Bebe Neuwirth News

The American Ballroom Theater Company (ABrT) is proud to announce its 25th Anniversary Gala Dinner Dance to benefit Dancing Classrooms, a not-for profit, arts-in-education program set up in 1994 to teach ballroom dancing in inner-city schools. By June 2008, under the leadership of ABrT's director, Pierre Dulaine, the program had been expanded to 230 New York City Public schools, teaching ballroom dancing to 30,000 students. The program has now also been replicated and is being implemented in 12 other national cities. Despite the economic climate and lower levels of participation in schools than originally projected due to shortage of education funding, ABrT is pushing forward with its mission and plans to roll out the program in Europe in 2009, starting in Geneva, Switzerland and Birmingham, England.

The Broadway company of CHICAGO is pleased to announce details for the February installment of 'Talkback Tuesdays,' the unique new series offering post-show discussions and audience Q&A sessions with past and present members of the Broadway company of the record-breaking hit musical. Designed to provide theatergoers with an exclusive, behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of CHICAGO, the February 'Talkback Tuesdays' offering is set for Tuesday, February 10, 2009, featuring a post-show conversation with Tony Award winner and original Velma Kelly, Bebe Neuwirth. For her performance as Velma Kelly, Neuwirth won the 1997 Tony Award, the Drama Desk Award and the Fred Astaire Award. A decade after originating the role of Velma on Broadway, Neuwirth returned to CHICAGO to great acclaim in the role of Velma's rival, merry murderess Roxie Hart.

The American Ballroom Theater Company (ABrT) is proud to announce its 25th Anniversary Gala Dinner Dance to benefit Dancing Classrooms, a not-for profit, arts-in-education program set up in 1994 to teach ballroom dancing in inner-city schools. By June 2008, under the leadership of ABrT's director, Pierre Dulaine, the program had been expanded to 230 New York City Public schools, teaching ballroom dancing to 30,000 students. The program has now also been replicated and is being implemented in 12 other national cities. Despite the economic climate and lower levels of participation in schools than originally projected due to shortage of education funding, ABrT is pushing forward with its mission and plans to roll out the program in Europe in 2009, starting in Geneva, Switzerland and Birmingham, England.

Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director of The Public Theater, has announced the 26-member Broadway cast of HAIR: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical. Newcomers to the cast include Gavin Creel, Caissie Levy and Sasha Allen, who join the rest of the tribe, who are reprising their roles from Central Park last summer. Currently in rehearsal at the Union Square Theatre, HAIR begins preview performances on Friday, March 6 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre (302 West 45th Street, NYC) with an Opening Night set for Tuesday, March 31, 2009.

Over consecutive days this week, the 26-member Broadway cast of HAIR: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical, will be announced by Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director of The Public Theater. The latest HAIR cast members to be confirmed are Jackie Burns (Black Boys Trio, Tribe), Kaitlin Kiyan (Black Boys Trio, Tribe), Nicole Lewis (White Boys Trio, Tribe), Megan Reinking (Black Boys Trio, Tribe) and Saycon Sengbloh (Abraham Lincoln, White Boys Trio, Tribe), all of whom are reprising their roles from Central Park last summer.

The Broadway company of CHICAGO is pleased to announce details for the February installment of 'Talkback Tuesdays,' the unique new series offering post-show discussions and audience Q&A sessions with past and present members of the Broadway company of the record-breaking hit musical. Designed to provide theatergoers with an exclusive, behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of CHICAGO, the February 'Talkback Tuesdays' offering is set for Tuesday, February 10, 2009, featuring a post-show conversation with Tony Award winner and original Velma Kelly, Bebe Neuwirth. For her performance as Velma Kelly, Neuwirth won the 1997 Tony Award, the Drama Desk Award and the Fred Astaire Award. A decade after originating the role of Velma on Broadway, Neuwirth returned to CHICAGO to great acclaim in the role of Velma's rival, merry murderess Roxie Hart.

La Jolla Playhouse welcomes back Rick Elice, co-writer of the Tony Award-winning Jersey Boys, as the playwright of Peter and the Starcatchers. Alex Timbers and Roger Rees are set to direct with choreography by Kelly Devine and music by Wayne Barker. Peter and the Starcatchers will be playing at the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre at La Jolla Playhouse February 13 -March 8, 2009. Based on the best-selling novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, Peter and the Starcatchers dares to tell the real story of precisely how a desperate orphan in Victorian England became The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up. It's a tale that travels halfway round the world and straight up to the stars. It's a comedy that takes aim at social injustice. It's a romance of young heroes who risk everything for the sake of doing right. It's an expos? of extravagant villains possessed of a single-minded ferocity from which no good shall ever spring. In short, it's an awfully big adventure. La Jolla Playhouse will present Peter and the Starcatchers, a new play, as a part of its Page To Stage program, by special arrangement with Disney Theatrical Productions. Adam Green has been cast in the role of Peter. He has appeared in Off-Broadway productions such as Election Day, All This Intimacy and None of the Above. Molly will be played by Celia Keenan-Bolger who most recently appeared on Broadway in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, for which she earned a Tony Award nomination. She also appeared in Saved. Lost boy Prentiss will be played by Carson Elrod, who appeared in the La Jolla Playhouse production of Our Town. Elrod has also appeared on Broadway in Reckless and Noises Off. David Rossmer is cast as the ever - peckish lost boy Teddy. His Broadway credits include Fiddler on the Roof and Titanic. Christian Borle, who will be playing the ravenous Black Stache, received acclaim for his roles in Spamalot. He also received a 2007 Tony Award nomination for his role in the Broadway production of Legally Blonde. Andrew McGinn is set to play Slank. His New York credits include Coast of Utopia and The Invention of Love. Playing Lord Aster is John G. Preston, who recently appeared as Cameron Parker in the Off-Broadway production of Taboos. Greg Hildreth, playing the good hearted Alf, recently appeared in Dance Dance Revolution and Gentlemen of Verona. Teddy Bergman will be playing Fighting Prawn. His New York theater credits include Dance Dance Revolution and Nobody Likes the Mormons.

New York Comedian SCOTT NEVINS returns to Los Angeles for ONE NIGHT ONLY to workshop his new show 'Recessionista: Cheaper Than A Tank Of Gas!' at L.A.'s famed Upright Cabaret at Mark?s Restaurant. After a critically acclaimed run Off-Broadway and sold-out performances across the country of his 2007 MAC Award nominated show 'Celebutant: Don't You Know Who I Think I Am?'. New York based Award winning Radio/TV Personality and Comedian Scott Nevins returns to LA for One Night Only to workshop his latest show 'Recessionista: Cheaper Than A Tank Of Gas !' before taking it back to NYC for its official Off-Broadway run!

Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth are keeping warm and busy as they participate in a closed reading of the musical THE ADDAMS FAMILY here in New York. Somewhere in Midtown the starry couple are showing each other much twisted love as they lead a collected cast of theatre heavyweights in the latest workshop for the Chicago bound musical based on Charles Addams' beloved (and feared) characters.

Various news outlets are reporting the sudden news that The Zipper Factory is to cease operations immediately. No further information is available at the current time, but BroadwayWorld.com will bring it to you as we get it.

Splash Bar is proud to present a very special edition of Scott Nevins' Curtain Call with The Broadway Boys on January 12, 2009 at 11:30pm. Directly following Musical Mondays, this very talented group of Broadway's hottest vocalists come together once again to serve up a full set of their arrangements of some of Broadway's best tunes.

New York Comedian SCOTT NEVINS returns to Los Angeles for ONE NIGHT ONLY to workshop his new show 'Recessionista: Cheaper Than A Tank Of Gas!' at L.A.'s famed Upright Cabaret at Mark?s Restaurant. After a critically acclaimed run Off-Broadway and sold-out performances across the country of his 2007 MAC Award nominated show 'Celebutant: Don't You Know Who I Think I Am?'. New York based Award winning Radio/TV Personality and Comedian Scott Nevins returns to LA for One Night Only to workshop his latest show 'Recessionista: Cheaper Than A Tank Of Gas !' before taking it back to NYC for its official Off-Broadway run!

Splash Bar is proud to present a very special edition of Scott Nevins' Curtain Call with The Broadway Boys on January 12, 2009 at 11:30pm. Directly following Musical Mondays, this very talented group of Broadway's hottest vocalists come together once again to serve up a full set of their arrangements of some of Broadway's best tunes.

The Tree is lit at Rockerfeller Center, the Rockets are kicking high so there is just one more New York City tradition to ring in the Holiday Season - The 6th Annual Scott Nevins Holiday Spectacular! at Splash!

Betsy Morgan, who recently performed the role of Ariel in Broadway's The Little Mermaid, will joins the cast of the Off Broadway revival of The Fantasticks as Luisa tonight Monday, December 22, 2008. She replaces Margaret Anne Florence, who played her final performance on Wednesday, December 17.

Betsy Morgan, who recently performed the role of Ariel in Broadway's The Little Mermaid, will join the cast of the Off Broadway revival of The Fantasticks as Luisa on Monday, December 22, 2008. She replaces Margaret Anne Florence, who will play her final performance on Wednesday, December 17.

The Tree is lit at Rockerfeller Center, the Rockets are kicking high so there is just one more New York City tradition to ring in the Holiday Season - The 6th Annual Scott Nevins Holiday Spectacular! at Splash!

Rosie's Gala: Building Dreams for Kids took place on November 24, 2008 at Marriott Marquis, Times Square. But the fun didn't stop when the 'curtain' came down, there is a theater lovers treasure trove waiting for you over at CharityBuzz.com! Be the star of your own 'Broadway' happening, some of the exciting lots feature all your theater favorites such as two tickets to the 2009 Tony Award Dress Rehearsals, lunch with vocal wonder Gavin Creel at Joe Allen, a Spring Awakening 'meet & greet' with star Hunter Parrish and four house seats to '13, A New Musical' just to name a few of the charity auctions waiting for you!

Variety is reporting that Debbie Allen, Charles S. Dutton, Kelsey Grammer, Megan Mullally and Bebe Neuwirth have signed on for the roles of instructors and supervisors in the upcoming film remake of FAME. Filming is set to start on Tuesday, with a release date of September 25, 2009.

Fox News is reporting that the talk of the AUSTRALIA movie premiere the other night was the exciting 'news' that the film's star, Hugh Jackman, is all set to 'reappear' on Broadway in original musical, HOUDINI in the spring of 2010.