Paul Tazewell News

Lynn Nottage, whose new play RUINED is currently in previews at Manhattan Theatre Club at New York City Center - Stage I (131 West 55th Street), is currently featured on The Huffington Post.

Kevin McCollum, Jeffrey Seller and Jill Furman, the producers of the 2008 Tony Award-winning Best Musical In The Heights, announced today that Javier Munoz will take over the role of 'Usnavi' on Monday, February 16, 2009 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre (226 West 46th Street). Javier Munoz joined In The Heights for a reading in 2005 and has been involved ever since, in the ensemble and as understudy for ?Usnavi? at the O?Neill Theater Workshop and in the 2006 Off-Broadway and current Broadway productions. Lin-Manuel Miranda?s last performance will be Sunday February 15, 2009.

Manhattan Theatre Club is pleased to announce that After Words, the popular discussion series which has been a success at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre will come to MTC at New York City Center for the world premiere of Lynn Nottage's RUINED, the haunting, probing work about the resilience of the human spirit during times of war. The series will make its debut at New York City Center on Saturday, January 31 following the matinee performance of RUNED. The panel will feature RUINED playwright Lynn Nottage and Jessica Neuwirth, a founder and current president of Equality Now. The discussion will be moderated by MTC Artistic Associate Lisa McNulty. After Words is part of MTC's continuing effort to deepen and enrich the play-going experience for its audiences. Held after selected Saturday matinees, this exciting series of talks with writers, cultural critics, journalists, and members of the RUINED cast and creative team provides provocative and illuminating insights into the political, cultural, and artistic contexts of the work MTC produces.

RUINED, currently in previews at Manhattan Theatre Club, is featured on today's edition of NPR's 'Tell Me More.' To hear playwright Lynn Nottage and actress Saidah Arrika Ekulona discuss the play and the timely issues it explores, CLICK HERE. In the interview which also features clips from the play, Nottage and Ekulona discuss the ongoing violence against women that takes place in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where RUINED is set, and bringing the play to the stage. The Manhattan Theatre Club's (Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer) and Goodman Theatre's (Robert Falls, Artistic Director; Roche Schulfer, Executive Director) co-production of RUINED, written by Lynn Nottage and directed by Kate Whoriskey, will open Tuesday, February 10 at MTC at New York City Center - Stage I (131 West 55th Street). In addition to Ekulona, RUINED also features Quincy Tyler Bernstine (The Misanthrope at NYTW), Cherise Boothe (King Hedley II at Signature), Chris Chalk (MTC's Defiance), William Jackson Harper (Queens Boulevard), Chik? Johnson (The Crucible at Steppenwolf), Russell Gebert Jones (Our Lady of 121st Street), Simon Shabantu Kashama (Ruined at the Goodman), two-time Emmy? Award winner Kevin Mambo ('The Guiding Light'), Tom Mardirosian (Wonderful Town, HBO's 'Oz'), Ron McBee (The Colored Museum) and Condola Rashad (Pearl at The Kennedy Center).

The Manhattan Theatre Club's (Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer) and Goodman Theatre's (Robert Falls, Artistic Director; Roche Schulfer, Executive Director) acclaimed co-production of RUINED, written by Lynn Nottage and directed by Kate Whoriskey begins previews tonight at MTC at New York City Center - Stage I (131 West 55th Street). The limited engagement will open Tuesday, February 10. RUINED features Quincy Tyler Bernstine (The Misanthrope at NYTW), Cherise Boothe (King Hedley II at Signature), Chris Chalk (MTC's Defiance), Saidah Arrika Ekulona (Well, Nottage's Fabulation) William Jackson Harper (Queens Boulevard), Chik? Johnson (The Crucible at Steppenwolf), Russell Gebert Jones (Our Lady of 121st Street), Simon Shabantu Kashama (Ruined at the Goodman), two-time Emmy? Award winner Kevin Mambo ('The Guiding Light'), Tom Mardirosian (Wonderful Town, HBO's 'Oz'), Ron McBee (The Colored Museum) and Condola Rashad (Pearl at The Kennedy Center). RUINED played an extended engagement at the Goodman's Owen Theatre where it opened to rave reviews for Nottage's play, the ensemble cast, and director Kate Whoriskey.

Broadway in San Diego has announced that the National Tour of IN THE HEIGHTS will play San Diego's Civic Theatre in 2010. The Tony winning musical will play July 27th through August 1st at the Civic, no other tour dates are not known at this time. Casting details are also unknown, but news of the tour production should be released in the next number of months. IN THE HEIGHTS opened to critical acclaim, going on to win four 2008 Tony Awards (Best Musical, Best Score, Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations), and garnering a 2008 Grammy Award nomination for the original cast album. In November, 2008, Universal Pictures acquired the rights to produce a feature film based on IN THE HEIGHTS. In The Heights broke the house record at the Richard Rodgers Theatre set by Disney's Tarzan the week of December 28, 2008, earning $1,121,695. IN THE HEIGHTS then topped its own record the week of January 4, 2009, earning $1,136,062.

Oprah Winfrey, Scott Sanders and the producing team of the Broadway smash hit THE COLOR PURPLE, The Musical about Love, are proud to announce that the North American Touring production of THE COLOR PURPLE will return by popular demand to the Fox Theatre for eight performances, April 14 through 19. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 23! Nominated for eleven Tony Awards?, including Best Musical, THE COLOR PURPLE opened on December 1, 2005 at the Broadway Theatre where it ran for over two record-breaking years. It is based on the classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker and the moving film by Steven Spielberg. It is the unforgettable and inspiring story of a woman named Celie, who finds the strength to triumph over adversity, and discover her unique voice in the world. With a joyous GRAMMY?-nominated score featuring gospel, jazz, pop and the blues, THE COLOR PURPLE is about hope and the healing power of love. Michael Kuchwara, the Associated Press described THE COLOR PURPLE as 'a Roof-Raising story of triumph.' And Richard Corliss of TIME Magazine said, '[it is] a soaring, epic tale. It made a joyful noise in my heart.' Elysa Gardner from USA Today raved, 'Pure heart! It celebrates the inspiring relationships of faith and love, A Broadway hit!'

The full cast and creative team details for The Alliance Theatre production of Jesus Christ Superstar GOSPEL was recently announced. Jesus Christ Superstar GOSPEL, a reconceived version of the Tim Rice-Andrew Lloyd Webber musical will be directed by Susan V. Booth and is set to run January 14-February 22, with an opening on January 21.

The first joint Broadway project by two-time Tony Award winning director Des McAnuff and choreographer Sergio Trujillo since their collaboration on the Tony Award winning musical Jersey Boys, GUYS AND DOLLS will now begin previews on February 4, 2009 at Broadway's newly refurbished Nederlander Theatre (208 West 41st Street). Opening Night is March 1, 2009.

Oprah Winfrey, Scott Sanders and the producing team of the Broadway smash hit THE COLOR PURPLE, The Musical about Love, are proud to announce that Des Moines will host the North American Touring production of THE COLOR PURPLE for 8 performances, April 7 to 12, 2009. Tickets for THE COLOR PURPLE go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009 at the Civic Center Ticket Office, all Ticketmaster locations, charge-by-phone at (515) 243-1888 and online at CivicCenter.org. Groups of 20 or more should call (515) 246-2300.

Various online reports are indicating that Tony Winner Lin-Manuel Miranda will play his final performance as 'Usnavi' in his acclaimed Broadway hit, IN THE HEIGHTS on Sunday, February 15th, 2009 at 7pm. IN THE HEIGHTS opened to critical acclaim, going on to win four 2008 Tony Awards (Best Musical, Best Score, Best Choreography, Best Orchestrations), and garnering a 2008 Grammy Award nomination for the original cast album. In November, 2008, Universal Pictures acquired the rights to produce a feature film based on IN THE HEIGHTS.

The new Broadway production of GUYS AND DOLLS has launched the show's official website. The first joint Broadway project by two-time Tony Award winning director Des McAnuff and choreographer Sergio Trujillo since their collaboration on the Tony Award winning musical Jersey Boys, GUYS AND DOLLS will begin previews on February 3, 2009 at Broadway's newly refurbished Nederlander Theatre (208 West 41st Street). Opening Night is March 1, 2009.

Kevin McCollum, Jeffrey Seller and Jill Furman, the lead producers of the 2008 Tony Award-winning Best Musical IN THE HEIGHTS, announced today in a statement the recoupment of the show's $10 million investment after running only 10 months (337 performances) since opening on Broadway Sunday, March 9, 2008, at the Richard Rodgers Theatre (226 West 46th Street).

The box office will open today, Monday, January 5, 2009 for the new Broadway production of GUYS AND DOLLS. The first joint Broadway project by two-time Tony Award winning director Des McAnuff and choreographer Sergio Trujillo since their collaboration on the Tony Award winning musical Jersey Boys, GUYS AND DOLLS will begin previews on February 3, 2009 at Broadway's newly refurbished Nederlander Theatre (208 West 41st Street). Opening Night is March 1, 2009.

The full cast and creative team details for The Alliance Theatre production of Jesus Christ Superstar GOSPEL was recently announced. Jesus Christ Superstar GOSPEL, a reconceived version of the Tim Rice-Andrew Lloyd Webber musical will be directed by Susan V. Booth and is set to run January 14-February 22, with an opening on January 21.

Producer Howard Panter for Ambassador Theatre Group and co-producers Tulchin/Bartner/Jenkins, Bill Kenwright, Northwater Entertainment, Darren Bagert, and Tom Gregory announced the complete cast and design team for the new Broadway production of the greatest musical comedy GUYS AND DOLLS. The first joint Broadway project by two-time Tony Award winning director Des McAnuff and choreographer Sergio Trujillo since their collaboration on the Tony Award winning musical Jersey Boys, GUYS AND DOLLS will begin previews on February 3, 2009 at Broadway's newly refurbished Nederlander Theatre (208 West 41st Street). Opening Night is March 1, 2009.

On September 22nd, the 2008 Ovation Award Nominees were announced. Now in its 19th year, the LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards will celebrate the 168 theatre companies, 390 registered productions, and over 2,000 individual artists who participated in the September 1, 2007 to August 31, 2008 season. The 2008 Ovation Awards took place on November 17th, 2008 in The Fine Arts Complex in Los Angeles, CA.

Marcy Harriell joins the 2008 Tony Award Winning Best Musical IN THE HEIGHTS tonight Tuesday, November 18, taking over the role of Vanessa. Marcy Harriell has starred on Broadway in Rent and Lennon and also in Encores! Kismet.

Set in the present-day DRC, Ruined is the captivating story of Mama Nadi (Ekulona), the owner of a canteen who serves up everything from a cold beer and a warm meal-to the company of a woman. Through the eyes of this savvy businesswoman who both protects and profits from the women whose bodies have become battlegrounds, Nottage captures the constantly shifting allegiances and tragic absurdity that marks the civil war in the DRC. Ruined, rendered with Nottage's trademark humanity, clarity and surprising humor, gives a glimpse of a country that has suffered immeasurable losses since the beginning of this war that has raged for more than a decade.

Goodman Theatre opens its "Strong Women, Strong Voices" Owen Theatre Series with the world premiere of Lynn Nottage's Ruined, directed by Kate Whoriskey and co-produced with Manhattan Theatre Club. Commissioned by the Goodman and first seen in the 2007 New Stages Series, Ruined was developed through Nottage and Whoriskey's pilgrimage to Uganda-where countless interviews and interactions resulted in a portrait of the lives of the women and girls caught in the devastating armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Leading the Goodman's cast in the role of Mama Nadi is Saidah Arrika Ekulona (Well on Broadway; Righteous Kill), who previously collaborated with Nottage and Whoriskey on the world premiere of Fabulation at Playwrights Horizons. Ruined begins performances on November 8 (opening night is November 17) and runs through December 7. Tickets are $10 - $39. Ruined begins performances at Manhattan Theatre Club on January 21, 2009.