Peter Bartlett News

Though Julie Wilson was certainly not the first and by all means not the last great singer to have her heart stomped upon by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht's 'Surabaya Johnny,' there is no one I can name more deserving to claim it as their signature song.  (Okay, maybe Lotte Lenya, but you know that's a special case.)  Though for many years now the 83-year-old beloved cabaret star has been singing songs less and less and speaking them more and more, there are few who can match her for painting vivid word pictures and bringing complex dramatic subtext to a lyric.  With pianist Christopher Denny doing a marvelous job of softly supporting her many pauses and tempo changes, Wilson's crushing performance of Marc Blitzstein's translation, played to a pin-drop silent crowd on opening night of her new show at The Metropolitan Room, is an emotionally striking portrayal of a woman who can explode with anger at the mistreatment she endures from her faithless lover while moments later barely control a sob at the admission that she still loves him.  Through the years I've seen Julie Wilson sing 'Surabaya Johnny' many times but her performance that night was the best I've ever seen or heard from anyone.  (And as is typical of her modesty, she actually introduced the song by complimenting Donna Murphy's performance of it on Broadway in LoveMusik.)  She follows it with a devilishly humored 'Mack the Knife' (also Blitzstein's translation) that builds so slowly and precisely that she goes through the entire song twice in order to hit the climax.  I heard no complaints.

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Andrew D. Hamingson, Managing Director) is proud to present the world premiere production of Beau Willimon's play FARRAGUT NORTH, directed by Tony Award winner Doug Hughes (Doubt), and featuring Dan Bittner (The Vertical Hour) Kate Blumberg (Atlantic's Celebration and The Room), Tony Award winner John Gallagher, Jr. (Spring Awakening), Golden Globe Award nominee Chris Noth ('Sex and the City'), Otto Sanchez (HBO's 'Oz'), Olivia Thirlby (Juno) and Isiah Whitlock, Jr. (HBO's 'The Wire').

Atlantic Theater Company announced today that Jeffory Lawson has been appointed the new Managing Director as of December 1st, 2008.

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Andrew D. Hamingson, Managing Director) is proud to present the world premiere production of Beau Willimon's play FARRAGUT NORTH, directed by Tony Award winner Doug Hughes (Doubt), and featuring Dan Bittner (The Vertical Hour) Kate Blumberg (Atlantic's Celebration and The Room), Tony Award winner John Gallagher, Jr. (Spring Awakening), Golden Globe Award nominee Chris Noth ('Sex and the City'), Otto Sanchez (HBO's 'Oz'), Olivia Thirlby (Juno) and Isiah Whitlock, Jr. (HBO's 'The Wire').

On Wednesday September 10th, Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Andrew D. Hamingson, Managing Director) presented Peter Bartlett (The New Century, The Drowsy Chaperone) and two-time Tony Award® nominee David Pittu (Is He Dead?, LoveMusik), in the world premiere production of WHAT'S THAT SMELL: THE MUSIC OF JACOB STERLING, featuring original music by Randy Redd.

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Andrew D. Hamingson, Managing Director) will present Peter Bartlett (The New Century, The Drowsy Chaperone) and two-time Tony Award® nominee David Pittu (Is He Dead?, LoveMusik), in the world premiere production of WHAT'S THAT SMELL: THE MUSIC OF JACOB STERLING, featuring original music by Randy Redd.

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Andrew D. Hamingson, Managing Director) is proud to announce that Peter Bartlett (The New Century, The Drowsy Chaperone) will star opposite two-time Tony Award® nominee David Pittu (Is He Dead?, LoveMusik), in the world premiere production of WHAT'S THAT SMELL: THE MUSIC OF JACOB STERLING, featuring original music by Randy Redd.

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Andrew D. Hamingson, Managing Director) is proud to announce that Peter Bartlett (The New Century, The Drowsy Chaperone) will star opposite two-time Tony Award® nominee David Pittu (Is He Dead?, LoveMusik), in the world premiere production of WHAT'S THAT SMELL: THE MUSIC OF JACOB STERLING, featuring original music by Randy Redd.

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Andrew D. Hamingson, Managing Director) is proud to announce that Peter Bartlett (The New Century, The Drowsy Chaperone) will star opposite two-time Tony Award® nominee David Pittu (Is He Dead?, LoveMusik), in the world premiere production of WHAT'S THAT SMELL: THE MUSIC OF JACOB STERLING, featuring original music by Randy Redd.

The Perry-Mansfield New Works Festival (June Lindenmayer, Executive Director; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director) has announced the casting for the 2008 summer season of music, dance and theatre at the venerable performing arts camp and school in Steamboat Springs, CO. The 11th Annual New Works Festival begins workshops and classes June 11th, culminating June 20 - 22 with staged readings of the plays and a special dance presentation.

Lincoln Center Theater's Platform Series, a forum for public discussion between Lincoln Center Theater artists and interested theatergoers, will continue its 2007-2008 season on Wednesday, May 7, at 6:00 pm with a pre-performance talk with the award-winning playwright, Paul Rudnick, whose play The New Century, recently opened to critical acclaim at the Mitzi E. Newhouse.

Currently in previews, THE NEW CENTURY, plays by Paul Rudnick, directed by Nicholas Martin, opens on Monday, April 14 at 6:45 PM at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, 150 West 65 Street. THE NEW CENTURY is a series of four short plays, which feature everyone from a concerned Long Island mother of at least three gay children (Linda Lavin), to an accomplished Midwestern craftswoman (Jayne Houdyshell), to one of Mr. Rudnick's favorites, Mr. Charles, a flamboyant resident of Palm Beach (Peter Barlett). Ultimately, all of these delicious and distraught people collide under surprising and comic circumstances, and we discover just where our new century might be heading. The cast of five also features Mike Doyle and Christy Pusz. The production has sets by Allen Moyer, costumes by William Ivey Long, lighting by Kenneth Posner and original music and sound design by Mark Bennett. THE NEW CENTURY is performed Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8pm, with matinees Wednesday and Saturdays at 2pm and Sundays at 3pm. Tickets priced at $70 and $75, are available at the Lincoln Center Theater Box Office, at Tele-charge.com (212-239-6200) or by visiting www.lct.org.

Mike Doyle and Christy Pusz round out the cast which includes Peter Bartlett, Jayne Houdyshell, and Linda Lavin in Lincoln Center Theater's production of Paul Rudnick's The New Century, a group of four one-act plays, to begin performances on March 20 at the Mitzi Newhouse Theater. The production, which will open officially on April 14, and is directed by Nicholas Martin.

The cast and crew of The Drowsy Chaperone held a door-decorating contest backstage at the Marquis Theatre.

The five-time Tony Award® winning hit musical comedy THE DROWSY CHAPERONE will play its final performance on Broadway at The Marquis Theatre (1535 Broadway) on Sunday evening, December 30th, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. following 674 performances and 32 previews.

The five-time Tony Award winning musical comedy The Drowsy Chaperone wakes up on Broadway and resumes performances on Thursday, November 29, 2007 at the Marquis Theatre

Rosie O'Donnell's All Kids Foundation Gala was held at the Marriott Marquis on November 19, 2007.

Actor and comedian Bob Saget, who recently made his Broadway debut in the Tony Award winning musical Te Drowsy Chaperone, will visit Fox 5's 'Good Day New York' and NBC's 'The Today Show' studios on Tuesday, November 6.

Actor and comedian Bob Saget, who made his Broadway debut as 'Man in Chair' in the Tony Award winning musical The Drowsy Chaperone on Friday, will sit down with the ladies of 'The View' on Friday, October 26 in the 11AM half hour.