Groucho Marx News

Mary-Arrchie launches right into its 27th season with Sam Shepard's surreal Geography of a Horse Dreamer this month, followed by a Mary-Arrchie re-imagining of The Glass Menagerie in November. Then we kick off 2013 with Austin Pendleton's riveting Uncle Bob in February 2013 and finish up with a relentless experimental staging of The Brig by Kenneth H. Brown in April and the Silver Anniversary of Abbie Hoffman Died for Our Sins Theatre Festival in August 2013.

Actress/writer/comedian NANCY REDMAN will once again join forces with director AUSTIN PENDLETON for the premiere of her one-woman show 'EMERGENCY A La Carte,' in which 'a comedian dies and finds that death is her toughest audience.' Two performances in the United Solo Theatre Festival, October 15 & November 17, both at 9 PM, at Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd St.

Jon Lawrence Rivera's brisk staging, making generous use of the vast stage area, Nick Salamone's quirkily funny Hollywoodesque yet faithful adaptation, and a splendidly fun-loving cast make for this unique theatrical evening now through September 29.

Cinnabar Theater presents social comedy 'We Won't Pay! We Won't Pay!' by Dario Fo, translated by Ron Jenkins.

Bill Cosby, who has been making audiences laugh for decades with his keen insight into everyday existence, brings his signature comedy to the Treasure Island Theatre September 28 at 8 p.m.

Reviewing mindless fun can be dangerous terrain.  In the first half of the last century magnificent wits like P.G. Wodehouse and George S. Kaufman wrote the books for mindlessly fun musical comedies showcasing scores by the likes of Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart and the Gershwins that invented a new sophistication in American music and lyrics.  The plots may have been silly, but the mindless fun of 1920s and 30s (Of Thee I Sing, Anything Goes, The Boys From Syracuse for starters) was often literate and inventive.

Sam Shepard's Geography of a Horse Dreamer will be coming to Angel Island this September! It is directed by Carlo Lorenzo Garcia (Red Light Winter, Our Bad Magnet) and features Simon Ahmed, Bill Daniel, Rudy Galvan, Christopher Meister, Gavin Robinson, Matt Rockwood, Kevin Stark, & Mark Vallarta.

Unless you're a Marx Brothers fan, you may not be aware of this fun little Marvin Hamlisch creation.

It's becomes very clear very quickly, when talking to Rupert Holmes, that writing the libretto for The Nutty Professor-which paired him with composer Marvin Hamlisch-has been an astonishing and inspiring experience for the man whose resume is filled with noteworthy achievements in theater, music, publishing and, practically, any endeavor of self-expression that one can name. Yet, as Holmes remembers his friend, his collaborator and his fellow musical theater legend, it is apparent that Hamlisch's sudden death this week has left an indelible imprint upon him.

The Seeing Place Theater, known for intensely intimate ensemble work, announces casting for Harold Pinter's The Lover, a 'bizarre theatrical evening' of lust, cunning, and costumes) paired with John Patrick Shanley's Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, a brutal and romantic story of 'Beauty and the Beast in the Bronx.' Both shows are running in true repertory: same cast, design concept, and creative team, for 2 total hours of compelling programming.

Iconic funny man Bill Cosby, who has been making audiences laugh for decades with his keen insight into everyday existence, brings his signature comedy to the Treasure Island Theatre tonight, July 20 at 8 p.m.

The Seeing Place Theater, known for intensely intimate ensemble work, announces casting for Harold Pinter's The Lover, a 'bizarre theatrical evening' of lust, cunning, and costumes) paired with John Patrick Shanley's Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, a brutal and romantic story of 'Beauty and the Beast in the Bronx.' Both shows are running in true repertory: same cast, design concept, and creative team, for 2 total hours of compelling programming.

Pittsburgh CLO will present Fiddler on the Roof, July 13-22 at the Benedum Center. This classic tale is filled with 'memorable music, rousing dances and a touch of human wisdom.'

Mary-Arrchie is not taking a vacation this summer. The group finishes its 26th Season with a new partnership with Illinois State University when it presents an energetic staging of Electra in a new adaptation by Sonja Moser in July. And Mary-Arrchie will be performing a special two-week extension of Jeff Nominated Superior Donuts at Metropolis Arts Center in Arlington Heights. Plus, the Abbie Hoffman Died for Our Sins Theatre Festival celebrates it's 24th year this August.

Iconic funny man Bill Cosby, who has been making audiences laugh for decades with his keen insight into everyday existence, brings his signature comedy to the Treasure Island Theatre July 20 at 8 p.m.

Frank Ferrante, the award winning and internationally known comedic actor, stages his virtuoso tribute to Groucho Marx at ACT - A Contemporary Theatre, in An Evening With Groucho. Mr. Ferrante is the winner of the 1987 New York Theatre World Award, nominated for the Outer Critics Circle Award and Laurence Olivier Award, and well-known for his comic creation 'Caesar' with Teatro ZinZanni.

Last season's debate over whether the Best Play Tony should be awarded for the quality of the written text or for the production as a whole – set off by the nomination and subsequent victory of War Horse – is likely to be brought up again if the raucously funny and surprisingly tender Peter And The Starcatcher is included among this year's nominees.

Iconic funny man Bill Cosby, who has been making audiences laugh for decades with his keen insight into everyday existence, brings his signature comedy to the Treasure Island Theatre May 25 at 8 p.m.

In recognition of The Barn's 45 years of bringing the magic of live theater to the stage, we continue our special series of Onstage at The Barn: Memories from The First 45 Years, with actor Brian Russell, who is one of the region's favorite actors despite the recurring rumor that he was in the cast of Our American Cousin on the night that Lincoln was shot. Today, Brian, who just concluded a critically lauded (which means I gave him a glowing review) run in Tennessee Repertory Theatre's Superior Donuts, adds the memories of her Barn experiences to the ones that we've been sharing of late to celebrate the 45th anniversary…

Frank Ferrante, the award winning and internationally known comedic actor, stages his virtuoso tribute to Groucho Marx at ACT - A Contemporary Theatre, in An Evening With Groucho. Mr. Ferrante is the winner of the 1987 New York Theatre World Award, nominated for the Outer Critics Circle Award and Laurence Olivier Award, and well-known for his comic creation 'Caesar' with Teatro ZinZanni.