Into the Woods 00/00/0000 - Articles Page 22

A Weekly Theater Column for the Baltimore/Washington Area

INTO THE WOODS is the musical, that beat The Phantom of The Opera for the TONY award for best music and lyrics and book. Three years ago it won the Tony for Best Musical Revival.

The Wedding Singer has been announced for the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, with previews to begin on March 30, 2006 and opening night to be April 27, 2006.

The production will star Josh Strickland as Tarzan, Jenn Gambatese as Jane, Merle Dandridge as Kala, Shuler Hensley as Kerchak, Chester Gregory II as Terk, Timothy Jerome as Professor Porter and Donnie Keshawarz as Clayton. Daniel Manche and Alex Rutherford will alternate in the role of Young Tarzan.

Producer Jeffrey Finn announced today that Academy Award-winning film and stage star Hayley Mills will join legendary star Richard Chamberlain to headline the upcoming National Tour of the beloved play ON GOLDEN POND. The 30-week tour of the two-time 2005 Tony Award-nominated production will launch September 5, 2006 in Fort Worth, Texas at Bass Performance Hall. A complete list of touring cities and venues will be announced in the coming weeks.

On January 24th, Kristy Cates and Stacie Morgain Lewis will begin performances as Elphaba and Glinda respectively in the Chicago production of Wicked

SEATTLE ­ Audiences at The 5th Avenue Theatre will travel back in time ­ to 1985 ­ for the pre-broadway world premiere of THE WEDDING SINGER. Tickets are on sale now.

New York City Center will present the 13th season of New York City Center Encores! Great American Musicals In Concert®, opening February 9 with Kismet starring Brian Stokes Mitchell and Marin Mazzie, followed by the Kander and Ebb musical 70, Girls, 70. George and Ira Gershwin's Of Thee I Sing will end the season, playing May 11 - 14.

This December, DISNEY LIVE! WINNIE THE POOH will play a special month-long holiday engagement at New York's legendary Beacon Theatre (2124 Broadway at West 74th Street), December 8-28, 2005.

Frequent co-stars Marin Mazzie and Brian Stokes Mitchell will once again team up for the Encores! production of Kismet, which will open in February of 2006

The tour of the two-time 2005 Tony Award-nominated production will launch September 2006.

Reuniting with her former NINE co-star, Tony-nominee Laura Benanti is currently filming 'Take The Lead' in Toronto, for a 2006 release.

The Color Purple, headed to Broadway in 2005 has launched a new web site for the production.