Hedda Hopper News

1920's Hollywood is the setting for this zany, light-hearted romantic comedy about the early days of sound film, when many a movie studio found itself scrambling to salvage the career of its chipmunk-voiced silent picture star.

1920's Hollywood is the setting for this zany, light-hearted romantic comedy about the early days of sound film, when many a movie studio found itself scrambling to salvage the career of its chipmunk-voiced silent picture star.

The Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, Illinois, north of Chicago, has an enormous subscription base, deep pockets, a talented and experienced in-house design team and a film property to adapt that touches on a number of important, stage-worthy themes (military patriotism, family, nostalgia, a timely re-visit to accusations of communism in America, parenthood, mid-century entertainment history and censorship, both military and network). And the show's lawyers have acquired the rights to a Hit Parade of jukebox-musical-worthy tunes. But is that enough to make a new stage musical out of the 1991 film 'For The Boys'?

LIMELIGHT: THE STORY OF CHARLIE CHAPLIN has Music and Lyrics by Christopher Curtis and a Book by Christopher Curtis and Thomas Meehan. The show is Directed by Michael Unger and is Playing September 7 - October 17, 2010

La Jolla Playhouse announces the cast of its world-premiere musical Limelight: The Story of Charlie Chaplin, music and lyrics by Christopher Curtis, book by Christopher Curtis and Thomas Meehan and directed by Michael Unger, running September 7 - October 17, 2010 (media night: Sunday, September 19 at 7:00 pm) in the Mandell Weiss Theatre.

The Waterfront Playhouse presents 'BitchSlap!'starring Christopher Peterson as Bette Davis, Randy Roberts as Joan Crawford and Vanessa McCaffrey as Hedda Hopper. Written and directed by Darrin Hagen, 'BitchSlap!' played to completely sold out houses during the 2009 WFPH run. Now back by popular demand, it runs for two weeks only, March 30 to April 10 at 8 pm. 'Solares Hill' said of the 2009 production, 'The three larger-than-life stars charmingly captured the legendary divas.' The show is sponsored by KEY TV, with their 70th season sponsored by El Meson de Pepe's, Comcast and Digital Island Media.

The season begins with 'Twelve Angry Men' by Reginald Rose (Dec. 17 to Jan. 9), one of the greatest courtroom dramas ever written. Directed by Danny Weathers, it will feature a cast of Key West's finest actors. This gripping play examines a group of citizens deciding the guilt or innocence of a 16 year old boy who's accused of killing his father and will have you on the edge of your seat. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play in 2004. 'Crackling...theatrically irresistible. Sends a chill up the spine.' The Washington Post. The production sponsor is Rudy Molinet and Marquis Properties Realty.

It is the final weekend for WCT's opening production of the 2009 / 2010 season, a revival of Neil Simon's 1960s' hit comedy Barefoot in the Park. The productions final performances are Friday, October 9 at 8:00 PM, Saturday, October 10 at 8:00 PM and Sunday, October 11 at 2:00 PM.

It is the final weekend for WCT's opening production of the 2009 / 2010 season, a revival of Neil Simon's 1960s' hit comedy Barefoot in the Park. The productions final performances are Friday, October 9 at 8:00 PM, Saturday, October 10 at 8:00 PM and Sunday, October 11 at 2:00 PM.

In The Breath of Life: Spiced to Perfection, and With Just the Right Blend of Ingredients (Copyright 2009), Len Bourret comments on THE BREATH OF LIFE, premiering at the Westport Country Playhouse on September 29 for a limited run through October 17, starring Jane Alexander and Stockard Channing, with a book by David Hare. Mark Lamos directs.

The Breath of Life: Spiced to Perfection, and With Just the Right Blend of Ingredients

Variety reports the sad news that legendary PR executive Lee Solters died Monday in Los Angeles. He was 89.

Once upon a time in a land called Hollywood, there lived two goddesses of the sliver screen: Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Er, Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. They made many wonderful movies (separately) and became hugely successful stars. Then one day, they decided to make a movie together called 'Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?' Let the diva smackdown begin!

West Los Angeles: 'Don't Blame Me, I Voted For Helen Gahagan Douglas' was written by Wendy Kout and Michele Willens and is based Helen Gahagan Douglas' life. 'Don't Blame Me…' follows Helen from an entitled Republican and successful stage actress to an incorruptible liberal congresswoman who stood for education, internationalism, feminism and integration and finally to the 1950 Senate race where Nixon's anti-Communist/ anti-Semitic smear campaign ended her political career.

Michael Abbott, a long-time television, film, and theatre producer who produced the first New York production of Stalag 17 in 1951, died of cancer on Thursday January 24, 2008 at Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan. He was 81.

At 8 pm on Wednesday, May 9th and Thursday, May 10th, the New York Festival of Song will perform We Open in Paris. Paris is the backdrop for four musical theatre works in vest-pocket NYFOS productions, including Jacques Offenbach's La Vie Parisienne and Cole Porter's Fifty Million Frenchmen.

Christopher Curtis' extremely promising musical explores the life and career of the 20th Century's first world famous person

The New York Musical Theatre Festival and the Chaplin Corporation present BEHIND THE LIMELIGHT, a new musical about the life and art of Charlie Chaplin by Christopher Curtis. Directed by Michael Unger, BEHIND THE LIMELIGHT features a distinguished cast that includes Luther Creek (Rent, Urinetown) as Chaplin, as well as Andrea McArdle (Tony Award nominee for Annie, Beauty and the Beast), Janet Metz (Falsettoland, Bingo:The Musical) and Garrett Long (The Spitfire Grill), among others.

Betty Buckley, Doug Sills, Len Cariou, Jean Louisa Kelly and more will star in the Hollywood Bowl's staged reading of Sunset Boulevard on August 6th