John Guare News

Robert ('Bob') Ullman (left), the legendary theatre press agent, whose career included Ethel Merman and Mary Martin: Together on Broadway, A Chorus Line (from workshop to Public Theater to Broadway), Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne in The Visit, Lauren Bacall in Cactus Flower, The Dining Room, Driving Miss Daisy, Sunday in the Park with George, and over 150 additional Broadway and off-Broadway plays and musicals, died on July 31, 2019 in Bayshore, Long Island, New York. He was 97. The cause of death was cardiac arrest. Bob's death was announced by Rev. Joshua Ellis, a long-time Ullman friend, a former Broadway press agent, and now, an Interspiritual minister.

Red Bull Theater today announced the cast for their ninth annual festival of 10-minute plays of heightened language and classic themes, featuring two brand new commissions from Kia Corthron and Marcus Gardley, alongside six brand new plays that have been chosen from hundreds of submissions from playwrights across the country: Kate Abbruzzese, Terry Glaser, Eric Pfeffinger, Bridgette Dutta Portman, David Lerner Schwartz, Sofya Levitsky Weitz, and Matthew Wells.

STEEPLECHASE, a new dark comedy by Chris Nelson with direction by Maridee Slater begins as part of New York Theater Festival's Summerfest at Hudson Guild Theater (441 West 26th Street) on Monday August 19th with subsequent performances on August 23rd and 25th. The cast includes Valerie Redd*, James O'Hagan-Murphy*, Amy Laird Webb, Rob McDermott, Joel Reyer, Schuyler Van Amson, Tyra Hardy, Cristina Lucas* and Allison Pappas. *(Member of Actors Equity). Costume design is by Corina Chase. Lighting and set design are by John Salutz.

Uptown Players, a professional theater group located in the Uptown area of Dallas, has announced its 2019-2020 season at the Kalita Humphreys Theater. The season will feature the regional premieres of the 2015 Tony Award winning musical, Fun Home, the 2019 Outer Critics Circle and Drama League nominated musical, Head Over Heels, and a new twist on the Nunsense holiday special, Nuncrackers. In addition, the season will include the 2017 Tony Award nominated play, Six Degrees of Separation. Uptown Players will also present two bonus add-on shows to its season lineup: the world premiere of the latest play (based on the hit film) from Del Shores, A Very Sordid Wedding and Uptown Players' annual fundraising production, Broadway Our Way.

Speaking French wasn't a requirement for a table at Yanna Avis' Cabaret show at the famed French Bistro La Goulue last night but it sure felt like everyone was fluent in the language. PADAM, PADAM, PADAM, an overflow audience could't resist the temptation to sing along with the alluring chanteuse at times who re-located the legendary New York City French establishment to Paris for the evening. Yanna made it a magical evening for all the patrons as they enjoyed the finest in French cuisine and the finest of French Cabaret.

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center announces casting and creative teams for the summer season of new musicals and plays selected for development at the National Music Theater Conference and National Playwrights Conference.

EgoPo Classic Theater in Philadelphia announces the hiring of Associate Producer, Dane Eissler, and Managing Director, Katrina Foy, arriving in July at the start of the 2019-2020 "Shepard Country" Festival Season, joining founder and Artistic Director Lane Savadove in leading the organization.  Foy succeeds Shayna Freed as Managing Director, who served in the role since 2015.  Eissler is the first in the Associate Producer role, marking a time of growth and opportunity for EgoPo's future.

Red Bull Theater today announced the selections for their ninth annual festival of 10-minute plays of heightened language and classic themes, featuring two brand new commissions from Kia Corthron and Marcus Gardley, alongside six brand new plays that have been chosen from hundreds of submissions from playwrights across the country: Kate Abbruzzese, Terry Glaser, Eric Pfeffinger, BrIdgette Dutta Portman, David Lerner Schwartz, Sofya Levitsky Weitz, and Matthew Wells.

The Lillys - in partnership with a broad coalition of theater artists - is pleased to announce 3Views on Theater, a new online journal aimed to expand and deepen theater journalism, writing in many voices about our community. 3Views will generate original content in three categories: Reviews, Interviews, and Purviews (articles submitted by theater artists including responses to reviews, original reviews, opinion pieces, and features).

Theater Breaking Through Barriers (Samuel D. Hunter's The Healing) kicks off its 40th Anniversary with the World Premiere of PUBLIC SERVANT by Bekah Brunstetter (NBC's Emmy-winning drama This Is Us and the just announced Oklahoma TV series). 

Theater Breaking Through Barriers (Samuel D. Hunter's The Healing) kicks off its 40th Anniversary season with the World Premiere of PUBLIC SERVANT by Bekah Brunstetter (NBC's Emmy-winning drama This Is Us and the just announced Oklahoma TV series). Directed by Geordie Broadwater, the production stars Chris Henry Coffey (Broadway's Bronx Bombers, David Schwimmer's Trust opposite Clive Owen and Viola Davis), Christine Bruno (Jose Rivera's adaption of The Maids, Bekah Brunstetter's Forgotten Corners of Your Dark, Dark Place with TBTB) and newcomer Anna Lentz in her Off-Broadway debut. The play is the second part of a trilogy of plays by Brunstetter that kicked off with The Cake in February at Manhattan Theatre Club. Previews for PUBLIC SERVANT begin May 25 at Theatre Row's Clurman Theatre with opening night on Thursday, June 6.

It's October 4, 1965, and Pope Paul VI is spending 14 hours in New York City, marking the first visit by a reigning pope to the United States. Millions line the streets to greet him and zookeeper Artie Shaughnessy, a wannabe Hollywood songwriter with big dreams and no discernible talent, joins the throngs in the hope that a papal blessing will help propel him out of Queens, away from his mentally ill wife, Bananas, and into a new life in Los Angeles with his girlfriend, Bunny Flingus. 

It's quite common to see crowds gathered on 54th street waiting to attend a show at Feinstein's/54 Below. In the case of John Lloyd Young last night there were also crowds waiting to get a glimpse of John leaving Broadway's Supper Club after his electrifying performance on it's stage. There are few artists with the voice and bio of John Lloyd Young.

BroadwayWorld has learned today the complete cast, design and production team for Guys and Dolls, the first show of its second century, June 10 - 16.

Palm Beach Dramaworks presents The House of Blue Leaves by John Guare. Obie Award-winning play opens May 17 at the Don & Ann Brown Theatre.

Theater Breaking Through Barriers (Samuel D. Hunter's The Healing) kicks off its 40th Anniversary season with the World Premiere of PUBLIC SERVANT by Bekah Brunstetter (NBC's Emmy-winning drama This Is Us and the just announced Oklahoma TV series).

The Queens Theatre may cause a stir when it premieres Relic, or, I Was Bubbie's Favorite by Joel Feinman (as told to Lojo Simon), an outrageous new comedy by playwright Lojo Simon and directed by Will Pomerantz, that explores the cult of celebrity, religion and idolatry in modern times. The play, set in the Queens neighborhood of Rego Park, revolves around an out-of-work actor who finds what purports to be the world's greatest relic in his grandmother's attic, offering him the fame and fortune he always sought. He discovers, however, that it may not be all he wants! Performances will be held Friday, May 10th through Sunday, May 19th (Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays).

ENSEMBLE STUDIO THEATRE announces its 50th Birthday Gala honoring the people and legacy of EST's Marathon of One-Act Plays. The 50th Birthday Gala will take place on Monday, May 13, 2019 at 6:30PM at the New York Museum of Contemporary Art (528 West 39th Street, 3rd Fl.).

BroadwayWorld has learned that The Muny announced today 25 principal cast members for the first season of its second century. Complete company casting will be announced throughout April and May. The 101st season opens on a brand new, state-of-the-art stage with Muny favorite Guys and Dolls followed by the U.S. regional premiere of Kinky Boots. The season continues with 1776, Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella, Footloose and a newly-reimagined Lerner and Loewe's Paint Your Wagon. Season 101 closes with the highly-anticipated Muny debut of Roald Dahl's Matilda.

On stage, Jay O. Sanders' Cyrano spends a lot of time speaking through Christian. This time, Sanders speaks for himself.