Maryann Plunkett News

Once in a while you see an actor whose performance just blows you away. That happened when I saw A.R. Gurney's Far East for the third time and Vanessa Kai was cast as The Reader. A few years later I saw her perform in the physically demanding and emotionally wrenching two-person show, An Infinite Ache, about a couple who meet, marry and grow old together.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Today's big news: It's the day after the Tonys, and we're feeling it -- but it was worth it! There's still TONS of new content coming your way from Sunday evening's festivities. Plus, get your tickets to THE LAST SHIP, and celebrate FIDDLER, Lerner & Loewe, drag queens and more!

Irish Repertory Theatre presents THE SPECTACULAR SONGS OF LERNER AND LOEWE, this season's Benefit Gala production, on Monday, June 9th at 7 PM at Broadway's Al Hirschfeld Theatre (302 West 45th Street).

The Night Alive, written by Conor McPherson, recently took home the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award (NYDCC) for Best Play of the 2012-2013 season. All the Way, written by Robert Schenkkan received the award for Best American Play. A Fun Home received the award for Best Musical. The awards were presented at a cocktail reception on Friday, May 16, at 54 Below.

On Monday May 19, 7:30pm, Red Bull Theater will present a staged reading of THE ALCESTIAD and its satyr play THE DRUNKEN SISTERS by Thornton Wilder, featuring Michael Braun, Justin Blanchard, Michael Cerveris, Joel de la Fuente, Clifton Duncan, Laura Esterman, Stephen Friedrich, Philip Goodwin, Enid Graham, Caitlin O'Connell, Maryann Plunkett, Jay O. Sanders, Valentino Sella, Greg Sullivan, Sam Tsoutsouvas and Paxton Whitehead.

Heartbreak House, one of Shaw most admired of curious comedies, is packed full of extraordinary roles. Each member of the cast gets to take a bite out of this rarely produced and provocative piece. Set just before WWI, the action of the play takes place in and around the Shotover home, built like a ship on top of a hill on the English countryside. In the course of the play, everyone learns to face the future, however tumultuous it may be.

A reading of the prolific actor's play about the 1994 Rwanda genocide will stream live and include a web-assisted talkback with people in Rwanda.

Gingold Theatrical Group's PROJECT SHAW, under the leadership of Founding Artistic Director David Staller, presents George Bernard Shaw's masterwork, Heartbreak House, on Monday, May 12 at 7pm, at Symphony Space's Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre (2895 Broadway at 95th St.).

Rattlestick Playwrights Theater's Artistic Director David Van Asselt and Managing Director Brian Long present the world premiere of Ode to Joy, written and directed by Craig Lucas, which just opened last night at the Cherry Lane Theatre, 38 Commerce Street. The cast features Kathryn Erbe ('Law & Order: Criminal Intent'), Roxanna Hope (Frost/Nixon) and Arliss Howard (Moneyball, Natural Born Killers). Ode to Joy is scheduled to run through Sunday, March 30. BroadwayWorld brings you photos from opening night below!

Marc Agger and William Brown present Bikeman: A 9/11 Play by Thomas F. Flynn based on his acclaimed book. Directed by Michael Bush, Bikeman plays at BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 199 Chambers Street and features Robert Cuccioli, Irungu Mutu, Angela Pierce, Elizabeth Ramos, and Richard Topol. For information, go to www.Bikeman911.com. BroadwayWorld brings you photos from opening night below!

History Matters/Back to the Future will present FORGOTTEN TREASURERS: An Evening of Scenes by Historic Women Playwrights Read by Luminaries of Stage, Film, and Television. The performance will take place at 7:00pm on Monday, February 17th at The Helen Mills Theatre 139 West 26th Street (between 7th and 6th Avenues). Tickets are by invitation only.

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.

What started as a disposable play has concluded as one of the great American theatre experiences of this young century.

Directed by Richard Nelson, REGULAR SINGING began performances at The Public Theater on Saturday, November 16 and runs in repertory with the previous Apple Family Plays through Sunday, December 15. Below, BroadwayWorld brings you photos from opening night!

Directed by Richard Nelson, REGULAR SINGING began performances at The Public Theater on Saturday, November 16 and runs in repertory with the previous Apple Family Plays through Sunday, December 15. Below, BroadwayWorld has a first look at the premiere in action!

Today we are talking to a top-tier Tony Award-winning talent known for an incredibly accomplished resume ranging from noted performances in original musicals to reinvented revival roles and beyond - the dignified and dynamic Victoria Clark. Discussing many of her most celebrated dramatic, comedic and musical turns to date, Clark recalls an astounding life in the theatre - ranging from her Broadway debut in the unforgettable original production of Sondheim's iconic SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE to the hit revivals of GUYS & DOLLS and HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING to originating memorable parts in the Broadway productions of TITANIC, THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, SISTER ACT and CINDERELLA, to name just a few of the highlights so far. On the latter note, Clark outlines her experiences in her most recent Broadway musical foray, that of the beloved Fairy Godmother in Rodgers & Hammerstein's classic CINDERELLA, as well as illuminates her acclaimed run in the Los Angeles transfer of the most recent revival of FOLLIES and her Sondheim work in general (SWEENEY TODD, too). Most importantly, Clark sheds some light on her compelling character in the new drama THE SNOW GEESE and relates candid stories of sharing the stage with co-stars and fellow vets Danny Burstein and Mary-Louise Parker, among others. Plus, Clark looks ahead to the upcoming TITANIC reunion concert and imparts her excitement for the project as well as comments on some of her most memorable film roles while also sharing first news of future plans - which include directing herself - and muses on some potential roles she would enjoy bringing to the stage in the future, near and far; HELLO, DOLLY! or MAME, maybe? All of that and much, much more in this career-spanning conversation with one of Broadway's best grande dames!

Actress Laila Robins has seen Broadway, the big screen and the small screen. But lately she has poured her soul onto the off-Broadway stage and into her character 'Marian Apple Platt', a role she originated in 2010 as part of The Apple Family Plays: Scenes from Life in the Country. BroadwayWorld recently spoke with Robins about the challenges and joys of revisiting 'Marian' afresh and being part of the fictional, liberal Apple family of Rhinebeck, New York, whose actors have become like a family of their own.

The Public Theater (Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director; Patrick Willingham, Executive Director) is currently in previews for the return engagement of THAT HOPEY CHANGEY THING, the first play in the tetralogy, The Apple Family Plays: Scenes from Life in the Country. Written and directed by Richard Nelson, the acclaimed plays will run in repertory through Sunday, December 15 and culminate in the world premiere of the fourth and final play, REGULAR SINGING, which opens on the day it is set, November 22 - the 50th Anniversary of JFK's assassination that shocked the world.

The Public Theater (Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director; Patrick Willingham, Executive Director) will begin performances for the return engagement of THAT HOPEY CHANGEY THING, the first play in the tetralogy, The Apple Family Plays: Scenes from Life in the Country, on Tuesday, October 22. Written and directed by Richard Nelson, the acclaimed plays will run in repertory through Sunday, December 15 and culminate in the world premiere of the fourth and final play, REGULAR SINGING, which opens on the day it is set, November 22 - the 50th Anniversary of JFK's assassination that shocked the world.

The Pearl Theatre Company kicks off its 30th anniversary season-the second season in its new home on West 42nd Street-with the first New York revival in 15 years of George Bernard Shaw's You Never Can Tell in a co-production with the Gingold Theatrical Group that is directed by David Staller. Running September 3-October 13, the show's sumptuous costumes, elegant settings and Shavian wit will raise a champagne toast to a year of celebration at The Pearl, where Shaw, following Shakespeare, has been the second most produced playwright in The Pearl's history. The production is also the centerpiece of the Shaw New York 2013 festival. Below, check out photos from opening night!