David Garrison News

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director) has announced that DAVID WILSON BARNES (Second Stage's hit Becky Shaw), JUSTIN BARTHA (The Hangover, Broadway's Lend Me a Tenor), ANNA CAMP (Second Stage's The Scene, 'True Blood'), and KRYSTEN RITTER (Confessions of a Shopaholic, Second Stage's All This Intimacy) will appear in the world premiere comedy, ALL NEW PEOPLE, written by ZACH BRAFF and directed by PETER DuBOIS. ALL NEW PEOPLE will begin previews on Tuesday, June 28 and officially open on Monday, July 25 at 7:00pm at Second Stage's Tony Kiser Theatre (305 West 43rd street). For tickets or more information, please visit www.2ST.com.

While older plays can often be interpreted to suit modern tastes and standards, films serve as permanent records of the public attitudes of their times; particularly when considering the ways ethnic minorities were portrayed.  Many a fine film from long ago can contain moments that strike the modern eye as racist, even in cases where the intention was to be racially sensitive.  In the case of black actors from early Hollywood, we can admire the talent of the likes of Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson, Butterfly McQueen and Stepin Fetchit and say they opened door for others, but many have argued that their success came from demeaning their race as a whole by taking the types of roles that were within the white viewers' comfort zones.

Lynn Nottage's critically acclaimed world premiere comedy, BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK, has extended a second time, for two weeks through June 12 at Second Stage Theatre (305 West 43rd street). Directed by Jo Bonney, BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK is Ms. Nottage's first play to be produced in New York since she won the Pulitzer Prize for Ruined in 2009. For ticket information, please call the Second Stage Box Office at 212-246-4422 or visit the company's website, www.2ST.com. BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK opened to critical acclaim on Monday, May 9th. Elisabeth Vincentelli of the New York Post called the play, "A DAZZLING, WILDLY ENTERTAINING COMEDY ABOUT RACIAL IDENTITY IN HOLLYWOOD" and Joe Dziemianowicz of the New York Daily News dubbed it, "AN ENORMOUSLY ENTERTAINING COMEDY." Terry Teachout of the Wall Street Journal called Vera Stark, "A SHARP-TOOTHED, INGENIOUSLY CONSTRUCTED COMEDY," while Roma Torre of New York 1 News raved, "BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK IS AN INCREDIBLE PIECE OF WORK - A LAUGH RIOT IN THE FIRST HALF FOLLOWED BY SCINTILLATING SOCIAL COMMENTARY IN THE SECOND -- IT ALL ADDS UP TO AN INCOMPORABLE GEM!" BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK features Stephanie J. Block, Tony Award-nominee Daniel Breaker, Tony Award-nominee David Garrison, Kimberly Hebert Gregory, Kevin Isola, Tony Award nominee Sanaa Lathan, and Tony Award-winner Karen Olivo. In this new comedy, Lynn Nottage draws upon the screwball films of the 1930's to take a funny and irreverent look at racial stereotypes in Hollywood. BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK is a seventy year journey through the life of Vera Stark (Sanaa Lathan), a headstrong African-American maid and budding actress, and her tangled relationship with her boss, a white Hollywood star (Stephanie J. Block) desperately grasping to hold on to her career. When circumstances collide and both women land roles in the same Southern epic, the story behind the cameras leaves Vera with a surprising and controversial legacy scholars will debate for years to come.

Lynn Nottage's world premiere comedy, BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK, already extended one week through May 29 at Second Stage Theatre, opens tonight, May 9. Directed by Jo Bonney, BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK is Ms. Nottage's first play to be produced in New York since she won the Pulitzer Prize for Ruined in 2009. For ticket information, please call the Second Stage Box Office at 212-246-4422 or visit the company's website, www.2ST.com. BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK features Stephanie J. Block, Tony Award-nominee Daniel Breaker, Tony Award-nominee David Garrison, Kimberly Hébert Gregory, Kevin Isola, Tony Award nominee Sanaa Lathan, and Tony Award-winner Karen Olivo. Let's see what the critics had to say!

Lynn Nottage's world premiere comedy, BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK, already extended one week through May 29 at Second Stage Theatre, and opened last night, May 9. Directed by Jo Bonney, BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK is Ms. Nottage's first play to be produced in New York since she won the Pulitzer Prize for Ruined in 2009. For ticket information, please call the Second Stage Box Office at 212-246-4422 or visit the company's website, www.2ST.com.

Lynn Nottage's world premiere comedy, BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK, already extended one week through May 29 at Second Stage Theatre, opens tonight, May 9. Directed by Jo Bonney, BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK is Ms. Nottage's first play to be produced in New York since she won the Pulitzer Prize for Ruined in 2009. For ticket information, please call the Second Stage Box Office at 212-246-4422 or visit the company's website, www.2ST.com.

Although still in previews, Lynn Nottage's world premiere comedy, BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK, has extended one week through May 29 at Second Stage Theatre (305 West 43rd street). Directed by Jo Bonney, BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK is Ms. Nottage's first play to be produced in New York since she won the Pulitzer Prize for Ruined in 2009. The production will officially open on Monday, May 9. For ticket information, please call the Second Stage Box Office at 212-246-4422 or visit the company's website, www.2ST.com.

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director) will conclude its 32nd season with the World Premiere of ALL NEW PEOPLE, a new comedy written by Zach Braff.

Broadway's cuddliest cast kicked off a new year with the 14th edition of THE BROADWAY BEARS auction yesterday, Sunday, March 6, 2011 at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, produced by and benefitting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Sure to out-do last year's collection, 43 one-of-a-kind, autographed BROADWAY BEARS - each dressed in original, handmade costumes representing some of the theater's most legendary performers and performances - will be put up for auction.

Broadway's cuddliest cast kicks off a new year with the 14th edition of THE BROADWAY BEARS auction on Sunday, March 6, 2011 at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill (237 West 42 Street), produced by and benefitting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director) has announced that DAVID GARRISON will complete the cast of Lynn Nottage's new play, BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK. This world premiere comedy will also feature the previously announced STEPHANIE J. BLOCK, DANIEL BREAKER, KIMBERLY HÉBERT GREGORY, KEVIN ISOLA, SANAA LATHAN, and KAREN OLIVO. Directed by Jo Bonney, BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK is Ms. Nottage's first play to be produced in New York since she won the Pulitzer Prize for Ruined in 2009.

Broadway's cuddliest cast kicks off a new year with the 14th edition of THE BROADWAY BEARS auction on Sunday, March 6, 2011 at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill (237 West 42 Street), produced by and benefitting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Kurt Weill's stage collaborations with Maxwell Anderson are being celebrated in New York this winter with rare back-to-back productions of "Knickerbocker Holiday" and "Lost in the Stars."

Back in the 1930s, when hip New Yorkers got their doses of political satire by taking in the latest Broadway musical comedy, it wasn't uncommon for then-President FDR to pop up in a show; either in person, as played by George M. Cohan in Rodgers and Hart's I'd Rather Be Right or, more frequently, through comical lyrics, such as those penned by Harold Rome in Pins and Needles and Cole Porter in Leave It To Me!

The Collegiate Chorale has announced casting for their upcoming production of Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson's 'Knickerbocker Holiday,' a romantic musical concert set to debut at Alice Tully Hall on January 25 and 26 at 8 PM. The company will feature Broadway veterans Victor Garber (Stuyvesant), Ben Davis (Brom), Kelli O'Hara (Tina) and Christopher Fitzgerald (Tenpin), along with Bryce Pinkham (Washington Irving), David Garrison (Tienhoven), The Collegiate Chorale and the American Symphony Orchestra.

Kurt Weill's stage collaborations with Maxwell Anderson are being celebrated in New York this winter with rare back-to-back productions of "Knickerbocker Holiday" and "Lost in the Stars."

The Collegiate Chorale has announced casting for their upcoming production of Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson's 'Knickerbocker Holiday,' a romantic musical concert set to debut at Alice Tully Hall on January 25 and 26 at 8 PM. The company will feature Broadway veterans Victor Garber (Stuyvesant), Ben Davis (Brom), Kelli O'Hara (Tina) and Christopher Fitzgerald (Tenpin), along with Bryce Pinkham (Washington Irving), David Garrison (Tienhoven), The Collegiate Chorale and the American Symphony Orchestra.

Having opened to a host of positive reviews and strong ticket sales, Vineyard Theatre's world-premiere production of Will Eno's play MIDDLETOWN will extend its run an additional two weeks - through December 5 - it has been announced by Douglas Aibel, artistic director of The Vineyard (108 E. 15 St.).

The Vineyard Theatre (108 E. 15 St.) will host a script-signing with playwright Will Eno - author of the new play MIDDLETOWN, which concludes its critically-acclaimed world-premiere engagement at the Vineyard on December 5 - at the theatre beginning at 5:15 p.m. on Saturday, December 4 between the matinee and evening performances of the play, it has been announced by Douglas Aibel, artistic director of the Vineyard.

The Collegiate Chorale has announced casting for their upcoming production of Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson's 'Knickerbocker Holiday,' a romantic musical concert set to debut at Alice Tully Hall on January 25 and 26 at 8 PM. The company will feature Broadway veterans Victor Garber (Stuyvesant), Ben Davis (Brom), Kelli O'Hara (Tina) and Christopher Fitzgerald (Tenpin), along with Bryce Pinkham (Washington Irving), David Garrison (Tienhoven), The Collegiate Chorale and the American Symphony Orchestra.