Jason Lyons News

Ah, the music of the mid-to-late 1980s. Now that was my era. The Roches, The Dead Milkmen, Loudon Wainwright III. Lining up for hours to catch Michelle Shocked at The Bottom Line. Elegant evenings of Mel Torme at Michael's Pub and Jack Jones at The Supper Club. Man, I loved that 80s music.

It was believed by many back in 1932, as it still is today, that the only reason Eugene O'Neill was not awarded that year's Pulitzer Prize for his Mourning Becomes Electra, an epic retelling of Aeschylus' Oresteia trilogy that declares Sigmund Freud as the true victor of the American Civil War, was that after granting him top honors for Beyond The Horizon (1920), Anna Christie (1922) and Strange Interlude (1928) the gang at Columbia figured enough was enough. So history was made that year when the Gershwin, Gershwin, Kaufman & Ryskin lark Of Thee I Sing became the first musical so honored, leaving O'Neill waiting until after his death to nab another, for Long Day's Journey Into Night.

Awards were handed out for 14 categories and 2 special awards are announced by the Off-Broadway League for the Lucille Lortel Awards recognizing Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway. This year?s ceremony benefits The Actors Fund. A list of nominees follows below.

The New Group proudly presents the US premiere of Ian Bruce's thrilling drama Groundswell as the third production in its 2008-2009 season. Directed by Scott Elliott, this production plays a limited Off-Broadway run May 4 - June 27 at The New Group @ Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street), with Official Opening Night on Monday, May 18 at 8:00 PM.

Intrigue, innuendo and mistaken identities are stock and trade for French farce. Georges Feydeau's comic romp A Flea in Her Ear at Kansas City Repertory Theatre, May 15-June 7, brims with satire, hilarity and mischievous schemes, thanks to Tony-nominated director Gary Griffin and a new adaptation by David Ives that brings a fresh edge to the classic comedy.

Nominations for the 54th Annual Drama Desk Awards were announced this morning at the New York Friars Club by Faith Prince and Jim Dale, multi-award winning stage stars. They were joined for the announcement by William Wolf, Drama Desk President, Barbara Siegel, Chairperson of the Drama Desk Nominating Committee, Robert R. Blume, Executive Producer of the Drama Desk Awards ceremony, and Randie Levine-Miller, Director of Special Events for the Drama Desk.

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Saturday, April 25, 2009.

Carol Kane to appear tomorrow night at 'Awkward 10 Minutes with Mike' Talkback Series Sleepwalk With Me an Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel Award Nominee Jason Sudeikis guests May 1st, Bleecker Street Theater, 45 Bleecker Street

The New Group proudly presents the US premiere of Ian Bruce's thrilling drama Groundswell as the third production in its 2008-2009 season. Directed by Scott Elliott, this production plays a limited Off-Broadway run May 4 - June 27 at The New Group @ Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street), with Official Opening Night on Monday, May 18 at 8:00 PM.

Nominations in 14 categories and 2 special awards are nnounced by the Off-Broadway League for the Lucille Lortel Awards recognizing Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway. This year's ceremony will benefit The Actors Fund.

Ira Glass and 'This American Life' will be filming Mike Birbligia at 'Sleepwalk With Me' this Saturday, April 4th at both the 4pm and 8pm shows for the Showtime television series. Mike will be filmed on stage telling a bonus story that isn't usually in 'Sleepwalk With Me' so this will be an added bonus for audiences.

'Awkward 10 Minutes With Mike' continues into April once a week after a select evening's performance of Sleepwalk With Me starring Mike Birbiglia at The Bleecker Street Theater.

The new comedy Sleepwalk With Me by Mike Birbiglia has announced that is extending through March 22nd, 2009 at The Bleecker Street Theatre (45 Bleecker Street just East of Lafayette). In addition, there will now be a Saturday matinee at 4pm, which replaces the 10pm performance.

You'll wanna 'Rock' with Rockin' Savings on Broadway's Newest Musical, ROCK OF AGES!

Lincoln Center Theater (under the direction of Andre Bishop, Artistic Director, and Bernard Gersten, Executive Producer) has announced its 2009 Fall productions of two new plays which will mark the Broadway and New York debuts for their respective playwrights: IN THE NEXT ROOM or The Vibrator Play, by Sarah Ruhl, directed by Les Waters; and BROKE-OLOGY a new play by Nathan Louis Jackson, directed by Thomas Kail. IN THE NEXT ROOM or The Vibrator Play, which will be presented on Broadway while LCT's Tony Award winning production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's SOUTH PACIFIC continues its run at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, will begin previews on Thursday, October 22 and open on Thursday, November 19 at a Shubert theater to be announced.

The producers of ROCK OF AGES announced the complete, awesome cast for Broadway's new, smash hit musical today. Constantine Maroulis, ('American Idol' Season 4, Broadway's The Wedding Singer, RENT) reprising his critically acclaimed role as 'Drew', is now joined by Broadway's best 1970's & 1980's period actors Amy Spanger (The Wedding Singer, Kiss Me Kate) as 'Sherrie' and James Carpinello (Saturday Night Fever, VH1's 'So NoTORIous') as 'Stacee Jaxx'.

Due to very strong ticket sales, Classic Stage Company's new production of Anton Chekhov's UNCLE VANYA, starring Tony Award winner Denis O'Hare as Vanya, Maggie Gyllenhaal as Yelena and Peter Sarsgaard as Astrov, has extended its limited engagement through Sunday, March 8, it was announced today by CSC Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Jessica R. Jenen. Directed by Austin Pendleton, UNCLE VANYA will begin previews on this Saturday, January 17 at Classic Stage Company at 136 East 13th Street, with an official opening set for Thursday, February 12. The cast of UNCLE VANYA also features Mamie Gummer (Sonya), Louis Zorich (Waffles), George Morfogen (Srebryakov), Delphi Harrington (Maria) and Cyrilla Baer (Marina). UNCLE VANYA will feature scenic design by Tony Award winner Santo Loquasto, who received wide acclaim last season at CSC for his design of The Seagull and who has designed numerous Chekhovian productions in his esteemed career including the famed Lincoln Center production of The Cherry Orchard in 1977. Costume design is by Suzy Benzinger, who also designed last season's The Seagull, and lighting design is by Jason Lyons. The play is translated by Carol Rocamora. O'Hare, who last performed at CSC in Yasmina Reza's A Spanish Play, stars as Vanya, the quintessential superfluous man, who wakes up one morning to discover he has wasted his life in the service of others, in Chekhov's tragicomic masterpiece of dashed dreams, thwarted love and eternal longing. The play was first performed at the legendary Moscow Art Theater in 1899, directed by Constantine Stanislavsky.

Constantine Maroulis, ('American Idol' Season 4, Broadway's The Wedding Singer, RENT) reprising his critically acclaimed role as 'Drew', Amy Spanger (The Wedding Singer, Kiss Me Kate) as 'Sherrie' and James Carpinello (Saturday Night Fever, VH1's 'So NoTORIous') as 'Stacee Jaxx' head up ROCK OF AGES, the cast met the press at the New 42nd Street Studios on March 3, 2009 and BroadwayWorld's cameras were there!

Constantine Maroulis, ('American Idol' Season 4, Broadway's The Wedding Singer, RENT) reprising his critically acclaimed role as 'Drew', Amy Spanger (The Wedding Singer, Kiss Me Kate) as 'Sherrie' and James Carpinello (Saturday Night Fever, VH1's 'So NoTORIous') as 'Stacee Jaxx' head up ROCK OF AGES, the leads 'rocked' the first day of rehearsal at the New 42nd Street Studios on March 3, 2009 and BroadwayWorld's cameras were there!

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Friday, February 20, 2009.