James Beaman News

A woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman? The side-splitting musical comedy, Victor/Victoria closes October 10 at the Robert G. Reim Theatre in Kirkwood.

What is it about movie adaptations and Broadway? They're constantly adapting motion pictures for the stage, and yet, the majority are expensive flops and failures. Is it the fickle nature of the 'Great White Way', or simply cynical critics and theatre patrons who are jaded by these repeat offenders? Well, their loss is our gain, and the funny, romantic, utterly charming and delightful production of VICTOR/VICTORIA by Stages St. Louis is certainly proof enough that something is amiss in their estimations. This closer for Stages season is well worth you time and attention, and proves once again that some productions just work better in other venues.

Victor/Victoria opens September 9 at STAGES ST. LOUIS and continues through October 9 at the Robert G. Reim Theatre in Kirkwood.

A woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman? The side-splitting musical comedy, Victor/Victoria opens September 9 at STAGES ST. LOUIS and continues through October 9 at the Robert G. Reim Theatre in Kirkwood.

A woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman? The side-splitting musical comedy, Victor/Victoria opens September 9 at STAGES ST. LOUIS and continues through October 9 at the Robert G. Reim Theatre in Kirkwood.

Walking along Ninth Avenue on an early Saturday evening after enjoying a light meal at one of the neighborhood sandwich shops, Maxwell Caulfield looks up at the Minskoff Building in the distance and sighs. He remarks, 'What a lovely view you have from the rehearsal space up there! There's a beautiful view of the setting sun as it goes down over the Hudson River! It's gorgeous. That rehearsal space will always be one of my favorite spots in New York.' There's good reason for that because it was in that rehearsal studio that he met his wife, actress Juliet Mills. They were preparing for the touring company of Bernard Pomerance's play THE ELEPHANT MAN in which Caulfield played the title role and Ms. Mills was Mrs. Kendall. The electricity between the two actors was evident to everyone in the room and it blossomed into a full romance and a marriage that has lasted 31 years. In these times of throw-away marriages and quickie divorces, it's refreshing to observe that Maxwell Caulfield is still very much in love with his wife. In fact, the two of them recently toured England together in a production of Alan Ayckbourn's BEDROOM FARCE.

This past Monday night, host Jim Caruso and musical director Billy Stritch along with bassist Steve Doyle oversaw another edition of Cast Party, the wildly successful open mic night, which tours the country celebrating local talent. The event, made up of impromptu musical performances, has been running every Monday at Birdland in New York City for the past eight years.

Ivor Novello composed the W.W. I British patriotic standard 'Keep the Home Fires Burning' in 1914 and his first musical in 1916 - Theodore & Co. With 5 songs by Jerome Kern, this British hit is being given its American premiere by Musicals Tonight.

The cast of the Off-Broadway production of the new true musical comedy, The Road to Qatar!, featuring book and lyrics by Stephen Cole and music by David Krane, heads into the recording studio to lay down tracks for Jay Records on March 7th. No release date has been announced.

Ivor Novello composed the W.W. I British patriotic standard 'Keep the Home Fires Burning' in 1914 and his first musical in 1916 - Theodore & Co. With 5 songs by Jerome Kern, this British hit is being given its American premiere by Musicals Tonight.

The cast of the Off-Broadway production of the new true musical comedy, The Road to Qatar!, featuring book and lyrics by Stephen Cole and music by David Krane,heads into the recording studio to lay down tracks for Jay Records on March 7th. No release date has been announced.

Name your musical The Road To Qatar! and in less than five words and an exclamation point you've communicated to your audience what to expect; a zany, lightweight, tuneful fish-out-of-water comedy set in an exotic locale featuring a Bob Hope/Bing Crosby-ish pair with a healthy dose of sex and romance provided by a Dorothy Lamour-ish babe.  And for a good deal of their pocket-sized ninety-minute musical, Stephen Cole (book and lyrics) and David Krane (music) deliver as promised.  At its best, The Road To Qatar! is a funny, breezy musical comedy hoot with some legitimately toe-tapping melodies.  But while enjoyable, the material isn't quite memorable, though the current production at The York has the feel of an early version of something that could be whipped into a pretty terrific show.

In April of 1949, Rodgers and Hammerstein shocked the Theatre World by writing a song for their new musical professing that humans developed racial prejudice by nurture and not by nature.  Later that same year, a scene in the new musical by Maxwell Anderson and Kurt Weill showed two racially different young boys innocently striking up a quick friendship, unaware of why anyone would object.

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director) presents the Off-Broadway premiere of the new true musical comedy, The Road to Qatar!, featuring book and lyrics by Stephen Cole and music by David Krane, with direction by Phillip George (Forbidden Broadway), choreography by Bob Richard (Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!) and musical direction by David Caldwell (Children of Eden). The five- member cast features James Beaman (Spamalot, National Tour) as Michael, Keith Gerchak (Finding Nemo, The Musical) as Jeffrey, Bill Nolte (La Cage aux Folles) as Mansour, Sarah Stiles (Avenue Q) as Nazirah, and Bruce Warren (The Wizard of Oz) as Farid.

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director) presents the Off-Broadway premiere of the new true musical comedy, The Road to Qatar!, featuring book and lyrics by Stephen Cole and music by David Krane, with direction by Phillip George (Forbidden Broadway), choreography by Bob Richard (Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!) and musical direction by David Caldwell (Children of Eden).

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director) presents the Off-Broadway premiere of the new true musical comedy, The Road to Qatar!, featuring book and lyrics by Stephen Cole and music by David Krane, with direction by Phillip George (Forbidden Broadway), choreography by Bob Richard (Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!) and musical direction by David Caldwell (Children of Eden).

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director) presents the Off-Broadway premiere of the new true musical comedy, The Road to Qatar!, featuring book and lyrics by Stephen Cole and music by David Krane, with direction by Phillip George (Forbidden Broadway), choreography by Bob Richard (Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!) and musical direction by David Caldwell (Children of Eden). The five- member cast features James Beaman (Spamalot, National Tour) as Michael, Keith Gerchak (Finding Nemo, The Musical) as Jeffrey, Bill Nolte (La Cage aux Folles) as Mansour, Sarah Stiles (Avenue Q) as Nazirah, and Bruce Warren (The Wizard of Oz) as Farid.

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director) has announced a Snow Day Special ticket offer of $29.50 for tonight's performance of the Off-Broadway premiere of the new true musical comedy, The Road to Qatar!, featuring book and lyrics by Stephen Cole and music by David Krane, with direction by Phillip George (Forbidden Broadway), choreography by Bob Richard (Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!) and musical direction by David Caldwell (Children of Eden).

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director) presents the Off-Broadway premiere of the new true musical comedy, The Road to Qatar!, featuring book and lyrics by Stephen Cole and music by David Krane, with direction by Phillip George (Forbidden Broadway), choreography by Bob Richard (Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!) and musical direction by David Caldwell (Children of Eden).

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director) and Hilary A. Williams LLC, present the Off-Broadway premiere of the new musical, Tomorrow Morning, with book, lyrics and music by Laurence Mark Wythe. Tom Mullen will direct. Performances begin Friday, March 21, 2011 for a limited engagement through Saturday, April 23, 2011 at The Theatre at Saint Peter's (619 Lexington Avenue, entrance on East 54th Street).