GRACE NOTES - Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011

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Today’s highlights:

* Frankenstein, directed by Danny Boyle, opens at London's Olivier Theatre.

* Rose, Part I of Adam Rapp’s Hallway Trilogy, opens at Rattlestick.

* Harmony, Kansas private industry reading at 3:30 PM. Information: harmonyksreading@gmail.com

* Socks free reading at 3 PM at York Theatre. (212) 935-5824 ext. 24

* The Oct. 3, 2010 25th Anniversary Concert of Les Miz released on DVD/Blu-ray.

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The commercial producers of SCKBSTD are prepping the next steps for the musical by Bruce Hornsby following a popular world-premiere run by Virginia Stage Company in Norfolk, VA, where the show broke sales records at VSC's Wells Theatre.

The collaborators are already working on a new draft of the script, including a new song. The creators and producers are looking to change the title to clarify the message of the show, which is not raunchy and R-rated (as the "sick bastard" vanity license-plate title suggests) but rather about families growing closer. Stay tuned for more updates as they arise.

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Kyle Fabel and Aaron Roman Weiner will star in TheatreWorks Hartford's production of Keith Huff's A Steady Rain, March 25-May 8. Tazewell Thompson will direct the production. 860-527-7838

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Sasha Regan's critically acclaimed all-male version of Gilbert and Sullivan's Iolanthe will play London’s Wilton's Music Hall, March 30-May 7. The production stars Shaun McCourt, Alex Weatherhill, Louis Maskell, Alan Richardson Christopher Finn, Matthew James Willis, Luke Fredericks, Reuben Kaye, Adam Lewis Ford, Raymond Tait, Kingsley Hall, Robin Rayner, Matthew McLoughlin, Shane Lindley, Joseph Davenport, and Patrick George.

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The eight-week Chicago run of White Noise, the new rock musical about a pop sister act that performs White Supremacy-laced songs, will feature Broadway's Luba Mason, Rodney Hicks, MacKenzie Mauzy, John Hickok and more. whitenoisebroadway.com/

The musical, co-produced by Whoopi Goldberg, will be directed and choreographed by Broadway's Sergio Trujillo. It will play the Royal George Theatre starting April 1 toward an opening of April 9.

White Noise features a book by Matte O'Brien and music and lyrics by Robert Morris, Steven Morris and Joe Shane. White Noise was originally conceived by Ryan J. Davis with a story and characters by Joe Drymala.

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SoHo Think Tank, the company that ran the Ohio Theater at 66 Wooster Street for almost 20 years, will open the Ohio West in the Archive Building at 666 Greenwich Street this fall. The company will now have 73-seat theater and will have a subsidized 10-year lease. No programming has been announced.

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Video: Highlights from Upright Cabaret’s Mighty Mississippi concert in Thousand Oaks, featuring Ty Taylor: http://bit.ly/hfu9UJ

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New casting has been announced for the London production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Love Never Dies, currently running at the West End's Adelphi Theatre. As of March 7, the cast will feature Ramin Karimloo (The Phantom), Celia Graham (Christine). Liz Robertson (Madame Giry), Haley Flaherty (Meg Giry), David Thaxton (Raoul), Adam Pearce (Squelch),Tracey Penn (Fleck), and Charles Brunton (Gangle).

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Neil Goldberg's new show Cirque Dreams Broadway, featuring Broadway stars Linda Eder and Marc Kudisch, will be seen on Thursday, March 24 at 8 PM in the Au-Rene Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale.

The show, which will include tributes to The Phantom of the Opera, Fiddler on the Roof, Cats. Hairspray, Chicago, La Cage Aux Folles and over a dozen more Broadway sensations, will feature artists from Cirque Dreams as well as local South Floridians engaged through a talent search and a South Florida marching band.

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Allison Janney will duet with five-time Grammy Award winner James Taylor on the March 16 episode of the new ABC sitcom “Mr. Sunshine.” The pop singer will play Billy, the ex-husband of Janney's character, and the pair will sing Leon Russell's "A Song For You."

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Video: Sondheim’s influence on Catch Me If You Can: http://bit.ly/hM9XlY

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Irish Rep's acclaimed revival of Brian Friel's Molly Sweeney has been extended, now to April 10.

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Book of Mormon, which begins previews this Thursday, Feb. 24 at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre, has announced its lottery policy:

A limited number of tickets for each performance will be sold through the lottery. Entries will be accepted at the box office beginning two and a half hours prior to each performance; each person will print their name and the number of tickets (1 or 2) they wish to purchase on a card that is provided.

Two hours before curtain, names will be drawn at random for a limited number of tickets priced at $32 each. Only one entry is allowed per person. Cards are checked for duplication prior to drawing. Winners must be present at the time of the drawing and show valid ID to purchase tickets. Limit one entry per person and two tickets per winner. Tickets may be purchased in cash or with a valid credit card. Tickets are subject to availability. Lottery will not be available on March 24.

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The New York Times reported yesterday that what is possibly a move getting the show one step closer to Broadway, the Arena Stage production of Oklahoma! will get an encore run at the DC theater from July 8 – Oct. 9 on its Fichandler Stage. The show initially ran at Arena from Oct. 22 – Dec. 26, 2010. A transfer to Broadway was thought to have been likely as early as this fall. Read the complete NY Times article here.

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Spider-Man update:

* The producers have officially denied rumors that a new co-director is being sought.

* Paul Bogaev, a 2004 Tony Award nominee for Best Orchestrations for Bombay Dreams, has been hired by the producers "as a consultant to help improve the performance, vocal and orchestration arrangements, and sound quality of the songs and numbers."

* Unsubstantiated: Word has also been coming from multiple sources that it's expected that the production will officially announce another delay later in the week (its sixth) that might push the official opening as far forward as AFTER this year's Tony Awards.

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Another Spider-Man musical? Which will open first???

Veteran humorist and playwright, Justin Moran, launches Spiderman Smackdown, a guerilla theatre project to write, rehearse, and perform a fully realized musical based on the character Spiderman in under 30 days with a budget of $0. Set to open one day before the $65 Million Broadway musical Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark, Moran's musical will be the first Spiderman Musical to officially open in New York City.

Moran has launched a blog (thespideyproject.blogspot.com) and YouTube page to promote the project and to enlist a troupe of volunteer writers, designers and actors. "How important is $65 Million in making good theatre?" jokes Moran. "We're going to develop a story, write a complete musical score and script, design sets and costumes, cast, rehearse, advertise and ultimately mount the production on March 14 at the The People's Improv Theatre in NYC."

Moran is collaborating with writer Jon Roufaeal on the story and book, based on the origin story from "the Amazing Spiderman" comic books, and has brought on composers Adam Podd (Pope the Musical, ImgineOcean) and Doug Katsaros (Broadway's Aida; Grammy nominated "Footloose;" TV's "The Tick") to write and arrange the score. "The outpouring of volunteers in these first 4 days has been overwhelming," says Moran, "and I am extremely confident in the level of talent that is going into creating this completely original Spiderman Musical."

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Video: Highlights of BAM's The Diary of a Madman, starring Geoffrey Rush: http://bit.ly/fj1Fn8

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Theater for the New City (155 First Ave.) is proud to present, back by popular demand, Only Love Will Do – A GayStraigt RomCom, written by Walt Stepp (Lightin’ Out—A Mark Twain Musical, Why We Shot Jack—The Conspirators’ Drama), April 14 - May 1. Lissa Moira once again directs this Freudian Fandango of gay/straight romantic dramedy/sexploration. The cast features Danny Ashkenasi, Louisa Bradshaw, Jason Collins, Robert Homeyer and Richard O’Brien.

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Complete casting has been announced for the West End production of Shrek The Musical, directed by Jason Moore and Rob Ashford. Performances begin at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on May 6, with an opening scheduled for June 13.

The production will star Nigel Lindsay as Shrek, Richard Blackwood as Donkey, Nigel Harman as Lord Farquaad and Amanda Holden as Princess Fiona.

The company will also include Delroy Atkinson, Amy Beadel, Stephanie Bron, Dean Chisnall, Jon-Scott Clark, Ste Clough, Lee William-Davis, Ross Dawes, Lucie Downer, Alice Fearn, Michelle Francis, Ashley E Hale, Rosanna Hyland, Bradley Jaden, Aaron Lee Lambert, Emma Lindars, Grant Murphy, Spencer O'Brien, Landi Oshinowo, Damien Poole, Stuart Matthew Price, Jacqui Sanchez, Jonathan Stewart, Leigh-Anne Stone, Lucy Tapp, Karli Vale and Michael Watson. The roles of Young Shrek and Young Fiona will be shared by actors Samantha Allison, Chorlène Biron-Monnier, Lauren Dawes, Madeleine Hill, Emilia Jones and Sophie Wythe.

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"Desperate Housewives" star James Denton and Emmy-nominated writer Dwayne McDuffie discuss the animated original movie "All-Star Superman": http://bit.ly/gtW9UU

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