Jessica Lewis - Page 196

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Signature Theatre Company Founding Artistic Director James Houghton and Related Companies Executive Vice President Bruce A .Beal Jr. today announced a $60 million partnership to create a new home for the theater company. The Frank Gehry-designed Signature Center will be part of Related Companies' $800 million, 59-story, residential building and hotel on 42nd Street and 10th Avenue in the heart of the theater district. The building will provide more than 800 new housing units, including more than 160 that will be targeted to low-income families. The performing arts center will feature three intimate and distinct theatres, rehearsal studios, a café, bookstore and administrative offices, and will allow Signature to more than double its audience, with anticipated attendance of more than 80,000.

The New York Times is reporting that Tony winner Jefferson Mays, Elisabeth Waterson, and Rocco Sisto will topline the cast in Theater for a New Audience's Measure for Measure. The production, which is being directed by Arin Arbus (who directed the theater company's Othello last season), will play the Duke on 42nd Street from February 6 - March 14. Opening night is February 14.

The New Theater of Denmark has acquired the rights one of the greatest musical successes on Broadway and in London's West End of all time: WICKED.

Weekend Movie Box Office Update: December 18 - December 20, 2009

As previously reported, actress Brittany Murphy died at the age of 32 yesterday, December 20, after going into full cardiac arrest early in the morning.

Lincoln Center Theater (under the direction of Andre Bishop, Artistic Director, and Bernard Gersten, Executive Producer) has announced that Kate Blumberg, Victoria Clark, Mary Beth Hurt, Rod McLachlan, Susan Pourfar, Will Rogers, Michael Siberry, Richard Topol and Henry Vick will be featured in the cast of its upcoming production of WHEN THE RAIN STOPS FALLING, a new play by Andrew Bovell, directed by David Cromer, which begins previews Thursday, February 11 at 8pm at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater (150 West 65 Street). Opening night for this American premiere of WHEN THE RAIN STOPS FALLING, which is being produced by arrangement with Jean Doumanian and Freddy DeMann, is Monday, March 8 at 6:45pm.

The nominees for the Chicago Film Critics Awards are out, and include some theatrical favorites including Carey Mulligan for An Education), Meryl Streep for Julia & Julia, and Michael Stuhlbarg for A Serious Man. Jason Reitman's 'Up in the Air' and Spike Jonze' 'Where the Wild Things Are' each scored six nominations including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions in association with Weinstein Live Entertainment, has announced, with Broadway In Chicago, casting for the Chicago production of Billy Elliot the Musical, beginning preview performances March 18, 2010 at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre (24 W. Randolph St.). Opening night is Sunday, April 11, 2010. The cast includes John Peter (J.P.) Viernes who joins the previously announced actors Tommy Batchelor, Giuseppe Bausilio and Cesar Corrales in the role of ‘Billy'.

The Toronto Star is reporting that Catch Me if You Can, the highly anticipated new Terrence McNally/Marc Shaiman musical, may be having it's out of town try out in Toronto before heading to Broadway.

Estimated Weekend Movie Box Office: December 18 - December 20, 2009

Multiple Grammy nominated singer/songwriter Jason Mraz and the renowned Broadway Inspirational Voices (B.I.V.) including Gavin Creel, Lucia Giannetta, Montego Glover, Celisse Henderson, Kimberly JaJuan, Lisa Lynne Mathis, Crystal Monee Hall, Danielle Lee Greaves, John Eric Parker, Eliseo Roman, Shayna Steele Cook and Chris Zelno, in addition to B.I.V. Director Michael McElroy will participate the True Colors Cabaret, a special event promoting LGBT equality at Feinstein's at Lowes Regency on Monday, December 21.

Producer John Breglio and the Apollo Theater Foundation, Inc. will bring Broadway uptown for four weeks only with Dreamgirls at the Apollo Theater, prior to the national tour of the new production of the groundbreaking musical. The national tour of Dreamgirls will kick-off at Harlem's legendary Apollo Theater (253 West 125 Street) beginning previews Saturday, November 7, 2009, and opening Sunday, November 22, 2009, for 4 weeks only, through Sunday December, 6, 2009.

After an extremely popular debut installment of Ragtime Talk Time, the producers of RAGTIME have announced additional upcoming talkbacks. On Tuesday, December 22nd Tony Award® winning playwright Terrence McNally and celebrated Director/Choreographer Marcia Milgrom Dodge will be featured. On Tuesday, January 5th Michael Kaiser, President of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, will be the guest.

The national tour of the musical adventure XANADU opens at the Orange County Performing Arts Center on December 15 and runs through December 27. This engagement is the only Southern California appearance scheduled on the national tour. XANADU is based on Universal Pictures' cult classic movie of the same title, which starred Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly. XANADU is being presented by producers Robert Ahrens, Dan Vickery, Mickey Liddell, Tara Smith/B. Swibel in association with Latitude Link.

Famed New York Times theater critics Ben Brantley and Charles Isherwood have revealed their top picks for 2009. The Norman Conquests and the Emperor Jones came out on top, making both lists. See below for their top ten recommendations.

Billboard's Top Cast Albums chart for week ending 12/19/2009.

Producers Shawn 'Jay-Z' Carter and Will & Jada Pinkett Smith announced today that beginning January 6, the new critically acclaimed Broadway musical Fela! will add Wednesday matinee performances to its weekly schedule and push back Sunday matinee times to 3pm. The new schedule, beginning Tuesday, January 5 will be as follows: Tuesday at 7pm, Wednesday at 2pm & 8pm, Thursday and Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm & 8pm and Sunday at 3pm (except Sunday, January 10 when curtain is 2pm).

After a successful run on Broadway this Fall in the Donmar Warehouse's production of Hamlet, it seems Jude Law wants more of the Great White Way. According to IMBD News, Jude Law would consider performing in an all singing/dancing musical.

Pasadena Playhouse announced casting today for their upcoming production of Lerner and Loewe's CAMELOT, featuring book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. Nine-time Emmy Award-winning director/writer/producer David Lee (co-creator of 'Frasier' and director of the Ovation Award-winning production of Can-Can at Pasadena Playhouse) directs a cast of eight in this timeless tale of passion, desire and betrayal. Based on 'The Once and Future King' by T.H. White, CAMELOT was originally directed and staged by Moss Hart on Broadway in 1960. The musical, which is the first production of the Playhouse's 2010 Season, will play January 8 - February 7, 2010 with the official press opening on Friday, January 15 at Pasadena Playhouse.

As previously reported, buzz has begun that the Cate Blanchett-led production of 'A Streetcar Named Desire,' now playing its final performances at BAM, may have a Broadway future. In a new report in the New York Times, Patrick Healy reports: 'Stephen C. Byrd, a theater producer who holds the rights to mount 'A Streetcar Named Desire' on Broadway, said in an interview that he would 'love' to transfer the critically acclaimed production now at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, starring Cate Blanchett, to Broadway in 2010.'