ScreenPlay by Erik Haagensen

Actor-writer Scott Brooks' new work about the horrors of Hollywood plays like a contrived revenge fantasy loaded with far too much self-pity.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

CBS: We Have a 'High Level of Concern' About Charlie Sheen by Marisa Guthrie

Entertainment President Nina Tassler says the network is worried about the 'Two and a Half Men' star "on a personal level" but insists "he does his job extremely well."

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

The Importance of Being Earnest by David Sheward

Brian Bedford stages a near-perfect rendition of Oscar Wilde's whimsical classic and gives a pitch-perfect performance as Lady Bracknell without stooping to drag-queen excesses or even raisi…

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Other Desert Cities by Erik Haagensen

Richly dramatic and keenly observant, Jon Robin Baitz's new play is a hugely satisfying mixture of the political and the personal, grandly acted by a brilliant ensemble of five under Joe Man…

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Christine Ebersole by David Sheward

The two-time Tony winner balances ballads and comedy numbers with tales of Tinseltown and personal moments in a polished hour. The only complaint is that it's a shade too polished.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Ellen Stewart, Off-Off-B'way Pioneer, Dies at 91 by David Sheward

Ellen Stewart, founder of La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club and one of the pioneers of the Off-Off-Broadway theater movement, died on Jan. 12. She was 91.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Kiefer Sutherland, John Hurt to Star in Web-Based Action Series

Kiefer Sutherland and two-time Academy Award nominee John Hurt are teaming up for "The Confession," a new scripted Web action series, Digital Broadcasting Group announced Thursday.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Broadway's 'Memphis' Headed to Movie Theaters by David Rooney

"Memphis" will be the first ongoing Broadway show to beam a live performance into movie theaters nationwide, taking a cue from New York's Metropolitan Opera and London's National Theatr…

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Carey Mulligan to Play Woman Battling Psychiatric Illness on New York Stage

She is set to appear in the off-Broadway play 'Through a Glass Darkly.'

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

'Spider-Man' Opening Delayed Again Until March 15 by Bryan Alexander

"Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" has been delayed once again. Troubled Broadway production moves from Feb. 7 in second high-profile postponement.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Join Back Stage and TRU for the 'New Models for Success' Panel

On January 27, Back Stage in association with Theater Resources Unlimited will present the Industry Panel New Models for Success: The Commercial / Not-for-Profit Partnership.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Nightsong for the Boatman by Robert Windeler

A pale, truncated take on the Faust legend, this 20-year-old "trunk" play, by the late Jovanka Bach, wasn't ready to be read, much less performed. It still isn't.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Other Desert Cities

Richly dramatic and keenly observant, "Other Desert Cities" is a hugely satisfying mixture of the political and the personal, grandly acted by a brilliant ensemble of five under Joe Mantello…

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

John Gabriel Borkman by David Sheward

Henrik Ibsen's penultimate play suffers from a surfeit of melodrama, but Alan Rickman, Lindsay Duncan, and especially the fiery Fiona Shaw save it from its plotty excesses.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

NY Review: 'The Importance of Being Ernest' by David Sheward

Brian Bedford stages a near-perfect rendition of Oscar Wilde's whimsical classic and gives a pitch-perfect performance as Lady Bracknell without stooping to drag-queen excesses or even raisi…

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Dancing Fools by Erik Haagensen

This embarrassingly amateurish collection of three one-acts does violence to the reputation of its author, Renaissance man John Gruen.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Blurring the Line Between Onstage and Off by Tom Diriwachter

Burned out after a decade waiting tables, and thinking my playwriting career had peaked, I was finally determined to get a "real" job. Then I checked my voice mail.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Together for the Kids by Daniel Holloway

At a public hearing in New York City, production and labor representatives, agents, managers, and parents took turns bashing the Labor Department for a process they thought endangers New Yor…

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Despite Snowfall on Broadway, the Shows Go On

A winter blast dumping snow as it makes its way up the East Coast hasn't shuttered Broadway theaters.The Broadway League says it doesn't expect any closings Wednesday despite several inches …

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

The Importance of Being Ernest by Simi Horwitz

Speaking in his signature gravelly voice, Ernest  Borgnine is matter-of-fact about his achievements, still delighted and slightly awed that he has been able to make his living doing wha…

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

The Interminable Suicide of Gregory Church by David A. Rosenberg

Daniel Kitson's inventive and winning solo show centers on the massive correspondence of a lonely man contemplating suicide. But the replies postpone his date with the noose.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

NY Review: 'Blood From a Stone' by David Sheward

Despite admirable attempts at CPR by a valiant cast, director, and creative team, novice playwright Tommy Nohilly's calamitous family drama does not pull through.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Richard Skipper as 'Carol Channing' in Concert by Erik Haagensen

This cabaret act plunked down in an Off-Broadway theater has its charms but plays it awfully safe, settling for "pleasant" and "friendly" and failing to convey the excitement Carol Channing …

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

'Spider-Man' Beats 'Wicked' at Broadway Box Office

The Spider-Man musical has beaten the top-grossing show "Wicked" at the Broadway box office - but by only $58.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

'Fela!' is Being Readied for the Big Screen by Mark Kennedy

The frenetic musical biography of Nigerian musician and activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti will be broadcast across the globe this week from London.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑