Neil Simon News

On the heels of his 1970 hit film The Out of Towners Neil Simon crafted The Prisoner of Second Avenue in 1971, which had a more than a healthy run on Broadway and filmed in 1975 with Jack Lemmon and Anne Bancroft. Towners has always been my favorite as it depicts how bright and enthusiastic small town people visit and view the living conditions of New York City as less than desirable. Anything that can go wrong does and the pair cannot wait to make a fast exit. In Avenue, it's a perspective from within as New York apartment dwellers Mel (Jason Alexander) and Edna (Gina Hecht) Edison must cope with high rent, noisy neighbors, unemployment, robbery, garbage strikes, the exorbitant cost of living and trying to keep one's sanity in the process. In this new production at the El Portal, Glenn Casale's fantastic pacing as director and a superb ensemble make The Prisoner of Second Avenue more topical than ever.

That 'one, singular sensation' - A CHORUS LINE - which wowed audiences and raked in awards with its 1975 premiere and reclaimed its place in Broadway's heart with a new production in 2006, comes to NJPAC's Prudential Hall from April 26th to May 1st.

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN began preview performances on Friday, March 11, 2011 at Broadway's Neil Simon Theatre and opened on Sunday, April 10, 2011. Click below for a sneak peek of 'Jet Set' from the show!

The Castillo Theatre (Dan Friedman, artistic director, Diane Stiles, managing director) is opening Fred Newman and David Truskinoff's musical LICENSE TO DREAM, Friday, April 29 and running through Sunday, June 5 with an official press preview on Thursday, April 28, directed by David Nackman and choreographed by Javier Dzul.

The Castillo Theatre (Dan Friedman, artistic director, Diane Stiles, managing director) is opening Fred Newman and David Truskinoff's musical LICENSE TO DREAM, Friday, April 29 and running through Sunday, June 5 with an official press preview on Thursday, April 28, directed by David Nackman and choreographed by Javier Dzul

From March 5 through April 25, 2011, The New York Botanical Garden 9th Annual Orchid Exhibition, 'The Orchid Show: On Broadway,' will present the work of Al Hirschfeld in 'Hirschfeld's Broadway Scrapbook.' Just across the Garden's ground in the LuEsther T. Mertz Library's Rondina and LoFaro Gallery, the complementary exhibition will feature more than 30 drawings, as well as posters, programs, and sketchbooks from the Al Hirschfeld Foundation that tell the history of the Great White Way as seen by its foremost chronicler.

The exhibit will end on April 25.

The 'Sas' is back. Rachelle Rak (better known to the Broadway community as 'Sas'), has had a career as a Broadway dancer to be envied. Having worked on Broadway for ten straight years in the original companies of Cats, Fosse, Starlight Express, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (among others) and the revival company of monster hits such as Oklahoma!, it seemed Rak had not only 'made it,' but found a home as the consumate chrous girl. Until 2006.

The Prisoner of Second Avenue revolves around the escalating problems of a middle-aged couple living on Second Avenue on the Upper East Side of New York City. Mel Edison (portrayed by Alexander), has just lost his job after many years and now has to cope with being unemployed at middle age. The action occurs during an intense summer heat wave and a prolonged garbage strike, which just exacerbates Edison's plight to no end as he and his wife Edna (Hecht) deal with noisy neighbors, loud sounds emanating from Manhattan streets, and even a robbery of their apartment in broad daylight.

This morning, Norbert Leo Butz and Kathleen Chalfant announced the nominations for The 77th Annual Drama League Awards in the categories of Distinguished Production of Play, Distinguished Production of a Musical, Distinguished Revival of a Play, Distinguished Revival of a Musical and the Distinguished Performance Award. Both actors are previous winners of The Drama League's Distinguished Performance Award. BroadwayWorld brought you the live stream of the nomination reception at SD26 Restaurant and now we bring you the list of honorees!

Producer Tom Brocato's Butterfield Road Productions has announced a special three-week engagement of the comedy The Prisoner of Second Avenue by Neil Simon, starring Jason Alexander and Gina Hecht.

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN stars Tony Award winner Norbert Leo Butz as Carl Hanratty, Aaron Tveit as Frank Abagnale, Jr., Tony Nominee Tom Wopat as Frank Abagnale, Sr. and Tony Nominee Kerry Butler as Brenda Strong. This new musical, created by a team of Tony winners, features a book by Terrence McNally, music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, choreography by Jerry Mitchell and is directed by Jack O'Brien. In the video below, watch Marc Shaiman and Scott Whittman sing 'Butter Out of CReam' on Theatre Talk

DanceOn, a YouTube partnership channel exclusive to dance, released the sixth episode of DIARY OF A CHORUS GIRL today. The cast and crew of CATCH ME IF YOU CAN move into the Neil Simon Theater, and Alex Ellis takes her first step on a Broadway stage!

Victoria Theatre Association presents Cocktails with Larry Miller: Little League, Adultery and Other Bad Ideas as part of the Universal 1 Variety Series, Saturday, May 7, 2011 at 7:30 pm in the historic Victoria Theatre.

Guthrie Director Joe Dowling today announced 14 plays of the Theater's 2011-2012 season.

Music Director Steven Reineke has announced that Tyne Daly, Tom Wopat, Gregg Edelman, Aaron Lazar, Tony DeSare, Michele Lee and Jamie Barton have joined the roster of guest artists to perform at The New York Pops' 28th Birthday Gala, Celebrate Hope, on May 2, 2011. A grand gala evening celebrating the legacy of late actor and comedian Bob Hope and honoring decades of support by Interpublic Group, the event begins at 7:00 PM with a concert at Carnegie Hall featuring a special lineup of concert artists, followed by a black tie dinner and dance held at the luxurious Plaza Hotel.

Guthrie Director Joe Dowling today announced 14 plays of the Theater's 2011-2012 season. The diversity of productions showcases the full potential of the three-theater complex, offering a balance of the classic and the modern, both in comedies and tragedies, as the Guthrie prepares to celebrate its fifth anniversary in its Mississippi Riverfront building.

Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) marks a remarkable century and a quarter as the first and foremost stagecraft labor union on Sunday evening, April 17, at 5:00pm with a star-studded gala celebration in the grand ballroom of the Hilton Hotel, 1335 Avenue of the America in New York City.

Runway Theater presents LOST IN YONKERS by Neil Simon and directed by: Scott Nixon

RAIN - A Tribute To The Beatles, the internationally-acclaimed Beatles concert, returns by popular demand to Hollywood's historic Pantages Theatre, where they enjoyed astounding success during their special one week engagement in 2009. RAIN will play the Pantages for the final time on April 17, 2011