Christina Applegate & Fiance Announce PregnancyJuly 21, 2010Sweet Charity vet Christina Applegate is expecting her first child with fiance Martyn Lenoble, People reports. Applegate and Lenoble, a Dutch bass player, got engaged this past Valentine's Day after dating for two years.
Photo Flash: SHREK National Tour - First Look!July 21, 2010Broadway In Chicago along with producers DreamWorks Theatricals and Neal Street Productions, Ltd. launched the First National Tour of SHREK: The Musical in Chicago on July 13, 2010. Chicagoan Eric Petersen leads the Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning SHREK as it plays a limited eight week engagement in Chicago at the Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 W. Randolph St.). Below, BroadwayWorld brings you a first look at the latest SHREK incarnation!
SPIDER-MAN Officially Begins Rehearsals 8/16July 21, 2010The New York Times has just announced that rehearsals for the much-delayed and much anticipated SPIDER-MAN: Turn Off the Dark, will officially begin on August 16, 2010. According to the report, some choreography and aerial flying lessons began on Monday for some of the cast, including Spidey himself, Reeve Carney.
Stage and Screen Vet Polly Bergen Joins with Add The Alert to Fight Missing Children Epidemic July 21, 2010Stage and screen vet Polly Bergen has teamed up with Add The Alert program to help fight the missing children epidemic worldwide. 800,000 children go missing every year in the U.S. Add The Alert notifies the public when a child within a 100 miles of where they live goes missing. A picture and a description of the child is sent electronically to members in the hopes of locating the missing child more quickly.
RACE on Track to End Broadway Run, 8/21July 21, 2010RACE, 'the topical detective story' (New York Times) that 'sizzles with energy' (The Wall Street Journal), written and directed by David Mamet is now playing its final weeks on Broadway at the Barrymore Theatre (243 West 47th St.). This new cast is playing their limited run through Saturday, August 21st at 8:00 pm (reaching its 297th performance). Tickets to the show can be purchased by visiting Telecharge.com or calling 212-239-6200.
STAGE TUBE: DRA Perform to 'Stand By Me' as Part of Fire Island Festival BenefitJuly 21, 2010This weekend, July 16 - July 18, the Fire Island Dance Fetsival took place to benefit Dancers Repsonding to AIDS, a program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Below, BroadwayWorld brings you a clip of a performance to 'Stand By Me,' choreographed and performed by Travis Wall, Teddy Forance, Nick Lazzarini. The video features filming and editing by Allison Leigh Schiltz.
PIAZZA's Guettel to Compose for HBO's 'Miraculous' Pilot Starring Butz, LuPone, Langella et al. July 21, 2010As BroadwayWorld has previously reported, Tony Award winners Eddie Redmayne, Frank Langella and Patti LuPone and Tony nominees Stark Sands and Hope Davis will be a part of the cast of The Miraculous Year, HBO's new drama pilot for about 'a charismatic, self-destructive Broadway composer,' written by Red scribe John Logan, reportedly inspired by Stephen Sondheim. The Hurt Locker's Kathryn Bigelow is directing the pilot, which begins shooting this summer. Both Logan and Bigelow are also executive producing the piece.
WITH GLEE Extends at the Kirk at Theater RowJuly 21, 2010With Glee, a new, old-fashioned musical comedy about five wayward, eccentric, isolated, awkward, sweet, naive, nerdy teenage boys who are sent away to a boarding school in Maine, has extended for four performances at the Kirk Theater at Theater Row. The production will now close the evening of August 4, as opposed to after the matinee on August 1 as originally scheduled. The production opened to complimentary notices on July 10 and has been selling out.
LA CAGE's Nick Adams Joins North American Cast of PRISCILLAJuly 21, 2010The New York Times reports today that LA CAGE's most temperamental Cagelle, Nick Adams, will be joining the cast of PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT. Assuming the familiar role of yet another drag queen, Adams will play the role of Felicia in the North American company of PRISCILLA, which will open at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto on October 12 before heading to Broadway next spring.
Synthesized Music on Bway - Can You Tell the Difference?July 20, 2010As BroadwayWorld has previously reported, the producers of West Side Story on Broadway are planning to replace half of its string section with a synthesizer. This has sparked much debate, with opponents claiming that a synthesized sound alters the theater-going experience.
STAGE TUBE: HAIRSPRAY Tour Stars Perform at White HouseJuly 20, 2010Last night, July 19, Barack and Michelle Obama celebrated the arts, innovation and creativity with the Broadway Celebration: In Performance at the White House event, featuring top Broadway talent including Nathan Lane, Idina Menzel, Audra McDonald, Brian D'Arcy James, Chad Kimball, Tonya Pinkins, Marvin Hamlisch, Karen Olivo, and Assata Alston. The event was streamed live on BroadwayWorld.
Will Chase Returns to 'Rescue Me' Tonight, 7/20July 20, 2010Stage star Will Chase, who is currently appearing in Robin and the 7 Hoods and the Old Globe Theater, will return to the FX hit Rescue Me. Last year, Chase appeared as a guest star in a Rescue Me episode that subsequently went on win an Emmy for the performance of Michael J Fox. Chase's character, Pat Mahoney, an ex-firefighter with cancer, will be returning for 3 more episodes this season, with the first premiering tonight at 10pm on FX.
ADDAMS, NIGHT MUSIC, MEMPHIS et al. Partake in Harlem Festival, 7/25 - 8/25July 20, 2010In conjunction with the Harlem Chamber of Commerce and the Harlem Arts Alliance, The Broadway League will support HARLEM WEEK, Inc. with initiatives designed to celebrate Harlem theatregoers. This year's annual summer festival has events from July 25th through August 25th, making it what some call 'the World's longest week.'
Jason Alexander to Lead Reprise's THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SONG, 9/28 - 10/10July 19, 2010Jason Alexander, artistic director of Reprise Theatre Company, will star in 'They're Playing Our Song,' September 28 to October 10 (press opening September 29) at UCLA's Freud Playhouse, to open the company's 2010-2011 season. Single tickets are available for 'They're Playing Our Song' at www.reprise.org or through the UCLA Central Ticket Office at 310/825-2101.