Andrew Jackson News

Last Tuesday night I went out for some pre-holiday coffee with my good friend, BroadwayWorld Senior Editor Jessica Lewis (Actually we were so engrossed in conversation that we forgot to order coffee.  Sorry, Starbucks.), and naturally the topic of Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark came up.  Jessica had seen the show already and I mentioned how comical it was becoming that, with what right now stands as an eight-week preview period, the reviewing press will be attending long after the Internet has helped establish a firm word-of-mouth opinion.

2010 was quite a year for Broadway with some spectacular opening nights. We'll be sharing highlights from the year in photos, videos, interviews and more throughout this final week of the year. First off is a look at some of the star and excitement filled opening night curtain calls of 2010. Photos by Walter McBride / WM Photos / Corbis

Snowfall is expected to be heavy in the New York City area tonight, but cancellations for Broadway shows are VERY rare and as of now, all shows are still on for tonight.

Snowfall is expected to be heavy in the New York City area tonight, but cancellations for Broadway shows are VERY rare and as of now, all shows are still on for tonight.

The New Group announces a new official opening night date for its world premiere production of the new play Blood From A Stone by Tommy Nohilly. Directed by Scott Elliott, Blood From A Stone features Gordon Clapp, Ann Dowd, Thomas Guiry, Ethan Hawke, Natasha Lyonne and Daphne Rubin-Vega

Theatre for a New Audience (Artistic director, Jeffrey Horowitz) has produced some of the most promising artists early in their careers including Arin Arbus, Juliet Rylance, Mark Rylance, Bartlett Sher and Juliet Taymor.

This brand new weekly open mic night is highly recommended for show-tune lovers, Broadway enthusiasts, 'Gleeks', fans of Charles Nelson Reilly, and anyone who ever wanted to do their own dream ballet. Come join us and pay homage to the old Village Gate, a nightclub/theater that opened in the late 50's and premiered a number of Off-Broadway shows, including Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, in 1968.

Nashville Ballet will reprise its beloved local take on the classic Christmas tale when Nashville's Nutcracker returns to TPAC's Jackson Hall December 10-19 with exciting new visual elements and the return of critically acclaimed dancer and actor Eric Harris as Drosselmeyer.

Mortal Folly Theatre is thrilled to present its second full-length production, Macbeth, adapted and directed by Artistic Director Katherine Harte-DeCoux.

Passionate dreams toward peace in Jerusalem and beyond…Naomi Wallace offers a unique combination of lyrical theatricality and political passion in her new triptych for the stage, The Fever Chart: Three Visions of the Middle East, playing at Central Square Theater Thursday, November 18th through Sunday, December 19th.

Every year Entertainment Weekly devotes an entire issue to 'The Best and Worst' of the past twelve months. This year, the magazine has taken a look at 2010 and chosen ten worth candidates for the best in theatre, in addition to picking out Broadway's breakout stars. The list of 'Best in Theatre' is as follows:

Here is the second part of our three-part discussion, in which Esparza and I analyze his roles and performances in plays, as well as a thorough discussion of the art of acting - and, additionally, a chat about roles he would like to play in the future, both near and far.

It's that time of year for New York Times theatre critic Ben Brantley to pick the theatrical highlights of 2010. Though he admits that the past 12 months were a time of 'creative drought,' Brantley was still able to muster up some highly deserving candidates for the best of 2010.

USA Network's Character Approved Blog (characterblog.com) has chosen Lady Gaga, Alexander McQueen, Foursquare, Food Trucks, eBooks and the feature film The Social Network among many others as some of the biggest cultural influencers, trends and ideas of 2010. Each of the eleven experts who contribute weekly updates to the blog handpicked ten people, places and/or things that have had the greatest impact in 2010 across architecture, art, design, fashion, film, food, music, social good, technology, theatre, and writing. The lists also include events whose effects reach far beyond their designated category, such as the freeing of Aung San Suu Kyi, the introduction of the text 'Haiti' campaign, the release of the documentary Waiting For Superman and the success of the nonprofit Making It Right New Orleans. The year-end content was announced today by Alexandra Shapiro, USA's senior vice president, brand strategy and digital.

LIVE AT BARNES & NOBLE, has announced a series of special performing arts programming to showcase writers, composers, Broadway casts, recording artists, etc. on the occasion of book publications or CD/DVD street dates. These events will launch artist memoirs & bios, original cast recordings, companion books or special compendiums, solo albums and other related merchandise that is available for sale at Barnes & Noble. This is both a re-launch and expansion of the hugely successful series formerly know as 'Live at Lincoln' that will now span various Manhattan locations.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) and Signature Theatre Company (Founding Artistic Director James Houghton; Executive Director Erika Mallin) in association with the Guthrie Theater (Joe Dowling, Director) are pleased to announce initial casting for the New York premiere of Tony Kushner's THE INTELLIGENT HOMOSEXUAL'S GUIDE TO CAPITALISM AND SOCIALISM WITH A KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES.

John Faustus and the Overclocked Death Drive perform January 7-30, 2010; 9:30pm

The Hive Theatre Company is pleased to present The Hive Exposed Series; staged readings of new and underexposed plays. The second in this series is a benefit staged reading of Amina Henry's AN AMERICAN FAMILY TAKES A LOVER at the cell theatre on Tuesday, December 14th at 7pm.

The Public Theater (Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director; Andrew D. Hamingson, Executive Director) is proud to announce the complete line-up for the fourth Public Forum event of the 2010, "Afghanistan After America, America After Afghanistan," held at New York University's Skirball Center on Tuesday, December 14 at 8 p.m.

Snowfall is expected to be heavy in the New York City area tonight, but cancellations for Broadway shows are VERY rare and as of now, all shows are still on for tonight.