Rich Frank News

It's 'crunch-time' for gift giving and it's never too late to get a gift certificate from Amazon.com, who I wholeheartedly support, because I have yet to find better pricing on everything that my colleagues and I write about and review here at BroadwayWorld.com ... No, this is not a paid endorsement.

Theater message boards became very busy places on September 10, 2009. The curtain had hardly wrung down when theatergoers reached for their blackberries to post their opinions about the first preview of BYE BYE BIRDIE. In fact, there were a few who posted their comments during intermission. Everyone and their grandparents wanted to express their opinions about the 39 year old musical that was being revived by The Roundabout Theatre. At times the chatter became quite acrimonious and the discussions went on for days. It seems that these people forgot that the show had just given its first preview and the house was filled with an audience that had stood on line during one of the hottest days in the summer to get ten dollar tickets for this one performance. Perhaps that's why they felt they had a right to be so vocal about their opinions.

Theatre Communications Group (TCG) is pleased to announce that playwright David Henry Hwang will appear at the Drama Book Shop at 5:30pm this Thursday, December 8, for a free event to celebrate TCG Book's publication of his OBIE Award-winning play Yellow Face. Hwang will read from the play with actors Francis Jue and Kathryn Layng, who appeared in the play's production at The Public Theater, and will discuss the work with Edward Albee. A book signing will follow.

Clout in Mug Productions presents Brilliant Traces by Cindy Lou Johnson, directed by Heidi Handelsman, December 9 - 20, 2009 at Theaterlab (137 West 14th St.).

Theatre Communications Group (TCG) is pleased to announce that playwright David Henry Hwang will appear at the Drama Book Shop at 5:30pm this Thursday, December 8, for a free event to celebrate TCG Book's publication of his OBIE Award-winning play Yellow Face. Hwang will read from the play with actors Francis Jue and Kathryn Layng, who appeared in the play's production at The Public Theater, and will discuss the work with Edward Albee. A book signing will follow.

The Public Theater's Music Theater Initiative presents its first Songwriter Showcase, featuring sneak previews of three musicals in development by today's hottest young writing teams, curated by MTI director, Ted Sperling, Tony Award winner for THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA.

The Public Theater's Music Theater Initiative presents its first Songwriter Showcase, featuring sneak previews of three musicals in development by today's hottest young writing teams, curated by MTI director, Ted Sperling, Tony Award winner for THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA.

To mark AMERICAN THEATRE magazine's 25th Anniversary in April 2009, Theatre Communications Groups (TCG) honored the publication by publishing The American Theatre Reader, a 640-page compilation of significant and insightful articles, essays and interviews from the magazine's first quarter century.

I just got back from Avery Fisher Hall, where Frank Rich was partaking in a fireside chat (sans fireside) with Stephen Sondheim. I scribbled down as much as I could from the 90 minute conversation. Some of the more interesting topics included the inability for most theatre critics to critique the music in a musical and the greater gratification Sondheim gets from composition than lyric writing because of the way language can restrict him from expressing exactly what he wants to say. ('There are very few lyrics that are perfect lyrics.') I wish there was more time to discuss his observation that Jerry Bock's music has the same edginess as Fred Ebb's lyrics and John Kander's outpouring of music matches Sheldon Harnick's elegant lyrics, giving great dramatic tension to the songs of both teams.

Last night a Seattle audience at Benaroya Hall was given a rare treat. A glimpse into the world of one of the most acclaimed and respected Broadway composers of all time, Stephen Sondheim.

Tonight, Monday, October 26, 2009 musical theater's living legend, Stephen Sondheim, will make this first momentous journey to Seattle; and will hold what promises to be an enormously entertaining and informative onstage conversation with his friend and respected New York Times columnist Frank Rich. In advance of this once-in-a-lifetime event Rich spoke to famed writer Dan Savage about Sondheim, the current state of Broadway and the ever evolving business of news coverage in this modern age.

It's hard to believe that in 79 years, and countless hours tinkering on this nation's greatest stages, Stephen Sondheim has never worked in this wonderful theater town. On October 26, 2009 musical theater's living legend, Stephen Sondheim, will make this first momentous journey to Seattle; and will hold what promises to be an enormously entertaining and informative onstage conversation with his friend and respected New York Times columnist Frank Rich.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey continues its fall season with the epic masterpiece The Grapes of Wrath by Frank Galati, from the novel by John Steinbeck. The production is directed by Joe Discher, who directed the critically acclaimed Shakespeare Theatre production of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men in 2004.

It's that time of year again, when the city officially turns into the NY intelligencia's playground. Yes, I am referring to the New Yorker Festival, which takes place over the October 16 - October 18 weekend. Among the highlights: panel discussions an Q & As with stage and screen stars Stanly Tucci, Christine Baranski and Tilda Swinton, among others.

KVPAC's Encore Players is hosting Wine Nights at the Theatre!, a special occasion to come to Katy's only adult community theater who is proudly presenting this year's fall musical, Into the Woods. Wine Nights at the Theatre! will be at KVPAC on Oct 9 & 10, 8:00 pm performances only. BYOB ... Bring Your Own Bottle ... and we will serve it to you! The $10 per bottle corkage fee includes a fruit & cheese plate to enjoy during intermission. Concession sales directly offset the show's production costs.

KVPAC's Encore Players is hosting Wine Nights at the Theatre!, a special occasion to come to Katy's only adult community theater who is proudly presenting this year's fall musical, Into the Woods. Wine Nights at the Theatre! will be at KVPAC on Oct 9 & 10, 8:00 pm performances only. BYOB ... Bring Your Own Bottle ... and we will serve it to you! The $10 per bottle corkage fee includes a fruit & cheese plate to enjoy during intermission. Concession sales directly offset the show's production costs.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey continues its fall season with the epic masterpiece The Grapes of Wrath by Frank Galati, from the novel by John Steinbeck. The production is directed by Joe Discher, who directed the critically acclaimed Shakespeare Theatre production of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men in 2004. The Tony Award-winning The Grapes of Wrath begins performances on October 21 and continues through November 15 at the Shakespeare Theatre Main Stage.

KVPAC's Encore Players is hosting Wine Nights at the Theatre!, a special occasion to come to Katy's only adult community theater who is proudly presenting this year's fall musical, Into the Woods. Wine Nights at the Theatre! will be at KVPAC on Oct 9 & 10, 8:00 pm performances only. BYOB ... Bring Your Own Bottle ... and we will serve it to you! The $10 per bottle corkage fee includes a fruit & cheese plate to enjoy during intermission. Concession sales directly offset the show's production costs.

It's that time of year again, when the city officially turns into the NY intelligencia's playground. Yes, I am referring to the New Yorker Festival, which takes place over the October 16 - October 18 weekend. Among the highlights: panel discussions an Q & As with stage and screen stars Stanly Tucci, Christine Baranski and Tilda Swinton, among others.

Signature Theatre Company (James Houghton, Founding Artistic Director; Erika Mallin, Executive Director) is pleased to announce that the theatre's 20th Anniversary season in 2010-2011, celebrating author Tony Kushner, will feature the first New York revival of Kushner's Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning epic work, ANGELS IN AMERICA: A GAY FANTASIA ON NATIONAL THEMES. The production will be directed by Michael Greif with Part One: MILLENNIUM APPROACHES and Part Two: PERESTROIKA presented in repertory. Signature's Tony Kushner season will also include two more works to be announced.