Broadway Musical 9 To 5 To Call It A Day

The new Broadway musical 9 To 5 couldn't quite hack it in the high-stress New York City theater business. Alas, the show will be packing up and moving out of its office at the Marquis Theatre on September 6. Based on the 1980 movie about three fed-up working women who kidnap their boss, 9 To 5 has a brand new score by country music legend Dolly Parton and stars Allison Janney, Meg Hilty, and Stephanie Block. Though the musical seemed to get a pretty good response from audiences, the reviews were mostly negative and the show failed to nab a coveted Tony Award nomination for Best Musical, stalling the momentum it needed to continue a profitable Broadway run. However, 9 To 5 will hit the touring circuit, launching a national tour from Nashville, Tennessee in late 2010.

David Alan Grier and James Spader To Star in Mamet's Race

Casting announcements have been trickling in for David Mamet's new play, Race, arriving at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre this autumn. Film and TV star James Spader (Boston Legal), Kerry Washington (Ray), and Richard Thomas (John Boy on The Waltons) are all set to be in the play, and today it was announced that actor/comedian David Alan Grier will be joining the cast as well. Best known for his comedic work on the '90s sketch comedy TV show In Living Color, David Alan Grier has been on Broadway several times before, most recently the Broadway revival of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He made his Broadway debut back in 1981 playing Jackie Robinson in the play The First. Although Race is hotly anticipated, the subject of the piece has remained hush-hush - though most have guessed that it deals with racial relations. Playwright Mamet (Speed-the-Plow, American Buffalo, Glengarry Glen Ross) will direct this production of his own work, marking the first time he has directed a play on Broadway.

God of Carnage Goes On Summer Vacation

The Tony Award-winning hit Broadway play God of Carnage started a summer hiatus following its July 26 performance. Though it is unusual for a Broadway show to take an extended break, God of Carnage was only originally scheduled for a limited run to end in July. But due to the massive success of the dark comedy, the producers worked out an extension. However, a break is required first (most likely to accommodate the schedules of the show's in-demand cast). God of Carnage will resume performances at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on September 8 for a run that will go through November 15. The play by French writer Yasmina Reza is about two couples (played by Hope Davis, Jeff Daniels, Marcia Gay Harden, and James Gandolfini) who meet following a playground altercation between their children.

Burn The Floor Burns Up Broadway

Burn the Floor's first performance on Broadway tonight signals the beginning of the 2009-2010 Broadway season. It is the first entry in what is looking to be an exciting year on Broadway. Burn the Floor is the steamy dance sensation that has been touring the globe and now lands at the Longacre Theatre for a limited engagement. The production will have its official Broadway opening on August 2, with a closing date set for October 18. Fans of TV's Dancing with the Stars should get their tickets right away, because two popular dancers from that show, Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Karina Smirnoff, will be in Burn the Floor for a limited time. The regular cast of the production also features some Stars dancers, as well as dancers from So You Think You Can Dance and numerous championship Latin and Ballroom dancers from around the world. Accompanying these talented movers and shakers will be onstage vocalists and an onstage band playing live music.

The Notebook To Become a Musical

Romantics take note - Nicholas Sparks' novel The Notebook is now being turned into a musical theater piece. The 1940s North Carolina-set love story about Noah Calhoun and Allie Nelson gained a much bigger following when it became a major Hollywood film starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, and presumably it will reach yet another slice of the population when it takes the stage. The adaptation is being done by Bethany Joy Galeotti and Ron Aniello, who are currently putting together a preliminary workshop of the musical in Wilmington, NC. According to their website, the "musical styles for The Notebook range from American wartime standards and traditional musical theatre pieces to bluegrass and gospel."

Billy Elliot Will Hit the Road in 2010

No, the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit musical Billy Elliot won't be leaving Broadway anytime soon, but the show will be launching a national tour next year. At last, many people who don't have a chance to travel to New York City to see this wonderful Broadway musical will be able to see it in their own town. The touring company of Billy Elliot will start in Chicago in March 2010 at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre, where it will have an extended run before moving on to other cities. Billy Elliot is based on the independent British film of the same name, which is about a boy from working-class England who dreams of learning ballet.

A Steady Rain To Become a Hollywood Film

A Steady Rain, the play that will be on Broadway this Fall at the Schoenfeld Theatre, is going to soon become a movie too. The two-person play is already getting an incredible amount of attention due to the fact that the Broadway production will star major Hollywood stars Hugh Jackman (X-Men, Wolverine, Australia, Broadway's The Boy From Oz) and Daniel Craig (James Bond in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace). Playwright Keith Huff, who is currently working on writing the screenplay adaptation of his own play, sold the film rights for A Steady Rain to the same producers who are behind the upcoming Broadway production. Whether or not Jackman and Craig will also star in the motion picture version has not been determined yet, but it just so happens that one of those producers is Barbara Broccoli, who is a longtime producer of the James Bond 007 movies.

Ana Gasteyer Joins The Cast of Broadway's The Royal Family

Former Saturday Night Live cast member Ana Gasteyer, best known for her impressions of such personalities as Celine Dion and Katherine Harris, is joining the cast of the upcoming Manhattan Theatre Club revival of the classic play The Royal Family. Gasteyer will play Kitty Dean, who is related by marriage to the Cavendishes, the fictional clan of stage celebrities whose exploits are explored in The Royal Family. Written by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber, the comedy first appeared on Broadway in 1927 at the Selwyn Theatre (which is now known as the American Airlines Theatre). The new MTC production will begin preview performances at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on September 15, with its official Broadway opening on October 8.

Blithe Spirit Floats Away From Broadway

The Broadway revival of Noel Coward's play Blithe Spirit ends its run at the Shubert Theatre today. The production, which recouped its investment during its nearly five months on Broadway, was the first Broadway revival of the classic comedy since 1987. In it, Rupert Everett (My Best Friend's Wedding, An Ideal Husband) starred as a writer who, following his participation in a seance, finds himself haunted by the ghost of his first wife (Christine Ebersole) - which makes his current wife (Jayne Atkinson) none-too-happy. The role of the medium who conducts the seance was played to loopy perfection by the legendary actress Angela Lansbury (Murder, She Wrote, Beauty and the Beast, Gaslight), who won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her efforts.

Catch Tony-Winning Norman Conquests Before It's Too Late

The Norman Conquests revival is winding up its run at Broadway's Circle in the Square Theatre with just 10 days to go before it ends. This Broadway production (which originated in London) offers the rare chance to see all three plays in Alan Ayckbourn's hilarious trilogy in repertory with the same excellent six-person cast. Fans of British film and TV will probably recognize at least two of the actors, Ben Miles (Coupling) and Amanda Root (Jane Austen's Persuasion), and will quickly become fans of the other four as well after seeing their wonderful turns in all three plays.

The Norman Conquests follows three couples during a weekend at a country house, viewing the action from three different locales: the dining room in Table Manners, the living room in Living Together, and the garden in Round and Round the Garden. In a feat of fine craftsmanship, Ayckbourn managed to write each play so that it stands on its own, yet when you see all three, you have the benefit of getting the larger picture. A character's exit in one play becomes his entrance in another, making an intricate puzzle. And while this set-up makes for some phenomenal farce that keeps the whole audience laughing itself silly, The Norman Conquests also has serious undertones. It's at once a comic and tragic look at romantic relationships.

There are still three more trilogy days left, where you can view all three plays in one marathon day. If that's a bit intense, you can also catch them on separate days, or just see one or two (Table Manners and Living Together were our favorites). Find out more info here.

Journalists Lose Tony Award Voting Privileges

Approximately 100 members of the press received a very surprising notice yesterday. Journalists on what is known as the "First Night Press List" (i.e. the top priority theater journalists) were informed that they are no longer invited to vote for the Tony Awards. The letter came without warning and did not include much insight into what precipitated the decision. The only reason suggested was that the Tony Management Committee sees journalists as having a conflict of interest (some members of the press, notably those at the New York Times, already have a policy of not voting for such awards). Some people have noted that considering the remaining 700 Tony voters are made up primarily of theater owners, Broadway producers, publicists, theater artists, and others who clearly have a personal interest in the outcome of the awards, the Tony logic is backwards. Suspicions are that this move is another step for the Tony Awards to become even more commercial, where the results are more about rewarding the Broadway shows with the greatest commercial potential than those of the highest quality. Several members of the Broadway press have already made their displeasure clear in their publications. The remaining fallout should be interesting to observe. The Tonys could see a drop in press coverage if the spurned journalists turn vengeful.

Hair Cast To Participate In National Equality March In Washington

The cast of the Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of the rock musical Hair won't be at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on October 11 for their usual Sunday performance. Instead, the peace-loving tribe will be in Washington D.C. to join the National Equality March, an event that will bring people from all over the country to show their support for gay marriage. The young cast of Hair is headed by Tony Award nominees Will Swenson and Gavin Creel - they and the whole group are bound to help create an energetic and Broadway-flavored presence at the march. Ticket holders that were planning on seeing Hair on October 11 can exchange their tickets by visiting the Hirschfeld box office or by calling Telecharge at 800-543-4835.

Broadway's Waiting For Godot Finally Picks Up and Goes

The Roundabout Theatre Company production of Waiting For Godot concludes its limited run at the Studio 54 Theatre today. This production of the existentialist classic by playwright Samuel Beckett had Broadway star Nathan Lane (The Odd Couple, Butley, November, The Producers, the film The Birdcage) and Bill Irwin (set to be in the upcoming Broadway revival of Bye Bye Birdie) in the lead roles of Estragon and Vladimir, two frustrated and tired men who are waiting for something or someone that never comes. Waiting For Godot also starred John Glover (The Drowsy Chaperone) and John Goodman (best known from the TV comedy Roseanne, and last seen on Broadway in the '80s in Big River), the former receiving a Tony nomination for his role this year.

Stars Help Animals Find Homes At The Annual Broadway Barks Event

Shubert Alley was filled with adorable cats and dogs looking for a place to call home today during the Broadway Barks event. The annual adopt-a-thon, now in its 11th year, raises money for animal shelters and brings in a constellation of Broadway stars to present pets from local shelters for adoption. This year's slate of Broadway bigshots included Elizabeth Ashley, Hope Davis (God of Carnage), Rupert Everett (Blithe Spirit), Tovah Feldshuh, Sutton Foster, John Glover (Waiting For Godot), Lauren Graham, Marcia Gay Harden, Allison Janney (9 To 5), Marc Kudisch, Angela Lansbury, Constantine Maroulis (Rock of Ages), Audra McDonald (Twelfth Night), Becki Newton, Michael O'Keefe, Karen Olivo (West Side Story), David Hyde Pierce, Alice Ripley (Next To Normal), John Tartaglia, and Michael Urie. Broadway Barks was created by Mary Tyler Moore and Bernadette Peters, who always co-host the adopt-a-thon. Peters wrote a companion book, also called Broadway Barks, which she signed copies of at the event.

Film of Broadway Musical "Passing Strange" Coming To Movie Theaters

Spike Lee's documentary of the short-lived Broadway musical Passing Strange is set to hit movie theaters on August 21. The film was in the Sundance Film Festival, and it was also seen earlier this year in New York City at the Tribeca Film Festival. If you can't make it to see Passing Strange on the big screen - or if it's not playing in a theater near you come August - you can catch it on television in 2010 when it airs on PBS as a part of the "Great Performances" series. Passing Strange, which played the Public Theater before transferring to Broadway in 2008, is a rock musical written by Heidi Rodewald and Stew. The show is Stew's semi-autobiographical tale of a young black man's journey from a middle class life in Los Angeles to coming-of-age adventure in Europe. The Broadway production, which is captured in Spike Lee's documentary through footage filmed live on July 19, 2008, featured actors Daniel Breaker (currently in Broadway's Shrek), de'Adre Aziza, Eisa Davis, Colman Domingo, Chad Goodridge, Rebecca Naomi Jones, and an on-stage band fronted by Stew himself.

Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman To Star In New Broadway Play

Plans for Hugh Jackman's return to Broadway have been pretty well finalized - and he will be joined by another action-adventure star, Daniel Craig. The pair will be starring in A Steady Rain, a new play by Keith Huff, in a production to be directed by John Crowley. A Steady Rain will begin preview performances at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on September 10, with the official Broadway opening on September 29. The production will be a limited engagement, scheduled to end on December 6. With two major film stars, each at the head of his own movie franchise (Craig as James Bond, Jackman as Wolverine), and only a 12-week run, there will likely be pandemonium at the box office when tickets go onsale July 25 (or July 11 for the American Express pre-sale). A Steady Rain is a two-hander about two Chicago cops who are lifelong friends. The production will mark Daniel Craig's Broadway debut, but Hugh Jackman was previously seen on the Great White Way in The Boy From Oz.

Anthony Mackie To Head Cast of The Bacchae

The Public Theater has completed casting for its second and final Shakespeare in the Park production this summer, Euripides' The Bacchae. Anthony Mackie will play Pentheus in the classic Greek tragedy, which will play August 11-30 at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Mackie has been seen on Broadway in productions such as Drowning Crow and the revival of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, and is currently on screen in the acclaimed independent film The Hurt Locker. Other actors previously announced to star in the production include Jonathan Groff (Spring Awakening, The Singing Forest) as Dionysus, Andre de Shields (The Full Monty, Impressionism) as Teiresias, and George Bartenieff as Cadmus. JoAnne Akalaitis directs this 90-minute version (adapted by Nicholas Ruddall) of The Bacchae, which features an original score by Philip Glass.

It's the End of the Yellow Brick Road For The Wiz

The City Center Encores! Summer Stars production of The Wiz, starring R&B artist Ashanti, ends its limited run at City Center today. Directed by Thomas Kail and choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler (both of In the Heights), the production also starred LaChanze and Orlando Jones. The Wiz is a soulful, modern retelling of The Wizard of Oz, which originally played Broadway in 1974 and won several Tonys. The book is by William F. Brown (based on the L. Frank Baum story), and music and lyrics are by Charlie Smalls.

4th of July on the Great White Way

If you're thinking of getting tickets for a Broadway show over the Independence Day weekend, be aware that most Broadway shows are altering their schedules for the holiday. Many shows are eliminating one performance (and in some cases both) on Saturday, July 4. A few shows are also adding an extra performance on Sunday, July 5. If you aren't yet thinking of seeing a Broadway show this weekend, then you may want to consider it. Almost every Broadway musical and play is discounting tickets for the weekend because the 4th of July tends to be a slow time on the Great White Way. A number of shows are even offering the ticket discounts through next week too. It's a great week to be an American and a Broadway fan!

Actor Karl Malden Dead at 97

The lights on Broadway dimmed tonight in honor of the late and beloved actor Karl Malden, who died at the age of 97 on July 1st. Although his work has been sporadic over the last couple decades, Malden was a fixture on television sets in the '70s on the TV show "The Streets of San Francisco". Malden is best known to theater fans for two roles in particular, as Mitch in the original Broadway production of the Tennessee Williams classic A Streetcar Desire (which he repeated on film), and as Herbie in the movie version of the musical Gypsy. He performed on Broadway in a number of plays by 20th century greats from the '30s through the '50s, including Golden Boy, All My Sons, Tea and Sympathy, and a 1952 revival of Desire Under the Elms. Karl Malden's notable film credits include On the Waterfront, Birdman of Alcatraz, and Patton. He won an Oscar for his role in Streetcar, amongst many other well-deserved award nominations and honors.

Ragtime Returns to Broadway This Year

The musical Ragtime, a favorite among many lovers of the modern musical, is coming back to Broadway in October, when it will arrive at the Neil Simon Theatre. The lavish show, based on the E.L. Doctorow novel of the same name, opened on Broadway in 1998 at the then brand new Ford Center for the Performing Arts (now called the Hilton Theatre), and ran for about three years before closing. To the consternation of its many fans, Ragtime sadly lost the Tony Award for Best Musical to The Lion King, despite the fact that it had won both Best Book (for Terrence McNally) and Best Score (for Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty). The Broadway revival production originated at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and is both directed and choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge. Ragtime follows three families as their lives become entwined during the tumultuous social change of the early 1900s. It includes a mix of fictional characters such as the ragtime pianist Coalhouse Walker Jr. and Eastern European immigrant Tateh, and historical figures like Emma Goldman and Booker T. Washington.