Tag: Press Release

Neil Simon revivals in rep this fall

If you missed the chance to take in a day of The Norman Conquests, you’ll be able to experience another special event this fall when two of Neil Simon’s most popular plays of the 1980s are revived in repertory this fall at the Nederlander Theatre. There will be opportunities to take in both shows in one day after both shows are up and running.

Tickets go on sale on Friday, August 7 for The Neil Simon Plays, new productions of Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound. Specially priced preview tickets for $50-$35 (not including Saturday evening performances) will be available for both plays if ordered by September 6. Regular priced tickets are $100-$65. Tickets will be available at www.Ticketmaster.com.

The first Broadway revivals of two of Simon’s beloved semi-autobiographical “Eugene Jerome” plays will be directed by David Cromer (Our Town) and will play the beautifully restored Nederlander Theatre (208 West 41st Street).

Brighton Beach Memoirs begins previews on Friday, October 2 and opens on Sunday, October 25. Broadway Bound begins previews on Wednesday, November 18 and opens Thursday, December 10. Starting on November 18, the two plays will be performed in repertory on a varied schedule.

Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound were two of the longest running Broadway plays of the 1980s. The works ushered in a new era of appreciation for Neil Simon, with praise for the playwright’s hilarious and poignant account of his adolescence, early career and family life in New York in the 1930s and 1940s.

Brighton Beach Memoirs originally opened on March 27, 1983 at the Alvin Theatre and played for 1,299 performances. (During the run of Brighton Beach Memoirs, the Alvin Theatre was renamed The Neil Simon Theatre). Broadway Bound opened on December 4, 1986 at the Broadhurst Theatre, where it played for 756 performances.

Brighton Beach Memoirs stars Laurie Metcalf (Kate Jerome) and Dennis Boutsikaris (Jack Jerome) with Santino Fontana (Stanley Jerome), Jessica Hecht (Blanche), Gracie Bea Lawrence (Laurie), Noah Robbins (Eugene Jerome) and Alexandra Socha (Nora).

Broadway Bound stars Laurie Metcalf (Kate Jerome) and Dennis Boutsikaris (Jack Jerome) with Santino Fontana (Stanley Jerome), Jessica Hecht (Blanche), Josh Grisetti (Eugene Jerome) and Allan Miller (Ben).

Brighton Beach Memoirs centers on young Jewish teen Eugene Morris Jerome and his extended family living in a crowded home in the Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn in 1937: his overworked father, Jack; overbearing mother, Kate; his older brother Stanley; Kate’s widowed sister Blanche and her daughters, Nora and Laurie. As Eugene spends his time daydreaming about a baseball career, he must also cope with his family’s troubles, his awkward discovery of the opposite sex and his developing identity as a writer.

In Broadway Bound, it’s the late 1940s and Eugene and Stanley have started their careers as professional comedy writers. But when the brothers use their home life in Brighton Beach as inspiration for a radio comedy skit, the Jerome family may never be the same.

Scenic design is by John Lee Beatty, costume design is by Jane Greenwood, lighting design is by Brian MacDevitt and sound design is by Josh Schmidt and Fitz Patton. Hair and wig design is by Tom Watson.

The Neil Simon Plays will be produced by Ira Pittelman, Max Cooper, Jeffrey Sine, Scott Delman, Ruth Hendel, Roy Furman, Ben Sprecher/Wendy Federman, Scott Landis and Emanuel Azenberg.

Rehearsals will begin in New York on Monday, August 24.

Prices are $50-$35 for each individual play for tickets ordered by September 6. Regular pricing will be $100-$65.

The Neil Simon Plays will be performed in repertory on a varied schedule. Tickets are available at www.TicketMaster.com or 212-307-4100. The Nederlander Theatre box office will open on August 31st.

"For the Love of Christ"

My good friend Noah is starting a new project, as co-producer of a show in the New York International Fringe Festival! Here are the details:

For the Love of Christ will begin performances at the Cherry Lane Theatre (38 Commerce Street) on Saturday, August 15th at 2:15pm. Additional performances will be held Wednesday, August 19th at 10pm, Friday, August 21st at 5pm, Monday, August 24th at 3pm, Friday, August 28th at 7pm. The musical’s book, music, and lyrics are by Ben Knox with additional book by Heather Collins and Karen Weatherwax and additional lyrics and arrangements by Brian J. Nash. For tickets, visit www.fringenyc.com.

In 1979, a French-Canadian airline steward flew into San Francisco and all hell broke loose. This bathhouse brouhaha explores the advent of AIDS while satirizing mankind’s extremes–religious mania, gay drama and maniacal monkeys make for an outrageous experience!

Christ features a cast including Kristy Cates (Wicked), Steven Stafford (Spamalot), Jenna Coker Jones, (Evil Dead), Dan Amboyer (Bash’d), Ben Knox, Eric Rubbe, and Jamaal Wilson.

The musical is directed by Holly-Anne Ruggiero (Jersey Boys) with choreography by Holly Cruz (Seussical), sets by Michael Kramer, costumes by DH Withrow, and lights by Christian DeAngelis. For the Love of Christ is presented by Knoxious Productions with co-line producers, Joey Oliva and Noah Himmelstein.

Join us for Christ‘s Party Like It’s 1979 on Monday, July 20th at 9pm at Vlada (331 West 51st St.), hosted by Scott Nevins with special guests, Daniel Reichard (Jersey Boys) and Kristy Cates (Wicked). Free admission with drink specials and man-raffle.

"Superior Donuts" to play Music Box Theatre

Hot off the presses….!!!

Superior Donuts, the highly anticipated new American play by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Tracy Letts will follow Letts’ Tony Award winning August: Osage County into The Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th Street), beginning performances on Wednesday, September 16, 2009 and officially opening on Thursday, October 1, 2009. Tickets will be on sale through Telecharge.com or by calling 212-239-6200 beginning on Friday, June 26, 2009 and The Music Theatre box office will open on Wednesday, August 19, 2009.

Superior Donuts will be making its Broadway premiere direct from a sold-out engagement at Steppenwolf Theatre Company where it had its world premiere in the summer of 2008. Tina Landau will make her Broadway straight play directing debut with this production which she directed at Steppenwolf.

Arthur Przybyszewski owns a decrepit donut shop in the uptown neighborhood of Chicago. Franco Wicks, a black teenager who is his only employee, wants to change the shop for the better. This comedy-drama, set in the heart of one of Chicago’s most diverse communities, explores the challenges of embracing the past and the redemptive power of friendship.

The Steppenwolf production of Superior Donuts will be produced on Broadway by Jeffrey Richards, Jean Doumanian and Jerry Frankel, producers of August: Osage County.

Music & Theatre Events @ Barnes & Noble Lincoln Center

Barnes & Noble/Lincoln Triangle June Calendar of Events Related to Music and Theater
Barnes & Noble/Lincoln Triangle
1972 Broadway @ 66th St

All events are free and open to the public. For large events, we give seating priority to those who have purchased the promoted book or CD.

Tuesday, June 2 at 5:00 pm
Live at Lincoln: The Story of My Life
Performance/Signing
Broadway stars Will Chase and Malcolm Gets share highlights from this unique musical about friendship, literature and imagination.

Wednesday, June 3 at 6:00 pm
Any Wednesday: Jill O’Hara
Performance/Signing
Come and be Alone Together with Jill O’Hara, the original Broadway star of Promises, Promises who returns with a brand new CD of great standards.

Wednesday, June 3 at 7:30 pm
Lewis J. Stadlen
Reading/Signing
The veteran Broadway performer (Minnie’s Boys, Laughter on the 23rd Floor) comes to us with a wonderful new memoir, Acting Foolish.

Thursday, June 4 at 6:00 pm
The Sound of Broadway Music
Discussion/Signing
Theater historian Steven Suskin examines the role of orchestrators in Broadway musicals. Joining Steven are two of the greatest: Sid Ramin (Gypsy, West Side Story) and Jonathan Tunick (Follies, Titanic).

Saturday, June 6 at Noon
Reasons to Be Pretty
Performance/Discussion
Director Terry Kinney discusses and cast members perform a scene from this newly published and Tony-nominated show. (Adult subject matter and language)

Monday, June 8 at 6:00 pm
Cool Mondays: Joan Crowe
Performance/Signing
The wonderful, sassy, and very funny jazz vocalist offers up a unique collection of songs In the Key of Comedy.

Monday, June 8 at 7:30 pm
Ute Lemper
Performance/Signing
The internationally renowned singer takes us on a new journey with a collection of songs she wrote herself in her new album, Between Yesterday and Tomorrow.

Tuesday, June 9 at 5:30 pm
Lynda Carter
Performance/Signing
The television icon has created a whole new identity for herself as a wonderful singer, and now she is coming to perform at B&N at last.

Wednesday, June 10 at 6:00 pm
Any Wednesday: Chester Gregory
Performance Signing
The musical theater performer (Tarzan, Shrek) takes us on a personal journey as he goes In Search of High Love.

Wednesday, June 10 at 7:30 pm
Lieber & Stoeller
Discussion/Signing
The legendary song writing team of Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller, along with their co-author David Ritz, celebrates the release of their autobiography, Hound Dog.

Thursday, June 11 at 4:30 pm
Live at Lincoln: West Side Story
Performance/Signing
The cast of the thrilling new Broadway production performs songs from the show and sign copies of the newly released cast recording.

Monday, June 15 at 6:00 pm
Cool Mondays: Carol Fredette
Performance/Signing
Everything in Time is the title of this delightful jazz singer’s newest CD, and happily it is time for her to offer some highlights to our customers.

Wednesday, June 17 at 6:00 pm
Any Wednesday: Simavi
Performance/Signing
Our guest first fell in love with American music in his native Turkey, and now offers his own take on the songs of Sinatra, Bennett and others on his album, Memories of You.

Thursday, June 18 at 6:00 pm
Stonewall + 40: The Writers
Performance/Discussion/Signing
Perry Brass, Francine L. Trevens, Doric Wilson and other notable authors celebrate the best in gay literature over the past four decades.

Monday, June 22 at 6:00 pm
Irene Gomez
Performance/Signing
The lovely classical guitarist offers up selections from her beautiful CD, Imagenes/Images, romantic and fiery by turns.

Tuesday, June 23 at 6:00 pm
NY Philharmonic
Discussion/Performance
WQXR’s Jeff Spurgeon hosts this monthly series featuring guest performers with the Philharmonic. Tonight’s guest: clarinetist Stanley Drucker.

Wednesday, June 24 at 6:00 pm
Any Wednesday: Jeff Ide
Performance/Signing
The enchanting cabaret performer Jeff Ide offers up a personal selection of songs that reveal what is happening Within the Heart of Me.

Thursday, June 25 at 5:00 pm
Live at Lincoln: The Toxic Avenger Musical
Performance/Signing
Here’s the chance to catch highlights from this weird and wonderful new off-Broadway smash hit based on the cult sci-fi movie.

"Reasons to Be Pretty," "Billy Elliot," & "Universal Robots" take top honors in first ever Theater Blogger Awards!

The Independent Theater Bloggers Association (www.TheaterBloggers.com) is thrilled to announce the winners of the first annual ITBA Awards for Excellence in Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway theater.

The ITBA (Independent Theater Bloggers Association) was formed in 2009 by a group of the most passionate theater bloggers on the World Wide Web (partial list below). The members of the Association blog about all aspects and all varieties of both commercial and non-profit theater, from big Broadway musicals performed in Times Square, to the most unique forms of entertainment performed off-off Broadway on the Lower East Side, as well as productions all over the country and all over the world. Together they see thousands of productions, and, without being paid or prodded, they write about them.

Ken Davenport, founder of the ITBA, said, “The Association was formed out of a desire to provide structure to the quickly growing theatrical blogosphere, as well as to give the new media voices a chance to recognize excellence in three of the very distinct theatrical markets that make up the New York City theatrical landscape: Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway.”

In true “new media” style, there will be no live awards ceremony for the ITBA Awards. Instead, there will be a virtual awards ceremony, with video acceptance speeches for the winners posted electronically in the coming weeks on ITBA’s website, www.TheaterBloggers.com.

This year’s winners of the ITBA Awards are as follows:

BROADWAY

BEST BROADWAY PLAY
Reasons to Be Pretty

Written by: Neil Labute
Directed by: Terry Kinney
Produced by: Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Gary Goddard Entertainment, Ted Snowdon, Doug Nevin/Erica Lynn Schwartz, Ronald Frankel/Bat-Barry Productions, Kathleen Seidel, Kelpie Arts, Jam Theatricals, Rachel Helson/Heather Provost and Scott M. Delman

BEST BROADWAY MUSICAL
Billy Elliot

Music by: Elton John
Lyrics by: Lee Hall

Book by: Lee Hall
Directed by: Stephen Daldry
Produced by: Universal Pictures, Working Title, The Old Vic Company, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Jon Finn and Sally Greene

BEST BROADWAY REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
Hair

Music by: Galt MacDermot
Lyrics by: James Rado, Gerome Ragni
Book by: James Rado, Gerome Ragni
Directed by: Diane Paulus
Produced by: The Joseph Papp Public Theater / New York Shakespeare Festival, Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Gary Goddard Entertainment, Kathleen K. Johnson, Nederlander Productions, Fran Kirmser Productions/Jed Bernstein, Marc Frankel, Broadway Across America, Barbara Manocherian/Wencarlar Productions, JK Productions/Terry Schnuck, Andy Sandberg, Jam Theatricals, The Weinstein Company/Norton Herrick and Jujamcyn Theatres

BEST BROADWAY REVIVAL OF A PLAY
The Norman Conquests

Written by: Alan Ayckbourn
Directed by: Matthew Warchus
Produced by: Sonia Friedman Productions, Steven Baruch, Marc Routh, Richard Frankel, Thomas Viertel, Dede Harris, Tulchin/Bartner/Lauren Doll, Jamie deRoy, Eric Falkenstein, Harriet Newman Leve, Probo Productions, Douglas G. Smith, Michael Filerman/Jennifer Manocherian and Richard Winkler

OFF-BROADWAY

BEST OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL
Fela!

Book by: Jim Lewis and Bill T. Jones
Directed by: Bill T. Jones
Music and Lyrics by: Fela Anikulapo Kuti
Add’l Music by: Aaron Johnson and Jordan McLean
Add’l Lyrics by: Jim Lewis
Produced by: Ruth and Stephen Hendel and Roy Gabay

BEST OFF-BROADWAY PLAY
Ruined

Written by: Lynn Nottage
Directed by: Kate Whoriskey
Produced by: Manhattan Theatre Club and Goodman Theatre

BEST OFF-BROADWAY REVIVAL (PLAY OR MUSICAL)
Our Town

Written by: Thornton Wilder
Directed by: David Cromer
Produced by: Scott Morfee, Jean Doumanian, Tom Wirtshafter, Ted Snowdon, Eagle Productions, Dena Hammerstein/Pam Pariseau, The Weinstein Company, Burnt Umber Productions,

BEST OFF-OFF BROADWAY PLAY
Universal Robots

Written by: Mac Rogers
Directed by: Rosemary Andress
Produced by: Manhattan Theater Source

BEST OFF-OFF BROADWAY UNIQUE THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE
Suspicious Package

Written by: Gyda Arber & Aaron Baker
Directed by: Gyda Arber
Produced by: The Fifth Wall as part of The Antidepressant Festival

CITATION FOR EXCELLENCE IN OFF-OFF BROADWAY THEATER
Flux Theatre Ensemble

Members of the ITBA include:

Bill Brown
www.creatingtheater.com

Linda Buchwald
Pataphysical Science
www.pataphysicalscience.blogspot.com

Donald Butchko
Me2ism?
www.me2ism.blogspot.com

Chris Caggiano
Everything I Know I Learned from Musicals
www.ccaggiano.tyepad.com

Zack Calhoon
Visible Soul
www.zackcalhoon.blogspot.com

Jodi Schoenbrun Carter
www.off-stage-right.com

Corine Cohen
Corine’s Corner
www.corinescorner.com

Kevin Daly
Theatre Aficionado at Large
www.theatreaficionado.com

Ken Davenport
The Producer’s Perspective
www.theproducersperspective.com

Ryan J. Davis
Ryan J. Davis Blogs
www.ryanjdavis.blogspot.com

Jeremy Dobrish
Jeremy’s Green Room
www.JeremysGreenRoom.com

Donelle Foreman
The DJF
www.thedjf.blogspot.com

Michael Gilboe
Broadway Bullet
www.broadwaybullet.com

Dan Gilloon
One NYC StageHand
www.onenycstagehand.blogspot.com

Diana Glazer
Lezbehonest
www.lezbehonest.tumblr.com

Byrne Harrison
www.stagebuzz.com

Leonard Jacobs
The Clyde Fitch Report
www.cyldefitch.blogspot.com

Patrick Lee
Just Shows to Go You
www.justshowstogoyou.blogspot.com

James Marino
Broadway Stars
www.broadwaystars.com

Tulis McCall
Usher Nonsense
www.ushernonsense.com

Jesse North
Stage Rush
www.stagerush.blogspot.com

Aaron Riccio
That Sounds Cool
www.thatsoundscool.blogspot.com

Sarah Roberts
Adventures in the Endless Pursuit of Entertainment
www.sarahbsadventure.blogspot.com

Michael Roderick
One Producer in the City
www.oneproducerinthecity.com

Adam Rothenberg
Adaumbelle’s Quest
www.adaumbellesquest.com

David Spencer
Aisle Say
www.aislesay.com

Ethan Stanislawski
Tynan’s Anger
www.tynanasanger.com

Gil Varod
Broadway Abridged
www.broadwayabridged.com

Kim Weild
www.kimweild.com

Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival’s "Behind the Scenes Gala"

CELEBRATE HUDSON VALLEY SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL’S 23RD SEASON AND GET AN INSIDER’S BEHIND THE SCENES PREVIEW

(Garrison, NY) The casting is complete, the tent is ready to unfold, the box office is open and it’s time to celebrate Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival’s 23rd Season. Nobody knows how to throw a better party (or put on a better show) and this year’s Insider’s Behind The Scenes Gala is sure to be one of the best. (Of course the secret ingredient to a great party is the guest list and Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival friends, new and old, make for an A-List that can’t be beat!)

On Sunday June 14 guests are invited under the HVSF tent at Boscobel to get an exclusive look at behind-the-scenes teasers of Pericles and Much Ado About Nothing; enjoy cocktails and dinner on the great lawn and be the audience for the final dress rehearsal of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged).

The Insiders Behind The Scenes Gala begins with the teasers at 4:30pm followed by dinner and a silent auction at 5:30. The evening concludes with the final dress rehearsal of last season’s runaway hit, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) starring Christopher Edwards, Jason O’Connell and Kurt Rhoads.

In his review of the 2008 HVSF production of The Complete works, Journal News theater critic Peter D. Kramer wrote: “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” is a madcap whirlwind of wigs, crowns, kneepads and running shoes. It’s part marathon, part sprint, part Groucho, Chico and Harpo … it might easily have been written by the always inventive Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. It’s certainly in keeping with O’Brien & Co.’s emphasis on character, words and performance. It’s smart and fast and thoroughly accessible.”

Be on the inside track and join the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival family under the tent for the Insiders Behind The Scenes Gala on Sunday June 14 at 4:30pm. It won’t be a great party without you! Tickets are $125 per person and may be purchased through the website, www.hvshakespeare.org or by calling (845) 265-7858.

Non-Competitive Tony Winners Announced

The nominations for the big awards will be revealed tomorrow at 8:30AM, but the Tony Awards committee has announced the winners of its Special Tony Awards today. Congratulations to Jerry Herman, Phyllis Newman, Shirley Herz and all the folks at the Signature Theatre Company in Arlington, VA.

Herman, composer of audience favorites Milk and Honey, Hello, Dolly!, Mame, and La Cage Aux Folles as well as cultist delights Dear World, Mack & Mabel and The Grand Tour, will receive the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.

The annual Regional Theatre Award goes to the Signature Theatre Company, as recommended by the American Theatre Critics Association. The award also includes a grant of $25,000 from Visa (who also happens to be one of the main Tony sponsors). As per the press release: “For 20 years, Signature Theatre has broadened and brightened the region’s cultural landscape with its bold productions of challenging new and established works.”

Newman is receiving the inaugural Isabelle Stevenson Award, established to honor a member of the theatre community “who has made a substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service or charitable organizations.” Newman founded the Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative in 1995 and has raised $3.5 million dollars and helped 2,500 in the entertainment industry.

Herz is his year’s recipient of the Tony Honors for Excellence, given to someone in the industry ineligible for Tony recognition in established categories. She has worked as a press agent for over 200 on and off Broadway for over fifty years, starting as Rosalind Russell’s personal press rep during the run of Wonderful Town.

Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival 2009 Season

For those of you in the region:

HUDSON VALLEY SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES
2009 ECO-COMIC STIMULAS SEASON

The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival has announced its 2009 Eco-Comic Stimulus Season. Designed to bring laughter, joy and relief from the news of the day in a spectacular outdoor setting, the Eco-Comic Stimulus Season offers something for everyone at below market prices.

The season features total mad-cap hilarity; love hiding in plain sight; battles of wit (and the sexes); shipwrecks; marriage; near death experiences; and one of the greatest reunions in all of Shakespeare. It will open with last season’s runaway hit, the impossibly funny The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), followed by the romantic comedy Much Ado About Nothing, and the action packed adventure/romance, Pericles.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), directed by the Festival’s Founding Artistic Director Terrence O’Brien, will open the season on June 20 (previews begin June 16). Much Ado About Nothing, directed by John Christian Plummer opens June 27 and Pericles, also directed by Mr. O’Brien, will open on July 4. The three plays will run in repertory through September 6. Performances begin at 7pm Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; 8pm Friday and Saturday; and 6pm on Sundays.

“These are tumultuous times and we know that a lot of people are really struggling,” said Mr. O’Brien. “We hope that our 23rd season will provide a bright spot by giving people an opportunity to leave the news behind for a few treasured hours. I think we have everything you could ask for built into our plan: romance, adventure, comedy, a magical setting and a night out that leaves some money in the bank (or under the mattress)! We may not be able to provide tax relief, but we can certainly provide eco-comic relief!”

The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival has inspired and delighted audiences with its vigorously original interpretations of the great works of William Shakespeare for twenty-two seasons to much critical acclaim from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, The Poughkeepsie Journal, The Journal News and numerous other regional and national publications. Founding Artistic Director Terrence O’Brien has maintained a commitment to making the timeless plays accessible to all audiences, relieving the burden of heavy language and over-dramatization that so many equate with Shakespeare. “We want the audience to feel the same way about the plays as we do,” explained O’Brien. “The stories are timeless and we work to eliminate the affectation so often associated with Shakespeare. Our productions are lively, fast-paced and reflect our own excitement. You know it’s working,” he continued, “when you not only have people return season after season but every year they bring more new friends.”

The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, the region’s only professional resident Shakespeare company, makes its home under an open-air tent theater perched high up on the banks of the Hudson River on the grounds of the historic 19th Century Boscobel estate in Garrison, New York. Using the dramatic views of the Hudson Highlands and the sweeping vistas from the elegant lawns of Boscobel as near-perfect stage scenery, the critically acclaimed Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival presents unparalleled productions with the perfect marriage of theater and nature. Audience members are invited to arrive two hours early in order to enjoy a picnic meal – with one of the most spectacular al fresco views – on the grounds of the estate.

“If you’re searching for the best of all possible times … you’ll have trouble topping the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. I can’t think of another outdoor festival that has a higher overall batting average. Hudson Valley’s deliberately informal productions are a model of cultural populism at its most engaging and effective.” -The Wall Street Journal

TICKETS AND INFORMATION
Ticket prices for all performances are $29-$46. Tickets are available through the HVSF Box Office which opens on April 27: 845-265-9575. Tickets are also available online beginning April 17 at hvshakespeare.org. Discounts are available on most nights for groups, students, senior citizens and children 12 and under. The Festival offers several special packages, including a tour of the Boscobel mansion and Exhibition Gallery plus tickets. In addition discounts at local hotels and restaurants are also available. For packages and information visit the Festival website, www.hvshakespeare.org and are available through the box office.

For more information about the 2009 Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, as well as information about their ongoing Education and Community Outreach Programs, contact the Festival at (845) 265-7858.

Finian’s Rainbow Transfers to Broadway

CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED
ENCORES! PRODUCTION OF
FINIAN’S RAINBOW
TO TRANSFER TO BROADWAY’S ST. JAMES THEATRE
AFTER LABOR DAY

Finian’s Rainbow, which just ended a critically acclaimed five-performance run at New York City Center’s Encores! series last weekend, will move to Broadway’s St. James Theatre in the fall. Producers David Richenthal and Jack Viertel announced that the show, which hasn’t been seen on Broadway since 1960 (it premiered in 1947), will be adapted from the Encores! concert presentation into a full production. Warren Carlyle will again direct and choreograph, and Rob Berman continues as musical director. “What Encores! gave us was a joyous evening put together in just over a week,” Richenthal said. “We have the ability to fill out that template, keeping the essence of the performance front and center, but giving it a treatment that will be appropriate for Broadway,” Viertel added.

Richenthal said it is their intention to keep together as much of the cast and the creative team from the Encores! production as practicable, but that schedules have not yet been worked out. “The show at City Center wove a spell and played to cheering audiences, and our intention is to hold on to that magic,” Richenthal said. Viertel added, “Broadway seems ready to embrace a show that radiates hope and humor, especially one with as many great songs at Finian’s Rainbow.”

Finian’s Rainbow has music by Burton Lane, book by E.Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg.

Cast, creative and design teams will be announced shortly as well as the dates for the first preview and opening night.

David Richenthal’s previous Broadway productions include, I Am My Own Wife by Doug Wright, directed by Moises Kaufman, starring Jefferson Mays; Marc Salem’s Mind Games on Broadway; Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night, directed by Robert Falls, starring Vanessa Redgrave, Brian Dennehy, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Robert Sean Leonard; Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, directed by Richard Eyre, starring Liam Neeson and Laura Linney; Arthur Miller’s The Price, directed by James Naughton, starring Harris Yulin and Jeffrey DeMunn; Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, directed by Robert Falls, starring Brian Dennehy; Noel Coward’s Present Laughter, starring Frank Langella; The Young Man From Atlanta by Horton Foote, directed by Robert Falls, starring Rip Torn and Shirley Knight; The Kentucky Cycle, directed by Warner Shook, starring Stacy Keach; Mrs. Klein by Nicholas Wright, starring Uta Hagen; Remembrance, starring Milo O’Shea and Frances Sternhagen; and Conor McPherson’s Dublin Carol by special arrangement with the Atlantic Theater Company. On the West End, The Female of the Species by Joanna Murray-Smith, directed by Roger Michell, starring Eileen Atkins; Death of a Salesman starring Brian Dennehy and Clare Higgins; I Am My Own Wife starring Jefferson Mays; and co-produced the world premiere of David Mamet’s The Cryptogram and Katherine Burger’s Morphic Resonance. Motion pictures include the soon to be released The Other Man, co-written and directed by Richard Eyre, starring Liam Neeson, Laura Linney and Antonio Banderas; Tape, directed by Richard Linklater, starring Uma Thurman, Ethan Hawke and Robert Sean Leonard; and Death of a Salesman, starring Brian Dennehy for the Showtime Network.

Jack Viertel has been the Artistic Director of City Center Encores! for the last nine years and Creative Director of Jujamcyn Theaters since 1987. For Encores! he has supervised 27 productions including acclaimed presentations of Follies, Hair, Carnival, Gypsy, and the Encores! revue Stairway to Paradise, which he conceived. Among the stars he has presented at Encores! are Patti Lupone, Donna Murphy, Kristin Chenoweth, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Victoria Clark and Anne Hathaway. For Jujamcyn, he is in charge of creating and identifying new projects for the company’s five Broadway theaters, and has worked on such productions as Patti Lupone’s Gypsy, Angels in America, Jerry Zaks’s acclaimed production of Guys and Dolls, Jelly’s Last Jam, Into the Woods, M. Butterfly, and six of the plays that comprise August Wilson’s ten-play Century Cycle, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Piano Lesson. Viertel conceived and co-produced the long-running musical revue Smokey Joe’s Café, served as dramaturg for Hairspray, and is the co-author of the musical Time and Again. He spent two years as dramaturg of the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, and began work in the theater as a critic for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner.