Weapons On Broadway 

BROADWAY MAGAZINE—Another London show is coming to Broadway this Spring, but it isn’t exactly what you might expect. Reports today that Robin Williams will be bringing his show Weapons Of Self-Destruction to the Neil Simon Theatre for a handful of dates at the end of April and early May. We thought this might arrive here in some form, after getting positive notices in the UK. Check out our coverage of that event here.

Ironically, Williams will be going up against Waiting For Godot, which he performed at Lincoln Center with Steve Martin some time ago. No word of extensions or a longer run yet for the Williams show. It will be the first time a Broadway star has competed against a past role since All My Sons’ John Lithgow competed against Shrek The Musical (Lithgow was in the film). Ticket info for Williams forthcoming…but you don’t have to wait for tickets for Godot.

No Rest For Equus Star

BROADWAY MAGAZINE – Broadway’s recent star Daniel Radcliffe completed his run in Equus having earned high-marks for his performance and his professionalism (in a season which gave us Jeremy Piven bowing out of Speed-The-Plow under questionable circumstances). Only 5 days after taking his final bow on Broadway, Radcliffe headed off to film the seventh Harry Potter movie.

Radcliffe took time to meet with Olympian Show Jumping Medalist Peter Leone backstage in the final days of Equus. It was Leone’s Lionshare Farm where the cast learned to become horses, though we hope Daniel did not learn how to actually blind horses at the farm. The hauntingly poetic horses of Broadway’s Equus helped make this production effective and highly memorable. In a season packed with strong revivals, Equus merits strong consideration for the Tony awards.

Leone shared that Radcliffe told him that Broadway audiences were even more invigorating than West End houses. While he enjoyed the stage, Daniel is also quite excited to return to film as well. Broadway fans can only hope that he’ll continue building a career in both theatre and film. He certainly proved that he has the talent and discipline to excel in both venues.

Special thanks to Sydney Todd and Candia Fisher for sharing the photograph with us.

See Brian D’Arcy James At Planet Hollywood and Win

Brian d’Arcy James is the man behind the costume that makes Shrek come to life on Broadway. Monday March 2nd, d’Arcy James will be making a special appearance on at New York’s famed Planet Hollywood in Times Square. He will be getting his hands imprinted in cement also also will be donating some memorabilia. Adding to the excitment, the 100th person to come and take a seat for dinner after 6:00pm at Planet Hollywood will win two tickets to see Shrek on Broadway.

Wow, What A Year

On February 15th, Broadway.tv celebrated its one year anniversary. Above is a profile of the video interviews we have done over the last year, and what an exciting year it has been. You can bet your boots that in 2009 we will continue to bring you the best written features from our Broadway Magazine team and you can rest assured that you can watch all the red carpet coverage and best Broadway video coverage right here. Stay tuned…

BROADWAY MAGAZINE – The new musical Story Of My Life, which opened on Friday closed on Sunday. The notices for the small cast show were negative to mixed. With new shows queuing up to find a Broadway home, there will surely be other shows to fill the Booth. Our best wishes to all involved in the production.

Eugene O’Neill Classic To Take Broadway Stage 

BROADWAY MAGAZINE – Great news for fans of great playwrights. Eugene O’Neill is joining the Broadway season with Desire Under The Elms. The production arrives fresh from Chicago (the city is known as the West End of The West because of its success in creating hit Broadway productions). In the Windy City, the show has been earning critical praise and building momentum. Did Rod Blagojevich see the show? We don’t know.

Starring Brian Dennehy, Pablo Schrieber, and Carla Gugino, Desire Under The Elms will have a limited Broadway run of 13 weeks starting on April 14^th. Official opening will be on April 27. With Beckett, Ionesco, Chekhov, Ibsen, August Wilson and Arthur Miller also part of this season, the arrival of Eugene O’Neill’s gem confirms that Broadway is in a fine way this season. It is always nice to see the great writer smiling.

Photo of Eugene O’Neill by Carl Van Vechten, courtesy of the Library of Congress.

BROADWAY MAGAZINE—He may not sing strongly. He may not dance well. Still, Jerry Springer brings something inimitably important when he takes the stage in the hit revival of Chicago in London—his celebrity. Only CHICAGO can generate the kind of appropriate celebrity meta-theatrical buzz and keep its integrity in tact. The musical has always been spot on in shining a comic light on our celebrity-driven culture, and Springer in London could well pack the houses. Our UK friends tell us he has a large British following. Either way, the pulse of CHICAGO is once more re-invigorated by bringing a non-Broadway celeb to the stage, and all that jazz. Congratulations on your continued genius, CHICAGO, and best to Mr. Springer.

Take Stat and Stat! 

BROADWAY MAGAZINE – The Broadway League has taken a close look at the Broadway audience. Their new survey of the Broadway audience is out, and though stats are consistent in some areas with previous studies, there are many interesting facts to note. 65% of the Broadway ticket buying audience is still tourists. Despite what some might say, Broadway does love tourists and the Broadway experience for many is the equivalent of seeing Graceland in Memphis, or the Taj Mahal in Agra (depending on your tastes). Also of note, 66% of the Broadway audience is female, and the average age of and audience member is 41.1.

That said, the new survey from the Broadway League notes that the past season saw the largest increase in audiences of teens and children, and though 75% of the Broadway audience was Caucasian, that marks a decrease and the reality is that the Broadway audience continues to grow more diverse. With all these statistics we are fairly sure that 100% of the people surveyed would prefer a 35% reduction on 95% of the items offered for sale during 73% of the intermissions on Broadway.

Speaking of Stats, here are the top Broadway ticket sellers from last week, also according to the Broadway League. Photo from South Pacific.

1. Wicked - Gershwin ($1,228,776 over 8 shows)
2. Billy Elliot: The Musical - Imperial ($1,054,838 over 8 shows)
3. The Lion King - Minskoff ($1,050,722 over 8 shows)
4. Jersey Boys - August Wilson ($991,452 over 8 shows)
5. In The Heights - Richard Rodgers ($907,262 over 9 shows)
6. Mamma Mia! - C/WGarden ($883,212 over 8 shows)
7. You’re Welcome America: A Final… - Cort ($846,507 over 8 shows)
8. South Pacific - Vivian Beaumont ($883,212 over 8 shows)
9. Mary Poppins - New Amsterdam ($784,126 over 8 shows)
10. Shrek the Musical - Broadway ($765,516 over 8 shows)

BROADWAY MAGAZINE – News tonight that another new show is headed to Broadway. According to the New York Times, “Next To Normal” will arrive March 27 at the Longacre for previews and open officially on April 15. The new musical focuses on a woman with bipolar disorder. The show found some success Off Broadway, and boasts a talented Broadway creative team, including director Michael Grief who knows a thing or two about bringing an Off Broadway show to Broadway. According to the New York Times, the show will close the balcony, reducing the size of the house from 1,100 to 820.

New York Magazine Cover-Boy

We caught up with Demetri Martin while at the premier of “You’re Welcome America” starring Will Ferrell. This is the first time we interviewed Martin and were not totally abreast of the humor he has become famous for. It was a real treat to then see Martin gracing the cover of New York Magazine. He was replaced this week with Kate Moss.

You can catch Demetri Martin Wednesdays at 10:30pm EST on Comedy Central.