Barry Levinson News

It's time to close up CSC's third annual Black Box Festival with the show that played to sold out audiences in last year's New York Fringe Festival. The Essence: A Yiddish Theatre Dim Sum is a rollicking comedy that lets audiences in on the best kept secret-Yiddish is actually cool-and it's playing November 21-24 in the Kutz Theatre of the Lackland Center. The Essence… is a fast-moving revue for people who know nothing about Yiddish and couldn't imagine attending a show with Yiddish in it. It's about the most expressive and theatrical language in the world, with scenes, sketches, songs, and oddball diversions with an irreverent introduction to all things Yiddish.

Billy Crystal will return to Broadway this fall for a 9-week-only limited engagement of his Tony Award-winning, record-breaking play 700 Sundays. This will mark the final engagement of this production. Previews began Tuesday, November 5, 2013 at the Imperial Theatre (249 West 45th Street) with opening night scheduled for tonight, November 13, 2013 and a final performance set for Sunday, January 5, 2014. 700 Sundays is performed and written by Mr. Crystal with additional content by Alan Zweibel and direction by Des McAnuff.

After starring in the single-season series SAVE ME, Heche is reteaming with HUNG's creator Colette Burson for a new untitled comedy, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Heche and Burson are set to co-write.

According to an Equity casting notice, a New York City workshop will soon be held for DINER, a new musical inspired by the critically acclaimed 1982 film. With a book by Academy Award and Emmy Award winner Barry Levinson and music & lyrics by Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow, the project will be directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Kathleen Marshall. The workshop will be held December 2-13 at Pearl Studios.

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is proud to present the 2014 Outstanding Performer of the Year Award to Academy Award winning actress Cate Blanchett on Saturday, February 1.

Billy Crystal will return to Broadway this fall for a 9-week-only limited engagement of his Tony Award-winning, record-breaking play 700 Sundays. This will mark the final engagement of this production. Previews begin tonight, November 5, 2013 at the Imperial Theatre (249 West 45th Street) with opening night scheduled for Wednesday, November 13, 2013 and a final performance set for Sunday, January 5, 2014. 700 Sundaysis performed and written by Mr. Crystal with additional content by Alan Zweibel and direction by Des McAnuff.

According to Deadline, Tony winner Billy Porter is currently in talks to join Barry Levinson's The Humbling. The film features a script by Buck Henry, Michal Zebede and Levinson, and will star Al Pacino, Greta Gerwig, Diane Wiest and Mandy Patinkin. It will focus on ' a famous stage actor in decline who is revived when he retires to his upstate New York farmhouse and takes up with a much younger woman.'

Three-time Grammy Award-winning musical artist and actor T.I. (T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle, Boss) will guest star in multiple episodes of the third season of the hit SHOWTIME comedy series HOUSE OF LIES.

HBO Films presents in association with SAF Films West MUHAMMAD ALI'S GREATEST FIGHT, starring Academy Award(R) winner Christopher Plummer ('Beginners'), Academy Award(R) nominee Frank Langella ('Frost/Nixon') and Benjamin Walker ('Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter'); directed by Academy Award(R) nominee Stephen Frears ('The Queen') from a script by Shawn Slovo ('A World Apart'); and executive produced by Emmy(R) winner Frank Doelger (HBO's 'Game of Thrones' and 'The Gathering Storm'), Emmy(R) winner Tracey Scoffield (HBO's 'The Gathering Storm'), Jonathan Cameron and Stephen Frears.

'ALL THAT GLITTERS', an unauthorized biography of a ground-breaking legend, an opulent musical event about the greatest showman on earth is on its way to Broadway for the 2014-15 season, directed and choreographed by Alexander DeJong. The show features Music and Lyrics by Mr. DeJong, Book by Mr. DeJong and James A. Walsh, and Additional Music by Tom Nelson. The show will star Richard Kline as Wladziu Valentino Liberace.

The film, written by SCROOGED's Mitch Glazer, is officially billed as: 'the story of a burned-out music manager who goes to Afghanistan on the USO tour with his last remaining client. When he finds himself abandoned, penniless and without his passport, he discovers a young girl with an extraordinary voice, who stows away with him back to Kabul to compete on the popular television show The Afghan Star, Afghanistan's equivalent of American Idol.'

The Gala Tribute to Cate Blanchett will take place on Wednesday, October 2, and the Gala Tribute to Ralph Fiennes will take place on Wednesday, October 9

HBO Films new drama Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight from director Stephen Frears is coming to the cable network on Saturday, October 5th at 8 pm.

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, 20th Century Fox recently formed a joint venture with top Broadway producer and Tony Award winner Kevin McCollum (Motown, Rent, Avenue Q, In the Heights), prolific film producer John Davis (Predator, The Firm, Grumpy Old Men, I Robot, Chronicle) and leading industry executive Tom McGrath, to develop live stage productions based upon the studio's vast library of films. Now according to the New York Times, Fox won't be the only major film studio with movie-based musicals in the woks in the coming years.

HBO Films presents in association with SAF Films West MUHAMMAD ALI'S GREATEST FIGHT, starring Academy Award(R) winner Christopher Plummer ('Beginners'), Academy Award(R) nominee Frank Langella ('Frost/Nixon') and Benjamin Walker ('Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter'); directed by Academy Award(R) nominee Stephen Frears ('The Queen') from a script by Shawn Slovo ('A World Apart'); and executive produced by Emmy(R) winner Frank Doelger (HBO's 'Game of Thrones' and 'The Gathering Storm'), Emmy(R) winner Tracey Scoffield (HBO's 'The Gathering Storm'), Jonathan Cameron and Stephen Frears.

avid Krumholtz joins Danny DeVito and Judd Hirsch in Neil Simon's classic comedy "The Sunshine Boys'.

Legendary stage and screen actor Christopher Plummer discusses his extensive career and shares candid stories from his uniquely compelling life in a new interview, as well as reveals insights into his role in the new HBO film Muhammad Ali'S GREATEST FIGHT, sharing a new clip from the highly anticipated telepic.

With thirteen all-new episodes, return to the unforgiving city that knows no limits, tonight, June 23, 10:00pm ET/PT.