Arthur Kopit News

Media titan Harvey Weinstein is eyeing Oscar success for his latest project, the big screen version of the muiscal NINE.

Celebrity news website Showbizspy.com has a brief chat with Oscar nominated screen siren Penelope Cruz on her role in the upcoming film adaptation of NINE. Cruz remarked that singing for the first time for the big screen was something she found to be a creative challenge.

BILL KRAKAUER will be singing popular songs from the 20's to the 2000's - famous or forgotten - written by women or sung by great women performers at THE CELL PERFORMANCE SALON for just two nights only. JONATHAN CERULLO directs, PAUL TRUEBLOOD is the accompanist and music director, and JERED EGAN performs on double bass. The production plays two nights only, Monday, February 16th and Monday, March 2nd at 8:00 pm. All Tickets are $25.00 (no minimum) and can be reserved by calling 212-724-7933. THE CELL is located at 338 West 23rd Street between 8th and 9th Avenues.

Contra Costa Civic Theatre will open its production of Nine (The Musical) on Friday, February 6, 2009. Directed and choreographed by Amy Nielson, with musical direction by Joe Simiele, Nine was the winner of numerous Tony awards, including Best Musical and Score in 1982 and Best Revival in 2003, and will soon be made into a movie.. It features a book by Arthur Kopit and music and lyrics by Maury Yeston. The musical was inspired by Federico Fellini's movie 8 1/2 and was adapted from the Italian by Marrio Fratti. CCCT's production features Derrick Silva as Guido Contini, a famous Italian film director. His last three films have been flops. A creative block sends him into the fearful throws of a mid-life crisis, questioning his life's direction and his own mortality. What does an artist do if he cannot create?

THE SWEETEST SOUNDS -- ALLEGRO Written in 1947, ALLEGRO was preceded in the R&H canon by OKLAHOMA! and CAROUSEL, and followed directly by SOUTH PACIFIC and THE KING AND I. In this podcast, hosted by Jeff Lunden, the bold innovations and experimental aspects of ALLEGRO are explored in the context of the first complete recording of its score, released by Sony Masterworks Broadway today, February 3, 2009. The CD is produced by David Lai, Bruce Pomahac and Ted Chapin.

Celebrity news website Putu.Us is featuring some new images of Nicole Kidman from the set of the film Nine, Kidman plays 'Claudia Graham' in the upcoming motion picture musical.

Celebrity news website Putu.Us is featuring some new images from the set of the film Nine, the pictures show a new glimpse of sultry star Penelope Cruz as 'Carla' and new images of Daniel Day-Lewis as 'Guido Contini', the film is currently in production in Rome. To see the Nine images click here.

Just Jared the celebrity news website is featuring some new images from the set of the film Nine, the pictures show the first glimpse of Nicole Kidman as 'Claudia Graham' and new images of Daniel Day-Lewis as 'Guido Contini', the film is currently in production in Rome. Daniel Day-Lewis replaced the previously attached Javier Bardem in the leading role of Guido Contini, Bardem left the project citing exhaustion. Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Kate Hudson, Stacy 'Fergie' Ferguson, Sophia Loren and Judi Dench star in the film as well.

Celebrity news website is featuring some new images from the set of the film Nine, the pictures show the first glimpse of Daniel Day-Lewis as 'Guido Contini', the film is currently in production in Rome. To see the Nine images click here. Daniel Day-Lewis replaced the previously attached Javier Bardem in the leading role of Guido Contini, Bardem left the project citing exhaustion. Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Kate Hudson, Stacy 'Fergie' Ferguson, Sophia Loren and Judi Dench star in the film as well. Nine is a musical with a book by Arthur Kopit and music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and is based off of Fredrico Fellini's movie 8 1/2. The play tells the story of a young film maker living in Venice trying to juggle all of the women in his life.

Contra Costa Civic Theatre will open its production of Nine (The Musical) on Friday, February 6, 2009. Directed and choreographed by Amy Nielson, with musical direction by Joe Simiele, Nine was the winner of numerous Tony awards, including Best Musical and Score in 1982 and Best Revival in 2003, and will soon be made into a movie.. It features a book by Arthur Kopit and music and lyrics by Maury Yeston. The musical was inspired by Federico Fellini's movie 8 1/2 and was adapted from the Italian by Marrio Fratti. CCCT's production features Derrick Silva as Guido Contini, a famous Italian film director. His last three films have been flops. A creative block sends him into the fearful throws of a mid-life crisis, questioning his life's direction and his own mortality. What does an artist do if he cannot create?

Aussie news website LiveNews had a brief chat with NINE film star Penelope Cruz, and the sulty star admitted that performing the classic 'A Call From the Vatican' number from the show and sure to be a highlight in the film version, left her blistered and bruised-but she loved doing it!The song required the actress to perform a rope routine and the stunt left her worried she would lose her grip and fall. Cruz explained to the site 'When something like that happens, you just have to keep going and forget about any physical pain. I was dancing in the dark with one spotlight on me, so I had to be extremely alert and focused. 'There were other things to think about, so I was not in pain while dancing - I was just praying not to fall!'

Jurors for The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) for the 2009 Next Link Project will include lyricist Susan Birkenhead, composer and lyricist Jason Robert Brown, producer Robyn Goodman, and director Francesca Zambello. The New York Musical Theater Festival is currently accepting open submissions for its Next Link Project for the sixth annual festival taking place September 28 ? October 18, 2009. Twelve of the Festival?s full production slots are reserved for participants in The Next Link Project, NYMF?s primary writer service program. The Next Link Project empowers emerging musical theatre writing teams as both artists and entrepreneurs by providing the training and relationships needed to help them move their musicals from mere readings to fully-realized productions and to advance their careers by maximizing the exposure they receive in the Festival. A meet and greet to answer any questions from those interested in applying will be held Wednesday, January 28, 6-8pm at the Irish Rogue (356 West 44th Street, between 8th and 9th Ave). NYMF staff members will be on hand to answer questions about the Next Link Project submissions process and chat about other ways to get involved with the Festival.

Rattlestick Playwrights Theater (David Van Asselt, Artistic Director and Sandra Coudert, Managing Director) continues its 14th anniversary season with the World Premiere of That Pretty Pretty; or, The Rape Play, a new comedy by Sheila Callaghan, directed by Kip Fagan (Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom, Nelson). Performances begin Tuesday, February 10th. Opening night is Monday, February 23rd at 7pm. The show will run through Sunday, March 15th.

Film and stage superstar Nicole Kidman was featured on 'The View' this morning, Friday, December 26th, at 11am on the ABC television network. Kidman discussed a number of topics, including the upcoming Rob Marshall directed big screen transfer of the stage hit NINE.

Rattlestick Playwrights Theater (David Van Asselt, Artistic Director and Sandra Coudert, Managing Director) presents the World Premiere production of Geometry of Fire, by Stephen Belber.

A Tony Award-winning play by Arthur Kopit that depicts the life of master showman "Buffalo Bill" Cody is the second 2008-09 season production of the Theatre and Interpretation Center (TIC) at Northwestern University.

A Tony Award-winning play by Arthur Kopit that depicts the life of master showman "Buffalo Bill" Cody is the second 2008-09 season production of the Theatre and Interpretation Center (TIC) at Northwestern University.

New Repertory Theatre, in residence at the Arsenal Center for the Arts, is thrilled to present The Lieutenant of Inishmore.

Rattlestick Playwrights Theater (David Van Asselt, Artistic Director and Sandra Coudert, Managing Director) has announced a change in casting for the World Premiere production of Geometry of Fire, by Stephen Belber.

The Lark Play Development Center has announced the selected playwrights for the 2008-09 Playwrights' Workshop Fellows 2008. This year's writers include Thomas Bradshaw (Southern Promises), Samuel D. Hunter (Lark's 2008 PONY Fellow), Lisa Kron (Well), Deirdre O'Connor (Hero), and Playwright-in-Residence Arthur Kopit (Lark Playwright Advisor).