The Fruitiness of 'Peter and the Starcatcher'

A pineapple hovers over the false proscenium at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in perhaps the most famous display of the fruit since it was serenaded in Cabaret. But, of all the things that could have been placed in such a conspicuous place, why a pineapple? This is, after all, a tale of pirates and Peter Pan. According to the play's co-director, Roger Rees, "The pineapple is a universal symbol of welcome and New England sea captains would put a pineapple on their front stoop when they from the south seas to welcome their friends and community to their home."  For more information on the pineapple, check out the article below on Playbill.com.

http://playbill.com/news/article/166240-ASK-PLAYBILLCOM-A-Question-About-a-Fruity-Visual-Theme-in-Peter-and-the-Starcatcher

James Cordon on NPR

Last night, I had the great pleasure to attend a taping of Studio 360, a weekly NPR radio program about the arts and culture hosted by Kurt Anderson.  This week's episode will include an interview with James Cordon, currently a Tony nominee for his performance in Broadway's One Man, Two Guvnors.  During the taping, Anderson and Cordon discussed topics as wide ranging as improvisation and the fears of doing live theater, the differences between TV and the theater, fatherhood, and weight loss. Check your local listings to find out when the show will air on a radio station near you.

Show Updates

Today's article is multipurpose, giving updates on a number of shows around town. We will be talking about the upcoming Broadway revival of Annie and announcing a production coming to Second Stage.

First up is news about the forthcoming Broadway revival of Annie.  The original production opened on April 21st, 1977 and won the Best Musical Tony Award.  The production also launched the careers of a number of girls who played the title role, including the original Tony-nominated star Andrea McArdle, as well as the likes of Emmy-winner Sarah Jessica Parker. The current production has announced that it will begin previews on October 3rd in advance of a November 8th opening night at the Palace Theatre.

In more exciting news, I am thrilled to announce that my friend Lindsay Mendez, who recently departed the Broadway company of Godspell, has just gotten her next gig. She will be appearing in the Second Stage production of Dogfight, which is based on the 1991 film of the same name. She will appear in the leading role of Rose (played by Lili Taylor in the film) in a production to be directed by Joe Mantello and choreographed by two time Tony nominee Chris Gatelli. Previews will begin June 27th with opening night set for July 16th.

"Phantom of the Opera" and "Love Never Dies" to Return to Cinema

Playbill.com has reported that live films of two Andrew Lloyd Weber musicals, the blockbuster Phantom of the Opera and its sequel Love Never Dies, will be returning to US cinemas May 21st and 23rd, respectively. The screenings, films of the live shows, will be presented by Fathom Events and is being billed as The Phantom of the Opera -- The Complete Story.  The first of the pair is the 25th anniversary concert staging of Phantom that occurred at Royal Albert Hall last October, while Love Never Dies was filmed with Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess in the lead roles in London in 2010.  Check your local listings for times and locations.

'Peter and the Starcatcher' Film in the Works

Playbill.com has reported that Disney will make a film version of Peter and the Starcatchers, but that this version will be based on the Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson novel rather than the play, which is also based on the novel. The screenplay will be written by Jesse Witgutow, who wrote the screenplay for It Runs in the Family. The Playbill article says, "The film is a separate entity from the critically praised Broadway production, which dropped the 's' from its title and goes by Peter and the Starcatcher."

2nd Tony Winner Predictions

Here is my second round of predictions for the 2012 Tony Award winners.

Best Play

Clybourne Park

Best Musical

Newsies

Book of a Musical

Lysistrata Jones

Score

Newsies

Revival of a Play

Death of A Salesman

Revival of a Musical

Porgy & Bess

Actor in a Play

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Death of a Salesman

Actress in a Play

Nina Arianda, Venus in Fur

Actor in a Musical

Danny Burstein, Follies

Actress in a Musical

Audra McDonald, Porgy & Bess

Featured Actor in a Play

Jeremy Shamos, Clybourne Park

Featured Actress in a Play

Linda Emond, Death of a Salesman

Featured Actor in a Musical

Elizabeth A. Davis, Once

Featured Actress in a Musical

Judy Kaye, Nice Work if You Can Get It

Director of a Play

Mike Nichols, Death of a Salesman

Director of a Musical

Kathleen Marshall, Nice Work if You Can Get It

Choreography

Christopher Gattelli, Newsies

Orchestrations

Once

Scenic Design of a Play

Peter and the Starcatcher

Scenic Design of a Musical

Once

Costume Design of a Play

Peter and the Starcatcher

Costume Design of a Musical

Porgy & Bess

Lighting Design of a Play

Peter and the Starcatcher

Lighting Design of a Musical

Follies

Sound Design of a Play

End of the Rainbow

Sound Design of a Musical

Once

'Priscilla, Queen of the Desert' to Close on June 24th

The Tony-winning Broadway musical Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, has posted a closing notice for June 24th. The musical received two 2011 Tony nominations, for leading actor Tony Sheldon and for Best Costume Design, winning for Costume Design. The show had its one year anniversary on March 20th, and still stars its original trio of Tony Sheldon, Nick Adams, and Will Swenson. Upon closing, the show will have played 23 previews and 526 regular performances.

Two New Broadway Outings Announced

Two new productions have been announced for the Main Stem. The first is a musical adaptation of the 2000 movie Bring It On, which will hit the St. James Theatre this summer. The show will be directed and choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler (who won a Tony for his choreography of In the Heights a few years back), and will play a limited engagement from July 12th through October 7th. Opening night is set for August 1st and was announced by Jordan Roth, president of the Jujamcyn Theaters (the organization that owns the St. James Theatre), via Twitter.

The second newly announced production is a musical adaptation of the 1998 Cinderella story, Ever After, which starred Drew Barrymore in that film's lead role. Producers Scott Landis and Philip Morgaman made the announcement yesterday that the show will arrive on Broadway in the 2013-2014 season. According to Broadway.com, "Inspired by the 1998 film of the same title that starred Drew Barrymore, Ever After was first announced to have its world premiere in 2009 at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco prior to an anticipated Broadway run. Smash and Seminar scribe Theresa Rebeck was originally attached as co-book writer, with Doug Hughes (Doubt) as director."  Now, 2012 Tony nominated director Kathleen Marshall is attached to direct the musical.

Lincoln Center Theater to Open New Stage

The New York Times wrote a great profile article of Lincoln Center and the new theater they are opening "that will feature work by emerging playwrights, directors, and designers. The 112-seat theater ... aims to develop new talent, feed the company's two larger theaters ... and attract younger, more diverse audiences."

The article goes on to describe how, "In making this commitment, Lincoln Center Theater joins nonprofit companies all over the country",  including the Roundabout Theatre Company, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Public Theater, "that are creating modest black-box theaters to present scaled-down productions by rising artists and to build a new generation of patrons."

Check out the article below to read more.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/15/theater/lincoln-center-theater-to-open-claire-tow-theater-for-lct3.html?_r=1&ref=theater

Dan Stevens to Join "The Heiress"

The upcoming Broadway revival of The Heiress has a new star. A spokesman for the production, which will star Golden Globe and Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain in the lead role of Catherine Sloper, will now also star Dan Stevens as her love interest. Stevens is best known to American TV audiences as Matthew Crawley in the PBS miniseries Downton Abbey. The Heiress will also star Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winner David Strathairn as Catherine's father. The production will be directed by Tony nominated playwright and director Moisés Kaufman.