Mike Nichols News

Today we have Part I of the BWW Exclusive two-part InDepth InterView with legendary stage and screen actress - and, bar none, the greatest Tennessee Williams actress alive - Tony-winning star, and a legend in her own time: Elizabeth Ashley! In this first part, we talk her early stage career from TAKE HER, SHE'S MINE directed by George Abbott and produced by Hal Prince in the 60s up to AGNES OF GOD opposite Amanda Plummer and Geraldine Page in the early 80s continuing to Tracy Letts' Pulitzer-prize winning opus AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY in 2007 - to say nothing of the central focus of our extended conversation: her most recent role playing the mother of twin sons named Otto (and/or 'otto') in Edward Albee's newest absurdist masterpiece, ME, MYSELF & I, which can currently be seen at Playrights' Horizons! From the grande dame of Williams, to life with Orson Welles, to living on the road (by choice), and a life in the theatre (no choice), Ms. Ashley is a fabulous, veritable walking, talking history of the American theatre in the last forty years and no one - I repeat, no one - can tell a story better than she can! From Mohammad Ali to Edward Albee, this interview has it all! She is one of the greats, onstage and off. There will never be another Liz Ashley and this first part is just half the reason why!

Michael Riedel reports in today's New York Post that talks are under way for Philip Seymour Hoffman to star in a Broadway revival of DEATH OF A SALESMAN, to be directed by Mike Nichols. He also reports that Linda Emond is said to be the top choice to play Loman's wife, Linda in the production which is aiming for 2011.

LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS & MC COY RIGBY ENTERTAINMENT are thrilled to present Marilu Henner, who will be reprising her critically-acclaimed Broadway performance as Lee Green and Caroline Aaron will star as Marjorie Taub in a newly-revised version of Charles Busch's hilarious Broadway hit, THE TALE OF THE ALLERGIST'S WIFE, directed by Jeff Maynard (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee). THE TALE OF THE ALLERGIST'S WIFE will open October 1 and run through Sunday, October 17 at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd in La Mirada. The October 1st performance of THE TALE OF THE ALLERGIST'S WIFE is a California Arts Day 2010 special event.

This fall, The Public Theater (Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director; Andrew D. Hamingson, Executive Director) will launch The Public Forum, an exciting new series of lectures, debates and conversations that showcase leading voices in the arts, politics and the media. Curated by Jeremy McCarter, a senior writer at Newsweek, Public Forum events are open to the general public. Tickets for the inaugural event can be purchased for $25 beginning Tuesday, October 5. Member tickets are on sale Tuesday, September 28.

Perhaps it's a sign of economic hardship continuing to plague Off-Broadway that not one drop of V-8 Vegetable Juice Cocktail is poured over the leading lady's head, nor is even one slice of watermelon smacked onto an actor's skull in Ivo van Hove's deliciously stark and chilly interpretation of Lillian Hellman's classic 1939 melodrama, The Little Foxes.  The director whose proclivity for covering characters in chocolate sauce and ketchup must have done a number on the dry-cleaning budgets for New York Theatre Workshop's productions of Hedda Gabler and The Misanthrope, comes clean in this one, but don't be foolhardy enough to expect anything near a traditional mounting of this tale of greed and gender politics among the siblings of an aristocratic Southern family.

The Group Rep presents Neil Simon's BAREFOOT IN THE PARK, directed by Stan Mazin. BAREFOOT IN THE PARK opens Friday, September 24 at 8pm and runs through Sunday, October 31 at 2pm at the Lonny Chapman Theatre in the NoHo Arts District of North Hollywood. The play is produced by Britt Chichester and Linda Alznauer. Cast includes Mark Atha, Bix Barnaba, Michael Cassano, Britt Chichester, Robert Gallo, Henry Holden, Christian Kehoe, Krisztina Koltai, Melissa Soso, & Kathleen Taylor.

The Group Rep presents Neil Simon's BAREFOOT IN THE PARK, directed by Stan Mazin. BAREFOOT IN THE PARK opens Friday, September 24 at 8pm and runs through Sunday, October 31 at 2pm at the Lonny Chapman Theatre in the NoHo Arts District of North Hollywood.

30 Rock's Jack McBrayer, who plays Kenneth the page on the hit NBC TV show has just been cast to make his Broadway debut in the staged reading of The Normal Heart on October 18th, reports the New York Times.

Michael Riedel reports in the New York Post this morning that Al Pacino's star power has earned The Merchant of Venice the winners spot for the fall's highest advance generating show. The production, which opens at the Broadhurst Theatre on November 7, 2010, has reportedly taken in approximately $4M, beating out all incoming fall plays and musicals.

Producer Daryl Roth announced today that Tichina Arnold, Sabrina Le Beauf, Didi Conn, Barbara Feldon, Kate Flannery, Judy Gold, Alicia Goranson, Aisha De Haas, Ashley Austin Morris, Loretta Swit and Maria Tucci will join upcoming casts of Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron's Love, Loss, and What I Wore at the Westside Theatre (407 W 43 Street, NYC).

THE 2010 GIELGUD AWARD GALA A Salute to F. Murray Abraham held MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 - Reception 6:30, Dinner 7:15, Program 8:30 p.m.

Signature Theatre Company's production of Tony Kushner's ANGELS IN AMERICA: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes, began performances Tuesday, September 14. The first New York revival of Kushner's Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning play is directed by Michael Greif. The production, originally slated to run through December 19, has been extended a second time through February 20, 2011. Click below to hear clips of Kushner talk all things ANGELS and this newest revival.

Last night I had the unbelievable treat of talking to one of the finest actors alive - whether playing to a select audience off-Broadway or to millions of moviegoers - Oscar-winning actor (and now film director), and a part of many of the finest films of the twenty-first century, the charming and compelling Philip Seymour Hoffman! In this exclusive interview, Hoffman candidly covers the many highlights of his stage and screen career in addition to providing a thorough discussion of his new film JACK GOES BOATING which opens in selected cities this month! It's like an acting class with a class act - and one hell of - of an actor. Whether you are a fan of Hollywood, Broadway or both this is an entertainment junkie's purple dragon dream interview made real!

The Group Rep presents Neil Simon's BAREFOOT IN THE PARK, directed by Stan Mazin. BAREFOOT IN THE PARK opens Friday, September 24 at 8pm and runs through Sunday, October 31 at 2pm at the Lonny Chapman Theatre in the NoHo Arts District of North Hollywood.

The New York Musical Theater Festival and John Ellison Conlee present The World Premiere of V-DAY

This September, The Second City, Chicago's legendary comedy theatre, will return to Denver with a new show celebrating the company's 50th anniversary. A well-known launching pad for some of today's most dynamic comedic talent, The Second City will present A Mile High Celebration: The Second City's 50th Anniversary September 14 through October 10, 2010 at the Garner Galleria Theatre.

THE BOOK OF MORMON, a new original musical comedy from 'South Park' creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and Avenue Q composer and co-creator Robert Lopez, will open on Broadway on Thursday, March 24, 2011 at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre (230 West 49th Street). The world premiere will be choreographed by three-time Tony Award-nominee Casey Nicholaw (Monty Python's Spamalot, The Drowsy Chaperone) and co-directed by Nicholaw and Trey Parker. Previews will begin on February 24, 2011.

THE 2010 GIELGUD AWARD GALA A Salute to F. Murray Abraham held MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 - Reception 6:30, Dinner 7:15, Program 8:30 p.m.

Producer Daryl Roth announced today that the first cast members are in place for the Joel Grey-directed, 25th anniversary staged reading of Larry Kramer's ground-breaking play, The Normal Heart, at the Walter Kerr Theatre (219 West 48th Street) on Monday, October 18 at 7:30 p.m. Victor Garber, Jason Butler Harner, John Benjamin Hickey, Joe Mantello, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Patrick Wilson are set to star in the one-night-only event on Broadway that will benefit The Actors Fund and Friends In Deed. Additional casting news will be announced shortly. This reading comes on the heels of the sold-out, acclaimed reading of The Normal Heart at Los Angeles' Geffen Playhouse in September, which was also directed by Mr. Grey.

The Firehouse Theatre Project proudly announces the first show of its 2010-11 season, Edward Albee's 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?', running Sept. 9-Oct. 2.