Mercedes Ruehl News

Woodie King Jr's New Federal Theatre kicks off its 44th season with 'The Ed Bullins Project' - two revivals from his 'Twentieth Century Cycle of Plays' - In The Wine Time and The Fabulous Miss Marie. Bullins, winner of the prestigious NY Drama Critics' Circle Award and OBIE Award for The Taking of Miss Janie, has greatly influenced American theatre, especially Black theatre. His work, characterized by disdain for ineffective political rhetoric as a substitute for action, most often examines the lives of Black people in the inner city. In 1968, Clive Barnes, writing in the New York Times called Bullins 'a welcome addition to the ranks of New York playwrights.' Four years later, Barnes added 'Bullins writes the way Charlie Parker played: It is all so easy and effortless. It sounds improvised, and yet it doesn't sound improvised, simply because it is the improvisation of formality.' Today, Bullins is regarded as a seminal force in the American theater.

The Community Theatre of Little Rock begins its 58 Season with its Fall Comedy 'Lost in Yonkers' by Neil Simon. Show dates are tonight, September 13th and September 14th, 20th, 21st, 27th and 28th at 7:30 pm and September 15th, 22nd, and 29th at 2pm, to be held at The Public Theatre, located at 616 Center Street, next to Horn's Men's Store in downtown Little Rock.

Red Bull Theater (Jesse Berger, Artistic Director) will present their Tenth Anniversary Season at Off-Broadway's Lucille Lortel Theater, including Off Broadway revivals of modern classics by the iconoclastic Joe Orton and Charles Ludlam - writing in the tradition of Marlowe and Aristophanes - alongside Revelation Readings of Jacobean gems such as 'Tis Pity She's a Whore and The Roaring Girl, and of rarities like the American Premiere of Nabokov's Tragedy of Mr. Morn, Brecht & Weill's musical Happy End, and Thornton Wilder's Alcestiad, offering something for every lover of classic theater to relish.

The Community Theatre of Little Rock begins its 58 Season with its Fall Comedy 'Lost in Yonkers' by Neil Simon. Show dates are September 13th, 14th, 20th, 21st, 27th and 28th at 7:30 pm and September 15th, 22nd, and 29th at 2pm, to be held at the PUBLIC Theatre, located at 616 Center Street, next to Horn's Men's Store in downtown Little Rock.

Bay Street Theatre welcomed Joy Behar, Susie Essman, Julie Halston, Angela LaGreca and Mercedes Ruehl to the stage as they performed a night of comedy, song and original artistic pieces for the Broads for Bay Street as a benefit for the theatre to raise money for its summer and educational programs. Scroll down for a photo of the cast!

The annual 'ROCK THE DOCK' SUMMER BENEFIT BASH today, July 20, will be hosted by the one and only Susan Lucci. Actor and Bay Street Board Member, Richard Kind, who most recently won the DRAMA DESK AWARD for his role on Broadway's THE BIG KNIFE, will be the evening's celebrity auctioneer. Board member Joy Behar also plans on attending, with a host of other surprise celebrities

After its workshop production at the York Theatre in NYC in Nov. 2011, Chance - A Musical Play about Love, Risk & Getting it Right -will be having the its world premiere staging at The Alcove Theatre in SF, beginning tonight, July 5, and running through July 28, 2013.

Tony award-winning singer, actress and American icon, Bernadette Peters performs with the Pasadena POPS for one night only tonight, June 29 at 7:30 pm at the Los Angeles Arboretum. The star of stage, film and television will sing from her extensive songbook including 'Let Me Entertain You' (Gypsy), 'No One Is Alone' (Into the Woods), 'Some Enchanted Evening' (South Pacific), 'Send in the Clowns' (A Little Night Music), 'Being Alive' (Company) plus signature songs from her illustrious career.

Undercover Productions will present the WORLD PREMIERE of ETHEL SINGS: Espionage in High C, written by Joan Beber. ETHEL SINGS begins previews on June 27th, with tonight's June 28th opening at Walker Space. Directed by Jules Aaron, ETHEL SINGS has set design by Gary Guidinger, lighting design by John Eckert Original Music by Max Kinberg & costume design by Michele Young. Sarah Brown stages manages & Sherry Netherland assistant directs. Ethel Sings is produced by Linda Toliver & Gary Guidinger for Undercover Productions.

Undercover Productions will present the WORLD PREMIERE of ETHEL SINGS: Espionage in High C, written by Joan Beber. ETHEL SINGS begins previews on June 27th, with a June 28th opening at Walker Space. Directed by Jules Aaron, ETHEL SINGS has set design by Gary Guidinger, lighting design by John Eckert Original Music by Max Kinberg & costume design by Michele Young. Sarah Brown stages manages & Sherry Netherland assistant directs. Ethel Sings is produced by Linda Toliver & Gary Guidinger for Undercover Productions.

Tony award-winning singer, actress and American icon, Bernadette Peters performs with the Pasadena POPS for one night only on Saturday, June 29 at 7:30 pm at the Los Angeles Arboretum. The star of stage, film and television will sing from her extensive songbook including 'Let Me Entertain You' (Gypsy), 'No One Is Alone' (Into the Woods), 'Some Enchanted Evening' (South Pacific), 'Send in the Clowns' (A Little Night Music), 'Being Alive' (Company) plus signature songs from her illustrious career.

The annual 'ROCK THE DOCK' SUMMER BENEFIT BASH on Saturday, July 20, will be hosted by the one and only Susan Lucci. Actor and Bay Street Board Member, Richard Kind, who most recently won the DRAMA DESK AWARD for his role on Broadway's THE BIG KNIFE, will be the evening's celebrity auctioneer. Board member Joy Behar also plans on attending, with a host of other surprise celebrities. The gala is being held in honor and memory of the Theatre's founder and former Artistic Director, Sybil Christopher.

The annual ROCK THE DOCK! SUMMER BENEFIT BASH on Saturday, July 20, will be hosted by the one and only Susan Lucci. Actor and Bay Street Board Member, Richard Kind, who most recently won the DRAMA DESK AWARD for his role on Broadway's THE BIG KNIFE, will be the evening's celebrity auctioneer. The gala is being held in memory of the Theatre's founder and former Artistic Director, Sybil Christopher. Tickets are available online at www.baystreet.org or by calling Jessica Lemire at631-725-0818 ext. 129.

After its workshop production at the York Theatre in NYC in Nov. 2011, Chance - A Musical Play about Love, Risk & Getting it Right -will be having the its world premiere staging at The Alcove Theatre in SF. July 5 -28, 2013.

Hallmark Channel proudly announces the start of production of the Hallmark Channel Original Movie,BANNER 4TH OF JULY, starring Brooke White ('American Idol'), Christian Campbell ('Big Love'), Michael Barbuto ('An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving') and Academy Award(R) and Golden Globe(R) Winner Mercedes Ruehl ('The Fisher King').

Hershey Area Playhouse will present the Pulitzer Prize winning play Proof in April. Proof is the story of a mathematician whose genius and madness wreaks havoc on his daughters and a former student. When the former student finds a revolutionary mathematical proof among the mathematician's papers, the characters become steeped in conflict as they struggle to determine who wrote the proof.

Deadline reports that Mercedes Ruehl has joined the cast of the upcoming ABC legal drama pilot DOUBT. The actress joins previously announced cast members Steve Coogan and Carl Gugino on the project from Sony TV.

Hershey Area Playhouse will present the Pulitzer Prize winning play Proof in April. Proof is the story of a mathematician whose genius and madness wreaks havoc on his daughters and a former student. When the former student finds a revolutionary mathematical proof among the mathematician's papers, the characters become steeped in conflict as they struggle to determine who wrote the proof.