Eddie Varley - Page 207

American Idol and Broadway HAIRSPRAY star Diana DeGarmo will star as 'Dorothy' in OZ THE MUSICAL, a contemporary musical treatment of the popular L. Frank Baum story 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,' the production will begin a Texas based tour in February 2009. The original musical was written by Plainview native Todrick D. Hall. Direction and choreography also are by Hall, who danced with Ballet Lubbock at age 9 under artistic director Yvonne Racz, and, more recently, appeared in the Broadway musical 'The Color Purple.'

Writer Lee Hall discusses creating the screenplay for the beloved film Billy Elliot, which he and Elton John adapted into a hit musical, now on Broadway. The program also features the USA television premiere of a highlight from the show's second act opening number, 'Merry Christmas, Mrs. Thatcher.'

Jeremy Piven has been talking mercury poisoning for the past number of days and he'll continue his toxicity talking points tour on tomorrow's GOOD MORNING AMERICA between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. Jeremy Piven claimed he was too sick with 'mercury poisoning' to show up for his Broadway show and abruptly left the production under a cloud of questions and mystery. In a Dec. 18 statement the play's producers gave a statement regarding the Piven exit, 'We have been advised by Jeremy Piven's medical representatives that he is seriously ill and is unable to fulfill his contractual obligation to Speed-the-Plow. Consequently, he has left the production ten weeks early.'

The 2009 Dolphin Show is a modern re-telling of L. Frank Baum's popular tale 'The Wizard of Oz.' The family show will be the 67th annual production by Northwestern University students. It is one of the largest student-produced musicals in the nation. Among the show's updates will be a 'Dorothy' who will be fashionably attired in a T-shirt and skirt rather than a gingham dress, and in place of demure ruby slippers, she will wear trendy red high-heels. Five performances of 'The Wizard of Oz' will be held at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23; 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24; 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 25; 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30; and 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31, at Cahn Auditorium, 600 Emerson St., on the University's Evanston campus. The show will feature the songs 'Over the Rainbow' and 'We're Off to See the Wizard,' among other classic favorites.

Immediate Medium presents the World Premiere of CHUCK.CHUCK.CHUCK., a collaborative, multi-media piece based on William Faulkner's classic novel As I Lay Dying, from February 10 - 28 at The Collapsable Hole, 146 Metropolitan Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. With text inspired by As I Lay Dying, CHUCK.CHUCK.CHUCK. is a collage of spoken word, video, music and dance. An investigation of dislocation, failure and loss, the piece follows the family members of Addie Bundren as they decide to leave their home to fulfill her dying wish - to be returned to her birthplace for burial. CHUCK.CHUCK.CHUCK. charts their arduous journey and examines crises of family and faith.

Grammy and Tony Award-winning composer Duncan Sheik talked to USA Today about his new CD, Whisper House in today's issue. The collection of songs was written for a forthcoming theatrical piece. Whisper House marks Sheik's first solo album since 2006's White Limousine and comes on the heels of the success of the Broadway musical Spring Awakening. On Whisper House, Sheik employs a narrative approach to songwriting, combining elements of the chamber pop that first brought him critical and commercial acclaim. Much like Spring Awakening, which the New York Times praised as a deft blend of straight-up rock, folk and melodic pop, Whisper House is just as much a pop record as it is a musical theatre composition.

Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth are keeping warm and busy as they participate in a closed reading of the musical THE ADDAMS FAMILY here in New York. Somewhere in Midtown the starry couple are showing each other much twisted love as they lead a collected cast of theatre heavyweights in the latest workshop for the Chicago bound musical based on Charles Addams' beloved (and feared) characters.

Complete casting has been announced for the upcoming concert presentation of the off-Broadway hit, Zanna Don't at the Theatre at St. Peters Church (619 Lexington Ave at 54th St.) for one night only on Tuesday, February 3rd at 7:30 PM. Tickets for the event are $50 and can be purchased at www.glsenstore.org, at the door or by calling Solonje Burnett, GLSEN Special Events Manager at 646.388.6589.

Producer David Binder announced today additional casting and the design team for the upcoming Broadway production of Mois?s Kaufman's 33 VARIATIONS starring Oscar & Emmy Award winning actress Jane Fonda.Rehearsals began for the cast including Jane Fonda (Katherine Brandt), Samantha Mathis (ClaraBrandt), Colin Hanks (Mike Clark), Zach Grenier (Beethoven), Don Amendolia (Anton Diabelli), Susan Kellerman (Dr. Gertie Ladenburger), Erik Steele (Anton Schindler) and Diane Walsh (Pianist).

Emmy winning actor Patrick McGoohanactor creator and star of the iconic cult classic television show 'The Prisoner,' has died. He passed away in Los Angeles and was 80 years old.

The Huffington Post reports that in a total reversal of years past, the list of starry Oscar night presenters will be kept a well guarded secret. Leslie Unger, a spokeswoman for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, says none of the superstar names will be announced before the February 22 telecast.

Business website 'paidContent.org' is reporting that Andrew Lloyd-Webber's Really Useful Group is developing a range of video games based on the musical impresario's stage shows. Really Useful reveals the website, has been speaking with half-a-dozen international game publishers, believed to include game titan EA, in the goal of developing titles over several years across consoles, PCs and mobile, as part of its aggressive multimedia expansion.

Lamont Dozier, part of the famous songwriting team Holland-Dozier-Holland who is writing the score for the Broadway-bound musical FIRST WIVES CLUB, recently sat down with Billboard to talk about Motown's 50th Anniversary and the upcoming FIRST WIVES CLUB which will premiere at The Old Globe in San Diego July through August 23, 2009.

The Huffington Post is reporting that Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson will make her first public appearance since the tragic killings of her mother, brother and nephew during the upcoming Super Bowl.

Current GRAMMY Award nominees Kenny Chesney, Coldplay, Jonas Brothers, Lil Wayne, and Katy Perry are the first performers announced for the 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards telecast. The music industry's premier event will take place live on Sunday, Feb. 8, at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 Surround Sound on the CBS Television Network from 8 - 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

Reuters is reporting that The Times Square Virgin Megastore will close down in April. The space was home to many theatre related events including several recent Broadway show cd signings.

St Stephen's, Hampstead, which has lain derelict for over thirty years, returns triumphantlyto life on 17 March 2009 when burgeoning young theatre company Antic Disposition commences an artistic residency and breathes new life into the building. Following its 4 million refurbishment, it will reopen with a Second Chances themed season, comprising The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Much Ado About Nothing and A Christmas Carol.

Oprah Winfrey may have earned the title of the 'most influential woman in the world' but that honor didn't impress John Patrick Shanley enough for him to give her the role of 'Mrs. Miller' in the film version of DOUBT.

The animated Pixar sci-fi romance 'WALL-E' took the top honor from the 10th annual Golden Tomato Awards. The award honors the best-reviewed films of the year as determined by the Web site RottenTomatoes.com, which compiles reviews from critics to measure the percentage of favorable critiques.

The 20th Annual GYPSY OF THE YEAR COMPETITION announced a total of $3,061,000 had been raised by the 63 participating Broadway, Off-Broadway, and National Tour companies to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.