Saturday, November 17, 2001 On this day in 1907 Lee Strasberg, the director who pioneered the technique of "method acting", was born. Today's birthdays include: Martin Scorsese, Lauren Hutton, Danny DeVito, Lorne Michaels, Stephen Root, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Isaac Hanson (Hanson). And both Daisy Fuentes and RuPaul. (Perhaps they are really the same person??) Christine Ebersole: Effervescing From Song to Song For Marc and Christine Newsday has an interview with Anna Paquin making her stage debut in The Glory of Living. Patrick Stewart Returns to Broadway with One-Man A Christmas Carol Candy Does Dandy in NJ; Extra Final Show Added, Nov. 18 Petrified Forest Extends at NYC's Pantheon Until Dec. 16 Tommy's Kandel and Titanic's Moran Join Curry's Scrooge in MSG Carol, Nov. 23-Dec. 29 From Javert to Jud: Hensley Leaves Les Miz Nov. 17 Prior to Oklahoma! The Last Five Years Heads Off-Broadway After All Metamorphoses Eyes Broadway Transfer Doug Hara of Metamorphoses And if you are in New York and up early enough, you can partipate in the Race to Deliver. Enjoy the beautiful weather and raise money for God's Love We Deliver. posted at 11/17/2001 07:41:05 AM by the other James | Item Link Friday, November 16, 2001 New producing team signs on for 'Years' Bell, Tepper join Brown's new musical 11/15/01 4:49pm "The Last Five Years" has acquired a new producing team, Marty Bell and Arielle Tepper. Jason Robert Brown's new musical about a troubled marriage had been on Lincoln Center Theater's winter 2002 sked but got pulled last month, replaced by "The Carpetbagger's Children." This is excellent news. I mentioned back in June that Marty had an interest in this show. On Stage and Off: For 'Angels,' a Juggling Act THEATER REVIEW | 'GLORY OF LIVING' In Her World, Normalcy Includes the Grotesque By BEN BRANTLEY Anna Paquin brings quiet centeredness to her stage debut as a disaffected girl who goes directly from middle school to marriage and murder. WHAT?! No Riedel? So Young, So Bad — So What? From the moment you clap eyes on Lisa, the nubile, trailer-park teen in "The Glory of Living," you just know she's headed down the wrong dirt road in life. One Mo' Time to Reach Broadway's Longacre March 6 Metamorphoses May Make Splash on Broadway Dillane Returns in Life After George, Feb. 19, 2002 Chris Smith Appointed to the Board at the National Ho, Ho, Ho!: Campy Christmas With the Crawfords Returns OB Nov. 16-Jan. 5 PHOTO CALL: Daddy's Girl: d'Amboise Makes Contact With d'Amboise Artios Awards to Be Given as Part of Casting Society Benefit in NYC, Nov. 27 Good Grief! A Charlie Brown Commercial Christmas Plays L.A. Nov. 16-Dec. 30 Michael Phillips Named Theatre Critic of Chicago Tribune; Chris Jones Also Hired Patrick Stewart to Bring Christmas Carol Back to Bway, Dec. 24-30 Broadway on Broadway: Four Shows March at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Nov. 22 Falco and Tucci are Frankie and Johnny if Belasco Revival Happens This Spring Genista McIntosh to Leave National Albert Hague, 'Grinch' and Redhead Composer, Is Dead Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver Star in The Guys at OB's Bat in December PHOTO CALL: The Sweet Smell of Bacon at The Women PHOTO CALL: They Better Serve Pepsi: Elliott Directs Littlest of The Women PHOTO CALL: Tilly and Coolidge Get Silly at Women Opening PHOTO CALL: Golden Girl, Welcome to The Women BAM, Hit by State and City Funding Cuts, Cancels South African Production Peter Filichia's Diary: Why shouldn’t famous performers and characters make guest appearances in other shows? Follow Spot: As the City Center Encores! series prepares for a gala Broadway Bash, artistic director Jack Viertel talks about the inclusion of The Pajama Game in next year’s slate of productions. TheaterMania Review: Everett Beekin I am not sure what I am more excited about, Harry Potter opening on the screens today or Jason Robert Brown's Last Five Years coming to New York with a producing team that is not mired in controversy and conflict of interest as Lincoln Center is right now. I have seen both (Harry Potter and Last Five Years), and they are the inspiration that keep us all working towards a lifetime in the arts. posted at 11/16/2001 08:51:05 AM by James Marino | Item Link Thursday, November 15, 2001 Public Theater Cuts Staff to Offset Losses in Funds by ROBIN POGREBIN The Joseph Papp Public Theater has laid off about 20 percent of its staff to balance its budget, citing a downturn in the economy, cuts in city funds and an expected drop in donations. The action follows the resignation of the theater's two largest donors and the departure of its executive director, Fran Reiter, the former deputy mayor of New York who was brought in for her administrative skills less than a year ago. THEATER REVIEW | 'EVERETT BEEKIN' To Survive, Ma, Never Look Back By BEN BRANTLEY Richard Greenberg's tantalizing new play tells a tale of two families who shed their pasts as instinctively as snakes molt their skins. Post-attack B'way has a local flavor Numbers show int'l auds down, Gotham attendance up 11/14/01 6:38pm Locals have come to the rescue of the post-Sept.11 Broadway scene. At a Wednesday press conference, the League of American Theaters and Producers released its new study on the effects of the World Trade Center attack on Broadway theater. New blood on B'way Vampire tuners stake claims for fall bows A Cliched Tale of Two Coasts The Jewish family in "Everett Beekin" sure does travel a long way just to make the obvious point that assimilation, unlike Ma's chicken soup, isn't always good for the soul. CONFUSED FAMILY AFFAIR by DONALD LYONS A play about family and memory is a rich tradition in American theater. But Richard Greenberg's "Everett Beekin" is so confused it never makes up its mind. Ben Vereen Musical in the Works Kirsten Childs, author of The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin, and Shakespeare's R&J director/adaptor Joe Calarco are collaborating with [Read More] The Full Monty Hits the Road Again The recently canceled tour of The Full Monty [Read More] Wildhorn's Dracula Delayed Until Fall Despite previous reports that the producers of Dracula, The Musical had booked the Broadway Theatre for a s... [Read More] Russell, Krieger and Hatcher Tweak Ducky With New Director in IL Dec. 5-Jan. 6 Richard Maxwell Drums Up Business at P.S. 122, Nov. 15-Dec. 23 Speaking in Tongues Opens Off-Broadway, Nov. 15 Paquin Debuts in Hoffman-Helmed NYC Premiere of Gilman's Glory at MCC, Nov. 15-Dec. 1 OB's New Group Opens Season w/ Goldberg's Good Thing Directed by Bonney Dec. 4-Jan. 13 Off-Bway-Bound Summer of `42 Spends Autumn in CT, Nov. 15-28 Zipper Opens, and Charles L. Mee Finds True Love, Nov. 15 Off-Bway Burning Coal Theatre Company Premieres Williams' 'Brass Birds,' Nov. 15 Bway's League Surveys Post-Attack Conditions, Steps Up Marketing New Producers Go The Full Monty in Scaled Down 2002 Tour Urbaniak Is [sic] at Soho Rep, Beginning Nov. 14 Busy Bea: Arthur Solo Tour Likely to Reach Bway's Booth in Winter 2002 Christine Baranski Joins Cast of Movie Chicago PHOTO CALL: 45 Seconds From an Opening Night Bow PHOTO CALL: From the Polish Tea Room: Frances and Harry Edelstein PHOTO CALL: The Man Who Came to Dinner 45 Seconds From Broadway PHOTO CALL: At the Polish Tea Room: The Ladies Who Lunch Governor's Arts Awards to Feature Honors, Stars at the Met, Nov. 19 Flying under the radar: The Broadway Tenors. Keep your eyes on them. A Temp's Life - I'm Not Really Here Fun reading. I think I used to work there. Thanks to Ginger for the link. posted at 11/15/2001 10:53:50 AM by James Marino | Item Link Wednesday, November 14, 2001 Guess Who I Saw Today? by Peter Filichia posted at 11/14/2001 02:00:38 PM by Matthew Murray | Item Link Theater Review | 'Songs of Paradise': An Update of Genesis, Leaning Toward Yiddish On Stage, a Day in the Life of an Idiosyncratic Physicist Havana Is Waiting to Close at the Cherry Lane Eduardo Machado’s Havana Is Waiting will end its run at the Cherry Lane Theatre on Sunday, November 25,...[Read More] Broadway Grosses: Filled to the Rafters Mamma Mia! what a hit! The musical, which opened on Broadway on October 18, was at 101.44% capacity last week. That figure is higher than The Producers and The Lion King, which ha...[Read More] Cast Set for Ensler's Necessary Targets Shirley Knight, Diane Venora and Rosemary Murphy are set to star in the world premiere of Necessary Targets by Eve Ensler (The...[Read More] CSC Holds Benefit for Ladder Company #3 Bill Irwin, John Turturro, Roger Rees, Kathleen Chalfant, Gloria Deluxe and Humble-Foster are scheduled to appear in Classic Stage Company’s benefit for Ladder Company #3. The performance will take pl...[Read More] 'Monty' strips down to go back on road Prod'n hopes to hit all major markets beginning April or May 11/13/01 10:00pm 'PHANTOM' OF THE BOOTH? By MICHAEL RIEDEL NEVER mind the weak economy, the fear of another terrorist attack and the plunging tourist trade. What really has Broadway producers quaking is the prospect of "The Phantom of the Opera" moving to the half-price ticket booth in Times Square this spring. In Wake of City Funding Cuts, Public Theater Trims Staff by 15 Percent Broadway Grosses: November 5-11 McAnuff-Wildhorn Dracula Will Fly on Broadway in Fall 2002 Bebe Meets Beekin; Greenberg's Latest Opens at LCT, Nov. 14 Knight, Venora and Murphy Are Ensler's Targets in Hartford, Nov. 23-Dec. 23 No Cigar: Machado's Havana to Close at OB's Cherry Lane, Nov. 25 Chalfant, Irwin, Rees Join Benefit for NYC Fire Station, Dec. 3 Spalding Gray Goes Back to Swimming to Cambodia, Nov. 14-Dec. 12 OOB Carmel Quinn Offers That and a Cup of Tea at Irish Rep Nov. 14-Dec. 9 Langston Hughes' Little Ham Gets the Musical Treatment at Amas, Nov. 14-Dec. 9 Lane Embarks on Second Modified Week at Bway's Producers Craig Bierko Rejoins Thou Shalt Not on Broadway, Nov. 13 Random notes: The Public having to cut 15% of staff? That probably has nothing to do with On The Town or The Wild Party... Rocky's grosses are inline with my projections. Will it close before Christmas?... On Thursday, from 6 - Midnight, Decoy Marketing (AKA Forrest the producer of Production Notes) is having a kick off party to launch the new marketing company providing "grassroots" or "buzz" marketing. For more info contact Forrest at 646-345-2010... There is no truth to the rumor that I was at the Victoria's Secret taping in Bryant Park yesterday... Who knew you could do patriotic underwear? posted at 11/14/2001 09:29:10 AM by James Marino | Item Link Today's birthdays include Laura San Giacomo, D.B. Sweeney, and Patrick Warburton. 'Phantom' of the Booth? by Michael Riedel Never mind the weak economy, the fear of another terrorist attack and the plunging tourist trade. What really has Broadway producers quaking is the prospect of "The Phantom of the Opera" moving to the half-price ticket booth in Times Square this spring. posted at 11/14/2001 06:06:12 AM by Matthew Murray | Item Link Tuesday, November 13, 2001 Matinees With Nathan? by Michael Portantiere As of this writing, and barring an announcement to the contrary, Nathan Lane is scheduled to return to an eight-performance-a-week schedule in The Producers as of Tuesday, November 20. posted at 11/13/2001 06:06:32 PM by James Marino | Item Link B'way bounces back B.O. jumps after lackluster previous week Broadway rebounded nicely from the previous week's B.O. debacle, the direct result of an unusual triple whammy: Halloween, the World Series and the end of daylight savings time. The overall tally last week rose $1,470,503 -- up 13.68% from the week of Oct. 29-Nov. 4 -- for a grand total of $12,213,243. Group celebrating Strasberg's 100th Homage to complement 'Godfather' screening CSC Holds Benefit for Ladder Company #3 Bill Irwin, John Turturro, Roger Rees, Kathleen Chalfant, Gloria Deluxe and Humble-Foster are scheduled to appear in Classic Stage Company’s benefit for Ladder Company #3. The performance will take pl...[Read More] Eddie Izzard Takes On Joe Egg in the West End Comedian Eddie Izzard is set to take over the lead in Peter Nichols' A Day In The Death Of Joe Egg when the play transfers to the West End’s Comedy Theatre in December. The show is currently ru...[Read More] Dates Set for Boy George Musical in London Dates are set for the world premiere run of the Boy George musical, Taboo. The production will begin performances at London’s The Venue on January 11 in preparation for a January 29 opening. For the Grownups: Grinchy Globe Gives Adults SantaLand Diaries Dec. 14-31 Off-Broadway's Melting Pot Revives Tintypes Nov. 13-Dec. 30 Dodger Theatricals Withdraws from League of American Theaters and Producers With respect to the Dodger story, I received the following email: Re: The Dodgers or any other producer negotiating more favorable terms than the League Most, if not all, the contracts contain a Most Favored Nations (MFN) clause. If a union gives the Dodgers, or any other producer, more favorable terms than are in the League contract, then the union must also give the same terms to the League. For this reason, the unions are not likely to give the Dodgers better terms. Disney ran into this problem when they negotiated their contract. That is a good point that the writer brings up. I wonder if Favored Nations would hold up against projects out of scope, with either the unions or producers claiming that they are substantially different than their counterpart. Take for instance the 501-C-3 organizations: do Lincoln Center and Roundabout not produce "Broadway shows" in "Broadway venues" yet operate under a different contract? (LORT rather than Production). So under the logic proposed by the writer, every Broadway show should be afforded Favored Nations with respect to the contract that that Thou Shalt Not is afforded -- which we know is not the case. Former Dreamgirl Sheryl Lee Ralph Is Muzzy in Millie Flower Drum Song Eyes Broadway Linda Eder Returns to Bway for Holiday-Week Concert, Dec. 26-30 at Gershwin Musical Lizzie Borden is a Bloody Hit at CT's Norma Terris, to Nov. 25 Standard-Times: Bringing Lizzie to the Musical Stage New Musical Heading East Heads East to NYC, Nov. 19-20 posted at 11/13/2001 09:27:24 AM by James Marino | Item Link Today's birthdays include Whoopi Goldberg, Garry Marshall, Joe Mantegna, Tracy Scoggins, Jimmy Kimmel, Steve Zahn, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Edwin Booth. On Stage, a Day in the Life of an Idiosyncratic Physicist by Dennis Overbye Richard Feynman, a physicist at the California Institute of Technology, was the scientist as he might have been imagined by Jack Kerouac. Jones and Schmidt's Musical Tent Show, Roadside, Gets NYC Premiere Nov. 13-Dec. 23 This Stuff Is Intense!: Gottfried Joins Rocky Horror Narrators Nov. 13-18 posted at 11/13/2001 06:14:27 AM by Matthew Murray | Item Link Monday, November 12, 2001 Enough with the things falling from the sky - we're having a tough enough time of it out here. posted at 11/12/2001 11:35:15 AM by Catherine Skidmore | Item Link Open a New Window—And Then Try Closing It by Peter Filichia posted at 11/12/2001 11:10:44 AM by Matthew Murray | Item Link Now that Variety is talking about the Dodgers defection from The League, it is time to talk about the "what if". What is going to happen if the Dodgers negotiate a more favorable contract with the unions than The League? Will that mean that other producers will leave The League? Having a central point of negotiation is not only good for the producers, but good for the other unions involved also. If there are different production contracts depending upon the producing entity, it makes for a deconstruction of standards and the loss of economies of scale. And what happens in the event that Dodgers partner with other producers who are League members (as so often happens)? What about when Dodgers bring shows on the road to a venue that is a member of The League, what takes prescidence? (I know it happens now, but Disney and SFX sat back at negotiations and their contract is in essence the same as The League's contract.) It seems with Dodger's statement that "The League doesn't represent their (Dodgers) own business interests at this time," that they would like to go it on their own and negotiate. Or perhaps Dodgers will do the same as Disney and SFX and just sit back from the table and save their membership fee. If that is the case, then The League has a problem and needs to prove their value-add to Broadway producers. Hollywood Discusses Role in War Effort by RICK LYMAN New Musical Heading East Heads East to NYC, Nov. 19-20 Bruckner's Criminals to Steal into NYC Performance Space, Nov. 29-Dec. 15 Ives, Artistwork Start Off NYC's Portugal Productions w/ Wordz, Nov. 28-Dec. 2 Felix Pire Wins AZ Theatre's Latino Playwriting Award; 2002 Entries Due Dec. 28 Albright and Tandy Got a Right to Sing Good Time Blues, Opening Nov. 12 in NYC Carmel Quinn Offers That and a Cup of Tea at Irish Rep Nov. 14-Dec. 9 Forster and Shakespeare Get Musicalized at NYC's Century Center Nov. 12 and Dec. 3 Charles Nelson's Casts and Forecasts Patti LuPone prepares to step into Alma Schindler’s Austrian shoes, while TACT dares to air a Priestley play other than An Inspector Calls. Follow Spot As she moves back to NYC for good, Polly Bergen steps into The Vagina Monologues. Interview with Neil Berg by Pati Buehler Neil is very talented person in many areas. He has a good grasp of the pop musical and should be considered one of the writers who will shape Broadway's future. posted at 11/12/2001 08:55:53 AM by James Marino | Item Link Dodgers close curtain on league affiliation Trade org's handling of post-Sept. 11 labor concessions most likely the cause Dodger Theatricals Quits League of Producers What will this mean for Broadway? Stay tuned... Did 45 Seconds Hit the Spot for Critics? Theater Review | '45 Seconds From Broadway': Broken Lives and Healing at the Coffee Shop by Ben Brantley Every tough wisecrack in Neil Simon's sincere but paper-thin valentine to New York has a heart as soft as melting butter. Not a Very Tasty Neil by Clive Barnes There have been plenty of perfectly good plays about nothing in particular. Unhappily Neil Simon's "45 Seconds From Broadway," which opened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre last night, is not one of them. Simon Serves Borscht Warm — and Funny by Howard Kissel The simplest way to regard Neil Simon's endearingly funny "45 Seconds From Broadway" is as a work of archeology. 45 Seconds From Broadway review by Adam Feldman Today's birthdays include Kim Hunter, Wallace Shawn, Megan Mullally, and Grace Kelly. Letters: Mamma! and Max by Ken Mandelbaum posted at 11/12/2001 06:37:47 AM by Matthew Murray | Item Link Sunday, November 11, 2001 In honor of Neil Simon's 45 Seconds opening tonight, there is a story in Newsday about the Edison Cafe and another about the set design. Newsday also has a story about George Hamilton who will be appearing soon in CHICAGO. Don't miss Hamilton's interview on NY1 OnStage where he begs for more rehearsal time. posted at 11/11/2001 10:54:49 AM by the other James | Item Link 'The Ballad of Mary O'Connor' by Greg Kotis and Mark Hollman, Creators of 'Urinetown' London Theater and the Cloud of War by BENEDICT NIGHTINGALE Several plays now showing in London's West End are helping to prove that Britain's theaterland won't be terrorized out of business Retaking the Measure of American Song Peter Filichia's Diary Phone calls from Heather Mac Rae, David Lansbury, and other colorful figures interrupt Filichia’s reading. Peter was reading the highly recommended Open a New Window: The Broadway Musical in the 1960s by Ethan Mordden Philadelphia Daily News: 'Philly Sound' on stage Did you hear about the judge and Mrs. Jones? They've got a thing going on. They both know that it's wrong, but it's much too strong to let it go now. Philadelphia Daily News: It's a nice time for Nita This "Mrs. Jones" has another thing going on. Nita Whitaker, the singer/actress who plays the Mrs. in question in "Me and Mrs. Jones," this week released a new album, "One Voice" (LML Music), an uplifting collection that serves as a pleasant and powerful introduction for listeners unfamiliar with her NY Theatre Workshop Opens Another Ode to O'Connor, Finally Flannery, Nov. 11-18 Xanadu Live! Ends Benefit World Premiere Run Nov. 11 San Francisco's ACT Commissions New Musical of Asian Experience, Chinese Hell Culture Clash Brings Bordertown to L.A's Theatre Works Radio Series Nov. 28-Dec. 2 Clock Ticks Down to Opening of Simon's 45 Seconds at Rodgers, Nov. 11 Sold-Out Baby Case Closes Oct. 11 at Philly's Arden OOB's Abingdon Company Stops Milking The Mooncalf, Nov. 11 Eric Grode's STAGE TO SCREEN: Mamma Johnson and her Shang-A Lang Thang Bway Composers Show Off Their 'Other Side,' Nov. 4, 11 and 18 For more information, see www.theothersideofbroadway.net. posted at 11/11/2001 08:37:17 AM by James Marino | Item Link Today's birthdays include Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Jonathan Winters, Stanley Tucci, Demi Moore, Calista Flockhart, and Leonardo DiCaprio. Chicken Soup for the Soul Inspires a Play by Neil Simon Clock Ticks Down to Opening of Simon's 45 Seconds at Rodgers, Nov. 11 Designing 'Women' by Claire Siegel There are lots of great fashions in the current revival of Claire Boothe Luce's "The Women." But the show-stopping moment has nothing to do with clothing: A naked Jennifer Tilly steps up out of a bubble bath on stage at the American Airlines Theater and brings down the house. One-Man Wonders by Clive Barnes Let me face it: I hate one-man, one-woman or even one-dog shows - especially when they have the nerve to call them "plays." posted at 11/11/2001 06:53:38 AM by Matthew Murray | Item Link BroadwayStars is powered by Blogger Pro! [Past News]
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