Jessica Lewis - Page 249

Columbia Records has announced the release of A Cherry Cherry Christmas, the new Neil Diamond holiday collection, available in stores and online Tuesday, October 13.

On Tuesday, October 13 Kelli O'Hara returns to the role of Ensign Nellie Forbush in Lincoln Center Theater's Tony Award winning production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's SOUTH PACIFIC, directed by Bartlett Sher, at the Vivian Beaumont Theater.

Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize winning play, Ruined, has become available in hardcover and paperback from Theatre Communications Group (TCG).

In yet another example of a theater enterprise that managed to stay above the economic fray, the Donmar Warehouse (producer of the current Broadway production of Hamlet starring Jude Law) announced that its yearlong West End season at the 750-seat Wyndham's Theater played to 98% of capacity.

WEST SIDE STORY producers announced today the recoupment of the show's $14 million investment after running only 30 Weeks (247 performances). The smash hit revival opened on Broadway Thursday, March 19, 2009 and began previews Monday, February 23, 2009 at the Palace Theatre, where it holds the house record for highest weekly gross. A national tour of this production of WEST SIDE STORY will begin in the fall of 2010.

The much anticipated world premiere of Two Unrelated Plays By David Mamet: Keep Your Pantheon and School (a double bill of two one acts by Mamet) happens tonight at the Atlantic Theater Company.

Tonya Pinkins and Erika Rolfsrud officially open Washington D.C.'s Ford Theatre season tonight with Black Pearl Sings!, writen by Frank Higgins and directed by Jennifer L. Nelson. The show began previews on September 25 and will run through October 18, 2009.

The coda to the Laramie Project, The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later, will premiere at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall on October 12, the anniversary of Matthew Shepard's death on which the play is based. As part of the opening event, stage and screen star Glenn Close will host a pre-show that will be webcast to over 150 theaters nationwide that will also be presenting this sequel piece.

Broadway's landmark musical THE LION KING has welcomed new cast members ALPHONSO ROMERO JONES II and Marquis Kofi Rodriguez ('Young Simba,) and SHEREEN PIMENTEL and SHANNON SKYE TAVAREZ ('Young Nala) to the company. Rodriguez and Pimentel made their Broadway debuts last night, September 29. Tavarez will make her Broadway debut tonight, September 30 and Jones will make his Broadway debut on tomorrow, October 1. Produced by Thomas Schumacher of Disney Theatrical Productions, THE LION KING officially opened on November 13, 1997 at the New Amsterdam Theatre. The production moved in its entirety, including all 52-cast members and the entire 24-member orchestra, from the New Amsterdam Theatre on June 4, 2006, and began performances nine days later at its current home, the Minskoff Theatre on June 13, 2006. The move followed the completion of custom renovations to accommodate the Tony Award-winning production.

As the world now knows, Hugh Jackman was not a happy camper when an audience member's cell phone rang twice during last Wednesday's performance and let the whole house know as much. Stopping the performance, though still in character, Jackman berated the theatergoer: 'You wanna get that? You wanna get that? Grab it, I don't care,' opening up a watershed of commentary on talk shows and blogs alike about theater etiquette on-stage and off.

Once the artistic director of two of the most well respected theater institutions in the world, The Royal Shakespeare Company and The National Thatre in the U.K., Trevor Nunn branched out on his own in 2003 to direct several highly successful shows abroad. With the opening of his newest undertaking, a production of Inherit The Wind at The Old Vic starring Kevin Spacey and David Troughton, the famed director talks with the TimesOnline about the experience of directing the timeless play and being a free agent.

The Shakespeare Theatre Company will stage its 150th production of Ben Jonson's The Alchemist to open its 2009-2010 on October 6. The production will run through November 22. Michael Kahn will direct.

RISK!, a new stage show created by The States Kevin Allison will play Joe's Pub on October 14. The unique concept show will showcase creative people telling true stories in risky ways, talking about taking risks, and taking on risky subjects.

Whatsostage.com is reporting that Morecambe, the award-winning solo show in which Bob Golding portrays the late comedian Eric Morecambe, will play the West End's Duchess Theatre for a six-week run beginning Deccember 9. The show is penned by Tim Whitnall and directed by Guy Masterson.

As previously reported, RGA Productions will present Frankenstein, A Rock Musical Concert telling the iconic Mary Shelley tale on Halloween night at the Highline Ballroom. The concert will feature a grand rock style that evokes the sound of Pink Floyd, Evanescense, Alan Parsons Projects, Metallica, Stravinsky & Bartok. Celina Carjaval (Toxic Avenger, Tarzan, Dracula, 42nd Street, Cats) has been confirmed to join the star-studded cast.

Matthew Broderick and Kenneth Lonergan have been friends since high school. They worked together before on the film You Can Count on Me, which Lonergan wrote. A high school trip to the Hayden Planetarium is the inspiration for Lonergan's new play, The Starry Messenger, about to open Off-Broadway at The New Group and starring Broderick. The two talk about their friendship and their first stage collaboration tonight at the 92nd Street Y.

Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the producers behind the blockbuster smashes of 'Chicago' and 'Hairspray' on the big screen are hard at work on two new hour-long television series for Fox and NBC, respectively.

It seems Kristin Chenoweth's appeal for work during her Emmy-winning speech worked: the star will be appearing tonight on the country's new guilty pleasure, 'Glee' at 9:00pm EST.

Broadway's Rush, Lottery & Standing Room Only Ticketing Policies: September 29, 2009

Richard E. Waits, who most recently starred in The First Wives Club at The Old Globe will perform excerpts from his solo musical autobiography Re-invent(i)on tomorrow, Sept. 30 at Foreign Affairs in The Night Hotel in Manhattan. Waits will perform two shows, one at 9pm and one at 10pm.