AmericanTheaterWeb Original News & Reviews

Women's Project will launch its 2008-2009 season in September with Aliens with Extraordinary Skills, a world premiere dark comedy about emigres who need both love and a green card by a celebrated Romanian poet, journalist and playwright Saviana Stanescu. "Aliens" will be directed by award-winning theater artist and Bosnian emigre Tea Alagic and will run September 22 though October 26 at Women's Project, 424 West 55th Street.

"Aliens" centers on a clown from the unhappiest country in the world, Moldova, who pins her hopes on a US work visa by creating balloon animals. Chased by Homeland Security, a deportation letter deflates her enthusiasm, and a pair of spike heels might be all it takes to burst her American Dream.

The theater's season will continue in the spring with the only play written by one of the greatest women writers in history, Virginia Woolf, Freshwater. Written in 1923, revised in 1935, and never produced professionally in the United States, Woolf's play creates a deliberately witty and wacky universe peopled with a tribe of artists, friends and lovers in a playful mood. Legendary director Anne Bogart will direct this theatrical escapade set in a Victorian garden on a summer evening. Freshwater will run January 15 through February 15.

In addition to these two productions, the Women's Project will offer a site-specific production in May 2009 entitled Global Cooling: The Women Chill. THe piece will be performed at an indoor public space to be announced and is a follow-up on the theater's previous site-specific offerings, Girls Just Wanna Have Fund$ (2007) and Corporate Carnival (2008) in lower Manhattan.

For further information, visit: www.WomensProject.org

Angels The Musical, which was recently announced for the current 2008-2009 Broadway season, has cancelled its engagement in Shreveport, LA, it was announced today by the show's producers.

Due to technical requirements, the production will not be able to open its planned Louisiana engagement on August 29 at The Strand Theatre. The cancellation in Louisiana does not, according to press materials, affect the plans for a Broadway engagement of the show.

"We are very disappointed to not be able to debut "Angels" in Shreveport as planned," said producer Marcus Cheong. ""Angels" is a very complex production with specific needs and, of course, can only be performed when absolutely ready."

He added, "Everyone at The Strand and the wonderful people of Shreveport have been very warm and supportive, and we hope to eventually play that legendary theater.”

"Angels" tells the story of the ancient war between the Angels and Lucifer’s fallen minions. This timeless tale of good versus evil, hope versus despair—angels vs. demons—is told through the eyes of Sera, the Angel of Light. Though she is gifted with the power to control light, she aspires to a more heroic role. Her ambition is manipulated by Lucifer, which results in tragic consequences to the Angels and the humans they protect. Sera must find the courage and power to defeat her nemesis.

www.angelsthemusical.com

The swinging ‘60’s meet Broadway when Robin and the 7 Hoods, a brand new musical comedy, opens in New York during the 2009-10 season, it was announced today by the show’s producers (Bruce Charet, Dennis Mastro, Dennis Farina, Billy Campbell; Barry Brown, executive producer).

The production will feature a book by Peter Ackerman, a score by Sammy Cahn and James Van Heusen and will be directed and choreographed by multi-Tony Award-nominee Casey Nicholaw (The Drowsy Chaperone).

Robin and the 7 Hoods will celebrate songs by the iconic Sammy Cahn & James Van Heusen whose body of work is one of the true treasures of the Great American Songbook. Songs such as “My Kind of Town,” “Come Fly with Me,” “Call Me Irresponsible,” “All The Way” and many more will comprise the musical’s score.

A re-thinking of the classic 1964 Warner Brothers film of the same name, Robin and the 7 Hoods will shine a Broadway light on that sexy era in pop culture that ushered in the 1960’s and whose hold remains firm on the American psyche – where James Bond reigned supreme, martinis flowed freely, and Sinatra and Martin ruled the night.

Producer Charet said, “The intersection of the sexual revolution and the Camelot years will come to life every night on our stage. That moment in time, which personifies “cool” is at the heart of our show and, thankfully, we have the wonderful songs by Cahn and Van Heusen which so eloquently express all that make that period unique.”

Robin and the 7 Hoods will feature musical supervision by John McDaniel, costume design by Tony Award-winner Gregg Barnes, lighting design by Tony Award-winner Natasha Katz, hair and wig design by Josh Marquette and casting by Tara Rubin. Ken Denison/Aruba Productions is General Manager.

Casting and additional Robin and the 7 Hoods news will be announced soon.

Daily Telegraph

50 years of West Side Story
Impossible rhythms, lack of money, a show full of 'hatefulness and ugliness'... the musical to end all musicals, which opened in britain in 1958, had a difficult birth. Here, the original cast give Horatia Harrod the inside story.

50 years of West Side Story: the story continues...
The tragedy of Tony and Maria is about to unfold once more - in a spectacular anniversary production at Sadler's Wells. Exclusive photographs by Stefanie Grätz.

50 years of West Side Story: the real Gangs of New York
'All you had was this pride in being bad …' New York in the Fifties was terrorised by real-life Jets and Sharks at permanent war, with running battles involving chains, clubs and guns. There was little to sing about, as Paul Kendall reports.

The Guardian

In praise of ... West Side Story
Jul 22 2008: Editorial: Long before Mamma Mia there was West Side Story. Now, 50 years on, many people's all-time favourite stage musical is back

The Independent

Is it time West Side Story got a 21st-century makeover?

The Award-winning Keen Company will open its 2008 – 2009 Season with a revival of the 1952 Tony Award-winning Best Play The Fourposter by Jan de Hartog. This classic piece about marriage and all of the emotions, hurdles and joys that come with it, will be directed by Blake Lawrence, and run from October 7 – November 22.

Just in time for the holidays, Keen Company Artistic Director Carl Forsman will helm the perfect family treat: Beasley’s Christmas Party by Booth Tarkington, which tells the story of a curious journalist and his extremely unusual next door neighbors. This production, the company’s first holiday offering, runs December 2 – January 3.

Capping off Keen Company’s ninth season will be the New York premiere of Tom Stoppard’s translation of Heroes, by Gérald Sibleyras. Winner of the 2006 Olivier Award for London’s Best Comedy, Heroes lets the audience in on the plotting of a new assault by three World War I vets living in a veterans home – a trip to a stand of trees in the distance. Directed by Forsman, this production will run February 24 – April 11.

The 2008-2009 Season will also include the return of Keens Teens. An educational partnership between Keen Company and Playscripts, Inc., Keen Teens commissions emerging playwrights to pen world premiere scripts which are then performed by high school-age actors.

All main-stage productions will be presented at Keen Company @ Theatre Row / The Clurman Theater (410 West 42nd Street). Keen Teens will take place at The Kirk Theater, also at Theatre Row.

Tickets for the 2008-2009 Season are available at www.TicketCentral.com. For more information, visit www.KeenCompany.org