Michael Blakemore News

WALKING WITH DINOSAURS will appear exclusively live on ABC's “Good Morning America” nationwide this Friday, July 11th as the arena spectacular kicks off a new North American tour with engagements in Brooklyn at Barclays Center (July 16-20), followed by the Prudential Center in New Jersey (July 23-27).

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) announces the 2014 Play Reading Series on Monday, June 9, Monday, June 16, and Monday, June 23 at 7pm at the Engelman Recital Hall, Baruch Performing Arts Center, 55 Lexington Avenue, NYC. Tickets are free and may be reserved by emailing TRUStaff1@gmail.com or phoning the TRU message line at 212-714-7628. For more information visit http://truonline.org/TRUPlays.htm.

According to the Daily Mail, Rosalie Craig and Hadley Fraser, who are engaged in real life, will be playing the lead couple in CITY OF ANGELS, directed by Josie Rourke at the Donmar Warehouse this fall. Performances begin October 4, 2014.

Whether you've been living under a rock for the past week or you're just in the mood for a recap, BroadwayWorld's 'This Week in Pictures' is here to satisfy your end-of-the-week fix! Take a look below to catch up on the latest happenings from the Great White Way to The West End (and everywhere in between) with coverage of press events, rehearsals, opening nights and more. Highlights this week include a first look at the Broadway company of MOTHERS AND SONS, a peek into rehearsals of THE WAY WEST with Amy Morton, coverage of opening night of BLITHE SPIRIT starring Angela Lansbury, and more!

Dinosaurs once again roam the earth when the spectacular production, WALKING WITH DINOSAURS THE ARENA SPECTACULAR, based on the award-winning BBC Television Series, returns to North America this summer. The show that critics have called 'awesome', 'spectacular' and 'breathtaking' will commence a new tour in Cleveland from July 9-13, 2014. This updated production will showcase changes to the dinosaurs based on the latest scientific research including the likely feathering of some species. Worldwide, more than eight million people have seen this show in 243 cities and over 2,000 performances.

Noel Coward's sharp comedy of social mores, Blithe Spirit just opened at the Gielgud Theatre, starring Jemima Rooper, Sandra Dickinson, Simon Jones, Patsy Ferran, Janie Dee, Charles Edwards and Angela Lansbury, directed by Michael Blakemore. BroadwayWorld brings you photos from opening night below!

A preliminary sneak peek at iconic Broadway and Hollywood legend Angela Lansbury in rehearsal for her much anticipated West End return in Noel Coward's classic comedy BLITHE SPIRIT is now available to view.

Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit, set to open in previews on 1 March at the Gielgud Theatre, features Angela Lansbury reprising her role after the play's New York staging in 2009. Lansbury plays a medium hired by a skeptical novelist who actually manages to call up the spirit of his first wife during a seance that wasn't meant to succeed - a role for which she won her fifth Tony Award. Lansbury talked to the Irish Times about her upcoming performance on the West End, her career thus far, and her favorite kind of tea.

Stage Left Theatre announces their upcoming revival of A Day in the Death of Joe Egg written by Peter Nichols and directed by ensemble member Greg Werstler. A Day in the Death of Joe Egg is the second production of Stage Left's 32ndseason. Press opening is Tuesday, January 14th at 7:30 PM at Theater Wit, 1229 W Belmont. The show runs through February 16th.

Michael Blakemore, an actor, director, and writer of books such as Next Season and Arguments with England: A Memoir, has written another book, Stage Blood, due to come out September 19, 2013.

Starz in association with Sony Pictures Television has announced today that Tobias Menzies ('Game of Thrones,' 'Rome,' Casino Royale) will play the roles of both Frank Randall and Jonathan 'Black Jack' Randall in the original series 'Outlander.' The series adapted from Diana Gabaldon's international best-selling books by Ronald D. Moore ('Battlestar Galactica,' 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,' 'Star Trek: The Next Generation') is set to premiere on Starz in 2014.

Broadway In Boston and Producers Broadway Across America - Beth Williams; Howard & Janet Kagan; and Barry Brown have announced that tickets for the upcoming Boston engagement of the highly anticipated Pre-Broadway World Premiere of TUCK EVERLASTING will go on sale to the public this Today, March 10th beginning at 10am. This limited three week engagement will play the historic Citi Performing Arts Center Emerson Colonial Theatre July 28-August 18, 2013 and is part of the Lexus Broadway In Boston Series.

Broadway In Boston and Producers Broadway Across America - Beth Williams; Howard & Janet Kagan; and Barry Brown have announced that tickets for the upcoming Boston engagement of the highly anticipated Pre-Broadway World Premiere of TUCK EVERLASTING will go on sale to the public this Sunday, March 10th beginning at 10am. This limited three week engagement will play the historic Citi Performing Arts Center Emerson Colonial Theatre July 28-August 18, 2013 and is part of the Lexus Broadway In Boston Series.

On April 24, American Theater Group, New Jersey's newest professional theater company, will present, direct from its success at the 2012 New York Musical Theatre Festival, Jonathan Brielle's new musical Himself and Nora at its new home, Hamilton Stage in Rahway, New Jersey.

Today in 1989, City of Angels opened at the Virginia Theatre (now the August Wilson Theatre), where it ran for 879 performances. City of Angels is a musical comedy with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by David Zippel, and book by Larry Gelbart. The musical weaves together two plots, the 'real' world of a writer trying to turn his book into a screenplay, and the 'reel' world of the fictional film. The musical is an homage to the film noir genre of motion pictures that rose to prominence in the 1940s. It was directed by Michael Blakemore with sets designed by Robin Wagner and costumes by Florence Klotz.

Following REBECCA's cancellation on Broadway and the news that financier and stock broker Mark C. Hotton was arrested yesterday for his role in the show's collapse, Bloomberg reports that REBECCA's producers now have 10 weeks-until Dec. 31-to raise $4.5 million or face returning millions more to their investors.

The twisting tale of REBECCA's cancellation on Broadway made a new turn this morning with multiple news outlets reporting that troubled financier and stock broker Mark C. Hotton was arrested this morning at 6am for his role in the show's collapse.

According to the New York Post, Ronald Russo , lawyer for producer Ben Sprecher has now said that 'Sprecher had been led to "Abrams" by shadowy Long Island businessman, Mark Hotton, who told him Abrams died before he could hand over the dough, sources have said. There also were three other investors Hotton told Sprecher about who supposedly promised another combined $2 million for the show, the sources have said. But "following an extensive search over the last week, I can now confirm that there is no evidence whatever that "Paul Abrams" or any of the other three investors brought to this production by Mr. Hotton, ever existed," said Sprecher's lawyer, Ronald Russo. The lawyer said they conducted an investigation in both the US and England.'

This morning, October 3, the following letter was composed by one of the Principal cast members of REBECCA, Karen Mason, in hopes of clearing up the ongoing speculation of the cancelled Broadway prodution of REBECCA

Now according to the New York Times, the United States attorney's office is investigating whether the investor ever existed in the first place. Sprecher told NYT: "I never made up or fabricated any investor, and I never made up Paul Abrams." He also revealed that a new production of Rebecca is in the works that he 'hoped to mount soon, on Broadway or elsewhere.'