Clarence Derwent News

Downstage @ New Rep is reviving David Sedaris' hilarious autobiographical show, The Santaland Diaries. This one-man comedy that satirizes everything we love to hate about the holidays opens for the press on Wednesday, December 16, 2009 at 7:30pm and plays through Sunday, January 3, 2010 in the Black Box Theater at the Arsenal Center for the Arts.

In The Heights mastermind Lin-Manuel Miranda and a chance encounter with another famous Latino, newly appointed Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor recently at a Long Island restaurant, USA Today reports.

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) is pleased to announce Terrence McNally's comedy Lips Together, Teeth Apart will star Megan Mullally (Chloe Haddock), Patton Oswalt (Sam Truman) and an additional cast member to be announced shortly.

Downstage @ New Rep is reviving David Sedaris' hilarious autobiographical show, The Santaland Diaries. This one-man comedy that satirizes everything we love to hate about the holidays opens for the press on Wednesday, December 16, 2009 at 7:30pm and plays through Sunday, January 3, 2010 in the Black Box Theater at the Arsenal Center for the Arts.

Tickets are now on sale for Academy Award-winner Martin McDonagh's A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE, which begins previews on Broadway on February 15, 2010 and opens on March 4, 2010. The production stars Academy Award-winner Christopher Walken and stage and screen stars Sam Rockwell, Anthony Mackie and Zoe Kazan. Directed by John Crowley, A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE will play the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. Tickets are on sale through Telecharge.com, or by phone at 212-239-6200 or 800-432-7250, for this strictly limited engagement which will run for 16 weeks only.

Tickets are now on sale for the upcoming Broadway production of A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE, beginning previews on Broadway February 15th with an official opening date of March 4th. he four-member cast of Academy Award-winner Martin McDonagh's A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE stars Academy Award-winner Christopher Walken and stage and screen stars Sam Rockwell, Anthony Mackie and Zoe Kazan.

59E59 Theaters (Elysabeth Kleinhans, Artistic Director; Peter Tear, Executive Producer) is thrilled to host the US premiere of A BRITISH SUBJECT, written by Nichola McAuliffe, at the 2009 Brits Off Broadway festival.

Transport Group, the winner of a special 2007 Drama Desk Award and a 2007 Obie Award, honored playwright Terrence McNally and director Joe Mantello on Monday, December 7 at Asia Society and Museum during it's 2009 Gimme A Break! benefit. BroadwayWorld was on hand to capture the ceremony.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) announced early casting for the 2010 Shakespeare in the Park summer season. Daniel Sullivan will direct THE MERCHANT OF VENICE in rotating rep with THE WINTER'S TALE, directed by Michael Greif. The repertory company will feature Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Solanio/Young Shepherd); Jesse L. Martin (Gratiano/Polixenes); Al Pacino (Shylock); Lily Rabe (Portia/First Gentlewoman); Ruben Santiago-Hudson as (Prince of Morocco/Leontes); and Max Wright (Old Gobbo/Old Shepherd).

Transport Group, the winner of a special 2007 Drama Desk Award and a 2007 Obie Award, has announced that its 2009 Gimme A Break! benefit will honor playwright Terrence McNally and director Joe Mantello on Monday, December 7 at 6:30pm, at Asia Society and Museum, 725 Park Avenue at 70th Street.

Second Stage Theatre is pleased to announce that the critically acclaimed production of Anna Deavere Smith's LET ME DOWN EASY, has extended four weeks, through December 6. Conceived, written, and performed by Ms. Smith and directed by Leonard Foglia, LET ME DOWN EASY opened on Wednesday, October 7 and was originally scheduled to run through November 8.

Imagem Music, the Number #1 independent music publisher in the world, has acquired the worldwide stock and amateur rights to the 2008 Tony Award winning Best Musical, IN THE HEIGHTS, with a Tony Award winning score by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a Tony Award nominated book by Quiara Alegría Hudes.

Second Stage Theatre will host a post-performance conversation between Anna Deavere Smith and Elizabeth Alexander following the Thursday, December 3 evening performance of Let Me Down Easy. A renowned poet, essayist and playwright, Elizabeth Alexander most recently composed and delivered the poem 'Praise Song for the Day' for the inauguration of President Barack Obama. The conversation is free to all in attendance at the Thursday, December 3 8:00pm performance.

The four-member cast of Academy Award-winner Martin McDonagh's A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE stars Academy Award-winner Christopher Walken and stage and screen stars Sam Rockwell, Anthony Mackie and Zoe Kazan. Directed by John Crowley, A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE will begin performances Monday, February 15 and will open Thursday, March 4, 2010 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, 236 West 45th Street. Tickets go on sale Monday, December 14 through Telecharge.com, by phone at 212-239-6200 or 800-432-7250, or online at www.Telecharge.com , for this strictly limited engagement which will run for 16 weeks only.

YALE REPERTORY THEATRE (James Bundy, Artistic Director; Victoria Nolan, Managing Director) announces complete casting and the creative team for the world premiere of POP!, a new musical with book and lyrics by Maggie-Kate Coleman and music by Anna K. Jacobs, directed by Mark Brokaw. POP! will play for 22 performances only, November 27-December 19. Opening Night is Thursday, December 3.

Due to popular demand, the critically acclaimed production of Anna Deavere Smith's LET ME DOWN EASY, now playing at Second Stage Theatre, has extended a second time and will now close on January 3, 2010. The show, which is currently extended through December 6, will not be performed December 14 - 20 due to Smith's previous commitment to perform Hymn with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at City Center.

PETER GALLAGHER, DON'T GIVE UP ON ME is a new musical play by stage and screen star Peter Gallagher. Featuring great American song selections from 'Pal Joey,' 'Guys and Dolls,' and songs by Cy Coleman, Bart Howard, Lyle Lovett, Leon Russell, Burt Bacharach, Dan Penn and others, this new musical play is the story of an actor's apprenticeships with the legends he admires: James Cagney, Jack Lemmon, Peter O'Toole, Stubby Kaye and more and the journey he takes with them.

Stage and screen favorite Allison Janney celebrated her 50th birthday at TAO Las Vegas, Las Vegas Nevada on November 19, 2009.

Second Stage Theatre will host a post performance discussion with Anna Deavere Smith and three of her interview subjects from Let Me Down Easy following the Friday, November 20 performance.