Nicole Rosky - Page 811

Today in 1939, The Importance of Being Earnest opened at the Vanderbilt Theatre, where it ran for 61 performances. Written by Oscar Wilde, the show was first performed on 14 February 1895 at St. James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae in order to escape burdensome social obligations. Working within the social conventions of late Victorian London, the play's major themes are the triviality with which it treats institutions as serious as marriage, and the resulting satire of Victorian ways. Its high farce and witty dialogue have helped make The Importance of Being Earnest Wilde's most enduringly popular play.

Today in 1976, Pacific Overtures opened at the Winter Garden Theatre, where it ran for 193 performances. With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, a libretto by John Weidman, and additional material by Hugh Wheeler, the musical is set in 1853 Japan and follows the difficult Westernization of Japan, through the lives of two friends caught in the change. The original Broadway production of Pacific Overtures in 1976 was presented in Kabuki style, with men playing women's parts and set changes made in full view of the audience by people dressed in black. A Broadway revival ran at Studio 54 from December 2, 2004 to January 30, 2005, directed by Amon Miyamoto and starring B.D. Wong as the Narrator and several members of the original cast.

Today in 2008, The Little Mermaid opened at the Lunt Fontanne Theatre, where it ran for 685 performances. The Little Mermaid is based on the animated 1989 Disney film of the same name and the classic story of The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen. The musical's book is by Doug Wright, music by Alan Menken and lyrics by the late Howard Ashman (written for the film) and new lyrics by Glenn Slater. The musical had a pre-Broadway tryout in Denver, Colorado in July through early September 2007. The original cast featured Sierra Boggess in the title role of Ariel, Sean Palmer as Prince Eric, Brian D'Addario and Trevor Braun alternate as Flounder, Norm Lewis as King Triton, Sherie Rene Scott as Ursula, Tituss Burgess as Sebastian, Tyler Maynard as Flotsam, Derrick Baskin as Jetsam, Jonathan Freeman as Grimsby, and John Treacy Egan as Chef Louis.

Dolph Springer (Jack Plotnick) awakens one morning to find he has lost the sole love of his life-his dog, Paul. Desperate to reunite with his best friend and to set things right, Dolph embarks on a journey which spirals into the realm of the absurd. On his quest, he drastically alters the lives of several severely bizarro characters, including a promiscuous pizza delivery girl (Alexis Dziena), a mentally unstable, jogging-addicted neighbor, an opportunistic French-Mexican gardener, an eccentric pet detective (Steve Little) and most mysterious of all, an enigmatic pony-tailed guru, Master Chang (William Fichtner) who imparts his teachings to Dolph on how to metaphysically reconnect with his pet. From fearless cinematic surrealist Quentin Dupieux, the director behind the head-exploding Rubber, Wrong is a wholly original and hilariously hallucinatory universe all its own.

Jon is well past his glory days on the football field and now coping with life as a single man in his small hometown of Fairhaven, Mass. With the decision to give up his day job on the waterfront, dedicating himself to a full-time writing career, he increasingly seeks honesty and purity in life. Enter Jon's oldest friend Dave (Chris Messina), unexpectedly home for his estranged father's funeral. Impulsive, attractive, and often dangerous, Dave is hell-bent on injecting some spontaneity into his old friends' seemingly banal lives. Jon, Dave, and their divorced friend Sam (Rich Sommer) reacquaint themselves after years filled with life-defining experiences, pushing the limits of their friendship and uncovering secrets from the past.

Los Angeles, 1949. Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) runs the show in this town, reaping the ill-gotten gains from the drugs, the guns, the prostitutes and--if he has his way--every wire bet placed west of Chicago. And he does it all with the protection of not only his own paid goons, but also the police and the politicians who are under his control. It's enough to intimidate even the bravest, street-hardened cop... except, perhaps, for the small, secret crew of LAPD outsiders led by Sgt. John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) and Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling), who come together to try to tear Cohen's world apart.

When Shae (Danielle Panabaker), a naïve college student, is tormented by several men in a matter of days, she reaches her breaking point, and is drawn into coworker Lu's (Nicole LaLiberte) twisted plan for revenge. Together, the two embark on a gruesome killing spree, terrorizing and brutally murdering not just their attackers, but any man who gets in their way. However, after a wild weekend of retaliation, the friendship between the girls shifts into a dangerous obsession, and their perverse game becomes a desperate struggle for Shae to maintain control against Lu's deadly and seductive influence.

As BroadwayWorld reported last night, producers Barry & Fran Weissler and Howard & Janet Kagan will present the American Repertory Theater's 40th Anniversary production of Roger O. Hirson and Stephen Schwartz's Pippin, directed by Diane Paulus, on Broadway in the Spring of 2013. PIPPIN will begin preview performances on Broadway on Saturday, March 23, 2013 and officially open on Thursday, April 25, 2013 at the Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th Street).

The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham; UTR Festival Director, Mark Russell) will begin performances for the 2013 UNDER THE RADAR FESTIVAL on Wednesday, January 9. Now in its ninth year, this acclaimed downtown festival committed to tracking new theater from across the U.S. and around the world will run for 12 days through January 20 at The Public Theater at Astor Place. Excluding Life and Times, all single tickets to UTR shows are $20; Member tickets are $15.

According to an Equity casting notice, the revised version of the show will include some new characters- 'Auntie/Loretta' and 'Sir/Todd Browning.' While the latter seems to be a similar to 'The Boss,' who sang the opening song in the original production, the other is described as 'the woman who saved the twins from abandonment but began to display them as curiosities for money.' Additional new characters will include a Texas lawyer named 'Martin Arnold,' and a vaudeville performer named 'Ray.'

Emmy and Tony Award winner Blythe Danner has joined the cast of Nice Work If You Can Get It for 12 weeks only, continuing through March 10th. Ms. Danner assumes the role of Millicent Winter, the mother of Matthew Broderick's character Jimmy Winter. The role was originated on Broadway by Academy Award winner Estelle Parsons, who played her final performance on Sunday, December 16. Check out photos of Danner in action below!

The 2012 Tony Awards telecast was recognized when the Directors Guild of America's 2013 award nominations were announced on January 9.

Join the team behind Broadway's eagerly anticipated MATILDA THE MUSICAL as they take you through the show's journey from Statford-upon-Avon to London's West End to Broadway. Writers Tim Minchin and Dennis Kelly, director Matthew Warchus, designer Rob Howell, choreographer Peter Darling, and actor Lauren Ward, who reprises her role as Miss Honey from London, discuss the thrill of coming to Broadway in "MATILDA THE MUSICAL: Journey to Broadway." Check it out below!

West End star Elaine Paige, who was last seen on Broadway in FOLLIES, is set to make her Town Hall debut March 9 at 8 PM. Tickets will be available starting January 11 at Ticketmaster.com.

According to MTV News, 'Les Miserables: Highlights from the Motion Picture' has now reached #1, hitting 92,000 in sales. The musical's album beat out Mumford & Sons' 'Babel,' Taylor Swift's 'Red,' Phillip Phillips' 'The World From the Side of the Moon,' and One Direction's 'Take Me Home.'

Bock and Harnick's Fiorello!, the opening musical of the Encores! 20th Anniversary season, will star Kate Baldwin, Erin Dilly, Jenn Gambatese, Shuler Hensley and Emily Skinner, with Danny Rutigliano as Fiorello LaGuardia. Fiorello! will be directed by Gary Griffin with choreography by Alex Sanchez and music direction by Rob Berman. The show will run for seven performances from January 30 - February 3 at New York City Center.

BWW is excited to spend a year on the road on the bus with the cast of PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT! In this sneak preview of our On the Road series, meet some of the cast as they celebrate opening night in Minneapolis. Check it out below and tune in later for more episodes as the cast journeys across the country!

Producers Alan D. Marks, Barbara Marks, Wade Turnbull, Steve Hendel, Ruth Hendel, and Tom Kirdahy have just announced that COTTON CLUB PARADE, the Encores! Special event that played two acclaimed runs at New York City Center, will arrive on Broadway this fall.

Can't get enough of Patti LuPone? A documentary following the legendary performer has just been released on Youtube, titled 'Entrances, Exits, and Everything In Between.' Creator Josh Johnston writes: 'What she and I have collaborated on is our effort to show aspiring performers and fans of the arts what it's like in the shoes of a veteran of the craft: everything from the Sunset lows to the Rainbow Highs of performing, Patti LuPone has seen and lived it all.' Check out the third episode below!

The Bucks County Playhouse (BCP) has announced a limited engagement of The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler and directed by Karen Carpenter. Performances will be Wednesday, February 13 - Sunday, February 17 at the Bucks County Playhouse (70 South Main Street in New Hope, PA).