Thurgood Opens on Broadway

Tonight saw the official opening of the one-man Broadway play Thurgood, starring noted film actor Laurence Fishburne. The George Stevens Jr. drama tells the story of Thurgood Marshall, the legendary black U.S. Supreme Court Justice. Fishburne is no stranger to the stage, having won a Tony Award for his performance in the original Broadway production of Two Trains Running. Thurgood plays a limited Broadway engagement at the Booth Theatre through August 3.

Broadway's Rent Wins Easter Bonnet Contest

True to its inspirational story about people living with HIV and AIDS, the long-running Broadway musical Rent raised the most money ($277,000!) for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS in the annual Easter Bonnet Competition that takes place this time each year between the various Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. For the actual Easter bonnet presentation portion of the contest, Sunday in the Park with George took the top prize. To get discount tickets to see either of these great Broadway shows, click here.

The Country Girl Arrives On Broadway

The new all-star Broadway revival of Clifford Odets's The Country Girl opened on Broadway tonight at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. The production, which is directed by Mike Nichols, stars Morgan Freeman as a washed up stage actor, Frances McDormand as his wife, and Peter Gallagher as a big shot director. This is the play's second Broadway revival, the first having been in 1972; The Country Girl was first produced on Broadway in 1950.

"Performing Musicals" Panel Airs 4/27 At 5pm

The American Theatre Wing's wonderful "Working in the Theatre" series focuses on "Performing Musicals" in its latest installment, airing on CUNY-TV tomorrow at 5pm. Broadway actors Sherie Rene Scott (The Little Mermaid), Roger Bart (Young Frankenstein), Priscilla Lopez (In the Heights), and Brian d'Arcy James (most recently in Off-Broadway's Next to Normal and soon to be Broadway's Shrek) will sit on the panel, discussing the challenges and joys of doing musicals, and the differences between performing in musicals and plays. "Performing Musicals" will have additional airings on 5/2 and 5/3, and if you don't get CUNY-TV, as of 4/30 you can listen to it on americantheatrewing.org.

Nick Lachey To Host High School Musical Show

Pop star Nick Lachey, who most recently appeared on TV in NBC's reality show Clash of the Choirs, will be host of the new High School Musical-themed reality competition on ABC. High School Musical: Summer Session will have contestants doing special challenges while at a music conservatory. The show is currently holding open auditions in California and Florida for aspiring stars aged 16-22. In keeping with the spirit of High School Musical, people from all walks - whether it's a jock who's always secretly wanted to sing or the drama club queen - are welcome to try out.

Cry-Baby Opens On Broadway

Tonight marked the official Broadway opening of Cry-Baby, the new musical based on the John Waters movie of the same name. James Snyder stars as the bad boy musician who was played by Johnny Depp in the movie, and Tony-winner Harriet Harris is also featured in the cast. The show's book is by Hairspray's team, Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, and the rocking score is by Broadway newcomers David Javerbaum and Adam Schlesinger. Cry-Baby is playing at Broadway's Marquis Theatre for an open-ended run. To get discount tickets for Cry-Baby, and other Broadway shows, click here.

Jeremy Piven To Make Broadway Debut

Actor Jeremy Piven, who has enjoyed recent attention for his role as Hollywood agent Ari Gold on HBO's Entourage, will make his Broadway debut later this year in a Broadway revival of David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow. Piven will play another Hollywood hotshot, film executive Bobby Gould, in Mamet's biting satire. Speed-the-Plow originally played Broadway in 1988, in a production that starred Joe Mantegna and Madonna. The Broadway revival starring Piven will open on October 23, but the name of the theater and his co-stars have yet to be announced. Although this will be his first time on Broadway, Piven did appear Off-Broadway not long ago in Neil Labute's play Fat Pig.

Drama League Honors Broadway and Off-Broadway Shows and Stars

The Drama League announced its nominees today - see the list here. The Drama League, which honors Broadway and Off-Broadway (and even Off-Off Broadway), is unique in that it limits itself to just five categories -- Distinguished Production of a Play, Distinguished Production of a Musical, Distinguished Revival of a Play, Distinguished Revival of a Musical, and Distinguished Performance -- but then allows for a large number of nominees in each of those categories. There are eight nominees in most categories, and 70 in the Performance category! The winners will be announced, and a handful of specialty awards will also be distributed, at the ceremony on May 16 at the Marriot Marquis Hotel. Harvey Fierstein, currently starring on Broadway in A Catered Affair, will host.

Broadway's Frankenstein Tops OCC Noms

The Outer Critics Circle nominations have been announced, and there are a lot of surprises. The Mel Brooks musical Young Frankenstein, which was generally dismissed by the Broadway industry and critical community, topped the OCC's list with 10 nominations. Meanwhile, the Broadway revival of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, which has not yet opened but has had quite a bit of negative word-of-mouth, received more nominations (nine) than any other play. Surprising snubs included a lack of an Outstanding New Broadway Musical nod for Passing Strange and no acting nominations for many worthy cast members from August: Osage County (only Deanna Dunagan was recognized). The OCC did, however, give plenty of recognition to the hit Broadway revival of South Pacific, which got eight nominations.

Broadway's August: Osage County Has Final Performance At The Imperial Theatre

Tracy Letts' Pulitzer Prize-winning drama August: Osage County ends its run at the Imperial Theatre this evening. But the Steppenwolf Theatre Company production's Broadway run does not come to an end yet. August will be re-opening next door at the Music Box Theatre on April 29, where the play will continue its Broadway engagement.

Broadway Revival Boeing-Boeing Takes Off

The first-ever Broadway revival of the farce Boeing-Boeing has its first performance at Broadway's Longacre Theatre tonight. Very much a product of the "sex comedy" era, the 1965 play is about an architect who juggles three flight attendant fiancees. Bradley Whitford (The West Wing) stars as the Parisian bachelor, and Christine Baranski plays his put-upon maid. Boeing-Boeing has its official Broadway opening on May 4.

Broadway's Tracy Turnblad To Be TV Host

Marissa Jaret Winokur, who memorably played Tracy Turnblad in the original Broadway company of Hairspray, will host her own TV talk show soon. Winokur has just signed a contract with Sony Pictures Television for a talk show, which is scheduled to start production in the fall of 2009. No other details about the show are currently available, but hopefully Broadway baby Winokur will -- like that other famous Broadway supporter, Rosie O'Donnell -- feature lots of Broadway musicals on her show. Marissa Jaret Winokur, who nabbed a Tony Award for her role in Hairspray, is currently appearing on TV in the popular ABC reality show Dancing With the Stars.

A Catered Affair Opens on Broadway

The Harvey Fierstein-John Bucchino musical A Catered Affair officially opened on Broadway tonight. The 90-minute dramedy, which takes place in the Bronx in the 1950s, stars Faith Prince and Tom Wopat as a couple trying to give their bride-to-be daughter a day to remember. A Catered Affair is playing an open run at Broadway's Walter Kerr Theatre.

Broadway Star Chenoweth To Publish Autobio

Broadway and TV regular Kristin Chenoweth, currently playing a featured role on ABC's Pushing Daisies, is working on her memoirs. The autobiography, in which the Oklahoma girl will talk about how she balances her life, faith, and career, is scheduled to be published by Simon & Schuster in Spring 2009. Chenoweth first made a splash on Broadway in the revival of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, later going on to star in the original Broadway company of mega-hit Wicked.

Brigadoon Appearing On Broadway In 2009

It has been officially announced that the classic musical Brigadoon will be revived on Broadway in the Spring of 2009. Before bowing on Broadway, the Rob Ashford-directed production will have a tryout in Boston. The Lerner & Loewe musical, which debuted on Broadway in 1947, is about two Americans who come upon a magical village while visiting Scotland. Brigadoon has been on Broadway several times since its original Broadway production, the most recent revival being at the Majestic Theatre during the 1980-81 Broadway season.

Charlton Heston, Star of Stage and Screen, Dies

Actor Charlton Heston, best known for iconic roles in films like Ben-Hur and The Planet of the Apes, passed away at the age of 84 yesterday. He had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease since at least 2002. Though Heston was famous for his numerous big screen roles, he frequently performed on the stage throughout the country and even appeared on Broadway.

Broadway's South Pacific Announces Open Run

The word of mouth was strong, but the ecstatic opening-night reviews sealed the deal -- South Pacific will now have an open-ended run on Broadway. The Rodgers & Hammerstein revival, playing at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theatre, was originally scheduled to conclude its Broadway engagement on June 22. But the fact that the WWII-set Broadway musical has extended doesn't mean that it's easy to get tickets. South Pacific is already a runaway hit and many performances are sold out, so you better snag those tickets fast if you want to see it before 2009!

Musical About A Musical Comes To Broadway

[title of show], the little musical that could, has just announced that it will come to Broadway this July. Originally created by Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell specifically for the New York Musical Theatre Festival, the show has the trippy concept of being about Jeff and Hunter trying to write a musical for the New York Musical Theatre Festival. The two men have even played themselves in the previous productions of the show (at NYMF, and Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre) and will reprise their roles on Broadway; Heidi Blickenstaff and Susan Blackwell, playing two struggling actresses, will also return to the cast. [title of show] will begin performances on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre on July 5, with an official opening on July 17.

South Pacific Revival Opens On Broadway

Tonight the first Broadway revival of South Pacific opened at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center. Given Broadway's revival mania, it is surprising that it took so long for this beloved Rodgers & Hammerstein musical to make its return to Broadway. The classic show, which first bowed on Broadway in 1949, features wonderful songs like "Some Enchanted Evening" and "Younger Than Springtime".

Broadway's Schwartz Takes a Hollywood Walk

Composer Stephen Schwartz, currently represented on Broadway by the mega-hit Wicked, will soon be honored on the West Coast with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Although Schwartz is well-known by theater fans for his scores to Broadway musicals like Pippin, Rags, Working, and Godspell (which is soon to have a revival on Broadway), he has also been celebrated in the film industry, having won three Oscars for his songwriting work on movies like Disney's Pocohontas. Schwartz will receive his star on the Walk of Fame on April 8 in a ceremony that will include performances from the L.A. company of Wicked.

Broadway Bares Book To Be Released In June

It's the next best thing to Broadway porn: Broadway Bares, the popular annual fundraiser in which Broadway performers get down to their skivvies in order to earn money for Broadway Cares, is getting its own companion coffee table book featuring racy photos and a history of the event. Written by Broadway Bares' creator, director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell, Backstage Pass: Broadway Bares will be released on June 1.