Strallen and Waddingham to go INTO THE WOODS in London?February 3, 2010According to a report in What's On Stage, British actors Hannah Waddingham and Scarlett Strallen are in talks to play the Witch and Cinderella, respectively, in the Open Air Theatre's upcoming revival of Stephen Sondheim's INTO THE WOODS.
Actors Theatre of Louisville Hosts Humana Festival, 2/21-3/28February 3, 2010Actors Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival of New American Plays is an annual site of pilgrimage where theatre lovers from around the world converge to get the first look at the future of the American theatre. More than 400 plays have been produced in the internationally acclaimed Humana Festival, representing the work of more than 200 playwrights.
Tilles March Calendar Includes Molaskey, PORGY AND BESS et al. February 3, 2010The Tilles Center for the Performing Arts has announced their March calendar schedule. Performers scheduled for the Tilles Center include Garrison Keillor (March 9), Bryan Adams (March 20), Jessica Molaskey (March 27), and a performance of Gershwin's PORGY AND BESS (March 26).
Oprah to Film Documentary on Final Season of The Oprah Winfrey ShowFebruary 2, 2010According to The New York Times, when the Oprah Winfrey Network cable channel debuts in January 2011, viewers can expect a double dose of Orpah Winfrey herself. At that time she will still be hosting her syndicated talk show, The Oprah Winfrey show, and she will also be appearing on OWN in 'Behind the Scenes: Oprah's 25th Season,' which will document the behind the scenes life of her talk show. Due to contract details, Oprah was prohibited from appearing on OWN in a manner similar to her syndicated talk show until it goes off the air in the previously announced date of September 9, 2011, so this is OWN's solution to that problem.
David Furnish Talks NEXT FALL with the New York TimesFebruary 2, 2010As previously reported, Elton John & David Furnish have joined the producing team of NEXT FALL, the new American play by Geoffrey Nauffts and directed by Sheryl Kaller. NEXT FALL opens on Broadway on Thursday, March 11, 2010 with preview performances beginning Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at the Helen Hayes Theatre.
Hugh Jackman Rumored to Star in 'Snow Flower and the Secret Fan' FlickFebruary 2, 2010According to a report that originated in the Shanghai-based Oriental Morning Post, Hugh Jackman will star in Wayne Wang's 'Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.' The Post also reported that Li Bingbing has replaced Zhang Ziyi in the film. Also starring is Joen Ji-Hyun. Jackman is expected to begin filming in mid-February in a studio near Shanghai.
St. Ann's Warehouse Presents A LIFE IN THREE ACTS, 3/4-28February 2, 2010Mark Ravenhill and Bette Bourne's two man play, 'A Life in Three Acts' comes to St. Ann's Warehouse in March for a limited run. The play will run March 4 through the 28. This month (February 8-27) the show is playing at SoHo Theatre in London. Ticket information is forthcoming.
Hudson, Streisand, Jackson & More Begin Recording 'We are the World' Haiti Tribute February 2, 2010Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie have begun work on the latest all-star recording of We Are the World to benefit Haitian earthquake victims. The pair assembled 100 actors and musicians for the re-recording, which ET's Mary Hart, who was grated access to the recording, calls 'phenomenal again.' She reported that some filming of the even was done in 3-D.
West End 2009 Season Topples Multiple RecordsJanuary 27, 2010The Society of London Theaters released figures today revealing 2009 was an extremely strong year for West End theater as it broke both box office and attendance records, according to a report in Variety. Attendance was up 5.5% from 2008 with a total of over 14 million, which in turn put the rise in box office profits at a 7.6% rate of increase from 2008.
Bryan Batt Says Farewell to 'Mad Men'January 27, 2010Theatre veteran Bryan Batt, who has portrayed closeted art director Sal Romano for Mad Men's first three seasons, will not be returning for the fourth season. After his character was fired primarily for his sexuality, Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner told New York Magazine: 'We don't murder people on our show, but for there to be any stakes, there have to be consequences ... I know how people felt about Bryan. I obviously love working with him, and he has been an indelible character since the pilot. But I felt it was an expression of the times that he couldn't work there anymore. It's the ultimate case of sexual harassment.'
GLEE: The Music Volumes 1 & 2 Go GoldJanuary 27, 2010It's no surprise that FOX's powerhouse new hit GLEE's soundtracks are popular, and Columbia Records have confirmed just how popular they are: both soundtracks (Glee: The Music, Volume 1, and Volume 2) released last fall have been certified Gold by RIAA for sales in excess of 500,000 units. Volume 1 entered the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart at #4 in its debut week, and Volume 2 debuted at #3. Both volumes continue to be in the top 20 best selling albums this week. GLEE is selling extremely well in digital sales as well: over 4 million songs from GLEE have been downloaded - and that's just since last May.
F. Murray Abraham Featured in YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU Reading, 2/8January 27, 2010Mark Lamos will stage a reading of You Can't Take It With You for The Acting Compay at Playwrights Horizons on Monday, February 8th at 7pm. The cast for the reading, headed by Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham, also features Matt Amednt, Casey Biggs, Patricia Conolly, Stephen DeRosa, Harriet Harris, Pamela Hyberg, Angela Pierce, David Schramm, and Andrew Weems.
Donmar's STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE Wins South Bank Show Award; First Winners AnnouncedJanuary 26, 2010It was announced today that the Donmar Warehouse production of A Streetcar Named Desire won the Theatre Award at the final South Bank Show Awards. The production ran from August to October 2009 with a cast including Jack Ashton, Elliot Cowan, Charles Daish, Judy Hepburn, Barnaby Kay, Gary Milner, Daniela Nardini, Luke Rutherford, Rachel Weisz, and Ruth Wilson.
Interactive ABBAWORLD Opens Today in London at Earls Court, 1/26January 26, 2010Fully approved and supported by ABBA, ABBAWORLD opens today, January 26, in London at Earls Court. The hugely interactive experience will take visitors on a journey through ABBAWORLD'S 25 rooms, with exclusive music, footage, images and never-before-displayed memorabilia from the personal collections of pop icons; Agnetha, Benny, Björn and Frida.