Broadway On Broadway Scheduled For 9/14

The free "Broadway on Broadway" concert, the annual event held in Times Square at the beginning of each Broadway season, has been set for Sunday, September 14. The casts of existing and upcoming Broadway shows will perform in front of approximately 50,000 fans on a stage set up in the heart of Times Square just for the concert. "Broadway on Broadway" begins at 11:30am, but you should arrive a couple hours early if you want to get up close to the stage.

Two Incoming Broadway Shows

for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf, which was expected to begin performances on Broadway soon, has announced that the production is being delayed, apparently due to one of the show's backers dropping out at the last minute. Another upcoming Broadway show, the Broadway revival of the musical Brigadoon, has also announced postponement. This production, which was not scheduled to open for many more months, says its delay is due to an inability to find a suitable Broadway theater for its planned spring 2009 opening.

Guys And Dolls Returning To Broadway

The classic musical Guys and Dolls is coming back to Broadway in the spring of 2009. This new production will be directed by Des McAnuff (Jersey Boys, The Who's Tommy), who previously helmed the Broadway revival of another Frank Loesser-scored musical, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. The last Broadway production of Guys and Dolls opened in 1992 and starred Peter Gallagher, Faith Prince, and Nathan Lane as the colorful New York characters originally created by Damon Runyon and brought to life for the stage by bookwriters Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling.

Broadway and TV Star Estelle Getty Dies

Estelle Getty, known to virtually everyone as Sophia on The Golden Girls, has passed away at the age of 84. Getty gained fame late in her career playing the sarcastic, dry-witted "Ma" to Bea Arthur's Dorothy, even though the women were nearly the same age. But prior to joining the NBC comedy hit, Getty had won over many with her turn on Broadway in the play Torch Song Trilogy, in which she played Harvey Fierstein's mother.

Bailey Is Broadway's Newest Blonde

The MTV reality series Legally Blonde the Musical: The Search for Elle Woods concluded last night, and the winner is Bailey Hanks! The bubbly 20-year old narrowly beat out the more experienced (and better-voiced) Autumn Hurlbert, who didn't do quite as well at capturing Elle's sorority girl sweetness. Both young ladies got to do their final audition with the Legally Blonde cast on the stage of the Palace Theatre, so director Jerry Mitchell was able to get a real sense of how they would perform in the show. We TV viewers did too and, considering how green a lot of the contestants appeared in the early stages of the MTV reality show, it was a relief to see that both winner Bailey and runner-up Autumn (who will be the Elle understudy on Broadway) performed quite well in the demanding role. The contest was actually decided months ago, so both have had ample time to continue training. With star Laura Bell Bundy having departed on Sunday, Bailey debuts on Broadway in Legally Blonde tomorrow, July 23. Meanwhile, contestants Rhiannon Hansen and Lauren Zakrin will join the cast of the Legally Blonde national tour.

Broadway at the Box Office: Mamma Mia!

Mamma Mia, the new movie version of the smash hit West End and Broadway musical, picked a tough weekend to open, going head-to-head with the record-breaking Batman sequel The Dark Knight. However, although Mamma Mia only pulled in $27,751,240 versus Batman's $158,411,483, the ABBA musical still did better than last summer's big Broadway-to-Hollywood transfer, Hairspray, which debuted at a few hundred thousand less. Hairspray was considered a box office hit, so hopefully this bodes well for Mamma Mia. Mamma Mia, which stars Meryl Streep, also has the advantage of appealing to that often-ignored segment of the population known as women - especially middle-aged women. As a result, Mamma Mia could continue doing steady business throughout the rest of the summer, providing a nice alternative for people who don't care for the special effects-laden blockbusters.

Oh, and did we mention that the figure above is only U.S. sales? Mamma Mia's total opening weekend worldwide was over 100 million, proving that Mamma Mia is not just a London and Broadway musical, but an international sensation.

High School Musical Reality TV Show Debuts

ABC's new reality show based on the hit Disney franchise High School Musical debuts on TV tonight, July 20. Hosted by Nick Lachey, High School Musical: Get in the Picture has contestants competing through a series of High School Musical-themed singing and dancing challenges. The winner of the reality TV series will get a guest spot in a music video to be shown at the end of High School Musical 3: Senior Year (due in theaters October 24) and will also get to record two singles for Walt Disney Records.

Broadway To Big Screen: Mamma Mia Opens

After conquering the West End, Broadway, and cities around the world, Mamma Mia finally arrives in movie theaters today. The film version of the silly ABBA musical has an all-star cast headed by Meryl Streep. Even people who didn't care for the show on Broadway may find the film irresistible with its Greek island setting, fantastic cast, and infectious spirit.

[title of show] Opens On Broadway Tonight

The new musical [title of show] has its official Broadway opening tonight at the Lyceum Theatre. [title of show] had its first production at the New York Musical Theatre Festival, and then went on to an Off-Broadway run at the Vineyard Theatre. The musical about writing a Broadway musical stars its own creators, Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen, as well as actresses Heidi Blickenstaff and Susan Blackwell, and music director Larry Pressgrove. Discount tickets for [title of show] on Broadway are available here.

Brief Break For Broadway Phantom

It's an unusual move for any Broadway show, but The Phantom of the Opera will be shutting down its Broadway production for a few days, from August 24-27. The reason for the brief hiatus is so that the sound system at the Majestic Theatre can be upgraded. Phantom's last pre-break performance will be on August 23, and then the long-running musical will resume Broadway performances on August 28. To get discount tickets to see The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, click here.

Broadway Musical Wicked To Become Film

Marc Platt, the producer behind Broadway shows and films (e.g. Legally Blonde on screen, the new Nine movie, the upcoming Broadway revival of Pal Joey), has made it known that he is looking forward to making his Broadway smash Wicked into a feature film. The Wicked movie is still in the very early planning stages, but the Broadway show's bookwriter, Winnie Holzman, is expected to write the screenplay. Platt is also interested in doing a new film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's musical Jesus Christ Superstar.

Whoopi To Be A Muse In Broadway's Xanadu

Whoopi Goldberg will soon join the Broadway cast of Xanadu. Movie star and co-host of The View Goldberg will be taking on the role of the wise-cracking muse Calliope, currently being played by Jackie Hoffman. Goldberg will be in the silly Broadway musical from July 29 to September 7, while The View is on hiatus and Hoffman is on leave from the show. To get discount tickets to see Whoopi in Xanadu, click here.

November Ends Broadway Run

The David Mamet comedy November, starring Nathan Lane, ended its Broadway run today. The play about a fictional U.S. president up for re-election opened at Broadway's Barrymore Theatre in January and was greeted with lukewarm reviews. Lane's presence helped November to continue running on Broadway throughout the spring, but after it was announced that Lane would depart the production in July, the producers decided to go ahead and close the show.

Get Pets At Broadway Barks 10

The tenth edition of the "Broadway Barks" pet adopt-a-thon comes to Shubert Alley on the afternoon of July 12. The event, which starts at 3:30pm, will be hosted by "Broadway Barks" co-founders Mary Tyler Moore and Broadway baby Bernadette Peters and will feature numerous celebrity guests, including Nathan Lane (Broadway's November), Christine Baranski (the new Mamma Mia film), Mario Lopez (Broadway's A Chorus Line), Glenn Close, Peter Gallagher (Broadway revival of The Country Girl), and Bebe Neuwirth (TV's Frasier, Broadway's Chicago). The celebs will take part in the "pet presentation" part of the event at 5:30, and there will also be autographed material on sale to benefit animal shelters. "Broadway Barks 10" will take place in Shubert Alley, located in Times Square between Broadway and 8th Avenue, and between 44th Street and 45th Street.

Esparza Joins Broadway Cast of Speed-the-Plow

The forthcoming Broadway revival of David Mamet's play Speed-the-Plow has just added a new cast member - Raul Esparza. Esparza, whose most recent Broadway gig was in the Broadway revival of Pinter's The Homecoming, will play Hollywood producer Charlie Fox. As previously announced, Jeremy Piven (TV's Entourage) will be starring in the play in the role of Bobby Gould.

Passing Strange To Close On Broadway

Lots of Passing Strange in the news these days, and unfortunately the latest isn't good. The new musical, which transferred to Broadway earlier this year following a successful Public Theater run, has been struggling ever since it hit Broadway. Although it did well during awards season, Passing Strange failed to nab the big prize, the Tony Award, which was probably its last shot at getting a significant surge in ticket sales. As a result, the exciting rock musical by Stew and Heidi Rodewald will be ending its Broadway run at the Belasco Theatre on July 20 (the day after Spike Lee does his live filming of the show). To get discount tickets for Passing Strange on Broadway before it closes, click here.

Broadway's Passing Strange Filming July 19

It has been confirmed that Spike Lee will indeed be filming the Broadway production of Passing Strange, and he will be doing it quite soon - on July 19. Lee will capture both the matinee and evening shows that day, and then record two more performances without the audience later on. How the filmed version of Passing Strange will eventually be distributed has not yet been decided. When Broadway shows are taped for release, they usually turn up on cable or on PBS, but the Passing Strange producers have not ruled out the possibility of a releasing it in movie theaters.

Kinky Boots Film To Become Broadway Show

Yet another movie is on the verge of becoming a Broadway show. Broadway and Off-Broadway producer Daryl Roth has purchased the stage rights for the recent British independent film Kinky Boots and plans to make it into a Broadway musical. A creative team has not yet been announced, but reportedly Jerry Mitchell (Legally Blonde) is in talks to direct.

Maury Yeston To Write New Songs For Upcoming Film Version Of Broadway Musical Nine

Maury Yeston, the composer/lyricist of the Broadway musical Nine, is writing additional songs to be included in the new Rob Marshall-helmed movie version of the musical. Although Antonio Banderas created a sensation on Broadway a few years ago when he starred as Guido Contini in the first Broadway revival of Nine, it was Javier Bardem that initially nabbed the role for the movie version. However, Bardem recently dropped out and it is now Daniel Day-Lewis who will be taking on the part of the Italian filmmaker. Nicole Kidman and Penelope Cruz are also on board to co-star.

Les Liaisons Ends Broadway Run Today

Les Liaisons Dangereuses, produced by the Roundabout Theatre Company, closes on Broadway today. Starring Laura Linney and Ben Daniels, the Tony Award-nominated Broadway revival has played out its limited engagement at the American Airlines Theatre. That theater will now be empty until September, when Roundabout's A Man For All Seasons begins performances.

[title of show] Begins On Broadway Today

[title of show], the musical about creating a Broadway musical, is having its Broadway debut at long last. The funny four-person musical, which co-stars creators Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell, will have its official Broadway opening at the Lyceum Theatre on July 17. To buy discount tickets for [title of show], click here.

Broadway's Passing Strange To Be Filmed

Entertainment Weekly is reporting that acclaimed director Spike Lee is going to film the Broadway production of the musical Passing Strange later this month. He will film three performances at the Belasco Theatre, one in front of a live Broadway audience and two without an audience. Reportedly Passing Strange's producers are financing the taping, and the plan is to eventually air it on cable.

Broadway On The 4th - Deals and Cancellations

Just a heads-up to Broadway fans out there: July 4th is kind of an unusual day on Broadway. Many shows have canceled their performances for the holiday. Those Broadway shows that are playing on Independence Day, though, often have great ticket discounts. So if you are looking for a fun way to celebrate the holiday, consider Broadway!

Broadway League And AEA Reach Agreement

After a little over two months of sitting at the bargaining table, the Actors Equity Association (AEA) and The Broadway League came to a 39-month agreement on a production contract today. Both sides appeared to be happy with the contract, which gives the actors an 11 percent increase in compensation during the course of the contract, and also allows the Broadway producers flexibility in marketing their shows through digital means. Equity members will soon vote on whether or not to ratify the contract, which they are expected to do. Happily, this contract negotiation has gone better than the one between The Broadway League and the Broadway stagehands' union did late last year - that dispute resulted in a strike that paralyzed Broadway for weeks.

Casting For Broadway-Bound MTC Play Version Of To Be Or Not To Be Just Announced

Casting has been announced for the upcoming Manhattan Theatre Club production of the dark comedy To Be Or Not To Be, coming to Broadway in September. Craig Bierko and Jan Maxwell will star in this play version of the film of the same name, with Kristine Nielsen, Steve Kazee, Peter Benson, and Rocco Sisto co-starring. Bierko has been seen on Broadway in Thou Shalt Not and The Music Man, while Jan Maxwell has most recently appeared on Broadway in Coram Boy and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. To Be Or Not To Be, adapted for the stage by Nick Whitby, will have its official Broadway opening on October 2.