Archives for: February 2009, 19
2/19/09 (updated 11:01PM EST)
By Andy Propst on Feb 19, 2009 | In Days Top News
LATE NIGHT ADDITIONS
New York Times ArtsBeat Blog
You're Welcome Again Broadway: Ferrell's 'Bush' Show Recoups
Will Ferrell's Broadway play, "You're Welcome America. A Final Night With George W Bush," has recouped its original investment of $2.09 million.
'Desire Under the Elms' Coming to Broadway
The Goodman Theater's production of Eugene O'Neill's "Desire Under the Elms," starring Brain Dennehy and Carla Gugino, will be transferring from Chicago to the St. James Theater.
Variety
Lincoln Center opens Tully Hall
Inaugural performances begin Sunday
Wagner's blockbuster opera hits L.A.
Ring Cycle's 'Das Rheingold' opens Saturday
Taylor Hicks reups with 'Grease'
Singing plays the role of Teen Angel
Andrea Nellis joins Public Theater
Daniel C. Smith named director of finance
Playbill
* MacDonald, Lind, Sandoval and Santiago to Star in Hudes' 26 Miles at Alliance Theatre
* Errico, Perez, White, Lewis, Panaro and More Join Broadway for a New America Benefit
TheaterMania
* Annette O'Toole and John Earl Jelks to Star in Goodman's Magnolia
* Sharon McNight's Songs to Offend Almost Everyone to Play Celebration Theatre
LATE AFTERNOON ADDITIONS
New York Times ArtsBeat Blog
Despite Turner's Injury, 'The Third Story' to Continue
Kathleen Turner, who injured her knee while offstage at Tuesday night's performance of "The Third Story," will return to the play, in a knee brace, at the Saturday matinee. ...
Time Out New York Upstaged Blog
Trick of the Day: David Schwartz
Magician David Schwartz has his way with a deck of cards.
Cleveland Plain Dealer On Stage Blog
Video: Theater Ninjas do Sarah Kane's Crave at Asterisk Gallery
Here's a kind of cool little video from Theater Ninjas about "Crave," which opens Friday and runs throuh March 8
Playbill
* Young, Bean, Harris, Locke, Rodriguez Set for S.T.A.G.E. Benefit Concerts Celebrating the Gershwins
TheaterMania
* John Caird's Daddy Long Legs Musical Part of Theatreworks' 2009-2010 Season
MID-AFTERNOON ADDITIONS
New York Times
Ask About Broadway
Ken Bloom and Frank Vlastnik, authors of "Broadway Musicals: The 101 Greatest Shows of All Time," will answer your questions about Broadway history and spring's new offerings.
Hartford Courant Behind the Curtain Blog
An Honor -- and Bucks -- to Two Playwrights We Like
Remember David Adjmi, whose anxiety attack of a play "The Evildoers" was one the best the shows of the year in Connecticut in 2008? Let me refresh you memory: One of the characters has her tongue bitten off in the second act. Ah, that's right!
Ka-ching for "Jersey Boys" at The Bushnell
Certain shows seem immune from box office traumas as the economy continues to gasp.
Star-Ledger Arts Blog
Young Brooklyn playwright brings her stuff to Jersey
Bekah Brunstetter's play, 'You May Go Now,' is the new dark comedy at Centenary Stage Company in Hackettstown.
Playbill
* Atlantic Stage 2 Will Be Home to World Premiere of Ayvazian's Make Me in May
* Norman Conquests Broadway Tickets to Go On Sale Feb. 22
* Gomez and Lucas to Star in Long Wharf's Old Man and the Sea
* NYC's Irish Rep Will Remember Late Hugh Leonard; Hughes, Murray Among Speakers
TheaterMania
* Lewis Black and Mark Linn-Baker to Star in Laundry Hour Reading
* London's Gate Theatre Announces 2009 Season
Broadway.com
Video: Eugene O'Neill's Mourning Becomes Electra enjoys a rare revival
DC Theatre Scene
B. Stanley Stars in Vincent
Longtime theatre fans will undoubtedly recognize the solo performer in Leonard Nimoy’s Vincent. It’s B. Stanley, head of the DC Arts Center, founder of Theatre du Jour, and the performance coffee house Jama Rama in the mid-80’s...
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Acting Out Blog
Paul Robeson Returns
Next Act Theatre produced a big hit last season with "An Interview With Paul Robeson," a new play it created about the life of the legendary African-American bass singer, actor, athlete and political activist. St. Paul (Minn.) actor and singer Paul A. Mabon, Sr. played the title character and sang several of Robeson's signature songs...
St. Louis Post-Dispatch Culture Club Blog
Missouri playwrights invited to compete
A playwrighting contest that has been open only to Illinois authors now seeks contributions from writers from Missouri and six other states. of patients
Bebe “Lilith” Neuwirth’s cabaret show is coming to the Sheldon
If you think that Bebe Neuwirth is merely Frasier’s coldly analytical ex-wife, you’re in for a shock.
The Guardian
What to say about ... Lenny Henry's Othello
He's better known for comic relief than lofty tragedy, so how does the funnyman fare as Shakespeare's Moor? There's no need to head north for Barrie Rutter's production – just rifle through the reviews
Whatsonstage.com
Legend Seeks Producer After Awards Showcase
In addition to big-number productions from current West End and Broadway musical hits, theatregoers attending Sunday’s Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Awards Concert at the Prince of Wales Theatre got a sneak-peek at several works in prog...
NOONTIME ADDITIONS
Reuters
Asia theater faces slowing funding, free tickets
Deteriorating economies and the threat of job losses are putting many Asians off the arts, forcing actors to work longer hours and theater companies to get more creative for the show to go on.
Playbill
* Broadway's American Plan Is Extended to March 22
* PS Classics and Nonesuch to Record Sondheim's Road Show Feb. 23
* Pisoni & Schmidt's Humor Abuse, a Circus Story, Begins at MTC Feb. 19
* Piven's Grievance Hearing Scheduled for Feb. 26
* Beowulf: A Thousand Years of Baggage to Play Abrons Arts Center; Casting Announced
TheaterMania
* Jane Fonda, Keith Olbermann, Sally Struthers, and More Join Defying Inequality Benefit
The Mirror up to Nature
On Theatre and Politics
Ideas
After the community board meeting, it occurred to me that the theatrical community in NYC has spent a fair amount of time identifying its challenges and debating the ins and outs of them. I think now the next step is ideas and action.
The Producer's Perspective
The results are in! Here is what YOU think will RECOUP this season!
Ok, my Virtual Broadway Investors, the contest is now officially closed! (Insert trumpets sounding the start of the race here).
MID-MORNING ADDITIONS
amNY New York City Theater
Broadway's Nathan Lane and Marc Shaiman Bid Conan Goodbye
New York Magazine Vulture Blog
Tom Cruise Is Back, Baby!
....A Pinch of Schreiber: Liev Schreiber is in talks to join Columbia Pictures’ Salt, the thriller starring Angelina Jolie as CIA agent Evelyn Salt, outed as a Russian spy and on the run to prove her innocence. Schreiber will play Jolie’s friendly boss.....
Playbill
* Miss Saigon's Bowman Will Sing Bond Tunes at Carnegie Hall
* Lugwig's Leading Ladies Makes Chicago-Area Debut Feb. 19
* Letterman to Welcome Sleepwalk With Me's Birbiglia Feb. 20
* Chichester Season to Feature Fiennes in Cyrano, Doyle-Directed Oklahoma! and Enron
* Carroll, Hale, Harland and Winter to Join Cast of London's Jersey Boys
TheaterMania
* Full Cast Set for Classic Stage Company's An Orestia
The Hub Review
Caryl Churchill's Seven Jewish Children: A Play for Gaza
Caryl Churchill, one of my favorite playwrights, has dropped another bomb, this time into the Israeli-Gaza conflict. Seven Jewish Children: A Play for Gaza premiered at the Royal Court just over a week ago (and was written only last month), but has already ignited the predictable storm of controversy.
Parabasis
Seven Jewish Children
This is probably the least important or interesting thing I could say about the play right now, but since it's also one that's getting lots of coverage let me just say it:
Performance Monkey
And the winner is... old-time sexism?
It's the time of rustling envelopes, awkward presentations and a deranged gush of thanks or gracelessness. Awards season reaches its Oscar apogee this weekend, while British theatre continues to scatter statuettes over the profession, leading up to the Olivier Awards ceremony on 8 March.
Stage Banter: The Arena Stage Blog
Sub/Text adds special "33 Variations" page
With 33 Variations starting previews on Broadway a lot of people have been trying to get more information about the show. And since we love providing the inside scoop, we created a special 33 Variations Sub/Text page ..
The Guardian Performing Arts Blog
Carrie Dunn:West End girl: Quadrophenia hits the road
The Who's rock opera is looking sharp for a six-month UK tour, while Oliver! and Hairspray set about recruiting new stars
The Stage UK
Carry On actress Laye dies at 74
London-born Laye made her name on the West End stage in the fifties in a series of revues before starring in Carry On Doctor, Carry On Cruising, Carry On Spying and Carry On Camping in the sixties.
The Stage UK - Blogs
Mark Shenton: Harnessing the power of the internet….
One of the hit songs in Avenue Q , of course, is “The Internet is for Porn”; but one of the things that has also been proved by this production is how much the power of the internet can...
THE DAY'S FIRST TOP STORIES
Bloomberg.com
Bono's $31 Million `Spider-Man' Delays Broadway Rehearsals, Opening Date
Spider-Man will have to wait a little longer for his Broadway debut because of production delays that have plagued the $31.3 million musical featuring songs by U2.
Wall Street Journal
Arts Organizations Turn to Him for Advice
A new consulting program at the Kennedy Center keeps Michael Kaiser and his staff busy.
New York Times
John McGlinn, 55, Restorer of Musicals, Is Dead
Mr. McGlinn was a conductor and musical historian who delved deep into neglected archives to recreate musicals in their original form.
New York Times ArtsBeat Blog
'Rock of Ages' Cast Parties On to Broadway
The coming Broadway transfer of "Rock of Ages," the improbably successful musical pieced together from power-chord ballads by Journey, Bon Jovi and other '80s-era bands, has announced its complete cast.
Playbill
* Baldwin, Dyer, McCann, Neumann and More to Star in CSC's An Oresteia
Philadelphia Inquirer
An upbeat Sondheim, offering answers
He has a new show, and a Q&A with an ex-critic.
Back Stage
Connecting Trains
An audacious casting decision lies at the heart of the world premiere of Leah's Train, Karen Hartman's play about three generations of Russian-American Jewish women: The entire company is Asian-American.
Broadway.com
Video: Aaron Lazar on the artful new Broadway play Impressionism
Time Out New York
Tricky treats
Adam Feldman reveals some of the city's best magicians and their tricks.
New York Magazine Vulture Blog
Shocking Ibsen Adaptations: A Brief Chronicle of Gimmickry
Playwright Henrik Ibsen built his career on shocking the bourgeoisie with extreme realism. More than a century later, it takes a lot more than nihilistic honesty to needle the audience — which is why slathering Ibsen in gimmickry has become a favorite sport of the avant-garde. ...
Reuters
U.S. festival spotlights Arab arts and humanity
More than 800 Arab artists from 22 countries will appear in Washington in the largest ever presentation of Arab arts in the United States, a three-week event that coincides with President Barack Obama's attempt to build better relations with the Muslim world.
Chicago Tribune
Brian Dennehy goes on with show after tumble
Minneapolis Star-Tribune
CTC's season takes a walk on 'Sesame Street'
The Children's Theatre Company's 2009-10 season will include a world-premiere musical based on the legendary PBS series
Time Out Chicago
Carolyn Defrin
The House Theatre mainstay stars in Rose and the Rime.
Miami Herald Drama Queen Blog
Divine decadence and lunch at the Caldwell
South Florida's busiest playwright, the multi-talented Michael McKeever, adds fundraiser star to his skill set on Tuesday, Feb. 24, when Boca Raton's Caldwell Theatre Company serves up a behind-the-scenes luncheon focused on its world premiere of McKeever's new work Dangerous.
Dallas Morning News Arts Blog
Circle Theatre announces season
Fort Worth's Circle Theatre announced today that it kicks off its 2009 season on March 19 with Yasmina Reza's Art. (Have to admit that it's not my favorite play.) Excerpts from the press release announcing the rest of the season continue after the break.
Los Angeles Times Culture Monster Blog
Kirk Douglas takes to the stage in his namesake theatre
Just over seven years ago, Center Theatre Group announced it had received a $2.5-million donation from actor Kirk Douglas and his wife, Anne, that would help bring to fruition then-artistic director Gordon Davidson's long-held dream of a mid-size stage on the Westside. The Culver Theatre, a historic landmark in downtown Culver City, was renovated and reopened in the fall of 2004 as the Kirk Douglas Theatre.
L.A. Weekly Stage Raw Blog
Stage Raw: Tartuffed
A culturally provocative misunderstanding occurred over the weekend during a preview performance of Josh Chamber's "re-envisioned" Tartuffe, opening on Saturday at Theatre
The Independent
What would Mammy say? Actor to play Al Jolson without blacking up
Producer rejects use of traditional make-up to avoid causing offence
The Guardian
The name's d'Eon. Chevalier d'Eon
He was an 18th-century spy who loved to cross-dress and swordfight. Who better to stage his life than Sylvie Guillem, Alexander McQueen, Russell Maliphant and Robert Lepage? They tell Judith Mackrell how they pulled it off
Whatsonstage.com
News: Fiennes, Glen, Nunn & Goold Head to Chichester
Start planning your trip to Chichester Festival this summer. Actors Joseph Fiennes (pictured), Iain Glen, Charlotte Emmerson, Leila Benn Harris, Natalie Casey, Stephanie Cole and directors Trevor Nunn, Howard Davies (both making their Chichester debu
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