Awake and Sing! - 2006 - Broadway Articles Page 7

Closing Aurora's 20th season is the World Premiere of SALOMANIA, Aurora Theatre Company Artistic Director Tom Ross's first new play commission for the company, written and directed by award-winning Bay Area auteur Mark Jackson (Metamorphosis, Salome, Miss Julie). Workshopped and developed at Aurora in 2010, SALOMANIA features Madeline H.D. Brown (Metamorphosis), Mark Anderson Phillips (Small Tragedy), Alex Moggridge (Betrayed), Liam Vincent (California Shakespeare Theater), Anthony Nemirovsky (Awake and Sing!), Marilee Talkington (Crowded Fire), and Kevin Clarke (Shotgun Players). SALOMANIA plays June 15 through July 22 at the Aurora Theatre in Berkeley.

New Line Theatre is organizing the third St. Louis Political Theatre Festival, running this fall, leading up to the 2012 Presidential election, and New Line has issued a call for participating companies.

Lincoln Center Theater has announced two productions that will open this fall: a 75th Anniversary production of the Clifford Odets' classic GOLDEN BOY, to be directed by Bartlett Sher beginning performances Thursday November 8 and opening Monday, December 3 at a Broadway theatre to be announced; and the New York premiere of VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE a new play by Christopher Durang, to be directed by Nicholas Martin, beginning performances Thursday, October 25 and opening Monday, November 12 at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater (150 West 65 Street).

Jodie Whittaker makes her National Theatre debut in the title role and Christopher Eccleston plays Creon

Manhattan Theatre Club has announced full casting for the upcoming world premiere of REGRETS by Matt Charman, directed by Carolyn Cantor.

Actor Ben Gazzara has passed away due to pancreatic cancer, according to published reports. He was 81 years old.

As BroadwayWorld previously announced, Gerald Goehring, Michael F. Mitri and Dorothy Berloni are developing BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE, a new Broadway musical based on the popular 2000 novel by Kate DeCamillo. Casting for a developmental reading is currently underway and set to take place in early March. This is set to be followed by an out of town engagement and Broadway production, the timing of which will be confirmed at a later date.

Gerald Goehring, Michael F. Mitri and Dorothy Berloni are developing BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE, a new Broadway musical based on the popular 2000 novel by Kate DeCamillo. A developmental reading will be staged in early 2012, followed by an out of town engagement and Broadway production, the timing of which will be confirmed at a later date.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Broadway veterans Steven Pasquale and Lauren Ambrose are set to lead Tony and Ridley Scott's COMA miniseries for A&E. As descried by THR, the show is about 'a doctor who begins to suspect that something is amiss when healthy patients begin to fall into comas.'

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Interim Executive Director Joey Parnes) will begin previews for KING LEAR, directed by James Macdonald, on Tuesday, October 18. KING LEAR will run through Sunday, November 20 in The Public's Newman Theater with an official press opening on Tuesday, November 8.

The Public Theater announced complete casting today for KING LEAR, directed by James Macdonald, beginning preview performances on Tuesday, October 18. Kristen Connolly (Cordelia), Bill Irwin (The Fool), and Frank Wood (Cornwall) will join the company that includes the previously announced Che Ayende (Duke of Burgundy/Knight/Servant), Craig Bockhorn (Doctor), Michael Crane (Oswald), Herb Foster (Old Man/Knight), Seth Gilliam (Edmund), Enid Graham (Goneril), Michael Izquierdo (King of France), Michael McKean (Gloucester), Arian Moayed (Edgar), Kelli O'Hara (Regan), John Douglas Thompson (Kent), Richard Topol (Albany), and Sam Waterston (Lear).

Berkeley?s acclaimed Aurora Theatre Company proudly announces the lineup for its 20th anniversary season. Paying homage to Aurora?s beginnings at the Berkeley City Club, and to its growth, both artistically and physically, over the past 19 seasons, the 2011-12 season is a true celebration of Aurora Theatre Company?s artistic past, present, and future.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Interim Executive Director Joey Parnes) announced additional casting today for KING LEAR, directed by James Macdonald, running October 18 - November 20 in the Newman Theater with an official press opening on November 8. Che Ayende (Duke of Burgundy/Knight/Servant), Craig Bockhorn (Doctor), Michael Crane (Oswald), Herb Foster (Old Man/Curan), Seth Gilliam (Edmund), Michael Izquierdo (King of France), Arian Moayed (Edgar), Kelli O'Hara (Regan), and Richard Topol (Albany) will join the previously announced Enid Graham (Goneril), Michael McKean (Gloucester), John Douglas Thompson (Kent) and Sam Waterston (Lear). Single tickets, priced at $75-$85, go on sale Tuesday, August 9. Member tickets are $40 and are on sale now.

BroadwayWorld announced yesterday that Lauren Ambrose has landed the coveted role of Fanny Brice in FUNNY GIRL in the first Broadway production of the musical since it originally opened in 1964. FUNNY GIRL, which features music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Bob Merrill and book by Isobel Lennart, will be directed by Tony Award-winner Bartlett Sher. The news came as a surprise to many, as Ambrose - while a screen favortie and sometimes stage star - is not a regular in the big musical circuit. In fact, the announcement had many asking...can she sing? Ambrose, in fact, has powerhouse vocals and has been singing since childhood. She is the lead singer of jazz, swing and ragtime-style Leisure Class band, and in trained in opera at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. Many may also recall Ambrose's famous belt-out of the 'Rainbow of Reasons' gag in a 2006 episode of Six Feet Under. The theater world certainly has a lot to look forward to when this soulful songstress reimagines Fanny onstage.

As speculated about online and confirming BWW's previous reports that the actress was in negotiations, it's now official that Lauren Ambrose will indeed star as Fanny Brice in the new revival of FUNNY GIRL. The show will open in LA at the Ahmanson Theater on February 1, 2012, and is expected to transfer to Broadway thereafter. The new production will be directed by Bartlett Sher.

As BroadwayWorld has previously reported, Broadway producer Bob Boyett is endeavoring to revive FUNNY GIRL on Broadway with famed director Bartlett Sher (South Pacific, Awake and Sing, The Light in the Piazza) at the helm. Rumors have been circulating that Broadway veteran and GLEE star Lea Michele had her eyes on the project, but according to E!Online, stage veteran Lauren Ambrose is the producers' current favorite to play the role.

Stage and film veterans Tim Robbins and Mark Ruffaloare set to play leading roles in the new film 'Thanks for Sharing'. Their roles haven't yet been specified, but the movie is 'a heartfelt comedy set in and around a 12-step program for recovering sex addicts in New York City. The bonds of friendship between these men help the overcome temptation and develop meaningful relationships for the first time in their lives.'

Though playwright Clifford Odets wrote AWAKE AND SING! in 1933, it still has the power to resonate with an audience over 70 years later, not only due to the fact that our country is currently struggling with its own economic uncertainties, but also because the theme of pursuing your dream under undeniably dire circumstance is a timeless one. Revived in 2006, but rarely staged otherwise, this is a rare opportunity to see an American masterpiece. The New Jewish Theatre's current production is a real stunner, chock-full of drama and humor, and brimming with electric performances.

On Thursday, April 21st, Academy Award- and Tony Award-nominated actor Mark Ruffalo ('The Kids Are All Right') discussed his work acting in such films as 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' and 'Shutter Island,' and directing, producing and starring in the new film 'Sympathy for Delicious,' his directorial debut at TimesTalks.

Writers' Theatre Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma announce Heartbreak House by George Bernard Shaw, directed by William Brown. The production runs April 19- June 26, 2011 at Writers' Theatre, 325 Tudor Court in Glencoe.

Making its Midwest premiere in the birthplace of Alcoholics Anonymous, Bill W. and Dr. Bob is an inspirational, gripping and timely story about the men and their wives whose relationships pioneered the beginning of Alcoholics Anonymous and the creation of Al-Anon.

Making its Midwest premiere in the birthplace of Alcoholics Anonymous, Bill W. and Dr. Bob is an inspirational, gripping and timely story about the men and their wives whose relationships pioneered the beginning of Alcoholics Anonymous and the creation of Al-Anon.

TimeLine Theatre Company, dedicated to presenting plays inspired by history that connect to today's social and political issues, has finalized its four-play 2010-11 season. The Chicago premiere of In Darfur by Winter Miller, directed by Nick Bowling, joins three previously released titles: The Chicago premiere of Frost/Nixon by Peter Morgan, the world premiere of Mastering the Art by William Brown and Doug Frew, and The Front Page by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur.

Berkeley?s acclaimed Aurora Theatre Company proudly announces the lineup for its 20th anniversary season. Paying homage to Aurora?s beginnings at the Berkeley City Club, and to its growth, both artistically and physically, over the past 19 seasons, the 2011-12 season is a true celebration of Aurora Theatre Company?s artistic past, present, and future.

Writers' Theatre Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma announce Heartbreak House by George Bernard Shaw, directed by William Brown. The production runs April 19- June 26, 2011 at Writers' Theatre, 325 Tudor Court in Glencoe.