John Lee News

Weekend Movie Box Office Update: November 27 - November 29, 2009

A few days ago, multiple celebrity gossip news sources were abuzz with the news that Ashlee Simpson is in talks to join the Broadway company of CHICAGO as Roxie Hart, reprising the role which she played in London a few years back. A report from MSNBC last night reveals that the star and recent Melrose Place alum will be headed to the Great White Way in December.

Oprah Winfrey, Scott Sanders and the producing team of the Broadway smash hit THE COLOR PURPLE, The Musical about Love, are proud to announce that Austin will host the first North American Touring production of THE COLOR PURPLE for eight performances, January 12-17.

This fall, multi-platinum recording artist Ashlee Simpson-Wentz will make her Broadway stage debut as she reprises the role of Roxie Hart in the Tony Award-winning hit musical CHICAGO for a ten-week limited engagement, Monday, November 30, 2009 through Sunday, February 7, 2010 at the Ambassador Theatre (219 W. 49th St.).

The complete cast and creative team is set for the Globe's 12th annual production of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The annual holiday musical, directed by Benjamin Endsley Klein with book and lyrics by Timothy Mason and music by Mel Marvin, will run in the Old Globe Theatre November 21 - December 27. Previews run from Nov. 21 - Nov. 26. Opening night is Nov. 27 at 7:00 p.m.

CHICAGO is coming back to Omaha's Orpheum Theater forfive performances February 12 through 14, 2010 and it's pure entertainment.

Producers David Richenthal and Jack Viertel have announced that the cast and orchestra of the acclaimed Broadway production of Finian's Rainbow, will hit the recording studio on December 7 to record a new cast alum of the show. The album, featuring Yip Harburg-Burton Lane's score, is being produced by Tommy Kasker of PS Classics.

On Saturday, November 14, 2009, the internationally acclaimed revival of John Kander, Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse's Tony Award-winning, smash-hit musical CHICAGO celebrated its 13th anniversary on The Great White Way.

The Old Globe's 12th annual production of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The annual holiday musical, directed by Benjamin Endsley Klein with book and lyrics by Timothy Mason and music by Mel Marvin, will run in the Old Globe Theatre November 21 - December 27. Previews run from Nov. 21 - Nov. 26. Opening night is Nov. 27 at 7:00 p.m.

Weekend Movie Box Office Update: November 20 - November 22, 2009

Jessica Hecht, Michael Cristofer, Santino Fontana and Corey Stoll are set to join the cast of Arthur Miller's A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE directed by Gregory Mosher on Broadway at the Cort Theatre (138 West 48th Street).

Now celebrating 13 glorious years of girls, glitz and glamour on the Great White Way, the record-breaking smash hit musical CHICAGO is now the seventh longest-running production in Broadway history ... and shows no sign of ever slowing down! CHICAGO returns to the Fabulous Fox Theatre for 5 performances only, January 1-3, 2010.

On Monday, October 5, Broadway's Tony Award-winning hit musical CHICAGO welcomed back Broadway favorite Brent Barrett as Billy Flynn. Barrett had been scheduled to resurrect his performance for an eight-week return engagement through Sunday, November 29. Barrett's participation will now be extended through March 27, 2010.

I may be the only Chicago theater critic of a certain age who has never seen "The Christmas Schooner." After its initial production by the Music Theatre program at Northwestern University in 1993, directed by Dominic Missimi, the show debuted at the old Bailiwick Repertory Theatre in 1996 and ran for thirteen holiday seasons, an extremely impressive track record, indeed.....

The New York Times is reporting that Jessica Hecht will play Beatrice, Santino Fontana will play Rodolpho and Michael Cristofer will play Alfieri in the upcoming Broadway revival of A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE. Hecht and Fontana just appeared together on stage in Brighton Beach Memoirs.

Gary Wilmot will continue in his starring role of ?Billy Flynn' in the UK National tour of the smash-hit musical 'CHICAGO' from Monday 23 November until Saturday 19 December 2009, with further dates and casting to be announced.

Oprah Winfrey, Scott Sanders and the producing team of the Broadway smash hit THE COLOR PURPLE, The Musical about Love, are proud to announce that Jacksonville will host the first North American Touring production of THE COLOR PURPLE for 8 performances only on November 17 - 22, 2009 at the Times Union Center's Moran Theater.

The complete cast and creative team is set for the Globe's 12th annual production of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The annual holiday musical, directed by Benjamin Endsley Klein with book and lyrics by Timothy Mason and music by Mel Marvin, will run in the Old Globe Theatre November 21 - December 27. Previews run from Nov. 21 - Nov. 26. Opening night is Nov. 27 at 7:00 p.m.

Jeff Skowron is set to star as the Grinch in the Globe's 12th annual production of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The annual holiday musical, directed by Benjamin Endsley Klein with book and lyrics by Timothy Mason and music by Mel Marvin, will run in the Old Globe Theatre November 21 - December 27. Previews run from Nov. 21 - Nov. 26. Opening night is Nov. 27 at 7:00 p.m.

The Christmas Schooner brings holiday cheer to Theatre at the Center, 1040 Ridge Road, Munster, Indiana, from November 12 through December 20. The press opening will be on November 19. The whole family will enjoy this heart-warming story of a brave Michigan shipping captain who sails Christmas trees across Lake Michigan to the German immigrants in Chicago. The Christmas Schooner is a powerful, moving story with an exquisite score. Chuck Gessert will direct.