Joseph Papp News

Shane Bertram Baker, unquestionably the biggest star in Yiddish vaudeville today, returns in his mega-hit sensation, 'The Big Bupkis! A Complete Gentile's Guide to Yiddish Vaudeville' for the first open-run of a Yiddish-related show in twenty years.

Arizona Theatre Company presents George Is Dead, a new comedy by acclaimed writer and director Elaine May.

Tarell Alvin McCraney's The Brother/Sister Plays have officially launched at the Public Theater. The series Part 2, The Brothers Size and Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet, directed by Robert O'Hara, began previews on October 21. Tonight Part 1, In the red and Brown Water, hits the stage. Tina Landau directs. McCraney, one of America's most acclaimed young writers, returns to The Public to complete his trilogy following the success of The Brothers Size in 2007. Official opening night it November 17. Performances will run through December 13.

Presented in association with Ontological-Hysteric Theater, previews for IDIOT SAVANT ran through November 3. The show opened officially last night, Wednesday, November 4 and runs through Sunday, December 13.

To mark AMERICAN THEATRE magazine's 25th Anniversary in April 2009, Theatre Communications Groups (TCG) honored the publication by publishing The American Theatre Reader, a 640-page compilation of significant and insightful articles, essays and interviews from the magazine's first quarter century.

Finally appearing together again after their Tony Award® winning performances in Evita, Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin bring their critically acclaimed theatre concert to The Royal Alexandra Theatre for 6 performances only, from February 9 through 14. Tickets are now on sale.

Presented in association with Ontological-Hysteric Theater, previews for IDIOT SAVANT continue through November 3. The show opens officially tonight, Wednesday, November 4 and runs through Sunday, December 13.

Sometime after Betty and Adolph and long before Hunter and Jeff, another pair of New York actors wrote a musical with juicy roles for themselves and achieved their dream of taking it to Broadway. Not exactly hippies, but inspired by the dramatic possibilities of the flower power movement, bookwriter/lyricists Gerome Ragni'>Gerome Ragni and James Rado'>James Rado devised a story where the former played Berger, a high school student and de facto leader of a tribe of Manhattan hippies, and the latter was his newly-drafted buddy Claude, who can't decide if he should join his friends in burning their draft cards and, if necessary, fleeing to Canada, or comply with his parents' wishes that he go fight in Vietnam for his country.

In the late 1980s LA Times writer Kenneth Turan began to conduct interviews of over 160 people close to Joeseph Papp to produce a book about his life. This process lasted for over 18 months, and when Papp read the nearly finished manuscript he halted the process by refusing to let the book be published.

Presented in association with Ontological-Hysteric Theater, previews for IDIOT SAVANT continue through November 3. The show opens officially on Wednesday, November 4 and runs through Sunday, December 13.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) announced that the 2010 Shakespeare in the Park summer season will present two Shakespeare plays in repertory giving audiences eight straight weeks of free Shakespeare. Under directors Daniel Sullivan and Michael Greif, the same company of actors will perform in both THE WINTER'S TALE and THE MERCHANT OF VENICE on rotating nights.

Great Lakes Theater Festival opens the season with Rupert Holmes' Tony Award-winning THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD and Shakespeare's enchanting TWELFTH NIGHT.

Tarell Alvin McCraney's The Brother/Sister Plays have officially launched at the Public Theater. The series Part 2, The Brothers Size and Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet, directed by Robert O'Hara, began previews on October 21. Tonight Part 1, In the red and Brown Water, hits the stage. Tina Landau directs. McCraney, one of America's most acclaimed young writers, returns to The Public to complete his trilogy following the success of The Brothers Size in 2007. Official opening night it November 17. Performances will run through December 13.

Goodman Artistic Director Robert Falls, acclaimed Canadian director Jennifer Tarver and celebrated star Brian Dennehy team up again for a Broadway-bound double bill, Hughie/Krapp's Last Tape; January 16- February 21, 2010 in the Goodman's Albert Ivar Theatre. Tickets are $25 – $83 and go on sale Friday, November 13 at GoodmanTheatre.org.

Columbia Stages presents the Acting class of 2010 in Euripides' Phoenician Women, adapted and directed by Karin Coonrod. War is imminent. The city is held hostage by a conflict in its royal family. The overarching grasp of the individual has triumphed over the community. None of this is lost on the chorus, visitors from the East called Phoenicians. Civilization rests on the virtues of family and city.

Diverse City Theater Company, Penguin Rep Theatre and Shotgun Productions will reveal the truth behind the Santa-gate scandal in SANTA CLAUS IS COMING OUT, a new comedy written by and starring Jeffrey Solomon, directed by acclaimed director Joe Brancato. The show runs from November 29th thru December 20th at Theatre Row's The Kirk Theatre.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) will present the New York premiere of THE LAST CARGO CULT, created and performed by Mike Daisey and directed by Jean-Michele Gregory in the Public's Newman Theater.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) announced initial casting today for the world premiere of Suzan-Lori Parks' THE BOOK OF GRACE (previously titled Snake).

The Public Theater's highly anticipated world premiere of IDIOT SAVANT, written and directed by Richard Foreman, kicks off tonight with the first preview. Presented in association with Ontological-Hysteric Theater, previews for IDIOT SAVANT continue through November 3. The show opens officially on Wednesday, November 4 and runs through Sunday, December 13.

Broadway Across America (John Gore, Thomas B. McGrath, Beth Williams), Craig Zadan, Neil Meron, Candy Spelling and The Weinstein Company will present the first-ever Broadway revival of PROMISES, PROMISES this spring at the Broadway Theater (1681 Broadway). Previews will begin on Sunday, March 28th, 2010 with an opening night slated for Sunday, April 25th, 2010. The musical is written by legends Neil Simon (book), Burt Bacharach (music), and Hal David (lyrics). Emmy Award winner Sean Hayes will make his Broadway debut starring in the role of Chuck Baxter opposite Tony and Emmy Award winner Kristin Chenoweth, returning to Broadway as Fran Kubelik. Tony and Emmy Award winner Rob Ashford will also make his Broadway directorial debut and choreograph. More casting and creative team members will be announced in the near future.