Producers Jeffrey Seller, Kevin McCollum and Allan S. Gordon have announced that the provocative, and stirring musical, Rent will be returning to the New York stage in an Off-Broadway production at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street) on July 14, with an official opening set for Thursday, August 11. Currently searching for cast members, the stars will be announced shortly.
Rent, written by Jonathan Larson, will be directed by Michael Greif, who directed the show’s original Off-Broadway and Broadway productions, and will be choreographed by Larry Keigwin.
Casting for this production begins immediately with open calls in New York on Friday, March 18, 11am-2pm at New World Stages, and in Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 30, 1:30pm-4:00pm at the Hollywood United Methodist Church (6817 Franklin Avenue). For more casting information and to enter an online auditions contest, please visit siteforrent.com.
David Hay’s new play, A Perfect Future will play its final performance at the Cherry Lane Theatre (38 Commerce Street) on March 6th. After beginning performances on February 4, and an official opening on February 17, the producers have announced that the production will close its doors early. Directed by Tony Award-nominee Wilson Milam, the four-member cast features Donna Bullock as Natalie, Scott Drummond as Mark, Daniel Oreskes as Elliot, and Michael T. Weiss as John.
Politics can split people apart. So what happens if you fall madly in love and marry a partner with the opposite political persuasion? A Perfect Future is set on the eve of a high society dinner party where power couple John and Natalie host Elliot, a radical, a friend from college. Mark, a straight-laced young many from John’s firm is also invited to the party. After a few too many bottles of wine, the group’s past and long buried secrets are shared allowing basic belief systems to be upended: forcing the group to come to terms with their true politics and behavior.
The cast of Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark will perform on CBS’s “The Late Show With David Letterman” this Tuesday, March 1st. The performance will feature the show’s Act I anthem, “Rise Above”, and will star Reeve Carney (Peter Parker/Spider-Man), Jennifer Damiano (Mary Jane Watson), and T.V. Carpio (Arachne).
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is the new Broadway musical featuring familiar stories as well as fresh new ideas based upon the Marvel comic book stories. It is directed by Julie Taymor, with original music from Bono and The Edge. The show follows the story of Peter Parker and the changes that quickly ensue in his life after being bitten by a genetically-altered spider. He discovers that he is now equipped with super human powers. However, he will soon realize that these great powers come with a great deal of responsibility.
Master actor, and current star of Driving Miss Daisy as Hoke Colburn, James Earl Jones will be returning to Broadway in the spring of 2012 in the revival of Gore Vidal’s The Best Man. He will star as the feisty, folksy and wily ex-U.S. President Arthur Hockstader in the production.
A play about power, ambition, political secrets and the race for the presidency, The Best Man will be directed by Michael Wilson, and will be arriving on Broadway just in time for the 2012 president’s race. The production will be first major revival since its critically acclaimed run in 2000, and will be produced by that same team–Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Michael B. Rothfeld (Eagle Productions), and Darren Bagert (Infinity Stages).
Jason Butler, Glenn Close, playwright Larry Kramer, and Joe Mantello attend the 25th Anniversary benefit, cred: Killian, WireImage.com
Producer Daryl Roth has announced that Larry Kramer’s play, The Normal Heart will have its Broadway premiere this spring for a limited 12-week engagement. Anything Goes star Joel Grey will direct the production, which will begin performances on Tuesday, April 19 at the John Golden Theatre (252 West 45th Street), and will open officially on Wednesday, April 27. Joining Ms. Roth as a producer is Paul Boskind. This production comes after the recent sold-out 25th Anniversary performance of The Normal Heart at the Walter Kerr Theatre, also directed by Grey.
Joe Mantello will return to the Broadway stage in the role of Ned Weeks for the first time since his Tony-nominated run in Angels in America (1993). Making her Broadway debut will be Emmy Award-winner Ellen Barkin as Dr. Emma Brookner. The cast will also feature John Benjamin Hickey as Felix Turner. Additional casting, along with the complete creative team will be announced shortly.
The Normal Heart focuses on the early years of the AIDS plague in New York and the criminal silence of America’s political and media powers in addressing the issue. First produced by Joseph Papp at The Public Theater. Still just as relevant today as it was when it first opened 25 years ago, it addresses issues including gay marriage, the healthcare system, and AIDS.
Talkbacks with distinguished community members will also be held immediately following Tuesday performances. The schedule of guests will be announced shortly.
This evening marks the first performance of the highly anticipated new musical by the creators of South Park, The Book of Mormon. With curtain at 8:00 at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre (230 West 49th Street),Trey Parker and Matt Stone along with co-creator of Avenue Q Robert Lopez will be sitting down to enjoy the beginning of their new Broadway venture.
The world premiere musical is choreographed and co-directed by Casey Nicholaw, and stars Josh Gad, Andrew Rannells, Nikki M. James, Rory O’Malley and Michael Potts. In a story about two young Mormon missionaries spreading the word of the Book of Mormon in a dangerous part of Uganda, the new musical is based on an American-born religion in a time when Mormonism is experiencing great growth.
Freud’s Last Session was only supposed to run for two weeks. Instead, the Off-Broadway hit is about to celebrate its 200th performance, making it the longest-running Off-Broadway play of the season. The play by Mark St. Germain opened in New York on July 22, 2010 and immediately began to attract sellout crowds. Due to a prior booking commitment at the theater, the play ran a limited engagement through November 28th, but by popular demand, Freud’s Last Session resumed performances on January 14th at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater (10 West 64th Street). Stars Mark H. Dold and Martin Rayner are continuing to attract a packed house under the direction of Tyler Marchant. The licensing and publishing rights have now even been picked up by the Dramatists Play Service, and it is currently being translated into Hebrew for a run in Israel.
With Europe facing the horrors of a Second World War, Freud’s Last Session speculates about the possible meeting of two of the greatest minds of the last century–Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis. During Freud’s last days he invites newly Christian and young Lewis to his study at Oxford. Freud has had a long and influential career, as Lewis is just on the cusp of his academic fame. Although the two seem like polar opposites in respect to their views on life and religion, the bond that forms in afternoon between these two men of intellect may just transcend their differences.
Chris Noth and Kiefer Sutherland, two of the stars of the Broadway revival of That Championship Season appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America yesterday. Check out the video of their visit to the morning talk show.
The Broadway revival of That Championship Season directed by Gregory Mosher revolves around a group of former high school basketball stars, and their return to the school for a reunion 20 years after winning the state championship. That Championship Season made its original debut at the Public Theater in May 1972, and in the 1973 season moved to Broadway and earned a Tony Award for Best Play. The revival will star Brian Cox, Jim Gaffigan, Chris Noth, Jason Patric, and Kiefer Sutherland. The 2011 revival began performances on Wednesday, February 9 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (242 West 54th Street) and is set to have an official opening on Sunday, March 6th. This is a limited engagement through Sunday, May 29, 2011.
The stars of the upcoming Broadway musical, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert joined forces with the It Gets Better Project to record a Public Service Announcement aimed at spreading the message that there is support for LGBT youth that are bullied, that everyone should stand up to hate and intolerance, and that it does indeed get better. Will Swenson, Tony Sheldon and Nick Adams appear, and encourage everyone to take the pledge to speak out against hate. The campaign will air exclusively on CBS 2.
Founder of the It Gets Better Project Dan Savage created a YouTube video with his partner Terry Miller in September 2010 in response to a number of students taking their own lives after being bullied in school due to their sexual orientation. He shares, “The It Gets Better Project is thrilled to be partnering with Priscilla on our very first PSA. We’ve been honored and humbled by the theatre community’s commitment to standing up for tolerance and lending their voices to this vital cause. The show Priscilla could not be a better fit, thematically, with the message of it It Gets Better Project.”
The Priscilla partnership will also include a series of events to support the It Gets Better Project at the Palace Theatre this spring, further spreading the message of hope and tolerance to LGBT youth.
If it seems like you’ve been seeing and hearing John Leguizamo all over, it’s because you probably have been. The star of the one-man Broadway show, Ghetto Klown, currently in previews at the Lyceum Theatre has been keeping very busy promoting the show, and giving the American public a laugh. In fact, you have the chance to watch, hear and read all about Leguizamo.This holiday weekend, John was a guest on the wildly popular National Public Radio’s oddly informative news quiz, Wait! Wait! Don’t Tell Me!, was featured in The New York Daily News, and on Good Day New York.
This hilarious one-man show starring John Leguizamo takes audiences on a journey through Leguizamo’s adolescent memories in Queens to his days acting in the 80s avant-garde scene all the way through his most memorable moments on screen. This uncensored and uninhibited performance will be in the same trademark style as his previous one-man shows Mambo Mouth, Spic-O-Rama, Freak, and Sexaholix…a Love Story. This play may not be appropriate for children, but certainly makes for a comedy-filled night out for adults, so call a babysitter and get your tickets early.
