Fred Graham News

There were actually those who thought Cole Porter, Broadway's fountain of divine wit and sophistication, had run dry by that winter of 1948.  Though his recent offerings like Something For The Boys and Mexican Hayride were far from flops, his kind of thin-plotted musical comedy where the book and the songs often had little more than a passing acquaintance with each other was being overshadowed by the enormous success of Rodgers and Hammerstein's integrated musical dramas.  Even in the lightest of entertainments, the public was becoming more and more enthralled by musicals with strong plots and well-developed characters.

This September, TheatreWorks New Milford will premiere the classic musical comedy, KISS ME, KATE, with Music and Lyrics by the legendary Cole Porter and book by Bella & Samuel Spewack.

With their Platinum Anniversary just around the corner, Paper Mill Playhouse is celebrating the abundance of springtime with a musical comedy favorite, Cole Porter's 'Kiss Me, Kate!' James Brennan's 'wunderbar' direction and 'too darn hot' choreography by Patti Columbo take center-stage with the hard-working and high-energy cast led by Mike McGowan, Michele Ragusa, Amanda Watkins and Timothy J. Alex!

Glimmerglass Opera has announced that Lisa Vroman will sing the role of Lilli Vanessi/Kate, and Brad Little will sing Fred Graham/Petruchio in the company's 2008 summer production of Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate. The production opens the Glimmerglass Opera Festival Season on July 5 at the Alice Busch Opera Theater in Cooperstown, New York, and runs through August 23.

Toby's Dinner Theatres' David Bosley-Reynolds

This Sunday, March 18 at 7:30 pm, one lucky audience volunteer will share the stage and match spelling acumen (that's right - A-C-U-M-E-N) with three Broadway stars -- Tony Award nominee RAUL ESPARZA (Company) and Tony Award-winners LEA SALONGA (Les Miserables) and BRIAN STOKES MITCHELL (Man of LaMancha) -- at the first ever 'Broadway Night at the Bee' at the hitmusical THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE.

Tony Award-winners Christine Ebersole and Brian Stokes Mitchell, as well as Tony Award-nominee Raul Esparza, will join the cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee for one night only as guest spellers at the Bee's first ever 'Broadway Night at the Bee' on Sunday, March 18 at 7:30pm

On December 26th at 8 PM, PBS will re-broadcast Kiss Me, Kate, which was originally aired some years ago as part of the 'Great Performances' series

Casting has been announced for the North Shore Music Theatre's (NSMT) 18th Anniversary production of A Christmas Carol

Roundabout Theatre Company's Twelve Angry Men 'Law & Audience' series continues tomorrow with the following special guest panelists: Tyco trial juror Mark Glatzer, Court TV's Chief Anchor and Managing Editor Fred Graham, Court TV's Daytime Trial Anchor Vinnie Politan, Joshua L. Dratel & Colleen Quinn Brady from the NYC Bar Association's Committee on Capital Punishment and cast members James Rebhorn, Tom Aldredge and Mark Blum.