Robert Falls News

Goodman Theatre's world premiere of The Jungle Book begins previews on June 21 (opening night is July 1) and, with a second extension week just added, now runs through August 11. Tony Award winner Mary Zimmerman reimagines Walt Disney's 1967 animated hit into a wholly original new work for the stage, drawing from both the film as well as Rudyard Kipling's 1894 collection of stories set in the Indian jungle and featuring original Indian-inspired music and dance. As previously announced, 10-year-old Akash Chopra makes his Chicago debut as young "man cub" Mowgli, who comes of age with the help of the anthropomorphic singing and dancing jungle animals; joining him in the role at select performances is Roni Akurati, who most recently appeared at the Goodman as Tiny Tim in the 2011 production of A Christmas Carol.

Goodman Theatre presents four free staged readings of new plays developed in the Playwrights Unit, a season-long residency program for local writers who meet twice monthly with members of the theater's artistic staff to discuss their plays in progress. Out of this process emerges four brand new plays, which appear in FREE staged readings: Prowess by Ike Holter (July 20 at 2pm); Sleeping with the Prince of Darkness: The Imagined Pillow Talk of FBI Agent John O'Neill by Greg Allen (July 20 at 7:30pm); F(law)less by christopher oscar peña (July 21 at 2:30pm); and Ninth Man Outby Alice Austen (August 16 at 7:30pm).

In conjunction with Tony Award winner Mary Zimmerman's world-premiere stage musical adaptation of The Jungle Book (June 21 - August 4) this summer, Goodman Theatre teams up with community partners to present show-related events and activities at venues throughout Chicago-many free of charge.

BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge was thrilled to sit down and speak with nearly all of this year's Tony Award nominees at the official Tonys Meet & Greet on May 1, 2013, and we will be bringing you special coverage on all of them throughout the awards season. Today we bring you Nathan Lane, a nominee for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for The Nance. Check out what he had to say below!

The Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) will present itsfourteenth annual All-City Musical, AIDA to crown the District's 2012-13 series of All-City Arts Programming. The production features the talents of over fifty CMSD students from across the District and will take place on the stage of the Ohio Theatre at PlayhouseSquare,May 31 - June 2, 2013. Tony Sias, Director of Arts Education for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, co-directs the production with Kimberly Brown. Aida, which features music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice, is based on the book by Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls and David Henry Hwang. It was originally directed on Broadway by Robert Falls and originally produced by Disney Theatrical Productions. The CMSD All-City Musical production is produced through special arrangement with Music Theater International (www.mtishows.com).

Bayou City Theatrics is continuing their inaugural season with Houston's first locally produced professional staging of Elton John and Tim Rice's AIDA. The musical, with a book by Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls, and David Henry Hwang, was originally produced on Broadway by Disney Theatrical Productions, and ran on there from March 23, 2000 to September 5, 2004 for a total of 1,852 performances. The successes of the Broadway production lead to two national tours. The 2002-2003 equity tour served as a duplicate of the Broadway staging; however, David Henry Hwang revised the book for the 2006-2007 non-equity second national tour, creating a show that was a bit darker by removing some of the campy comedy from the character of Amneris. Having seen both tours, it seems that the version licensed by Music Theatre International is the same book used by the Broadway version.

Pulitzer Prize- winning playwright Quiara Alegria Hudes unveils The Happiest Song Plays Last-the latest and last play of her acclaimed 'Elliot Trilogy'-at Goodman Theatre, produced in association with Teatro Vista. The Happiest Song Plays Last appears now through May 12 in the Owen Theatre. Opening Night is Monday, April 22. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Red Bull Theater will present the American Premiere of a new adaptation of August Strindberg's The Dance of Death by Mike Poulton (Tony Award Nominee for Best Play for Fortune's Fool), directed by Joseph Hardy (Tony Award winner for Best Director for Child's Play), for a strictly limited engagement beginning tonight, April 10th and continuing through May 4th only, at the Lucille Lortel Theater (121 Christopher Street, between Bleecker and Hudson Streets). Opening Night is set for Thursday April 18th.

Red Bull Theater (Jesse Berger, Artistic Director) today announced that Derek Smith would join the cast for the American Premiere of a new adaptation of August Strindberg's The Dance of Death by Mike Poulton (Tony Award Nominee for Best Play for Fortune's Fool), directed by Joseph Hardy (Tony Award winner for Best Director for Child's Play). This strictly limited engagement begins Wednesday April 10th and continues through May 4th only, at the Lucille Lortel Theater (121 Christopher Street, between Bleecker and Hudson Streets). Opening Night is set for Thursday April 18th. Hardy directs a company that features Daniel Davis, Laila Robins, and Derek Smith.

theatreWashington just announced the 29th Helen Hayes Awards nominees today, January 28th, 2013 in The National Theatre's Helen Hayes Gallery. This year, for the first time, theatre lovers in Washington and around the world were able to watch the nomination announcements live via webcast at theatrewashington.org, Facebook, or on the Livestream. Rebecca Sheir of WAMU's Metro Connection and WTOP's Bob Madigan hosted. Scroll below for the full list of the 2013 nominees!

The Ensemble Studio Theatre will honor two of Broadway's most distinguished producers, Jeffrey Richards and Jerry Frankel, at its 45th Anniversary Gala, Monday evening, May 20, at 6:30pm at SIR Stage 37, 508 West 37th Street. Tickets are $500 and $1,000.

Kumu Kahau Theatre will present the world premiere of ALL THAT REMAINS, a story of loyalty and betrayal told by ghost soldiers from the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat team who return just one night to a forest in France to recreate a single act of violence that torments both the living and the dead. Using an experimental style drawing from Japanese Noh theatre, ALL THAT REMAINS offers a challenging, provocative look at the heroism and despair of war.

The world-premiere production of Pedro Paramo, one of the most culturally-significant magical realism tales of Latin American literature, runs today, March 22 through March 31, in a limited engagement in Goodman Theatre's Latino Theatre Festival.

Today in 2000, Aida opened at the Palace Theatre, where it ran for 1852 performances. Aida is a musical with music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice, and book by Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls, and David Henry Hwang. Aida was nominated for five Tony Awards and won four Tony Awards in 2000, including Best Musical Score and Best Performance by a Leading Actress. Aida was also named by Time Magazine in 2000 as one of the top ten theatre productions of the year. The First National tour was nominated for nine National Broadway Theatre awards (now 'Touring Broadway Awards') and won five awards, including Best Musical, Best Direction, Best Actor, and Best Actress.

Goodman Theatre Artistic Director Robert Falls presents the revival of the rarely-produced Measure for Measure-William Shakespeare's 'last comedy and his blackest-pitched' in which the 'unquenchable influence of sex in society is a central theme' (New York Times). This production marks Falls' first return to Shakespeare's work since his critically-acclaimed 2006 revival of King Lear, starring Stacy Keach in the title role. BroadwayWorld has a first look at highlights of the production below.

Goodman Theatre Artistic Director Robert Falls presents the revival of the rarely-produced Measure for Measure-William Shakespeare's 'last comedy and his blackest-pitched' in which the 'unquenchable influence of sex in society is a central theme' (New York Times). This production marks Falls' first return to Shakespeare's work since his critically-acclaimed 2006 revival of King Lear, starring Stacy Keach in the title role. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the production below.

'Should a woman sleep with a man she finds repellent if by doing so she serves a greater good?' (New York Times) is among the questions of William Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, at Goodman Theatre in a new production directed by Artistic Director Robert Falls. Falls sets his production of Shakespeare's dark comedy against the backdrop of New York City circa 1970s-an era in which economic challenges, urban flight and the sexual revolution transformed one of the greatest cities in the world into one of the most troubled.

The Goodman Theatre just announced its 2013/2014 season. For tickets or more information, visit: http://www.goodmantheatre.org/upcoming-season/?id=&epslanguage=en

Kumu Kahau Theatre will present the world premiere of ALL THAT REMAINS, a story of loyalty and betrayal told by ghost soldiers from the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat team who return just one night to a forest in France to recreate a single act of violence that torments both the living and the dead. Using an experimental style drawing from Japanese Noh theatre, ALL THAT REMAINS offers a challenging, provocative look at the heroism and despair of war.

Red Bull Theater today announced that Derek Smith would join the cast for the American Premiere of a new adaptation of August Strindberg's The Dance of Death by Mike Poulton (Tony Award Nominee for Best Play for Fortune's Fool), directed by Joseph Hardy (Tony Award winner for Best Director for Child's Play).