Eddie Izzard News

It would certainly be an interesting experience for modern playgoers to travel back in time and see how The Merchant of Venice was first received by Shakespeare's audiences.  Those only familiar with the play's famous, 'Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions...' speech, spoken by the moneylender Shylock, might just assume the author meant it to be a drama attacking anti-Semitic tendencies of the day.

EDDIE IZZARD, DENNIS HAYSBERT, AFTON C. WILLIAMSON, and RICHARD THOMAS begin their run in RACE, written and directed by David Mamet, on Monday June 21st for a nine-week limited engagement through Saturday, August 21st.

STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG, from WestBeth Entertainment and Henson Alternative, is the live uncensored show that lets loose the perilous and provocative elements of comedic improvisation on stage with a bunch of puppets.

EDDIE IZZARD, DENNIS HAYSBERT, AFTON C. WILLIAMSON, and RICHARD THOMAS begin their run in RACE, written and directed by David Mamet, on Monday June 21st for a nine-week limited engagement through Saturday, August 21st.

New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) Artistic Director James C. Nicola and Managing Director William Russo have announced that Jonathan Cake has joined the cast of Restoration, written by Claudia Shear, and directed by Christopher Ashley. Mr. Cake assumes the role to have been played by Danny Mastrogiorgio.

This week, June 8, RACE introduced its new cast to the press. Written and directed by David Mamet, RACE recouped early in the spring and is the longest running play of the season. BroadwayWorld met up with the new crew at Sardi's for the photo op.

This lost masterpiece of pornography was recently discovered in a woodworking shop of a Beverly Hills dentist. June Crenshaw (Kristen Bell) was known as the 'sex kitten' of the Supreme Court.

AFTER A SUCCESSFUL RUN at the 7th Annual soloNOVA Arts Festival, the premier festival for solo performers in New York City, W. Kamau Bell's critically acclaimed solo show, The W. Kamau Bell Curve: Ending Racism in About an Hour, has been extended by two weeks. 'We scouted a lot more heavily this year,' says soloNOVA artistic director Jennifer Conley Darling.

Today, the Tony Award-winning Berkeley Repertory Theatre added another incendiary performer to Fireworks, a new festival of colorful and explosive performances that takes off this summer. Emmy and Obie Award-winner John Leguizamo joins the Fireworks display, which already includes sparkling shows from Dan Hoyle and Wes 'Scoop' Nisker, as well as a workshop with David Sedaris that already sold out its limited run.

RACE, 'the topical detective story' (New York Times) that 'sizzles with energy' (The Wall Street Journal), written and directed by David Mamet will play its 200th performance on Saturday, May 29th at 8:00 pm. RACE, which recouped early in the spring, is the longest running play of the season.

AFTER A SUCCESSFUL RUN at the 7th Annual soloNOVA Arts Festival, the premier festival for solo performers in New York City, W. Kamau Bell's critically acclaimed solo show, The W. Kamau Bell Curve: Ending Racism in About an Hour, has been extended by two weeks. 'We scouted a lot more heavily this year,' says soloNOVA artistic director Jennifer Conley Darling.

AFTER A SUCCESSFUL RUN at the 7th Annual soloNOVA Arts Festival, the premier festival for solo performers in New York City, W. Kamau Bell's critically acclaimed solo show, The W. Kamau Bell Curve: Ending Racism in About an Hour, has been extended by two weeks. 'We scouted a lot more heavily this year,' says soloNOVA artistic director Jennifer Conley Darling.

AFTER A SUCCESSFUL RUN at the 7th Annual soloNOVA Arts Festival, the premier festival for solo performers in New York City, W. Kamau Bell's critically acclaimed solo show, The W. Kamau Bell Curve: Ending Racism in About an Hour, has been extended by two weeks. 'We scouted a lot more heavily this year,' says soloNOVA artistic director Jennifer Conley Darling.

THE THEATRES AT 45 BLEECKER STREET, NYC (East of Lafayette, North of Houston) announce their upcoming shows and events. To buy tickets to any production or for additional info, visit: www.45Bleecker.com

The New York Times is reporting that Eddie Izzard will take over for James Spader in RACE beginning on June 21st. This now completes the new cast along with Afton C. Williamson and Dennis Haysbert along with Richard Thomas who will remain with the show.

New England audiences were treated to the uncensored, uncut and as unpredictable as ever, comedian Billy Connolly in June 2007 at the American Repertory Theatre. Now he returns to Boston with his hilarious, oxygen-depriving new show BILLY CONNOLLY LIVE! for two performances only on May 6 & 7, 2010 (8pm) at the Citi Performing Arts Center Shubert Theatre, 265 Tremont Street in Boston's Theater District.

Today, the Tony Award-winning Berkeley Repertory Theatre added another incendiary performer to Fireworks, a new festival of colorful and explosive performances that takes off this summer. Emmy and Obie Award-winner John Leguizamo joins the Fireworks display, which already includes sparkling shows from Dan Hoyle and Wes 'Scoop' Nisker, as well as a workshop with David Sedaris that already sold out its limited run.

New England audiences were treated to the uncensored, uncut and as unpredictable as ever, comedian Billy Connolly in June 2007 at the American Repertory Theatre. Now he returns to Boston with his hilarious, oxygen-depriving new show BILLY CONNOLLY LIVE! for two performances only on May 6 & 7, 2010 (8pm) at the Citi Performing Arts Center Shubert Theatre, 265 Tremont Street in Boston's Theater District.

New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) Artistic Director James C. Nicola and Managing Director William Russo have announced that Jonathan Cake has joined the cast of Restoration, written by Claudia Shear, and directed by Christopher Ashley. Mr. Cake assumes the role to have been played by Danny Mastrogiorgio.

WestBeth Entertainment and Henson Alternative proudly present the New York debut of STUFFED AND UNSTRUNG, a live uncensored show that lets loose the perilous and provocative elements of comedic improvisation on stage with a bunch of puppets.