Michael Frayn News

A middle-aged couple awakens in a beautiful country house on a hill, surrounded by trees and glimpses of water. There's just one problem. They can't remember their own names, much less the relationship between them. Their ensuing pursuit of memory yields both terrifying and comic results, setting them adrift on a leaky raft of postmodern anxiety.

Audience members in the audience on Friday night at A Steady Rain have reported to BroadwayWorld.com that with Hugh Jackman acting as auctioneer, along with Daniel Craig, the pair auctioned off their undershirts for a total of $10,000 for Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS, with two matching $5,000 bids. Jackman did the same thing during his BOY FROM OZ days as part of BC/EFA's fundraising efforts.

The inspired lunacy of Michael Frayn's Noises Off is a good choice for any theatre company seeking to offer a glimpse into the wacky antics of life on the boards and Circle Players continues its 60th annual season with a largely successful production that features the aforementioned stellar performances of Maggie Pitt and Jeremy Maxwell in the roles of Poppy and Tim (the techies in Frayn's show-within-a-show structure). Pitt and Maxwell deliver disarmingly natural performances amid all the hilarious hijinks taking place in Frayn's wonderfully funny farce and they very nearly-actually, they do it outright-steal the show.

Variety reports this week that the Broadway hit, A Steady Rain starring powerhouse duo Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman, broke it's own box office record last week, setting a new high in weekly gross sales for a non-musical production. Last week the production pulled in $1,276,106 in sales, with an the average ticket price of a startling $147. As standard ticket prices range from $66 - $140, this figure suggests that many more seats than usual are being sold at premium prices. This placed the production fourth on the comprehensive gross charts, landing after the moster hits Wicked, Billy Elliott and The Lion King.

Opening Friday, October 16, at Nashville's Z. Alexander Looby Theatre, and running for three weekends, the plot of Noises Off focuses on a 'highly dysfunctional theatre troupe as it puts on an unfunny farce called Nothing On,' explains Regine McClain, Circle's public relations director. 'In Act 1, the audience gets to see a dress rehearsal that is not going well. In Act 2, the cast performs the first act as the audience watches from the backstage perspective, where things are getting out of hand. The final act shows the play after two months of touring, when the show has deteriorated into a total disaster, yet a delightful one.'

SARTA, The Sacremento Area Regional Theatre Alliance, announces both general and show-specific auditions for the Sacremento Area.

The critically-acclaimed new American two-character play by Keith Huff is directed by Tony Award nominee John Crowley, and began previews on Thursday, September 10, 2009, and opens tonight Tuesday, September 29, 2009 and runs through Sunday, December 6, 2009 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre.

Since its Broadway premiere in 1889, 'A Doll's House' has been revived twelve times - most recently in 1997 - winning four Tony Awards. Such note-worthy actresses as Janet McTeer, Liv Ullmann, Claire Bloom and Ruth Gordon have all played Ibsen's leading lady, Nora, to critical success.

Center Repertory Company?s Artistic Director Michael Butler unveiled the company's 43rd subscription season. Running from September 3, 2009 to June 26, 2010, the season will be expanding Center Rep?s programming to include eight productions to be performed in all three theatres of the Lesher Center for the Arts. From the suspense of Agatha Christie to the music of Elvis Presley, Center Rep?s 09-10 season will delight audiences while also featuring the works of Caryl Churchill, No?l Coward, Reduced Shakespeare Company, Michael Frayn and five-time Emmy Award nominee Harold Gould. A variety of subscription packages, ranging from $128 to $522, can be purchased by calling 925-943-SHOW.

The following are SARTA's upcoming events.

The Flea Theater will present the World Premiere of Roger Rosenblatt's THE OLDSMOBILES. Directed by Jim Simpson, the production stars Richard Masur and Alice Playten in the title roles. Performances of this Off-Broadway limited engagement begin previews on October 1st with opening night slated for Saturday, October 17th.

The Flea Theater will present the World Premiere of Roger Rosenblatt's THE OLDSMOBILES. Directed by Jim Simpson, the production stars Richard Masur and Alice Playten in the title roles. Performances of this Off-Broadway limited engagement begin previews on October 1st with opening night slated for Saturday, October 17th.

Michael Frayn's Noises Off is the next production of Circle Players' 2009-2010 season, running October 16 through November 1. Frayn's comedy is a play with a play, filled with door slams and physical gags as a dysfunctional cast and crew attempt to open a new theatre production to tour the British provinces.

The critically-acclaimed new American two-character play by Keith Huff is directed by Tony Award nominee John Crowley, and began previews on Thursday, September 10, 2009, and opens tonight Tuesday, September 29, 2009 and runs through Sunday, December 6, 2009 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre.

Producers Frederick Zollo, Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli, Raymond L. Gaspard, Frank Gero, Cheryl Wiesenfeld, Jeffrey Sine, Michael Rose and Robert Cole announced today that Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman will star together on Broadway in A STEADY RAIN, a critically acclaimed two-character play by Keith Huff. Directed by Tony Award nominee John Crowley, A STEADY RAIN begins previews on Thursday, September 10, 2009 and opens Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre (236 West 45th Street) for a strictly limited 12 week engagement through Sunday, December 6, 2009.

The following are SARTA's announcements and upcoming events.

The Flea Theater will present the World Premiere of Roger Rosenblatt's THE OLDSMOBILES. Directed by Jim Simpson, the production stars Richard Masur and Alice Playten in the title roles. Performances of this Off-Broadway limited engagement begin previews on October 1st with opening night slated for Saturday, October 17th.

David Mamet has revealed the basic plot details of his upcoming new Broadway play RACE in an essay for The New York Times.

A STEADY RAIN stars Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig chatted with The New York Times about their new Broadway play.

During a break from rehearsals, A STEADY RAIN stars Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig chatted with USA Today on a break from rehearsals. The pair talk about how they both joined the project, meeting each other previously at Hollywood parties and how they'd like to be remembered.