GRACE NOTES - Tuesday, March 8, 2011

IMPORTANT GRACE NOTES NEWS!

I’m thrilled to announce the launch of the new GRACE NOTES website, which will debut next Monday, March 14 at GraceNotesStage.com.

The blog format will remain as it always has, providing the most comprehensive, concise and up-to-date theatre news around, every Monday-Friday.

What’s new:

* A brand new look!
* A Search function, so you can access information from past issues.
* An RSS feed.
* A variety of advertising options (information and Rate Card available on request).

What you need to know:

* Subscribers – you don’t need to do a thing – your subscription will continue as it always has. Simply add my new email to your address book: sgrace1122@gmail.com
* Website visitors – you will be automatically re-directed to the new site.

Thank you all for your extraordinary loyalty and support. Now in my 13th year, I’m as passionate as ever to promote all things theatre… in Los Angeles, New York, London and everywhere in between.

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Today’s highlights:

* Brad Oscar, Heidi Blickenstaff, Adam Grupper and more join the cast of The Addams Family.

* Crimes of the Heart begins previews at the McCarter Theatre.

* The Holy Rosenbergs begins performances at London’s National Theatre's Cottesloe.

* She Loves Him, Kate Baldwin’s solo show celebrating Sheldon Harnick, at Feinstein’s through March 12. (see article below)

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Tony Award winner Kevin Spacey will deliver the 24th Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy on April 4 at 6:30 PM in the Concert Hall at the Kennedy Center. The open-to-the-public address is part of 2011 Arts Advocacy Day events, presented by Americans for the Arts.

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Video: God’s favorite musical? Chatting with Sister Act’s Whoopi Goldberg, Patina Miller, Victoria Clark and more: http://bit.ly/ejnJ1w

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The Keen Company presents the 25th Anniversary production of Benefactors March 22-April 30, with an opening set for April 5 at The Clurman Theatre (410 W. 42nd St.)

Carl Forsman directs a cast that includes Vivienne Benesch, Daniel Jenkins, Deanne Lorette and Stephen Barker Turner.

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Interesting article in NY Magazine about Book of Mormon: http://bit.ly/g4B8N8

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The Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa has announced its 2011-2012 schedule:

The venue's Broadway Series will offer six touring productions including Shrek the Musical (Oct. 4-16), Blue Man Group (Nov. 8-20), Irving Berlin's White Christmas (Dec. 13 - January 1), Million Dollar Quartet (April 24 - May 6), the 25th anniversary production of Les Miserables (June 12-24), and La Cage aux Folles (July 24 - Aug. 5).

In addition, the Center's Curtain Call Series will offer presentations of Twyla Tharp's Come Fly Away (Jan. 31 - Feb. 5), the multimedia performance piece Traces (Feb. 28 - March 4), and Green Day's American Idiot (May 29 - June 3).

Tony Award winner Audra McDonald will open the Segerstrom's Cabaret Series on Oct. 15. Also on the schedule is Stephen Sondheim and Friends (Oct. 29), which will feature the composer/lyricist in conversation with Michael Kerker in addition to appearances by special guests. Other offerings in the series will be performances by Chita Rivera in My Broadway (Nov. 10-13), Paulo Szot (Dec. 15-18), Steve Tyrell (Jan. 5-8), and Andrea Martin, with Seth Rudetsky, (Feb. 16-19).

The venue will be also offer its Off Center Series, which will present work in partnership with The Public Theater's Under the Radar Festival. Confirmed for the series is the National Theater of the United States of America's production of Chautauqua! (Jan. 13-15), as well as Ten Tiny Dances (Jan. 20-21). Other offerings will be announced in the near future.

John Tartaglia's Imaginocean (Feb. 4-5) will be just one offering in the Segerstrom's Family Series. Additional family presentations will be the Polyglot Theatre's Muckheap (Oct. 8-9), the bilingual musical Dream Carver (April 14-15), and Zorro (March 17-18), which will be presented by Scotland's Visible Fictions, among others.

The Segerstrom's season will also include a Jazz Series, the International Dance Series, a Concert Series, and a free summertime Film Series, as well as such "season bonus events" as a one-night-only performance by the National Acrobats of China (Oct. 1), an engagement of the popular Irish dance show Riverdance (Oct. 28-30), and a production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats (Jan. 17-22).

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Harry Connick, Jr. – In Concert on Broadway is now available on DVD on Amazon.com.

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Williamstown Theatre Festival's 2011 summer season:

* A Streetcar Named Desire, June 22-July 3, directed by David Cromer, starring Jessica Hecht and Sam Rockwell.

* You Can’t Take It With You, July 1-27, directed by Christopher Ashley.

* One Slight Hitch, July 6-17, directed by Joe Grifasi, starring Paige Howard and Mark Linn-Baker.

* A Doll’s House, July 20-31, directed by Sam Gold, starring Lily Rabe and Hamish Linklater.

* She Stoops to Conquer, July 27-Aug. 7, directed by Nicholas Martin.

* Touch(ed), Aug. 3-14, directed by Trip Cullman

* Ten Cents a Dance, John Doyle, starring Malcom Gets and Lauren Molina.

* You Better Sit Down: tales from my parents' divorce, Aug. 16-21, directed by Anne Kaufman

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Video: Highlights from Good People: http://bit.ly/eXp11k

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Alec Baldwin has joined the cast of Warner Bros./New Line feature film "Rock of Ages," which also stars Tom Cruise, Mary J. Blige and Julianne Hough.

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The Town Hall's Broadway by the Year series will continue March 21 at 8 PM with Broadway Musicals of 1932.

Created, written and hosted by Scott Siegel, the evening will feature the talents of Christiane Noll, Jeffry Denman, Meredith Patterson, William Michals, Kendrick Jones, Jason Graae, Scott Coulter, Bill Daugherty and Carole J. Bufford. Coulter will direct the concert with choreography by Denman. Ross Patterson is the musical director.

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Emmy winner Holland Taylor, who plays Charlie Sheen's mother in the much- in-the-news "Two and a Half Men," will star in ANN: An Affectionate Portrait of Ann Richards, which will play a three-week engagement at Chicago's Bank of America Theatre this fall. Billed as the "pre-Broadway engagement," performances are scheduled for Nov. 13-Dec. 4. Ann Richards was the second female governor of Texas. (312) 977-1710

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NY Times’ upcoming TimesTalks events at 242 W. 41st St.:

* Tom Stoppard, March 15 at 6 PM.
* Bradley Cooper, March 15 at 8 PM.
* Joel Grey, Sutton Foster, Kathleen Marshall, March 21 at 6 PM.

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Academy Award-winning musician and Tarzan songwriter Phil Collins may retire from the recording business, according to Billboard.com. Collins has previously mentioned in the press that he suffers from nerve damage in his hands and hearing loss. He is currently in treatment to regain full use of his hands after years of drumming.

"I don't think anyone's going to miss me... I look at the MTV Music Awards and I think, 'I can't be in the same business as this,'" Collins said in an interview.

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Video: Jackie Hoffman’s Addams Family Farewell vlog: http://bit.ly/hgzMd7

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"True Blood" star and Tony nominee Sam Trammell and theater veteran Missy Yager are expecting twins.

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59E59 Theaters’ Americas Off Broadway festival:

* Love Song (April 5-May 8), written and directed by John Kolvenbach.

*Triangle (April 14-30), written by Jack Gilhooley and Daniel Czitrom, directed by Stephan Morro.

* Julia (April 19-May 15), by Vince Melocchi, directed by Guillermo Cienfuegos.

* City Love Song (May 3-15), written and performed by Jack Finnegan, directed by Tralen Doler.

* World Trade Center view (May 3-15), written by Brian Sloan, directed by Andrew Volkoff.

* I Married Wyatt Earp (May 20-June 12), features a book by Thomas Edward West and Sheilah Rae, lyrics by Sheilah Rae, music by Michele Brourman, and is directed by Cara Reichel.

* Play About My Dad (June 16-July 2), by Boo Killebrew, directed by Lee Sunday Evans.

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An updated list of performers has been announced for Miscast 2011, to be held at The Hammerstein Ballroom on Monday, March 14 beginning at 6:30 PM (show starts at 8:45 PM). Andy Cohen will host the event, which will raise funds for the theater's ongoing work.

The line-up will now feature Christian Borle, Brian d'Arcy James, Kelsey Fowler, Ana Gasteyer, Justin Guarini, Josh Henry, Alison Jaye Horowitz, Laura Osnes, Nicole Parker, and Steven Pasquale. The musical director for the evening will be Phil Reno.

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Jim Parsons ("The Big Bang Theory") will play Tommy Boatwright and Lee Pace ("Pushing Daisies") will play Bruce Niles in the Broadway revival of The Normal Heart. Joel Grey, working with George C Wolfe, will direct the production, which, as previously announced, will begin performances at the Golden Theatre on April 19 before opening on April 27. The limited engagement continues to July 10.

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Commonwealth Shakespeare Company announces the second installment in its American Voices 2011 script-in-hand presentation series: The Skin of Our Teeth, by Thornton Wilder. Acclaimed actor and singer Anthony Rapp directs. The free performance is Monday, March 14 at 7 PM at the Wimberly Theatre at the Boston Center for the Arts. There will be a Wine and Cheese reception with the cast and director immediately following the reading.

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Streep Tease is back, with new cast members, new choreography and new special guests. The show re-opens Saturday, March 12 at 8 PM at LA’s Bang Comedy Theatre, 457 N. Fairfax Ave. (South of Melrose).

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The Hasty Pudding Theatricals of Harvard University is coming to New York City this weekend only! Don't miss the chance to see some men in heels, and get "curried" away with HPT 163: Kashmir If You Can on March 11 and 12 at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College. 212-772-4448

As the oldest theatrical troupe in the nation, the Hasty Pudding Theatricals annually performs a hilarious student-written drag burlesque production. Each year, the troupe also awards a Man and Woman of the Year award to those who have made a lasting and impressive contribution to the world of entertainment. This year, the honor was bestowed upon Julianne Moore and Jay Leno.

In its 163rd reincarnation, The Hasty Pudding Theatricals takes you on a magical journey to the greatest subcontinent in the world – the exotic and erotic land of India – as we unveil the eccentric epic Kashmir If You Can. The beloved Maharajah has suddenly and mysteriously died and panic has taken the kingdom by storm. His daughter, the air-headed heiress to the kingdom, Sari M. Notsari, is now forced by her scheming and soulful stepmother, Queen Latikah, into an arranged marriage with the evil slumdog millionaire, Pooch Yermoneywhereyermouthis…an actual dog and an actual millionaire, who has secret plans to take over the kingdom. Sari hires the world-famous British detective, now suffering from short-term memory loss, Watson Yourmind to investigate her father’s death and that suspicious mutt. Will Vishnu Werehere, the powerful blue deity offer some divine guidance? Will Sari be able to consumate her forbidden love with the Arabian slave, Kareem Inyourpants? Or will that pesky pooch sell the kingdom to the highest bidder?

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Christopher Seiber will begin performances as George in La Cage on March 15.

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A host of Broadway talent, including Barbara Cook, Mandy Patinkin, Michael Rupert and Donna Murphy, will take part in Monday at the Plaza with James, a tribute to James Lapine, May 23 at 6 PM at the Plaza Hotel. The even is a benefit for the New York Theatre Workshop. Information and reservations: alisas@nytw.org.

Dan Knechtges will direct the concert that will reunite Lapine with many of his previous cast members, including Cook (Sondheim on Sondheim, Candide), Patinkin (Sunday in the Park…, Evita), Rupert (Falsettos), Murphy (Passion, People in the Picture), Carolee Carmello (Parade, Falsettos), Bogardus (Falsettos, Man of La Mancha), Debra Monk (Curtains, Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing), Heather MacRae (Falsettos), Claudia Shear (Dirty Blonde), Vanessa Williams (Into the Woods, Sondheim on Sondheim) and opera star Deborah Voigt.

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Original Jean Valjean Colm Wilkinson (Aug. 12-13), the national tour of American Idiot (Dec. 28-Jan. 15, 2012) and Donny and Marie Osmond (July 5-17) will play in Toronto as part of Dancap's 2011-2012 season. Also included are 9 to 5 (June 29-July 10); Next to Normal (July 19-31); Come Fly Away (Aug. 16-28); The Addams Family (Nov. 16-27); and Memphis (Dec. 6-24).

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Mark Blum, Michael Stahl-David, Donna Hanover, Tom Lipinski and Liz Stauber will be featured in the world-premiere of Christopher Shinn's Picked, at the Vineyard Theatre with previews beginning April 6 in anticipation of an April 20 opening. Michael Wilson will direct. The play concerns a young actor who prepares for his life to change when a legendary director casts him as the lead in a big-budget Hollywood movie.

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The long-awaited opening night of the Broadway musical Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark may happen without its director and co-author. The New York Times reports that producers are in talks with Tony Award winner Julie Taymor to work with an expanded creative team or to possibly have Taymor make her exit from the troubled production.

Sources indicated that if Taymor is not responsive to enlisting creative aid, she may be replaced altogether. Word of major creative team overhauls for Spider-Man began circulating early Monday morning. The musical is now the record holder for the longest preview period of any Broadway production.

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Kate Baldwin, the 2010 Tony Award nominee for Finian's Rainbow, returns to Feinstein's March 8-12 for a tribute show called She Loves Him, celebrating the work of lyricist (and sometimes composer) Sheldon Harnick. The master himself, at age 86, will appear as a special guest to share memories and sing several songs.

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“Law & Order: Los Angeles,” starring Alfred Molina, returns on April 11.

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The 2011 Lincoln Center Festival schedule (July 5-Aug. 14) has been announced:

Among the events will be Peter Brook's A Magic Flute, based on Mozart's opera, to be performed by two actors and alternating casts of seven singers, with a pianist; the Kanagawa Arts Theatre production of The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, based on the novel by Yukio Mishima; Druid Theatre Company's production of Sean O'Casey's The Silver Tassle, directed by Tony Award winner Garry Hynes; and the Royal Danish Opera's production of Poul Ruders' Selma Ježková.

The Royal Shakespeare Company will have a six-week residency, July 6-Aug. 14, at the Park Avenue Armory. Productions will include Lucy Bailey's production of Julius Caesar; As You Like It, directed by Michael Boyd; Romeo and Juliet, directed by Rupert Goold; King Lear, directed by David Farr; and The Winter's Tale, directed by David Farr.

The acting company includes Charles Aitken, Joseph Arkley, Adam Burton, David Carr, Brian Doherty, Darrell D'Silva, Noma Dumezweni, Dyfan Dwyfor, Phillip Edgerley, Christine Entwisle, Geoffrey Freshwater, James Gale, Mariah Gale, Gruffudd Glyn, Paul Hamilton, Greg Hicks, James Howard, Kathryn Hunter, Kelly Hunter, Ansu Kabia, Tunji Kasim, Richard Katz, Debbie Korley, John Mackay, Forbes Masson, Sandy Neilson, Jonjo O'Neill, Dharmesh Patel, Peter Peverley, Patrick Romer, David Rubin, Sophie Russell, Oliver Ryan, Simone Saunders, Peter Shorey, Clarence Smith, Katy Stephens, James Traherne, Sam Troughton, James Tucker, Larrington Walker, Kirsty Woodward, Hannah Young, and Samantha Young. Designers will include Jon Bausor, Jean Chan, Tom Piper, Tom Scutt, and Michael Vale.

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Rupert Everett will reprise his performance as Henry Higgins when the Chichester Festival's 2010 revival of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, transfers to the West End's Garrick Theatre, to run May 12 - Sept. 3. Philip Prowse will once again direct the production.

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Woodie King Jr's New Federal Theatre will kick off its 40th season by presenting the Off-Broadway premiere of Bill Harris' Cool Blues at their home at Henry Street Settlement’s Abrons Arts Center/Recital Hall (466 Grand Street). Performances begin Thursday March 10, opening night is set for Sunday, March 20, and the run continues to April 3.

Ed Smith directs a cast that features Ezra Barnes, Stephanie Berry, Terria Joseph, Marcus Naylor, Maria Silverman and Jay Ward.

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Broadway Bears XIV, which was held March 6 at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, raised a total of $103,905 for BC/EFA. The cumulative fundraising total for all 14 Broadway Bears auctions is $1,843,977.

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The Royal Court will premiere the second play of Anya Reiss, The Acid Test, will begin performances in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs May 13, prior to an official opening May 23, for a run through June 11. Directed by Simon Godwin.

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