Kirstie Alley to Make Broadway Debut this Spring in Roundabout Comedy Produced by Lance Bass?October 20, 2011Kirstie Alley was back in the spotlight this year due to her success on 'Dancing with the Stars.' As previously reported, the actress has been vocal about her her desire to take her talents to the Broadway stage in a play. Now according to Deadline.com, Alley is ditching her dreams of starring in a Broadway show to star in a new coedy for ABC titled The Manzani's. As described by Deadline, the show is 'a new take on Roseanne, and stars Alley as a very opinionated wife/mother who, along with her family, the Manzanis, moves to repressed country club town.'

BWW BLOG EXCLUSIVE: CHIX 6 Hits Comic Con!October 19, 2011Hello again, Broadwayworld! It's Lourds Lane, book/music/lyrics writer of CHIX 6, and also performing as the violin playing misfit, RISE, in the show. We've had 3 weeks of shows and it's clear that CHIX 6 is resonating with audiences. We've received standing ovations every single show. This is more of an accomplishment than you might realize since we've played many shows to the Queens Theatre subscription audience where the average age was 80. No joke. In the first two weeks of performances, it felt like the Saturday matinee crowd would tell their parents to see the show which made Sunday matinee crowd even OLDER. The cast, who are mostly all Broadway veterans, have schooled me that typically, old folks don't stand up, even if they like the show. But with our show, these octogenarians jump to their feet without fail. 'Oh my gawsh, these kids are so tehhhlented!' As for the teenagers in the crowd, who've been showing up this past week, both girls AND boys have become rabid repeat fans. People wait outside the stage door weeping. Something is clearly working.
TV: Chatting with the Cast of Kazan's WE LIVE HEREOctober 19, 2011The cast of WE LIVE HERE featuring Mark Blum (After the Revolution, Twelve Angry Men), Jessica Collins (AMC's 'Rubicon,' Pygmalion), Betty Gilpin (MTC's That Face, The Language Archive), Amy Irving (The Coast of Utopia, Adam), Oscar Isaac (Ridley Scott's Robin Hood, MTC's Beauty of the Father), and Jeremy Shamos (Clybourne Park, MTC's Reckless), recently sat down with BroadwayWorld to talk about building the production. During our chat, they reveal what it was like working with the new playwright, what they each take away from the play, and how they kept a sense of humor throughout the intense process.
TV: First Look at Sieber, Hamilton in LA CAGE AUX FOLLES on the Road - Performance Highlights!October 18, 2011La Cage Aux Folles, starring film and TV actor George Hamilton and two-time Tony Award nominee and Christopher Sieber, just kicked off its national tour at Des Moines' Civic Center last week. Winner of three 2010 Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical, this flashy comedy made Tony Awards history as the first show ever to win the Tony Award three times for best production.
The first production footage has been releases and BWW brings you a look below!
TV EXCLUSIVE: Ah Betty - Buckley on MEN: THE BOYS OF BROADWAY & More at Feinstein's At Loews RegencyOctober 18, 2011Feinstein's at Loews Regency is now presenting the Tony Award winning theater icon Betty Buckley in an exclusive four week run of the new show 'Ah Men! The Boys of Broadway.' In the show, Buckley performs men's songs from Broadway shows that she has always wanted to sing, including numbers from Sweeney Todd, West Side Story, Guys and Dolls, On A Clear Day You Can See Forever, Pippin, Mame and La Cage Aux Folles. She is joined by Christian Jacob on piano, Peter Barshay on bass and Anthony Pinciotti on drums. The show runs through October 29 at Feinstein's. BroadwayWorld was on hand for a recent show and spoke with Buckley about all things men and how it feels to perform their material, the future of the show, and what her not-yet-performed female repertoire wish list looks like. Click below to hear from Buckley and watch exclusive concert footage!
STAGE TUBE: Kim Cattrall and Paul Gross in PRIVATE LIVES - Onstage Highlights!October 18, 2011The pre-Broadway production of Noel Coward's PRIVATE LIVES starring Kim Cattrall and Paul Gross, directed by Richard Eyre, is currently playing Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre. PRIVATE LIVES comes to North America after a sold-out London run. Production highlights have been released from Toronto and BroadwayWorld brings you a look below!
TV: MEMPHIS Tour Tours Elvis Presley's GracelandOctober 18, 2011The first National Tour of Memphis just opened in - you guessed it - Memphis on October 16. The cast recently visited Elvis Presley's home, Graceland. Last week we brought you the photos and today we brings you a video diary of the trip!
TV: In Rehearsal with CHINGLISH!October 17, 2011CHINGLISH is about an American businessman arrives in a bustling Chinese province looking to score a lucrative contact for his family's sign-making firm. He soon finds that the complexities of such a venture far outstrip the expected differences in language, customs and manners - and calls into questions even the most basic assumptions of human conduct.
TV: Gavin Creel Introduces...The First Broadway Cruise!October 17, 2011Next summer, after Tony Award adrenaline has subsided and before the excitement of the new season sets in, Broadway now has something to celebrate: the first ever Broadway cruise that will embark to Bermuda from the Big Apple.
TV: FOLLIES Hits Chicago - Complete Performance Highlights!October 13, 2011The Chicago Shakespeare Theater's production of Follies runs through November 6, on Navy Pier. Starring in the Chicago production, directed by Gary Griffin, are Hollis Resnik as Carlotta, Brent Barrett as Benjamin, Caroline O'Connor as Phyllis, Robert Petkoff as Buddy and Susan Moniz as Sally. Complete performance highlights have been released and Broadwayworld brings you a look below!
TV EXCLUSIVE: Take a Tour of the New Joe's Pub!October 11, 2011Joe's Pub, the beloved live performance venue at The Public Theater and a vital part of New York City's cultural landscape, reopened last week, October 4, after a three month hiatus while undergoing an extensive interior redesign and renovation, spearheaded by original designer and Joe's Pub, LLC partner Serge Becker. Serving more than 100,000 audience members annually, Joe's Pub first opened in 1998 and presents more than 800 performances a year.
BroadwayWorld stopped by the venue to an exclusive tour of the new space from Joe's Pub Director Shanta Thake and Managing Director Kevin Abbott. Click below for a first look at the new and improved space!
Keira Knightley Film BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM Gets Musical Treatment; Aims for West End, BroadwayOctober 11, 2011WENN News reports that the 2002 Keira Knightley film, Bend It Like Beckham, is currently being adapted for the stage, helmed by the film's director, Gurinder Chadha. The new musical has both West End and Broadway aspirations, according to the report. Says Chadha: 'The script is ready to go. It's going to be on both the West End and Broadway. We are currently deciding who is the right person to write the score, so it's at a really exciting stage.'