TONY AWARD-WINNING CURTAINS STAR
DAVID HYDE PIERCE
TO APPEAR ON ‘LIVE WITH REGIS & KELLY’ ON MONDAY, MARCH 3
Tony Award winning CURTAINS star David Hyde Pierce will appear on “Live with Regis and Kelly” on Monday, March 3 at 9:00 AM. In the New York area, “Live with Regis & Kelly” airs on WABC-TV Channel 7. Check local listings. CURTAINS, the Musical Comedy Whodunit from the authors of Cabaret and Chicago, is now in its second year on Broadway at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre (302 West 45th Street).
CURTAINS unfolds backstage at Boston’s Colonial Theatre in 1959, where a new musical could be a Broadway smash, were it not for its talent-free leading lady. When the star dies on opening night, Lt. Frank Cioffi (David Hyde Pierce) arrives to conduct an investigation. But the lure of the theatre proves irresistible and after an unexpected romance blooms for the stage-struck detective, he finds himself just as drawn toward making the show a hit, as he is in solving the murder.
The production stars 2007 Tony Award winner and four-time Emmy Award winner David Hyde Pierce as Lt. Frank Cioffi and Tony and Emmy Award winner Debra Monk as producer Carmen Bernstein. CURTAINS also stars Tony Award winner Karen Ziemba as lyricist Georgia Hendricks, Jason Danieley as composer Aaron Fox, Erin Davie as ingénue Niki Harris and Edward Hibbert as director Christopher Belling, with John Bolton as theatre critic Daryl Grady, Michael X. Martin as stage manager Johnny Harmon, Michael McCormick as investor Oscar Shapiro, Noah Racey as choreographer Bobby Pepper, Megan Sikora as understudy Bambi Bernét and Gerry Vichi as producer Sidney Bernstein.
CURTAINS is an original musical comedy with a book by Rupert Holmes (multiple Tony Award-winner for The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Say Goodnight Gracie), music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb (the Tony Award-winning songwriters of Cabaret, Chicago, New York New York), original book and concept by Tony Award-winner Peter Stone (1776, Titanic, The Will Rogers Follies), and additional lyrics by John Kander & Rupert Holmes. CURTAINS is directed by five-time Tony Award-nominee Scott Ellis (She Loves Me, 1776, 12 Angry Men, Steel Pier). Choreography is by Tony Award-winner Rob Ashford (Thoroughly Modern Millie).
The 31-member cast also features Nili Bassman (Arlene Barucca), Bridget Berger (Roberta Wooster), Kevin Bernard (Roy Stetson/Detective O’Farrell), Ward Billeisen (Brick Hawvermale), Jennifer Dunne (Jan Setler), David Eggers (Swing), J. Austin Eyer (Swing), Jennifer Frankel (Marjorie Cook), Patty Goble (Jessica Cranshaw/Connie Subbotin), Lorin Lattaro (Swing), Shannon Lewis (Mona Page), David Loud (Sasha Iljinsky), Brittany Marcin (Peg Prentice), Jim Newman (Randy Dexter), Aaron Ramey (Harv Fremont), Joe Aaron Reid (Ronnie Driscoll), Christopher Spaulding (Russ Cochran), Jerome Vivona (Swing) and Stephanie Youell (Swing).
Producers are Roger Berlind, Roger Horchow, Daryl Roth, Jane Bergère, Ted Hartley and Center Theatre Group. CURTAINS had its world premiere on August 9, 2006 at Center Theatre Group’s Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.
Performance schedule for CURTAINS is Tuesday at 7:00 PM, Wednesday through Saturday at 8:00 PM, with matinees Wednesday and Saturday at 2:00 PM, and Sunday at 3:00 PM. Tickets are on sale at Telecharge at 212-239-6200, online at www.telecharge.com or in person at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre box office (302 West 45th Street).
* * *
www.CurtainsTheMusical.com
Friday, February 29, 2008
TONY AWARD-WINNING CURTAINS STAR DAVID HYDE PIERCE TO APPEAR ON ‘LIVE WITH REGIS & KELLY’ ON MONDAY, MARCH 3
COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA’S S. EPATHA MERKERSON FEATURED IN THE NEWS
COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA’S
S. EPATHA MERKERSON
TO BE FEATURED ON “THE TAVIS SMILEY SHOW” AND NY1
“S. Epatha Merkerson is just about perfect, radiating genuine warmth and generosity.”
-- Michael Kuchwara, Associated Press
S. Epatha Merkerson, currently featured in Manhattan Theatre Club’s critically acclaimed hit production of William Inge’s COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA will be featured this week on “The Tavis Smiley Show,” and NY1’s “On Stage.”
NY1 “ON STAGE”
S. Epatha Merkerson will be a featured guest on this weekend’s episode of “On Stage.” Merkerson recently sat down with Donna Karger to speak about the thrill of returning to the New York stage and appearing in the hit production of the Inge classic. “On Stage” airs Saturdays and Sundays from 9:30AM – 10:00AM, and again from 7:30PM – 8:00PM. It also airs Mondays from 9:30PM – 10:00PM, and that same night from 12:30AM– 1:00AM.
“THE TAVIS SMILEY SHOW”
Merkerson will be featured on this weekend’s edition of “The Tavis Smiley Show,” airing locally on WNYC AM 820 on Friday at 9:00PM, Saturday at 2:00PM and Sunday at 2:00PM.
INFORMATION ON COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA
S. Epatha Merkerson (“Law & Order, ”“Lackawanna Blues”) and Drama Desk Award winner and Tony nominee Kevin Anderson (Death of a Salesman, Orphans) head the cast of this new production which also includes Joseph Adams (“Dirty Sexy Money”), Chad Hoeppner (Butley), Daniel Damon Joyce (Broadway debut), Lyle Kanouse (Big River), Zoe Kazan (The Prime of Miss Jean Brody), Brian J. Smith (The Fabulous Life of a Size Zero), Keith Randolph Smith (Jitney), Brenda Wehle (Talking Heads) and Matthew J. Williamson (“Will & Grace”). The production is directed by two-time Emmy Awardâ winner Michael Pressman (“Law & Order,” To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday).
Lola (Merkerson) is a faded beauty queen trapped in a lonely marriage to Doc (Anderson), a recovering alcoholic on the brink of relapse. When a pretty young woman becomes a boarder in their cluttered Midwest home, their lives are unsettled as unspoken passions rise to the surface. As the emptiness of their marriage is laid bare, can they find their way back to each other or will they be undone? This new look at William Inge’s great American story is an absorbing tale of lost hopes and unfulfilled promise, told with unflinching honesty and heartbreaking power.
The creative team for the production includes: James Noone (scenic design), Jennifer von Mayrhauser (costume design), Jane Cox (lighting design), Obadiah Eaves (sound design), Peter Golub (original music), J. David Brimmer (fight director), and David Caparelliotis (casting).
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, MTC has become one of the country’s most prominent and prestigious theatre companies. MTC productions have earned a total of 16 Tony Awards and five Pulitzer Prizes as well as numerous other awards. Renowned MTC productions include LoveMusik; Blackbird; Translations; Shining City; Rabbit Hole; Doubt; Proof; The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife; Kimberly Akimbo; Love! Valour! Compassion!; Sylvia; Four Dogs and a Bone; Putting It Together; Lips Together, Teeth Apart; Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune; Crimes of the Heart; and Ain’t Misbehavin’.
In 2003, MTC reopened Broadway’s landmark, long-neglected Biltmore Theatre, following a two-year, $35 million capital campaign. In addition, to the Biltmore, MTC’s operates two theatres at New York City Center, its Off-Broadway home since 1984.
During Meadow’s sabbatical this season, Daniel Sullivan, a close associate of MTC and director of several Manhattan Theatre Club productions (Rabbit Hole, Brooklyn Boy, Sight Unseen, Proof, Psychopathia Sexualis), is serving as Acting Artistic Director. Sullivan will continue consulting with Meadow and MTC's artistic staff on the planning of the 2007-2008 season. Meadow will return to MTC for the 2008-2009 season and will consult on the planning of that season.
TICKET INFORMATION:
Tickets to COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA are available by calling Telecharge.com at (212) 239-6200, (800) 432-7250 outside the NY metro area, online at Telecharge.com, and at the Biltmore Theatre box office (261 West 47th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue). For group ticket information, call (800) 432-7780. Tickets range in price from $46.50-96.50. Student rush tickets are available the day of the performance at the Biltmore Theatre box office for $26.50.
For information on how to subscribe please visit www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
Through March 16: Tuesday – Saturday at 8 PM. Matinees on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2 PM.
# # # #
www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
MARY POPPINS ON WABC-TV NEWS
BROADWAY’S CLASSIC MUSICAL
MARY POPPINS
FEATURED ON WABC-TV 5:30PM NEWS
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27
WABC-TV News (Channel 7) will feature a behind-the-scenes look at a performance of Broadway’s classic musical MARY POPPINS that was signed and captioned for the deaf and hard-of-hearing tomorrow, Wednesday, February 27 on the 5:30pm news.
The signed and captioned performance was part of the Theatre Development Fund’s "Talking Hands" program, which bring hundreds of deaf and hard-of-hearing grade school kids from the tri-state area to see Broadway shows.
MARY POPPINS is the biggest hit to open during the 2006-2007 season and is a must-see musical for theatergoers of all ages. MARY POPPINS received seven 2007 Tony® Award nominations, including Best Musical. The musical also won two Drama Desk Awards including Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical (Gavin Lee) and Outstanding Set Design of a Musical (Bob Crowley), as well as a Theatre World Award (for Gavin Lee).
MARY POPPINS, a co-production by Disney and Cameron Mackintosh, opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre on November 16, 2006, and quickly proved to be a hit with audience members and critics alike.
Based on P.L. Travers’s cherished stories and the classic 1964 Walt Disney film, MARY POPPINS features the Academy Awardâ-winning music and lyrics of Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. The stage production has been created, in collaboration with Cameron Mackintosh, by Academy Award®-winning screenwriter Julian Fellowes, who has written the book, and the Olivier Award-winning team of George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, who have composed new songs and additional music and lyrics.
Olivier Award-winning director Richard Eyre leads the award-winning creative team assembled for MARY POPPINS with co-direction and choreography by Tonyâ and Olivier Award winner Matthew Bourne. MARY POPPINS features set and costume design by Tony Awardâ winner Bob Crowley, co-choreography by Olivier Award winner Stephen Mear, lighting design by Howard Harrison, sound design by Steve Canyon Kennedy, orchestrations by William David Brohn, music supervision by David Caddick, and music direction by Brad Haak.
Tickets for MARY POPPINS are available at www.DisneyOnBroadway.com, the New Amsterdam Theatre Box Office, and all Ticketmaster outlets or by calling Ticketmaster’s Disney on Broadway hotline at (212) 307-4747. Prices range from $25 - $120. For group sales and information please call (800) 439-9000.
www.DisneyOnBroadway.com
# # #
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
SIERRA BOGGESS AND TITUSS BURGESS OF DISNEY’S THE LITTLE MERMAIDDISNEY’S THE LITTLE MERMAID ON WABC “EYEWITNESS NEWS THIS MORNING”
SIERRA BOGGESS AND TITUSS BURGESS OF
DISNEY’S THE LITTLE MERMAID
INTERVIEWED ON
WABC “EYEWITNESS NEWS THIS MORNING”
To watch the interview, click here:
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/media?id=5977951
Walt Disney Records released Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID original Broadway cast recording TODAY- February 26th. To celebrate the release, Sierra Boggess and Tituss Burgess will be performing ‘Part of Your World’ and ‘Under The Sea’ at World of Disney today at 6pm. Following the performance, attendees are invited to join Sierra, Tituss, Sherie Rene Scott and other members of the cast who will sign copies of the cast recording.
Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID is currently playing at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. The playing schedule for THE LITTLE MERMAID is as follows: Tuesday – Saturday evenings at 8pm, Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2pm, and Sunday matinees at 3pm. Tickets for are $51.50 - $121.50 (includes a $1.50 facility fee), available through Ticketmaster at (212) 307-4747, online at www.DisneyOnBroadway.com, or in-person at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street).
For more information on Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID, visit www.DisneyOnBroadway.com.
# # #
www.DisneyOnBroadway.com
Friday, February 22, 2008
Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID featured on WABC’s “Eyewitness News This Morning” – February 24th
SIERRA BOGGESS AND TITUSS BURGESS FROM
DISNEY’S THE LITTLE MERMAID
INTERVIEWED LIVE ON
WABC’S “EYEWITNESS NEWS THIS MORNING”
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24TH at 9:45am
On Sunday, February 24th, WABC’s “Eyewitness News This Morning” will interview Sierra Boggess and Tituss Burgess, stars of Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID live in-studio at 9:45am. “Eyewitness News This Morning” airs locally on WABC (channel 7) from 9:00am – 10:00am.
Walt Disney Records will release THE LITTLE MERMAID original Broadway cast recording on Tuesday, February 26.
Disney Theatrical Productions (Thomas Schumacher, Producer) is proud to present the Broadway production of THE LITTLE MERMAID, based on the Disney film and the classic fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. The company features Sierra Boggess as ‘Ariel,’ Sean Palmer as ‘Prince Eric,’ Norm Lewis as ‘King Triton,’ Tituss Burgess as ‘Sebastian,’ Eddie Korbich as ‘Scuttle,’ Jonathan Freeman as ‘Grimsby,’ Derrick Baskin as ‘Jetsam,’ Tyler Maynard as ‘Flotsam,’ John Treacy Egan as ‘Chef Louis,’ Trevor Braun and Brian D'Addario as ‘Flounder,’ and Sherie Rene Scott as ‘Ursula.’
THE LITTLE MERMAID takes place in a magical kingdom beneath the sea, where a beautiful young mermaid named Ariel longs to leave her ocean home to live in the world above. But first, she’ll have to defy her father, the king of the sea, escape the clutches of an evil sea witch and convince a prince that she’s the girl with the perfect voice.
Led by the award-winning director, Francesca Zambello, some of the theatre’s most innovative artists have collaborated to create THE LITTLE MERMAID. The score features the classic songs: “Part of Your World,” “Kiss the Girl” and the Academy Award®-winning Best Original Song, “Under the Sea,” composed by eight-time Academy Award® winner Alan Menken and his longtime collaborator, the late Howard Ashman, as well as 10 new songs by Mr. Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater. The book for the new musical is by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award®-winning playwright Doug Wright.
Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID is currently playing at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. The playing schedule for THE LITTLE MERMAID is as follows: Tuesday – Saturday evenings at 8pm, Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2pm, and Sunday matinees at 3pm. Tickets for are $51.50 - $121.50 (includes a $1.50 facility fee), available through Ticketmaster at (212) 307-4747, online at www.DisneyOnBroadway.com, or in-person at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street).
# # #
www.DisneyOnBroadway.com
The 39 Steps' Edwards and Ferrin on NY1 "On Stage"
ROUNDABOUT THEATRE COMPANY
THE 39 STEPS
stars
Charles Edwards and Jennifer Ferrin
will be featured on
NY1’s “On Stage” this weekend, beginning Saturday, February 23rd
on Channel 1
“Absurdly enjoyable! This gleefully theatrical riff on Hitchcock’s film is fast and frothy. A perfect soufflé!”
- Ben Brantley, New York Times
"Comedy of the highest order! With a stiff upper lip and tongue firmly in cheek, Charles Edwards is superb. Jennifer Ferrin expertly conjures the look and sound of the 1930's femme fatales."
- Roma Torre, NY1
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Charles Edwards and Jennifer Ferrin, stars of Roundabout Theatre Company’s The 39 Steps, will be featured on NY1’s “On Stage” this weekend beginning Saturday, February 23rd on channel 1 and repeated six times throughout the weekend. Charles and Jennifer sit down with NY1’s Patrick Pacheco to discuss their critically acclaimed and popular Broadway play The 39 Steps.
The 39 Steps, directed by Maria Aitken, is playing a limited engagement through March 29th, 2008 at the Laura Pels Theatre (111 West 46th St).
Mix an Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of vintage Monty Python and you have THE 39 STEPS, a hilarious whodunit, part espionage thriller and part slapstick comedy, adapted for the stage from the famous film and novel. Shots ring out across a crowded theatre and Richard Hannay is lured into a world of intrigue by a mysterious woman claiming to be a spy. When she winds up dead in his flat, he flees London with the police hot on his trail. A runaway hit in London and the winner of the 2007 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy.
TICKET INFORMATION:
Tickets are available by phone at (212) 719-1300, online at www.roundabouttheatre.org or at the American Airlines Theatre (227 West 42nd St). Ticket prices range from $51.25 - $96.25.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
THE 39 STEPS plays Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8:00PM with a Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday matinee at 2:00PM.
www.roundabouttheatre.org
# # #
Come Back, Little Sheba featured on WNYC's "The Leonard Lopate Show"
COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA’S
S. EPATHA MERKERSON
TO BE FEATURED ON “THE LEONARD LOPATE SHOW”
TOMORROW, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22
“S. Epatha Merkerson is just about perfect, radiating genuine warmth and generosity.”
-- Michael Kuchwara, Associated Press
S. Epatha Merkerson, currently appearing in Manhattan Theatre Club’s critically acclaimed production of COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA, will be a guest on WNYC’s “The Leonard Lopate Show” tomorrow, Friday, February 22 (12:40 – 1:00 PM).
Merkerson will sit down with Lopate to discuss her lauded performance in COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA. “The Leonard Lopate Show” can be heard on 93.9 FM or 820 AM.
S. Epatha Merkerson (“Law & Order, ”“Lackawanna Blues”) and Drama Desk Award winner and Tony nominee Kevin Anderson (Death of a Salesman, Orphans) head the cast of this new production which also includes Joseph Adams (“Dirty Sexy Money”), Chad Hoeppner (Butley), Daniel Damon Joyce (Broadway debut), Lyle Kanouse (Big River), Zoe Kazan (The Prime of Miss Jean Brody), Brian J. Smith (The Fabulous Life of a Size Zero), Keith Randolph Smith (Jitney), Brenda Wehle (Talking Heads) and Matthew J. Williamson (“Will & Grace”). The production is directed by two-time Emmy Awardâ winner Michael Pressman (“Law & Order,” To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday).
Lola (Merkerson) is a faded beauty queen trapped in a lonely marriage to Doc (Anderson), a recovering alcoholic on the brink of relapse. When a pretty young woman becomes a boarder in their cluttered Midwest home, their lives are unsettled as unspoken passions rise to the surface. As the emptiness of their marriage is laid bare, can they find their way back to each other or will they be undone? This new look at William Inge’s great American story is an absorbing tale of lost hopes and unfulfilled promise, told with unflinching honesty and heartbreaking power.
The creative team for the production includes: James Noone (scenic design), Jennifer von Mayrhauser (costume design), Jane Cox (lighting design), Obadiah Eaves (sound design), Peter Golub (original music), J. David Brimmer (fight director), and David Caparelliotis (casting).
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, MTC has become one of the country’s most prominent and prestigious theatre companies. MTC productions have earned a total of 16 Tony Awards and five Pulitzer Prizes as well as numerous other awards. Renowned MTC productions include LoveMusik; Blackbird; Translations; Shining City; Rabbit Hole; Doubt; Proof; The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife; Kimberly Akimbo; Love! Valour! Compassion!; Sylvia; Four Dogs and a Bone; Putting It Together; Lips Together, Teeth Apart; Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune; Crimes of the Heart; and Ain’t Misbehavin’.
In 2003, MTC reopened Broadway’s landmark, long-neglected Biltmore Theatre, following a two-year, $35 million capital campaign. In addition, to the Biltmore, MTC’s operates two theatres at New York City Center, its Off-Broadway home since 1984.
During Meadow’s sabbatical this season, Daniel Sullivan, a close associate of MTC and director of several Manhattan Theatre Club productions (Rabbit Hole, Brooklyn Boy, Sight Unseen, Proof, Psychopathia Sexualis), is serving as Acting Artistic Director. Sullivan will continue consulting with Meadow and MTC's artistic staff on the planning of the 2007-2008 season. Meadow will return to MTC for the 2008-2009 season and will consult on the planning of that season.
TICKET INFORMATION:
Tickets to COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA are available by calling Telecharge.com at (212) 239-6200, (800) 432-7250 outside the NY metro area, online at Telecharge.com, and at the Biltmore Theatre box office (261 West 47th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue). For group ticket information, call (800) 432-7780. Tickets range in price from $46.50-96.50. Student rush tickets are available the day of the performance at the Biltmore Theatre box office for $26.50.
For information on how to subscribe please visit www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
Through March 16: Tuesday – Saturday at 8 PM. Matinees on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2 PM.
# # # #
www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com
Friday, February 15, 2008
THE SEAFARER featured on TheaterTalk
THE SEAFARER’S
CONLETH HILL AND CIARÁN HINDS
FEATURED ON WNET’s “THEATER TALK”
TOMORROW, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15
THE SEAFARER’s Conleth Hill and Ciarán Hinds will be featured guests this week on “Theater Talk.” Hill and Hinds sat down with co-hosts Susan Haskins and Michael Riedel to speak about working with playwright Conor McPherson on his Broadway directorial debut and performing in one of the most lauded ensembles of the year.
“Theater Talk” airs locally late Friday night, February 15 at 12:30 AM on WNET (Channel 13).
The National Theatre of Great Britain’s critically acclaimed production of Conor McPherson’s THE SEAFARER will end its successful limited engagement Sunday, March 30 at the Booth Theatre (222 West 45th Street). The production will have played 19 previews and 133 regular performances. THE SEAFARER, directed by McPherson, stars Conleth Hill, Ciarán Hinds, Sean Mahon, David Morse and Jim Norton.
THE SEAFARER topped many Best of 2007 lists including: The New York Times, Associated Press, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Entertainment Weekly, Newsweek, New York Daily News, New York Magazine, New York Observer, NY1, and WOR Radio.
From Conor McPherson, the author of the Olivier Award-winning The Weir and the Tony-nominated Shining City, comes a chilling new play about the sea, Ireland, and the power of myth. It's Christmas Eve and Sharky (Morse) has returned to Dublin to look after his irascible, aging brother (Norton) who's recently gone blind. Old drinking buddies Ivan (Hill) and Nicky (Mahon) are holed up at the house too, hoping to play some cards. But with the arrival of a stranger (Hinds) from the distant past, the stakes are raised ever higher. In fact, Sharky may be playing for his very soul.
Two-time Olivier Award winner Conleth Hill (Stones in His Pockets, The Producers) is reprising his role as ‘Ivan Curry,’ which he originated at The National Theatre in London. Ciarán Hinds is best known to audiences as ‘Gaius Julius Caesar’ in HBO’s epic drama “Rome,” and Closer in the West End and on Broadway. Sean Mahon is making his Broadway debut as ‘Nicky Giblin.’ Drama Desk Award winner David Morse (How I Learned to Drive) is returning to New York theatre after receiving an Emmy nomination for his guest starring role in “House, M.D.” Jim Norton is reprising his role as ‘Richard Harkin’ for which he received the 2007 Olivier Award.
Conleth Hill and Ciarán Hinds are appearing with the permission of Actors' Equity Association. The producers gratefully acknowledge Actors' Equity Association for its assistance of this production.
The Broadway production of THE SEAFARER opened on Thursday, December 6 and began previews on Tuesday, October 30.
THE SEAFARER received its world premiere in 2006 at the National’s Cottesloe Theatre, opening to critical acclaim. THE SEAFARER received two Olivier Award nominations including Best New Play for McPherson. Jim Norton received the Olivier for Best Performance in a Supporting Role.
The creative team for THE SEAFARER includes: Rae Smith (set and costume design), Neil Austin (lighting design), and Mathew Smethurst-Evans (sound design).
THE SEAFARER is the latest National Theatre production to be produced on Broadway by Boyett Ostar Productions. Previous productions include Alan Bennett’s Tony Award-winning The History Boys directed by NT director, Nicholas Hytner, as well as the recent productions of Coram Boy, Jumpers, Democracy, and The Pillowman.
In its three theatres on the south bank of the Thames in London, the National Theatre of Great Britain presents an eclectic mix of new plays and classics, with seven or eight productions in repertory at any one time. It aims constantly to re-energize the great traditions of British stage and to expand the horizons of audiences and artists alike.
For more information on THE SEAFARER, please visit www.SeafarerThePlay.com
LISTINGS INFORMATION:
THE SEAFARER ticket info: Ticket range from $98.50 - $76.50. Telecharge 212-239-6200 or www.telecharge.com.
Performance Schedule:
Tuesday – Saturday at 8 PM. Matinees on Wednesday and Saturday at 2 PM and Sunday at 3 PM.
# # #
See Come Back, Little Sheba's S. Epatha Merkerson on "The Today Show"
TO SEE
COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA’S
S. EPATHA MERKERSON
ON “THE TODAY SHOW”
CLICK HERE
To see COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA’s S. Epatha Merkerson on NBC’s “The Today Show,” please visit: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/23183063#23183063
Merkerson, an Emmy®, Golden Globe, and SAG Award winner and Tony Award® nominee, sat down with host Al Roker to discuss her critically acclaimed performance in the Manhattan Theatre Club’s production of COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA.
Merkerson (“Law & Order”,“Lackawanna Blues,”) and Drama Desk Award winner and Tony nominee Kevin Anderson (Death of a Salesman, Orphans) head the cast of this new production which also includes Joseph Adams (“Dirty Sexy Money”), Chad Hoeppner (Butley), Daniel Damon Joyce (Broadway debut), Lyle Kanouse (Big River), Zoe Kazan (The Prime of Miss Jean Brody), Brian J. Smith (The Fabulous Life of a Size Zero), Keith Randolph Smith (Jitney), Brenda Wehle (Talking Heads) and Matthew J. Williamson (“Will & Grace”). The production is directed by two-time Emmy Awardâ winner Michael Pressman (“Law & Order,” To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday).
Lola (Merkerson) is a faded beauty queen trapped in a lonely marriage to Doc (Anderson), a recovering alcoholic on the brink of relapse. When a pretty young woman becomes a boarder in their cluttered Midwest home, their lives are unsettled as unspoken passions rise to the surface. As the emptiness of their marriage is laid bare, can they find their way back to each other or will they be undone? This new look at William Inge’s great American story is an absorbing tale of lost hopes and unfulfilled promise, told with unflinching honesty and heartbreaking power.
The creative team for the production includes: James Noone (scenic design), Jennifer von Mayrhauser (costume design), Jane Cox (lighting design), Obadiah Eaves (sound design), Peter Golub (original music), J. David Brimmer (fight director), and David Caparelliotis (casting).
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, MTC has become one of the country’s most prominent and prestigious theatre companies. MTC productions have earned a total of 16 Tony Awards and five Pulitzer Prizes as well as numerous other awards. Renowned MTC productions include LoveMusik; Blackbird; Translations; Shining City; Rabbit Hole; Doubt; Proof; The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife; Kimberly Akimbo; Love! Valour! Compassion!; Sylvia; Four Dogs and a Bone; Putting It Together; Lips Together, Teeth Apart; Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune; Crimes of the Heart; and Ain’t Misbehavin’.
In 2003, MTC reopened Broadway’s landmark, long-neglected Biltmore Theatre, following a two-year, $35 million capital campaign. In addition, to the Biltmore, MTC’s operates two theatres at New York City Center, its Off-Broadway home since 1984.
During Meadow’s sabbatical this season, Daniel Sullivan, a close associate of MTC and director of several Manhattan Theatre Club productions (Rabbit Hole, Brooklyn Boy, Sight Unseen, Proof, Psychopathia Sexualis), is serving as Acting Artistic Director. Sullivan will continue consulting with Meadow and MTC's artistic staff on the planning of the 2007-2008 season. Meadow will return to MTC for the 2008-2009 season and will consult on the planning of that season.
TICKET INFORMATION:
Tickets to COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA are available by calling Telecharge.com at (212) 239-6200, (800) 432-7250 outside the NY metro area, online at Telecharge.com, and at the Biltmore Theatre box office (261 West 47th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue). For group ticket information, call (800) 432-7780. Tickets range in price from $46.50-96.50. Student rush tickets are available the day of the performance at the Biltmore Theatre box office for $26.50.
For information on how to subscribe please visit www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
Through March 16: Tuesday – Saturday at 8 PM. Matinees on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2 PM.
# # # #
www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Is He Dead? star Norbert Leo Butz on NY-1's "On Stage" This Weekend
IS HE DEAD?
STAR NORBERT LEO BUTZ
INTERVIEWED ON NY-1’s “ON STAGE”
THIS WEEKEND
IS HE DEAD? star Norbert Leo Butz will be interviewed on NY-1’s “On Stage” by Donna Karger in a segment that will air Saturday, February 16th and Sunday, February 17th at 9:30 AM and 7:30 PM, and Monday, February 18th (early Tuesday) at 12:30 AM.
IS HE DEAD?, a new comedy by master American novelist and satirist Mark Twain, adapted by David Ives, and directed by two-time Tony Award winner Michael Blakemore, opened to critical acclaim on Sunday, December 9. Previews began on Thursday, November 8.
Tony Award winner Norbert Leo Butz (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) leads the cast, which includes Jeremy Bobb (Translations), Marylouise Burke (Into the Woods), Patricia Conolly (Enchanted April), Jenn Gambatese (Tarzan), Tony Award nominee Byron Jennings (Inherit the Wind), Tony Award nominee Michael McGrath (Spamalot), five-time Tony Award nominee John McMartin (Grey Gardens), Tony Award nominee David Pittu (LoveMusik), Bridget Regan and Tom Alan Robbins (The Lion King).
In this newly discovered Mark Twain comedy, the original master of American humor dishes out a sly critique of the art world with acerbic wit and social commentary well ahead of his time. IS HE DEAD? is a fast-paced play about a struggling artist who stages his own death to drive up the price of his paintings. As the riotous scheme unfolds, Twain poses daring questions about fame, greed and the value of art, and pokes his signature, mischievous fun at everyone involved.
Written in 1898, IS HE DEAD? remained unpublished until it was rediscovered in 2002 by noted Twain scholar Shelley Fisher Fishkin.
IS HE DEAD? is produced on Broadway by Bob Boyett, Roger Berlind, Daryl Roth, Jane Bergère, Elisabeth Morten / Jody & Peter Robbins, John O’Boyle / Ricky Stevens, Roy Miller, Sonia Friedman / Ambassador Theatre Group in association with Jacki Barlia Florin & Robert G. Bartner.
The design team for IS HE DEAD? includes scenic design by Tony Award nominee Peter J. Davison, costume design by two-time Tony Award winner Martin Pakledinaz, lighting design by Tony Award winner Peter Kaczorowski and music/sound design by David Van Tiegham.
TICKET INFORMATION:
Tickets for IS HE DEAD? are available by calling Telecharge at (212) 239-6200, (800) 432-7250 outside the NY metro area, or online at Telecharge.com. The Lyceum Theatre Box Office (149 W. 45th Street, between 7th and 6th Avenues) will open on October 22, 2007.
Ticket prices for all performances are $26.50, $46.50, $76.50 & $98.50. All prices include a $1.50 facility fee.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8pm, Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2pm, Sunday matinees at 3pm.
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www.ishedead.com
THE SEAFARER's David Morse featured on AP Podcast
THE SEAFARER’S
DAVID MORSE
CURRENTLY FEATURED ON THE
ASSOCIATED PRESS PODCAST
CLICK HERE TO HEAR THE INTERVIEW
THE SEAFARER’s David Morse is currently featured on the Associated Press Podcast. Morse, a Drama Desk and Obie Award winner, recently sat down with Associated Press Correspondent Jane Waldman to discuss his character ‘Sharky,’ returning to the New York stage and his multiple memorable television and film roles.
Please click on the following link to hear the interview:
http://www.bigcontact.com/player.php?xmlurl=http://podcast.ap.org/podcasts/AP_On_Broadway.xml?SITE=AZTUC%26TYPE=podcast%26NAME=OnBroadway.
The National Theatre of Great Britain’s critically acclaimed production of Conor McPherson’s THE SEAFARER will end its successful limited engagement Sunday, March 30 at the Booth Theatre (222 West 45th Street). The production will have played 19 previews and 133 regular performances. THE SEAFARER, directed by McPherson, stars Morse, Conleth Hill, Ciarán Hinds, Sean Mahon, and Jim Norton.
THE SEAFARER topped many Best of 2007 lists including: The New York Times, Associated Press, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Entertainment Weekly, Newsweek, New York Daily News, New York Magazine, New York Observer, NY1, and WOR Radio.
From Conor McPherson, the author of the Olivier Award-winning The Weir and the Tony-nominated Shining City, comes a chilling new play about the sea, Ireland, and the power of myth. It's Christmas Eve and Sharky (Morse) has returned to Dublin to look after his irascible, aging brother (Norton) who's recently gone blind. Old drinking buddies Ivan (Hill) and Nicky (Mahon) are holed up at the house too, hoping to play some cards. But with the arrival of a stranger (Hinds) from the distant past, the stakes are raised ever higher. In fact, Sharky may be playing for his very soul.
Two-time Olivier Award winner Conleth Hill (Stones in His Pockets, The Producers) is reprising his role as ‘Ivan Curry,’ which he originated at The National Theatre in London. Ciarán Hinds is best known to audiences as ‘Gaius Julius Caesar’ in HBO’s epic drama “Rome,” and Closer in the West End and on Broadway. Sean Mahon is making his Broadway debut as ‘Nicky Giblin.’ Drama Desk Award winner David Morse (How I Learned to Drive) is returning to New York theatre after receiving an Emmy nomination for his guest starring role in “House, M.D.” Jim Norton is reprising his role as ‘Richard Harkin’ for which he received the 2007 Olivier Award.
Conleth Hill and Ciarán Hinds are appearing with the permission of Actors' Equity Association. The producers gratefully acknowledge Actors' Equity Association for its assistance of this production.
The Broadway production of THE SEAFARER opened on Thursday, December 6 and began previews on Tuesday, October 30.
THE SEAFARER received its world premiere in 2006 at the National’s Cottesloe Theatre, opening to critical acclaim. THE SEAFARER received two Olivier Award nominations including Best New Play for McPherson. Jim Norton received the Olivier for Best Performance in a Supporting Role.
The creative team for THE SEAFARER includes: Rae Smith (set and costume design), Neil Austin (lighting design), and Mathew Smethurst-Evans (sound design).
THE SEAFARER is the latest National Theatre production to be produced on Broadway by Boyett Ostar Productions. Previous productions include Alan Bennett’s Tony Award-winning The History Boys directed by NT director, Nicholas Hytner, as well as the recent productions of Coram Boy, Jumpers, Democracy, and The Pillowman.
In its three theatres on the south bank of the Thames in London, the National Theatre of Great Britain presents an eclectic mix of new plays and classics, with seven or eight productions in repertory at any one time. It aims constantly to re-energize the great traditions of British stage and to expand the horizons of audiences and artists alike.
For more information on THE SEAFARER, please visit www.SeafarerThePlay.com
LISTINGS INFORMATION:
THE SEAFARER ticket info: Ticket range from $98.50 - $76.50. Telecharge 212-239-6200 or www.telecharge.com.
Performance Schedule:
Tuesday – Saturday at 8 PM. Matinees on Wednesday and Saturday at 2 PM and Sunday at 3 PM.
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Come Back, Little Sheba's S. Epatha Merkerson To Appear on "The Today Show"
COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA’S
S. EPATHA MERKERSON
TO BE A GUEST ON “THE TODAY SHOW”
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15
“S. Epatha Merkerson is just about perfect, radiating genuine warmth and generosity.”
-- Michael Kuchwara, Associated Press
S. Epatha Merkerson, currently appearing in Manhattan Theatre Club’s critically acclaimed production of COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA, will be a guest on NBC’s “The Today Show” this Friday, February 15 in the 9 AM hour. “The Today Show” airs in the tri-state area on WNBC, check local listings for additional information.
Merkerson will sit down with “The Today Show” host Al Roker to talk about her acclaimed performance as ‘Lola’ in COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA as well as her role in the long-running series “Law & Order.”
Emmy and Golden Globe Award® winner and Tony Award® nominee Merkerson (“Lackawanna Blues,”) and Drama Desk Award winner and Tony nominee Kevin Anderson (Death of a Salesman, Orphans) head the cast of this new production which also includes Joseph Adams (“Dirty Sexy Money”), Chad Hoeppner (Butley), Daniel Damon Joyce (Broadway debut), Lyle Kanouse (Big River), Zoe Kazan (The Prime of Miss Jean Brody), Brian J. Smith (The Fabulous Life of a Size Zero), Keith Randolph Smith (Jitney), Brenda Wehle (Talking Heads) and Matthew J. Williamson (“Will & Grace”). The production is directed by two-time Emmy Awardâ winner Michael Pressman (“Law & Order,” To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday).
Lola (Merkerson) is a faded beauty queen trapped in a lonely marriage to Doc (Anderson), a recovering alcoholic on the brink of relapse. When a pretty young woman becomes a boarder in their cluttered Midwest home, their lives are unsettled as unspoken passions rise to the surface. As the emptiness of their marriage is laid bare, can they find their way back to each other or will they be undone? This new look at William Inge’s great American story is an absorbing tale of lost hopes and unfulfilled promise, told with unflinching honesty and heartbreaking power.
The creative team for the production includes: James Noone (scenic design), Jennifer von Mayrhauser (costume design), Jane Cox (lighting design), Obadiah Eaves (sound design), Peter Golub (original music), J. David Brimmer (fight director), and David Caparelliotis (casting).
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, MTC has become one of the country’s most prominent and prestigious theatre companies. MTC productions have earned a total of 16 Tony Awards and five Pulitzer Prizes as well as numerous other awards. Renowned MTC productions include LoveMusik; Blackbird; Translations; Shining City; Rabbit Hole; Doubt; Proof; The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife; Kimberly Akimbo; Love! Valour! Compassion!; Sylvia; Four Dogs and a Bone; Putting It Together; Lips Together, Teeth Apart; Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune; Crimes of the Heart; and Ain’t Misbehavin’.
In 2003, MTC reopened Broadway’s landmark, long-neglected Biltmore Theatre, following a two-year, $35 million capital campaign. In addition, to the Biltmore, MTC’s operates two theatres at New York City Center, its Off-Broadway home since 1984.
During Meadow’s sabbatical this season, Daniel Sullivan, a close associate of MTC and director of several Manhattan Theatre Club productions (Rabbit Hole, Brooklyn Boy, Sight Unseen, Proof, Psychopathia Sexualis), is serving as Acting Artistic Director. Sullivan will continue consulting with Meadow and MTC's artistic staff on the planning of the 2007-2008 season. Meadow will return to MTC for the 2008-2009 season and will consult on the planning of that season.
TICKET INFORMATION:
Tickets to COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA are available by calling Telecharge.com at (212) 239-6200, (800) 432-7250 outside the NY metro area, online at Telecharge.com, and at the Biltmore Theatre box office (261 West 47th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue). For group ticket information, call (800) 432-7780. Tickets range in price from $46.50-96.50. Student rush tickets are available the day of the performance at the Biltmore Theatre box office for $26.50.
For information on how to subscribe please visit www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
Through March 16: Tuesday – Saturday at 8 PM. Matinees on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2 PM.
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www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Crimes of the Heart's Kathleen Turner on TV this week
ROUNDABOUT THEATRE COMPANY
CRIMES OF THE HEART
Director
Kathleen Turner
will be featured on the following National Television shows this week:
NBC's "Today Show"
on Wednesday, February 13th, from 8:00-9:00AM
on Channel 4
ABC's "The View"
on Thursday, February 14th, from 11:00AM-12:00PM
on Channel 7
NBC's "Martha Stewart"
on Friday, February 15th, from 1:00-2:00PM
on Channel 4
Crimes of the Heart is currently playing Off-Broadway
at the Laura Pels Theatre at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre
Kathleen Turner, Director of Roundabout Theatre Company’s Crimes of the Heart , will be a featured on the following National Television shows this week: NBC’s “Today Show” on Wednesday, February 13th from 8:00 – 9:00AM, ABC’s “The View” on Thursday, February 14th from 11:00AM – 12:00PM and NBC’s “Martha Stewart” on Friday, February 15th from 1:00 – 2:00PM.
Crimes of the Heart opens officially on Thursday, February 14th, Off-Broadway at the Laura Pels Theatre at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre (111 West 46th St.). This is a limited engagement through April 13th, 2008.
The cast features Patch Darragh (Doc Porter), Jennifer Dundas (Lenny Magrath), Sarah Paulson (Meg Magrath), Lily Rabe (Babe Botrelle), Jessica Stone (Chick Boyle) and Chandler Williams (Barnette Lloyd).
Crimes of the Heart is a sharply funny play about the sometimes frayed edges of sisterly bonds. The Magrath sisters have trouble with men. Lonely Lenny (Dundas) never married, failed singer/actress Meg (Paulson) lost count, and the youngest, Babe (Rabe) married an abuser—and shot him. Now the sisters reunite at Old Granddaddy’s home in Hazelhurst, Mississippi to face life’s most absurd tragedies. Alone, each woman might call it quits. Together, they’ll have the most hilarious time of their lives.
TICKET INFORMATION:
Tickets are available by calling Roundabout Ticket Services at (212)719-1300, online at www.roundabouttheatre.org or at the Laura Pels Theatre at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre box office (111 West 46 Street). Tickets range from $63.75 - $73.75.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
Crimes of the Heart plays Tuesday through Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. with Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m.
www.roundabouttheatre.org
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Friday, February 8, 2008
NEWS FROM ROCK'N'ROLL
ROCK ’n’ ROLL PLAYWRIGHT
TOM STOPPARD
INTERVIEWED ON “THEATER TALK” TONIGHT
ROCK ’n’ ROLL playwright Tom Stoppard will appear on “Theater Talk” tonight Friday, February 8th at 1am. “Theater Talk” airs locally on Thirteen/WNET and CUNY-TV.
ROCK ’n’ ROLL opened to rave reviews on Sunday, November 4 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (242 West 45th Street). The production, which is directed by Trevor Nunn, will play a limited engagement through Sunday, March 9.
Ben Brantley, New York Times, called ROCK ’n’ ROLL “arguably Tom Stoppard’s finest play. A passionately acted, decades-spanning tale of love, revolution and music. Trevor Nunn’s swift-footed staging had me hooked.” Clive Barnes, New York Post, raved, “Four stars! Funny and enthralling.” Peter Marks, Washington Post, called the play, “Exhilarating, touching and remarkable. Stoppard’s imagination is buoyant. An impassioned contemplation of rock, revolution and the end of Communism.” Jeremy McCarter, New York Magazine, wrote, “Tom Stoppard’s astounding new work is funny, wise and in the end, triumphant.”
It's August 1968, and Russian tanks are rolling in to Prague. Jan, the Czech student, lives for rock music, Max, the English professor, lives for Communism and Esme, the flower child, is high. By 1990, the tanks are rolling out, the Stones are rolling in and idealism has hit the wall. A deeply felt look at the connection between rock music and revolution, Stoppard's sweeping and witty play spans two countries, three generations and twenty-two turbulent years, at the end of which love remains - and so does rock 'n' roll.
The production stars Brian Cox (Max), Sinead Cusack (Eleanor/Esme (Older)), and Rufus Sewell (Jan), with Nicole Ansari (Lenka), Mary Bacon (Gillian/Magda), Alice Eve (Esme (Younger)/Alice), Seth Fisher (The Piper/Policeman), Stephen Kunken (Ferdinand), Quentin Maré (Interrogator/Nigel), Ken Marks (Milan/Waiter), Alexandra Neil (Candida) and Anna O’Donoghue (Pupil),
ROCK ’n’ ROLL won the Evening Standard and London Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Play. The Broadway production marks the 40th anniversary since Stoppard was first introduced to New York audiences with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Stoppard was most recently represented on Broadway with the acclaimed Lincoln Center Theater production of The Coast of Utopia, which last season won a record-breaking seven Tony Awards®, including Best Play.
Set design is by Robert Jones, costume design is by Emma Ryott, lighting design is by Howard Harrison and sound design by Ian Dickinson.
ROCK 'n' ROLL is produced on Broadway by Bob Boyett & Sonia Friedman Productions, Ostar Productions, Roger Berlind, Tulchin/Bartner, Douglas G. Smith, Dancap Productions, Jam Theatricals, and The Weinstein Company, in association with Lincoln Center Theater.
Nicole Ansari, Sinead Cusack and Rufus Sewell are appearing with the permission of Actors’ Equity Association. The producers gratefully acknowledge Actors’ Equity Association for its assistance to this production.
Performances are Tuesday through Saturday at 8:00 PM, with matinees Wednesday and Saturday at 2:00 PM, Sunday at 3:00 PM.
Tickets may be purchased by calling TeleCharge at 212-239-6200, online at www.telecharge.com or at the Jacobs Theatre box office (242 West 45th Street).
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www.RocknRollThePlay.com
Thursday, February 7, 2008
NEWS FROM CURTAINS
TONY AWARD WINNING CURTAINS STAR
DAVID HYDE PIERCE
FEATURED ON CNBC’S
“THE BIG IDEA WITH DONNY DEUTSCH”
TONIGHT
David Hyde Pierce, the winner of the 2007 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in CURTAINS, will appear on tonight’s episode of “The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch.” The show airs on CNBC at 10:00 PM (ET) tonight, February 7th. Check local listings, or visit http://www.cnbc.com/id/15838512/ for more information.
CURTAINS, the Musical Comedy Whodunit from the authors of Cabaret and Chicago, stars 2007 Tony Award winner and four-time Emmy Award winner David Hyde Pierce as Lt. Frank Cioffi and Tony and Emmy Award winner Debra Monk as producer Carmen Bernstein. The production also stars Tony Award winner Karen Ziemba as lyricist Georgia Hendricks, Jason Danieley as composer Aaron Fox, Erin Davie as ingénue Niki Harris and Edward Hibbert as director Christopher Belling, with John Bolton as theatre critic Daryl Grady, Michael X. Martin as stage manager Johnny Harmon, Michael McCormick as investor Oscar Shapiro, Noah Racey as choreographer Bobby Pepper, Megan Sikora as understudy Bambi Bernét and Gerry Vichi as producer Sidney Bernstein.
CURTAINS is an original musical comedy with a book by Rupert Holmes (multiple Tony Award-winner for The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Say Goodnight Gracie), music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb (the Tony Award-winning songwriters of Cabaret, Chicago, New York New York), original book and concept by Tony Award-winner Peter Stone (1776, Titanic, The Will Rogers Follies), and additional lyrics by John Kander & Rupert Holmes. CURTAINS is directed by five-time Tony Award-nominee Scott Ellis (She Loves Me, 1776, 12 Angry Men, Steel Pier). Choreography is by Tony Award-winner Rob Ashford (Thoroughly Modern Millie).
The 31-member cast also features Nili Bassman (Arlene Barucca), Bridget Berger (Roberta Wooster), Kevin Bernard (Roy Stetson/Detective O’Farrell), Ward Billeisen (Brick Hawvermale), Jennifer Dunne (Jan Setler), David Eggers (Swing), J. Austin Eyer (Swing), Jennifer Frankel (Marjorie Cook), Patty Goble (Jessica Cranshaw/Connie Subbotin), Lorin Lattaro (Swing), Shannon Lewis (Mona Page), David Loud (Sasha Iljinsky), Brittany Marcin (Peg Prentice), Jim Newman (Randy Dexter), Aaron Ramey (Harv Fremont), Joe Aaron Reid (Ronnie Driscoll), Christopher Spaulding (Russ Cochran), Jerome Vivona (Swing) and Stephanie Youell (Swing).
CURTAINS unfolds backstage at Boston’s Colonial Theatre in 1959, where a new musical could be a Broadway smash, were it not for its talent-free leading lady. When the star dies on opening night, Lt. Frank Cioffi (David Hyde Pierce) arrives to conduct an investigation. But the lure of the theatre proves irresistible and after an unexpected romance blooms for the stage-struck detective, he finds himself just as drawn toward making the show a hit, as he is in solving the murder.
Producers are Roger Berlind, Roger Horchow, Daryl Roth, Jane Bergère, Ted Hartley and Center Theatre Group. CURTAINS had its world premiere on August 9, 2006 at Center Theatre Group’s Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.
Performance schedule for CURTAINS is Tuesday at 7:00 PM, Wednesday through Saturday at 8:00 PM, with matinees Wednesday and Saturday at 2:00 PM, and Sunday at 3:00 PM. Tickets are on sale at Telecharge at 212-239-6200, online at www.telecharge.com or in person at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre box office (302 West 45th Street).
* * *
www.CurtainsTheMusical.com
Monday, February 4, 2008
NEWS FROM ROCK'N'ROLL
ROCK ’n’ ROLL STAR
RUFUS SEWELL
INTERVIEWED ON NY-1’s “ON STAGE” THIS WEEKEND
ROCK ’n’ ROLL star Rufus Sewell will be interviewed on NY-1’s “On Stage” by Patrick Pacheco in a segment that will air Saturday, February 2nd and Sunday, February 3rd at 9:30 AM and 7:30 PM, and Monday, February 4th (early Tuesday) at 12:30 AM.
ROCK ’n’ ROLL opened to rave reviews on Sunday, November 4 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (242 West 45th Street). The production, which is directed by Trevor Nunn, will play a limited engagement through Sunday, March 9.
Ben Brantley, New York Times, called ROCK ’n’ ROLL “arguably Tom Stoppard’s finest play. A passionately acted, decades-spanning tale of love, revolution and music. Trevor Nunn’s swift-footed staging had me hooked.” Clive Barnes, New York Post, raved, “Four stars! Funny and enthralling.” Peter Marks, Washington Post, called the play, “Exhilarating, touching and remarkable. Stoppard’s imagination is buoyant. An impassioned contemplation of rock, revolution and the end of Communism.” Jeremy McCarter, New York Magazine, wrote, “Tom Stoppard’s astounding new work is funny, wise and in the end, triumphant.”
It's August 1968, and Russian tanks are rolling in to Prague. Jan, the Czech student, lives for rock music, Max, the English professor, lives for Communism and Esme, the flower child, is high. By 1990, the tanks are rolling out, the Stones are rolling in and idealism has hit the wall. A deeply felt look at the connection between rock music and revolution, Stoppard's sweeping and witty play spans two countries, three generations and twenty-two turbulent years, at the end of which love remains - and so does rock 'n' roll.
The production stars Brian Cox (Max), Sinead Cusack (Eleanor/Esme (Older)), and Rufus Sewell (Jan), with Nicole Ansari (Lenka), Mary Bacon (Gillian/Magda), Alice Eve (Esme (Younger)/Alice), Seth Fisher (The Piper/Policeman), Stephen Kunken (Ferdinand), Quentin Maré (Interrogator/Nigel), Ken Marks (Milan/Waiter), Alexandra Neil (Candida) and Anna O’Donoghue (Pupil),
ROCK ’n’ ROLL won the Evening Standard and London Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Play. The Broadway production marks the 40th anniversary since Stoppard was first introduced to New York audiences with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Stoppard was most recently represented on Broadway with the acclaimed Lincoln Center Theater production of The Coast of Utopia, which last season won a record-breaking seven Tony Awards®, including Best Play.
Set design is by Robert Jones, costume design is by Emma Ryott, lighting design is by Howard Harrison and sound design by Ian Dickinson.
ROCK 'n' ROLL is produced on Broadway by Bob Boyett & Sonia Friedman Productions, Ostar Productions, Roger Berlind, Tulchin/Bartner, Douglas G. Smith, Dancap Productions, Jam Theatricals, and The Weinstein Company, in association with Lincoln Center Theater.
Nicole Ansari, Sinead Cusack and Rufus Sewell are appearing with the permission of Actors’ Equity Association. The producers gratefully acknowledge Actors’ Equity Association for its assistance to this production.
Performances are Tuesday through Saturday at 8:00 PM, with matinees Wednesday and Saturday at 2:00 PM, Sunday at 3:00 PM.
Tickets may be purchased by calling TeleCharge at 212-239-6200, online at www.telecharge.com or at the Jacobs Theatre box office (242 West 45th Street).
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www.RocknRollThePlay.com
