Charles Busch News

Primary Stages continues its 29th season with a new production of their acclaimed 1995 OBIE Award winner, The Model Apartment, by Pulitzer Prize winner Donald Margulies (Shipwrecked!, Time Stands Still, Dinner with Friends, Sight Unseen). Directed by Evan Cabnet (A Kid Like Jake at Lincoln Center Theater, The Performers on Broadway), the production will feature Mark Blum (The Assembled Parties and Gore Vidal's The Best Man on Broadway), Diane Davis (Old Acquaintance on Broadway, Regrets Only at MTC), two-time Obie Award-winner Kathryn Grody (The Marriage of Bette & Boo, Top Girls, A Mom's Life), and Hubert Point-Du Jour (Angels in America andThe Brother/Sister Plays Off-Broadway). The Model Apartment runs September 24 - November 1 at Primary Stages at 59E59 Theaters. Opening night is Tuesday, October 15 at 7PM.

Fresh from the success of Night of a Thousand Judys, The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre has moved to 54 BELOW for a six month run. Check out performances from last month's tribute to Cher below!

Berkshire Theatre Group presents Eugene O'Neill's Pulitzer Prize-Winning play Anna Christie at the Fitzpatrick Main Stage. Opening Night is tomorrow, August 24 at 8pm. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) Artistic Director James C. Nicola has announced that Fetch Clay, Make Man, written by Will Power and directed by Des McAnuff, will begin performances tonight, August 23 at NYTW, 79 East 4 Street, between Bowery and Second Avenue. Opening night is set for Thursday, September 12 at 7pm. Fetch Clay, Make Man is scheduled to run through Sunday, October 13; tickets are on sale now.

Westport Country Playhouse stages the World Premiere of 'Oblivion,' a provocative new play about parents and teenagers, and the gulf that often exists between them, by Carly Mensch, writer for Showtime's 'Nurse Jackie' and 'Weeds,' and directed by Mark Brokaw, currently represented on Broadway with 'Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella.' The coming-of-age comedy-drama runs now through September 8. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Fresh from the success of Night of a Thousand Judys, The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre - the acclaimed comedy/variety show hailed as 'rambunctious, uproarious and unpredictable' by The Wall Street Journal, 'delicious and delightfully droll' by The New York Post, and 'hilarious and sardonic' by The Village Voice - has moved to 54 BELOW for a six month run. The next show will be on Wednesday, August 28 at 9:30 PM. Known for its signature blend of outrageous comedy, politics, culture and everything in between, The Meeting* moves uptown after four seasons of packed houses in the West Village. Justin Sayre and The Meeting* were named one of the Top 10 nightclub shows of 2011 by Time Out New York, received the 2012 Bistro Award for 'Comedy Artistry' and a 2011 MAC Award nomination for Best Male Comedy Performance.

Can there be too much of a good thing? From the enthusiastic response to the news that 2nd Story planned to double the number of plays produced this season, it seems the answer is a resounding 'no'. Of building a 70-seat second space and adding programming, Artistic Director Ed Shea said, 'For years 2nd Story operated under the assumption that less is more, but it turns out more is more. When it comes to professional-quality live theatre, there cannot be too much of a good thing. Not only is there a market for more, there is a need and a desire for more. With the construction of our second space, we can give audiences more comedy, more drama, more entertainment, and more food for thought.'

The latest play at Bucks County Playhouse is THE TALE OF THE ALLERGIST'S WIFE. Charles Busch wrote this play, and it opened on Broadway in 2000. Boyd Gaines directs the current production at Bucks County Playhouse. This show is full of comedy and emotion, and is definitely a night full of boisterous laughter.

In her seventh jam-packed onstage episode of "Classical Julie," Broadway actress/comedienne Julie Halston once again proved that she is, as Rex Reed called her, "the funniest woman in the world." Scroll down for photos of her onstage!

Check out footage from Bucks County Playhouse's The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, directed by Broadway star and four-time Tony Award winner Boyd Gaines, starring Marsha Mason and Marilu Henner, plus go behind-the-scenes with Henner in the interview below!

Primary Stages ESPA has announced casting for the ESPA*Drills Reading Series this August. ESPA*Drills is an annual new play development program providing professionally staged readings to four ESPA playwrights. The plays are workshopped at Primary Stages under the guidance of the ESPA staff and presented before an audience of industry peers at Off-Broadway's 59E59 Theaters. ESPA*Drills provides an exclusive opportunity for students to receive professional attention through the resources and support of Primary Stages.

How do you become a director? Just take the plunge!

THE TALE OF THE ALLERGIST'S WIFE is the latest production at Bucks County Playhouse. The play tells the story of Marjorie Taub who lives on the upper west side of New York with her husband, Ira. Marjorie spends her time pursuing culture at lectures, museums and theatres. She is facing an epic mid-life crisis when a friend from her past visits her. Charles Busch wrote this play and it is directed by Boyd Gaines. THE TALE OF THE ALLERGIST'S WIFE stars Marsha Mason, David Garrison, Marilu Henner, Ryan Shams and Emily Jon Mitchell.

Westport Country Playhouse will stage the World Premiere of 'Oblivion,' a provocative new play about parents and teenagers, and the gulf that often exists between them, by Carly Mensch, writer for Showtime's 'Nurse Jackie' and 'Weeds,' and directed by Mark Brokaw, currently represented on Broadway with 'Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella.' The coming-of-age comedy-drama runs from tonight, August 20 through September 8.

Fresh from the success of Night of a Thousand Judys, The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre - the acclaimed comedy/variety show hailed as 'rambunctious, uproarious and unpredictable' by The Wall Street Journal, 'delicious and delightfully droll' by The New York Post, and 'hilarious and sardonic' by The Village Voice - has moved to 54 BELOW for a six month run. The next show will be on Wednesday, August 28 at 9:30 PM. Known for its signature blend of outrageous comedy, politics, culture and everything in between, The Meeting* moves uptown after four seasons of packed houses in the West Village. Justin Sayre and The Meeting* were named one of the Top 10 nightclub shows of 2011 by Time Out New York, received the 2012 Bistro Award for 'Comedy Artistry' and a 2011 MAC Award nomination for Best Male Comedy Performance.

Thrillpeddlers announces their annual Halloween Extravaganza Shocktoberfest 14: Jack the Ripper - An Evening of Horror, Madness, Spanking and Song Commemorating the 125th Anniversary of the Jack The Ripper Murders in London. Thrillpeddlers presents its 4th and final preview performance of Shocktoberfest 14 on Sept. 30, the very date that police received the letter that coined the name 'Jack the Ripper' and the case's double-murder occurred.

54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, has announced plans to augment its diverse programming with a varied new series of in-house productions including a new interview series, a new musicals-in-concert series (following-up on the success of the club's wildly successful High Fidelity in Concertevent), and a program for new composers. The venue will continue to present its popular Sondheim Unplugged series featuring some of Broadway's brightest stars sharing performances and behind-the-scenes anecdotes from their favorite Sondheim musicals.

Bucks County Playhouse (BCP) previously announced that acclaimed actress Marilu Henner (Original Broadway production of The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, Television's 'Taxi') joins the cast of The Tale of the Allergist's Wife by Charles Busch, the final production of the 2013 Playhouse Productions Summer Season. She will be joined by the previously announced Marsha Mason, David Garrison, and Lynn Cohen. Four-time Tony Award winner Boyd Gaines directs. Performances begin tonight, August 15th and run through September 1st at the Bucks County Playhouse (70 South Main Street, New Hope, PA).

SATAN IN HIGH HEELS, the comedic adaptation of the 1960's sexploitation film, will make its off-Broadway debut on Wednesday, October 30, 2013 at Dixon Place. The remainder of the run will be November 1, 2 and 3rd, 2013 at TheaterLab NYC, a 75-seat boutique theatre on West 36th Street.

The Broadway community mourns the loss of celebrated theatrical publicist Shirley Herz, who passed away on Sunday at age 87. The marquees of Broadway theatres in New York will be dimmed in her memory tonight, August 14th, at exactly 8:00 p.m. for one minute.