Kritzer is a definite for Funny Girl at the Paper Mill.

Blind Email Received:

Reading Monday of a possible DIRTY DANCING musical headed for Broadway. Seems some Ass directors may finally get their Broadway due.

Blind Email Received:

Remember PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED? A revised version is being workshopped (no media) this weekend. The Mrvishes in charge. Supposedly a lot of New York types coming up to see it. I've actually been hearing some good things....

Also, FULL MONTY. It's supposed to hit Toronto this summer, only Mirvish and Co are "discussing" with Fox Searchlight whether it should be the American touring company, or a Canadian based company that would then tour the US (like MAMMA MIA).

Got an email from Michael Rademacher. I had mentioned a week or so ago that Michael and his wife, Maria, were in town looking for properties to bring back to Europe. Here is the show list of what they saw: Contact, Rocky Horror, Jane Eyre, Seussical, Swing, Aida and The Tale of the Allergist's Wife. Michael also mentioned that they saw "most of them for pleasure, not to produce in Europe". He also went on to say that they were actually in town on business for his wife, who is a screenwriter. Just wanted to clear that up.

Today's birthdays include: Dina Merrill, Dick Van Patten, Judi Dench, John Malkovich and Donny Osmond.

A reader also reports that today is Mario Cantone's birthday. (Thanks John!)

If It's Funny, You Laugh, but Why? Laughter is a thriving, if not notably jolly, field of study whose members are scattered across the academic spectrum, from literature and history to linguistics and neuroscience.

A Holiday Standard by You-Know-Who. An adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" that has been a seasonal fixture at the Theater at Madison Square Garden since 1993 is now running there through Dec. 31 with Frank Langella as this year's Ebenezer Scrooge.

Marla Schaffel Builds a Castle in the Eyre

Kander & Ebb's Visit Musical in Talks for Chicago Tryout

Lewis Cleale To Go Time Traveling in OB Time and Again Musical Jan. 9

Theatre.com Introduces New "Past and Present" Column. Veteran theatre journalist Michael Buckley will trace current trends into Broadway's past

Listening to Taking a Chance on Love by Peter Filichia

What Tiny Alice Means by PeterFilichia

ANDREA McARDLE's FAMILY CHRISTMAS by Forrest Mallard

Vagina Monologuer Donna Hanover Emcees NY Women in Film and TV Lunch, Dec. 14

Bebe Neuwirth To Do Live Chat On Yahoo!/Actors’ Fund Auction Site Next Week

Drama League's Directors Helm Directorfest at NYC's HERE, Dec. 9-12

Leibowitz Shoots Camera-Friendly Steppenwolfers for Vanity Fair

Brooks Atkinson Has Interior Makeover in Time for Jane Eyre

Falls to Direct Dennehy in Long Day’s Journey at Goodman and on Bway in 2002
I believe that is after Brian's commitment to Riverdance is over...

Moving Closer to a Return to Full Operations, NY’s Chekhov Theatre Seeks Add’l Mktg Staffer

Philly 3hree Producers Eyeing NYC as Cast CD Plans Loom

DIVA TALK: Gypsies, Camp and Divas