Underbelly News

The New Jersey Repertory Company, located at 179 Broadway in Long Branch, is proud to present the world premiere of 'Night Train' by John Biguenet, April 28 thru May 29, 2011.

The Spice Girls' first album, Spice, sold more than 23 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling album by a female group in music history. They have sold 65 million records worldwide with only four albums and twelve singles, making them the most successful British band since The Beatles and the best selling girl group of all time.

Gamblers and gangsters, shysters and low-lifes alike will take over The 5th Avenue Theatre when Guys and Dolls swaggers on to the stage in a swinging reimagining of Frank Loesser's iconic hit (book by Joe Swerling and Abe Burrows.)

One Night Only: Two-time Grammy Award Winner Lawrence Juber- Laurence Juber is a two-time Grammy award-winning fingerstyle acoustic guitarist, also known for his electric work as lead guitarist in Paul McCartney's Wings.

The underbelly of Beatrix Potter comes to life in Brandon Simmons' 'The Tale of Jemima Canard'. An innocent girl falls under the romantic sway of a predatory cad, but as the author is interrogated by one of her own characters, layers of love, envy, jealousy, and much worse becomes revealed as the play delves into the initially whimsical loves of Jemima.

This May, FOX delivers major television events, all-new episodes and big guest stars, including an unprecedented ANIMATION DOMINATION crossover event May 1; the one-hour season finale of FAMILY GUY May 22, taking place in a galaxy far, far away; the three-hour, two-night season finale of AMERICAN IDOL, featuring the final performance show May 24 and the final live results show that's sure to captivate America May 25; primetime broadcasts of NASCAR ON FOX races April 30 and May 7; and primetime MLB ON FOX baseball match-ups May 14 and May 21.

Single Carrot Theatre presents The Long Christmas Ride Home by Pulitzer Prize winner and Maryland native Paula Vogel. Told in part through puppetry and set on the outskirts of Washington D.C. (inside the Beltway) we follow the journey of a family on their annual Christmas trek and explores the age-old question Why does my family suck so much?

La MaMa proudly presents Made in China's American debut of STATIONARY EXCESS. Partnered with STATIONARY EXCESS will be special performances of KAREN DAVIS DOES LAMAMA (w/Special Guest Jenny Fresh!)

The New Jersey Repertory Company, located at 179 Broadway in Long Branch, is proud to present the world premiere of 'Night Train' by John Biguenet, April 28 thru May 29, 2011.

'MUD! THE MUSICAL' (Mud Wrestling Extravaganza) presented by Scott Lyons & Company premiers at the 100 Grand Street Theater, running April 29th and 30th 2011.

Today we lost one of the greats: the gentle giant of directors, Sidney Lumet. What a resume! Just to pick seven of perhaps the best known of the bunch, the bunch in question being over 100 titles strong: 12 ANGRY MEN, LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT, SERPICO, DOG DAY AFTERNOON, NETWORK and BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD - the films spanning fifty years from MEN in 1957 and DEVIL in 2007 - it is clear to see why Lumet was one of the most cherished and celebrated directors in Hollywood, especially known for his tough, gritty New York stories and his pristine stage-to-screen transfers. For an excellent example of the latter (in addition to LONG DAY'S JOURNEY and the others) check out DEATHTRAP - based on Ira Levin's play, the longest-running thriller in Broadway history - featuring Michael Caine in one of his best roles and Christopher Reeve and Dyan Cannon in their finest performances on film. For an example of the former genre, look no further than NETWORK, containing one of the strongest screenplays ever penned, from the fiery and ferocious pen of Paddy Cheyefsky, and Faye Dunaway in her Oscar-winning performance for all the ages. As far as theatrical screenplays on screen, Lumet would be hard-pressed to even come close to the power, prescience and transformative brilliance at the core of the conceit of that film - yet he did just that; with his final, 2007 film no less. I am speaking, of course, of the underrated and riveting BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei, with Albert Finney and Rosemary Harris. Taking an original screenplay that could just as well have been written for the stage - shades of 12 ANGRY MEN, DOG DAY AFTERNOON, NETWORK and SERPICO, certainly - Lumet made a bristling, biting brilliant work of staggering craft and ingenuity - all with verve, energy and drive of a man a quarter of his age at the time (80). His films were classics in his own time and, now, in his passing, they are just as timeless - if not more so. With each passing year, new layers of truth, beauty, sadness and soulfulness can be found in the countless frames in the innumerable unforgettable scenes in his many masterpieces.

The underbelly of Beatrix Potter comes to life in Brandon Simmons' 'The Tale of Jemima Canard'. An innocent girl falls under the romantic sway of a predatory cad, but as the author is interrogated by one of her own characters, layers of love, envy, jealousy, and much worse becomes revealed as the play delves into the initially whimsical loves of Jemima.

Maryland Ensemble Theatre (MET) is proud to present A Clockwork Orange: A Play With Music, a fork-tongued thriller set in the underbelly of contemporary England. Directed by Maryland Ensemble Theatre's Associate Artistic Director, Julie Herber, A Clockwork Orange: A Play With Music runs from May 13 - June 18 on the MET stage.

The New Jersey Repertory Company, located at 179 Broadway in Long Branch, is proud to present the world premiere of 'Night Train' by John Biguenet, April 28 thru May 29, 2011.

La MaMa proudly presents Made in China's American debut of STATIONARY EXCESS. Partnered with STATIONARY EXCESS will be special performances of KAREN DAVIS DOES LAMAMA (w/Special Guest Jenny Fresh!)

Man from Nebraska by Tracy Letts opens at Redtwist Theatre on Saturday, March 26, at 3:00pm

Man from Nebraska by Tracy Letts opens at Redtwist Theatre on Saturday, March 26, at 3:00pm

Today we are continuing our series of coverage of the offerings this Spring at The Public Theater with the playwright of the new LAB production, URGE FOR GOING, Mona Mansour. With topics ranging from the Palestinian crisis to Patty Hearst and the play, ME AND THE SLA, that it inspired; her Lebanese upbringing; her affection for John Waters; humble beginnings at the Groundlings leading now to the New York premiere of her first play at the Public, URGE FOR GOING; and more. Additionally, Mansour provides her insights into the culturally rich material at the core of URGE FOR GOING, her own family's reaction to the controversial material and what audiences can expect from the drama.

The Irish Repertory Theatre (132 West 22nd Street) continues its fifth season of the New Works Reading Series, supporting new plays and emerging playwrights, with a free reading of Rosemary Jenkinson's THE WINNERS on Friday, March 25 at 3 p.m. at the Irish Repertory Theatre (132 West 22nd Street) in Manhattan.

Single Carrot Theatre presents The Long Christmas Ride Home by Pulitzer Prize winner and Maryland native Paula Vogel. Told in part through puppetry and set on the outskirts of Washington D.C. (inside the Beltway) we follow the journey of a family on their annual Christmas trek and explores the age-old question Why does my family suck so much?