GRACE NOTES - Friday, Feb. 18, 2011

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This weekend’s highlights:

Friday, Feb. 18

* August: Osage County, starring Josie de Guzman, begins previews at Houston's Alley Theatre.

* Peter and the Starcatcher begins previews at NY Theatre Workshop.

* Circle Mirror Transformation begins previews at Kansas City Rep.

* The Adventures of Pinocchio begins performances at LA’s Deaf West Theatre.

* An Evening with Ben Vereen at 8 PM at Town Hall.

* Can't Complain reading at 3 PM at Irish Rep.


Saturday, Feb. 19

* She Loves Me opens at Civic Light Opera South Bay Cities.

* A House Not Meant to Stand begins previews at LA's Fountain Theatre.

* Music of the Night: An Evening with Davis Gaines at 8 PM at Glendale’s Alex Theatre.

* Kate Baldwin, in American Songbook, at 8:30 PM at Lincoln Center's Allen Room.

* Blood from a Stone, starring Ethan Hawke and Daphne Rubin-Vega, closes Off-Broadway at the Acorn Theatre.

* The Piano Lesson closes at Yale Rep.

* Take Me Out closes at LA’s Celebration Theatre.


Sunday, Feb. 20

* Celebrity Autobiography, featuring Florence Henderson, Jennifer Tilly, Lainie Kazan and Laraine Newman, at 7 and 9 PM at Santa Monica's Broad Stage.

* The Merchant of Venice closes on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre.

* The Arabian Nights closes at Arena Stage.

* A Midsummer Night's Dream closes at South Coast Rep.

* Bring it On closes at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre.

* Camelot closes at Pittsburgh Public Theatre.

* The Misanthrope closes at Off-Broadway's Pearl Theatre.

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High-flying original musical comedy Bring It On: The Musical launches its national tour with a six-week engagement at the Ahmanson Theatre from Nov. 1-Dec. 11, with an opening night set for Nov. 11.

The musical features libretto by Tony Award-winner Jeff Whitty (Avenue Q), music and lyrics by Tony Award-winning composer Lin-Manuel Miranda (In the Heights), music by Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning composer Tom Kitt (Next to Normal) and lyrics by Broadway lyricist Amanda Green (High Fidelity). The production is directed and choreographed by Tony Award -winner Andy Blankenbuehler (In the Heights).

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The cast of the Off-Broadway production of the new true musical comedy, The Road to Qatar!, featuring book and lyrics by Stephen Cole and music by David Krane, heads into the recording studio to lay down tracks for Jay Records on March 7. No release date has been announced.

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Glory Days (Music and Lyrics by Nick Blaemire, Book by James Gardiner) will make its Los Angeles premiere March 17-April 24 (opening night is set for March 19) at the Lillian Theatre (6322 Santa Monica Blvd. in Los Angeles). Directed by Calvin Remsberg with musical direction by James May. For more information and tickets, click here.

Glory Days concerns four high school friends, who, after a year away at college, reunite on their high school football field.

The cast features Alex Robert Holmes, Derek Klena, Matthew Koehler, and Ian Littleworth, with Jeffrey Scott Parsons and Alex Martinez Wallace.

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Video: Highlights from Compulsion at the Public: http://bit.ly/i6k31M

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Executive Producer/Creator Tom Diggs is pleased to announce Alex Wyse (Mrs. Sharpe, Bored to Death), Alex Brightman (Wicked), Allison Strong (Bye, Bye Birdie), Paul Cereghino (Tony and Tina’s Wedding) and Arden Myrin (“Chelsea Lately,” “Mad TV”) will join the cast of The Perks of Writing A Musical, a new scripted musical web series to be launched this spring on blip.tv and YouTube on May 15. Directed by Bill Oliver. theperksofwritingamusical.com/

The Perks of Writing A Musical is the big-hearted story of Josh, a tech-savvy gamer, in love with the beautiful Courtney, but too shy to tell her how he feels. With his nerd-herd/tech posse and Darwin, his gay and most fun friend ever, they secretly write Courtney a musical based on her favorite book, "The Perks of Being A Wallflower." It’s the story of young love, the importance of friendship, and the responsibility of going after your heart’s desire.

Drawing from the talents of the Broadway community, The Perks of Writing A Musical will feature irresistible songs by Jason Michael Snow (The Book of Mormon, South Pacific, BMI) and Mishaela Faucher (BMI), including “She Doesn’t Know My Name (Absolutely Hell)” soon to be available on iTunes.

The Perks of Writing a Musical is partially funded by the generous grassroots support at Kickstarter.com

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Nathan Gunn will share another side of his multifaceted passion for music during his debut at Costa Mesa’s Segerstrom Center for Arts on March 24–27 in the Samueli Theater. For his appearance in the Center’s popular Cabaret Series, Gunn has selected ballads and romantic tunes that are featured on his CD, “Just Before Sunrise,” which includes favorites from the Great American Songbook along with songs by contemporary composers.

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Complete casting for Jerusalem has been announced. The production, directed by Ian Rickson, will open April 21 at the Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th Street). Previews begin April 2. The production will play a limited 16-week engagement.

John Gallagher, Jr. and Mark Rylance star, along with Mackenzie Crook, Max Baker, Geraldine Hughes, Molly Ranson and seven members of the original Royal Court and West End company: Alan David, Aimeé-Ffion Edwards, Danny Kirrane, Charlotte Mills, Sarah Moyle, Harvey Robinson and Barry Sloane as Troy Whitworth. Aiden Eyrick and Mark Page alternate in the role of Marky.

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Video: Inside Emma at the Old Globe: http://bit.ly/gu60rB

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Magic/Bird is the new play by Oscar winner, Steppenwolf Theater Company member and Lombardi playwright Eric Simonson. Press notes state, "...chronicles the intertwined life stories of two of the most influential figures in sports and pop culture of the past 25 years, basketball Hall of Famers Larry Bird and Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson." The play, with a six-character cast, is scheduled to debut on Broadway in 2012.

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Complete casting has been announced for the McCarter Theatre's new production of Beth Henley’s Crimes of the Heart, which will begin previews March 8 prior to an official opening March 11. Performances will continue through March 27.

Directed by Liesl Tommy, the cast will feature Mary Bacon (Lenny MaGrath), Molly Camp (Babe Botrelle), Georgia Cohen (Meg MaGrath), Dustin Ingram (Barnette Lloyd), Lucas Van Engen (Doc Porter) and Brenda Withers (Chick Boyle).

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Sierra Boggess, Hugh Panaro and Carolee Carmello will head the cast of a March 18 industry reading of the Broadway-bound musical Rebecca in New York. The reading will be directed by Tony Award winner Michael Blakemore and Francesca Zambello. The musical features original book and lyrics by Michael Kunze, music by Sylvester Levay, English book adaptation by two-time Tony Award winner Christopher Hampton (Sunset Boulevard) and English lyrics by Hampton and Kunze.

The cast for the reading will also include James Barbour, Anastasia Barzee, Don Stephenson, William Youmans and John Horton.

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Get to know How to Succeed’s Tammy Blanchard (Hedy La Rue): http://bit.ly/eSIzh2

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Ron Bohmer and Annie Purcell will co-star in the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis production of Sarah Ruhl's Tony Award-nominated play In the Next Room or the vibrator play in March 9-27. The poignant comedy will be directed by Stuart Carden.

The cast will also include Emily Dorsch, Amy Landon, Krystel Lucas, Michael James Reed and David Christopher Wells.

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CA’s TheatreWorks has announced its 2011-12 season:

Fly By Night (July 13-Aug. 13), Sense and Sensibility (Aug. 24-Sept. 18), Clementine in the Lower 9 (Oct. 5-30), The Secret Garden (Nov. 30-Dec. 31), The Pitmen Painters (Jan. 18-Feb. 12, 2012), Now Circa Then (March 7-April 1, 2012), Of Mice and Men (April 4-29, 2012) and Wheelhouse (June 6-July 1, 2012).

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The Public Theater has announced casting for the world premiere of Mona Mansour's Urge for Going, to be presented as a Public LAB production, March 25-April 17, with an opening on April 10. Hal Brooks will direct. Tala Ashe will star as Jamila, with the cast also including Omid Abtahi, Jacqueline Antaramian, Ramsey Faragallah, Laith Nakli, and Ted Sod.

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Video: Anything Goes in rehearsal: http://bit.ly/i4Qjer

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New York Pops Music Director Steven Reineke will conduct the world premiere of his new piece for concert band as part of the The Lesbian & Gay Big Apple Corps Symphonic Band's concert, Once Upon a Musical Time, at Symphony Space, on Saturday, April 30 at 8 PM.

Reineke will also join LGBAC's artistic director Brian Worsdale for a special pre-concert discussion at 7:15 PM hosted by NY1 Producer Frank DiLella. Reineke's piece, inspired by the story of Jack and the Beanstalk, is currently untitled.

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Jim Broadbent, Helena Bonham Carter, Ruby Dee, James Earl Jones, Garrison Keillor, Terence Stamp, and Meryl Streep will be featured as poetry readers on the album "Words For You," to be released from Mighty Village/Universal/UMe on April 12.

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Casting has been announced for Tod Machover and Robert Pinsky's Death and the Powers: The Robots' Opera, to run March 18-25 at Boston’s Cutler Majestic Theatre.

Diane Paulus will direct the production, which will have choreography by Karole Armitage and be conducted by Gil Rose. After the piece's Boston engagement, it will be seen at Chicago's Harris Theatre, running April 2-10. The cast features James Maddalena, Emily Albrink, Sara Heaton and Hal Cazalet. For more information, click here.

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Tony Award nominee Michael Stuhlbarg will host The Public Theater's forum, Imagination and Memory, to be held on Monday, March 7 at 8 PM. The evening will explore Anne Frank's legacy and Holocaust literature today, and is being presented in conjunction with the Public's production of Rinne Groff's Compulsion, which is inspired by Meyer Levin, the journalist and screenwriter who helped publicize the existence of Anne Frank's diary.

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Steve Martin will perform with The Steep Canyon Rangers in An Evening of Bluegrass & Banjo at Joe's Pub, March 15-17 at 7 PM. He will be celebrating the release of his second full length bluegrass album "Rare Bird Alert," which will be released March 15.

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RIP. Composer and sound editor John Strauss has died after a long battle with Parkinson's disease, according to the Hollywood Reporter. He was 90. On Broadway, Strauss provided orchestrations, as well as additional lyrics and music, to the 1956 show The Littlest Revue, and wrote a song for the 1965 musical Pickwick. In addition, he provided arrangements for the 1955 album Songs I Taught My Mother, which featured Charlotte Rae.

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Tony and Grammy Award winner Duncan Sheik will collaborate on the music for Carson McCullers Talks About Love, which will be written and performed by Suzanne Vega. Kay Matschullat will direct the production, which will play Rattlestick Theatre, April 20-June 4, with an opening on April 28.

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J. Bernard Calloway, Victor Trent Cooke, Robert Fowler, Andre Garner, Beth Glover, Alix Korey, Carmen Ruby Floyd, Tim Jerome, Michael Mandell, Patricia Noonan, and Destan Owens will join Tony Award winner Lillias White in a special benefit concert performance of William Finn's musical Romance in Hard Times, to be presented at the Baruch Performing Arts Center, on April 4 at 7 PM. Michael Bush will direct, with musical direction by Matt Castle.

The evening is being held in support of Amas Theatre and Educational Programs and in celebration of Rosetta LeNoire's 100th birthday.

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Unsubstantiated: Colin Firth and Carey Mulligan may star in the film remake of “My Fair Lady.”

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Kiefer Sutherland is mulling a return to primetime with another Fox drama. The 24 star is in negotiations to topline drama pilot "Touch," from "Heroes" creator Tim Kring.

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Judges have been announced for the 5th Smash Year of The Broadway Beauty Pageant: Bruce Vilanch, Carson Cressley and Rachel Dratch.

The event, held on March 21 at 8 PM, is a benefit for the Ali Forney Center and will take place at Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th St.

This year's contestants are Matt Anctil (La Cage aux Folles), Michael Cusamano (Chicago), Raymond J. Lee (Anything Goes), Brandon Rubendall (Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark) and James Tabeek (Mary Poppins).

Conceived by Jeffery Self and directed by Ryan J. Davis, The Broadway Beauty Pageant is musically directed by Christopher Denny. The evening is produced by Wil Fisher, Ryan J. Davis, Jeffery Self and Matthew Oberstein.

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Santa Monica Playhouse presents Locked and Loaded, Feb. 18-April 16. Directed by Chris DeCarlo, the cast features Paul Linke, Andrew Parks, Tarina Pouncy, Terasa Sciortino and Sandra Thigpen.

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Nicholas Hytner's production of Hamlet, starring Rory Kinnear in the title role that was a sell-out success in the Olivier Theatre last year, will return for a season to the South Bank, beginning performances April 13 for a run of 12 performances to April 23. This time, however, it will be staged in the Lyttelton Theatre.

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