Manhattan Theatre Club News

Georganne Aldrich Heller will present Laoisa Sexton's raw, visceral and provocative new play, THE LAST DAYS OF CLEOPATRA, a pitch black comedy set in Dublin, August 20th through September 7th at Urban Stages, 259 West 30th Street in Manhattan. The official opening is on Saturday, August 23rd at 8PM. Tim Ruddy Directs. www.thelastdaysofcleopatra.com

The Old Globe today announced the full cast and creative team for the World Premiere of Bright Star, a new American musical featuring music by Edie Brickell and Steve Martin, lyrics by Brickell, and book by Martin, based on an original story by Martin and Brickell. Directed by Walter Bobbie, Bright Star will run September 13 - November 2, 2014 on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Globe's Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Preview performances run September 13 - September 27. Opening night is Sunday, September 28 at 7:00 p.m. Single tickets go on sale on Friday, August 8 at noon.

59E59 Theaters will welcome Chicago's A Red Orchid Theatre, in association with Bisno Productions, with the NYC premiere of THE OPPONENT, written by Brett Neveu and directed by Karen Kessler. THE OPPONENT begins performances on Thursday, July 31 for a limited engagement through Sunday, September 7. Press opening is Wednesday, August 6 at 7:30 PM.

Cape May Stage, South Jersey's premiere Equity theatre, will welcome back two of its favorite performers: the husband-and-wife team of Michael Tucker and Jill Eikenberry. Beloved by Cape May audiences, this year these stars of NBC's L.A. Law return with a double header at the Robert Shackleton Playhouse on Monday, August 18 with the first show at 7 p.m. and an encore performance at 9 p.m.

Two-time Tony nominee Christopher Fitzgerald rejoins the Broadway cast of Chicago as Billy Flynn -- his second starring role in the acclaimed production-- beginning tonight, August 5.

DBD PRODUCTIONS will present the world premiere of HALFWAY, NEBRASKA as part of the 18th Annual New York International Fringe Festival - FringeNYC, written by Briandaniel Oglesby (She Gets Naked in the End - Latinidad Award) and directed by Daniel R. Melnick.

Samuel French previously announced a talented roster of judges for the Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival (OOB Festival), the nation's premiere short play competition, running from today, August 5th-10th at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre.

Dorset Theatre Festival will present the song cycle from Dillingham City by the exciting writing team of Lucy Thurber and Matt Gould, as part of their New Play Reading Series on August 9th at 3 pm. The presentation, which will include songs from the show in development as well as a talk with the writers about their process, will be directed by Kent Nicolson, the acclaimed Director of Musical Theater and Literary Associate for Playwrights Horizons in New York City. A talk-back with the writers, cast and director will occur directly after the presentation.

Two-time Tony nominee Christopher Fitzgerald rejoins the Broadway cast of CHICAGO as Billy Flynn -- his second starring role in the acclaimed production-- beginning Tuesday, August 5.

A.R. Gurney's enduring romance about first loves and second chances, LOVE LETTERS, will have its first Broadway revival, beginning performances Saturday, September 13, 2014, at 8pm, at the Nederlander Theatre (208 West 41 Street).

New York City Center's 11th annual Fall for Dance Festival will feature free performances in Central Park and 24 acclaimed dance companies and artists from around the world, in six unique programs in September and October 2014.

square product theatre kicks off its 9th Season with the World Premiere of SLAB, adapted by Gleason Bauer and Emily K. Harrison from the forthcoming novel by Mississippi born, Denver-based writer Selah Saterstrom. SLAB will be presented in the ATLAS Black Box theater on the University of Colorado Boulder campus, today, July 31-August 16, 2014.

59E59 Theaters will welcome Chicago's A Red Orchid Theatre, in association with Bisno Productions, with the NYC premiere of THE OPPONENT, written by Brett Neveu and directed by Karen Kessler. THE OPPONENT begins performances tonight, July 31 for a limited engagement through Sunday, September 7.

Following the overwhelming success of New York City Center's sold out FALL FOR DANCE FESTIVAL last year in Central Park, New York City Center will once again present two free evenings of dance in association with The Public Theater at The Delacorte on Friday, September 12 and Saturday, September 13 at 8:00 p.m.

Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell will star in The Band Wagon, an Encores! Special Event based on the classic MGM movie of the same title, from November 6 - 16, 2014 at City Center. The show has a book by Douglas Carter Beane adapted from the screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, with music by Arthur Schwartz and lyrics by Howard Dietz. The Band Wagon will be directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Kathleen Marshall with music direction by Todd Ellison. The Band Wagon will run for 12 performances, by special arrangement with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures.

The NATIONAL NEW PLAY NETWORK (NNPN), the country's alliance of non-profit theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays, announces its 44th, 45th, and 46th Rolling World Premieres: Nathan Alan Davis' Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea, Andrew Hinderaker's Colossal, and William Missouri Downs' Women Playing Hamlet will receive a total of 12 productions through the Network's Continued Life of New Plays Fund in the 2014/15 season.

Acclaimed actors Chris Noth and Fritz Weaver join the cast of Lincoln's Favorite Shakespeare with John Douglas Thompson and Kathleen Chalfant. On August 14 at 4pm at the Fitzpatrick Main Stage, this noted quartet of actors are donating their performances to the event and will present scenes and soliloquies known and loved by Abraham Lincoln from the canon of Shakespeare with a reception immediately following at Chesterwood.

The Icicle Creek New Play Festival (formerly known as the Icicle Creek Theatre Festival) will add two new workshops to its line-up in addition to featuring two plays written by esteemed playwright Steven Dietz (Becky's New Car) and Carly Mensch (TV's 'Weeds' and 'Nurse Jackie').

Ben Rimalower's addiction to spending beyond his means has driven him to extreme lengths all his life. In BAD WITH MONEY he charts his sometimes hilarious, sometimes harrowing struggle to overcome his problem-or get rich trying. Written and performed by Ben Rimalower and directed by Aaron Mark, BAD WITH MONEY premieres at The Duplex (61 Christopher Street at Seventh Avenue) from September 4 through November 6.