The Shubert Organization News

BroadwayWorld Presents The 2009 Tony Award Nominees: 'Best Play'

PBS will air Spike Lee's film adaptation of PASSING STRANGE in 2010. The film recently had its New York premiere when it played the Tribeca Film festival. Passing Strange will air as part of PBS' 'Great Performances'.

Wingspan Arts holds its first-ever ARTOPIA event on Saturday, March 14 from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM. This action-packed one-day-only kid-centric arts festival takes place at PS 9 on New York City's Upper West Side. PS 9 is located at 100 West 84th Street at Columbus Avenue. This event is FREE and open to families. Suggested donations at the door will benefit Wingspan Arts' scholarship fund exclusively.

The Kimmel Center and Shubert Organization are thrilled to announce a top-notch lineup of Broadway theater as part of the new 2009-2010 Broadway Series at the Academy of Music and the Forrest Theatre. The new Broadway Series subscription season will feature: Grease starring American Idol Winner Taylor Hicks (July 7 - 12, 2009); White Christmas (Nov. 24 - 29, 2009); Dreamgirls (June 22 - 27, 2010) all at the Academy of Music; and August: Osage County (April 27 - May 2, 2010) at the Forrest Theatre.

Wingspan Arts holds its first-ever ARTOPIA event on Saturday, March 14 from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM. This action-packed one-day-only kid-centric arts festival takes place at PS 9 on New York City's Upper West Side. PS 9 is located at 100 West 84th Street at Columbus Avenue. This event is FREE and open to families. Suggested donations at the door will benefit Wingspan Arts' scholarship fund exclusively.

Estelle Parsons, the legendary actress and star of Broadway's August: Osage County; Lucia Hwong Gordon, instrumentalist and composer; Susan K. Reed, editor-in-chief of O, The Oprah Magazine; and Susan Sobbott, President of American Express OPEN, will be declared Women of Achievement by Women's Project, America's oldest and largest stage company dedicated to producing theater created by women, at ceremonies Monday evening, March 2, in the grand ballroom of the Pierre Hotel, 2 East 61st Street at 5th Avenue.

Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, James Gandolfini and Marcia Gay Harden will star in GOD OF CARNAGE, the new play by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton, directed by Matthew Warchus, opening on Broadway at the Bernard Jacobs Theatre (242 West 45 Street) on Sunday March 22. Previews will begin on February 28.

French playwright Yasmina Reza brings her latest play, God of Carnage, to Broadway under the direction of Matthew Warchus, who has already brought three of her plays to New York over the last decade. It is again translated by longtime British collaborator, Christopher Hampton. Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, James Gandolfini, and Marcia Gay Harden will star, with previews beginning on February 28 at the Bernard Jacobs Theatre (242 West 45 Street) and officially opening on March 22. God of Carnage is what press notes describe as 'a comedy of manners without the manners. The play deals with the aftermath of a playground altercation between two boys and what happens when their parents meet to talk about it'.

Estelle Parsons, the legendary actress and star of Broadway's August: Osage County; Lucia Hwong Gordon, instrumentalist and composer; Susan K. Reed, editor-in-chief of O, The Oprah Magazine; and Susan Sobbott, President of American Express OPEN, will be declared Women of Achievement by Women's Project, America's oldest and largest stage company dedicated to producing theater created by women, at ceremonies Monday evening, March 2, in the grand ballroom of the Pierre Hotel, 2 East 61st Street at 5th Avenue.

Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, James Gandolfini and Marcia Gay Harden will star in GOD OF CARNAGE, the new play by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton, directed by Matthew Warchus, opening on Broadway at the Bernard Jacobs Theatre (242 West 45 Street) on Sunday March 22. Previews will begin on February 28. The cast held a 'meet & greet' at the Hilton Theatre Rehearsal Studios, 214 West 43rd Street between 7th & 8th Avenues, and BroadwayWorld sent in the cameras to catch the starry and talented group of actors.

EXIT THE KING is a hilarious and poignant comedy about a megalomaniacal ruler, King Berenger (Rush) whose incompetence has left his country in near ruin. Despite the efforts of Queen Marguerite (Sarandon) and the other members of the court to convince the King he has only 90 minutes left to live, he refuses to relinquish any control.

BAM and The Old Vic announce The Bridge Project Benefit, celebrating the inaugural year of repertory co-productions from BAM, The Old Vic, and Neal Street Productions. The February 17 event begins at 6pm with cocktails and dinner onstage at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House followed by an 8pm performance of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale at the BAM Harvey Theater, directed by Sam Mendes and featuring a star-studded, transatlantic cast including Simon Russell Beale, Sin?ad Cusack, Richard Easton, Rebecca Hall, Josh Hamilton, and Ethan Hawke. The evening concludes with a post-performance dessert reception with the cast onstage at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House. Benefit tickets can be purchased though BAM Patron Services at 718.636.4182.

EQUUS concluded its 22-week engagement as scheduled on Broadway on February 8th, 2009. The play opened in September 2008 at the Broadhurst Theatre, marking the Broadway debut of Daniel Radcliffe. Mr. Radcliffe starred in the revival of Peter Shaffer's play opposite Tony Award winner Richard Griffiths ('The History Boys'). The big question was always 'who'll replace Daniel on Broadway?'

What better for the month of love than a musical love story? Sunday in the Park with George opens Friday, Feb. 20, at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine, Sunday in the Park with George is a complex work that revolves around 19th century French painter George Seurat, who founded the neo-Impressionist art of Pointillism.

A service to celebrate the life of Gerald Schoenfeld, the late Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of The Shubert Organization, will be held on Monday, February 9, 2009 at 1 p.m. at the Majestic Theatre (247 West 44 Street) in New York City. Mr. Schoenfeld died on November 25, 2008. A limited number of seats will be available to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis at the Majestic Theatre on February 9.

Gerald Schoenfeld, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of The Shubert Organization, Inc., a theatre organization engaged in the ownership and operation of legitimate theatres in New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, D.C. died suddenly at his home in Manhattan on Tuesday, November 25th, 2008. Mr. Schoenfeld was 84 years old. The New York Post's Liz Smith has reported that there will be a special memorial celebrating the last Mr. Schoenfeld on Feb. 9th, at 1 p.m. at the Majestic Theatre. The tribute is by invitation-only. A vibrant and vital figure on Broadway for more than five decades, Mr. Schoenfeld served as Chairman of The Shubert Organization since 1972. The Shubert Organization has been an essential factor in the production of such distinguished theatrical attractions as INDISCRETIONS, DIRTY BLONDE, PASSION, THE HEIDI CHRONICLES, AMADEUS, NICHOLAS NICKLEBY, CATS, Jerome Robbins' BROADWAY, DANCIN', AIN'T MISBEHAVIN', DREAMGIRLS, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, SKYLIGHT, CLOSER, THE BLUE ROOM, AMY'S VIEW, DANCE OF DEATH, last season's PASSING STRANGE and the current Broadway revival of EQUUS. During his tenure, Mr. Schoenfeld committed the Organization to a vigorous participation in community and civic affairs and was a leader in the successful effort to revitalize and enhance the image of Times Square and Midtown. The Organization is also actively engaged in supporting the Board of Education of the City of New York in the reintroduction of art and culture K through 12 in the city's public schools. Mr. Schoenfeld served as Chairman of the Mayor's Midtown Citizens Committee.

EQUUS will conclude its 22-week engagement as scheduled on Broadway today, February 8th, 2009. The play opened in September 2008 at the Broadhurst Theatre, marking the Broadway debut of Daniel Radcliffe. Mr. Radcliffe stars in the revival of Peter Shaffer's play opposite Tony Award winner Richard Griffiths ('The History Boys').

BAM and The Old Vic announce The Bridge Project Benefit, celebrating the inaugural year of repertory co-productions from BAM, The Old Vic, and Neal Street Productions. The February 17 event begins at 6pm with cocktails and dinner onstage at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House followed by an 8pm performance of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale at the BAM Harvey Theater, directed by Sam Mendes and featuring a star-studded, transatlantic cast including Simon Russell Beale, Sin?ad Cusack, Richard Easton, Rebecca Hall, Josh Hamilton, and Ethan Hawke. The evening concludes with a post-performance dessert reception with the cast onstage at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House. Benefit tickets can be purchased though BAM Patron Services at 718.636.4182.

A service to celebrate the life of Gerald Schoenfeld, the late Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of The Shubert Organization, will be held on Monday, February 9, 2009 at 1 p.m. at the Majestic Theatre (247 West 44 Street) in New York City. Mr. Schoenfeld died on November 25, 2008. A limited number of seats will be available to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis at the Majestic Theatre on February 9.

This year Walnut Street Theater celebrates its 200th birthday, and on February 3rd they will hold a big birthday bash. Boasting over 56,000 subscribers, The Walnut is not only the most popular theater company in Philadelphia, but also the most subscribed theatre company in the world. This season includes three magnificent and beloved musicals: get ready for DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, OLIVER! and FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. The Walnut also offers two spellbinding plays: A world premiere production of Eric Conger's THE ECLECTIC SOCIETY and Noel Coward's classic comedy, FALLEN ANGELS. The New Year brings new theatre to the Walnut stage with the world premiere production of Eric Conger's THE ECLECTIC SOCIETY (January 19 - March 7). It's the 1960's, and in order to become the big man on campus, you've got to play the game. In this fraternal society, new recruits need testing and traditions need to be upheld. This new American play celebrates the spirit of youth and the mischief that follows.