Carol Rosegg News

Two possibilities crossed my mind when I counted 85 selections on the song list for For Lovers Only (Love Songs... Nothing But Love Songs); either I was about to see a musical revue of Götterdämmerung-like proportions or there were going to be a lot of medleys.

Don't tell anybody in Topeka, but Sherie Rene Scott is currently in her 27th year of rumspringa. But then, since she's only half Mennonite ('Amish Light' she calls it), I suppose different rules apply.

'Sometimes life just is preposterous, you know,' screams a frustrated character trying to get another to believe his corner of the jigsaw puzzle of interlocking plots in Craig Lucas' eclectically styled comedy/drama, The Singing Forest; a play that takes us from 21st Century New York to 1930s Vienna to 1940s London via urban romantic comedy, Holocaust drama, dysfunctional family angst, mistaken identity farce and a dash of that Lucas theatrical fantasy. Far funnier and more happily enjoyable than you'd expect, especially considering the horrifying imagine the play's title represents, The Singing Forest manages to examine issues of self-deceit and the limits of both forgiveness and accepting blame for one's actions.

'Acting is reacting,' says many a teacher of the craft, and if they're right then Christopher Durang has handed his leading lady, Laura Benanti, a career's worth of reasons to react in his surreal cavalcade, Why Torture Is Wrong And The People Who Love Them. A meta-theatrical farce disguised as a satire of America's war on terrorism (with a brief lesson about taking control of your life and a somewhat romantic conclusion for those who require such things) Why... is top-shelf Durang lunacy and Benanti, making a rare non-musical appearance, proves herself a wonderful everywoman foil.

You know you're in for a good one when there's a huge laugh before the first person on stage can even let out the third syllable of the show. But by the time the actors start growling to customers, 'There's no intermission!' and 'The show's eight hours long!' The Toxic Avenger has firmly established itself as one of the funniest musicals in town.

GUYS AND DOLLS is back on Broadway in a dazzling new production. Now you can join the fun and 'get lucky' with the new 'Lucky Sevens' BWW Discount for tickets to the revival of the classic New York Musical!

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) presents Craig Lucas' THE SINGING FOREST. Directed by Mark Wing-Davey, THE SINGING FOREST will end a limited run Sunday, May 17th. The show celebrated Opening Night on Tuesday, April 28 at 7 PM.

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Wednesday, May 13, 2009.

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Sunday, May 10, 2009.

FOR LOVERS ONLY (Love Songs... Nothing But Love Songs), a new musical revue celebrating romance, began performances Friday April 24th at New World Stages, 340 West 50th Street (between Eighth & Ninth Avenues). Opening Night is set for this Monday May 11th (8 PM).

THE HIROSHIMA PROJECT runs May 8-30 at The Ohio Theater (66 Wooster Street): I HAVE BEEN TO HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR runs Wednesdays through Sundays at 7:30pm, with additional performances Saturday, May 9 at 2:30pm and Saturday, May 30 at 2:30pm. Tickets are $18, students and seniors $15. Admission is free to MONDAY NIGHT READING SERIES: VOICES FROM HIROSHIMA on Mondays, May 11, 18 and 25 at 7:30. Admission is also free to WHITE LIGHT/BLACK RAIN screenings on Saturday May 16 and Sunday, May 17 at 2:30pm.

FOR LOVERS ONLY (Love Songs... Nothing But Love Songs), a new musical revue celebrating romance, began performances Friday April 24th at New World Stages, 340 West 50th Street (between Eighth & Ninth Avenues). Opening Night is set for this Monday May 11th (8 PM).

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director; Ellen Richard, Executive Director) presents EVERYDAY RAPTURE, written by Dick Scanlan (Tony nominee for Thoroughly Modern Millie) and Sherie Rene Scott (Tony nominee for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), with musical supervision by Tom Kitt (Next to Normal, High Fidelity), directed by Michael Mayer (Tony Award winner for Spring Awakening). Previews began on Tuesday, April 7; opening night is tonight Sunday, May 3, 2009.

South Ark Stage (Rhoda Herrick, Producing Artistic Director) presents the Off-Broadway revival of the comedy Sophistry by Jonathan Marc Sherman (Things We Want). Under the direction of James Warwick, the eight-member cast features Michael Carbonaro as Jack, and Jonathan Hogan as Whitey, with Ian Alda, Ellen Dolan, Charlie Hewson, Mahira Kakkar, Natalie Knepp and Maximilian Osinski. Performances began Wednesday, April 22 , 2009 for a limited run through Saturday, June 6, 2009 at Samuel Beckett Theatre / Theater Row (410 West 42nd Street between 9th & 10th Avenues). Opening night is Tuesday, May 5, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Wednesday, April 29, 2009.

Maine State Music Theatre (MSMT) will present three children's musicals during its 2009 season. Prior seasons have included two musicals under the title Theatre for Young Audiences, but due to the enormous popularity of the children's shows MSMT is expanding its kid friendly entertainment to three titles for 2009.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) announced today that the first preview of Craig Lucas' THE SINGING FOREST has been moved to Friday, April 10 due to the need for additional technical rehearsals. Directed by Mark Wing-Davey, THE SINGING FOREST was scheduled to begin previews on Tuesday, April 7 and open on Monday, April 27. The show will now open on Tuesday, April 28 at 7 PM.

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Monday, April 13, 2009.

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Friday, April 10, 2009.

The Toxic Avenger, the brand new musical about New Jersey's first superhero, features a score by Bon Jovi's David Bryan and Joe Di Pietro. The cast includes Nancy Opel, Sara Chase, Nick Cordero, Demond Green and Matthew Saldivar. Tony Award-winner John Rando directs. The Toxic Avenger began performances on Wednesday, March 18, 2009, at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street). Opening Night is tonight, Monday, April 6th.