Faetra Petillo - Page 100

A hit in London and one of the most highly anticipated shows of the upcoming theatre season, Billy Elliot the Musical begins preview performances tonight, October 1, 2008. With music by Elton John, book and lyrics by Lee Hall and directed by Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot the Musical opens at Broadway's Imperial Theatre (240 W 45th St) Thursday, November 13th.

MCC THEATER (Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, Artistic Directors; William Cantler, Associate Artistic Director; Blake West, Executive Director) presents their first preview performance of Tony Award-winner Michael Weller's new play Fifty Words tonight, October 1st, 2008. The opening night, originally scheduled for Sunday evening at 6:30 p.m., has been rescheduled to Wednesday (10/1) at 7 p.m.

The Hollwwood reporter is stating that actor Thomas Dekker is currently in talks to play the lead role of 'Marco' in the remake of the 1990 musical. The film, adapted for the screen by Allison Burnett will be directed by Kevin Tancharoen. Filming will begin in February with a potential release date of September 25th, 2009.

Dress Circle the 'greatest showbix shop in the world' is celebrating its 30th anniversary. To mark this landmark event Dress Circle has launched an online poll to find the UK's 'Greatest Musical' of the last thirty years. Theatregoers worldwide can cast their votes now at www.dresscircleawards.com. In order to qualify for entry a pforessional production of the show must have been performed live on stage in the UK between January 1978 and July 31st 2008. Voters can make their selection from a choice of over 300 musicals. Only one vote per person will be counted.

The current cast of GREASE stars American Idol's Ace Young, NBC's 'Grease: You're the One That I Want' finalists Derek Keeling as 'Danny' and Ashley Spencer as 'Sandy' along with Ryan Patrick Binder as 'Doody,' Susan Blommaert as 'Miss Lynch,' Will Blum as 'Roger,' Jeb Brown as 'Vince,' Janine DiVita as 'Rizzo,' Allison Fischer as 'Patty,' Robyn Hurder as 'Marty,' Lindsay Mendez as 'Jan,' Jose Restrepo as 'Sonny,' Jamison Scott as 'Eugene' and Kirsten Wyatt as 'Frenchy.' The ensemble of GREASE features Ashley Arcement, Brian Crum, Natalie Hill ('Cha-Cha'), Keven Quillon, Josh Rouah, Allie Schulz, Brian Sears, Christina Sivrich, Amber Stone, Anna Aimee White.

As of September 30th 2008 the cast of Jersey Boys is now led by Sebastian Arcelus (Bob Gaudio), Matt Bogart (Nick Massi), Dominic Nolfi (Tommy DeVito) and Jarrod Spector (Frankie Valli) as The Four Seasons; with Peter Gregus and Mark Lotito. The cast also includes Miles Aubrey, Bridget Berger, Kris Coleman, Douglas Crawford, Ken Dow, Heather Ferguson, Russell Fischer, Eric Gutman, Katie O'Toole, Joe Payne, Dominic Scaglione Jr., Sara Schmidt, Eric Schneider and Jake Speck.

Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) has announced additional casting and details for the third production of its 2008/2009 Season, the New York premiere of PRAYER FOR MY ENEMY, a new play by two-time Tony Award nominee, two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and two-time Obie Award winner Craig Lucas (Small Tragedy at Playwrights Horizons, The Light in the Piazza, Prelude to a Kiss, Reckless, The Dying Gaul). PRAYER FOR MY ENEMY is the first of two plays by Mr. Lucas that will receive their New York premiere this season.

NYMF Presents PROZAK AND THE PLATYPUS CONCERT & PARTY on October 2, 2008 8pm at The Zipper Factory, 336 West 37th Street, New York, NY 10018. The theatre is located between 8th & 9th Ave.

For the first time, the Metropolitan Opera will present a work by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Adams: Doctor Atomic, his opera about J. Robert Oppenheimer and the creation of the atomic bomb. The piece is set in New Mexico in the summer of 1945, as scientists, led by Oppenheimer, and the military prepare to test the first nuclear bomb, events that will radically change the course and fabric of history. The new production, starring Gerald Finley in the title role, will open at the Met on Monday, October 13, at 8:00 p.m. When the opera premiered in San Francisco in October of 2005, The Guardian said, 'Adams's ecstatically lyrical writing and the music's visionary eloquence make this a modern masterpiece.' The New York Times later wrote that Doctor Atomic was 'the most complex and inventive of Mr. Adams's works, an engrossing operatic drama.'

On Sunday, October 19, Signature Theatre will audition boys and girls, ages 7 - 12, for two singing roles and one non-singing role in its innovative new production of Les Miserables, which will run December 2 through February 22. Signature is looking for six children (two boys and four girls) all under 50 inches (4' 2''), who will alternate performances in their respective roles.

Disney Theatrical Productions and Mandalay Bay have announced the award-winning Broadway phenomenon THE LION KING coming to the Mandalay Bay Theatre May 2, 2009 with preview performances beginning April 20, 2009. This sit-down production will join the six other highly successful companies of THE LION KING around the world in New York, London, Hamburg, Paris, Tokyo and Fukuoka.

Under the leadership of General Director Speight Jenkins, Seattle Opera has become known as 'America's Bayreuth,' drawing worldwide audiences to its acclaimed productions of all of Richard Wagner's major works, especially sold-out performances of Der Ring des Nibelungen, the composer's cycle of four epic operas-Das Rheingold, Die Walkure, Siegfried, and Gotterdammerung.

13P (Thirteen Playwrights, Inc.), the OBIE Award-winning theater company made up of 13 playwrights, in association with Minetta Street Productions, will present the New York premiere of Sheila Callaghan's (P#7) 'CRAWL, FADE TO WHITE,' directed by Paul Willis. 'CRAWL. FADE TO WHITE' will be performed at the Ideal Glass Gallery (www.idealglass.org), 22 East 2nd Street (between Bowery and 2nd Avenue), with performances running from October 11 through November 1, 2008. The official opening night will be Monday, October 13 at 8:00 PM.

In a nouveau cirque work poised at the intersection of physical theater, modern dance, and waking dreams, France's Compagnie 111 makes its BAM debut in Les sept planches de la ruse (The Seven Boards of Skill) in a joint production with Scenes de la Terre. Conceived and directed by French director Aurelien Bory, this U.S. premiere is inspired by tangram-an ancient Chinese geometric puzzle composed of seven tiles that can be manipulated in a nearly infinite number of combinations. Developed in the industrial city of Dalian, China, where it premiered in 2007, Les sept planches de la ruse has toured across France and to Portugal. After the BAM engagement, the production will travel to additional cities in France, as well as to the UK and Hungary.

Franco Zeffirelli's lavish production of Verdi's poignant masterpiece about love and sacrifice, La Traviata, returns to the Metropolitan Opera stage on October 20 for nine performances through November 20, 2008. Anja Harteros sings the title role for the first time at the Met.

B.B. King Blues Club and The Path Fund, Inc. will present JEREMY SCHONFELD'S DRIFT with Kris Coleman (Jersey Boys), Jarrod Emick (Tony Award Winner for Damn Yankees), Terrence Mann (Tony Nominated star of Les Miserable and Beauty and the Beast), Karla Mosley (Expatriate), Julia Murney (Wicked), Hunter Parrish (Spring Awakening, TV's Weeds) and Adam Pascal (Rent). With Scott Coulter and Michelle Kinney. Doors will open at 6:30pm, show is at 8:00pm. Ticket cost is $30 SRO, $60 General admission seating (first come, first served).

On Monday, October 13th, at 11:30pm 'Scott Nevins' Curtain Call' with present the 'Poperatic Diva' Dorothy Bishop and a special appearance from the Boys of the San Francisco Ballet.

ROCKTOBER is back; packed with news about Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus' global smash hit musical MAMMA MIA!, which celebrates 7 years on Broadway this month, along with other ABBA-related news and trivia!

Actress and comedienne Jackie Hoffman announced the upcoming release of JACKIE HOFFMAN: LIVE AT JOE'S PUB, a live recording of her best original savage songs and monologues. PS Classics will release the album on Tuesday, November 11, 2008. The album was recorded live onstage at Joe's Pub, New York's famed, downtown performance space.

Samuel West will direct Harley Granville Barker's Waste, which runs at the Almeida from 25 September - 15 November 2008, with press night on 2 October. Designs are by Peter McKintosh with lighting by Guy Hoare and sound by John Leonard.