Saturday, April 05, 2003

Features:

[ LAT ]  A real drama queen by Charles McNulty
For Elaine Stritch, the passion of a life in theater is worth its pain. As for playing herself -- well, she's a natural.

[ R ]  Veteran Actor Tackles Capt. Shotover Role by Simi Horwitz
NEW YORK (Backstage) - Actor George Morfogen cites a well-known bit of theater lore as a way to suggest how he handles a daunting task -- hitting the right comic note -- in playing the eccentric Shavian spokesman, Captain Shotover, in George Bernard Shaw's "Heartbreak House."

News:

[ LAT ]  Pasadena Playhouse trims staff and show by Don Shirley
Financial shortfall leads to layoffs, pay cuts and the replacement of "House of Flowers" with a less costly revue.

[ P ]  Today In Theatre History: APRIL 5

[ P ]  Recording Thoroughly Modern Millie Examined at Free April 5 Event

[ P ]  Vote for Your President: Revelation Theatre Company Offers Theatregoers New Election

[ P ]  La Bohème Tour Will Begin in Summer 2004
posted at 4/5/2003 06:30:21 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Friday, April 04, 2003

News:

[ B ]  Life (x) 3 Extends (+) 1 Week

[ P ]  Paul Giamatti and Eddie Izzard Join Cast of Trumbo; Dreyfuss Stars April 7

[ BS ]  Study Shows Smoke and Fog Harm Actors

[ P ]  PHOTO CALL: A Day in the Death of Joe Egg: Opening Night

Reviews:

[ CU ]  Life (x) 3

[ CU ]  The Island

[ CU ]  A Day in the Death of Joe Egg
posted at 4/4/2003 05:53:15 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Features:

[ B ]  Photo Op: Roundabout Revives Joe Egg (Again)

News:

[ B ]  Barbour, Garrison, Rasche Join MTC's Last Dance

[ B ]  Will Brit TV Star Holden Be London's Millie?
If you search on Google, you will find several British fan sites for her, and plenty of very appealing photos of her, too. Not all of them suitable for family viewing, but still... :-)

[ TM ]  Staged Reading of New Musical Up in the Air Scheduled

[ TM ]  Urban Stages to Honors Italian-American Theater Artists

[ P ]  PBOL'S THEATER WEEK IN REVIEW, March 29-April 4: Rough Ride

[ P ]  A Doll�s House Revival Finds Its Way to U.K. Fringe

[ P ]  Murphy, Greenspan, Chalfant Perform in "Voices of Peace and Dissent" Off-Broadway Starting April 7

[ P ]  Memorial Service for Levine Set for April 15
posted at 4/4/2003 03:27:52 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Reviews:

[ B ]  Did Joe Egg Go Over Easy With Critics?

[ B ]  CDs: The Age of Aquarius by Ken Mandelbaum
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (Decca Broadway)
HAIR (Bayview)
CALL IT LOVE (Bayview)

[ TB ]  The Crazy Locomotive Review by Matthew Murray

News:

[ P ]  Bach's Coda: Fired Jesus Christ Superstar Rocker Explains His Side to Fans

[ P ]  Tovah and Golda Extend at Off-Broadway MET Until May 11

[ P ]  DIVA TALK: Audra�s Passions, Divas Sing Yeston & Quotable Quotes

[ P ]  Toni Braxton Is Aida Beginning June 30

[ P ]  Broadway Stars Perform at Macy�s Herald Square April 4

[ P ]  Audra McDonald Sings New Guettel Work at Carnegie Hall in 2004

[ B ]  Liev Schreiber to Play Henry V at the Delacorte

[ B ]  Toni Braxton Confirmed to Star in Aida
posted at 4/4/2003 01:00:51 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

News:

[ NYP ]  'GYPSY' WOMAN by MICHAEL RIEDEL
THE creators of "Gypsy," arguably the best Broadway musical ever, are deeply unhappy with the new revival from hotshot director Sam Mendes and British producer Robert Fox, several production sources said this week.

[ NYT ]  ON STAGE AND OFF
A Cottage Small by JESSE MCKINLEY
The cast of the forthcoming revival of Eugene O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey Into Night" decamped to the playwright's cottage in New London, Conn.

[ V ]  PINTER TO ADAPT BIGSCREEN 'SLEUTH'
Hit play has already spawned 1972 film version
Castle Rock has acquired rights to turn the Anthony Shaffer play "Sleuth" into a screen vehicle for Jude Law.

[ NYT ]  Letters: Broadway Ticket Prices

[ * ]  Sebastian Bach� Official Site
Mr. Bach issues a statement about his departure from "Jesus Christ Superstar."
Thanks to patib on All That Chat for the link.

[ P ]  Today In Theatre History: APRIL 4

[ P ]  Talkin� To Twyla: �Theater Talk� Salutes Movin� Out April 4

[ P ]  "Tuesdays at 7" Continues for Many Broadway Shows; Will Restart in Fall

[ P ]  Burt Bacharach and Hal David Revue The Look of Love Begins on Broadway, April 4

[ P ]  The Guys Film with Stage Stars Weaver and LaPaglia Opens in Theaters, April 4

[ P ]  Liev Schreiber to Be Henry V in Central Park, June 24-Aug. 10

Features:

[ TM ]  Peter Filichia's Diary
Filichia gossips with Tovah Feldshuh, confers with fellow critics, and says 'Bravo!' to Jerry Herman.

[ NJ ]  A little knight music: Barrett to star as King Arthur as Paper Mill installs Round Table BY PETER FILICHIA
The King of Revivals will now play King Arthur.

"A Day in the Death of Joe Egg" - Reviews:

[ NYP ]  'JOE EGG' IS OVER UNEASY by CLIVE BARNES
CALLING "A Day in the Death of Joe Egg" a black comedy is not the half of it. Peter Nichols' ironic play about a marriage and its breakup, revived last night by the Roundabout Theater Company, is corrosively hilarious and bitterly sad - in just about equal measure.

[ NYT ]  THEATER REVIEW | 'A DAY IN THE DEATH OF JOE EGG'
Laughing Off the Hurt by BEN BRANTLEY
The deeply synchronized duo of Eddie Izzard and Victoria Hamilton scintillate in this wonderful examination of the private language of a marriage.

[ DN ]  35 years later, its cracks are showing by Howard Kissel
When Peter Nichols' "A Day in the Death of Joe Egg" first appeared on Broadway in 1968, it seemed fairly outrageous.

[ YN ]  Shattering 'Joe Egg' Returns to Broadway by MICHAEL KUCHWARA, AP Drama Critic
It's not that far from comedy to tragedy, a distance traveled with remarkable skill in a shattering production of British playwright Peter Nichols' "Joe Egg," which the Roundabout Theatre Company has now thoughtfully revived in New York for a second time in nearly two decades.

[ NJ ]  Still a good 'Egg' in poignant revival BY MICHAEL SOMMERS

[ USA ]  Sadness, humor go over easy in 'Joe Egg' by Elysa Gardner

[ ND ]  Laughing at Life's Cruel Joke by Linda Winer
The black comedy 'Joe Egg' serves up a rare, shining light

[ TB ]  A Day In the Death of Joe Egg Review by Matthew Murray

[ B ]  A Day in the Death of Joe Egg Review by Adam Feldman

[ TM ]  A Day in the Death of Joe Egg Reviewed By: David Finkle

Other Reviews:

[ NYT ]  CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK
Puccini's Bohemians, All Over Town by ANTHONY TOMMASINI
If you can go to only one of the three productions of "La Boh�me" in New York City this weekend, which should you choose?

[ ND ]  The Morality of Protest by Gordon Cox
Issues raised by apartheid-era play are still relevant

[ NYT ]  CABARET REVIEW | ALAN BERGMAN AND MICHEL LEGRAND
Telling Understatement Meets the Excitable Boy by STEPHEN HOLDEN
While neither songwriter has a polished voice, the collaborators at Feinstein's pack more heart into their interpretations than most performers half their age.

[ NYT ]  FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW | 'CAMP'
Through the Woods, en Route to Broadway by STEPHEN HOLDEN
At Camp Ovation, a summer musical theater workshop for young people in upstate New York, the reigning pop deity isn't Eminem but Stephen Sondheim.
posted at 4/4/2003 07:46:07 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Thursday, April 03, 2003

[ B ]  Price Makes Post-Opening Cowboy Changes

[ B ]  Brustein Honored by National Corporate Theatre Fund

[ B ]  Maya Days Lands Lead in No Strings at Encores!

[ TM ]  CUNY TV Celebrates "Women in Theatre" Starting April 4

[ P ]  Cafe Society Starts Serving in Chicago, April 3

[ P ]  PHOTO CALL: Nine: Photo Call from the Vatican

[ P ]  A Year With Frog and Toad Original Cast Recording Now Available

[ P ]  Stephen Sondheim's Passion Set for DVD/VHS Release, June 10

[ P ]  Steppenwolf Has Mahoney, Parks and New Letts Play in 2003-04

[ P ]  Parks Play Star Mos Def Hosts Third Season of HBO's "Def Poetry Jam," Premieres April 4
posted at 4/3/2003 06:45:51 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Features:

[ TM ]  Family Matters by: David Finkle
A talk with the stars and director of A Day in the Death of Joe Egg.

[ B ]  Fresh Face: Tim Acito by Paul Wontorek

News:

[ P ]  Rocker Sebastian Bach Terminated from Jesus Christ Superstar Tour

[ B ]  Sebastian Bach Fired from Superstar Tour

[ B ]  Calamity Jane to Hit West End Stage

[ P ]  Brixton�s Nicholas Wright Joins London�s Board of the National Theatre

[ P ]  Charles Nelson Reilly-Helmed Harvey Headed for Broadway

[ P ]  West End Contact Posts Closing Notice

[ P ]  Center Stage Season to Include Sondheim and Shaw Plus World Premiere By Danny Hoch

[ P ]  Frankie and Johnny Tour on Hold for Now

[ P ]  Jerry Herman Revue, Showtune, Will Close on April 13

[ P ]  �You Gotta Get a Gimmick�: Broadway Bares 13 Set for June 15

[ P ]  Sh-K-Boom Records to Record Legrand�s Amour

[ P ]  �All About Eve� Reading�with Flockhart & Channing�Brings in Big Bucks for Actors� Fund

[ P ]  tick, tick...BOOM! Goes Bust in Nashville and DC, But Spring Dates in Pitt, Chi and Beantown Bloom
posted at 4/3/2003 02:17:52 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

[ P ]  Passion-ate Casting: Audra McDonald to Join LuPone for Summer Sondheim
Three-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald will join the previously announced Patti LuPone for a concert version of Stephen Sondheim�s Passion this summer at Chicago�s annual Ravinia Festival.

[ P ]  Neil Simon's "The Goodbye Girl" to Be Remade as TV Film

[ B ]  PBS to Present Broadway Docu in Fall 2004
posted at 4/3/2003 11:00:29 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

News:

[ B ]  I'm Available by Ken Mandelbaum
As I recently reported, it appears that Vanessa Williams has become unavailable for Encores!' No Strings. Now being mentioned to star with James Naughton is Maya Days (Aida, Jesus Christ Superstar, Rent).

[ BH ]  Miscasting for $500, Alex
Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach has been given the boot by the producers of the "Jesus Christ Superstar" touring company and will not play Jesus in the April 15-20 engagement at Boston's Wang Theatre.

[ YN ]  Philip Yordan, Oscar-winning screenwriter, dies at 88

[ IBDB ]  Philip Yordan's Broadway Credits

[ B ]  Showtune Cut Short; Herman Revue Ends 4/13

[ ST ]  ACT Theatre attains half of cash goal by Misha Berson
Thanks to American Theater Web for the link.

[ NYP ]  PAGE SIX
THERE was panic on the set of "Hairspray" the other day when arriving cast members were greeted with a notice that Harvey Fierstein would be replaced in the key role of Erma Turnblad by his understudy, J.P. Dougherty - who was inundated with frantic questions.
Second item.

[ NYP ]  LIZ SMITH
The "All About Eve" benefit.

[ NYT ]  Letters: Opening Night: Bright Lights, Big Price

[ DN ]  Show & Lortel Off-Broadway by ROBERT DOMINGUEZ
A grim World War I drama, a revival of a 1970s Broadway comedy and an R-rated "Sesame Street" spoof topped the list of nominees for this year's Lucille Lortel Awards, given to the best in Off-Broadway theater.

[ NYP ]  'OPERA' CAST
THE "Phantom" still remains, well, a phantom, but producer Andrew Lloyd Webber and director Joel Schumacher have found a Raoul to star in "Phantom of the Opera," the screen adaptation of Lloyd Webber's musical.

[ ND ]  Broadway Rides Out A Wild, Wild Week by GORDON COX

[ P ]  Today In Theatre History: APRIL 3

[ P ]  The Genders Are Bent in She Stoops to Comedy, Greenspan's New Work in NYC, April 3-27

[ P ]  Liftin' Me Higher: Melba Moore Stars in Jackie Wilson Story at NYC's Apollo April 3; Opens April 6

[ P ]  Nichols' A Day in the Death of Joe Egg Opens Anew on Broadway, April 3

Reviews:

[ NYT ]  THEATER REVIEW | 'THE ISLAND'
The Spirit Triumphs in a South African Prison by BRUCE WEBER
Beneath its gripping polemics, Athol Fugard's extraordinary political-prison drama is the story of a unique friendship.

[ NJ ]  Music explosion BY PETER FILICHIA
Bold, brassy 'Blast' turns horns into weapons of mass excitement

Features:

[ HC ]  REDGRAVE SISTER ACT
Vanessa Soaks Up O'Neill's Spirit In Short Day's Journey by FRANK RIZZO

[ HC ]  REDGRAVE SISTER ACT
At 60, Passion For Work Keeps Lynn Fresh by MATTHEW ERIKSON

[ ND ]  Long After McCarthyism, a Victim's Son Sees Red by Linda Winer
When Christopher Trumbo began work on "Trumbo," we suspect he did not know how timely his father's story might become.

[ P ]  PLAYBILL ON-LINE'S BRIEF ENCOUNTER with Eddie Izzard
Eddie Izzard, the British comedian who made a splash in the U.S. with the double Emmy Award-winning HBO airing of his solo show Dress To Kill, is perched to become known for his crossover into dramatic acting, moreso than his cross-dressing.

[ HC ]  Movin' On, Movin' Up, Movin' Out - Always On The Move: Twyla Tharp by FRANK RIZZO

[ DN ]  He finds drama in 'Camp' movie BY REBECCA LOUIE
Some credits you might not find on Todd Graff's resume include "truant," "car thief" and "expelled high school and college student."

[ NYT ]  Japanese Hail 'The Mikado,' Long-Banned Imperial Spoof by JAMES BROOKE
A Gilbert and Sullivan spoof of all things imperial is being staged for the first time for a mainstream audience.

[ ST ]  Witty writer Mamet ponders power of language by Misha Berson
Thanks to American Theater Web for the link.
posted at 4/3/2003 09:41:02 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

News:

[ Z ]  ABC Finds 'Men' and 'Guys'
Sam Robards will join Wendy Malick in the comedy pilot "My Life With Men."

[ P ]  Pulitzer Prize in Drama to Be Awarded on April 7

[ P ]  The Look of Love Songlist Includes Over 30 Bacharach-David Tunes

[ P ]  From Cabaret to Chicago: Deborah Gibson to Play Velma Kelly

Features:

[ P ]  PHOTO CALL: Mack and Mabel: Benefit for the GMHC

[ BS ]  Recommended Read
Stacy Keach discusses his favorite books and his specific affinity for Olivier.

[ BS ]  The Write Stuff
Scribble or sense? Writing convincingly onstage or in film involves many choices.
posted at 4/3/2003 08:31:37 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Wednesday, April 02, 2003

[ B ]  CDs: Dolores, Plus Six Spider Women by Ken Mandelbaum
Dance of the Vampires may have gone unrecorded, but on Monday, Sh-K-Boom Records will make the Broadway cast recording of Michel Legrand's Amour.
And there was much rejoicing.

[ B ]  Tiffany in Talks to Play Sally Bowles on B'way

[ B ]  Patrick Wilson Set for Raoul in Phantom Film

[ B ]  2003 Lortel Noms Honor Best of Off-B'way

[ P ]  Collateral Damage Continues at London�s National

[ P ]  Tony-Winning The Life Star Brings New Act to NYC�s Don�t Tell Mama

[ P ]  Patrick Wilson Will Co-Star in Film of Lloyd Webber�s Phantom

[ P ]  Hairspray to Have Canadian Premiere in Toronto in May 2004

[ P ]  PHOTO CALL: Bubbling Brown Sugar: Blast From the Past

[ P ]  Mancha to Play Actors' Fund Performance, April 6

[ P ]  Julia Murney & Daphne Rubin-Vega Head to Joe�s Pub in April

[ P ]  Lucille Lortel Award Noms. Announced: Somme, Avenue Q and Fifth of July Lead Pack

[ P ]  Guettel to Debut Light in the Piazza Songs at April 4 Concert; Porter & O�Hara Sing
posted at 4/2/2003 01:46:04 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

[ * ]  Little By Little at the John Houseman Studio II Theatre
posted at 4/2/2003 01:34:07 PM by James Marino | Item Link

News:

[ NYP ]  NO MIRACLE FROM PENN by MICHAEL RIEDEL
'URBAN Cowboy" rides again, while even a miracle - or at least Arthur Penn - couldn't save "The Miracle Worker."

[ Z ]  Pilots: FOX Finds Its 'Boy'
In "Sweet Potato Queens," based on the series of books by Jill Conner Browne, Ronnie Claire Edwards ("The Waltons") will play star Delta Burke's mother. Burke Moses ("One Life to Live") and Faith Prince ("Now and Again") have also joined the cast.

[ NYP ]  PAGE SIX
SHERYL Lee Ralph is engaged.
Eighth item.

[ NYP ]  LIZ SMITH
"The Play What I Wrote" (third item).

[ TM ]  All About Eve Reading at the Ahmanson in L.A. Raises $300,000 for The Actors' Fund

[ ND ]  Crowds Aren�t Back on Broadway by Tania Padgett; Bloomberg News

[ P ]  Today In Theatre History: APRIL 2

[ P ]  �Follow Me�: Camelot Begins Performances at Paper Mill April 2

[ P ]  A Year With Frog and Toad, a Musical for Families, Leaps to Bway's Cort April 2

[ NYT ]  Michael Jeter, Award-Winning Character Actor, Dies at 50
Michael Jeter was a Tony and Emmy Award-winning actor who played nebbishy characters with a Chaplinesque flair.

[ IBDB ]  Michael Jeter's Broadway Credits

Features:

[ TM ]  Peter Filichia's Diary
Filichia laments the early demise of The Miracle Worker and other shows that never made it to Broadway.

[ DN ]  For comic Izzard, 'Joe Egg' is no yolk BY REBECCA LOUIE

[ LAT ]  Shakers and angels by Irene Lacher
From unusual material, a playwright sought simplicity and larger truths.
Arlene Hutton.

Reviews:

[ INQ ]  5 who can put on a grown-up show by David Patrick Stearns
Audiences at Broadway musicals aren't used to being addressed as adults. When it happens, it's shocking to realize what you've been missing: a popular form of art that doesn't pretend the world is something other than it is, that doesn't leave you wondering, "Why can't I wash that man right out of my hair?"

[ NYT ]  In Performance
'Room 314,' 'Air Raid,' 'Love's Labour's Lost.'

[ NJ ]  Fully engaged: Bright one-man show features man of 1,000 -- actually, 40 -- voices BY PETER FILICHIA
posted at 4/2/2003 07:41:43 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Tuesday, April 01, 2003

News:

[ P ]  Bill Maher Broadway Show will Have Opening of May 5

[ P ]  Grammy Nominee Angie Stone to Join Broadway�s Chicago

[ B ]  Broadway Grosses: Honky-tonk Blues

[ P ]  Broadway Grosses: March 24-30

[ P ]  Mamas and Papas Musical Dream a Little Dream Begins Off-Broadway, April 2

[ P ]  Coming Out of the Pit, Music Directors Show Off Their Own Tunes, April 21 at Symphony Space

Features:

[ B ]  Quotable Quotes: Stars (x) 4 + Guests = Life

[ P ]  PHOTO CALL: Life x 3: Opening Night

[ TM ]  Photo File
Helen Hunt lives Life x 3, Donna McKechnie taps her troubles away in Mack & Mabel, and Kevin Kline climbs into a dress.

[ BS ]  When Showbiz Kids Grow Up: Staying the Course or Calling It Quits
Young working actors who decide to go on to careers as mature performers face an unpredictable journey. Back Stage talked to several to get a feel for what works -- and doesn't -- in that transition.
Includes quotes from Giancarlo Esposito.

Reviews:

[ VV ]  LOW-FLYING GENRES by Michael Feingold
America's Got War Worries, but Broadway's Too Busy Going Downhill to Notice
Life (X) 3; The Play What I Wrote; Urban Cowboy

[ VV ]  PLAYS WITH POSSESSIVE TITLES by Alexis Soloski
A Golda Meir Bio; Some Magical-Realist Orphans
Golda's Balcony; Saturn's Wake

[ VV ]  Sightlines
Jean-Paul Sartre's Men Without Shadows; Jenny Lyn Bader's None of the Above; Moli�re's Don Juan
posted at 4/1/2003 05:51:13 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

[ P ]  Kritzer Is Rizzo in Paper Mill Grease!; Principal Casting Announced

[ P ]  Finn's Elegies Sings Again at LCT, April 14-19

[ B ]  Finn's Elegies to Play Return Engagement at LCT

[ B ]  Twiggy Hits the Road in Mrs. Warren's Profession

[ P ]  Zindel's Masterwork Marigolds Resumes Performances at Jean Cocteau, April 4

[ P ]  Nine Stars Rivera and Banderas Visit "Radio Playbill" April 1-7

[ P ]  PHOTO CALL: A Day in the Death of Joe Egg: London Cowboy

[ P ]  West End�s Arsenic and Old Lace Extends Run

[ P ]  Lear to Last Longer at London�s Old Vic

[ P ]  Sail Away�with Elaine Stritch�to Arrive on CD in May

[ P ]  West End Story: An Anatomy of the Musical Theatre Documentary Screened in NYC April 7

[ P ]  Long Day�s Cast Journey to Eugene O'Neill's Childhood Home
posted at 4/1/2003 04:01:34 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Reviews:

[ B ]  I Promise You a Happy Ending by Ken Mandelbaum
Review: MACK & MABEL
It was a wonderful, wonderful evening.

[ B ]  New York Critics Take In Life (x) 3

Features:

[ B ]  Photo Op: Here's to Life (x) 3!

News:

[ B ]  Off-B'way's Adult Entertainment to Close April 13

[ P ]  Adult Entertainment Ends Off-Bway Run April 13

[ P ]  Public's As You Like It Likes Later Opening of April 14

[ P ]  Keira Naughton Gets Third Pen Pal in Off-Broadway's Roses, April 2-6

[ P ]  Sarah Brightman�s New Recording, �Harem,� Due in U.S. In June
posted at 4/1/2003 12:15:18 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

[ B ]  Headlines
Some interesting headlines for today... :-)

News:

[ P ]  Michael Jeter, Tony Award-Winner Who Lived Fully in Grand Hotel, Dead at 50

[ B ]  Tony Winner Michael Jeter Dead at 50

[ DN ]  War is sell for B'way producers by ROBERT DOMINGUEZ and PATRICIA O'HAIRE
The bombing of Baghdad has not shocked or awed Broadway theatergoers. Ticket sales were up more than 3% during the first week of the war as compared to the previous week.

[ NYP ]  PAGE SIX
KEVIN Kline wasn't very friendly after his guest stint the other night in "The Play What I Wrote."
Seventh item.

[ NYP ]  CINDY ADAMS
THE London import, "The Play What I Wrote," just opened and what it's about is God knows what. Slapstick, pratfalls, pie in the face. No theme, no message, no wrench at your gizzard. We're talking fall-down funny. Just what a war-torn, economically depressed, cigarette ravaged citizenry needs.

[ P ]  Joe Egg Star Eddie Izzard to Guest on "Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn," April 1

[ P ]  Today In Theatre History: APRIL 1

[ P ]  Schedule of Upcoming Broadway Openings

[ P ]  Meredith Vieira Will Sing, Dance and Act in Millie, One Show Only, April 2

[ P ]  Hats Off, Here It Comes: Eric Schaeffer Reimagines Follies in DC Area, April 1-June 1

[ P ]  Addressing Gay Stereotypes, Last Sunday in June Begins Off-Bway Run April 1

[ P ]  Rita Moreno Master Class, Zimmerman's Notebooks Top Next Berkeley Rep Season

[ P ]  Ricky Ian Gordon's My Life With Albertine Score Preserved on CD April 1

[ P ]  Powerful Agent George Lane Stays in NYC as CAA Sets up Gotham Office

[ P ]  New Theatre Program, "Women in Theatre," to Debut on CUNY TV April 4

[ P ]  Call Her Savage: Burnett Vehicle, Fade Out � Fade In, Finally on CD May 20

[ P ]  Mondo Drama�with Caroline Rhea in Theatre Debut�to Begin Perfs. May 9

[ TM ]  High Standards at Playwrights Horizons, April 7

[ TM ]  MTC's "Writers in Performance" Series Continues with Suki Kim and The Interpreter

[ TM ]  Wasserstein, Durang, and Landesman to Help National Corporate Theatre Fund Honor Robert Brustein

Features:

[ P ]  THE LEADING MEN: A �Phantom� phenom�McGillin, Tartaglia & Gurland

[ TM ]  The Men of Camelot by: Michael Portantiere
Brent Barrett, Matt Bogart, George S. Irving, and Barrett Foa star in the Paper Mill Playhouse production of a Lerner & Loewe classic.

[ LAT ]  The reigning Queen of film by PATRICK GOLDSTEIN
Who' s the hottest name in Hollywood? With two $100-million pictures and an Oscar nomination, Queen Latifah's the star everyone wants.

[ WP ]  Backstage: Woolly Mammoth's Big Names, Small Lives by Jane Horwitz
"He's quite a guy, this old Ben," said David Huddleston, who plays the 70-year-old Benjamin Franklin in the Ford's Theatre revival of the 1969 Tony-winning musical "1776."
Second item.

[ NY ]  Broadway Timeline
From Hair to Hairspray, our tour of 35 years of high points on the Great White Way.

[ P ]  PHOTO CALL:The Play What I Wrote: Opening Night

"Life (x) 3" - Reviews:

[ ND ]  This Couple Is Three of a Kind by Linda Winer
Hunt, Turturro excel in a work by phenom Yasmina Reza

[ DN ]  Variations on a theme by Howard Kissel
"Life" may seem more like an exercise than a full-fledged play, but there is something diverting about its marvelous surface polish.

[ NYT ]  THEATER REVIEW | 'LIFE X 3'
A Dinner Becomes a Disaster, in Triplicate by BEN BRANTLEY
Theatergoers are likely to leave Yasmina Reza's new play, starring Helen Hunt and John Turturro, feeling baffled.

[ NJ ]  A triple dose of surliness BY MICHAEL SOMMERS

[ USA ]  'Life' multiplies appeal in 3 ways by Elysa Gardner
Helen Hunt leads a strong cast in sprightly scenarios.

[ NYP ]  ROUGH 'LIFE' by CLIVE BARNES
THE balances of chance are amazing, making "if only" one of the most pregnant phrases in any language.
Those unpredictable eddies in fate and the human experience provide the flimsy base for the French playwright Yasmina Reza's "Life (x) 3," which opened last night at Circle in the Square.

[ TB ]  Life (x) 3 Review by Matthew Murray

[ B ]  Life (x) 3 Review by Adam Feldman

[ TM ]  Life x 3 Reviewed By: David Finkle

"The Play What I Wrote" - Reviews:

[ NJ ]  Writing a nice bit of nonsense BY MICHAEL SOMMERS
"Britzapoppin'!" -- that's the best way to describe "The Play What I Wrote," a screwy little British import that bowed yesterday at the Lyceum.

[ USA ]  The play they wrote is all in good fun by Elysa Gardner

[ ATW ]  The Play What I Wrote Brings Music-Hall Comedy to B'way

Other Reviews:

[ LAT ]  Skimming the surface by Don Shirley
The comedy is light and the romance is thin in Stephen Metcalfe's new play, 'Loves & Hours,' on a familiar subject at the Old Globe.
Director Jack O'Brien is giving the play a shiny premiere, with plenty of expertly timed laughs.

[ NJ ]  Home journals BY PETER FILICHIA
Truth creates friction in fantastic 'Fiction'

[ NJ ]  True drama: Holocaust tale caps George Street season BY PETER FILICHIA
The last shall indeed be first.
"The Last Bridge" -- the last show of the George Street Playhouse season -- is first-rate theater.

[ NYT ]  Theater in Review
"Foley," the Irish Repertory Theater's current offering, follows a familiar formula for one-man shows. Also reviewed: "None of the Above" and "The Gallant John-Joe."

[ NYT ]  THEATER REVIEW | 'GOLDA'S BALCONY'
A 1977 Golda Meir Gets Into Shape by NEIL GENZLINGER
Tovah Feldshuh gives a fiercely committed performance as Golda Meir in the one-woman show now at the Manhattan Ensemble Theater.

[ BSUN ]  'Elizabeth' filled with complexities by J. Wynn Rousuck
Production ignores profound questions drama generates

[ DN ]  Witty puppets deliver on 'Q' by Robert Dominguez

[ TB ]  Calthropia Review by Matthew Murray

[ B ]  Hank Williams: Lost Highway Review by William Stevenson

[ ATW ]  CD Release of Redhead Most Welcome

[ ATW ]  Play Anthology Gives Shelf Life to New Plays
posted at 4/1/2003 08:41:46 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Monday, March 31, 2003

Reviews:

[ B ]  Did New York Critics Get The Play's Jokes?

Features:

[ B ]  Recorded Roses by Ken Mandelbaum
On a recent episode of "Will & Grace," Jack McFarland (Sean Hayes) made it clear that, for a young, male gay-in-training, all three cast recordings of Gypsy are required listening. The same probably applies to others, regardless of sex or sexual persuasion.

[ P ]  Music to Our Ears
Now in its tenth year, City Center Encores! continues its tradition of presenting the best of the musical theatre's glorious past.

[ B ]  Photo Op: In the Light of The New Moon

[ B ]  Photo Op: The Opening What They Celebrated

News:

[ P ]  New Play Anthology Given Free Reading in NYC, March 31

[ P ]  Sondheim Musical to Be Staged By London�s Royal Opera House

[ P ]  Underpants and Sugar Plum Fairy Sets Geffen Playhouse's New Season

[ P ]  Broadway Rush and Standing Room Only Policies

[ P ]  McKechnie Offers Concert and Master Class in Arizona in April

[ P ]  Noted Soprano Offers Tribute to Barbara Cook in California

[ P ]  Three-Time Tony Nominee to Offer Master Classes at Singers Forum

[ P ]  Urban Cowboy Stars Head to Chatterbox April 3
posted at 3/31/2003 12:23:09 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

News:

[ NYT ]  Two Shows Illustrate Broadway Volatility by JESSE McKINLEY
The suddenly shaky fortunes of "Urban Cowboy" and "The Miracle Worker" are just the latest indications of the unsettled economic state of Broadway.

[ ND ]  The Buck Won't Stop Here by Blake Green
In reversal, 'Urban Cowboy' will remain open

[ DN ]  Singing 'Cowboy' ain't dead by DAVID HINCKLEY and WAYMON WONG
Don't take the saddle off the mechanical bull just yet.

[ YN ]  'Urban Cowboy' to Continue on Broadway by MICHAEL KUCHWARA, AP Drama Writer
"It's probably a dumb decision from a financial standpoint � we're apt not to crawl from behind this eight ball," Mishkin said. "But it's just too good (a show) to let go."

[ P ]  Curtain Up! Light the Lights!: Gypsy Begins Previews March 31

[ P ]  Guirgis and Rebeck Featured in Latest 24-Hour Plays, March 31

[ P ]  Take Three: Reza's Spliced Life Opens on Broadway March 31

[ P ]  Julie Harris Stars in World Premiere, Hanging Fire, at Chi's Victory Gardens, Spring 2004

[ P ]  Big Time: Mack & Mabel Benefit Concert Stars Lane, McKechnie, Winokur, Sills March 31

Features:

[ CST ]  Former dancer develops 'Passion' for peace BY HEDY WEISS
When she joined the Alvin Ailey company in 1967--a recent arrival in New York from her hometown, Denver--Lynne Taylor-Corbett was just 19, and the only white dancer in the troupe at a time of tremendous racial upheaval in this country.

[ TM ]  Peter Filichia's Diary
With the latest Gypsy revival about to open on Broadway, everything's coming up Bernadette!

[ DN ]  Smirnoff straight up, with a twist by LANCE GOULD
Veteran comic gets a little serious in B'way show exploring love

[ USA ]  Desi, TV, comedy all love 'Lucy' in CBS biography film by Elysa Gardner
Includes the first photo of Rachel York as Lucy. Plus, producers Zadan and Meron discuss their upcoming "Footloose."

[ B ]  Photo Op: Urban Cowboy Ain't Off the Bull Yet

"The Play What I Wrote" - Reviews:

[ NYP ]  A MANIC MASTERPIECE by CLIVE BARNES
THERE is more than the Atlantic separating British and American stage humor. For one thing our allies tend to be physical in their theater jokes, while we tend to be more verbal.

[ NYT ]  THEATER REVIEW | 'THE PLAY WHAT I WROTE'
British Gags Run Amok in Pratfalls by BEN BRANTLEY
This evening of willfully bad jokes and rudimentary sight gags from an English comedy team may be just what audiences need right now.

[ ND ]  Shouldn't Merry Old England Be Funnier? by Linda Winer
Homage to classic British vaudeville doesn't translate

[ DN ]  Lowbrow 'Play' is jolly bad by Howard Kissel
As a lifelong Anglophile, it is with the deepest reluctance that I confess that I did not find the much-heralded "The Play What I Wrote" very funny.

[ TB ]  The Play What I Wrote Review by Matthew Murray

[ B ]  The Play What I Wrote Review by Celia Wren

[ TM ]  The Play What I Wrote Reviewed By: David Finkle

Other Reviews:

[ NYP ]  LIZ SMITH
"Urban Cowboy" (final item).

[ B ]  A Romberg Romp by Ken Mandelbaum
Review: THE NEW MOON
posted at 3/31/2003 07:23:02 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Sunday, March 30, 2003

[ NEXT ]  CHITA CHITA BANG! BANG! by Robert Kent
Broadway's legendary bombshell, Chita Rivera, takes the stage again to kick up her heels-and tease Antonio Banderas-in the sizzling new revival of Nine.
Photograph by Joan Marcus

Insofar as the Nine lives of Urban Cowboy... could the reprive be the result of some cast members standing on the fire escape of the Broadhurst facing 44th street nude (or close to it), and beckoning people to buy tickets to their final performances?

Will Avenue Q relocate to 44th Street this July? We hope so. The more people that see Avenue Q the better!
posted at 3/30/2003 05:13:43 PM by James Marino | Item Link

[ P ]  Nine Cast Album Will Be Recorded in Late April; PS Classics in Talks for Albertine Disc
posted at 3/30/2003 12:20:38 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

[ P ]  Bucking the Closing Notice, Urban Cowboy Gets Reprieve; Show Will Go On

Features:

[ LAT ]  Why, that flirting, scheming ... by Barbara Isenberg
Stockard Channing and Calista Flockhart take another look at a notorious opportunist for a benefit reading of 'All About Eve.'

[ NJ ]  'Nine' women: From a wolf's eye view BY MICHAEL SOMMERS
Antonio Banderas makes his Broadway debut in the musical "Nine" as a lone wolf on the prowl amid a stage full of beautiful women.

[ ND ]  'Life's' Other Wife by Blake Green
When the audience meets Inez, the other female character in "Life x 3," she's obsessed with a pesky run in her nylon stockings. Worrywarts can certainly relate, although Linda Emond, the actress who plays Inez, says this definitely isn't her in real life.

[ DN ]  The (elevator) music man by JOE DZIEMIANOWICZ
What the world needs now, it seems, is Burt Bacharach's 'Love'

[ TS ]  Barrett moves into the spotlight by RICHARD OUZOUNIAN
Brent Barrett lives up to everything that your fantasy image of a Broadway leading man ought to be.

[ BG ]  A leading playwright on 'Raftery's Hill' by Maureen Dezell
Marina Carr follows the arc of tragedy

[ HC ]  From Drag To Drama And Back by FRANK RIZZO
Charles Busch Keeps Inventing New Roles For Himself

[ NYT ]  Can New York's Plays Get the Middle East? by CLYDE HABERMAN
Two off Broadway plays, John Patrick Shanley's "Dirty Story" and A. R. Gurney's "O Jerusalem," come to grips with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

[ NYT ]  'Antigone' as a Protest Tactic by RON JENKINS
"The Island," a South African prison drama by Athol Fugard, suggests that symbolic resistance to oppression can play a role in giving birth to freedom itself.

[ NYT ]  The Stars What I Lured by KENNETH BRANAGH
How to convince Ralph Fiennes to stand onstage in a large dress and bouffant white wig and dance inanely.

[ NYT ]  A Memo From the Broadway Past by JEREMY McCARTER
Cy Feuer, 92, the producer of "Guys and Dolls," "Silk Stockings" and "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," doesn't advertise his triumphs.

[ NYT ]  Balanchine for Hire by SHERYL FLATOW
GEORGE BALANCHINE, Broadway baby?

[ YN ]  Harlem Theater Expands 'Blacks' Audience by PETER SANTILLI, Associated Press Writer

[ INQ ]  He still likes it 'Hot' by Desmond Ryan
Tony Curtis sticks to his own gender this time in a live musical "Some Like It Hot."

[ CPD ]  Pulitzer-winning playwright targets Bush, war by Tony Brown
If there is one word for a man of many eloquent words, the word for highly political playwright Tony Kushner would be torrent.
Thanks to American Theater Web for the link.

[ BG ]  Capturing, simply, the sorrow and the spirit of Sept. 11 by Renee Graham

[ CST ]  The gal behind 'The Guys' by Cindy Pearlman

[ P ]  STAGE TO SCREEN: �The Guys� and More Movie Musicals

News:

[ P ]  Talk Show Watch: Helen Hunt on "Letterman", Marissa Tomei and Rosie O'Donnell on "Leno"

[ P ]  Today In Theatre History: MARCH 30

[ P ]  Elegies, Praised William Finn Song Cycle, Closes Off-Broadway March 30

[ P ]  Be Their Guest: English Comedy The Play What I Wrote Opens on Broadway March 30

[ NYT ]  Paul Zindel, Author and Prize-Winning Playwright, Dies at 66 by JAMES BARRON
Paul Zindel's play, "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds," which won an Obie Award for Best American Play and a Pulitzer Prize, ran for 819 performances on Broadway.

[ IS ]  'Divas' with ISO showcases famous songs of Broadway
Vocalists Anne Runolfsson, Christine Pedi, Virginia Woodruff, Lea Woods Friedman and Jenny Rose Baker will sing famous songs by leading ladies of Broadway from such hit shows as "Chicago," "South Pacific" and "Cabaret."
Thanks to American Theater Web for the link.

Reviews:

[ YN ]  'New Moon' Offers Romantic Melodies by MICHAEL KUCHWARA, AP Drama Critic
Note the wrong show name in the actual headline.

[ ATW ]  Politics in the Middle East: The WASP Connection
"O Jerusalem."

[ ATW ]  Kurt Weill, Lightly Done

[ CU ]  Ten Unknowns Los Angeles Review
posted at 3/30/2003 10:38:18 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

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[Past News]

BROADWAYSTAR'S FIVE DAY FORECAST

2007-08
Broadway Season

June 28 - Old Acquaintance (AA)

July 10 - Xanadu (Hayes) [Robert Ahrens, Dan Vickery, Tara Smith/B. Swibel and Sarah Murchison/Dale Smith]

Aug 19 - Grease (Atkinson)

Oct 4 - Mauritius (Biltmore) [MTC]

Oct 11 - The Ritz (54)

Oct 18 - Pygmalion (AA)

Oct 25 - A Bronx Tale (Kerr)

Nov 1 - Cyrano de Bergerac (Rodgers)

Nov 4 - Rock 'N' Roll (Jacobs)

Nov 8 - Young Frankenstein (Hilton)

Nov 9 - Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (St. James)

Nov 10: Local One Strike Begins

Nov 28: Local One Strike Ends

Dec 2 - Cymbeline (Beaumont)

Dec 3 - The Farnsworth Invention (Music Box) [Dodger Properties with Steven Spielberg, Dan Cap Productions, Fred Zollo, Latitude Link and the Pelican Group]

Dec 4 - August: Osage County (Imperial) [Jeffrey Richards, Jean Doumanian, Steve Traxler, Jerry Frankel, Steppenwolf]

Dec 6 - The Seafarer (Booth)

Dec 9 - Is He Dead? (Lyceum)

Dec 16 - The Homecoming (Cort) [Richards, Frankel]

Jan 10 - The Little Mermaid (Lunt)

Jan 15 - The 39 Steps (AA)

Jan 17 - November (Barrymore)

Jan 24 - Come Back, Little Sheba (Biltmore)

Feb 21 - Sunday In The Park With George (54)

Feb 28 - Passing Strange (Belasco)

Mar 6 - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Broadhurst) [Stephen C. Byrd]

Mar 9 - In The Heights (Rodgers)

Mar 27 - Gypsy (St. James)

Mar 29 - Macbeth (Lyceum)

Apr 3 - South Pacific (Beaumont)

Apr 17 - A Catered Affair (Kerr) [Jujamcyn Theaters, Jordan Roth, Harvey Entertainment / Ron Fierstein, Richie Jackson and Daryl Roth]

Apr 24 - Cry Baby (Marquis)

Apr 27 - The Country Girl (Jacobs)

Apr 30 - Thurgood (Booth)

May 1 - Les Liaisons Dangereuses (AA)

May 4 - Boeing-Boeing (Longacre)

May 7 - Top Girls (Biltmore)

TBA - Godspell

2008-09
Broadway Season

Oct 16 - Billy Elliot (Imperial)

Nov 08 - Dividing the Estate (a Shubert theater)

Dec 14 - Shrek: The Musical (Broadway) [DreamWorks]

Talked About
Not Scheduled Yet

TBA - 50 Words

TBA - Addams Family (Elephant Eye)

TBA - American Buffalo

TBA - An American Vaudeville [Farrell, Perloff]

TBA - The Beard of Avon [NYTW]

TBA - Being There [Permut]

TBA - Benny & Joon [MGM]

TBA - Billy Elliot

TBA - Brave New World [Rachunow]

TBA - Breath of Life [Fox]

TBA - Busker Alley [Margot Astrachan, Robert Blume, Kristine Lewis, Jamie Fox, Joanna Kerry & Heather Duke]

TBA - Broomhilda

TBA - Bye Bye Birdie [Niko]

TBA - Camille Claudel [Wildhorn]

TBA - Camelot

TBA - Carmen [Robin DeLevita and The Firm]

TBA - Catch Me If You Can

TBA - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon [Bob and Harvey Weinstein]

TBA - Cry Baby [Grazer, Gordon, McAllister, Epstein]

TBA - Designing Women [Alexis]

TBA - Don Juan DeMarco [New Line]

TBA - Dreamgirls [Creative Battery]

TBA - Duet

TBA - Equus

TBA - Ever After [Adam Epstein]

TBA - Fallen Angels (Shubert) [Kenwright]

TBA - Farragut North [Richards]

TBA - Father of the Bride

TBA - The Female Of The Species (TBA)

TBA - Fool For Love (AA) [Roundabout]

TBA - Girl Group Time Travelers

TBA - Golden Boy

TBA - Harmony [Guiles, Karslake, Smith, Fishman]

TBA - Hitchcock Blonde

TBA - The Importance Of Being Earnest

TBA - Jerry Springer: The Opera! [Thoday, McKeown]

TBA - Jesus Hopped The 'A' Train (Circle)

TBA - Josephine [Waissman]

TBA - Leap of Faith

TBA - A Little Princess [Ettinger, Dodger]

TBA - Midnight Cowboy [MGM]

TBA - The Minstrel Show - Kander and Ebb and Stroman

TBA - Moonstruck [Pittelman, Azenberg]

TBA - Mourning Becomes Electra [Haber, Boyett]

TBA - Monsoon Wedding

TBA - The Night of the Hunter

TBA - The Opposite of Sex [Namco]

TBA - Orphans

TBA - Pal Joey [Platt]

TBA - Paper Doll

TBA - The Paris Letter

TBA - The Philadelphia Story

TBA - Peter Pan

TBA - Porgy and Bess [Frankel, Viertel, Baruch, Routh, Panter, Tulchin/Bartner]

TBA - The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert

TBA - The Princess Bride

TBA - Princesses [Lane, Comley]

TBA - Poe the Musical

TBA - Rain Man [MGM]

TBA - Robin Hood

TBA - Secondhand Lions

TBA - South Pacific

TBA - Speed-the-Plow

TBA - Stalag 17

TBA - Starry Messenger

TBA - Syncopation

TBA - A Tale Of Two Cities

TBA - Torch Song Trilogy

TBA - Turn of the Century

TBA - West Side Story

TBA - The Wall [Weinstein, Mottola, Waters]

TBA - Will Rogers Follies [Cossette]

TBA - The Wiz [Dodger]

TBA - Zanna [Dalgleish]

This list is compiled from various sources. If you have corrections to the Broadway Season, please contact us.

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2007-08Broadway Season

2008-09Broadway Season

Talked AboutNot Scheduled Yet

2007-08
Broadway Season

2008-09
Broadway Season

Talked About
Not Scheduled Yet