Michael Mayer News

92nd Street Y has announced that Jordan Roth, President of Jujamcyn Theaters, will continue his popular multi-evening 92nd Street Y conversation series, 'Broadway Talks with Jordan Roth' with Grammy Award-winning musicians Bono and The Edge, on the eve of the Opening Night of SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark. Roth, Bono and The Edge will discuss the Broadway show and the latest recording (Music from SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark) at 92nd Street Y (1395 Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street) on Monday, June 13th at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $35 and are available at www.92Y.org/BroadwayTalks or by calling 212.415.5500.

The team will once again bring IDIOT to audiences - this time in movie theaters, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Under the direction of Michael Mayer, and featuring Billie Joe Armstrong reprising his Broadway role as St. Jimmy, the film aims for a 2013 premiere under Tom Hanks' Playtone Productions.

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director) concludes its 25th Anniversary season with a celebration of its history with 10x25, an all-commissioned, one-act festival of ten-minute plays by twenty-five of the extraordinary playwrights who have been produced there since 1985.

BroadwayWorld.com previously reported that NBC has officially picked up the pilot entitled SMASH for a series to begin mid-season. The show is already generating positive buzz, and even some award recognition, nominated for the first Critics' Choice Television Awards in the category 'Most Exciting New Series.'

According to Deadline.com, NBC just signed a deal with Columbia Records to release the soundtrack for the highly anticipated new series Smash. Additionally, leading lady and American Idol alum Katharine McPhee has also signed a recording contract with Columbia.

Tony Kushner's THE INTELLIGENT HOMOSEXUAL'S GUIDE TO CAPITALISM AND SOCIALISM WITH A KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES presented by The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Interim Executive Director Joey Parnes) and Signature Theatre Company (Founding Artistic Director James Houghton; Executive Director Erika Mallin) in association with the Guthrie Theater (Joe Dowling, Director) will begin its final week of performances on Tuesday, June 7.

Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records is proud to reveal the secret identities of THE LEAGUE OF BROADWAY SUPER FRIENDS -- a five-part harmony-singing group featuring Broadway's brightest stars and biggest talents. Their inaugural concert will present Kelli O'Hara, Lindsay Mendez, Gavin Creel, Greg Naughton and Sherie Rene Scott, joining forces and voices for good: a June 7th benefit concert at Le Poisson Rouge, to raise funds in the fight against Pancreatic Cancer. Tickets will go on-sale at 10am on Monday, May 16h. More details here: http://sh-k-boom.com/leagueofbroadwaysuperfriends/

92nd Street Y has announced that Jordan Roth, President of Jujamcyn Theaters, will continue his popular multi-evening 92nd Street Y conversation series, 'Broadway Talks with Jordan Roth' with Grammy Award-winning musicians Bono and The Edge, on the eve of the Opening Night of SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark. Roth, Bono and The Edge will discuss the Broadway show and the latest recording (Music from SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark) at 92nd Street Y (1395 Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street) on Monday, June 13th at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $35 and are available at www.92Y.org/BroadwayTalks or by calling 212.415.5500.

Tony Kushner's THE ILLUSION, directed by Michael Mayer opened on Sunday, June 5, 2011. The production will play through Sunday, July 17, 2011, having extended one week. THE ILLUSION began previews Tuesday, May 17 at the Peter Norton Space. BroadwayWorld was on hand for the opening and brings you photo coverage below!

92nd Street Y has announced that Jordan Roth, President of Jujamcyn Theaters, will continue his popular multi-evening 92nd Street Y conversation series, 'Broadway Talks with Jordan Roth' with Grammy Award-winning musicians Bono and The Edge, on the eve of the Opening Night of SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark. Roth, Bono and The Edge will discuss the Broadway show and the latest recording (Music from SPIDER-MAN Turn Off The Dark) at 92nd Street Y (1395 Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street) on Monday, June 13th at 8:00 p.m.

Over 350 guests including current and past New York City high school students, and the 28 mentors who have participated in TDF's Open Doors, the theatre arts mentoring program that TDF founded in 1998 with playwright Wendy Wasserstein, will attend this year's graduation at 6pm on Monday, June 6 at NYC Center Stage 1 (131 West 55th Street, NYC). This year has been Open Doors biggest year ever with a total of 28 mentors and guest mentors working with 21 groups of students from New York City high schools.

Whether you've been living under a rock for the past week, or you're just in the mood for a recap of everything theatre, BroadwayWorld's new feature, 'This Week in Pictures' is here to satisfy your end of the week fix. Take a look below to catch up on the latest happenings from the Great White Way to the West End (and everywhere in between) with coverage of press events, rehearsals, opening nights and more!

Due to popular demand, Signature Theatre Company (Founding Artistic Director James Houghton; Executive Director Erika Mallin) is pleased to announce a one-week extension for Tony Kushner's THE ILLUSION, directed by Michael Mayer. The production, originally slated to run through July 10, 2011, will now play through Sunday, July 17, 2011. THE ILLUSION began previews Tuesday, May 17 at the Peter Norton Space (555 W. 42nd Street) with opening night scheduled for June 5.

In NBC's highly anticipated new series SMASH, Debra Messing plays a lyricist developing a brand new Broadway show about Marilyn Monroe, but according to a recent interview with the Hollywood Reporter she has also been inspired by musical theatre in real life. Messing revealed: 'My prototype growing up was Barbra Streisand. That's how I saw myself more at the time, I wanted to be Funny Girl, literally on Broadway and in the real world.'

As Signature Theatre Company prepares for the January 2012 opening of their new Frank Gehry-designed home, Signature Center, they have launched a new video series featuring interviews with a wide array of playwrights, directors, actors, and others connected to the Theatre. Called 'Signature Stories,' the videos capture personal reminiscences about time spent at Signature and offer a 'behind the scenes' glimpse into the inner-workings of the Company. The first three multi-subject videos in the series have featured architect Frank Gehry and Signature alumni Ethan Hawke, Frankie Faison, Kate Mulgrew and more talking about the Company's new home, as well as past Signature Playwrights-in-Residence, actors, directors and designers reflecting on their artistic experiences at Signature.

The New York premiere of Dale Whisman's Southern Gothic drama, Down the Road, begins previews June 1, 2011 before an official opening on June 4th at the ArcLight Theatre (152 West 71st St.).