Monday, September 6, 2010
Spice Girls Musical in the Works
As though we thought we could get rid of them, the Spice Girls are coming back in a new musical in London. From what I've seen, the show is being called Viva Forever and, according to Broadway.com, is being described as "a modern fable of camaraderie, love and loyalty based on the songs of the Spice Girls." Broadway.com is also reporting that Jennifer Saunders, the writer/actress who is probably most famous in this country for the TV comedy Absolutely Fabulous, will be writing the show's book. The show is expected to open in the West End at some point in 2012.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Friday, September 3, 2010
Literary Source Material for Plays
I just read a great article on Variety.com by Robert Hofler entitled "Plays booking a novel source: Theater returns to literary adaptations and both benefit". While musicals have become famous in the past 10 or so years for just copying Hollywood and stealing ideas from other sources, I think Mr. Hofler may be onto a big trend in the future of plays. Here is the text of his article.
With a journo's typically unreliable 20-20 foresight, it's a good bet that the novel-to-stage adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's "War Horse" looks to be one of the major events of the 2010-11 Broadway season. Then again, whether this Brit transfer turns into another hit (like "Nicholas Nickleby") or a flop (like "Coram Boy") won't be answered until April 14, when Nick Stafford's legit take on the book about a boy and his long-lost horse opens at LCT's Vivian Beaumont Theater.
But this much is certain: American playwrights are catching up to the Brits when it comes to finding legit material on the bestseller lists.
Yanks aren't exactly new to the form, with favorites like the Goetzes' "The Heiress" and Frank Galati's "The Grapes of Wrath" proving durable staples of American theater. But there's a fresh wave of lit adapations hitting the boards that suggests a renewed interest in the textures of the novel, even though such material isn't as remunerative for the playwright doing the adaptation because of royalty splits that give 25-50% to the original author.
The roster of new and recent productions includes:
Marsha Norman's "The Master Butchers Singing Club," adapted from Louise Erdrich's novel, debuts at the Guthrie this month.
At the Public, the Elevator Repair Service follows its adaptations of "The Sun Also Rises" and "The Sound and the Fury" with a six-hour production of "Gatz," based on "The Great Gatsby," beginning previews Sept. 26.
Atlanta's Theatrical Outfit concludes on Sept. 5 its current run of "Confederacy of Dunces" by Tom Keys, a production that follows Mary Machala's adaptation of the John Kennedy Toole novel last season at Seattle's Book-It Repertory Theater.
Denver Center Theater preems Caridad Svich's "The House of the Spirits" on Sept. 23.
And not to count the Brits out, Trevor Nunn's staging of Sebastian Faulks' WWI-set bestseller "Birdsong," adaptation by Rachel Wagstaff, goes up Sept. 18 on the West End.
Many in the commercial theater, however, are looking further ahead, to Rupert Holmes' stage redo of John Grisham's "A Time to Kill," which opens Arena Stage's new space, the Kreeger Theater, in April 2011.
From a monetary standpoint, the legit project intrigues because 1) it was suggested by Grisham's agent, David Gernert; 2) producer Daryl Roth plans to take it to Broadway; and 3) Holmes has radically restructured the novel to be a courtroom drama.
Once upon a time, courtroom dramas were a Broadway staple: Remember Ayn Rand's "Night of January 16," Agatha Christie's "Witness for the Prosecution" and Reginald Rose's jury-room drama, "Twelve Angry Men"? But TV, thanks to "Perry Mason" and shows of its legal ilk, co-opted the genre.
Regarding the new "A Time to Kill," it's no coincidence that the director will be Scott Ellis, who turned the Roundabout's recent production of "Twelve Angry Men" into a hit, reviving interest in not only Rose's play but the genre itself.
Says Holmes, "Of late, when I turn on TV, I find myself starved for something that someone made up, starved for a yarn. All I seem to get now are documentaries about people who know they are being filmed."
With TV serving up a full plate of reality shows and the movies driven by f/x-centered tentpoles, the door is wide open for theater to start telling great stories again via novels.
"Working from a pre-existing plot helps playwrights learn about plot, a thing they are chronically bad at. So I recommend this to students all the time," says Norman, a Pulitzer Prize winner ("?'night, Mother") who teaches at Juilliard. "A big adaptation really helps you learn the difference between plot and story, something any playwright must know."
Producers and playwrights know that the biggest Broadway moneymakers have been story-driven melodramas like "Proof," "Doubt" and "August: Osage County," which at its heart is a grand soap opera. And while those are original works, plays based on novels also bring the added marquee value of a known title.
In terms of box office, that luster helps -- even at a nonprofit venue like the Guthrie, where the "Master Butcher" novelist is a local celebrity and resident. "There's no question there's a strong value having Louise Erdrich's name attached," says Joe Dowling, the theater's artistic director. "Also, she's very popular nationally; it's not just a local thing."
With "A Time to Kill," the drawing card may be as much the 1996 Joel Schumacher film as the Grisham novel it's based on.
That kind of novel/movie/play synergy is something playwright Prince Gomolvilas experienced firsthand with his stage adaptation of Scott Heim's novel "Mysterious Skin." Movie crix praised the play for "brilliantly replicating" the film, about a sexually abused boy.
"But I never saw the film," says Gomolvilas, who opened his "Mysterious Skin" in San Francisco in 2003, one full year before the Gregg Araki movie saw the light of a movie projector.
Still, Gomolvilas won't bite the hand that helped his play win exposure. "The book is a seminal classic in gay literature, which was very helpful. Then certainly, when the movie made a splash, it really helped boost the Orange County production in 2005," he says.
A revival of "Mysterious Skin" begins previews Sept. 9 at L.A.'s East West Players.
As Holmes does with "A Time to Kill," Gomolvilas radically altered the structure of the source material -- with Heim's blessing -- by returning to a nearly forgotten but once-beloved legit genre.
"My play is a mystery. It's about an 18-year-old boy, who, investigating his past, believes he has been abducted by aliens. In the novel, the perpetrator (of the sexual abuse) is told upfront," says Gomolvilas.
On the advice of Nunn, Wagstaff is taking a more "respectful" approach with "Birdsong." She and her director "discussed the responsibility you have to a much-loved book," Wagstaff recalls.
"When something is well known and loved by the audience, be as faithful as you can while making the play work in its own right," advises Wagstaff, who has gone over her play "line by line" with Faulks.
If there's any downside to bringing a novel to the stage, it's one that legit agents are quick to point out.
"My clients strive for original material, thank God," says one agent. "Because you don't make as much money with an adaptation, especially on the really popular titles."
Indeed, the original author shares anywhere from 25% to 50% of the royalties with the playwright; there's no chance of a movie/TV sale; and even worse for the legit ego, if not the pocketbook, the novelist's name often appears a point-size bigger on the poster.
Contact Robert Hofler at bob.hofler@variety.com.
With a journo's typically unreliable 20-20 foresight, it's a good bet that the novel-to-stage adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's "War Horse" looks to be one of the major events of the 2010-11 Broadway season. Then again, whether this Brit transfer turns into another hit (like "Nicholas Nickleby") or a flop (like "Coram Boy") won't be answered until April 14, when Nick Stafford's legit take on the book about a boy and his long-lost horse opens at LCT's Vivian Beaumont Theater.
But this much is certain: American playwrights are catching up to the Brits when it comes to finding legit material on the bestseller lists.
Yanks aren't exactly new to the form, with favorites like the Goetzes' "The Heiress" and Frank Galati's "The Grapes of Wrath" proving durable staples of American theater. But there's a fresh wave of lit adapations hitting the boards that suggests a renewed interest in the textures of the novel, even though such material isn't as remunerative for the playwright doing the adaptation because of royalty splits that give 25-50% to the original author.
The roster of new and recent productions includes:
Marsha Norman's "The Master Butchers Singing Club," adapted from Louise Erdrich's novel, debuts at the Guthrie this month.
At the Public, the Elevator Repair Service follows its adaptations of "The Sun Also Rises" and "The Sound and the Fury" with a six-hour production of "Gatz," based on "The Great Gatsby," beginning previews Sept. 26.
Atlanta's Theatrical Outfit concludes on Sept. 5 its current run of "Confederacy of Dunces" by Tom Keys, a production that follows Mary Machala's adaptation of the John Kennedy Toole novel last season at Seattle's Book-It Repertory Theater.
Denver Center Theater preems Caridad Svich's "The House of the Spirits" on Sept. 23.
And not to count the Brits out, Trevor Nunn's staging of Sebastian Faulks' WWI-set bestseller "Birdsong," adaptation by Rachel Wagstaff, goes up Sept. 18 on the West End.
Many in the commercial theater, however, are looking further ahead, to Rupert Holmes' stage redo of John Grisham's "A Time to Kill," which opens Arena Stage's new space, the Kreeger Theater, in April 2011.
From a monetary standpoint, the legit project intrigues because 1) it was suggested by Grisham's agent, David Gernert; 2) producer Daryl Roth plans to take it to Broadway; and 3) Holmes has radically restructured the novel to be a courtroom drama.
Once upon a time, courtroom dramas were a Broadway staple: Remember Ayn Rand's "Night of January 16," Agatha Christie's "Witness for the Prosecution" and Reginald Rose's jury-room drama, "Twelve Angry Men"? But TV, thanks to "Perry Mason" and shows of its legal ilk, co-opted the genre.
Regarding the new "A Time to Kill," it's no coincidence that the director will be Scott Ellis, who turned the Roundabout's recent production of "Twelve Angry Men" into a hit, reviving interest in not only Rose's play but the genre itself.
Says Holmes, "Of late, when I turn on TV, I find myself starved for something that someone made up, starved for a yarn. All I seem to get now are documentaries about people who know they are being filmed."
With TV serving up a full plate of reality shows and the movies driven by f/x-centered tentpoles, the door is wide open for theater to start telling great stories again via novels.
"Working from a pre-existing plot helps playwrights learn about plot, a thing they are chronically bad at. So I recommend this to students all the time," says Norman, a Pulitzer Prize winner ("?'night, Mother") who teaches at Juilliard. "A big adaptation really helps you learn the difference between plot and story, something any playwright must know."
Producers and playwrights know that the biggest Broadway moneymakers have been story-driven melodramas like "Proof," "Doubt" and "August: Osage County," which at its heart is a grand soap opera. And while those are original works, plays based on novels also bring the added marquee value of a known title.
In terms of box office, that luster helps -- even at a nonprofit venue like the Guthrie, where the "Master Butcher" novelist is a local celebrity and resident. "There's no question there's a strong value having Louise Erdrich's name attached," says Joe Dowling, the theater's artistic director. "Also, she's very popular nationally; it's not just a local thing."
With "A Time to Kill," the drawing card may be as much the 1996 Joel Schumacher film as the Grisham novel it's based on.
That kind of novel/movie/play synergy is something playwright Prince Gomolvilas experienced firsthand with his stage adaptation of Scott Heim's novel "Mysterious Skin." Movie crix praised the play for "brilliantly replicating" the film, about a sexually abused boy.
"But I never saw the film," says Gomolvilas, who opened his "Mysterious Skin" in San Francisco in 2003, one full year before the Gregg Araki movie saw the light of a movie projector.
Still, Gomolvilas won't bite the hand that helped his play win exposure. "The book is a seminal classic in gay literature, which was very helpful. Then certainly, when the movie made a splash, it really helped boost the Orange County production in 2005," he says.
A revival of "Mysterious Skin" begins previews Sept. 9 at L.A.'s East West Players.
As Holmes does with "A Time to Kill," Gomolvilas radically altered the structure of the source material -- with Heim's blessing -- by returning to a nearly forgotten but once-beloved legit genre.
"My play is a mystery. It's about an 18-year-old boy, who, investigating his past, believes he has been abducted by aliens. In the novel, the perpetrator (of the sexual abuse) is told upfront," says Gomolvilas.
On the advice of Nunn, Wagstaff is taking a more "respectful" approach with "Birdsong." She and her director "discussed the responsibility you have to a much-loved book," Wagstaff recalls.
"When something is well known and loved by the audience, be as faithful as you can while making the play work in its own right," advises Wagstaff, who has gone over her play "line by line" with Faulks.
If there's any downside to bringing a novel to the stage, it's one that legit agents are quick to point out.
"My clients strive for original material, thank God," says one agent. "Because you don't make as much money with an adaptation, especially on the really popular titles."
Indeed, the original author shares anywhere from 25% to 50% of the royalties with the playwright; there's no chance of a movie/TV sale; and even worse for the legit ego, if not the pocketbook, the novelist's name often appears a point-size bigger on the poster.
Contact Robert Hofler at bob.hofler@variety.com.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Nominating Committee for 2011 Tony Awards Announced
The nominating committe for the 2011 Tony Awards has been announced. These are the people who see every show and determine who gets nominated in each of the categories. According to the announcement at Tonyawards.com ...
The Nominating Committee attends all productions during the Broadway season and meets on the date designated by the Administration Committee to determine, by vote, the Tony Award nominees for that season. The committee of 30 Tony Nominators includes:
*Victoria Bailey - Executive Director, Theatre Development Fund
David Caddick - Music Supervisor
Ben Cameron - Program Director for the Arts - Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
Kathleen Chalfant - Actor
Hope Clarke - Stage Director/Choreographer/Actor
Thomas Cott - Producer/Management Consultant
*André De Shields - Actor
Edgar Dobie - Producer/General Manager/Managing Director, Arena Stage Washington, DC
*Gordon Edelstein - Director/Artistic Director of Long Wharf Theatre
*Beverly Emmons - Lighting Designer
*Michael Greif - Director
Paulette Haupt - Director of the Music Theatre Conference at The O'Neill Center
*Mark Hollmann - Composer/Lyricist
Elena K. Holy - Founder - The International Fringe Festival
Robert Kamlot - Retired General Manager
*Moisés Kaufman - Director/Playwright/Artistic Director, Tectonic Theater
Robert Kimball - Author
Pia Lindström - Former Reporter/Theatre Critic
*Todd London - Artistic Director, New Dramatists
Donna McKechnie - Actor/Choreographer
Jon Nakagawa - Producer of Contemporary Programming - Lincoln Center
Alice Playten - Actor
Theresa Rebeck - Playwright
Susan H. Schulman - Director
*Rosemarie Tichler - Theatre Executive, Educator/Casting Director
Tamara Tunie - Actor/Producer
William Tynan - Actor/Reporter
*Kevin Wade - Playwright/Screenwriter
Doug Wright - Playwright/Screenwriter
Andrew Zerman - Retired Casting Director
*New Nominating Committee members
ABOUT THE TONY AWARDS
The 2011 American Theatre Wing's Tonys Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. At The Broadway League, Paul Libin is Chairman and Charlotte St. Martin is Executive Director. At the American Theatre Wing, Theodore S. Chapin is Chairman and Howard Sherman is Executive Director. For Tony Award Productions, Alan Wasser and Allan Williams of Alan Wasser Associates are the General Managers. Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss of White Cherry Entertainment are Executive Producers of the 2011 Tony Awards. Mr. Weiss will also serve as Director of the 2011 Tony Awards
The Nominating Committee attends all productions during the Broadway season and meets on the date designated by the Administration Committee to determine, by vote, the Tony Award nominees for that season. The committee of 30 Tony Nominators includes:
*Victoria Bailey - Executive Director, Theatre Development Fund
David Caddick - Music Supervisor
Ben Cameron - Program Director for the Arts - Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
Kathleen Chalfant - Actor
Hope Clarke - Stage Director/Choreographer/Actor
Thomas Cott - Producer/Management Consultant
*André De Shields - Actor
Edgar Dobie - Producer/General Manager/Managing Director, Arena Stage Washington, DC
*Gordon Edelstein - Director/Artistic Director of Long Wharf Theatre
*Beverly Emmons - Lighting Designer
*Michael Greif - Director
Paulette Haupt - Director of the Music Theatre Conference at The O'Neill Center
*Mark Hollmann - Composer/Lyricist
Elena K. Holy - Founder - The International Fringe Festival
Robert Kamlot - Retired General Manager
*Moisés Kaufman - Director/Playwright/Artistic Director, Tectonic Theater
Robert Kimball - Author
Pia Lindström - Former Reporter/Theatre Critic
*Todd London - Artistic Director, New Dramatists
Donna McKechnie - Actor/Choreographer
Jon Nakagawa - Producer of Contemporary Programming - Lincoln Center
Alice Playten - Actor
Theresa Rebeck - Playwright
Susan H. Schulman - Director
*Rosemarie Tichler - Theatre Executive, Educator/Casting Director
Tamara Tunie - Actor/Producer
William Tynan - Actor/Reporter
*Kevin Wade - Playwright/Screenwriter
Doug Wright - Playwright/Screenwriter
Andrew Zerman - Retired Casting Director
*New Nominating Committee members
ABOUT THE TONY AWARDS
The 2011 American Theatre Wing's Tonys Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. At The Broadway League, Paul Libin is Chairman and Charlotte St. Martin is Executive Director. At the American Theatre Wing, Theodore S. Chapin is Chairman and Howard Sherman is Executive Director. For Tony Award Productions, Alan Wasser and Allan Williams of Alan Wasser Associates are the General Managers. Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss of White Cherry Entertainment are Executive Producers of the 2011 Tony Awards. Mr. Weiss will also serve as Director of the 2011 Tony Awards
The Blog is Back!
As the 2010-2011 season is gearing back up, I wanted to start up my blog again with a preview of the shows we can expect to see this year, as far as current news reports have told us. Here's an article from Tonyawards.com about the upcoming season and what shows will be hoping for Tony Awards in 2011.
The New Season – A Sneak Preview
By Gerard Raymond
An American President as a rock star; coal miners who paint; a legendary football coach; Pee Wee Herman; a classic movie tear-jerker; the Beatles revisited; a boy and his horse; and a pound of flesh - that's just a small taste of the theatrical smorgasbord that makes up the list of productions set to open on Broadway in the 2010-2011 season. These and other shows will be hoping to be mentioned when nominations for the American Theatre Wing's 65th annual Tony Awards® are announced in the spring.
Broadway fans love to make Tony predictions even before the curtain goes up on a new production. To help you out, here's a sneak preview of the shows, arranged chronologically in order of their currently announced preview start dates. Of course, nothing is set in stone, and there are sure to be changes along the way. Certainly additional shows will be announced. Check back frequently--we'll add new productions to the list as they are confirmed.
You can click on a title to visit the show's official website.
Mrs. Warren's Profession
Previews begin September 3, Roundabout Theatre Company/American Airlines Theatre
Two-time Tony Award-winner Cherry Jones returns to Broadway in the 1893 play by George Bernard Shaw that tells the story of Kitty Warren, a mother who makes a terrible sacrifice for her daughter Vivie's independence. The play was shut down by the police on its original Broadway premiere in 1905 because of its clear-eyed view of prostitution.
Brief Encounter
Previews begin September 10, Roundabout Theater Company/Studio 54
Noël Coward's story about unexpected romance on a railway station platform is recreated with songs, dance and video-projections using elements from David Lean's classic 1945 movie and the original Coward one-act play on which it was based.
The Pitmen Painters
Previews begin September 14, Manhattan Theater Club/Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
The Live Theatre Newcastle and the National Theatre of Great Britain production of a new play by past Tony-winner Lee Hall about a group of coal miners from a town in northeast England in the 1930s, whose paintings were celebrated by the British art world.
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
Previews begin September 20, Bernard Jacobs Theatre
The controversial populist seventh President of the United States, who invented the Democratic Party and ruthlessly removed native tribes from their homelands, is reconceived as an emo-rock star in a gleefully outrageous musical by writer/director Alex Timbers and composer/lyricist Michael Friedman, which was originally presented Off Broadway at the Public Theater.
A Life in the Theatre
Previews begin September 21, Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
Patrick Stewart and T. R. Knight star in David Mamet's 1997 two-character drama about the relationship between an older actor and a newcomer, which is inspired by the playwright's observations of backstage life and his own short-lived stint as an actor.
La Bête
Previews begin September 23, Music Box Theatre
Backstage hijinks feature prominently in David Hirson's 1991 Molière-inspired verse comedy set in 17th-century France about a theatre troupe forced to make artistic comprises by their royal patron. This revival stars past Tony-winners Mark Rylance and David Hyde Pierce, along with Joanna Lumley.
Lombardi
Previews begin September 23, Circle in the Square Theatre
Dan Luria (of The Wonder Years) portrays the beloved Green Bay Packers football coach Vince Lombardi in a new play by Eric Simonson, based on the best-selling biography When Pride Still Mattered by David Maraniss. Also starring Judith Light.
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Previews begin October 2, Lincoln Center Theater/Belasco Theatre
Pedro Almadóvar's 1988 Oscar-nominated film comedy about a bunch of high strung Madrid women and the men in their lives is now a new Broadway musical with a score by David Yazbek and a book by Jeffrey Lane (the team responsible for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels). The cast is headed by Sheri Rene Scott and past Tony-winners Patti LuPone, Laura Benanti, and Brian Stokes Mitchell.
Driving Miss Daisy
Previews begin October 7, Golden Theatre
Past Tony-winners Vanessa Redgrave and James Earl Jones star as a 72-year widowed Atlanta Jewish woman and her African-American chauffer in the 1987 play by past Tony-winner Alfred Uhry. Four-time Tony winner Boyd Gaines rounds out the cast
The Scottsboro Boys
Previews begin October 7, Lyceum Theatre
A new musical from multiple Tony-winners John Kander and the late Fred Ebb based on the notorious 1930s case about nine African-American men unjustly accused of rape. A transfer from Off Broadway's Vineyard Theatre, the musical is presented in the format of a minstrel show. Past-winner John Collum is among the cast.
RAIN - A Tribute to the Beatles on Broadway
Previews begin October 19, Neil Simon Theatre
A multi-media concert starring the band RAIN that brings to life the Fab Four, covering the Beatles' early days, including the "Ed Sullivan Show" appearance in 1964, through to their final performance prior to the release of Abbey Road in 1969.
The Merchant of Venice
Previews begin October 19, Broadhurst Theatre
A transfer from Central Park of the Public Theater's acclaimed production of Shakespeare's uncomfortable tragic-comedy that mixes romance and revenge, set in a sharply polarized Venetian society of Christians and Jews. Past Tony-winner Al Pacino plays Shylock.
A Free Man of Color
Previews begin October 21, Lincoln Center Theater/Vivian Beaumont
Playwright John Guare's take on the Louisiana Purchase. In a freewheeling epic set in 1802 New Orleans the title character (played by past-winner Jeffrey Wright), is a new-world Don Juan and the wealthiest inhabitant of this sexually charged and racially progressive city.
The Pee-wee Herman Show
Previews begin October 26, Stephen Sondheim Theatre
A stage show based on the Saturday morning children's TV series features Paul Ruebens as the genially innocent, yet slyly campy and subversive host, along with the much-loved members of his idiosyncratic Playhouse gang.
Elf - The Musical
Previews begin November 2, Al Hirschfeld Theatre
A musical adapted from the 2003 Will Farrell hit movie about a human raised by Santa's helpers in the North Pole, who comes to New York City to discover his identity. Music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin and book by past-winners Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin.
Spider-man Turn off the Dark
Previews begin November 14, Foxwoods Theatre
A new musical about the Marvel comics teen-age hero from Queens who suddenly finds himself endowed with super-powers. Music and lyrics by Bono and The Edge.
The Importance of Being Earnest
Previews begin December 20, Roundabout Theater Company/American Airlines Theatre
Past Tony-winner Brian Bedford both directs and performs the plum role of the formidable Lady Bracknell in a revival of Oscar Wilde's effervescent and perennially witty comedy of manners.
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Previews begin February 26, Al Hirschfeld Theatre
Daniel Radcliffe stars in a new revival of the 1962 Tony-winning musical with a score by Frank Loesser about a young window cleaner who follows the advice of a self-help book to launch a meteoric rise from mail-room to Vice-President of Advertising in a large corporation.
Good People
Previews begin February 8, Manhattan Theatre Club/Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
Frances McDormand and Tate Donovan star in David Lindsay Abaire's play set in an impoverished Boston neighborhood, where people's paychecks don't cover their bills.
Anything Goes
Previews begin March 10, Roundabout Theatre Company/Stephen Sondheim Theatre
Past-winner Sutton Foster plays Reno Sweeney in a new revival of the musical romp from Cole Porter that takes place on an ocean liner steaming across the Atlantic.
War Horse
Previews begin March 17, Lincoln Center Theater/Vivian Beaumont Theatre
London transfer of a play adapted by Nick Stafford from the novel by Michael Morpurgo that relates the extraordinary adventures a boy and his horse, after the beloved animal was sold to the cavalry upon the outbreak of the First World War.
Wonderland
Previews begin March 21, theatre TBA
A new musical from Frank Wildhorn which offers a contemporary take on the Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland stories: A grown woman discovers a whole other world lying underneath modern-day Manhattan.
And There's More…
Several other new shows are heading towards Broadway and hoping to debut during the upcoming season. While theatres and preview dates are still up in the air, it's definitely worth keeping them on your radar. The following are all musicals:
The Book of Mormon - from creators of Avenue Q and the TV series South Park
Catch Me If You Can - a stage adaptation of the Steven Spielberg movie
Love Never Dies- continuing the story of The Phantom of the Opera
Priscilla Queen of the Desert - based on the Australian movie hit
Sister Act - an adaptation of the film comedy about singing nuns, with a score by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater
Unchain My Heart, The Ray Charles Musical - a musical biography of the soul-music giant
Yank! - transfer of the York Theatre's Off Broadway musical about a gay romance in the armed services during World War II.
Plays on the horizon include:
Elling - two psychiatric patients who have to prove that they are capable of being normal, adapted by Simon Bent from the 2001 Norwegian film.
Other shows will be announced as the season gets underway, and we'll add those titles as information is confirmed.
See you at the theatre!
Note: All determinations of eligibility for the Tony Awards are made exclusively by the Tony Awards Administration Committee.
The New Season – A Sneak Preview
By Gerard Raymond
An American President as a rock star; coal miners who paint; a legendary football coach; Pee Wee Herman; a classic movie tear-jerker; the Beatles revisited; a boy and his horse; and a pound of flesh - that's just a small taste of the theatrical smorgasbord that makes up the list of productions set to open on Broadway in the 2010-2011 season. These and other shows will be hoping to be mentioned when nominations for the American Theatre Wing's 65th annual Tony Awards® are announced in the spring.
Broadway fans love to make Tony predictions even before the curtain goes up on a new production. To help you out, here's a sneak preview of the shows, arranged chronologically in order of their currently announced preview start dates. Of course, nothing is set in stone, and there are sure to be changes along the way. Certainly additional shows will be announced. Check back frequently--we'll add new productions to the list as they are confirmed.
You can click on a title to visit the show's official website.
Mrs. Warren's Profession
Previews begin September 3, Roundabout Theatre Company/American Airlines Theatre
Two-time Tony Award-winner Cherry Jones returns to Broadway in the 1893 play by George Bernard Shaw that tells the story of Kitty Warren, a mother who makes a terrible sacrifice for her daughter Vivie's independence. The play was shut down by the police on its original Broadway premiere in 1905 because of its clear-eyed view of prostitution.
Brief Encounter
Previews begin September 10, Roundabout Theater Company/Studio 54
Noël Coward's story about unexpected romance on a railway station platform is recreated with songs, dance and video-projections using elements from David Lean's classic 1945 movie and the original Coward one-act play on which it was based.
The Pitmen Painters
Previews begin September 14, Manhattan Theater Club/Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
The Live Theatre Newcastle and the National Theatre of Great Britain production of a new play by past Tony-winner Lee Hall about a group of coal miners from a town in northeast England in the 1930s, whose paintings were celebrated by the British art world.
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
Previews begin September 20, Bernard Jacobs Theatre
The controversial populist seventh President of the United States, who invented the Democratic Party and ruthlessly removed native tribes from their homelands, is reconceived as an emo-rock star in a gleefully outrageous musical by writer/director Alex Timbers and composer/lyricist Michael Friedman, which was originally presented Off Broadway at the Public Theater.
A Life in the Theatre
Previews begin September 21, Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
Patrick Stewart and T. R. Knight star in David Mamet's 1997 two-character drama about the relationship between an older actor and a newcomer, which is inspired by the playwright's observations of backstage life and his own short-lived stint as an actor.
La Bête
Previews begin September 23, Music Box Theatre
Backstage hijinks feature prominently in David Hirson's 1991 Molière-inspired verse comedy set in 17th-century France about a theatre troupe forced to make artistic comprises by their royal patron. This revival stars past Tony-winners Mark Rylance and David Hyde Pierce, along with Joanna Lumley.
Lombardi
Previews begin September 23, Circle in the Square Theatre
Dan Luria (of The Wonder Years) portrays the beloved Green Bay Packers football coach Vince Lombardi in a new play by Eric Simonson, based on the best-selling biography When Pride Still Mattered by David Maraniss. Also starring Judith Light.
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Previews begin October 2, Lincoln Center Theater/Belasco Theatre
Pedro Almadóvar's 1988 Oscar-nominated film comedy about a bunch of high strung Madrid women and the men in their lives is now a new Broadway musical with a score by David Yazbek and a book by Jeffrey Lane (the team responsible for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels). The cast is headed by Sheri Rene Scott and past Tony-winners Patti LuPone, Laura Benanti, and Brian Stokes Mitchell.
Driving Miss Daisy
Previews begin October 7, Golden Theatre
Past Tony-winners Vanessa Redgrave and James Earl Jones star as a 72-year widowed Atlanta Jewish woman and her African-American chauffer in the 1987 play by past Tony-winner Alfred Uhry. Four-time Tony winner Boyd Gaines rounds out the cast
The Scottsboro Boys
Previews begin October 7, Lyceum Theatre
A new musical from multiple Tony-winners John Kander and the late Fred Ebb based on the notorious 1930s case about nine African-American men unjustly accused of rape. A transfer from Off Broadway's Vineyard Theatre, the musical is presented in the format of a minstrel show. Past-winner John Collum is among the cast.
RAIN - A Tribute to the Beatles on Broadway
Previews begin October 19, Neil Simon Theatre
A multi-media concert starring the band RAIN that brings to life the Fab Four, covering the Beatles' early days, including the "Ed Sullivan Show" appearance in 1964, through to their final performance prior to the release of Abbey Road in 1969.
The Merchant of Venice
Previews begin October 19, Broadhurst Theatre
A transfer from Central Park of the Public Theater's acclaimed production of Shakespeare's uncomfortable tragic-comedy that mixes romance and revenge, set in a sharply polarized Venetian society of Christians and Jews. Past Tony-winner Al Pacino plays Shylock.
A Free Man of Color
Previews begin October 21, Lincoln Center Theater/Vivian Beaumont
Playwright John Guare's take on the Louisiana Purchase. In a freewheeling epic set in 1802 New Orleans the title character (played by past-winner Jeffrey Wright), is a new-world Don Juan and the wealthiest inhabitant of this sexually charged and racially progressive city.
The Pee-wee Herman Show
Previews begin October 26, Stephen Sondheim Theatre
A stage show based on the Saturday morning children's TV series features Paul Ruebens as the genially innocent, yet slyly campy and subversive host, along with the much-loved members of his idiosyncratic Playhouse gang.
Elf - The Musical
Previews begin November 2, Al Hirschfeld Theatre
A musical adapted from the 2003 Will Farrell hit movie about a human raised by Santa's helpers in the North Pole, who comes to New York City to discover his identity. Music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin and book by past-winners Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin.
Spider-man Turn off the Dark
Previews begin November 14, Foxwoods Theatre
A new musical about the Marvel comics teen-age hero from Queens who suddenly finds himself endowed with super-powers. Music and lyrics by Bono and The Edge.
The Importance of Being Earnest
Previews begin December 20, Roundabout Theater Company/American Airlines Theatre
Past Tony-winner Brian Bedford both directs and performs the plum role of the formidable Lady Bracknell in a revival of Oscar Wilde's effervescent and perennially witty comedy of manners.
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Previews begin February 26, Al Hirschfeld Theatre
Daniel Radcliffe stars in a new revival of the 1962 Tony-winning musical with a score by Frank Loesser about a young window cleaner who follows the advice of a self-help book to launch a meteoric rise from mail-room to Vice-President of Advertising in a large corporation.
Good People
Previews begin February 8, Manhattan Theatre Club/Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
Frances McDormand and Tate Donovan star in David Lindsay Abaire's play set in an impoverished Boston neighborhood, where people's paychecks don't cover their bills.
Anything Goes
Previews begin March 10, Roundabout Theatre Company/Stephen Sondheim Theatre
Past-winner Sutton Foster plays Reno Sweeney in a new revival of the musical romp from Cole Porter that takes place on an ocean liner steaming across the Atlantic.
War Horse
Previews begin March 17, Lincoln Center Theater/Vivian Beaumont Theatre
London transfer of a play adapted by Nick Stafford from the novel by Michael Morpurgo that relates the extraordinary adventures a boy and his horse, after the beloved animal was sold to the cavalry upon the outbreak of the First World War.
Wonderland
Previews begin March 21, theatre TBA
A new musical from Frank Wildhorn which offers a contemporary take on the Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland stories: A grown woman discovers a whole other world lying underneath modern-day Manhattan.
And There's More…
Several other new shows are heading towards Broadway and hoping to debut during the upcoming season. While theatres and preview dates are still up in the air, it's definitely worth keeping them on your radar. The following are all musicals:
The Book of Mormon - from creators of Avenue Q and the TV series South Park
Catch Me If You Can - a stage adaptation of the Steven Spielberg movie
Love Never Dies- continuing the story of The Phantom of the Opera
Priscilla Queen of the Desert - based on the Australian movie hit
Sister Act - an adaptation of the film comedy about singing nuns, with a score by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater
Unchain My Heart, The Ray Charles Musical - a musical biography of the soul-music giant
Yank! - transfer of the York Theatre's Off Broadway musical about a gay romance in the armed services during World War II.
Plays on the horizon include:
Elling - two psychiatric patients who have to prove that they are capable of being normal, adapted by Simon Bent from the 2001 Norwegian film.
Other shows will be announced as the season gets underway, and we'll add those titles as information is confirmed.
See you at the theatre!
Note: All determinations of eligibility for the Tony Awards are made exclusively by the Tony Awards Administration Committee.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Gearing Up for the 2010-2011 Tony Race
Hard to believe that this blog is already 8 months in the making ... and that this is my 250th post! As I am currently getting ready to start up for the 2010-2011 Tony race, I wanted to open up the floor to you, my readers, for some advice. This blog, after all, is as much about YOU as it is about the race itself. Is there anything in particular that you would like to see on the blog this year that wasn't there last year? Anything I should discontinue? What aspects of the blog should I continue or develop? I'd love to hear your feedback on how last year went so that I can make this year BETTER. To express your ideas, leave me messages in the comments section of this post. Thanks, and I can't wait to bring you more content!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Patricia Neal, Tony- and Oscar-Winning Actress, Dies at 84
Patricia Neal, among the best actresses of a generation, died yesterday at the age of 84 of lung cancer at her home in Massachusetts. She will be long remembered for her cherished performance in Hud, the 1963 film in which she costarred with Paul Newman and the role for which she became an Oscar winner. Patricia also starred on Broadway, with credits ranging from the original 1959 production of The Miracle Worker to a revival of Lillian Hellman's The Chlidren's Hour in 1952. Perhaps her biggest Broadway success was her Tony-winning performance in Lillian Hellman's 1946 drama Another Part of the Forrest -- her Broadway debut. She is survived by her children Lucy, Ophelia, Theo and Tessa. Her husband, children's author Roald Dahl, died in 1990. On a more personal note, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Ms. Neal at the SunDeis Film Festival a few years back and I will remember her for a long time.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Kristin Chenoweth Rocks
I finally saw Promises, Promises today -- one of the last shows of the recently ended Broadway season that I hadn't seen. The show is really dated and the score just doesn't work in any way (Turkey Lurkey Time, anyone?). But thank heavens for Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes who somehow managed to hold that show together because, otherwise, the show would have been a total and utter mess.
After the show, I had the pleasure of going back stage to Kristin's dressing room for a quick, informal chat (though I do hope to get in a formal interview with her at some point). After congratulating her on the show and chatting for a few minutes, I was quite pleasantly surprised when 2010 Best Featured Actor in a Play Tony Award Winner EDDIE REDMAYNE walked in to give his well wishes to Kristin and the gang. All in all a fun time.
After the show, I had the pleasure of going back stage to Kristin's dressing room for a quick, informal chat (though I do hope to get in a formal interview with her at some point). After congratulating her on the show and chatting for a few minutes, I was quite pleasantly surprised when 2010 Best Featured Actor in a Play Tony Award Winner EDDIE REDMAYNE walked in to give his well wishes to Kristin and the gang. All in all a fun time.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Alice Brings Wonderland to Broadway
2010 seems to be the year of Alice in Wonderland. A new musical version of the Lewis Carol novels will hit Broadway next spring, with previews set to begin March 21st and opening night set for April 27th. The score will be by Broadway composer Frank Wildhorn, a book by Jack Murphy and Gregory Boyd, and the production will be directed by Boyd. The show will play at one of the Nederlander theaters.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Kristin Chenoweth
Well, dear readers, I have some exciting news. I will be visiting Kristin Chenoweth back stage after the August 8th matinee of Promises, Promises. Though this is not intended as a formal interview, but a social call, I wanted to open the floor to my readers to see if there were any quick things you wanted me to find out while I'm there. Post them as comments and I'll do my best to get the dirt.
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