The Tony Award-winning William Finn musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Beewill be profiled on the August 14th edition of Breakfast with the Arts. In addition, actor/director Bob Balaban will be interviewed. The show, which is hosted by Karina Huber, airs from 8 AM to 10 AM (check local listings).
The
episode will feature interviews with photojournalist/ filmmaker Gordon Parks (Shaft, Leadbelly) and Grammy Award-winning country music star Shelby Lynne, as well as segments on Richard Strauss' "Intermezzo" and the Benjamin Britten operetta Paul Bunyan.The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Beeopened at the Circle in the Square Theatre (235 W. 50th St.) on April 15th after a hit off-Broadway run. Nominated for 6 Tony Awards (including Best Musical), it won the 2005 Tony Award for Best Book (Rachel Sheinkin) and Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Dan Fogler). Directed by James Lapine, the show features music and lyrics by Finn; it also stars Celia Keenan Bolger, Jose Llana, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Deborah S. Craig, Sarah Saltzberg and Lisa Howard.Balaban is the director of the off-Broadway play Manuscript, which will close at the Daryl Roth Theatre on August 14th. He received a Tony nomination for his performance in 1979's The Inspector General, and has also appeared on Broadway in Plaza Suite, Some of My Best Friends and and Speed-the-Plow and off-Broadway in Romance, The Exonerated, Three Sisters and many more; he also directed Addicted at the Zipper Theatre. An accomplished film actor, he has appeared in A Mighty Wind, Gosford Park, Ghost World, Waiting for Guffman, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and many more.
For more information on Breakfast with the Arts, visit www.aetv.com.
