Jean Stapleton News

Rounding out their 2009-10 smash hit season, Drury Lane Oakbrook presents the 1964 classic Broadway musical comedy FUNNY GIRL.

Hartford Stage has announced casting for Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder's gospel play Gee's Bend, which will begin performances Jan. 14, 2010. The production, directed by Hana Sharif (2009-2010 Aetna New Voices Fellow, Rise and Fall of Day; Elliott, A Soldier's Fugue), will run through February 14, 2010. Official opening night is January 20.

The daffy and delightful Christine Pedi's newest cabaret concoction, the Jolly Holly Christmas Folly is an inviting cocktail mixing old favorites with a few new routines; very merry, raucously funny and abundantly cheery.

Mary Jane Houdina, a member of the original 1971 cast of the Tony Award-winning Stephen Sondheim / James Goldman masterpiece 'Follies' will speak during the intermission of the performance on Saturday, October 24 at 8 p.m. at the Prince Music Theater. She will be interviewed by David Anthony Fox, a member of the Brind School faculty who writes theater criticism for the Philadelphia City Paper.

Mary Jane Houdina, a member of the original 1971 cast of the Tony Award-winning Stephen Sondheim / James Goldman masterpiece 'Follies' will speak during the intermission of the performance on Saturday, October 24 at 8 p.m. at the Prince Music Theater. She will be interviewed by David Anthony Fox, a member of the Brind School faculty who writes theater criticism for the Philadelphia City Paper.

Pittsburgh CLO is proud to announce the cast and creative team for the return of Forever Plaid, which runs October 8, 2009, through March 28, 2010, at the CLO Cabaret. Celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Cabaret in style with the musical comedy hit that opened the theater in 2004.

Burning Coal Theatre Company's 2009/2010 LobbyLectures series begins on Saturday, September 26th at 6 pm with A CONVERSATION WITH GERALD FREEDMAN. Gerald Freedman directed the original production of Ragni, Rado & McDermott's HAIR at Joseph Papp's Public Theatre in 1967. He is currently Dean of the School of Drama at UNC School of the Arts in Winston-Salem.

Burning Coal Theatre Company's 2009/2010 LobbyLectures series begins on Saturday, September 26th at 6 pm with A CONVERSATION WITH GERALD FREEDMAN. Gerald Freedman directed the original production of Ragni, Rado & McDermott's HAIR at Joseph Papp's Public Theatre in 1967. He is currently Dean of the School of Drama at UNC School of the Arts in Winston-Salem.

Pittsburgh CLO is proud to announce the cast and creative team for the return of Forever Plaid, which runs October 8, 2009, through March 28, 2010, at the CLO Cabaret. Celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Cabaret in style with the musical comedy hit that opened the theater in 2004.

The 17th season of the Phoenix Theatre for Children will feature four stage adaptations of well-known children's literature, including two revivals of stories previously adapted by Phoenix Artistic Director Steven C. Anderson and two Columbus premieres.

After 23 years of guiding Totem Pole Playhouse into national prominence as a premiere professional summer theatre, Carl Schurr and Wil Love are stepping down at the end of the 2008 season. As Producing Artistic Director and Associate Artistic Director, respectively, this theatrical duo has produced, directed and acted in well over one hundred productions since assuming their current positions in 1985. Ray Ficca, long time friend of Schurr and Love and a resident company member at the Playhouse will become the artistic director in September of this year.

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Saturday, December 27, 2008.

Paper Mill Playhouse (Mark S. Hoebee-Artistic Director, Mark W. Jones-Executive Director) announces its mainstage production of Cole Porter's masterpiece Kiss Me, Kate, returning to the Paper Mill Stage after a 40 year absence. Directed by Paper Mill favorite James Brennan, Kiss Me, Kate won the very first Tony Award for Best Musical in 1949 - and has been delighting audiences ever since. Kiss Me, Kate will run at the Millburn theatre from April 16 through May 18, 2008.

On June 7, 2008, Charles Strouse, the award winning composer of Annie, Bye Bye Birdie and some of the most popular music from the last 50 years of Broadway, film and television, turns 80. To mark the occasion, a year-long celebration of events including concerts, international tributes, revivals of popular favorites and premieres of new works will take place across the United States and around the world.

All new monthly calendar of local theatre events!

Classic discussions with playwrights Arthur Miller, August Wilson, Wendy Wasserstein, Harvey Fierstein, John Guare, Alfred Uhry, and David Henry Hwang are among the newly added treasures available in the American Theatre Wing's online archive of the long-running 'Working in the Theatre' Seminars

Jerome Walden's BULLY, a play based on the life of Theodore Roosevelt, produced by Double W Productions, will open on Tuesday, July 11, 2006 at the Irish Arts Center (553 West 51st St.) Previews begin patriotically, on July 4th.

She titled her autobiography 'A Hell of A Life,' and wow, did she have one!