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Today’s highlights:
* Thinner Than Water opens at the LABrynth Theatre.
* Timon of Athens, starring Richard Thomas, opens at the Public Theater.
* Little Miss Sunshine begins previews at La Jolla.
* Gigi, starring Millicent Martin, Matt Cavenaugh and Jason Graae, previews at Reprise.
* The Author begins previews at Culver City's Kirk Douglas Theatre.
* Treasure Island, starring Tom Hewitt, begins previews at Brooklyn's Irondale Center.
* In Mother Words begins previews at the Geffen.
* A revised Working begins performances at Broadway Playhouse at the Water Tower Place in Chicago.
* Twin Spirits, poetic meditation starring Sting and Trudie Styler, at 8 PM at the Taper. (see article below)
* "Steppin' Out with Ben Vereen" CD released on Sh-K-Boom Records.
* Alice Ripley's "Daily Practice, Volume 1," released on Sh-K-Boom Records.
* Harvey Fierstein, Jeffrey Tambor, Michael McShane and Wilson Jermaine Heredia begin their run in La Cage Aux Folles at the Longacre Theatre.
* Barbara Cook, in American Songbook series, at 8:30 PM at Lincoln Center’s Allen Room.
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Casting has been announced for the reopening of the Tony-nominated musical Rock of Ages March 24 at the Helen Hayes Theatre. The cast will feature a mix of actors from the original Broadway production as well as those from the Toronto cast and the musical's national tour.
When it reopens, the musical will star returning original Broadway cast members Adam Dannheisser as Dennis, Mitchell Jarvis as Lonny, Michele Mais as Justice, Paul Schoeffler as Hertz; first national tour cast members Rebecca Faulkenberry as Sherrie and MiG Ayesa as Stacee Jaxx; original Toronto cast members Cody Scott Lancaster as Franz and Josephine Rose Roberts as Regina (who also performed on Broadway); and Dan Domenech, in his Broadway debut, as Drew following his engagement as the Drew standby on the first national tour.
Also featured in the "supergroup‟ cast are Tessa Alves (original Toronto cast member), Emily Williams (original Toronto cast member), Ericka Hunter (original Broadway cast member), Jeremy Woodard (original Broadway cast member), Andre Ward (original Broadway cast member), Jenifer Foote (recent Broadway cast member), Cassie Silva (recent Broadway cast member), Tony LePage (original Toronto cast member) and Michael Minarik (original Broadway cast member).
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2011 Oscar nominee David Seidler will be the honoree for Our Time Theatre's annual gala, to be held at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts at NYU on Monday, April 11 at 7 PM. Actor Colin Firth will be the honorary chair for the event, but will not be able to attend. Seidler is being recognized for his screenplay for "The King's Speech."
Performers and presenters at the gala will include Lauren Ambrose, Michael Cerveris, Victor Garber, Kelli O'Hara, John Oliver, Jason Patric, Ron Rifkin, Amy Ryan, Carly Simon, and cast members of American Idiot.
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Digital Theatre has announced the next trio of taped stage productions that will be available for online streaming and download:
* The site has just released video of Michael Boyd's staging of Shakespeare's bucolic romantic comedy, As You Like It.
* Timothy Sheader and Liam Steel's staging of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Into the Woods will be released in the near future.
* The third production set for release is the recent West End revival of Arthur Miller's All My Sons, which stars David Suchet as Joe Keller and Zoe Wanamaker as Kate Keller.
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Video: The new episode of “Side by Side by Susan Blackwell” features Emily Skinner: http://bit.ly/h33s0p
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Sierra Boggess will play the nervous and feisty soprano who talks back to waspish diva Maria Callas in Broadway's new production of Master Class. She will play Sharon, acting (and singing) opposite Tony Award winner Tyne Daly. Additional casting TBA. The production begins previews May 21 and opens June 21 at Manhattan Theatre Club’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.
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To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Academy Award-winning 1961 film version of the classic musical "West Side Story," the Hollywood Bowl will host high-definition screenings of a newly re-mastered print of the film July 8 and 9 at 7 PM. The screenings will feature the Los Angeles Philharmonic accompanying the film with a live performance of Leonard Bernstein's classic and romantic score.
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Mike Birbiglia's My Girlfriend's Boyfriend, a new comedy written by and starring Mike Birbiglia, will begin performances at The Barrow Street Theater March 18. Directed by Seth Barrish, the production will officially open March 31.
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Video: The Book of Mormon – musical comedy missionaries: http://bit.ly/dYUX7J
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The Public Theater production of Rinne Groff's Compulsion, starring Tony Award winner Mandy Patinkin, has added two additional performances to its limited Off-Broadway run. It will still close March 13 as planned.
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The Belting, Bard and Banter Brunch, a free showcase of monologue and song performed by the Teen Launch and the Advanced Adult Levels of the ANMT Performers' Workshop, takes place on Saturday, Feb. 19. The potluck begins at 1:15 PM: performance begins at 1:45 PM at The Academy for New Musical Theatre, 5628 Vineland Ave. in North Hollywood. Check out the workshop, the space and meet the staff who runs the class as well as the ANMT Casting Talent Bank, Joshua Finkel and Jake Anthony.
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Broadway veterans Janet Dacal and Hugh Panaro and "Sesame Street's" Bob McGrath will be among the guest stars at the Young People's Chorus of New York's fundraising gala, entitled Dreamer, which will be held at Frederick P. Rose Hall on Monday, March 7 at 7 PM.
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Video: Alice Ripley performs "Thunder Road" (http://bit.ly/gFXobx) and "Take It Easy" (http://bit.ly/fRSRUHa0) from her "Daily Practice" album.
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Michael Sheen will co-direct and star in the Port Talbot passion play The Passion for National Theatre Wales, April 22-24.
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John Douglas Thompson and Annika Boras will star in the Theatre for a New Audience production of Shakespeare's Macbeth, as the title character and his ambitious wife. Arin Arbus will direct the production at The Duke on 42nd Street, March 12-April 21, with an opening on March 20.
The cast will also feature Albert Jones as Macduff and Graham Winton as Banquo, along with Justin Blanchard, Steven Boyer, Denis Butkus, Peter Jay Fernandez, Robert Langdon Lloyd, John Christopher Jones, Saxon Palmer, Roslyn Ruff, Christian Rummel, Tommy Schrider, Andrew Zimmerman, and Marquis Rodriguez.
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The Best of Love Bites: 10 Years Together….and still no ring will be performed in two rounds at the Elephant Theatre. Round One opens on Thursday, Feb. 17 at 8 PM and plays Thursday and Friday nights through March 18; Round Two opens on Saturday, Feb. 19 at 8 PM and plays Saturdays and Sundays through March 20.
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The stage adaptation of the 1992 Disney film musical "Newsies" will premiere at New Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse in September. The regional premiere will serve as the launch pad for the property's future in dramatic licensing.
The stage production features original and fresh songs by Academy Award winner Alan Menken and Jack Feldman (who collaborated on the live-action film). Harvey Fierstein has been brought on board to pen a new book for the stage adaptation.
Jeff Calhoun will direct the production, which begins previews Sept. 15, opens on Sept. 25 and continue to Oct. 16.
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Video: The new La Cage commercial, with Harvey Fierstein: http://bit.ly/fegfMc
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The 2011-2012 season at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre:
Kathie Lee Gifford, David Friedman and David Pomeranz will revive their musical Saving Aimee, about late Jazz-Age evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, Sept 30-Oct. 30. The show received its world premiere at Arlington, VA's Signature Theatre in 2007.
The 5th Avenue will also align with A Contemporary Theatre for the world premiere of First Date, a new musical by Austin Winsberg (book) and Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner (music and lyrics).
Also on the bill is the new national tour of Les Miserables (Aug. 9-27); Cinderella directed by Bobby Garcia (Nov. 25-Dec. 31); Oklahoma! from Donald Byrd and Spectrum Dance Theatre (Feb. 9-March 4, 2012); Damn Yankees staged by Mark Hoebee (April 26-May 20, 2012); and Rent, helmed by Bill Berry (July 12-Aug. 5, 2012).
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The musicals Dogfight and Gloryana are the recipients of the 2011 Richard Rodgers Awards for Musical Theater.
Dogfight, which was awarded a studio production, is by Peter Duchan (book), Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (music and lyrics). Gloryana, which was awarded a staged reading, is by Andrew Gerle.
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RIP. Character actor Kenneth Mars has died of pancreatic cancer, according to a report in The Hollywood Reporter. He was 75. On Broadway, Mars appeared in The Affair, Any Wednesday, and The Best Laid Plans.
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Jesse L. Martin has landed a part in the ABC pilot "Hallelujah," which is being written by "Desperate Housewives'" creator Marc Cherry. The show will take place in the Tennessee town of Hallelujah, which finds itself being torn apart by forces of good and evil. The episodes will be punctuated by songs sung by a gospel choir, which serves as a sort of Greek chorus. There is no word on what Martin's role will be.
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Get to know Matt Cavenaugh: http://bit.ly/hYi5LY
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Dirty Dancing, which has been playing at London’s Aldwych Theatre since 2006, have announced that the show will close July 9. A tour is forthcoming. dirtydancinglondon.com/
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Tom Conti, Kerry Shale, and Natalie Walter will star in Jack Rosenthal's SMASH!, to run March 24 - May 8 at the Menier Chocolate Factory. Tamara Harvey will direct. The play looks at the journey of a musical struggling to reach the stage.
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Video: The Feb. 14 episode of Broadway Beat features The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore, the new cast of La Cage and Phantom's 23rd birthday: http://bit.ly/bu8GeN
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The New Group has announced complete casting for Wallace Shawn's Marie and Bruce, to run March 14 - May 7 (opening April 5) at the Acorn Theatre at Theatre Row. Scott Elliott will direct the production, which will star Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei as Marie.
The play focuses on what happens on the day that Marie finally resolves to tell her charming and impossibly positive husband Bruce that she's had enough of the marriage.
The company will also feature Tina Benko, Russell G. Jones, Cindy Katz, Devin Ratray, Alok Tewari, Adam Trese, Frank Whaley and Alison Wright.
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Aaron Sorkin will play himself in an upcoming episode of "30 Rock" to air in March or April.
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After it's highly successful staging in NYC in June 2010, the West Coast debut of Twin Spirits on Tuesday, Feb. 15 at the Mark Taper Forum. Presented by Culture Project, Sting and Trudie Styler will reprise their roles as classical composer Robert and his wife, pianist Clara Schumann; reading the couple's poignant letters with accompaniment from a six-member ensemble of classical musicians.
A portion of the evening's proceeds will be used to support the ongoing work of Culture Project, the Royal Opera House and Mustardseed Arts Trust.
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