Gene Saks News

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Happy Friday! End your week and kickstart an amazing weekend by catching up on the latest Broadway news!

 It's time to put on a happy face because BroadwayHD, the premier streaming service for live theater, is bringing the 1995 Star-Studded TV adaptation of the delightful Broadway musical Bye Bye Birdie to its platform on February 7.  This Emmy Award nominated musical comedy directed by Tony Award-winner Gene Saks (The Odd Couple) is supported by an all-star cast featuring Jason Alexander (Seinfeld), Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty), and Chynna Phillips (Bridesmaids).  

BroadwayWorld is sad to report that legendary playwright Neil Simon has died at 91. 

Dinosaurs will once again roam international soil when the globally-acclaimed production, WALKING WITH DINOSAURS - THE ARENA SPECTACULAR, based on the award-winning BBC Television Series, returns in 2018, starring Michaela Strachan as 'Huxley' the paleontologist.

Join Broadway General Manager Peter Bogyo in conversation with Tony Award-winning Producer Margot Astrachan as they discuss the nitty-gritty of the business side of show business. Bogyo will offer fascinating and entertaining glimpses into the inner workings of the normally closed world of theatrical general management. You can also expect some personal anecdotes and bits of theatrical lore. This evening will offer invaluable insight not only to fledgling general managers but to producers, writers, actors... anyone who is interested in the hows and whys of what happens in theatre before the curtain goes up.

Before his guest starring role on Young Sheldon, last season's off-Broadway production of The Portuguese Kid and of course nearly a decade as George Costanza on Seinfeld, Jason Alexander was a song and dance man on Broadway. He made his Broadway debut in Merrily We Roll Along in 1981, followed by a continual decade of shows: The Rink, Broadway Bound, Jerome Robbins' Broadway (in which he won a Tony Award for his performance) and Accomplice. Highlights of how his Broadway career began will be hilariously re-told next week, as his tour heads back to his home state of New Jersey to perform with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra at NJPAC in Newark and the State Theater in New Brunswick. Newark is actually where Alexander was born before growing up in Maplewood and Livingston.

A couple of weeks ago when five-time Tony nominee Jan Maxwell died, I assumed the marquees of Broadway theaters would be dimmed. I emailed the Broadway League--the association of theatre owners and producers who issues press releases on such things--to ask 'when' it would happen. I don't know why I automatically assumed it would.

Dinosaurs will once again roam international soil when the globally-acclaimed production, WALKING WITH DINOSAURS - THE ARENA SPECTACULAR, based on the award-winning BBC Television Series, returns in 2018, starring Michaela Strachan as 'Huxley' the paleontologist.

The Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF), the not-for-profit foundation of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), announces that acclaimed Director Julie Taymor will be honored with the distinguished 2018 Mr. Abbott Award for outstanding artistry and creativity over the course of her career. The Award will be presented at the Foundation's annual gala event on April 2, 2018 in New York City, venue to be announced. Chairing the Mr. Abbott Award Committee are Thomas Schumacher, President & Producer, Disney Theatrical Productions, producer Nelle Nugent of The Foxboro Company (currently represented on Broadway with Taymor's production of M. BUTTERFLY), and SDCF Executive Board Members Rachel Chavkin and Michael Wilson. Honorary Co-Chairs include actress Helen Mirren and playwright David Henry Hwang. Proceeds from the gala benefit the early-career programs of Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation.

T. Fellowship, in association with Columbia University School of the Arts, announces the next T. Fellow is Allison Bressi, the sixth fellow in the one year program designed to educate and empower new creative producers.

Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF) announces that Vivienne Benesch, of Playmakers Repertory Theater (Chapel Hill, NC), is the recipient of the 2017 Zelda Fichandler Award.

Top Broadway general manager Peter Bogyo will celebrate the publication of his book, BROADWAY GENERAL MANAGER, with two free public events in September.

Alan Ruck's familiar sardonic grin is instantly recognizable among fans of feature films, TV series, and Broadway shows

'CATS 2: GRIZABELLA'S REVENGE'?, 'STILL WAITING FOR GODOT: THE SEQUEL'? Unlike successful films, which often spawn prequels, sequels and beyond, It's not often that you see a 'Part II' attached to the title of a cherished theatrical work. But that's not to say it never happens!

The Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDC Foundation), the not-for-profit foundation of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), announces Robert Greenblatt, Golden Globe and Tony Award-winning producer and Chairman of NBC Entertainment (The Wiz LIVE! and Hairpsray LIVE!), and John Stamos, star of stage and screen (Full House), as honorary co-chairs, and Neil Meron and Craig Zadan of Storyline Entertainment - Zadan/Meron Productions (Chicago, Hairpsray LIVE!) as co-chairs of the 2017 'Mr. Abbott' Award Gala honoring Kenny Leon.

Kathy St. George may be diminutive in stature, but she is a feisty force of nature as the title character in MAME at Stoneham Theatre. Mary Callanan returns from Broadway and national tours to play her sidekick Vera, and ten-year-old triple threat Cameron Levesque plays her precocious nephew Patrick. One of Jerry Herman's great works, MAME is a joyous celebration of living life with brio and without apologies.

The Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDC Foundation), the not-for-profit foundation of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), announces that acclaimed Director Kenny Leon will be honored with the distinguished 2016-2017 'Mr. Abbott' Award for the outstanding artistry and creativity of his forty-year (and counting) career.

T. Fellowship, in association with Columbia University School of the Arts, announces the next T. Fellow is Christopher Maring, the fifth fellow in the one?year program designed to educate and empower new creative producers. The fellow will receive a stipend of $10,000 with a $20,000 budget for the development of a new theatrical production.

'MAME', starring Angela Lansbury opened on Broadway 50 years ago! Last evening Thursday, May 26th, members of that company gathered for a 50th Anniversary Celebration at Sardi's.