Tom Watson News

Although I hadn't read any of the first wave of reviews, by the time I was seated for my post-opening night press performance at the Hirschfeld it was pretty much common knowledge to the entire Broadway community that the new (and from the looks of her Playbill bio, the only) creation from bookwriter/composer/lyricist Jill Santoriello brought out gobs of that legendary New York theatre critic acid wit among the great majority of my colleagues.

Manhattan Theatre Club (Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer) is pleased to announce full casting for the upcoming Broadway premiere of Richard Greenberg's THE AMERICAN PLAN which will be directed by Tony? nominee David Grindley (Journey's End). BWW TV brings you an exclusive look behind the scenes at emotional story of The American Plan.

Sam Mendes directs a transatlantic company of actors in a double-bill of classic works for The Bridge Project's inaugural 2009 season, which pairs a new version of The Cherry Orchard by Tom Stoppard with The Winter's Tale. A formidable transatlantic company and creative team will mount these two new productions for seven internationally renowned theaters. Simon Russell Beale leads the British/American cast, playing Lopakhin in The Cherry Orchard and Leontes in The Winter's Tale. He is joined by Sin?ad Cusack as Madame Ranevskaya and Paulina, Richard Easton as Firs and Old Shepherd, Rebecca Hall as Varya and Hermione, Josh Hamilton as Yasha and Polixenes, Ethan Hawke as Trofimov and Autolycus, and Paul Jesson as Gaev and Camilo.

Roundabout Theatre Company's (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) limited engagement of A Man for All Seasons will play its final performance on Sunday, December 14th at 2:00 PM. This revival of Robert Bolt's classic A Man for All Seasons stars Frank Langella as 'Sir Thomas More,' and is directed by Doug Hughes at the American Airlines Theatre (227 West 42nd St).

Manhattan Theatre Club (Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer) will present the upcoming Broadway premiere of Richard Greenberg's THE AMERICAN PLAN which will be directed by Tony nominee David Grindley (Journey's End). Lily Rabe and Mercedes Ruehl will be joined by Benjamin Eakeley (Sweeney Todd), Austin Lysy (A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Delacorte), and Brenda Pressley (The First Breeze of Summer). The limited engagement of THE AMERICAN PLAN will begin previews on Friday, January 2, 2009 and open on Thursday, January 22, 2009 at MTC's Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street).

Roundabout Theatre Company's (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) limited engagement of A Man for All Seasons will play its final performance on Sunday, December 14th at 2:00 PM. This revival of Robert Bolt's classic A Man for All Seasons stars Frank Langella as 'Sir Thomas More,' and is directed by Doug Hughes at the American Airlines Theatre (227 West 42nd St).

Manhattan Theatre Club (Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer) announced full casting for the upcoming Broadway premiere of Richard Greenberg's THE AMERICAN PLAN which will be directed by Tony nominee David Grindley (Journey's End). The previously announced Lily Rabe and Mercedes Ruehl will be joined by Benjamin Eakeley (Sweeney Todd), Austin Lysy (A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Delacorte), and Brenda Pressley (The First Breeze of Summer).

Executive Producers Barbra Russell and Ron Sharpe will close Jill Santoriello's sweeping musical epic, 'A TALE OF TWO CITIES' on Broadway today, Sunday, November 9th at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre (302 West 45th Street - between 8th & 9th Avenues). The musical moved the date of closing up a week from the originally announced final performance of November 16th. The early closing was confirmed to BroadwayWorld by a spokesperson for the production.

Executive Producers Barbra Russell and Ron Sharpe will close Jill Santoriello's sweeping musical epic, 'A TALE OF TWO CITIES' on Broadway on Sunday, November 9th at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre (302 West 45th Street - between 8th & 9th Avenues). The production originally announced a closing date of November 16th, but has now chosen to move up the final performance to this Sunday, November 9th.

Toro's self titled CD features an array of favorite Broadway show tunes, all with an inspired and eclectic spin, A special CD release party is to be held on November 23rd, 7:30 PM at Canal Room at Canal and West Broadway in the East Village.

Executive Producers Barbra Russell and Ron Sharpe will close Jill Santoriello's sweeping musical epic, 'A TALE OF TWO CITIES' on Broadway on Sunday, November 16th at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre (302 West 45th Street - between 8th & 9th Avenues).

The cast and creative team have been assembled for the world premiere of the imaginative, hilarious comic drama The Third Story, written by Charles Busch and directed by Carl Andress.

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) is pleased to announce the full company joining 3-Time Tony Award Winner Frank Langella as 'Sir Thomas More' in a new Broadway production of Robert Bolt's A Man for All Seasons, directed by Tony Award Winner Doug Hughes.

Almost a full decade after its initial Broadway production, the powerful award winning musical 'Parade' by Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry will receive its first fully staged professional production in Los Angeles at the Neighborhood Playhouse.

The new show art of the up-coming Broadway musical, Cry-Baby, has been revealed on the show's website. Based upon the Universal Pictures film written and directed by John Waters, Cry-Baby will premiere at Broadway's Marquis Theatre (1535 Broadway) beginning previews Saturday, March 15 at 8PM and opening Thursday, April 24 at 6:30PM.

The new musical, Cry-Baby, based upon the Universal Pictures film written and directed by John Waters, will premiere at Broadway's Marquis Theatre (1535 Broadway) beginning previews Saturday, March 15 at 8PM and opening Thursday, April 24 at 6:30PM.

LONE STAR LOVE, a new musical comedy starring Academy Award nominee Randy Quaid in his Broadway debut as Colonel John Falstaff, has announced full casting as it begins rehearsals this week for its Seattle engagement at The 5th Avenue Theatre, September 8 - 30. LONE STAR LOVE will open on Broadway on Monday, December 3 at New York's Belasco Theatre; previews will begin Thursday, November 1.

Beauty is most certainly in the eye of the beholder when the eye is beholding Broadway's Audra McDonald. So what is she doing playing a woman considered far too plain and unappealing to land a man? A damn fine acting job is what she's doing.

SpeakEasy Stage in Boston closes its season with a beautifully realized production of Alfred Uhry and Jason Robert Brown's powerful historical musical based on the real-life persecution and prosecution of a Jewish businessman in 1913 Atlanta

Nerds://A Musical Software Satire began previews at the Philadelphia Theatre Company on January 25th and will open on January 31st for a run through February 25th.