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.

Young Frankenstein and 13 To Close January

Yet another of the big musicals has posted its Broadway closing notice: Young Frankenstein will shutter on January 4, 2009. Like the soon-to-be-closing Hairspray and Spamalot, Young Frankenstein is one of those shows popular with tourists looking for a big, splashy Broadway musical. But unlike Wicked and Jersey Boys, these shows have long had middling ticket sales, meaning that the current economic woes are just too much for them to survive on Broadway. The much newer musical, 13, is also ending its run on January 4. With the cold, quiet winter months ahead, many Broadway producers have decided to pack it in right after the popular Christmas holiday, knowing that ticket sales will dip considerably in the New Year.

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.

Mel Brooks Signs Young Frankenstein CDs At Broadway B&N Today

Mel Brooks, co-writer and composer of Broadway's Young Frankenstein, will make an appearance at Barnes & Noble bookstore in New York City today, from 5:00-7:00pm. Brooks will be signing copies of the musical's original Broadway cast recording. Barnes & Noble is located at 1972 Broadway (at 66th Street).

Original Broadway Cast Recording For Young Frankenstein Now Available

The original Broadway cast album for the new Mel Brooks musical Young Frankenstein has just been released. Although the Brooks-penned score may be this glitzy Broadway show's weakest feature, the CD does boast performances from some of Broadway's most talented actor/singers, including Roger Bart, Sutton Foster, Megan Mullaly, Christopher Fitzgerald, and Shuler Hensley.

Young Frankenstein To Offer Ticket Lottery

It has been announced that Mel Brooks' latest film-to-Broadway venture, Young Frankenstein, will offer discount tickets via a daily lottery drawing. In an unusual move, though, the lotteries for the first two weeks of preview performances will all be held on one day, September 10. All during that day, from 10AM to 6PM, lotto entries will be accepted at the Hilton Theatre box office. Then, at 7PM, the actual drawing will be held in front of the McDonald's across the street from the theater.

Opening Night Out West

Two of the season's biggest Broadway shows are opening tonight -- just not on Broadway. The new Mel Brooks musical, Young Frankenstein, is opening in Seattle, where it is having its pre-Broadway tryout. Meanwhile in Denver, Disney's The Little Mermaid opens this evening as well. Out-of-town tryouts are common for Broadway-bound musicals as a way to fine tune the production before getting within earshot of merciless New York theatergoers. Frankenstein and Mermaid will have their official Broadway openings in November and December, respectively.

Dr. Frankenstein Will Be Staying at the Hilton

Now that The Pirate Queen is set to sail out of the Hilton Theatre soon, the producers of the new Mel Brooks musical Young Frankenstein have officially announced that their show will be taking over the theater. Frank will storm Broadway on October 11 (the official opening is November 8), with Roger Bart as Dr. Frankenstein, Shuler Hensley as the monster, and Sutton Foster and Megan Mullally as the women who love them.