New York Shakespeare Festival News

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Monday, November 9, 2009.

Black Box Theatre presents a one-of-a-kind Halloween experience with the World Premiere of THE CREATURE by Trevor Allen. Rob Melrose directs this new play featuring James Carpenter* (The Creature), Gabriel Marin* (Victor Frankenstein), and Garth Petal (Captain Walton). The design team includes Cassandra Carpenter (costumes) and Cliff Caruthers, who has created an original soundscape for the production. THE CREATURE plays October 23 through November 7 (Press opening: Sunday, October 25) at Thick House (1695 18th St., between Carolina & Arkansas) in San Francisco. For tickets ($20-30 sliding scale) or more information, the public may call (415) 401-8081 or visit thickhouse.org.

FEINSTEIN'S AT LOEWS REGENCY, the nightclub proclaimed 'Best of New York' by New York Magazine and 'an invaluable New York institution' by The New York Post, will conclude its star-studded Fall 2009 season with the first joint engagement of the club's founder MICHAEL FEINSTEIN and Emmy and Tony Award winning Broadway and TV star DAVID HYDE PIERCE from December 1 - 30

Variety is reporting that former off-Broadway Topdog/Underdog star and international film sensation Don Cheadle has sealed a first-look deal on a new television drama with NBC through this production company Crescendo that he runs with with former managers Kay Liberman and Lenore Zerman.

The Public Theater's founding press rep Merle Debuskey will be honored at an event taking place November 4th. Debuskey will be honored 'for his invaluable contributions to The Public Theater and Free Shakespeare in the Park.' Debuskey has been a press agent for more than 300 Broadway productions, the highest number of any press agent in Broadway history.

In the late 1980s LA Times writer Kenneth Turan began to conduct interviews of over 160 people close to Joeseph Papp to produce a book about his life. This process lasted for over 18 months, and when Papp read the nearly finished manuscript he halted the process by refusing to let the book be published.

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is set to join the cast of 'Law and Order: Criminal Intent' for its upcoming season. Mastrantonio will play the working-class captain of the show's Major Case Squad, replacing Eric Bogosian. The cast will feature several new members, as four of the current actors, Vincent D'Onofrio, Kathryn Erbe, Julianne Nicholson and Eric Bogosian, have all chosen not to return.

Great Lakes Theater Festival opens the season with Rupert Holmes' Tony Award-winning THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD and Shakespeare's enchanting TWELFTH NIGHT.

Broadway Across America (John Gore, Thomas B. McGrath, Beth Williams), Craig Zadan, Neil Meron, Candy Spelling and The Weinstein Company will present the first-ever Broadway revival of PROMISES, PROMISES this spring at the Broadway Theater (1681 Broadway). Previews will begin on Sunday, March 28th, 2010 with an opening night slated for Sunday, April 25th, 2010. The musical is written by legends Neil Simon (book), Burt Bacharach (music), and Hal David (lyrics). Emmy Award winner Sean Hayes will make his Broadway debut starring in the role of Chuck Baxter opposite Tony and Emmy Award winner Kristin Chenoweth, returning to Broadway as Fran Kubelik. Tony and Emmy Award winner Rob Ashford will also make his Broadway directorial debut and choreograph. More casting and creative team members will be announced in the near future.

Girl Gone by Mac Wellman with direction by Paul Lazar, choreography by Annie-B Parson, with music composed and directed by Cynthia Hopkins marks the premier fall production at Marymount's Division of Fine Arts. The production will play 5 performances only; Wednesday, October 21 through Sunday, October 25 at the Theresa Lang Theatre.

Boston's favorite cabaret artist Belle Linda Halpern takes a funny, intriguing and profound Jewish-American look at our constant cravings: food, sex, acceptance, fame and true nourishment in CRAVINGS: Songs of Hunger & Satisfaction at Central Square Theater. Playing Thursday, October 8th through Sunday, October 25th, press night is set for Friday, October 9 at 8:00 PM.

San Francisco's cutting-edge Cutting Ball Theater opens its 10th season with Eugène Ionesco's comic masterpiece THE BALD SOPRANO, in a new translation by Cutting Ball Artistic Director Rob Melrose.

Black Box Theatre presents a one-of-a-kind Halloween experience with the World Premiere of THE CREATURE by Trevor Allen. Rob Melrose directs this new play featuring James Carpenter* (The Creature), Gabriel Marin* (Victor Frankenstein), and Garth Petal (Captain Walton). The design team includes Cassandra Carpenter (costumes) and Cliff Caruthers, who has created an original soundscape for the production. THE CREATURE plays October 23 through November 7 (Press opening: Sunday, October 25) at Thick House (1695 18th St., between Carolina & Arkansas) in San Francisco. For tickets ($20-30 sliding scale) or more information, the public may call (415) 401-8081 or visit thickhouse.org.

Girl Gone by Mac Wellman with direction by Paul Lazar, choreography by Annie-B Parson, with music composed and directed by Cynthia Hopkins marks the premier fall production at Marymount's Division of Fine Arts. The production will play 5 performances only; Wednesday, October 21 through Sunday, October 25 at the Theresa Lang Theatre.

Marymount Manhattan College Theatre Arts Division (Mary Fleisher, department Chair) will present Girl Gone by Mac William Hopkins from October 21 - October 25. Tickets go on sale today.

Today, Monday 19 October, the cast of Tennessee Williams' Cat On A Hot Tin Roof begin rehearsals for the show's West End run at the Novello Theatre from 21 November to 10 April 2010.

Girl Gone by Mac Wellman with direction by Paul Lazar, choreography by Annie-B Parson, with music composed and directed by Cynthia Hopkins marks the premier fall production at Marymount's Division of Fine Arts. The production will play 5 performances only; Wednesday, October 21 through Sunday, October 25 at the Theresa Lang Theatre.

Arena Stage presents The Quality of Life, written by playwright and Emmy Award-winner Jane Anderson and directed by Lisa Peterson (Arena's The Rainmaker). In this 'magnetic work of theater' (San Francisco Chronicle) filled with compassion, honesty and humor, we find two couples dealing very differently with devastation.

Liza Colon-Zayas, Sol Frieder and Elaine Kussack will join Sam Waterston in the world premiere of Athol Fugard's Have You Seen Us?, taking place at Long Wharf Theatre from Nov. 24 to Dec. 20.

The producers of the recently announced 'A Christmas Carol' production at the Civic Opera House this December regret to announce that Timothy Hutton and Stockard Channing will not be part of this year's production.