Berger News

The Public Theater's new Tony-winning production of HAIR is now on tour, will next play Boston's Colonial Theatre March 21- April 10. HAIR won the 2009 Tony Award for Best Musical Revival as well as the Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical. The HAIR cast recording was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.

Directed by Mark Waldrop, with choreography by Vince Pesce, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum will run at Paper Mill Playhouse's Millburn theater from March 16 through April 10, 2011. The company gave a performance preview in New York yesterday and BroadwayWorld brings you photocoverage below!

Directed by Mark Waldrop, with choreography by Vince Pesce, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum will run at Paper Mill Playhouse's Millburn theater from March 16 through April 10, 2011. The company gave a performance preview in New York this morning and brings you a look below!

A production source tells us that an official company meeting has been called for tonight at 7pm at the Foxwoods Theatre for all the SPIDER-MAN cast and crew to hear the news officially from producer Michael Cohl before an announcement is revealed to the press and public regarding the show's future. We're told that neither Bono, nor The Edge are expected to be there, and aside from Cohl, it's not been revealed what current, or future creative team members might be in attendance.

Patrick Healy in the New York Times is now reporting that lead producer Michael Cohl has 'told at least two investors and one other person involved with the Broadway musical that its director Julie Taymor, will step aside once negotiations about complex contractual matters like her creative legal rights and her considerable financial stake in any profits are concluded.'

A roster of exciting guest artists joined all five divisions of the Young People's Chorus of New York CityTM and its Artistic Director and Founder Francisco J. Núñez in their Monday, March 7, fundraising gala, 'Dreamer.' The concert began at 7 p.m. at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, where the chorus is in residence. Joining the chorus on the Rose Theater stage will be Bob McGrath, marking his 42nd season as 'Bob' on Sesame Street; Janet Dacal, soon to open on Broadway in Wonderland; Hugh Panaro, the star of Phantom of the Opera; 24-year-old jazz piano phenomenon Eldar, the brilliant, 22-year-old violinist Ryu Goto, and The New York Pops conducted by Mr. Núñez.

Patrick Healy in the New York Times is now reporting that lead producer Michael Cohl has 'told at least two investors and one other person involved with the Broadway musical that its director Julie Taymor, will step aside once negotiations about complex contractual matters like her creative legal rights and her considerable financial stake in any profits are concluded.'

Now, others are adding to the trickle of information leaking out of the production, with Michael Riedel in the New York Post reporting that Christopher Ashley (Memphis, Xanadu, All Shook Up, The Rocky Horror Show) is likely to take over direction duties from Julie Taymor. Riedel reports that it's unknown if she will continue with the production in some capacity, take a break and return or what as negotiations are still ongoing. He pegs the hiatus as 4-6 weeks, to begin at the end of April, but also notes that the sheer technical complexity of the production will make large scale changes difficult.

The New York Times is reporting that tomorrow's SPIDER-MAN announcement will include the news that the production will shut down for 2-3 weeks for giving the cast a break, and for holding new rehearsals for more substantial changes. Other online blogs have speculated that there will be a longer break, possibly as much as 4-5 weeks. The production is also expected to delay its scheduled opening for 'about three months'.

Sources tell BroadwayWorld.com that behind the scenes talks have been 'making progess' and that the cast, which has not been made aware yet of the specifics, has been told to expect that announcement to come tomorrow (Wednesday) as was promised on Friday.

Monday night, the New York Times is reporting that discussions and negotiations are underway for director and co-bookwriter Julie Taymor to either 'work with a newly expanded creative team to fix the critically derided $65 million musical or to possibly leave the show.' The paper reports all of this to anonymous sources as the producers have insisted that the talks are private, but they do note that for the first time Bono himself is directly involved in the negotiations. As to the possibilities of Taymor departing or accepting help, they note that as of Monday night, 'they were not sure if Ms. Taymor would stay or go as director'.

After five delays, the show is currently scheduled to open on March 15th, 2011, but rumors have said that the show will likely be delayed again, possibly to June of 2011. A delay past April 28th would make it inelligible for this year's Tony Awards. Now, multiple sources tell us that the show is likely to announce that further delay this week, probably to June of 2011.

While most of the country is enduring bitterly cold weather, MTV is ready to heat things up as the network takes over Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas as the official MTV Spring Break 2011 destination from March 6 - March 9, 2011.

Playwright John Kuntz challenges you to connect the dots in his new one-act play, the second of three in Actors' Shakespeare Project's Winter Festival at The Storefront in Davis Square.

Word went out earlier this week that Bono, who wrote the music and lyrics for SPIDER-MAN: TURN OFF THE DARK attended the show on Tuesday night to analyze the musical's progress since he last attended the production to lend his help in January, along with rumors last week (denied by the production) that they were bringing on additional team members for the book/production. As for whether the producers would delay the opening of the show yet again, spokesperson Rick Miramontez, said that, 'all decisions are made as a group.'

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has formally slapped the production of SPIDER-MAN with three 'serious' safety violations pertaining to the injuries infamously sustained by several cast members late last year.

New Line Theatre, 'The Bad Boy of Musical Theatre,' continues its Twentieth Anniversary Season of provocative, adult, alternative musical theatre with the rock and roll, Shakespearean sex comedy TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA, running March 3-26, 2011, at the Washington University South Campus Theatre (formerly CBC High School), 6501 Clayton Road, just east of Big Bend.

Tickets for Thursday night's performance of SPIDER-MAN:TURN OFF THE DARK were released at TKTS at a 30 percent discount last night, March 4. Could this be an indication that the show is struggling to sellout the Foxwoods Theatre?

BCDF Pictures announces today that they will begin filming Rhymes with Banana this March in New York's Hudson Valley.

With all the news surrounding the $65 million spectacle SPIDER-MAN: TURN OFF THE DARK, the public's attention is firmly fixed on the show's driving force, Julie Taymor. The co-writer and director of the production spoke today at the TED 2011 conference, and while she didn't directly address any of the show's main questions, she did admit that SPIDER-MAN is not where she would ideally like it to be.