Robert J. Saferstein News

Along with contempt, familiarity is also pretty good at breeding hit Broadway musicals. Take The Wiz, for example; the perfectly pleasant but sketchily written 1975 Tony winner for Best Musical that, if it weren't based on L. Frank Baum's classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (which became an iconic American story once MGM got its hands on it), would probably leave audiences completely baffled as to what the devil was going on.

While the casting of Phylicia Rashad as the manipulative, pill-addicted matriarch of Oklahoma's abundantly dysfunctionAl Weston family in Tracy Letts' epic comedy/drama, August: Osage County may seem an odd choice for those who only know the actress from her television roles as the elegant Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show and... uh... Clair Huxtable II on Cosby, she might be considered a natural for the part by New York playgoers who have seen her rip up the stage as the anguished and dominating Bernarda Alba or have observed her communicating silent volumes as a symbol of African heritage in Gem of the Ocean.

One of the many delights of director Michael Blakemore's revival of Noel Coward's giddily funny 1941 froth, Blithe Spirit, is that this 2009 production looks like it could have been seen in the play's premiere year. No doubt contemporary Broadway theatre can provide more spectacular ways for an actress playing a ghost to enter a room than to just have her walk through the French windows. And certainly if an invisible spirit chooses to destroy her husband's drawing room, modern technology can whip up a few tricks more gasp-inducing than simply having a picture frame fall and a bookshelf topple over. But when you have one of the English language's great comedies played by a company that excels in the verbal dexterity of the playwright's wit, there's no need for such distractions.

Near the conclusion of Will Ferrell's You're Welcome America. A Final Night With George W. Bush the actor/playwright takes a brief respite from the evening's frivolity to have his title character express sincere emotions that are no doubt shared by everyone in his audience. He looks down with a sorrowful expression and his voice even quivers a bit as he speaks of the brave men and women of the military, and the civilians as well, who have died under his command. He feels grief for those who have lost their spouses, and for the children who have lost parents, because of decisions he felt were best for the nation. Whether or not you believe our former president experiences that same grief, the sincerity of the man portraying him is evident, and the moment of silence he requests becomes a bonding moment for all of those present.

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Tuesday, June 23, 2009.

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Thursday, June 18, 2009.

The Encores! Summer Stars production of The Wiz, starring Ashanti, LaChanze and Orlando Jones, officially opens tonight, Thursday, June 18 at New York City Center. (Previews began June 12). Easing down the road with Ashanti's Dorothy will be Joshua Henry, James Monroe Iglehart, Christian Dante White, Tichina Arnold and Dawnn Lewis.

The Encores! Summer Stars production of The Wiz, starring Ashanti, LaChanze and Orlando Jones, will open on Thursday, June 18 at New York City Center. (Previews began June 12). Easing down the road with Ashanti's Dorothy will be Joshua Henry, James Monroe Iglehart, Christian Dante White, Tichina Arnold and Dawnn Lewis.

The Wiz, the 1974 rock and soul musical based on the beloved L. Frank Baum story about Dorothy and her adventures in Oz, will be directed by Thomas Kail and choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler, with music direction by Alex Lacamoire, (the team responsible for the Tony-winning In the Heights). It begins performances tonight, June 12th, 2009.

The Encores! Summer Stars production of The Wiz, starring Ashanti, LaChanze and Orlando Jones, will open on Thursday, June 18 at New York City Center. (Previews begin June 12). Easing down the road with Ashanti's Dorothy will be Joshua Henry, James Monroe Iglehart, Christian White, Tichina Arnold and Dawnn Lewis. You can catch all the 'Wiz' filled fun at up to 35% off with our special BWW Discount to the upcoming Encores! Summer Stars production!

The Encores! Summer Stars production of The Wiz, starring Ashanti, LaChanze and Orlando Jones, will open on Thursday, June 18 at New York City Center. (Previews begin June 12). Easing down the road with Ashanti's Dorothy will be Joshua Henry, James Monroe Iglehart, Christian White, Tichina Arnold and Dawnn Lewis.

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Friday, April 17, 2009.

'reasons to be pretty' confronts America's obsession with physical beauty headlong. In Neil LaBute's new play, Greg's tight-knit social circle is thrown into turmoil when his off-handed remarks about a female co-worker's pretty face (and his girlfriend's lack thereof) get back to said girlfriend. But that's just the beginning.

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Sunday, March 22, 2009.

Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit began preview performances on Thursday, February 26, 2009. It will open Sunday, March 15, 2009 at the Shubert Theatre (West 44th Street).

Speed-The-Plow concludes its limited run today, Sunday, February 22, 2009.

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Sunday, February 15, 2009.

Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director of The Public Theater, announced the 26-member Broadway cast of HAIR: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical with a media meet and greet and BWW was there! Newcomers to the cast include Gavin Creel, Caissie Levy and Sasha Allen, who join the rest of the tribe, who are reprising their roles from Central Park last summer. Currently in rehearsal at the Union Square Theatre, HAIR begins preview performances on Friday, March 6 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre (302 West 45th Street, NYC) with an Opening Night set for Tuesday, March 31, 2009.

Film and television star Will Ferrell's upcoming Broadway debut in his new one-man show 'You're Welcome America. A Final Night with George W Bush' will officially open on Thursday, February 5th, 2009. Previews began on January 20th. The show is directed by Adam McKay, Ferrell's longtime collaborator, and director of the comedy classics Anchorman, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, and this summer's box office hit Step Brothers.

The producers of Speed-The-Plow have announced that Neil Pepe's acclaimed production of David Mamet's play has recouped its investment. Speed-The-Plow joins the list of the plays of the season that have emerged as 'hits' - All My Sons and The Seagull. The play recently was re-reviewed and with its stars William H. Macy, Raul Esparza and Elisabeth Moss, it received even more favorable notices...