Jessica Lewis - Page 52

According to the Daily Beast, Julie Taymor has not received payments owed for her pervious participation on the Spider-Man project. Says Laura Penn, executive director of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society that represents Taymor, 'Julie was paid $125,000 five years ago. For nine years of work on this project that is all she has been paid...It's startling. People assume it's an $85 million production and she made $10 million or walked away with a settlement in the six figures. And it's just not true...One of the requirements we have from producers,' Penn continued, 'is that they provide us with statements of activities, things like box-office receipts and operating costs. And not only are they not paying her, they're not providing us with those statements. We have no information.'

San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre is now presenting Armistead Maupin and Jake Shear's TALES OF THE CITY, based on the novels. First serialized in The Chronicle, Armistead Maupin's bittersweet novel 'Tales of the City,' is set in San Francisco and consists of interlaced stories of dewy-eyed newcomers and dissolute social climbers, gay coming-out stories and paisley-clad hippies. The story captures the era of the mid-'70s in San Francisco, complete with disco and drugs, fern bars and pickup night at the Marina Safeway, as well as feelings of hope, heartbreak, innocence and laughter. Click below for an interview with the creators!

Rattlestick Playwrights Theater today announced its roster of plays for 2011-12, the award-winning company's 17th season. The all world-premiere season will feature new works by Dan Klores, Dael Orlandersmith, Daniel Talbott, José Rivera, David Adjmi and a play written by Academy-Award nominee Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network).

As Signature Theatre Company prepares for the January 2012 opening of their new Frank Gehry-designed home, Signature Center, they have launched a new video series featuring interviews with a wide array of playwrights, directors, actors, and others connected to the Theatre. Called 'Signature Stories,' the videos capture personal reminiscences about time spent at Signature and offer a 'behind the scenes' glimpse into the inner-workings of the Company. The first three multi-subject videos in the series have featured architect Frank Gehry and Signature alumni Ethan Hawke, Frankie Faison, Kate Mulgrew and more talking about the Company's new home, as well as past Signature Playwrights-in-Residence, actors, directors and designers reflecting on their artistic experiences at Signature.

SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark, the most ambitious production ever under­taken on Broadway with original direction by Julie Taymor and music by U2's Bono and The Edge, is currently in previews at the Foxwoods Theatre on West 43rd Street. After struggling to find its voice since beginning previews in the fall of 2010, director Philip William McKinley, writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, and choreographer Chase Brock were brought onto the creative team by lead producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris to help implement new staging, book rewrites, and additional choreography, respectively. The show is on track to open on June 14, 2011 after several delays. Yesterday, May 31, BroadwayWorld got some one-on-one time with McKinley, the newest captain of the SPIDER-MAN ship, entrusted with revamping Julie Taymor's original vision into the worldwide commercial success the team hopes the show will become. Speaking candidly, McKinley reveals the pros and cons of reworking the troubled project, his new approach, additions and changes audiences can expect, and why the cast has been the key to the show's longevity to date.

Theatre World Awards for Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut performances during the 2010-2011 theatrical season will be presented by former Theatre World Award winners, including: Tammy Blanchard (Gypsy, 2003), Gabriel Byrne (A Moon for the Misbegotten, 2000), Zoe Caldwell (Slapstick Tragedy, 1966), Billy Crudup (Arcadia, 1995), Blythe Danner (The Miser, 1969), Edie Falco (Side Man, 1998), Tovah Feldshuh (Yentl, 1976), Jonathan Groff (Spring Awakening, 2007), Rosemary Harris (The Climate of Eden, 1953), Kevin Kilner (The Glass Menagerie, 1995), and Andrea McArdle (Annie, 1977). There will also be performances by former Theatre World Award winners, including: Karen Akers (Nine, 1982), Ernestine Jackson (Raisin, 1974), and John Lloyd Young (Jersey Boys, 2006).

The City of New York and the United States Navy and Fleet Week Committee celebrated the 24th annual Fleet Week, last week through May 30, 2011. Fleet Week is America's premier tribute and 'thank you' to the men and women who serve in the armed forces. On Friday, May 27, cast members from current Broadway shows PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT, ANYTHING GOES, JERSEY BOYS, CHICAGO, MAMMA MIA and ROCK OF AGES performed for the troops. This year's festivities were hosted by Tony winner Gregory Jbara. BroadwayWorld was on hand to film the concert and brings you video highlights below!

Broadway Sings Tori: a Benefit for RAINN, will celebrate and support the work of the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network. The event will take place on Monday June 27th at 8pm at New World Stages, and will feature songs written by 10-time Grammy nominee Tori Amos, who was the first spokesperson for RAINN.

Jane Lynch can now add media mogel to her list of accomplishments. While News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch is out of the country, Lynch stepped in as his interim replacement at the D9 tech conference. Performing a routine in only the way the classically cynical Lynch can, she claimed that as interim CEO she would be cancelling the iPad paper 'The Daily' and adding a comics section to the Wall Street Journal. Sarah Palin, she also joked, would be guest-starring on GLEE. On Palin's participation she remarked, 'I'm pretty sure we got Sarah Palin to do a guest spot on Glee. She'll perform an original tune I penned: 'Look at Me, I'm Bats--t Crazy.'

In a new article out in Billboard today, country sweetheart Taylor Swift reveals that the insiration for her groundbreaking, genre-defying concerts is good old fashion live theater. She tells Billboard: 'The first time that I fell in love with performing is when I went to go see theater in my hometown in Pennsylvania...I would see it done incredibly well -- going to see Broadway plays of 'Wicked' -- things like that just really inspired me from an early age to love putting on a theatrical performance where there are storylines and characters, and you're always seeing a scene change into another scene. I love telling a story in any way possible.'

According to an audition notice, the musical revival of CARRIE will hold a development lab at MCC from May 25, 2011 through June 7, 2011. Stafford Arima will direct, Matt Williams will choreograph, and Mary Mitchell-Campell will musical direct.

ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL is a fairytale for grown-ups. This beguiling fable follows the low-born Helena, one of Shakespeare's most resourceful heroines, as she inventively surmounts obstacle after impossible obstacle in order to win the love of the aristocratic and haughty Count Bertram. See production photos from the Shakespeare in the Park festival below!

HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING, which opened Sunday, March 27, 2011, at Broadway's Al Hirschfeld Theatre, received a special visit from Broadway vet Neil Patrick Harris recently. The 2011 Tony Host popped backstage following the performance to congratulate the cast and BroadwayWorld brings you the photo op below!

The company of the first North American tour of WICKED will welcome Dee Roscioli as Elphaba on Tuesday, June 7 in Omaha, NE.

Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts and G-PASS have announced that due to a new initiative, 1.1 million New Yorkers and 56 million Americans with disabilities will have the opportunity to enjoy more Broadway shows than ever before. The Broadway Accessibility/Audience Expansion Initiative sets a new standard for collaboration between producers and accessibility specialists at all stages of production. The program kicks off with Broadway's Tony Award-nominated new musical, Catch Me If You Can, June 8, 2011.

Noel Coward's Private Lives, which played the West End's Vaudeville Theatre for a ten week season beginning in February 2010 starring Kim Cattrell and Matthew Macfadyen, will travel across the pond and open at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in September in a Mirvish production. Cattrall will also star in this production, which reportedly has an eye for Broadway. She will be joned in Toronto by Paul Gross. Richard Eyre will continue on as director.

Tristan Sturrock, recently seen on Broadway in BRIEF ENCOUNTER, has signed on to star opposite multi-platinum recording artist Deborah Cox, who previously starred on Broadway in AIDA, in the Broadway-bound musical JOSEPHINE, featuring music by three-time Grammy-nominee Steve Dorff, lyrics by Oscar and Golden Globe-nominee John Bettis, and book by Ellen Weston and Mark Hampton. Joey McKneely is set to direct and choreograph.

The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' production of Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman's FOLLIES opened on May 21, 2011 after previewing since May 7. The cast features two-time Tony winner Bernadette Peters as Sally Durant Plummer, four-time Tony nominee Jan Maxwell as Phyllis Rogers Stone, two-time Tony nominee Danny Burstein as Buddy Plummer, Ron Raines as Benjamin Stone and Olivier Award winner Elaine Paige as Carlotta Campion.

Goodspeed Musicals, the first two-time Tony Award winning theatre in the country, will breathe new life into the indelible American classic Show Boat. This heart-wrenching musical from the director who brought you Goodspeed's Camelot and 1776 will run from July 1 - September 11 at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Conn. Opening night is set for July 27, 2011. BroadwayWorld was on hand to meet the company this week and hear about the production from director Rob Ruggiero and more!

Facebook fans of THE BOOK OF MORMON can now listen to a free stream of the Broadway musical's newly released cast recording from Ghostlight Records. Visit THE BOOK OF MORMON on Facebook at facebook.com/TheBookOfMormonOnBroadway. The cast album stream can be found by clicking on 'Cast Album' in the left-hand column. Fans can listen to a stream of the cast album and share it with friends.