Ben Brantley News

New York Times theater critic Ben Brantley will spend the next several weeks reporting on London theater, the Times has announced.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) will team again with Hair producers Jeffrey Richards and Jerry Frankel, alongside producers Scott M. Delman, Stewart F. Lane, Bonnie Comely, and Susan Gallin/Mary Lu Roffe to bring the critically acclaimed rock musical BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON to Broadway in the fall.

A.R. Gurney's play THE GRAND MANNER is filled with memorable scenes. The fictional account of the playwright's youthful encounter with legendary actress Katharine Cornell brims with nostalgic references, brilliant characterizations, witty aphorisms and touchingly human scenes. However, the June 6th matinee featured an extra, unscripted, delight.

Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions in association with Weinstein Live Entertainment are announcing, with Broadway In Chicago, that tickets for the finAl Block of BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL in Chicago will go on sale Friday, July 16, 2010. After a successful 10-month run, BILLY ELLIOT will play its final Chicago performance on January 15, 2011. This finAl Block of performances runs from October 26, 2010 through January 15, 2011 and includes popular holiday performances.

Michael Ritchie, Artistic Director of Center Theatre Group, has set the 2010-2011 season at CTG's Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. The new season, which features three productions and four DouglasPlus presentations, will run from October 7, 2010, through August 28, 2011.

Lea DeLaria will be presenting two nights of comedy and song at the Manor Epic Showroom Friday, July 30th and July 31st at 7:30 p.m. for the benefit of Rising Action Theatre. This is the first partnership between Rising Action Theatre and The Manor Complex. 'We anticipate this will be a great success, and we plan to do more of these events in the future,' says David Goldyn, Rising Action's Producing Artistic Director. Sponsors of the event are Hot Spots Magazine, Mark Magazine, and the South Florida Gay News.

BROADWAY/SAN DIEGO is introducing a new service for our loyal audience members ~ a special Open-Captioned Performance at the Sunday matinee of IN THE HEIGHTS, August 1 at 1PM! Open captioning is the instant translation of the spoken word of a performance into text with video image.

Alice Ripley will present a solo concert, Daily Practice with Alice Ripley, at BACKSTAGE dopo teatro (125 West 44th street) on Saturday, July 31 at 9:30pm. The intimate solo concert, which is already sold out, will feature an eclectic mix of well known songs, as well as a few original compositions. Due to popular demand, a second concert has been added on Saturday, August 28 at 11:00pm.

Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions in association with Weinstein Live Entertainment are announcing, with Broadway In Chicago, that tickets for the finAl Block of BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL in Chicago will go on sale Friday, July 16, 2010. After a successful 10-month run, BILLY ELLIOT will play its final Chicago performance on January 15, 2011. This finAl Block of performances runs from October 26, 2010 through January 15, 2011 and includes popular holiday performances.

'The Lieutenant of Inishmore,' the strikingly original black comedy by Academy Award-winning, Olivier Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated Martin McDonagh, opens at the Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum at the Los Angeles Music Center on Sunday, July 11 at 7 p.m. Previews are underway and performances continue through August 8, 2010.

Performance Space 122 and Pan Pan have teamed up Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, one of NYC's most incendiary new playwrights, with Gavin Quinn, one of Ireland's most provocative directors, for what is sure to be a Molotov cocktail of contemporary theatre performance.

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, directed by Daniel Sullivan, began performances for Shakespeare in the Park on Saturday, June 12. The Public Theater began Shakespeare in the Park performances of A Winter's Tale, directed by Michael Greif on June 9. Both shows will play in repertory through Sunday, August 1 at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park.

Lea DeLaria will be presenting two nights of comedy and song at the Manor Epic Showroom Friday, July 30th and July 31st at 7:30 p.m. for the benefit of Rising Action Theatre. This is the first partnership between Rising Action Theatre and The Manor Complex. 'We anticipate this will be a great success, and we plan to do more of these events in the future,' says David Goldyn, Rising Action's Producing Artistic Director. Sponsors of the event are Hot Spots Magazine, Mark Magazine, and the South Florida Gay News.

BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL and FUERZA BRUTA: LOOK UP will make 1776 half price tickets available through the League of Chicago Theatres' Hot Tix program beginning Tuesday, June 29, 2010 at 10 a.m.

Steppenwolf Theatre has selected Sideshow Theatre Company as one of three innovative Chicagoland storefront theatres to produce a show for Steppenwolf's 2nd Annual GARAGE REP.

Fela!, recipient of three 2010 Tony Awards including Best Choreography, will celebrate its 250th performance on Wednesday, June 30 @ 8pm. Produced by Shawn 'Jay-Z' Carter and Will & Jada Pinkett Smith, this critically acclaimed show based on the life and music of groundbreaking African composer, performer and activist Fela Kuti, began performances at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre (230 West 49th Street) on October 19 and opened to rave reviews on November 23.

Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) has announced additional casting for its 2010/2011 40th Anniversary Season.

BILLY ELLIOT THE MUSICAL and FUERZA BRUTA: LOOK UP will make 1776 half price tickets available through the League of Chicago Theatres' Hot Tix program beginning Tuesday, June 29, 2010 at 10 a.m.

Broadway In Chicago, in partnership with the City of Chicago, is pleased to present the annual BROADWAY IN CHICAGO CONCERT AT TASTE OF CHICAGO, a fantastic, FREE event on Monday, June 28 at 6:00 p.m. at the Petrillo Music Shell in Grant Park (235 S. Columbus Drive).

Broadway in Riverside - A Nederlander Presentation is sponsoring an event called 'Come Take a Seat' on June 26th 2010 11 am - 2 pm at the Fox Performing Arts Center in downtown Riverside.