NY Times Arts & Leisure Week with Mermaid, Poppins & Young Frankenstein

The New York Times 2008 Arts & Leisure Week will take place January 7 to 13.  The Times' annual signature event is now a seven-day international celebration of the arts that includes a wide range of activities, from interviews between journalists and their guests at TheTimesCenter in New York City, to special offers at cultural institutions around the world.

At TheTimesCenter (242 West 41st Street) The Times will host a series of TimesTalks discussions featuring an array of arts luminaries in conversation with Times critics, reporters and editors.  This year, headliners include Tony Award-winning actors Philip Bosco and Frances Sternhagen and Circle in the Square producer Theodore Mann, with Patricia Cohen, New York Times culture reporter; news anchor and best-selling author Tom Brokaw, with Rick Berke, assistant managing editor for news; music director of the Metropolitan Opera and the Boston Symphony Orchestra James Levine, with Anthony Tommasini, chief classical music critic; Pulitzer Prize-winning jazz composer and Jazz at Lincoln Center artistic director Wynton Marsalis with John Rockwell, a former Arts & Leisure editor; AMC's "Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner with cast members Jon Hamm and John Slaugherty, co-moderated by advertising columnist Stuart Elliott and book critic Janet Maslin; renowned dancer, choreographer and director Mark Morris, with culture reporter Daniel J. Wakin; the cast of Nickelodeon's highly acclaimed children's television series The Naked Brothers Band, with culture reporter Jacques Steinberg; prominent artist and filmmaker Julian Schnabel; president of Walt Disney Theatrical Productions Thomas Schumacher, with performances from Mary Poppins and The Little Mermaid; author, homemaking advocate and business magnate Martha Stewart, with food reporter Kim Severson; creators and cast members from Broadway's Young Frankenstein with culture reporter Campbell Robertson; Princeton professor of religion and African-American studies Cornel West, with Frank Rich, the Op-Ed columnist; Brooklyn-based best-selling authors including Paul Auster, Nicole Krauss and Rick Moody; and many others. 

The following TimesTalk Special Edition events will be of particular interest to theatre enthusiasts:

Tuesday, January 8
6:00 PM - 7:15 PM
PHILIP BOSCO, THEODORE MANN, Frances Sternhagen
New American Theater: Circle in the Square
Leading actors of one of the most successful New York theater companies join its producer to celebrate the history of Circle in the Square, as described in the new memoir, "Journeys in the Night." Interviewed by Patricia Cohen, New York Times culture reporter.

Sunday, January 13
10:00 AM - 11:15 AM
MARY POPPINS, THE LITTLE MERMAID, Thomas Schumacher
Behind the Scenes and On Stage - Talk with Performances by Ashley Brown, Henry Hodges, Lila Coogan and others.
Disney producer and author of "How Does the Show Go On?" reveals how a big Broadway musical gets to the stage, with performances by the stars of Mary Poppins and The Little Mermaid. Fun for children of all ages. Interviewer to be announced.

Sunday, January 13
8:00 PM - 9:15 PM
YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN STARS AND CREATIVES
Screen to Stage: It's Alive!
The talent on stage and behind the scenes of the new musical Young Frankenstein on creating a new Broadway musical. Interviewed by Campbell Robertson.

The above TimesTalk events take place at TheTimesCenter, a new performance space and cultural center located in The New York Times Building on 41st Street between 7th and 8th Avenues. For more information or to purchase advance tickets, which are $25 for each interview, please visit www.ArtsAndLeisureWeek.com.  (All TimesTalk events are subject to change.)

For consumers, Arts & Leisure Week will also include special offers at museums, theaters, restaurants and more throughout the week.  In order to take advantage of these offers, consumers will need the Arts & Leisure Week Access Pass, published in The New York Times, in the Sunday Magazine and posted on the Arts & Leisure Weekend Web site.  Details will be updated regularly at www.ArtsAndLeisureWeek.com.