Kevin Kline News

YALE REPERTORY THEATRE presents the world premiere of THESE PAPER BULLETS!, a modish ripoff of William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, adapted by Rolin Jones, with songs by Billie Joe Armstrong, and directed by Jackson Gay, March 14-April 5 at the University Theatre (222 York Street). Opening Night is Thursday, March 20.

Jim Butz will play the expansive role of Prince Hal/King Henry V in Shakespeare Festival St. Louis' productions of Henry IV and Henry V, May 17 through June 15, at Shakespeare Glen in Forest Park, it was announced today by Rick Dildine, artistic and executive director of Shakespeare Festival St. Louis.

Lyric Opera of Chicago General Director Anthony Freud announced today that two major Broadway and TV performers – Jenn Gambatese and Edward Hibbert – have been cast in the new production and company premiere of Rodgers and Hammerstein's iconic The Sound of Music, to be presented at the Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, in Chicago, this spring.

Lyric Opera of Chicago General Director Anthony Freud announced today that two major Broadway and TV performers - Jenn Gambatese and Edward Hibbert - have been cast in the new production and company premiere of Rodgers and Hammerstein's iconic The Sound of Music, to be presented at the Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, in Chicago, this spring.

Come and experience the greatest English language play ever written - Shakespeare's sublime story of treachery and revenge, The Tragedy of Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark. Hamlet teeters on the edge of madness when he learns his uncle has killed his father and married his mother. Hamlet plays in the Marian Theatre February 13 - March 2, 2014.

Forty-one years after Patti LuPone went on tour with The Acting Company, her son, Joshua Johnston, is doing the same in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (opened on Sunday) and Hamlet (opening tonight) at the Pearl Theater, prior to a four-month national tour.

Muny Executive Producer Mike Isaacson announced today the directors, choreographers and music directors for the Muny's 2014 Season, which opens on June 16 with Billy Elliot The Musical. "We're so happy these exciting artists are creating our 2014 season," said Isaacson. "This is a challenging season, one with incredible variety and power. We're fortunate that such extraordinary talents will be creating our 'Muny Magic.'"

The Pasadena Playhouse announced Bruce Davison, Sharon Lawrence and RoxAnne Hart to star in A SONG AT TWILIGHT by Noël Coward, the fifth production of its 2013 - 2014 Season. A SONG AT TWILIGHT is performed March 18 to April 13; the press opening is Sunday, March 23.

The Acting Company will present a benefit staged reading of The Real Inspector Hound by Tom Stoppard at 7 pm on Monday, January 13 at the Pearl Theatre, 555 West 42nd Street (9th-10th Avenues). The performance--starring John Glover (Macbeth), Francesca Faridany (Macbeth), Julia Coffey, Lee Aaron Rosen Acting Company Members Sam Tsoutsouvas, Michele Tauber, Andy Weems, Stephen Pilkington (The Winslow Boy) and Andy Nagosky--will be followed by a reception with the cast and director, Ian Belknap, Artistic Director of The Acting Company.

After 27 years, Tom Stoppard's seminal work, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead returns to the New York stage directed by Tony-winner John Rando (Urinetown, A Christmas Story). Presented by The Acting Company in rotating repertory with Hamlet, directed by Ian Belknap, performances begin tonight, January 9 and run through February 1 at the Pearl Theater, 555 West 42nd Street, NYC.

A joyous, toe-tapping, and moving theatrical concert event which celebrates the colorful life and rich musical legacy of America's greatest troubadour, Woody Sez: The Life and Music of Woody Guthrie features more than 25 songs including classics like 'This Land is Your Land,' 'Pastures of Plenty' and 'The Ballad of Tom Joad.' The original folk hero, Woody Guthrie, and his infectious melodies defined an American era of political expression and transformed the folk ballad into a vehicle of social commentary and unity. The Rep is excited to kick off 2014 with a musical salute to this music icon in this award-winning production. Scroll down for a first look at the cast in action!

Veteran press agent Leslie Baden Papa will launch Vivacity Media Group, an entertainment public relations agency on January 6, 2014. Publicist Whitney Holden Gore will join the firm as Vice President.

In this week's edition, we caught up with Price Waldman who is starring in A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder- currently playing at the Walter Kerr Theatre.

After 27 years, Tom Stoppard's seminal work, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead returns to the New York stage directed by Tony-winner John Rando (Urinetown, A Christmas Story). Presented by The Acting Company in rotating repertory with Hamlet, directed by Ian Belknap, performances begin January 9 and run through February 1 at the Pearl Theater, 555 West 42nd Street, NYC.

Brette Goldstein will facilitate a lecture and extensive Q & A on Audition Acting Traps and Solutions at Ionica Theater, 300 West 43rd Street, NYC, on Thursday, February 6th from 6:30-7:30 PM.

The Acting Company presents a benefit staged reading of Holiday by Philip Barry at 7 pm tonight, Monday, December 16 at the Mainstage Theater (at Playwrights Horizons), 416 West 42nd Street (9th-10th Avenues).

The Board of Trustees of The Public Theater just announced that Arielle Tepper Madover has been elected as The Public's new Board Chair. Madover, who joined the board in 2009, has been an active member of the Executive Committee, serving as Board Vice-Chair for the last year and Chair of The Public's Commercial Projects Committee since 2011. She was Co-Chair of The Public's 2013 Gala and the 50thAnniversary Gala in 2012, achieving the highest grossing galas in Public Theater history. A Tony Award-winning producer, Madover will serve a three year term effective immediately.

The Public Theater (Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director; Patrick Willingham, Executive Director) is proud to announce that the acclaimed THE APPLE FAMILY PLAYS: SCENES FROM LIFE IN THE COUNTRY, written and directed by Richard Nelson, will be recorded for television by THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET the week of December 16, following the end of the epic run at The Public Theater on Sunday, December 15. All four plays will be captured for posterity and broadcast at a future date. Fans of THE APPLE FAMILY PLAYS can attend a taping of one or all four of the plays by visiting www.publictheater.org.

The Record Company will open for legendary blues guitarist B.B. King at his Segerstrom Center debut tonight, December 8 at 7 p.m. in Segerstrom Hall. The band is a rock/blues/roots trio based in Los Angeles and consists of Chris Vos (guitar, lead vocals, harmonica), Alex Stiff (bass, guitar, vocals), and Marc Cazorla (drums, pianos, vocals). Steeped in the classic sounds of Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker along with the raw rock 'n' roll of The Stooges and The Yardbirds, The Record Company has burst onto the scene in a very short time.

The Broadway production of Shakespeare's timeless love story ROMEO AND JULIET, starring international film star Orlando Bloom in his Broadway debut opposite two-time Tony Award nominee Condola Rashad, closes today, December 8, 2013, after 27 previews and 93 regular performances at the Richard Rodgers Theatre (226 West 46th Street). Directed by five-time Tony Award nominee David Leveaux, Romeo and Juliet began previews on Saturday, August 24, 2013 and opened on Thursday, September 19, 2013.