Jeff Brooks News

BULLETS OVER BROADWAY's national tour tour shot over to the Fox Performing Arts Center (PAC) in Riverside for a single performance on January 27th, after a run at the Pantages. The top-notch cast delivered a hilarious night of theatre at the Fox, with fabulous dancing and singing.

While certainly far from a perfect show (both in staging and execution), the bus-and-truck version of BULLETS OVER BROADWAY - THE MUSICAL---the quirky and highly-amusing stage musical adaptation of the 1994 big screen comedy penned by Woody Allen and Douglas McGrath---is nonetheless a supremely fun and engaging stage iteration had me in stitches for much of its two hilarious acts, which have been enhanced by lots of silly, old-fashioned antics and an array of surprisingly top-notch musical/acting performances from a solid, mostly young cast. I can honestly say that this production---now finishing up its Los Angeles premiere performances at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood through January 24---is quite possibly the most enjoyable non-equity first national tour I've watched in a long, long time---a wonderful surprise considering such enterprises have a long, contentious history of enticing lots of industry controversy and skepticism even before the curtain goes up.

As Helen Sinclair (Emma Stratton) holds her hand over playwright David Shayne's (Michael Williams) mouth (picture above), fans of the 1994 film Bullets Over Broadway are bound to chuckle as they remember the famously unforgettable line spoken by the movie's Helen Sinclair Oscar winner Dianne Weist, 'Don't speak!' Weist, Jennifer Tilly as Olive and Chaz Palminteri as Cheech stole the brilliant film, so when I heard a couple of years ago that they were rehashing this for a Broadway musical, my reaction was 'Sacrilege! Why? Don't tamper with perfection!' Well, they didn't listen to me, obviously, as the musical went forward, and for some sketchy reasons, was a flop on Broadway. Let me tell you, as reluctant as I was to see the musical now onstage at the Pantages through January 24, I am glad I did, for it is actually quite good, with mostly sparkling performances, ingenious choreography recreated from Susan Stroman's original, fabulous costumes by William Ivey Long...and it's faithful to the film. No one dared to touch Woody Allen's uncannily sharp plot, dialogue and laugh lines. Yes, it could have an original score, but what is accomplished with the old standards aiding in moving the story forward, kind of like in Mamma Mia, works damn well. It's fun, ear and eye-filling entertainment!

The Orpheum Theatre announced today that individual tickets for the Memphis premiere of BULLETS OVER BROADWAY, written by Woody Allen and based on the screenplay by Allen and Douglas McGrath (Beautiful) for the 1994 film, will go on sale Friday, December 18 at 10:00 AM.

Turkeys are on-sale at your local supermarket, so there's no better way to know Thanksgiving is just around the corner - yep, less than two weeks away! - which means that local theater companies will be unleashing their holiday season productions with enough productions of A Christmas Story (both the musical and the play), It's A Wonderful Life and Ebenezer Scrooge-led shows that you could shake a stick at!

Gimme a chorus line of gorgeous girls with gams up to here, a tap-dancing mob of darkly handsome wise guys, a serious lady of the theater whose teeth marks may be found all around a stage set - place them amid a whimsical and altogether unbelievable plot as thin as the best of the old-time movie musicals, complete with a score of tuneful hits from the jazz age, then throw 'em a laugh-out-loud funny script by Woody Allen - and I am in musical theater nirvana.

Victoria Theatre Association welcomes the show-stopping Broadway musical BULLETS OVER BROADWAY, Nov. 3-8, 2015 at the Benjamin & Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center, as part of the 2015-2016 Premier Health Broadway Series.

The national tour of the new musical comedy BULLETS OVER BROADWAY, written by Woody Allen and based on the screenplay by Allen and Douglas McGrath (Beautiful) for the 1994 film, launched from Cleveland, OH earlier this month, and is currently playing Burlington, Vermont. Below, check out photos from the show below!

The national tour of the new musical comedy BULLETS OVER BROADWAY, written by Woody Allen and based on the screenplay by Allen and Douglas McGrath (Beautiful) for the 1994 film, launched from Cleveland, OH earlier this month, and is currently playing Burlington, Vermont. Below, check out highlights form the show!

The national tour of the new musical comedy BULLETS OVER BROADWAY, written by Woody Allen and based on the screenplay by Allen and Douglas McGrath (Beautiful) for the 1994 film, launches in Cleveland, OH at Playhouse Square with performances beginning tonight, October 6, 2015.

The national tour of the new musical comedy BULLETS OVER BROADWAY, written by Woody Allen and based on the screenplay by Allen and Douglas McGrath (Beautiful) for the 1994 film, will launch in Cleveland, OH at Playhouse Square with performances beginning October 6, 2015. The company meet the press today, and BroadwayWorld takes you inside the rehearsal room for a sneak peek below!

The national tour of the new musical comedy BULLETS OVER BROADWAY, written by Woody Allen and based on the screenplay by Allen and Douglas McGrath (Beautiful) for the 1994 film, will launch in Cleveland, OH at Playhouse Square with performances beginning October 6, 2015. The company meet the press today, and BroadwayWorld brings you photos from their performance preview below!

If you are a Shakespeare connoisseur who knows the plays and who thrills at new stagings of familiar material, by all means get thee to the Lansburgh Theatre to see Michael Attenborough's fascinating production of As You Like It. With a rock-solid cast, and a Spartan stage design that throws their great work into high relief, you will be in for a rich experience indeed.

Roundabout Theatre Company's national tour of the 2011 Tony Award-winning Anything Goes will complete 13 months of "Education@Roundabout" on the road with a student Postcard Production Workshop on Thursday, November 14 in Greenville, SC. Anything Goes will play at the Peace Center in Greenville, SC through November 17, 2013.

The national tour of Roundabout Theatre Company's ANYTHING GOES, the new Broadway revival of Cole Porter's timeless classic musical theatre masterpiece, recently made its Orange County premiere at Segerstrom Center for the Arts as part of the Curtain Call Series, now playing through September 29. Yesterday, some of the cast stopped by GDLA to offer up some tap dance lessons, check out the segment below!

The national tour of Roundabout Theatre Company's ANYTHING GOES, the new Broadway revival of Cole Porter's timeless classic musical theatre masterpiece, will make its Orange County premiere tonight, September 24 - 29 at Segerstrom Center for the Arts as part of the Curtain Call Series.

The Roundabout Theatre Company's Anything Goes, the recent Broadway revival of Cole Porter's timeless classic musical theatre masterpiece, will make its Seattle premiere at The 5th Avenue Theatre, playing October 15 - November 3.

The national tour of Roundabout Theatre Company's ANYTHING GOES closes today, August 25, after playing an extended run at the Princess of Wales Theatre.