Charlie Piane - Page 194

Obie and Lucille Lortel Award winner David Cromer returns to the central role of ?Stage Manager' in his critically-acclaimed staging of Thornton Wilder's timeless play Our Town on Friday 6/19 (to honor a prior commitment, Mr. Comer departed the company May 1st for a 5-week hiatus). Scott Parkinson, who assumed the role during his absence, gives his final performance June 18th. Mr. Cromer will continue in the role through August 16th and will make his Broadway directorial debut when rehearsals begin for the Broadway revival productions of Neil Simon's Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound, shortly thereafter.

bare will receive its Canadian premiere July 17 through August 1, presented by WatersEdge Productions. The show will appear at the Hart House Theatre in Toronto.

North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) officials announced today that the financially distressed theater has failed to raise $2 million in philanthropic commitments to fund a new business model and launch a 2009 season. Although more than $500,000 in pledges have been made since the theater announced a turn-around strategy in mid April, officials of the theater say that time has run out to raise the balance and move forward with its plans.

Tony Award winning actor Dick Van Dyke will release his memoirs in the fall of 2010, according to recent reports.

On June 30th, Hollywood Records will release 'Lost In Your Own Life', the new single from actress/singer Alexa Vega, star of the upcoming ABC Family series Ruby & the Rockits (premiering July 21 @ 8:30p).

Seats in the front two rows of the orchestra will be made available for $20 for every performance of RENT: The Broadway Tour, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical, at The Paramount Theatre. The $20 tickets go on sale at the box office, on the day of performance only, two hours prior to the show and are available to anyone, cash only, with a limit of two tickets per person.

THE FIRST WIVES CLUB is getting a new wife. For personal reasons, Adriane Lenox will not be a part of the musical production. Tony Award nominee Sheryl Lee Ralph has stepped in to the role of 'Elyse'.

Tony Award winner Beth Leavel will star as Miss Hannigan in The Muny's production of ANNIE. The show has subscription performances June 22 through 28, with additional performances June 29 and 30. All performances begin at 8:15pm. Ticket prices range from $9 - $66.

Shakespeare on the Sound, Connecticut's premier outdoor summer theatre company presenting free Shakespeare in the park, has announced that it will release a studio recording of the brand new, specially commissioned music by 2008 Tony Award-winning singer-songwriter Stew for Artistic Director Joanna Settle's inaugural production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. The recording is expected to have 15 tracks, featuring 5 all new songs by Stew. The CD will be available for pre-sale at all performances of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Release date is scheduled for July 21, 2009.

Sundance Institute has tapped Eric Rosen, artistic director of Kansas City Repertory Theatre, to direct Diagram of a Paper Airplane by Carlos Murillo for the 2009 Sundance Institute Theatre Lab, July 7-22, at the Sundance Resort in Utah.

Fox television series GLEE will have its series premiere September 16 at 9pm EST. The Ryan Murphy series had a special sneak preview on May 19.

Tony Award Winner Lin-Manuel Miranda is brought in as reinforcement during a rap battle in a new video by collegehumor.com. The video, 'Hardly Working: Rap Battle' also features the expert talents of Shockwave, members of Freestyle Love Supreme.

The Encores! Summer Stars production of The Wiz, starring Ashanti, LaChanze and Orlando Jones, will open on Thursday, June 18 at New York City Center. (Previews began June 12). Easing down the road with Ashanti's Dorothy will be Joshua Henry, James Monroe Iglehart, Christian Dante White, Tichina Arnold and Dawnn Lewis.

The Rock Tenor makes its debut this summer beginning July 8, starring vocalist Rob Evan (Broadway performer and lead singer for the multi-platinum band The Trans-Siberian Orchestra), who conceived the show with director Vincent Marini (former Producing Artistic Director of New Jersey's Lenape Regional Performing Arts Center) officially opens July 15 and closes August 23. The Rock Tenor fuses rock and roll anthems, Broadway classics, opera favorites, country rhythms and classical melodies in a unique performance that showcases these familiar works in a whole new light. The Rock Tenor will be performed at The Wilma Theater, located at 265 South Broad Street. Tickets are $25-$40 and are available at www.therocktenor.com or by phone at (215) 546-7824.

Dolly Parton, Marcia Gay Harden, Martha Plimpton and James Gandolfini are just a few of the Broadway stars who have signed boxing gloves or tags for breast cancer bears to help raise money to support The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.

'Britain's Got Talent' star Susan Boyle will return to the show's tour, beginning this evening. 'She had one rest day, but she will be back on stage tonight,' states a representative for Boyle, who insists the singer will continue through the rest of the tour, currently scheduled to play through early July.

Susan Boyle, 'Britain's Got Talent' runner-up and internet sensation, will not be performing in tonight's 'Britain's Got Talent' tour performance in Manchester. Representatives are spreading the word that Boyle's absence is merely 'one off rest day.' Boyle's exhaustion comes after 3 performances with the tour.

Tony Award winner Melba Moore ('Purlie') is the focus of an new episode of TV One documentary series, 'UnSung'. The episode Premieres Sunday, June 14 at 8 PM ET, repeating at 11 PM, as well as Thursday, June 18 at 10 PM, and Friday, June 19 at noon and midnight.

POISON singer, and reality tv star, Bret Michaels has issued his own response regarding his Tony Awards accident.

Tony award-winning performer Alan Cumming has been named an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) as part of the Queen's Birthday Honour List. Other comandees include Tony award winner Jonathan Pryce, who was named a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) and veteran Film and television actor Christopher Lee, who received a knighthood.