The Public Theater News

New York: Tucker Theatricals and All Out Arts, Inc proudly announce casting for After the Chairs, Don Cummings (Actor "A New Brain" at West Coast Ensemble, Playwright "A Good Smoke" Public Theatre reading with Meryl Streep) and Allen Warnock("The Skin of Our Teeth" and "A Servant of Two Masters" at Williamstown Theatre Festival) will star in the world premiere of award-winning playwright David Koteles' play After the Chairs, directed by Jason Jacobs.

Broadway's landmark musical event THE LION KING, the fifth longest-running show in Broadway history, is pleased to welcome GARETH SAXE back to Broadway as the sardonic and deviously cunning Scar, beginning performances on Tuesday, July 2, 2013.

Hottest Articles on BroadwayWorld.com from this weekend Sunday, June 30, 2013 - Sunday, June 30, 2013.

Varla Jean Merman (aka Jeffery Roberson) has been the acknowledged entertainment Queen of P-town for the past decade. Each summer brings the anticipated premiere of her latest, original and irreverent music-comedy show - a summer-long 'hot ticket' every year. After a typically busy year starring to critical acclaim as the title roles in the original musical comedy farces Mildred Fierce in Boston andScrooge in Rouge in New Orleans, as well as in Menotti's opera The Medium in New York, Varla returns to P-Town to premiere Twice Upon A Mattress...Will My Prince Every Come? at The Art House from today, July 1 - August 31, with MRF at the piano.

The Public Theater's new Public Lab musical VENICE, with book by Eric Rosen, music by Matt Sax, lyrics by Matt Sax and Eric Rosen, additional music by Curtis Moore, and choreography by Chase Brock, directed by Eric Rosen, will end its extended run today, June 30th, 2013. Venice began performances on May 28th and was originally scheduled to close on June 23rd. Broadwayworld brings takes you through VENICE's journey off-Broadway below!

Ryan Murphy continues filming for THE NORMAL HEART for HBO in New York City. Check out photos of Taylor Kitsch, Jonathan Groff and Mark Ruffalo on set below!

After a typically busy year starring to critical acclaim as the title roles in the original musical comedy farces Mildred Fierce in Boston andScrooge in Rouge in New Orleans, as well as in Menotti's opera The Medium in New York, Varla returns to P-Town to premiere Twice Upon A Mattress…Will My Prince Every Come? at The Art House from July 1 - August 31, with MRF at the piano. For tickets please visit www.ptownarthouse.com

The Public Theater and Theatre for a New Audience will present three special screenings of Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory's most beloved films, Andre Gregory: Before and After Dinner, Vanya on 42nd Street, and My Dinner With Andre, at Joe's Pub at The Public in August. These three screenings are presented as part of the current retrospective, The Wallace Shawn-Andre Gregory Project, celebrating the 40-year collaboration between these two artists.

Stage regular and screen superstar Liev Schreiber announced plans to return to the stage in one of Shakespeare's most timely and violent tragedies, CORIOLANUS, while appearing to promote his new Showtime series RAY DONOVAN on CBS THIS MORNING earlier today.

A portion of proceeds from SoLuna Studio's upcoming production of HAIR will benefit the It Gets Better Project. Performances will run on weekends from July 12th-August 18th.

Additional casting has been announced for the upcoming Broadway production of ROMEO AND JULIET, starring international film star Orlando Bloom and two-time Tony Award nominee Condola Rashad as Shakespeare's titular star-crossed lovers, and directed by five-time Tony Award nominee David Leveaux.

Actor A. J. Shively stars in the new Off-Broaddway musical UNLOCK'D and talks about the show, his career and the people whe's worked with.

Annabella Sciorra heads the cast of Downtown Race Riot, a portrait of a city and a boy in crisis written by Seth Zvi Rosenfeld, tonight, June 26-July 7, 2013.

BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center, the longest operating performance venue in lower Manhattan, in partnership with Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC), presents blessing the boats: the remix, a re-imagining of an original play written and performed by Sekou Sundiata, performing today, June 27-29 at 8pm and June 30 at 3pm at TPAC, Theater 2 (199 Chambers Street). This performance has been co-commissioned by LMCC and BMCC, presented as part ofBlink Your Eyes: Sekou Sundiata Revisited, a citywide retrospective produced by MAPP International Productions, and as part of the River To River Festival 2013.Tickets are FREE, but first come, first served - box office opens 45 min. prior to curtain.

Lauren Yee's new play The Hatmaker's Wife will have its New York premiere directed by recent OBIE Award winner and Drama Desk nominee Rachel Chavkin and produced by critically-acclaimed not-for-profit theatre company The Playwrights Realm, Katherine Kovner, Artistic Director and Renee Blinkwolt, Producing Director. The Hatmaker's Wife begins previews at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater, 416 West 42nd Street, Tuesday, August 27, for an opening Thursday, September 5, at 7:30 pm.