City Center News

This week's topics: Spiderman Injury, Les Mis 2014 Casting, Musicals to Rush, Standing ovation etiquette, 'Violet' Revival, A Bed and a Chair, Modern Plays

New York City Center is celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Fall for Dance Festival with a very special season, beginning with two FREE evenings of dance at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, hosted by The Public Theater, on September 16 and 17 (rain date, September 18). The Festival will continue at City Center from September 25 - October 5 with performances by 20 acclaimed dance companies and artists from around the world, including three new works from today's most exciting young choreographers, commissioned by New York City Center in celebration of the tenth anniversary. The Festival's many free pre-show events will include dance lessons and panels by choreographers, artists and dance educators. All tickets are $15 and will go on sale Sunday, September 8 at 11 a.m.

Lynne Meadow, Barry Grove, and Mandy Greenfield have announced that Manhattan Theatre Club will produce the American premiere of TAKING CARE OF BABY, by Tony Award winner Dennis Kelly, directed by Erica Schmidt (Humor Abuse at MTC, Invasion!). TAKING CARE OF BABY will begin previews on Tuesday, November 5 and open Tuesday, November 19 as part of MTC's 2013-2014 season of The Studio at Stage II - Harold and Mimi Steinberg New Play Series at New York City Center - Stage II (131 West 55th Street).

Stephen Sondheim and Wynton Marsalis will collaborate on A BED AND A CHAIR: A New York Love Affair, a new musical event featuring Sondheim's music arranged and performed by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. This Encores! Special Event, directed by frequent Sondheim collaborator John Doyle, with choreography by Parker Esse and musical supervision by David Loud, was conceived by Peter Gethers, Jack Viertel and John Doyle, and will run for seven performances, November 13 - 17 at City Center.

The bases are loaded with musical theatre magic as TriArts Sharon Playhouse, under the leadership of Alice Bem and Executive Director and John Simpkins Artistic Director, presents the Tony Award-winning musical Damn Yankees from August 14-25 on the TriArts Mainstage (49 Amenia Road, Sharon).

During the red carpet premiere for the movie The Butler, Fantasia Barrino, star of the upcoming Broadway production AFTER MIDNIGHT, talked about her return to the Great White Way after her turn in The Color Purple. Watch the interview below!

Screen Actors Guild Foundation and BroadwayWorld have partnered for an inaugural filmed Conversations Q&A series to recognize and celebrate the vibrant theatre community in New York City and the union actors who aspire to have a career on the stage and screen. Tomorrow, August 14 (7pm), join Career Conversations with Sebastian Arcelus moderated by Broadway World's Richard Ridge of 'Backstage with Richard Ridge' at the Baruch Performing Arts Center (Engelman Recital Hall Theater)

Long the center of cutting-edge architecture, Miami Beach is home to the largest concentration of 1920s and 1930s resort architecture in the country. Miami Beach's historic Art Deco District is comprised of vibrantly colored Art Deco, Mediterranean Revival and Miami Modern (or MiMo) style architecture. More recently though, some of the best and most in demand architects in the world have flocked to Miami Beach, drawn to City's unique mix of beach, business and innovation. From designing parking garages to hotels to condominium buildings, more and more "starchitects" are answering the City's siren call.

The world premiere of Wendy Whelan's Restless Creature, an evening-length suite of dynamic contemporary duets, will take place at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in the historic Ted Shawn Theatre, August 14-18. Each with his own unique style and artistry, the four contemporary choreographers of Restless Creature: Kyle Abraham, Joshua Beamish, Brian Brooks, and Alejandro Cerrudo, will perform alongside 'America's greatest contemporary ballerina' (Claudia La Rocco, The New York Times) only at Jacob's Pillow this summer.

Single tickets for the 2013-14 season at the Center for the Performing Arts - home of the Palladium, the Tarkington Theater and Studio Theater - are available for purchase on Monday, August 12. 'The 2013-14 Season presented by St.Vincent Health' will include performances by Willie Nelson, Lang Lang, Midori, Buddy Guy, Patti Lupone, Merle Haggard, and Kenny Rogers.

The Arvada Center Artistic Producer and Camelot show Director, Rod A. Lansberry has announced the role of Sir Lancelot will now be played by New York actor Glenn Seven Allen. Lansberry said, "The Arvada Center is proud to bring the talents of Mr. Allen to our production of Camelot and to our Arvada audiences." Allen will join the company when rehearsals begin on August 20.

Theatre Planners presents Greeks 6 - Trojans 5, a world premiere comedy with music written by Chuck Faerber, directed by Rick Kuhlman, similar in style and spirit to 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum' but whackier, involving Greek soldiers embedded in the fabled Trojan Horse. Although set in the ancient world, Greeks 6 - Trojans 5 is a hilarious, eccentric, and irreverent send-up of modern warfare, technology, and mores (yes - mores!). The play begins performances tonight, Saturday, August 10th at 8pm. Runs: August 11 - September 8. Saturdays at 8pm. Sunday Matinees at 3pm. Buy Tix/info: www.plays411.com or (323) 960-7774. Whitefire Theatre 13500 Ventura Blvd Sherman Oaks 91423.

Terence Marling, Director of Hubbard Street 2 (HS2) and Hubbard Street Artistic Director Glenn Edgerton announce today the two winners of the 14th annual National Choreographic Competition (NCC), a program of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago's Choreographic Development Initiative. 2013 winners Loni Landon of New York City and Alex Soares of São Paulo, Brazil, will each create an original work in fall 2013 while in residence at Chicago's Hubbard Street Dance Center. Both new works receive their world premieres in early 2014, at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts in Bloomington, Illinois.

On the heels of its successful first season in 2012/13, the Broadway @ NOCCA concert series has already updated the lineup for its second season. Five of New York theater's leading ladies (one of whom is famously a man in disguise) will perform in New Orleans in 2013/14 as the popular series leaps again to NOCCA's Lupin Hall from its original summer home at The Art House in Provincetown, MA. The series is hosted again by Sirius/XM radio star Seth Rudetsky at piano. The 2013 - 2014 Broadway @ NOCCA Season is made possible by the generous support of The New Orleans Hotel Collection and Gambit.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's 2013 Season continues with the provocative romantic comedy Tovarich. This long-forgotten treasure, by French playwright Jacques Deval, and adapted by the great American author Robert E. Sherwood, began performances on August 7th at The Shakespeare Theatre's Main Stage - The F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

The Broadway at Birdland concert series welcomed Broadway's Clarke Thorell in Songs I Wish I'd Written for one night only, Monday, August 5 at 7pm. The concert featured songs by Harry Nilsson, Paul McCartney, Adam Guettel, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, Elvis Costello, Chris Thile, and Sting. Joining Clarke were Musical Director/pianist Dan Lipton, along with singers Brian d'Arcy James, Cortes Alexander, Haven Burton and Jim Caruso. The band also included Simon Kafka on guitar & other strings, Mark Vanderpoel on bass and Shannon Ford on drums. Scroll down for photos!

Producers Jeffrey Richards and John N. Hart Jr., in association with the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.), have announced that the box office will open on Thursday, August 8th for the 17-week limited engagement of the critically-acclaimed revival of The Glass Menagerie at the Booth Theatre (222 W 45th Street) with performances beginning Thursday, September 5, 2013, and an opening night set for Thursday, September 26th. The production will star multiple Tony and Emmy Award-winner Cherry Jones as Amanda Wingfield, film and stage star Zachary Quinto as Tom, two-time Tony-nominee Celia Keenan-Bolger as Laura, and Brian J. Smith as Jim, the Gentleman Caller.

Women's Project Theater, the 36-year-old non-profit company dedicated to producing plays written and directed by women, will present its 2013-2014 season of new plays at New York City Center Stage II, 131 West 55th Street, January 15 to May 4, Julie Crosby, Producing Artistic Director announced.

JAMES SNYDER (Broadway's Cry-Baby, Goodspeed's Carousel) has joined the company of If/Then, the new musical by the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning creative team behind Next To Normal, Tom Kitt (music), Brian Yorkey (book and lyrics), and Michael Greif (director). Mr. Snyder joins the previously announced Idina Menzel, LaChanze, and Anthony Rapp.