Branford Marsalis To Compose Score For Broadway's Fences

Grammy Award-winning jazz saxophonist and bandleader Branford Marsalis has been tapped to write the underscoring for the new Broadway production of August Wilson's play Fences, directed by Kenny Leon and starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis. In a statement about his new gig, Marsalis said, "I look forward to the challenge of creating music that not only complements their performances, but enhances the experience for those sitting in the theater." This will be Branford Marsalis's debut as a Broadway composer. Fences begins performances at the Cort Theatre on April 14.

All About Me: Another Broadway Show Bites the Dust

On the heels of the announcement that The Miracle Worker will be closing early comes the news that another Broadway show, All About Me, will be shuttering on the same date, April 4. All About Me, the Broadway comedy and music show starring Dame Edna Everage and singer/pianist Michael Feinstein, was scheduled to run until July, but inadequate reviews and low ticket sales prompted the producers to close the show only a few weeks into its run. Written by the show's stars along with playwright Christopher Durang, and directed by Casey Nicholaw (Jerry Zaks was originally scheduled to direct, but pulled out in order to work on The Addams Family), All About Me had lackluster word-of-mouth early during previews, the general feeling being that the pairing of these two very different types of performers didn't make much sense. Feinstein is known primarily as an interpreter of the American songbook, while Dame Edna is a larger-than-life personality with a wicked sense of humor. It's possible that they both would have fared better if, as was originally reported in the publicity stunt pulled prior to their show's official announcement, they had each gone solo on Broadway.

The Miracle Worker To Close Broadway Production Next Week

The current Broadway production of The Miracle Worker, playing at the Circle in the Square Theatre, has announced that it will be ending its run in just one week from today, with a closing date of April 4. The William Gibson play is well-known and loved (especially due to the classic film version starring Patty Duke and Anne Bancroft), and the Broadway revival has a host of recognizable names in the cast (including Little Miss Sunshine star Abigail Breslin as Helen Keller, and Matthew Modine and House's Jennifer Morrison as her parents). But all of that was not enough to keep the show, which has been having trouble selling tickets for most of its run, afloat any longer. Rumors that the open-ended production might shutter early started several weeks ago, and they were apparently overwhelming enough that The Miracle Worker's producers actually went so far as to issue a press release in early March stating that they intended to stay open despite the poor ticket sales. It appears that the money has now run out, though, and the miracle needed to keep this show on Broadway has not materialized.

Time Stands Still Ends Its Broadway Run

The acclaimed Manhattan Theatre Club production of Donald Margulies' new drama Time Stands Still concluded its Broadway run at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre today. Due to positive reviews and high ticket sales, the production extended its limited engagement an extra week. Directed by Daniel Sullivan, Time Stands Still starred Laura Linney as a war photographer forced to return with her partner (a journalist who she met on the job) to a conventional life back in the United States following an injury sustained while working in a dangerous land. The next Manhattan Theatre Club production to open at the Friedman Theatre will be another Donald Margulies play, Collected Stories. Starring Linda Lavin and Sarah Paulson, that production will begin performances on April 9.

Lips Together, Teeth Apart Now Postponed

The Roundabout Theatre Company announced today that, due to Megan Mullally's sudden departure yesterday, the upcoming production of Terrence McNally's play Lips Together, Teeth Apart has now been postponed. Said Roundabout artistic director Todd Haimes: “We could not find a way to maintain the production schedule under these circumstances. We are now exploring options to produce a show for our subscribers as soon as possible.” Theater wags can only speculate on exactly what happened, as rumors have alternately suggested that director Joe Mantello was too demanding and that Megan Mullally was being too difficult (possibly wanting to replace one of her co-stars - most likely Broadway newcomer Patton Oswalt). Although it is difficult to replace an actor two weeks into the rehearsal process, it could have been done as long as Roundabout delayed the production schedule, which is what they stated they would do yesterday after Mullally dropped out. The fact that they changed their tune today most likely means that either Mullally's leaving was just a symptom of bigger problems already happening with the show, or else it probably means that losing such a big star was simply too detrimental to ticket sales. Current ticket holders for Lips Together, Teeth Apart can rest assured that their refunds will be automatically processed, or else they will be contacted by Roundabout.

Megan Mullally Drops Out of Lips Together, Teeth Apart

Roundabout Theatre Company has just released a statement saying that Megan Mullally, one of the stars of the upcoming Roundabout revival of Terrence McNally's four-hander Lips Together, Teeth Apart, has dropped out of the production. Statements from Roundabout artistic director Todd Haimes and from McNally indicate surprise and upset at Mullally's exit, which is happening two full weeks into the production's rehearsal, but word on the street is that Mullally has been clashing with director Joe Mantello, who has a reputation for being hard on actors. With this loss, Lips Together, Teeth Apart will have to delay its first preview (originally scheduled for April 9). A replacement is due to be announced shortly. Mullally herself has yet to make a statement about the cause of her departure.

Stephen Sondheim To Have Broadway Theater Named After Him

Composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim's 80th birthday may have been on Monday, March 22, but even before that day and since, the New York City theater crowd has been in full celebration mode, with concerts dedicated to the living musical theater legend and other tributes. One of the most lasting of these tributes was announced following the Monday night performance of the Roundabout Theatre Company's new production Sondheim on Sondheim, when it was revealed that Roundabout's recently renovated Henry Miller's Theatre is to be re-named the Stephen Sondheim Theatre. A small group of Sondheim's most dedicated (and presumably most wealthy) fans sponsored the re-dubbing of the theater by contributing to Roundabout's Musical Production Fund. The re-naming ceremony is expected to take place this summer when All About Me completes its run at the theater.

Michelle Obama and Children See Memphis on Broadway

The Obamas minus papa prez (who was quite busy in Washington D.C. with the vote on health care reform) made a visit to Memphis yesterday. First Lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha took in the Sunday matinee of the new musical about a southern DJ who introduces his listeners to the rhythm and blues music known at the time as "race music". The show's cast members weren't the only ones to get applause at that performance - the Obamas received an enthusiastic standing ovation from their fellow audience members.

Present Laughter Closes On Broadway Today

The Roundabout Theatre Company's Broadway revival of the classic Noel Coward comedy Present Laughter has its final performance at the American Airlines Theatre this afternoon. The play stars Victor Garber as vainglorious actor Garry Essendine, an aging leading man who, on the verge of taking a trip to Africa, finds his apartment overrun by a chaotic series of characters, including his estranged wife, a lovestruck young actress, an adulterous producer, and a maniacal playwright (played with hilarious hysteria by Brooks Ashmanskas). Harriet Harris (who has been in numerous Broadway shows, including Roundabout's production of The Man Who Came To Dinner) plays Essendine's long-suffering assistant. The limited run production began on January 2 and will have played almost 100 performances when it has its final Broadway bow today.

Broadway Star Sutton Foster To Go On Tour

Sutton Foster, the talented actress who has played lead roles in such Broadway shows as Thoroughly Modern Millie, Young Frankenstein, Shrek, and Little Women, will be hitting the road soon. She will be presenting An Evening with Sutton Foster at both big cities (Chicago, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Dallas, and San Francisco) and smaller towns as well (Midland, MI; Morristown, TN; Springfield, OH; and more). The concerts will feature Foster performing songs from her solo album Wish, as well as numbers from her Broadway shows.

All About Me Opens on Broadway

The new Broadway show All About Me opens tonight at Henry Miller's Theatre. The unusual hybrid show, which combines music and comedy, stars gladiola-loving comedienne Dame Edna Everage and singer/pianist Michael Feinstein, both of whom usually perform solo. Their duo show was first announced via a publicity stunt in which each performer had pretended to be bringing individual but similarly-titled shows to Broadway. However, it was subsequently revealed that they would actually be starring alongside one another in a piece written by playwright Christopher Durang. Dame Edna (aka Barry Humphries) has had two shows on Broadway previously, Dame Edna: Back With a Vengeance in 2004, and 1999's The Royal Tour, for which he/she won a Tony Award. Feinstein has previously appeared on Broadway in a handful of concert specials.

Raul Esparza To Star In Encores! Anyone Can Whistle

Raul Esparza (Broadway's revivals of Speed-the-Plow, The Homecoming, and Company) will star in the upcoming Encores! staging of the famous Broadway flop Anyone Can Whistle. He, Donna Murphy (Wonderful Town, Passion), and Sutton Foster (Broadway credits include Young Frankenstein and Thoroughly Modern Millie) will make up the satirical musical's trio of leads, and they will be joined by Edward Hibbert, John Ellison Conlee, and Jeff Blumenkrantz. Anyone Can Whistle, which was written by Arthur Laurents and Stephen Sondheim (whose more notable collaborations include the classic Broadway musicals West Side Story and Gypsy), debuted on Broadway in 1964 in a production starring Harry Guardino, Lee Remick, and Angela Lansbury. The show only played nine performances before closing.

Mel Brooks Working on Blazing Saddles Musical

Mel Brooks, the comic filmmaker who has gone Broadway the last few years, says he is currently at work penning new songs for a Blazing Saddles musical. The 1974 parody of film Westerns starred Cleavon Little and Madeline Kahn, and it is generally considered to be one of Brooks' best movies. Mel Brooks went from a big screen funnyman to a Tony-winning Broadway sensation when the musical version of his film The Producers became a Broadway hit. But the follow-up, Young Frankenstein, was not as a big of a Broadway success and led some to speculate that Brooks would give up turning more of his movies into stage musicals. So far Blazing Saddles is very much in the early stages, with Brooks having only written two or three new songs, but time will tell if it eventually gallops its way onto Broadway.

Million Dollar Quartet Begins Performances on Broadway

The Million Dollar Quartet has taken the stage at the Nederlander Theatre. The new Broadway musical, which has already been a hit in Chicago, will have its official opening on April 11 for an open run. Based on a real-life event, Million Dollar Quartet is about a legendary day in rock 'n' roll history (December 4, 1956) when four great musicians - Johnny Cash (played by Lance Guest), Carl Perkins (Rob Lyons), Jerry Lee Lewis (Levi Kreis), and Elvis Presley (Eddie Clendening) - gathered for a jam session at a studio in Memphis. The musical, which features performances of rock hits like "Blue Suede Shoes," "Great Balls of Fire," "Who Do You Love?" "Riders in the Sky," "Sixteen Tons," "I Walk the Line," "Folsom Prison Blues," and "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," also stars Hunter Foster as record producer Sam Phillips.

Kelsey Grammer To Play Both Leads In La Cage Aux Folles

It turns out that Kelsey Grammer (Frasier, Cheers), who is now returning to Broadway in the role of Georges in the musical La Cage Aux Folles, will actually be playing both leads in the show. Six months into the musical's run, Grammer will be switching to the role of Albin. These types of switcheroos in Broadway shows are rare, but hardly unheard of. Currently actor Jeff Daniels, starring in the Tony-winning Broadway play God of Carnage, is playing the part previously assayed by James Gandolfini when the show first opened. And several years ago, Philip Seymour Hoffman and John C. Reilly regularly swapped parts in the play True West.

Evan Rachel Wood Exits Forthcoming Spider-Man Musical

It looks like Peter Parker will need a new Mary Jane. Evan Rachel Wood, who it was previously announced had joined the cast of the forthcoming Broadway musical Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark, has now dropped out of the Julie Taymor-directed show. Spiderman, which was originally scheduled to open at the beginning of this year, has been troubled with numerous delays and as a result Wood has had to drop out due to a scheduling conflict. The musical, which has a score by U2's Bono and The Edge, has still not yet announced when it will finally open on Broadway.

The Addams Family Set Up House On Broadway

The Addams Family, a new musical based on the famed cartoons by Charles Addams, starts performances at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater on Broadway today. The show had a try-out in Chicago in late 2009 and brought in director Jerry Zaks to sharpen up the production. Is The Addams Family now ready to face Broadway? Audiences will decide tonight, and critics will decide on April 8, when the creepy and kooky musical has its official Broadway opening. The Addams Family stars Nathan Lane (The Producers) and Bebe Neuwirth (Chicago) as Gomez and Morticia Addams, Kevin Chamberlin as Uncle Fester, and Jackie Hoffman as Grandma, all members of a ghoulish but loving family of misfits who live in a haunted mansion. The musical has a book by Jersey Boys writers Rick Elice and Marshall Brickman and an original score by Andrew Lippa (Off-Broadway's The Wild Party).

Original Hair Cast Says Goodbye NYC, Hello London

The energetic original cast of the current Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of the classic '60s counter-culture musical Hair has its final performance at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre today, and then the merry band of hippies will head off to England (London, not Manchester) to open the West End production of the hit show. The London Hair, featuring most of Broadway's original cast, will begin performances on April 1 at the Gielgud Theatre with an official opening set for April 14. The new Broadway cast of Hair, which will debut at the Hirschfeld on March 9, includes American Idol finalists Ace Young (who was also a replacement in the recent Broadway revival of Grease) as Berger and Diana DeGarmo (a replacement in the Broadway production of Hairspray) as Sheila.

Frank Wildhorn's Bonnie & Clyde Musical Bound For Broadway

Prolific composer Frank Wildhorn (Broadway's Jekyll & Hyde, The Civil War, and The Scarlet Pimpernel) has plans to bring his new musical Bonnie & Clyde to Broadway. Although no specific plans for the show's Broadway berth have been announced yet, Bonnie & Clyde will be produced at the Asolo Repertory Theatre in November, presumably to get the show in shape before coming to New York. The musical, which has lyrics by Don Black and a book by Ivan Menchell, is about the famed outlaws of the Depression-era and the score includes flavors of that time period.

Alec Baldwin To Star In New York Equus

Television, film star, and soon-to-be Oscar host Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) will hit the stage this summer in a production of Peter Shaffer's drama Equus. Baldwin will play the role of psychiatrist Martin Dysart in the production, which will play at Guild Hall in East Hampton, New York from June 8 to July 3. Baldwin is no stranger to the stage, having been on Broadway in A Streetcar Named Desire, and Off-Broadway in productions of Entertaining Mr. Sloane, Macbeth, and Prelude to a Kiss.

Come Fly Away Begins Performances on Broadway

The new Twyla Tharp show Come Fly Away begins performances at Broadway's Marquis Theatre (located in the Times Square Marriott Marquis Hotel) today. Hot off its run at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, the production features Keith Roberts and John Selya (both Tony Award nominees for their performances in Tharp's Broadway hit based on the songs of Billy Joel, Movin' Out). This dance musical, directed and choreographed by Twyla Tharp, is set to the music of legendary crooner Frank Sinatra (there are both new musical arrangements and original arrangements by Nelson Riddle, Billy May, and Quincy Jones). The show has a 19-piece live band, which plays along with recordings of Sinatra's vocals on such classics as "My Way," "That's Life," and "Fly Me To the Moon". Come Fly Away has its official Broadway opening on March 25.