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Saturday, April 07, 2001 On this day in 1949, The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical ''South Pacific'' opened on Broadway. Today's birthdays include: Billie Holiday, Russell Crowe, James Garner, Francis Ford Coppola, David Frost and Walter Winchell. A Festival of Images, via Rauschenberg and Others All Those Old Plays by Ken Mandelbaum Menzel, Shor, McElroy to Star in Hair at Encores! Leads Announced for Frau Hess Kate Jennings Grant Will Star in Summer of '42 DIVA TALK News of Bernadette plus Lea, Klea & more! Chita Rivera to Star in Kander & Ebb Visit in Chicago, Sept. 21 The Biggest Disappointment of the New Century by Peter Filichia How I Got Through Brenda Frazier by Peter Filichia Tickets on Sale April 9 for Concert Production of Chess by Forrest Mallard Could We Start Again, Please? by Sean Patrick Flahaven No Huckleberry Friend Here by Sean Patrick Flahaven Buzz Lines Exciting new assignments have come along for ERIC McCORMACK (The Music Man), DANNY GURWIN (The Full Monty tour), and JUDY KAYE (Gypsy in Seattle). And -- J&H BTN Numbers: Nothing to Hyde? Shades of Follies An original cast member shares memories of the great Sondheim musical, now back on Broadway courtesy of the Roundabout. posted at 4/7/2001 10:07:58 AM by James Marino | Item Link How I Got Through Brenda Frazier by Peter Filichia Tickets on Sale April 9 for Concert Production of Chess Sondheim's Assassins To Preview Nov. 1 at, Yes, the Booth Theatre SCENE AND HEARD: Broadway Babies Party From "Loveland" to Roseland Eartha Kitt Cinderella Tour Headed for New York May 3 Polls Open April 6 for National Broadway Theatre Awards Sir Peter Hall, Byron Jennings, Ian Holm Honor Shakespeare Birthday, April 9 posted at 4/7/2001 09:41:09 AM by Susan Heim | Item Link Friday, April 06, 2001 'Follies': A Gritty Vision of Faded Gold The first Broadway production of "Follies" since 1971 certainly gets you thinking about the souring effects of time and of roads not taken. Beauty Can't Be Hindered from Taking Its Toll by Ken Mandelbaum PHOTO OP: Arrivals & bows at FOLLIES Opening Night PHOTO OP: FOLLIES Opening Night Party, Part One PHOTO OP: FOLLIES Opening Night Party, Part Two How Were the Reviews?: Follies on Broadway The Stephen Sondheim/James Goldman musical was revived at the Belasco Theatre April 5 Rob Marshall Signed To Direct Chicago Movie Musical The choreographer of the Broadway Cabaret revival will return to the decadent prewar period Menken & Spencer's Duddy Kravitz Musical Gets April 6 Reading The composer of Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid and Little Shop of Horrors is back at work on a stage musical Leslie Uggams Journeys from Hallelujah, Baby! to One Tough Mama in King Hedley II Little Women Still Planning for the Big Time Once Upon a Times Square: Urban Fairytale Festival Plays in NYC, April 6-29 Santiago-Hudson's Got the Lackawanna Blues at the Public, April 6 Ridge Theater Presents Wellman's Jennie Richee OOB, April 6-14 New Padua Playwrights Kick Off w/ Three Mednicks, April 6-Aug. 4 Check Your Personality, And Your Calendar: Millie Targets Nov. 15 Opening Paper Mill Playhouse Opens Jule Styne-Bob Merrill�s Funny Girl, April 6 Random notes: The dynamic duo of Westchester-Rockland producing, (Neil Berg and Rob Evan) have announced a that they are producing a concert version of CHESS, (similar to the one they produced off-Broadway for BC/EFA back in 1998) at the Helen Hayes Center for the Performing Arts this August 9-11. For more information, see Rob's website at www.rob-evan.com... Back on Broadway, inasmuch as I still have faith in this production, I can't ignore all the whispering and emails about financial problems with this new production... My Favorite Female Left Coaster, Lisa Richard, takes on the fun role of Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors at Poway Center for the Performing Arts starting next Friday the 13th!... Catherine links the article below, but I hear that Kristin Lee Kelly was going to be singing Doug Storm's role in Bat Boy! because Storm wanted to produce and have creative control over the recording. The producers realized that Storm will sell just as many, if not more cast recordings than Joan Jett, so Storm is back in... Thank God running downhill is so much easier than running uphill. posted at 4/6/2001 10:23:29 AM by James Marino | Item Link On this day in 1909, explorers Robert E. Peary and Matthew A. Henson became the first men to reach the North Pole. The claim, disputed by skeptics, was upheld in 1989 by the Navigation Foundation. It's men like them, that made this country great. Today's birthdays include: Andre Previn, Billy Dee Williams, Barry Levinson, Paul Rudd, and Michelle Phillips. On Stage and Off: Fall Ahead, Spring Behind. With 'Assassins' finally opening on Broadway, do we really need any other musicals? Sinise's Cuckoo's Nest Opens on Broadway April 8 Hold me, Bat Boy! RCA Victor To Record 'Bat Boy' Cast Album Oh James, you were so close. Ken Mandelbaum reports: "The Weisslers are said to be inquiring about the possibility of Sean Hayes taking on The Cat in the Hat in 'Seussical' in June. Hayes� Will & Grace co-star, Eric McCormack, will, of course, be on Broadway this spring in 'The Music Man'." Really? 'Seussical' will be open in June? 'Summer of �42' will tour three cities before its Broadway birth late next season. The production will play at Theatreworks in Palo Alto, California (June 19-July 15), the Stamford Center for the Arts in Stamford, Connecticut (October 10-October 20) and the Colonial Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts (November 13-December 2). Stout Sings Benefit, 'Lighter Than Eyre', April 23-24 in NYC Brook's Hamlet Starts U.S. Tour in Seattle, April 6 Spring-Summer Broadway Season Schedule Stritch, Parks, McLaughlin and Othello Set for Public's 2001-02 Season posted at 4/6/2001 09:14:00 AM by Catherine Skidmore | Item Link 'Follies': A Gritty Vision of Faded Gold On Stage and Off: Fall Ahead, Spring Behind by Jesse McKinley Forget spring. With a clutch of shows confirmed and several others looking for bookings, the slate of fall musicals is rapidly filling up. Carolee Carmello Taking Title Role in Kiss Me, Kate May 29 RCA Victor To Record Bat Boy Cast Album Rob Marshall Signed To Direct Chicago Movie Musical How Were the Reviews?: Follies on Broadway The Biggest Disappointment of the New Century by Peter Filichia posted at 4/6/2001 07:52:36 AM by Susan Heim | Item Link Thursday, April 05, 2001 On this day in 1895, Playwright Oscar Wilde lost his criminal libel case against the Marquess of Queensberry, who had accused the writer of homosexual practices. Today's birthdays include: Gregory Peck, Michael Moriarty, Booker T. Washington and Bette Davis. Will & Grace's Eric McCormack to Star in The Music Man Someone mentioned to mea few weeks back that "that guy from Will & Grace" was going into The Music Man, I naturally thought, "Of course, Sean Hayes would be great!" Oh well. Crystal, Kristin & Carolee by Ken Mandelbaum Esparza Is Leaving Rocky For Off-B'way Boom! Will to Be Hill: TV's Eric McCormack Is Next Bway Music Man, May 8 Bouyed By Veteran Cast, Roundabout�s Follies Opens April 5 at Belasco Frank Rich to Discuss Memoir at City Center in NYC, April 9 Blast! Blasts Broadway's Broadway April 5; Opens April 17 BTN Prez Says TV Jekyll & Hyde Pleased Crowds; Viewership Numbers Still Awaited Switching Leagues, Winkler Hosts Sternhagen, Tomlin, Cumming at Drama League, May 11 Equity/League Compromise on NBTA Criterion Favors Union �Seconds� Report: Chicago Film Shows Signs of Life Again Broadway Grosses: March 26 - April 1 - Part 1 Sondheim's Follies Returns to Broadway April 5 "Will and Grace" Star To Be B'way's New Music Man Broadway Blast! Begins Previews April 5 All Things Bright and Beautiful by Peter Filichia People Make Mistakes� Back to the Nest As One Flew Over the Cuckoo�s Nest, returns to Broadway, playwright Dale Wasserman details the "fiasco" of the original production and his disappointment with the film version. posted at 4/5/2001 01:45:49 PM by James Marino | Item Link And a quick update - this week's issue of Time Out NY has an ad for a chat happening at the Guggenheim (no relation to Susam Heim) on this Sunday, April 8th, 8pm. Stephen Sondheim (also no relation to Susan Heim or the Guggenheim) and Matthew Warchus will do a talk entitled "About Staging a Major Revival". They'll be discussing 'Follies.' OBE award-winning director Jude Kelly moderates. Tix are $18, $15 for members, students and seniors. Call (212) 423-3587 or visit Works & Process for more info. posted at 4/5/2001 12:24:13 PM by Catherine Skidmore | Item Link Gary Sinise: Unwound and Ready for Some Cuckoo Time 'Passion Play': A Marriage Torn Asunder as Bach and Mozart Mourn All Things Bright and Beautiful by Peter Filichia Two O Pioneers! Musicals Headed for NY: April 19 and May 2 Preparing for the Revivals: Part Two by Ken Mandelbaum posted at 4/5/2001 11:59:39 AM by Susan Heim | Item Link On this day in 1951, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were sentenced to death for conspiring to commit espionage for the Soviet Union. And in 1856, Booker T. Washington, the educator and reformer who became an important spokesperson for black Americans at the turn of the 20th century, was born. Following his death on Nov. 14, 1915, his obituary appeared in The Times. Come and meet those dancing feet! I attended the first preview of '42nd Street' last night, and must say, those feet sure can dance. The dancing is, as expected, terrific, and the young cast is incredibly energetic. Visually, the sets and costumes are stunning. And I was personally excited to see Michael Cumpsty sing. My one suggestion would be to feed Twinkies to some of those chorines - the ribs hanging out is NOT attractive, no matter how starving their characters are during the Depression! Question tho - if they rewrite a musical's book extensively, can it qualify as a "Best New Musical"? Goodnight, my someone. Eric McCormack, of TV's 'Will and Grace', replaces Craig Bierko in 'The Music Man' May 8. 'Blast!' begins previews tonight. No more "waiting around for the girls upstairs": Blythe Danner and Judith Ivey play Phyllis and Sally in the starry production. Click for newly released pictures. Hold me, Bat Boy! Playbill Online interviews Deven May, who's played the title character in the offbeat musical since its inception in L.A. in 1997. Raul Esparza to play Jonathan Larson in 'Tick! Tick! Boom!' off-Bway. 'Tick! Tick! Boom!' was originally produced as a one-man vehicle for Larson to star in (he named the title character �Jonathan Larson�). At that time, the plot concerned a struggling songwriter trying to deal with a surprise 30th birthday party. The issue at hand? Should �Jonathan Larson� keep working hard as a composer or turn it in and become a copywriter? James and I saw Raul as Che in the 'Evita' tour a few years ago (in scenic Newark, NJ), and I thought he was just terrific. posted at 4/5/2001 11:17:53 AM by Catherine Skidmore | Item Link Wednesday, April 04, 2001 On this day in 1968, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., 39, was shot to death in Memphis, Tenn. Today's birthdays include: Maya Angelou, Elmer Bernstein, Elizabeth Wilson, Craig T. Nelson, Walter Charles, David E. Kelley, Robert Downey Jr., Nancy McKeon, Robert E. Sherwood, Anthony Perkins and Arthur Murray. Broadway Grosses: Ringing Revivals Equity & League Settle Dispute With Odd Compromise I think they would get a lot more press and general interest if Alan Eisenberg and Jed Bernstein were to settle this in a no-holds-barred WWF Cage Match. Certainly it would get higher ratings than the XFL... On a more serious note, Equity lost this round of negotiation. The compromise that was agreed upon is an embarrassment to the union. They're Glorified: The 'Dames' and Dazzle of 42nd Street Begin Previews April 4 McPherson's Good Thief With d'Arcy James Resurfaces OB April 4 May 26 Jones, Anderman Engaged in Nichols' Passion Play at OB's Minetta Lane, April 4 NBTA Awards to Single Out Union Nominees for Touring Show Awards 42nd Street Returns to 42nd Street April 4 Cuccioli/Kritzer Funny Girl Starts Paper Mill Previews April 4 A Son and Mother Get Their Fame by Peter Filichia Peter Nichols' Passion Play Opens Off-Broadway April 4 Thirteen/WNET to Broadcast 2001 Drama Desk Awards, May 20 As Daring as a Darius by Forrest Mallard Brian D'Arcy James Resumes Good Thief Perfs, April 4 Buzz Lines - Week of April 2-6 by Michael Portantiere Excellent new column by Theatremania's Editor. The Stars are Gonna Glimmer and Shine by Charles Nelson Miramax tuning 'Chicago' The line is forming for Velma and Roxy roles in pic After several false starts, Miramax is poised to start shooting the musical "Chicago," with a new script by Oscar-winning "Gods and Monsters" scribe Bill Condon and a deal in place with Rob Marshall.... Theater's Epstein grows celluloid arm Roughly $2 mil raised for co.'s first 2-3 years 4/4/2001 Adam Epstein is moving into feature film production via his newly formed Bonmark Entertainment shingle. Adam, all of 26, has been represented on Broadway most recently by Amadeus. His first show was The Life. He is the new blood of Broadway. Hopefully Broadway can keep him at least part of the time! Jones has a 'Ball' with musical Randolph-Wright to pen, helm Wieden+Kennedy, @radical.media project B.O. even; 'Civil War' 743g Road Grosses 4/4/2001 Thanks to everyone who provided updates in my absence. With exploding manhole covers and the demise of Northpoint, I am still without highspeed access. I am told that I will be "provisioned" in about 4 weeks... so the updates may be a little less regular. Thanks for all the emails and patience. posted at 4/4/2001 09:30:41 AM by James Marino | Item Link Today's birthdays include Arthur Murray, Walter Charles, Robert Downey, Jr., and Nancy McKeon. posted at 4/4/2001 09:14:24 AM by Matthew Murray | Item Link 42nd Street Returns to 42nd Street April 4 Cuccioli/Kritzer Funny Girl Starts Paper Mill Previews April 4 Preparing for the Revivals by Ken Mandelbaum Lovitz Replacing Winkler in Neil Simon's Dinner Party Could We Start Again, Please? 'Six Goumbas and a Wannabe': Still Brooklyn Wiseguys After All These Years Two Foundations Devote $16 Million to Arts Training posted at 4/4/2001 07:04:43 AM by Susan Heim | Item Link Tuesday, April 03, 2001 San Francisco Chronicle: Big on Broadway Famed composer Jerry Herman spreads show-tune gospel. There's a whole lotta internet speculation as to the identity of the current Broadway composer that Herman "doesn't want to name" in the interview. I don't care who it is; I just wish there were more new Jerry Herman musicals in my future. posted at 4/3/2001 01:42:43 PM by Bill Jennings | Item Link Proof, Jitney, Man Lead in 2001 Lucille Lortel Award Nominations Sutton Foster's Thoroughly Modern Millie Aims for B'way Debut Oct. 16 Scott Ellis, Michael Greif, Joe Mantello, Arthur Miller Return to Williamstown this Summer Broadway Grosses: Ringing Revivals YANKEES 7, ROYALS 3 High Strikes and High Drama as Clemens and Yanks Cruise posted at 4/3/2001 11:17:17 AM by Susan Heim | Item Link Today's birthdays include Marlon Brando, Doris Day, Marsha Mason, David Hyde Pierce, and Sebastian Bach. Going to bat for Bat Boy by Peter Filichia. Sondheim pulls plug on Side by Side in Miami. 'No Niggers, No Jews, No Dogs': A Family Wrestling Racism's Demons by Bruce Weber. posted at 4/3/2001 07:41:54 AM by Matthew Murray | Item Link Monday, April 02, 2001 Deconstructing The Invention of Love by Peter Filichia. Laughing out of My Skull, at Connemara by Peter Filichia. Two more wonderful articles by Peter Filichia. In addition to writing great articles and reviews, he is also extremely helpful and gracious to... well, just about everyone. The theatre community is extremely lucky to have him. posted at 4/2/2001 11:19:37 PM by Matthew Murray | Item Link Variety (via Yahoo): "Survivor'' Jerri resurfaces in ``Macbeth'' Just days before the eagerly awaited ``Survivor'' episode that found her banished from the Outback, "aspiring actress'' Jerri Manthey hit the boards in Beverly Hills in a new comedy by John Menkes. Jerri does not play the title character, thankfully. posted at 4/2/2001 11:12:56 PM by Bill Jennings | Item Link Thanks to Catherine for helping out and keeping everyone calm. Nothing tragic happened, I just have no access to the internet. (Okay, maybe it is a little tragic...) The whole Northpoint-AT&T thing has me between a rock and a hard place. Of course I recently got rid of my dialup backup, and my land-line as well, but I am told that I will be back and connected on Wednesday. Verizon wouldn't lie to me, would they? There will not be an update by me tomorrow. Anyone willing to do an update is welcome to! Thanks everyone. posted at 4/2/2001 10:48:53 PM by James Marino | Item Link On this day in 1917, President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war against Germany, saying, "The world must be made safe for democracy." Wilson is the only President to hail from the great state of NJ. Dame Maggie Smith to return to Broadway in 2002. How were the reviews? Stones in His Pockets. Bebe Neuwirth reunites with Ann Reinking in Fosse, beginning tonight. Millie comes to Broadway, October 16th. Just because James is off galavanting around the city today, doesn't mean we can't have an updated site! To my dismay, the CNN article stating that the producers of ER were going to combat the writer's strike by hiring fans of the show to write episodes was a big ol' April Fool's joke. Now if only the Weissler's would admit that their Seussical casting was also a joke, things would be well. At yesterday's curtain call, Michele Pawk, Janine LaManna and Kevin Chamberlain joined the rest of the cast for the big "Green Eggs and Ham" finale (in which they don't usually appear), dancing with cans of Spam. One of the best shows I've seen recently was Bat Boy - and the news from their official site is that the cast will be recording a CD on April 9th, to be released in June. Now you can "hold your Bat Boy" in the privacy of your own home! posted at 4/2/2001 05:45:15 PM by Catherine Skidmore | Item Link There will be no update today. Probably. posted at 4/2/2001 07:04:22 AM by James Marino | Item Link Sunday, April 01, 2001 April Fools is over. You can all stop sending me blind items now. No, Fran and Barry are not talking with Michael Jackson... posted at 4/1/2001 11:11:17 PM by James Marino | Item Link Go to Broadway.com's front page and read today's headlines. Mighty interesting how some of them may come true... :-) On this day in 1987, In his first major speech on the epidemic, President Reagan told doctors in Philadelphia, ''We've declared AIDS public health enemy No. 1.'' That was only seven years too late into his administration. Today's birthdays include: Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds, Ali MacGraw, Edmond Rostand, Sergey Rachmaninoff and Lon Chaney. The Sound of New Music Is Often Chinese A generation of Chinese-born composers have established a major and diversified presence on the American musical scene. With a Life of Its Own, 'Stones in His Pockets' Endures Aquila Theater Company: Troupers on a Never-Ending Tour Nurturing English Theater in America Writing for a Business Where No One Reads [movies] 'That's My Bush': A Raucous Leap Into a New Era "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have made a live-action satire, "That's My Bush!" [tv] Iranian Censors Approved Filmmaker's 10th Script, After Rejecting 9 The 10th one is still under review by Mayor Giuliani... A Message From Aldo Rossi, a Poet of Public and Private Memory [architecture] You may wonder why I put this here. The building in this article will contain a 499 seat state of the art theatre in SoHo... if the building ever gets completed. The theatre is not planned to be available to the public. It is being built for corporate functions. The New York Observer: Been There, Dumped Her� Bond-ish but Boorish by Rex Reed Unrelated to the article, there are reports that PsychoExGirlfriend.com is an elaborate marketing hoax. (Although #46 was frighteningly similar to a call I received!) Photo Op: FUNNY GIRL Sneak Peek Luck of the Irish: Jones' Stones Opens on Broadway April 1 Urinetown! The Musical, with Cullum, Begins OOB, April 1 Olivier-winning Stones in His Pockets Opens on Broadway April 1 Globe and Mail: 'Resurrection? That's your word. I just see it as a continuation of a career' For Garth Drabinsky to admit that he's on a comeback would be to concede that he ever went away. But back he is - with a new theatrical show and, Sarah Hampson writes, with his fighting spirit intact Bizarre Blind Email Received #1:
Bizarre Blind Email Received #2:
Randomness: Catherine tells me that yesterday's item about the eBay / Cabaret video is not a bootleg but a professional shoot that was in limited release. If it was a commercial product released by Donmar, then of course it is fair game for eBay... Kimmel and Levy in town for Monday night's Elegies. Bruce Kimmel and David Levy (the boys from Fynsworth Alley) are in town for Monday night's Elegies. Kimmel was spotted with recording star Guy Haines at The Producers on Saturday night... CHICAGO: The Movie Musical is said to be scouting locations in Toronto to film... will Rupert Everett end up in it? Marty Richards will be producing this project, finally. Serb Authorites Arrest Milosevic to End Standoff You know, I don't often mention political items here, but when I saw the standoff with Slobodan Milosevic, the former Yugoslav president, and him saying that he would never be arrested alive, all I could think was,"Well, we couldn't have asked for anything more. Kill the bastard." Brain Candy: Dying words of famous people. posted at 4/1/2001 02:20:19 PM by James Marino | Item Link BroadwayStars is powered by Blogger Pro! [Past News] |
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