Designed to provide theatergoers with an exclusive, behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of CHICAGO, "Talkback Tuesdays" Continued its series on Tuesday, December 9, 2008. The event featured a post-show conversation with five-time Tony Award-winning producer Barry Weissler.
Along with his wife, Fran, Barry Weissler's remarkable roster of Broadway producing credits includes Othello with James Earl Jones and Christopher Plummer, My One and Only with Tommy Tune, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with Kathleen Turner and Charles Durning, Gypsy with Tyne Daly, Fiddler on the Roof with Topol, Zorba with Anthony Quinn, My Fair Lady with Richard Chamberlain, the Tony-winning production of Falsettos and Grease! with stars including Rosie O'Donnell and Brooke Shields.
More recently, Weissler produced the Broadway productions of Seussical, the Tony-winning musical Annie Get Your Gun which starred Bernadette Peters and Reba McEntire, Wonderful Town with Donna Murphy and Brooke Shields and Sweet Charity with Christina Applegate.
In London, Weissler is currently producer of CHICAGO, which after 11 years continues to hold the record as the longest-running American musical in West End theatre history, and the UK premiere of Neil LaBute's Fat Pig.
Among the many new theatre projects Weissler is developing are two new musicals: The Band Wagon, based on the classic MGM film and Clueless, an adaptation of the hit 1995 Paramount movie.
The December talkback was moderated by Drew Hodges, CEO and Creative Director of the high-profile Broadway advertising agency SpotCo.
Now celebrating twelve glorious years of girls, glitz and glamour on the Great White Way, the record-breaking smash hit musical CHICAGO is currently the eighth longest-running production in Broadway history, as well as Broadway's longest-running musical revival...and it shows no sign of ever slowing down!
Currently playing at the Ambassador Theatre (219 W. 49th St.), CHICAGO stars two-time Tony Award nominee Charlotte d'Amboise as Roxie Hart, Tony Award nominee Brenda Braxton as Velma Kelly, Tony Award nominee Tom Hewitt as Billy Flynn, Raymond Bokhour as Amos Hart and Lavon Fisher-Wilson as Matron "Mama" Morton. Scott Davidson assumes the role of Amos Hart beginning Monday, December 8.
With a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, CHICAGO is the winner of six 1997 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Cast Recording.
Produced by Barry and Fran Weissler, CHICAGO is directed by Walter Bobbie and choreographed by Ann Reinking, and features set design by John Lee Beatty, costume design by William Ivey Long, lighting design by Ken Billington and sound design by Scott Lehrer. The production also features orchestrations by Ralph Burns, supervising music direction by Rob Fisher and music direction by Leslie Stifelman.
Visit www.ChicagoTheMusical.com for more information.
Photos by Peter James Zielinski
