Charlie Piane - Page 202

ACCENT ON YOUTH's David Hyde Pierce and director Daniel Sullivan, were featured in the Arts & Leisure section of yesterday's New York Times. To read the full story, written by Matthew Gurewitsch, click here. In addition, Pierce is featured on the New York Times website. To hear the 'Audio Slideshow' produced by Erik Piepenburg, click here.

Starlight Theatre employees and volunteers surprised local high school theatre students and instructors today when they personally delivered and announced the nominations for the 2009 Blue Star Awards program.

Michael Praed will star as 'Captain Von Trapp' alongside Connie Fisher as 'Maria' in the National UK tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Ian and The Really Useful Group's smash hit production of the legendary Rodgers and Hammerstein musical 'THE SOUND OF MUSIC' opening at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff on 26 July 2009, where it will play until 29 August 2009 (Box Office: 08700 40 2000). Full tour details at www.thesoundofmusictour.com.

Singer-Impressionist Danny Gans, a staple on the Las Vegas Strip, has died at age 52. A cause of death is unknown, however a 911 call was placed at 3:44am stating Gans was 'having trouble breathing.' Gans had already passed away by the time paramedics arrived.

PBS will air Spike Lee's film adaptation of PASSING STRANGE in 2010. The film recently had its New York premiere when it played the Tribeca Film festival. Passing Strange will air as part of PBS' 'Great Performances'.

HBO Films' 'GREY GARDENS' will be released on dvd July 14, 2009. Based on the life stories of the eccentric aunt and first cousin of Jackie Kennedy, Grey Gardens tells the tender, intimate story of an eccentric mother and daughter (both named Edith Bouvier Beale aka 'Big and Little Edie') and stars Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange.

'OCTOMOM THE MU$ICAL' will begin performances in Los Angeles on June 19th at the Bang Studio. In a recent interview with Todayshow.com, OCTOMOM writer Christian Voltaire said that the title role is still open. 'We're looking for a great singer, pole dancer, and child-rearing comedienne,' says Voltaire. And it would help 'if they looked a little like Angelina Jolie.'

Hugh Jackman, Tony Award-winner and star of the upcoming film 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine,' will appear on the Oprah Winfrey Show this Friday, May 1st. Check local listings for more information.

Starlight Theatre officials are pleased to announce that Tom Bowser will be honored with the organization's 2009 Star Award. The Star Award, bestowed annually on an individual who has made significant contributions to Starlight and the greater Kansas City community, will be presented Saturday night, May 16, at the annual Starlight Theatre Benefit Gala.

The BMI Foundation, Inc. is proud to announce the publication of 'The BMI Workshop Songbook,' a piano/vocal folio featuring 20 new, never-before released songs written by members and alumni of the Tony-honored BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, including Robert Lopez (Avenue Q), Maury Yeston (Nine), Tom Kitt (Next To Normal), Michael John LaChiusa (The Wild Party, Giant), and many more. The songs were chosen for their appeal and usefulness for singers searching for fresh audition, cabaret, and concert material. In addition, Broadway's best and brightest performers, including Christine Ebersole, Neil Patrick Harris and Cheyenne Jackson, can be heard singing each featured title in the songbook on 'The BMI Workshop Songbook Podcast' at www.bmi.com/podcasts/songbook. The songbook is priced at $19.99, and can be purchased at the aforementioned website and Colony Music Center (1619 Broadway NYC).

In a repeated case of life imitating art (imitating life), the hit musical Louis & Keely: Live at the Sahara announces a second extension due to audience demand. The play, which was first extended through the last week of May, will now be extended for an additional five weeks. With lauded reviews from the local media and a near sweep of the highest honor at every major Los Angeles theater awards ceremony - Best Musical at the Ovation Awards, Best Production at the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards, Best Production at the Garland Awards and Musical of the Year at the LA Weekly Theater Awards - Louis & Keely: Live at the Sahara is playing in the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at the Geffen Playhouse until June 28, 2009.

Audiences at Neil LaBute's smash hit, reasons to be pretty, now have an unprecedented way to interact with the best new Broadway play of the season. Running counter to conventional wisdom, audiences are encouraged to turn ON their cell phones prior to the performance to participate in a social experiment by texting ?pretty' to a special phone number. They are then given the opportunity to rate themselves - and the person sitting next to them - on a scale of 1 to 10 (from Carrot Top to Angelina Jolie). Results from that performance's participants are texted back at intermission and are posted online. Check www.reasonstobepretty.com to find how last night's audience rated themselves... and each other.

Performance Network Theatre presents August Wilson's classic FENCES starring Lynch Travis (STOP KISS, WHITE PICKET FENCE) and directed by Tim Rhoze. The show began previews April 23 and runs through May 24, 2009. The cast also includes Sheila Slaughter, Julian Gant, Michael Joseph and James Bowen, who are all making their Performance Network debut.

Marcia Gay Harden, who is currently starring in Broadway's hot new comedy, GOD OF CARNAGE, is currently featured in the Toronto Star. Click here to read the article.

Cirque du Soleil will launch two new productions in New York City over the next two years, according to a new feature in the New York Times.

This production of the Tony Award® winning musical, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, offers a once in a lifetime opportunity to see Chaim Topol, the man who made the role of Tevye famous in the 1972 Oscar nominated film. Topol recently spoke with the St. Petersburg Times about the show and his 2,500+ performances as Tevye.

A revival of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC is headed for Broadway. The production will be directed by Tony Award-winner Trevor Nunn, and will utilize the creative team behind the recent London production, which opened at the Menier Chocolate Factory before transferring to the Garrick Theatre on December 3, 2008. The new Broadway revival 'rehearses in October 2009. Opens in December. Dates tentative,' according to a recent Equity casting announcement.

BroadwayWorld bring you the chance to win tickets to Eugene O'Neill's DESIRE UNDER THE ELMS. Direct from its critically acclaimed run at Chicago's prestigious Goodman Theatre, DESIRE UNDER THE ELMS is an experience you will not soon forget! This acclaimed production runs just 12 weeks on Broadway. 3 winners will be selected on May 15th, each receiving a pair of tickets to see the show!

The new Broadway musical-comedy, 9 To 5: The Musical starring four-time Emmy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Allison Janney, Stephanie J. Block, Megan Hilty, and two-time Tony Award nominee Marc Kudisch began preview performances on Tuesday, April 7, 2009 and will open Thursday, April 30, 2009, at the Marriott Marquis Theatre (1535 Broadway). The stars of 9 To 5: The Musical dish to the NY Daily News about their real-life boss horror stories and terrible work experiences.

Intrigue, innuendo and mistaken identities are stock and trade for French farce. Georges Feydeau's comic romp A Flea in Her Ear at Kansas City Repertory Theatre, May 15-June 7, brims with satire, hilarity and mischievous schemes, thanks to Tony-nominated director Gary Griffin and a new adaptation by David Ives that brings a fresh edge to the classic comedy.