Forever Crazy - 2012 - West End Articles Page 16

This Tuesday marked the second most exciting day of any given year for Broadway babies - the Tony Award nominations. The actual awards ceremony on CBS - Broadway's night of nights - is still a few weeks off, but now is certainly an ideal time to size up the competition(s) and see who will most likely walk away with Tony gold come June 10 - and this year's ceremony, more than most before, could very well be as surprising as this season was; or Tuesday's nominations themselves were, for that matter. While the 2011-2012 Broadway season certainly fell far short of the heady promise many ascribed to its prospects way back last Summer, we certainly saw the fulfillment of some big dreams for some notable names if not an all-in-all banner year for Broadway when collectively considered. The highly-praised Off-Broadway critical darling LYSISTRATA JONES landed with a thud early in the season, as did the re-jiggered, gender-bending revival of ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER and its star Harry Connick, Jr., and, even the lauded and relatively successful revival of Stephen Sondheim's peerless masterpiece FOLLIES failed to make any money and closed. GODSPELL did not fare much better, though it is still running. The two highly-anticipated revivals of Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic early successes JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR and EVITA were met with indifferent reviews - with the latter receiving some nasty press for its stars, neither of whom received Tony nominations - but receptive audiences so far. THE GERSHWINS' PORGY & BESS could take Best Revival, after all - but will NICE WORK's Kelli O'Hara edge out four-time Tony recipient Audra McDonald? New plays did not fare much better than the measly crop of musicals, but OTHER DESERT CITIES and VENUS IN FUR seemed to hit their target demographics squarely, but CLYBOURNE PARK looks to be the frontrunner for Best Play despite all that. We shall see. Mike Nichols may take home another Best Director for his sensitive, if workmanlike revival of Arthur Miller's DEATH OF A SALESMAN, as conceivably could Philip Seymour Hoffman and Andrew Garfield. John Lithgow is offering up some fierce competition in THE COLUMNIST, though. The acting races are tight, for sure, in both plays and musicals, with more newcomers and first-time nominees than any season this century.

We'll be talking to nominees all day for their reactions!

Paul Garman, Executive Director/Producer, and Steven Glaudini, Artistic Director's Forbidden Broadway: GREATEST HITS, VOLUME 2 closes tonight, April 29, 2012.

Rubicon Theatre Artistic Directors KARYL LYNN BURNS and JAMES O'NEIL announced the company's 15th Anniversary Season at a preview event for subscribers, donors and media last earlier this month at the theatre's home in Ventura's Downtown Cultural District. The event was hosted by Rubicon Board President DR. ROZ WARNER and Board of Advisors' Chair/Board Vice-President JEFF SMITH, with onstage appearances by several of the directors, writers and performers for the season.

Cate Blanchett, Lady Gaga, Lindsay Lohan, Whoopi Goldberg, Fergie, Justin Long, Rashida Jones, Bryan Cranston, Olivia Wilde, Anna Kendrick, NeNe Leakes, Fred Willard, Eric Roberts, Wayne Brady, Ryan O'Neal, Phylicia Rashad, Patton Oswalt, Treat Williams, George Stults, Steve Coogan and Werner Herzog make guest appearances in all-new episodes of shows on FOX.

Surprise guest, lyricist Alain Boublil appears on stage at Baltimore's Meyerhoff Symphony Hall to the delight of an SRO crowd

Damn Yankees is headed to The 5th Avenue Theatre! This musical comedy is the story of an aging baseball fan who makes a deal with the Devil so his beloved hometown team can beat the Yankees in the race for the pennant. From the songwriting team of The Pajama Game, Damn Yankees is filled with hit songs including "Two Lost Souls" and the sultry favorite, "Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets." The Paper Mill Playhouse production will slide into Seattle this April. The creative team includes direction by Mark S. Hoebee (Paper Mill's Producing Artistic Director), music direction by Ben Whiteley, and choreography by Denis Michael Jones.

Van Halen has added 18 concerts to its highly successful "2012 North American Tour" to include Detroit's Joe Louis Arena on Thursday, July 19 at 7:30 p.m. Ky-mani Marley is the opening act for all added concerts.

The Tribeca Film Festival has unveiled films screening in its Spotlight and genre-centered Cinemania section as well as Special Screenings and its Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival lineup.

A European premiere from one of Canada's pre-eminent playwrights, Daniel MacIvor, His Greatness opens at the Finborough Theatre on Tuesday, 24 April 2012 (Press Night: Friday, 27 April 2012 at 7.30pm) for a four week limited season. Directed by Che Walker, the cast includes Russell Bentley, Matthew Marsh and Toby Wharton.

Musical Theatre West has announced the opening of FORBIDDEN BROADWAY: GREATEST HITS, VOLUME 2; previewing April 13th, with opening night April 14th and running for an additional 12 performances through April 29, 2012.

ABC details its 13 comedy pilots under consideration for next season.

The Public Theater has announced additional casting today for the 50th Anniversary season of free Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte. David Furr (Orlando) and Stephen Spinella (Jaques) join the previously announced MacIntyre Dixon (Adam), Renee Elise Goldsberry (Celia), Omar Metwally (Oliver), and Lily Rabe (Rosalind) in Shakespeare's comedy AS YOU LIKE IT, directed by Daniel Sullivan.

Paul Garman, Executive Director/Producer, and Steven Glaudini, Artistic Director, have announced the cast of FORBIDDEN BROADWAY: GREATEST HITS, VOLUME 2, previewing April 13th, with opening night April 14th and running for an additional 12 performances through April 29, 2012.

Damn Yankees is headed to The 5th Avenue Theatre! This musical comedy is the story of an aging baseball fan who makes a deal with the Devil so his beloved hometown team can beat the Yankees in the race for the pennant. From the songwriting team of The Pajama Game, Damn Yankees is filled with hit songs including "Two Lost Souls" and the sultry favorite, "Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets." The Paper Mill Playhouse production will slide into Seattle this April. The creative team includes direction by Mark S. Hoebee (Paper Mill's Producing Artistic Director), music direction by Ben Whiteley, and choreography by Denis Michael Jones.

Let's see what the critics had to say about the new Broadway production of Arthur Miller's Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece DEATH OF A SALESMAN directed by eight-time Tony Award® winner Mike Nichols and starring Academy Award® winner Philip Seymour Hoffman as Willy Loman, Obie Award winner Linda Emond as Linda Loman and Andrew Garfield, making his Broadway debut as Biff Loman.

The New Actors Company in association with Neil McPherson for the Finborough Theatre presents THE GRAND DUKE. The Finborough Theatre's 'Celebrating British Music Theatre' series continues with the first fully staged professional UK production of Gilbert and Sullivan's final operetta, The Grand Duke, since the original 1896 production. It opens at the Finborough Theatre for a strictly limited run of six Sundays and Mondays from Sunday, 1 April 2012.

A star-studded cast of eleven celebrities, paired with the world's top professional ballroom dancers will hit the floor on March 10th as DANCING WITH THE STARS, Season 12 comes to GSN. DANCING WITH THE STARS, Season 12, premieres on Saturday, March 10th at 6:00 p.m. ET.

The Tribeca Film Festival (TFF), presented by American Express, today announced its feature film selections in the Spotlight and Cinemania sections, as well as Special Screenings and the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival lineup. The 11th edition of the Festival will take place from April 18 to April 29 in New York City.

The 39 Steps hits Arizona Theatre Company's stage at the Temple of Music and Art. Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps plays from January 14 - February 4, 2012 and continues its run in Phoenix at the Herberger Theater Center through February 26, 2012.

A star-studded cast of eleven celebrities, paired with the world's top professional ballroom dancers will hit the floor on March 10th as DANCING WITH THE STARS, Season 12 comes to GSN. DANCING WITH THE STARS, Season 12, premieres on Saturday, March 10th at 6:00 p.m. ET.

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) today announced the selections for the 2012 Next Link Project, NYMF's primary writer service program. The Next Link Project empowers emerging musical theatre writing teams as both artists and entrepreneurs by providing the training and relationships needed to help them move their musicals from readings to fully-realized productions and to advance their careers by maximizing the exposure they receive in the Festival. Ten of the Festival's full production slots are reserved for participants in The Next Link Project.

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. 'Show Boat' and 'South Pacific' in the Loop, the Grammys, Whitney Houston's showtune connections, 'Charlie Brown,' 'Pippin' and more....

Let's just say, for the moment, that I owned the Venus de Milo.  I don't know how it happened.  Maybe some ancient Greek stone cuttings were found that led to a Middle Ages parchment that inspired someone to do some research on ancestry.com, but in any case, it has been indisputably determined that I am the sole owner of sculptor Alexandros of Antioch's Venus de Milo.

Amphibian Stage Productions is set to embark on its 13th season of plays that challenge the way we see the world around us.