Donald Holder News

Mozart's enchanting masterpiece, Die Zauberflöte ('The Magic Flute'), returns to the Met on September 23 in the acclaimed production by Julie Taymor, performed in its original German-language version.

Variety reports on the announcement yesterday of The Walt Disney Co. buying Marvel Entertainment Inc. for $4 billion in cash and stock. That move will now bring such iconic characters as Iron Man and Spider-Man into the family of Mickey Mouse, Goofy and WALL-E. They also highlight the subject of the upcoming Broadway musical 'SPIDER-MAN, Turn Off the Dark' and its web of confusion regarding its current status.

'SPIDER-MAN, Turn Off the Dark' is set to play at Broadway's Hilton Theatre, 213 West 42nd Street. The Wall Street Journal has an article on the slightly troubled history of the space today that is worth a read.

The anticipated new Broadway production of Terrence McNally, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's Tony Award® winning musical RAGTIME has announced complete casting of its 40 member company.

Casting has been announced for the all-new production of the Lincoln Center Theater prize-winning musical classic Rodgers and Hammerstein's SOUTH PACIFIC premiering at the Golden Gate Theatre beginning Friday, September 18 through Sunday, October 25, 2009.

The anticipated Broadway arrival of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts new production of Terrence McNally, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's Tony Award® winning musical RAGTIME, based on the E.L. Doctorow novel and featuring direction and choreography by Marcia Milgrom Dodge, revealed its poster art. The dynamic work is designed by acclaimed Italian illustrator Lorenzo Petrantoni.

Directed by Tony Award-winner Julie Taymor with 22-time Grammy Award-winning Bono and The Edge creating new music and lyrics, SPIDER-MAN will be written by Julie Taymor and Glen Berger. Bono reveals to Irish Central how he came up with the title 'Turn off the Dark.'

The New York Post's Michael Riedel reported last week in his 'On Broadway' column in the The New York Post that 'SPIDER-MAN' had 'lost the girl' as actress Evan Rachel Wood's agents considered the project 'dead' and that 'she's available for other work.'

Tickets will go on sale this Saturday, August 15 for the anticipated Broadway arrival of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts new production of Terrence McNally, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's Tony Award® winning musical RAGTIME, based on the E.L. Doctorow novel and featuring direction and choreography by Marcia Milgrom Dodge.

Bloomberg News has a detailed article about 'SPIDER-MAN, Turn Off The Dark' that is a must read for theatre and financial buffs alike. The feature sheds a light on the budgetary and creative woes that are gripping the production as it tries to 'swing' to Broadway.

The New York Post's Michael Riedel reports today in his 'On Broadway' column in the The New York Post that 'SPIDER-MAN' has 'lost the girl' as actress Evan Rachel Wood's agents consider the project 'dead' and that 'she's available for other work.'

As the show is in the news, BWW's cameras caught some quick snapshots outside the Hilton theatre of the 'SPIDER-MAN' marquee.

Disney Theatrical Productions and WestCoast Entertainment will present the highly-anticipated production of Disney's THE LION KING at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts. THE LION KING will begin performances on Wednesday, September 2 for a limited six-week engagement through October 11. The opening night is Friday, September 4 at 8pm.

The New York Post's Michael Riedel reported today in his Broadway Matinee column in the The New York Post that 'SPIDER-MAN' seems to have met his 'budgetary' match.

Tickets will go on sale this Saturday, August 15 for the anticipated Broadway arrival of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts new production of Terrence McNally, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's Tony Award® winning musical RAGTIME, based on the E.L. Doctorow novel and featuring direction and choreography by Marcia Milgrom Dodge.

Twyla Tharp, the famed choreographer who brought the music and lyrics of Billy Joel and Bob Dylan to the Broadway stage with Movin' Out and The Times They Are A-Changin', will next shape the iconic voice of Frank Sinatra into a theatrical piece.

The New York Post's Michael Riedel is revealing in his On Broadway column in the The New York Post that 'SPIDER-MAN' has met his match.

Twyla Tharp, the famed choreographer who brought the music and lyrics of Billy Joel and Bob Dylan to the Broadway stage with Movin' Out and The Times They Are A-Changin', will next shape the iconic voice of Frank Sinatra into a theatrical piece.

Drawing from over 40 years of Marvel comic books for inspiration, SPIDER-MAN spins a new take on the mythic tale of a young man propelled from a modest rowhouse in Queens to the sky-scraping spire of the Chrysler Building, the bustling offices of the Daily Bugle, through the dizzying canyons of Manhattan, to new vistas never before seen.

As we reported earlier this week, the upcoming Broadway musical 'SPIDER-MAN, Turn Off the Dark' looks to be caught up in the web of it's massive budget. On August 6th, Variety revealed that 'the extensive work being done to prepare for the technically demanding show, both in the shop constructing the physical production and in the theater where 'SPIDER-MAN' is due to open, is said to have stopped this week.'