Bea Arthur News

The set for Theatre Memphis' Next Stage production of John Patrick Shanley's Pulitzer Prize-winning DOUBT impresses with its austerity: The walls and doors are of rich,dark wood; the red leather chair behind the principal's desk and the furniture in the room are carefully arranged; everything seems compartmentalized. Moreover, St. Nicholas School is in the apparently firm hands of 'Sister Aloysius' (yes, it rhymes with 'suspicious'), and wary she is. The time is the early 1960's, shortly after the unsettling assassination of President John F. Kennedy. St. Nicholas has accepted its first black student, 'Donald Muller,' a lonely and isolated thirteen-year old altar boy of 'the new priest on the block,' 'Father Flynn,' who, with his tweaking of tradition and progressive inclination have made him a threat to Aloysius' tightly run ship. As Bob Dylan famously sang, 'The times they are a-changin' -- but, as far as the straight-backed, bespectacled principal is concerned, 'not at THIS school.' For Aloysius, art and music classes are a perfect waste of time; at first glance, she is a stereotypical 'old school' nun. However, Pulitzer Prizes are not awarded to writers who resort to stereotype, and Mr. Shanley's script is tight, subtle, and full of surprises.

THE MEETING* hosted by Justin Sayre, the acclaimed comedy/variety show, will return to Joe's Pub at The Public Theater on Sunday, November 22 at 9:30 PM to continue the Fall 2015 Season. The November 2015 show will feature a centennial celebration of legendary gay jazz composer Billy Strayhorn, with special guests to be announced. Tracy Stark serves as the show's Music Director. 

On Monday, October 28th, 2015, Rick McKay, the Director, Producer, Writer, Cinematographer and editor of the hit 2004 film, 'Broadway: The Golden Age' won 'Best Film - Greenwich Village Portraits' for his new short film, 'Greenwich Village: A World Apart', at the first ever Greenwich Village Film Festival, which was held at Greenwich Village's historic Player's Theatre at 115 MacDougal Street.

The Laurie Beechman Theatre has announced its 2015 Alternative Holiday Show Lineup, running November 28 - December 21, 2015 and featuring Alec Mapa, Jackie Beat, the stars of RuPaul's Drag Race & more!

THE MEETING* hosted by Justin Sayre, the acclaimed comedy/variety show, will return to JOE'S PUB at The Public Theater on Sunday, October 25 at 9:30 PM to continue the Fall 2015 Season. The October 2015 show will feature a celebration of the cult film PRACTICAL MAGIC for Halloween, with special guests Bridget Barkan, Isaac Oliver, Angela DiCarlo, Salty Brine, Carol Lipnik and Marc Dommu. Tracy Stark serves as the show's Music Director.

THE MEETING* hosted by Justin Sayre, the acclaimed comedy/variety show, will return to JOE'S PUB at The Public Theater on Sunday, October 25 at 9:30 PM to continue the Fall 2015 Season. The October 2015 show will feature a celebration of the cult film PRACTICAL MAGIC for Halloween, with special guests to be announced. Tracy Stark serves as the show's Music Director.

The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre, the acclaimed comedy/variety show, will return  to OASIS (298 Eleventh Street, San Francisco CA) on Saturday, December 12 at 7:00 PM after two packed shows earlier this year. The Meeting* has been called "delicious and delightfully droll" by The New York Post and "hilarious and sardonic" by The Village Voice. A story for Slate.com called the evening "so deliciously icy that it left me shivering with fear and delight." The New York run of The Meeting* - currently running monthly at Joe's Pub at The Public Theater - has been sold out since the New York Times "Arts & Leisure" piece ran last September. Special musical guests for the Oasis performance will be announced. Tickets are $20 and are available at SFOasis.com.

Yesterday (5 October), at the launch event in London for Motown the Musical, Cedric Neal (Berry Gordy) and Lucy St. Louis (Diana Ross) were announced to lead the cast in the West End production, opening at the Shaftesbury Theatre in February 2016.  With music and lyrics from the legendary Motown catalogue and book by Motown founder Berry Gordy, Motown the Musical is directed by Charles Randolph-Wright.  London previews will begin on 11 February 2016, with press night on 8 March 2016, with the show booking to 22 October 2016.

 The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) (Executive Director & Producer Dan Markley) will honor Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw, theatre executive and producer Darren P. DeVerna and former NYMF board chair Martin Grant at its 2015 Gala to be held on Sunday, November 15th at the Edison Ballroom in Midtown Manhattan (240 W 47th St, New York, NY 10036).

Seattle Repertory Theatre's 2015-2016 season was announced today by Acting Artistic Director Braden Abraham. The season is headlined by the new musical Come from Away, Ayad Akhtar's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Disgraced and the world premiere of R. Hamilton Wright's Sherlock Holmes and the American Problem.

SPARKLE & CIRCULATE with JUSTIN SAYRE - the official monthly podcast of the International Order of Sodomites - has posted its eleventh episode, which features an interview with Brendan Maclean, the acclaimed Australian singer and songwriter. Maclean - hailed as "infectious and hypnotic" by BuzzFeed - discusses his new EP Thought I'd Cry For You Forever, his role in Baz Luhrmann's film The Great Gatsby, his upcoming album with RuPaul's producer Lucian Piane and collaborating with Neil Gaiman on a new song. Also, Justin gives the back story behind his debut novel Husky, released this month from Penguin Books. The show is available on iTunes here.  

THE MEETING* hosted by Justin Sayre, the acclaimed comedy/variety show, will return to JOE'S PUB at The Public Theater on Sunday, September 27 at 9:30 PM to open the Fall 2015 Season. The September 2015 show will feature a celebration of Whitney Houston, with special guests Darius de Haas, Natalie Joy Johnson, Jaime Cepero, Inyang Bassey and others to be announced. Tracy Stark serves as the show's Music Director.

Fresh off its world-premiere run in Minneapolis, where Star Tribune declared "Akeelah and the Bee triumphs," Children's Theatre Company's new production about an 11-year-old spelling prodigy comes to Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. The show is adapted for the stage by veteran playwright Cheryl L. West (Arena's Pullman Porter Blues, Jar the Floor), who partners with celebrated director Charles Randolph-Wright (director of Broadway's Motown and an inaugural resident playwright with Arena Stage, where he premiered his play Love in Afghanistan). Akeelah and the Bee runs November 13-December 27, 2015 in the Kreeger Theater.

'It is important to document theatre history so that future generations can truly comprehend the impact and artistic value of the great works.'

Eric Bryant (Room Service), Susan Cella (The Graduate), Adam LeBow (Greenwood), Allen Lewis Rickman (Relatively Speaking), Sarah Sirota (Zuccotti Park), and Melissa Teitel (I Hate Hamlet) co-star. Performances begin October 2.

Lerner & Loewe's classic musical MY FAIR LADY launches Lyric Stage's 2015-16 season tonight, September 4.

The 80's hit television show THE GOLDEN GIRLS gets a revival, in puppet form, with the THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND.

Casting has been announced for the upcoming edition of Dennis Hensley's The MisMatch Game. The side-splitting parody of the 70s game show returns to the Los Angeles LGBT Center's Renberg Theatre for two nights only, tonight, August 29 at 8pm and tomorrow, August 30 at 7pm. 

Casting has been announced for the upcoming edition of Dennis Hensley's The MisMatch Game. The side-splitting parody of the 70s game show returns to the Los Angeles LGBT Center's Renberg Theatre for two nights only, Saturday, August 29 at 8pm and Sunday, August 30 at 7pm.