Stanley Donen News

Broadway's elite gathered to honor Roy Furman at UJA-Federation of New York's Theatre Group of the Entertainment, Media, and Communications Division's 2009 Excellence in Theatre Award Dinner on Monday, May 18, 2009, at The Mandarin Oriental, Columbus Circle at 60th Street, Manhattan.

Two-time Tony Award winners NATHAN LANE (The Producers, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum) and BEBE NEUWIRTH (Chicago, Sweet Charity) will star as Gomez and Morticia in THE ADDAMS FAMILY, a new musical based on the bizarre and beloved family of characters created by legendary cartoonist Charles Addams. Produced by Stuart Oken, Roy Furman, Michael Leavitt and Five Cent Productions, by special arrangement with Elephant Eye Theatrical, THE ADDAMS FAMILY will open on Broadway Thursday, April 8, 2010 at a Nederlander theatre to be announced. Previews will begin Thursday, March 4, 2010 following a pre-Broadway engagement at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre in Chicago that begins November 13.

Nominations for the 2009 Astaire Awards were announced last night at Elaine?s Restaurant by Michael Riedel of the New York Post. These selections were made by this year?s Nominating Committee; Sylviane Gold (Theater Columnist for Dance Magazine), Anna Kisselgoff (former Chief Dance Critic of The New York Times), Wendy Perron (Editor in Chief of Dance Magazine), Linda Winer (Chief Theater Critic of Newsday) and Damian Woetzel (Former Principal Dancer, New York City Ballet). The producers of the 2009 Astaire Awards, which recognizes excellence in dance on stage and in film, are Patricia Watt and Ron Glucksman.

Patricia Watt and Ron Glucksman, Producers of the 2009 Astaire Awards, have announced that this year's Nominating Committee, Sylviane Gold (Theater Columnist for Dance Magazine), Anna Kisselgoff (former Chief Dance Critic of The New York Times), Wendy Perron (Editor in Chief of Dance Magazine), Linda Winer (Chief Theater Critic of Newsday) and Damian Woetzel (Former Principal Dancer, New York City Ballet), will announce this year's nominees from the best of Broadway and film performances and choreography this season on Monday, May 4 at 7:00pm at Elaine's Restaurant (1703 2nd Avenue at 88th Street). The Astaire Awards recognize excellence in dance on stage and in film.

Theatre World Award-winner Mary Birdsong ('Reno 911!'), 'American Idol' and Broadway star Diana DeGarmo, West End musical actor and 'American idol' contestant Tom Lowe, and musical and film actress Tressa Thomas have been cast in 'Back to Bacharach and David,' the Off-Broadway hit having a 23-performance limited engagement, April 15 to May 17 (press opening April 19) at The Music Box @ Fonda, 6126 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood.

Five exciting productions are slated for the 2009 season, running twenty-one weeks from Memorial Day to Columbus Day Weekends.

The Cedar Lake Theater in West Chelsea will come to life on Friday, January 23 with a thrilling evening of dance to benefit Dancers Responding To AIDS (DRA), a program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BCEFA). Hosted by Tony Award winning choreographer Rob Ashford, this gala event guarantees to be a soul-stirring showcase of the best and brightest from today's varied dance landscape with performances by American Ballet Theatre, Battleworks, Broadway's 'Billy Elliott,' Camille A. Brown, Dresden Ballet, Les Ballet Grandiva, Paul Taylor Dance Company, and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. The program will also feature the world premiere of TITLE by choreographer Chase Brock performed by NYCB principal Tiler Peck.

The Cedar Lake Theater in West Chelsea will come to life on Friday, January 24 with a thrilling evening of dance to benefit Dancers Responding To AIDS (DRA), a program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BCEFA). Hosted by Tony Award winning choreographer Rob Ashford, this gala event guarantees to be a soul-stirring showcase of the best and brightest from today's varied dance landscape with performances by American Ballet Theatre, Battleworks, Broadway's 'Billy Elliott,' Camille A. Brown, Dresden Ballet, Les Ballet Grandiva, Paul Taylor Dance Company, and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. The program will also feature the world premiere of TITLE by choreographer Chase Brock performed by NYCB principal Tiler Peck.

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) continues its 2008-09 season with John Guare's Rich & Famous, directed by John Rando (Urinetown, The Musical and Wedding Singer on Broadway) in its first major revival since its 1976 New York debut. From the ingenious mind of John Guare, who brought Six Degrees of Separation and The House of Blue Leaves to the American stage, this delicious dark comedy springs to life with twisted humor, rapid-fire dialogue, and outrageous plot twists. The revival script includes significant rewrites to the original text, as well as hilarious songs freshly scribed by Guare himself. In Rich and Famous, playwright Bing Ringling yearns to savor the sweet taste of celebrity, and he's hoping play number 844 will be his lucky break. But on opening night, he slips into a nightmarish phantasmagoria that shows him just how wrong things can go.

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) continues its 2008-09 season with John Guare's Rich & Famous, directed by John Rando (Urinetown, The Musical and Wedding Singer on Broadway) in its first major revival since its 1976 New York debut. From the ingenious mind of John Guare, who brought Six Degrees of Separation and The House of Blue Leaves to the American stage, this delicious dark comedy springs to life with twisted humor, rapid-fire dialogue, and outrageous plot twists. The revival script includes significant rewrites to the original text, as well as hilarious songs freshly scribed by Guare himself. In Rich and Famous, playwright Bing Ringling yearns to savor the sweet taste of celebrity, and he's hoping play number 844 will be his lucky break. But on opening night, he slips into a nightmarish phantasmagoria that shows him just how wrong things can go.

Broadway In Chicago will host the world premiere of THE ADDAMS FAMILY, a new musical based on the bizarre and beloved family of characters created by legendary cartoonist Charles Addams, beginning performances Friday, November 13, 2009 at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre (24 W. Randolph St., Chicago).

'Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical Treasure' premieres Tuesday March 4 at 8PM on WLIW21 New York Public Television. For more information visit www.PBS.org

The Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation's 'One-on-One Conversation Series' will feature Tony Award-winning director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell with moderator Hal Luftig (producer, Legally Blonde) on Monday, March 3 at 6:30 PM at Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex, June Havoc Mainstage (312 W. 36th Street).

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers opened at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ on Sunday, April 15th, and is slated to run through May 13th.

A new, re-imagined production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, inspired by Stephen Vincent Benet's The Sobbin' Women and the 1954 Stanley Donen-directed film, will enjoy a run at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ.

Paper Mill Playhouse is presenting Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, which opens on April 15th

Paper Mill Playhouse has announced its mainstage production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, which will run April 11 through May 13

San Francisco's KQED has several great Broadway and theatre related broadcasts for the month of November including 'Singin' In The Rain' and two Great Performances!

He's got steam heat...and a burgeoning career as a choreographer.

On March 13th, Manhattan Theatre Club will host a special edition of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation's One-on-One Conversation series featuring directors Doug Huges and Daniel Sullivan