Saturday, September 13, 2003

Features:

[ CP ]  Tropical Equation by Toby Zinman
Tolstoy, spells and cigar rolling: Nilo Cruz's recipe for the Pulitzer, opening this week in Princeton.
An interview with the playwright.

[ CP ]  Cultural Inheritance by Lori Hill
Art imitates life in Thomas Gibbons' new play at InterAct Theatre.

[ LAT ]  Pulitzer winners face off and the world visits
FALL PREVIEW 2003: Our critic rounds up the favorite fall picks for 2003.

[ LAT ]  Black box of many colors by Don Shirley
FALL PREVIEW - THEATER: REDCAT (the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater) is inside the Disney Hall complex but definitely not of it.

[ LAT ]  More room at the inn by Christopher Reynolds
FALL PREVIEW: The L.A. Philharmonic's move across the street to Walt Disney Concert Hall means more events at the Music Center.

[ P ]  PHOTO CALL: Broadway on Broadway: The Hosts

Thanks to American Theater Web for the following features!

[ P-I ]  An original Angel is now on a 'Kabul' assignment by JOE ADCOCK
Ellen McLaughlin's job in "Homebody/Kabul" is to talk steadily for about an hour. "My monologue is running 65 minutes now," she says. "I'm hoping to get that down to 62."

[ MN ]  'Funny Girl' only hints at greatness of its subject by Mark de la Vina
Includes quotes from Rachel Ulanet, now playing Fanny in San Jose.

[ OCR ]  Not your grandfather's play by PAUL HODGINS
Unorthodox playwright Mois�s Kaufman wants to modernize American theater, and he's generous with his work.

Reviews:

[ TM ]  Babes in Arms
Los Angeles Review By: Jonas Schwartz

[ TM ]  The Nuclear Family
Reviewed By: Barbara & Scott Siegel

[ CU ]  The Nuclear Family

[ TB ]  Berlin
Review by Matthew Murray
If you have to have a musical about the Berlin airlift, you could do worse than Berlin, the new one at the Salvation Army's Theatre 315.

[ NYT ]  TV REVIEW | 'WUTHERING HEIGHTS'
But Who Says the Heights Have to, Like, Wuther? by ALESSANDRA STANLEY
The idea behind the MTV version of Emily Bront�'s novel is perfect; sadly, the execution does not quite live up to the summary.

News:

[ P ]  Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 13

[ P ]  Mamma Mia! Star Offers Mahogany Concert at Joe's Pub Sept. 22

[ P ]  Nilo Cruz' Anna in the Tropics Featured on CBS Sept. 14
Nilo Cruz' Pulitzer Prize-winning play Anna in the Tropics, which recently began performances at Princeton, New Jersey's McCarter Theatre Center, will be featured on a segment of the Sept. 14 episode of CBS' "Sunday Morning" program, airing at 9 AM EST. Check local listings.

[ P ]  Trans-Atlantic Stoppard Comedy Rough Crossing Opens Old Globe Season, Sept. 13-Oct. 26

[ NYT ]  John Ritter, 54, the Odd Man In `Three's Company,' Is Dead by DOUGLAS MARTIN
In 2001, he won a Theater World Award for his Broadway performance with Henry Winkler in "The Dinner Party."
"He's the most natural actor I've seen since Jimmy Stewart," Peter Bogdanovich, the filmmaker, said in an interview with The New York Times in 1987.
posted at 9/13/2003 12:14:53 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Friday, September 12, 2003

News:

[ B ]  Lypsinka! Eyes Off-B'way's Minetta Lane Theatre

[ TM ]  Next: Roundabout Will Bring Pacific Overtures Back to Broadway in 2004

[ P ]  Wopat, Clark, Gets and Walsh Part of Festival of New Musicals Sept. 21-22

[ P ]  John Ritter, of TV's "Three's Company" and Broadway's Dinner Party, Dead at 54

[ P ]  Jewish-Palestinian Drama Sixteen Wounded a Possibility for Broadway in March

[ P ]  TV Competition Winner Won't Find Fame Off-Broadway

Reviews:

[ TB ]  Almost Live From The Betty Ford Clinic
Review by Matthew Murray
posted at 9/12/2003 03:54:43 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Features:

[ B ]  Q & A 9/12/03 by Ken Mandelbaum

[ P ]  First Love
After the success of his first Broadway venture � Movin' Out � Billy Joel's back in a composing state of mind

[ P ]  DIVA TALK: A Chat With Lorna Luft PLUS News of Sutton, Marti and More

Reviews:

[ TM ]  The Siegels' Nightlife Notes: A Star of Today, and a Star-Maker for 25 Years

News:

[ P ]  Film of Paul Newman Our Town to Air on PBS Oct. 5

[ P ]  East Pacific: Roundabout Brings Sondheim-Weidman Musical to Broadway in 2004

[ P ]  Anna in the Tropics Eyes Broadway's Royale for Nov. 1 Start

[ P ]  "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" Becomes Broadway Musical SPAMELOT in 2005

[ P ]  Tom Everett Scott to Head Cast of Women's Project's Touch

[ P ]  Encores! Season to Include One Porter, One Gershwin and Bye Bye Birdie

[ P ]  Eartha Kitt to Replace Chita Rivera in Nine

[ B ]  Spamelot Eyes Spring 2005 Broadway Bow

[ B ]  Can-Can, English & Bye Bye Birdie Set for Encores!

[ B ]  Pacific Overtures to Return to B'way in 2004

[ B ]  Popular Actor John Ritter Dead at 54

[ TM ]  Actor John Ritter Dies at 54

[ TM ]  Eartha Kitt to Replace Chita Rivera in Nine

[ TM ]  Monty Python Musical to Spam Broadway in 2005
posted at 9/12/2003 12:49:36 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

News:

[ R ]  Sitcom Star John Ritter Collapses on Set, Dies
Emmy award-winning actor John Ritter, who gained fame playing bumbling and lovable characters in a pair of television comedies decades apart, has died suddenly due to a previously undetected arterial problem, his representatives said on Friday.

[ IBDB ]  John Ritter's Broadway Credits

[ R ]  'Hogan's Heroes' Actor Larry Hovis Dies at 67
HOUSTON - Actor Larry Hovis, who played Sgt. Carter in the 1960s television series "Hogan's Heroes" and later taught drama at Texas State University, has died of cancer at the age of 67, the school said on Wednesday.

[ IBDB ]  Larry Hovis' Broadway Credits

[ NYP ]  A HIT TAKES ROOT by MICHAEL RIEDEL
IF the producers of "Little Shop of Horrors" can figure out a way to get the plant nominated, Hugh Jackman can kiss his Tony Award goodbye.

[ NYT ]  ON STAGE AND OFF
New Angles on Sept. 11 by JASON ZINOMAN
The four new plays inspired by Sept. 11, with opening dates in New York over the next two months, are irreverent, sharply satirical and often silly.
Plus other news, including the announcement of this season's Encores shows.

[ B ]  Tom Everett Scott Stars in Touch Off-B'way

[ YN ]  'Spamalot' Set to Open on B'way in 2005
"I like the title 'Spamalot,'" Python member Eric Idle said Thursday in a statement. "But I was thinking it might be smart to ask audiences on my upcoming U.S. tour if they liked it as much as I do. After all, they are the ones who will be paying Broadway prices to see the show."

[ P ]  Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 12

[ P ]  TDF to Give Away Costumes to Not-for-Profits Sept. 12

[ P ]  Chicago Shakespeare Opens Roman Shrew Sept. 12

[ P ]  Broadway's Original Angel Plays Kushner's Homebody at Seattle's Intiman, Sept. 12-Oct. 11

Features:

[ TM ]  Peter Filichia's Diary
From "It's a Hit!" to "Steal With Style," musical theater boasts a number of songs fit to accompany a ball game.

[ NJ ]  Jimmy Smits prepares for role in Princeton BY PETER FILICHIA

[ BH ]  Performer Tune-ing in to his own muses by Robert Nesti
Tommy's back.
Not the musical based on The Who's rock opera, but the unmistakable Tommy Tune, who returns to an area stage this weekend after more than a decade.

[ ND ]  He Has a �Corner� on the Oppy by Peter Goodman
Tim Dowlin is broke. He doesn't have a job. How does he support himself? "That's a good question," he said.
How does the 24-year-old Philadelphian feel now that his first play, "Corner Wars," has won the $5,000 Newsday Oppenheimer Award, presented annually to the most impressive work by a playwright getting his first professional New York-area production?

[ NEXT ]  GEEK LOVE by Robert Kent
Little Shop of Horrors returns to New York, bringing to Broadway an unusual and frightening musical love story about a girl, a boy, a man-eating plant, and a sadistic dentist.
Thanks to Craig for the link.

Reviews:

[ INQ ]  Musical has an ambitious, Picasso-like reach - but a faulty grasp by Desmond Ryan
La Vie en Bleu, the boldly ambitious musical that opens the Walnut Street Theatre's season, takes us all the way from Picasso's arrival in Paris at the turn of the century through the creation of his anguished masterpiece Guernica, devoted to the victims of a Basque village killed by German bombs in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War.
I saw this show on Sunday. What a huge disappointment it was.

[ ND ]  It's a Wonderful Line by Gordon Cox
Audience tosses ideas at 'Family' and watches the reaction

[ LAT ]  Such a funny little valentine by Don Shirley
A Reprise! presentation of the love letter to the stage 'Babes in Arms' offers some strong performances that help make up for the dated and shallow script.

[ LAT ]  East West's 'Passion' is worth the wait by Daryl H. Miller
Sondheim's tricky, dangerous show took nine years to mount--and for the most part, it�s a beauty.

[ NYT ]  TV REVIEW | 'ALL ABOUT THE ANDERSONS'
Dad's Furious, Son's Broke and the Grandson's Cute by VIRGINIA HEFFERNAN
John Amos's capacity to be furious and funny at the same time � Archie Bunker-style � propels the WB's new show as far as it goes.
With Roz Ryan.
posted at 9/12/2003 08:02:08 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Thursday, September 11, 2003

News:

[ B ]  Eartha Kitt to Replace Chita Rivera in Nine

[ P ]  New Musical Bonnie and Clyde Gets Seattle Production, Oct. 17-Nov. 2

[ P ]  London Queen Musical We Will Rock You to Rock U.S in Fall 2004

[ P ]  Cherry Lane Theatre Gets Appropriate New Address Sept. 29

[ P ]  Report: Footloose to Cut Loose in Plymouth, UK, in February 2004

[ P ]  Casting Complete for David Friedman Revue, Listen to My Heart

[ P ]  Full Monty's Golden Leads Cast of New John Denver Musical Almost Heaven

Features:

[ TVG ]  Homicide: Life on Sesame Street? by Ben Katner
Broadway baby Kerry Butler knows her way around the block � and not just Theater Row, either. The native New Yorker, who's currently putting down roots as Audrey in the big-time revival of Little Shop of Horrors, has appeared twice on Sesame Street and, even more impressive, lived to tell the tale.
Thanks to meinnyc on All That Chat for the link!

[ BS ]  Broadway's Bustin' Out All Over for 2003-04 Season
Broadway has seldom been so busy. Musicals, new plays, revivals, and solo shows will vie for consumer dollars and provide jobs for actors, singers, and dancers.

[ BS ]  "Cops," Street Fairs and "Not a Freak Show"
Though Fringing throughout middle August burnt out many of us, there are a bevy of new off-off Broadway shows and other activities worth attending in the next week.

Thanks to American Theater Web for the following features!

[ CT ]  Actors break character, strut stuff for good cause by Chris Jones
Six nights a week, Omari Tau belts out Elton John and plays one of Julie Taymor's faceless, four-legged puppet-critters in the African jungle. But judging by Monday night, this diminutive actor's heart really belongs to Stephen Sondheim.
The sweet-voiced Tau brought the house down at Park West Monday night with an exquisite treatment of "Losing My Mind" from "Follies." His performance was part of a long, dark-night cabaret put together by the sit-down Chicago casts of "The Lion King" and "Mamma Mia!" with the aim of raising money for the Shriners Hospital for Children.

[ BSUN ]  'Hairspray' musical songwriters to take stage with Waters by J. Wynn Rousuck
Inaugural presentation in Up Close series

Reviews:

[ YN ]  'The Nuclear Family' a Laughing Thrill by JUSTIN GLANVILLE, Associated Press Writer
It won't help to say much about the plot of "The Nuclear Family," because it's always changing. What you do need to know is that you'll probably laugh. A lot.
posted at 9/11/2003 05:28:58 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Features:

[ TM ]  Fall Preview 2003 by: Matthew Murray
From a fabulous Aussie to an Israeli Prime Minister to a carnivorous plant, the New York theater will play host to lots of colorful characters over the next few months.

News:

[ P ]  Nobody Don't Like Yogi, with Gazzara, Expected to Reach New York in Fall

[ B ]  Graff, Blum & Graham to Ride at the Vineyard

[ B ]  B'way-Bound Harmony to Star Brian d'Arcy James

[ TM ]  Casting Announced for Broadway-Bound Harmony
posted at 9/11/2003 02:25:02 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

[ B ]  Gershwin Tuners by Ken Mandelbaum
Anika Noni Rose joins Tonya Pinkins in the Public's Caroline, or Change.

[ B ]  Stage Notes 09/10/03 by Paul Wontorek
"Millie" on tour; "Broadway on Broadway."

[ P ]  Henshall, Dench and More Salute Richard Rodgers on Upcoming DVD

[ P ]  Roland Chambers, a Mainstay in Annapolis Theatre Community, Dead at 66

[ P ]  "Theater Talk" To Rebroadcast Two-Part Chat with Arthur Laurents

[ P ]  Stritch, Kander and Ebb to Be Named Living Landmarks Nov. 5

[ P ]  Arena Stage Announces Casting for Camelot Love Triangle
Steven Skybell, Kate Suber and the previously-reported Matt Bogart will make up the love triangle of Arena Stage's Camelot later this year.

[ P ]  York Theatre Offers G'day Cabaret Benefit Sept. 20

[ P ]  Tell Me On a Sunday Star to Join London Millie
Marti Webb, the original star of Tell Me On a Sunday and Song & Dance, will be part of the London company of Thoroughly Modern Millie.

[ P ]  Broadway's Wizard to Autograph New Tome Sept. 12 in NYC
posted at 9/11/2003 11:28:52 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

News:

[ NYP ]  CINDY ADAMS
CASTRO, AS COSTNER SEES HIM, ON B'WAY

[ NYP ]  LIZ SMITH
Farrah Fawcett and "Bobbi Boland" (third item).

[ NJ ]  Stage notes by Peter Filichia
Mason at McCarter: The Goodbye Girl is saying hello to the McCarter's Matthews Theatre.

[ ND ]  Broadway's Time To Fall Forward by Gordon Cox
For most folks, it's Labor Day that signals the end of summer; for Broadway fans, it's the annual "Broadway on Broadway" concert. Either way, the fall theater season is officially up and running, and while things don't get really crazy until October, there's plenty to keep up with and catch up on.

[ P ]  Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 11

[ P ]  Kurtz and Lauria Read The Guys on Anniversary of 9/11 Tragedy

[ P ]  Rainey Joins Freeman in Steppenwolf's Topdog, Sept. 11

[ P ]  Bravo TV Offers On Broadway Contest for Theatre Wannabes

[ P ]  Almost Live from the Betty Ford Clinic! Returns to the Fairbanks Sept. 11

[ P ]  Ladies of the Evening Cook Up Songs in Café Puttanesca, World Premiere Musical in Philly

[ P ]  Randy Graff Stars in Vogel's Long Christmas Ride Home at Off-Broadway's Vineyard

[ P ]  Broadway's Barnum Belts "Bah Humbug" as 10th and Final Scrooge in New York

Reviews:

[ ATW ]  The Thing About Men: Men's Issues Explored in Broad Fashion
Reviewed by Andy Propst
posted at 9/11/2003 07:11:24 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Wednesday, September 10, 2003

[ P ]  Principal Casting Announced for Bway-Bound Harmony, Barry Manilow's Musical, Launching Nov. 25

[ P ]  New Les Liaisons Dangereuses Adaptation Premieres at San Francisco's ACT, Sept. 11-Oct 12
posted at 9/10/2003 06:24:38 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

[ B ]  Gore Vidal to Star in Off-Broadway's Trumbo
He will succeed Nathan Lane and appear in performances at the Westside Theatre from September 23 through September 28, a production spokesperson confirmed to Broadway.com.

[ P ]  Lowe's String of Pearls Ties Lives Together by a Thread, Premiering in Pittsburgh Oct. 9-Nov. 2

[ P ]  Musical Directors Stitt, Marzullo and Loud Pen Song Cycles, Heard Oct. 9 in NYC Concert; Blazer Sings

[ P ]  Stratford Festival's 2004 Season Will Have Macbeth, Midsummer, Anything Goes, Guys and Dolls

[ P ]  Swoosie Kurtz and Dan Lauria Revisit Sept. 11 Drama The Guys in New York City
posted at 9/10/2003 03:12:41 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Features:

[ B ]  Looking Back: Maggie by Ken Mandelbaum
Today I'm introducing "Looking Back," an occasional new feature in which I'll discuss forgotten, overlooked, or neglected musicals, recordings, television productions, and performers, many of them related to current productions.

News:

[ P ]  Third Richard Greenberg Play to Hit New York Stage in October

[ P ]  Camille Claudel's Matt Bogart Cast in Arena Stage Camelot

[ P ]  Millie's Sutton Foster Replaces Lara Fabian in Chess Concert

[ P ]  Paper Mill's Ain't Misbehavin' Begins Performances Sept. 10
posted at 9/10/2003 11:09:05 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

News:

[ NYP ]  ROUNDABOUT TANGLED EBB by MICHAEL RIEDEL
DO you stick with your plans to revive Stephen Sondheim's most unpleasant musical or do you shelve it in favor of a "cursed" new show by Kander and Ebb?

[ P ]  Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 10

[ P ]  Rupert Graves Stars in Wilde's Woman of No Importance in West End, Beginning Sept. 10

[ P ]  Solo Play, Rooster in the Henhouse Explores Mind of a Married Man, Off-Bway, Sept. 17-Oct. 4

[ P ]  Berlin, a Musical About the Famed Airlift, Plays New Venue in NYC Sept. 10-27

Features:

[ TM ]  Peter Filichia's Diary
Filichia talks to rising star Todd Buonopane, who will soon be on stage again in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

[ BH ]  A big hand for the 'Lady:' Elisabeth Waterston strikes out on her own with ART role by Robert Nesti
Elisabeth Waterston has a famous last name, but this year she is making a name for herself.

[ WP ]  Shakespeare's Greek Chorus by Peter Marks
Washington Theater Takes 'Oedipus' to the Acropolis
"The Oedipus Plays," with Avery Brooks and Earle Hyman.

[ NYT ]  PUBLIC LIVES
A Broadway Baby Without a Minute to Spare by ROBIN FINN
"The 24 Hour Plays."

Reviews:

[ NYT ]  THEATER REVIEW | 'THE THREEPENNY OPERA'
Those Beggars and Thieves Are on the Loose by NEIL GENZLINGER
In the the Bouwerie Lane Theater's production, the action spills beyond the audience and into the East Village.

[ ATW ]  A 'Threepenny' Minus the Bite
Review by Andy Propst

[ NYT ]  THEATER REVIEW | 'THE DANCING FOX'
With Animals and Masks, Five Folk Tales Arabs and Jews Have in Common by LAWRENCE VAN GELDER
To tell tales drawn from the the world's folklore, Ralph Lee and his Mettawee River Theater Company assemble their masks and puppets.
posted at 9/10/2003 09:36:45 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Tuesday, September 09, 2003

News:

[ B ]  Foster Replaces Fabian in Chess Concert
Tony Award winner Sutton Foster will take the place of pop star Lara Fabian as Svetlana Sergievsky in the upcoming Actors' Fund benefit performance of Chess.

[ TM ]  Someone Else's Story: Foster Replaces Fabian in Chess

[ B ]  Jim Dale to Play Scrooge in A Christmas Carol

[ P ]  Broadway Grosses: September 1-7

[ P ]  Survivor of Central Park Beating Is Focus of Beyond Recognition, a World Premiere Off-Bway Oct. 17

[ P ]  New Grellong Play Manuscript to See Off-Broadway in Future

Features:

[ TM ]  Broadway on Broadway -- Bravo! by: Joseph Marzullo and Michael Portantiere
Melanie Griffith, Brent Barrett, Rosie O'Donnell, Nathan Lane, Jane Krakowski, and a host of others are captured by TM's still and video cameras at the annual celebratory event.

[ ND ]  Carnival Sideshow More Than a Sideline by Blake Green
Striding onto the stage - congenial, chatty, bedecked in jaunty straw bowler, snappy matching hounds-tooth vest and jacket and "reptile shoes" - Todd Robbins personifies everyman's image of the carnival barker.

"Moby Dick" - Reviews:

[ VV ]  Whale-Safe
Works Productions Hooks Melville: Thar She Doesn't Blow by Francine Russo

[ TM ]  Moby Dick
Reviewed By: Barbara & Scott Siegel

[ ATW ]  A Visceral, Visual Moby Dick in Soho
Review by Andy Propst

[ CU ]  Moby Dick

Other Reviews:

[ VV ]  It Takes A Villager
But Can a Solo Show With a Botanical Punchline and a Rare Muskrat Be an Action Movie? by Michael Feingold
Michael Isaac Connor's Berkshire Village Idiot

[ VV ]  This Farmer's A Charmer
Eligible SWM Seeks Hibernian Honey for Pastoral Passion by Charles McNulty
The Love-Hungry Farmer
posted at 9/9/2003 06:39:24 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Features:

[ B ]  Q&A: Douglas Sills by Kathy Henderson

[ B ]  Photo Op: Bergen and Hamill Start Dance Lessons

News:

[ B ]  Broadway Grosses: September Slump
Last week was a tough one on the Great White Way. Only one show, Little Shop of Horrors, showed at improvement over the week ending August 31 and that is probably because the previewing musical played four more performances than it had the previous week.

[ B ]  Cast Shapes Up for National Theatre's Mourning
Eve Best, Paul McGann and Clarke Peters will star alongside Dame Helen Mirren in the upcoming National Theatre production of Eugene O'Neill's Mourning Becomes Electra in London.

[ P ]  "Pianist" Duo � Polanski and Harwood � Reteam for "Oliver" Film
Charles Dickens' classic tale of "Oliver Twist" is once again headed to the silver screen.

[ P ]  Nicholas Hytner Casts His Dark Materials at London's National

[ P ]  Prince Edward to Attend West End's Kes Sept. 9

[ P ]  Soon It's Gonna Rain: North Carolina's Triad Opens Season With Rainmaker Sept. 21-Oct. 12

[ P ]  WNBC-4 to Broadcast Broadway on Broadway Concert Sept. 9

[ P ]  Film's "Goodbye Girl" Marsha Mason to Star in Mee's Wintertime Off-Broadway

[ P ]  An Old Dream Dreamed Anew: American National Theatre Proposed for Ground Zero

[ P ]  Charles Shaughnessy, of "The Nanny," Is Cladwell in Bway's Urinetown, Sept. 9

[ P ]  Mullets Over Off-Off-Bway: Swayze Vehicle, "Road House," Gets NYC Run, Oct. 30-Nov. 22
Headline of the day!

[ P ]  Composer Adam Guettel to Offer Six-Week Songwriting Workshop
posted at 9/9/2003 03:32:29 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Features:

[ B ]  Random Notes on This and That: 9/9/03 by Ken Mandelbaum

[ B ]  First Person: Little League Lessons by Richard Dresser

[ B ]  Photo Op: Never Gonna Dance Starts Rehearsals

[ WP ]  Backstage: 'The Rivals': A Comedy True to Its Timing by Jane Horwitz
Interview with director Keith Baxter.

News:

[ V ]  B'way B.O. laboring after end of holiday
'La Mancha,' 'Journey,' 'April' contribute to drop
Broadway grosses took their typical post-Labor Day nosedive, as tourists headed home and kids headed back to school. Total B.O. took a hit of some 29.6%. The 20 shows brought in $9,774,715, down $3,827,539 from last week's already slumping holiday numbers.

[ NYP ]  LIZ SMITH
"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" (third item).

[ P ]  New York Public Library Acquires Duncan Photos of Hines, Peters, Midler and 599,997 More

[ P ]  Gypsy Offers Discounted Seats During Peters' Vacation

[ P ]  Paper Mill Names Its Maria for October Sound of Music
Amanda Watkins has landed the role of Maria in the upcoming production of The Sound of Music at Paper Mill: The State Theatre of New Jersey.

[ P ]  Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 9

[ P ]  Tix Now On Sale for Marcovicci's New "Songs of Frank Loesser" Show, Sept. 9-Oct. 18

[ P ]  Two 9/11-Themed Plays Omnium Gatherum and Portraits Begin Off-Broadway Previews, Sept. 9

[ P ]  Nilo Cruz' Pulitzer Winner, Anna in the Tropics, Begins at NJ's McCarter Sept. 9

[ P ]  Good Morning, Baltimore: Hairspray Tour Launches in Maryland Sept. 9

[ P ]  "Girl, Interrupted" Screenwriter Pens Domestic Drama Living Out; Starts Off-Broadway, Sept. 9

[ P ]  Urinetown Tour Plays Denver Sept. 9-21

Reviews:

[ NJ ]  Lapin Agile delivers 20th century fare BY PETER FILICHIA
Alliance Repertory Theatre Company has opened its new and temporary home in Bloomfield with a decent showing of Steve Martin's 1995 comedy "Picasso at the Lapin Agile." The play is more successful than the playhouse.

[ N&O ]  Star shines in 'Funny Girl' by ROY C. DICKS
In Raleigh, N.C., with Jacquelyn Piro and Merwin Foard.
Thanks to American Theater Web for the link!
posted at 9/9/2003 11:28:35 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Monday, September 08, 2003

Features:

[ NYT ]  Proposing a National Theater Downtown by ROBIN POGREBIN
A $170 million three-stage theater complex that its backers say would bring the best of the nation's plays and musicals to Lower Manhattan is being proposed for the redevelopment of ground zero.
The project, called the American National Theater, has gained the support of Arthur Miller, Meryl Streep and the director Harold Prince, among other prominent people in the theater world. The actress Blair Brown is giving a cocktail party in Connecticut tomorrow to raise seed money for the project.

[ NYT ]  A Star's Real Life Upstages His Films by BERNARD WEINRAUB
Over the past 20 years Tab Hunter, whose blond, Malibu beach boy looks made him one of the biggest screen idols of the 1950's, has had a heart attack, a quadruple bypass and a stroke. But at 72 he still looks like, well, a beach boy, albeit older. And his career and personal life, if not exactly sunny, are far livelier than most of his films, which he groans about.

Reviews:

[ NYT ]  TELEVISION REVIEW | 'WHOOPI' AND 'HAPPY FAMILY'
Check In, Get a Free Civics Lesson by ALESSANDRA STANLEY
"Whoopi" is a daring impostor: a revival of Norman Lear-style social commentary dressed up as the kind of frisky, postfeminist sitcom so favored by NBC.

[ NYT ]  CABARET REVIEW
A Series of Melodious Marriages by ANTHONY TOMMASINI
William Bolcom and his wife, Joan Morris, at the Flea Theater on Sunday, performed songs Mr. Bolcom wrote with Arnold Weinstein.

[ CU ]  The Threepenny Opera
Review by Les Gutman

[ CU ]  What Ever: An American Odyssey in Eight Acts
Review by Amanda Cooper

News:

[ B ]  Peter Scolari to Fill in for Hairspray's Latessa
Three-time Emmy nominee Peter Scolari will step into the role of Wilbur Turnblad in Hairspray for the week of October 27. During that time current star, Tony Award winner Dick Latessa, will be shooting a movie, according to a production source.

[ P ]  Paper Mill Gives Baby a Fall 2003 Reading Prior to a Spring 2004 Birthday
posted at 9/8/2003 08:42:44 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Features:

[ BS ]  Bards of the 'Burbs
Composer Jimmy Roberts finds the suggestion that his musical, "The Thing About Men," is ultimately a celebration of bourgeois yuppie lives, unfair. "Those terms are derogatory."

News:

[ Z ]  'Chicago' Duo Sticks with Sony Television
Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the executive producers of the Oscar-winning "Chicago" and two of the hardest working men in show business, are staying with Sony Pictures Television. The duo's Storyline Entertainment has signed a new two-year deal to produce movies and miniseries at SPT.

[ P ]  Wilkof, LuPone, Maloney, Boyd and Cullen Have Four Beers Off-Broadway, Sept. 26

[ P ]  Golde Standard: Randy Graff May Play Fiddler's Mamaleh

[ P ]  Tony Roberts and Blair Brown Are Cabaret's New Schultz and Schneider, Sept. 22

[ P ]  Luft's Homage to Garland, Songs My Mother Taught Me, Plays Florida in Late 2003, After L.A.

[ P ]  Charlotte D'Amboise and Broadway's Chicago Meet Again, Oct. 7

Reviews:

[ CU ]  Berkshire Village Idiot

[ TM ]  The Threepenny Opera
Reviewed By: David Finkle

[ SD ]  Much adieu to tragedy; wit's about you by Jennifer de Poyen
It is a relief to report that the new Globe production of Shakespeare's drollest comedy can count among its virtues a winning Benedick, in the form of the obscenely charismatic Billy Campbell, and a charming Beatrice, played by Dana Delany in her first Shakespearean role.
Thanks to American Theater Web for the link!
posted at 9/8/2003 06:11:17 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

News:

[ B ]  Marsha Mason to Star in Wintertime at 2nd Stage

[ B ]  Charlotte d'Amboise & Reva Rice Join Chicago

[ B ]  Tickets Now on Sale for Cat, Henry & Moscow

[ B ]  Blair Brown & Tony Roberts Head to Cabaret

[ TM ]  Midtown International Theatre Festival Seeks Scripts

[ P ]  "Radio Playbill's" Robert Simonson Previews the Season in Broadway Plays, Sept. 8-20

[ P ]  Nearly NYC: Oliver! Tour Plays Newark's Prudential Hall in March 2004

[ P ]  Tickets Now on Sale for Broadway's Wonderful Town

[ P ]  Wopat, Halston and Fellner Sing Zippel and Wilder Musical, Princesses, for NAMT

Features:

[ B ]  Photo Op: Camille Claudel Premieres at Goodspeed

Reviews:

[ TM ]  Tunes, Tomes, & Videos
How does the movie version of Hello, Dolly! hold up on DVD? An assessment of Barbra Streisand's most unlikely film.
posted at 9/8/2003 03:00:33 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Features:

[ B ]  Preview '03-'04 #16: Future Prospects by Ken Mandelbaum
Peter Benson (now in Cabaret) will play drugstore manager Frank Lippencott in the Broadway Wonderful Town. (David Aaron Baker played it at Encores!) Gregg Edelman has been mentioned as a possibility for the role of magazine editor Robert Baker.

[ P ]  A Star in Spite of Himself
After three decades of stellar performances, actors' actor Lewis J. Stadlen has become what he never set out to be � a bona fide star

News:

[ P ]  Bravo Tapes "Inside the Actors Studio" with Broadway Funny Girl Barbra Streisand, Sept. 8

[ P ]  "Survivor" Star Jenna Morasca Featured in Pieces at China Club, Sept. 8-Oct. 4

[ P ]  Sold-Out Lypsinka! As I Lay Lip Synching Adds Performance, Sept. 8

Reviews:

[ TB ]  An Exemplary Pygmalion Opens NJ Fall Theatre Season by Bob Rendell

[ B ]  Berkshire Village Idiot
Review by William Stevenson
posted at 9/8/2003 11:39:34 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

News:

[ NYP ]  LIZ SMITH
News that Tony Roberts is joining "Cabaret" (fourth item).
Plus stuff about "Taboo" (3rd item).

[ V ]  B.O. dips; 'Millie' 926g
Road grosses

[ V ]  Biz even; 'Man' 763g
Broadway grosses

[ P ]  Today in Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 8

[ P ]  Casting Announced for Guthrie's Night of the Iguana

[ P ]  New Jersey's McCarter Officially Unveils New Roger Berlind Theatre

[ P ]  Rothenberg Brings Namedropping to Actors Fund Home Sept. 10

[ P ]  John Fleck, of the NEA Four, Returns to La MaMa Oct. 2-19

[ P ]  Second National Tour of Producers Likely to Have Bob Amaral as New Bialy in Fall

Features:

[ TM ]  Peter Filichia's Diary
As the curtain rises on a new production of Peter Pan, Filichia wonders if the play can be enjoyed by today's youth.

[ DN ]  WBAI's Kenney keeps pop flame burning by DAVID HINCKLEY
Over 25 years at WBAI (99.5 FM), David Kenney has seen a lot of popular standards shows come and go.

[ DN ]  B'way strolls memory Lane
Nathan Lane - and a cast of other performers - gave their regards to Broadway yesterday, putting on numbers from stage hits for some 50,000 fans packed into Times Square.

[ NYP ]  LANE AND JANE BOFFO ON BROADWAY

Reviews:

[ ND ]  A Bike, a Pond and a Family's Troubled Waters by Gordon Cox
'Berkshire Village Idiot" is staged, with a rich sense of atmosphere, in an auto shop, but it's just not clear why.

[ NYP ]  PLAY HAS MASS. APPEAL by DONALD LYONS
A kid of 15, informing us how crazy and painful life can be, ricochets around the stage, which evokes his Berkshire, Mass., village with its garages and ponds.

[ ATW ]  An Idiot Full of Sound and Fury
Reviewed by Andy Propst

[ TB ]  The Threepenny Opera
Review by Matthew Murray

[ NJ ]  Fresh face gives new life to 'Pygmalion' BY PETER FILICHIA
So much for the number 13 being unlucky.
Bonnie J. Monte has been artistic director at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey for 13 years, but triskaidekaphobia isn't stopping her from staging a marvelous production of George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion."

[ NYer ]  THE HOLLYWOOD ONE by HILTON ALS
An intellectual in screenwriter�s clothing.

[ LAT ]  Cast makes something of 'Nothing' by Tony Perry
Director Brendon Fox's production of "Much Ado" at the Old Globe features TV veterans Dana Delany (Emmy winner for "China Beach") and Billy Campell ("Once and Again").

[ NYT ]  CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK
At a Festival for Films, The Feeling Is Musical by ELVIS MITCHELL
This year's Toronto International Film Festival has, among other things, a selection of films with a definite musical slant, or in some cases the energy of a musical.

"Enjoy every sandwich."
- Warren Zevon, 1947�2003

posted at 9/8/2003 07:47:07 AM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

Sunday, September 07, 2003

[ B ]  Photo Op: Broadway on Broadway Brings Out the Stars

[ B ]  Photo Op: Meeting the Millie Tour Company

[ TB ]  In Spite of Myself
Review by Matthew Murray

[ TB ]  Chocolate in Heat: Growing Up Arab in America
Review by Matthew Murray

[ YN ]  Eccentricity Rules in New One-Man Show by MICHAEL KUCHWARA, AP Drama Critic
Mikey has issues � mostly to do with his father, but also with his eccentric Irish Catholic relatives who seem to make up the entire population in one small Massachusetts town.
They form the core of the action in Michael Isaac Connor's "Berkshire Village Idiot," a genial yet unsurprising theatrical family album now on view at off-Broadway's Zipper Theatre.
posted at 9/7/2003 06:48:41 PM by Tim Dunleavy | Item Link

[ EARTHCAM ]  Broadway on Broadway - Live Webcam
Thanks to Craig for the link!

[ P ]  It's Broadway on Broadway Sept. 7 in Times Square
The 12th annual Broadway on Broadway free concert is scheduled for 11:30 AM. Co-hosted by Nathan Lane and Jane Krakowski, this year's concert will feature numbers from almost every musical now playing The Great White Way as well as sneak peeks from upcoming productions.

Features:

[ TVGS ]   Donny Osmond on Year 2 of "Pyramid"
Donny suggests the possibility of doing a Broadway week on his game show "Pyramid." Hmm...

[ WP ]  Broadway's Prince Hal by Chip Crews
At 75, the Legendary Director Has a 'Bounce' In His Step and a Reunion With Stephen Sondheim

[ NYT ]  Richard Greenberg: Broadway's New Heavy Hitter by JESSE McKINLEY
With "Violet Hour" following his "Take Me Out," the playwright Richard Greenberg is quietly conquering Times Square.

[ HC ]  Happy Anniversary; Now Let's Blow Out the Candles by Frank Rizzo
Lately, it seems that you can't swing a marketing director without hitting an anniversary of a Connecticut arts institution.

[ BSUN ]  Dramatic Revival by Edward Gunts, Sun Architecture Critic
Partly reborn, partly brand new, Baltimore's Hippodrome Theatre plays a leading role in the revitalization of the city's west side.

Thanks to American Theater Web for the following features!

[ AJC ]  N.C. native tuning up for 'Les Miz' tour by JON WATERHOUSE
WHEN "LES MISERABLES" took its final Broadway curtain call in May after 16 years, North Carolina native Randal Keith took a bow as the heroic Jean Valjean -- and then promptly shaved the beard he grew for the part. Now he's growing it back and reprising his role on the national tour, which opens Tuesday in Atlanta.

[ DP ]  Silver lining by John Moore
Here's a sample of 10 well-known actors who have toiled on the stages of the Denver Center Theatre Company.
Includes new quotes from Annette Bening.

[ DP ]  Worst titles by John Moore
"Urinetown" has been celebrated as the worst-titled work in theater history, a contest with surprisingly slim competition. Here's a subjective look at 10 of the worst or most unfortunately titled shows of all-time. (Perhaps) coincidentally, "Urinetown" star Charlie Pollock has proudly appeared in each of the first three works.

2003 Fall Preview:

[ CT ]  A season packed with stellar shows by Chris Jones
Not only count we three touring Broadway shows in Chicago this week -- "The Lion King," "Mamma Mia" and "Chicago" -- but those titles mean three big hits are keeping marquees ablaze, theaters packed and Loop sidewalks crowded. Outside of New York, no other town comes even close. And in New York, they don't have our roster of stellar resident troupes to call their own.

[ CT ]  Pulitzer Prize winners vie on 2 stages by Michael Phillips
This fall's 10 to watch.

[ CST ]  From classics to cult classics, Chicago stages light up BY HEDY WEISS

[ WP ]  The Williams Sisters by Peter Marks
Distressed Women at the Center of Tennessee Williams Series

[ WP ]  Fall Arts Preview | Theater

[ NYT ]  CRITIC'S PICKS
A Song-and-Dance X-Man and a Goody-Goody Witch by BEN BRANTLEY
Hugh Jackman, Kristin Chenoweth, and Mary-Louise Parker automatically raise the temperature of what otherwise mostly feels like a lukewarm theater season.

[ NYT ]  CRITIC'S PICKS
Ashley Judd and Jason Patric: A Cat and a Man in Pajamas by BRUCE WEBER
As Maggie the Cat, Ashely Judd will be smoldering in the direction of another Hollywood sexpot, Jason Patric, in the Broadway production of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."

[ NYT ]  Annotated Listings: Theater

News:

[ NYT ]  Weddings: Ali Marsh, Frederick Weller
Congratulations!

[ YN ]  Meaney, Ruehl Bite Into TNT's 'Bad Apple'
Colm Meaney, Mercedes Ruehl, Robert Patrick, Elliott Gould and Dagmara Dominczyk have been cast in the TNT original movie/backdoor pilot "Bad Apple," which stars "Law & Order" alumnus Chris Noth.

[ P ]  Today In Theatre History: SEPTEMBER 7

[ P ]  Kaye, Luker, Barrett, Noll, Fraser on "Creepy" New CD

[ P ]  The Revolution Will Be Televised: Nine's Banderas is "Pancho Villa" in HBO Film, Sept. 7

[ P ]  Wildhorn and Knighton's Camille Claudel, the Musical, Ends Sept. 7 at Goodspeed

Reviews:

[ P ]  ON THE RECORD: Gypsy, Brownstone and Marc Blitzstein

[ TB ]  The Substance of John, AP Book V: Jack Kerouac
Review by Matthew Murray

[ NHA ]  With a wink and a nod, a melodrama set to music at Westport by E. Kyle Minor
There is the distinct fragrance of burning gaslights, ripe greasepaint and gooey mustache wax to accompany the sporadic sound of scenery-chewing at Westport Country Playhouse as it closes its season with a campy revival of Dion Boucicault�s 1857 melodrama, "The Streets of New York."
Thanks to American Theater Web for the link!

[ NYT ]  'Eleonora Duse': The First Modern Actor by BENEDICT NIGHTINGALE
Helen Sheehy's exemplary biography of Eleonora Duse evokes her presence onstage and shows how she used "affective memory."
� First Chapter
posted at 9/7/2003 10:16:29 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