Race Extends Its Broadway Run

David Mamet's new play Race, now playing at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, will now run through August 23. Starring James Spader, David Alan Grier, Richard Thomas, and Kerry Washington, the drama about race relations is set in a law office, where two lawyers and their associate are deciding whether or not to take on a controversial case. Originally scheduled to close in June, Race is now extending its limited engagement further into the summer. The production recouped its investment earlier this month.

Collected Stories Opens at the Friedman Theatre

Collected Stories opens tonight at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on Broadway. The production is being presented by the Manhattan Theatre Club, which previously produced the play Off-Broadway in 1997. The two-person Collected Stories stars actresses Linda Lavin and Sarah Paulson as a pair of writers in conflict. The drama was penned by playwright Donald Margulies, who has a long-standing relationship with the Manhattan Theatre Club. In fact, MTC's most recent production was Margulies's well-reviewed new drama Time Stands Still starring Laura Linney and Brian d'Arcy James. Collected Stories is scheduled to play a limited engagement.

Enron Brings Corporate Crime To Broadway

Lucy Prebble's acclaimed play Enron comes to Broadway for a run at the Broadhurst Theatre. Following its critically acclaimed run in London, the production is now premiering on the Great White Way with a stellar American cast, including Tony Award winner Norbert Leo Butz (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Wicked), Gregory Itzin (TV's 24), and Marin Mazzie (Ragtime). Corporate malfeasance may sound like a dry subject for a Broadway show, but Prebble and director Rupert Goold have worked to ensure that Enron is no typical story of financial fraud. The play incorporates music, stylized movement, multimedia, and even masks to tell the true story of the Texas-based company that made headlines in 2001 and has ever since been the poster child for corporate greed.

Promises, Promises Opens on Broadway

Today the Broadway revival of Promises, Promises opens at the Broadway Theatre. The new production stars Broadway newcomer Sean Hayes (best known as Jack on TV's Will & Grace) as Chuck Baxter, an ambitious young businessman who tries to work his way up the corporate ladder by lending his apartment to executives for their extramarital affairs. Kristin Chenoweth (best known as the original Glinda in Broadway's Wicked) plays Fran Kubelik, the object of Chuck's affection, who he is unhappy to discover has become the mistress of one of the execs. Based on the film The Apartment, the 1968 Broadway musical Promises, Promises has a book by playwright Neil Simon and a score by Burt Bacharach. The show's songs include the title tune and "I'll Never Fall in Love Again," and the song "I Say a Little Prayer" has been added to the score especially for this production.

Brian d'Arcy James To Join Next To Normal on Broadway

Brian d'Arcy James will be rejoining the Tony Award winning musical Next To Normal, this time on Broadway. James originated the role of Dan Goodman in the Off-Broadway premiere of Next To Normal at Second Stage Theatre, but was unavailable when the show eventually went on to its Broadway production at the Booth Theatre. Now that he's no longer playing the title role in Shrek, and his limited run engagement in Time Stands Still has ended, Brian d'Arcy James is now free to succeed J. Robert Spencer (Jersey Boys) when he exits the show on May 16. James will start his run in the show the following day, May 17.

Harry Connick Jr. To Croon on Broadway This Summer

Charming crooner Harry Connick Jr. is bringing his act to Broadway this summer in a special limited engagement concert to be held at the Neil Simon Theatre from July 15-26. Connick Jr. previously appeared on Broadway in concert back in 1990 when he performed An Evening with Harry Connick Jr. and His Orchestra at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Since then, his involvement with the Great White Way has been as an actor (in the hit revival of The Pajama Game in 2006) and as a composer (for the ill-fated musical Thou Shalt Not).

American Idiot Opens on Broadway (and the Internet)

The new musical American Idiot, based on the Grammy Award-winning Green Day album of the same name (and featuring arrangements by Next To Normal composer Tom Kitt), opens on Broadway tonight at the St. James Theatre. The musical about disaffected suburban youth in search of something more is also having opening night festivities online, which ticket-less fans can enjoy from the comfort of their home. At AmericanIdiotOnBroadway.com, fans can see red carpet footage, video and images from the after party, and Twitter updates from the show's cast and creative team. American Idiot, which stars John Gallagher Jr. (Spring Awakening), Rebecca Naomi Jones (Passing Strange), Michael Esper, Tony Vincent, and Stark Sands, comprises all the songs from Green Day's hit album, including "When September Ends" and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," plus a few songs from the band's new album 21st Century Breakdown, most notably "21 Guns". The musical's original Broadway cast album was also released today.

Alan Cumming Drops Out of Broadway Spiderman Musical

Problems keep piling up for the still-in-limbo production of the massive new Julie Taymor-directed musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. Although the troubled tuner, which features songs by U2's Bono and The Edge, still has its Peter Parker (Reeve Carney), the show has now lost both of its "name" stars. Following Evan Rachel Wood's departure comes the news that Alan Cumming is also out of the production. Cumming cited his busy schedule with the CBS drama The Good Wife as the reason for his inability to stay with the production to play Spiderman's nemesis, the Green Goblin. Spider-Man still has yet to set a date for its Broadway opening.

La Cage Aux Folles Opens On Broadway

The new revival of the musical La Cage Aux Folles opens tonight at Broadway's Longacre Theatre. This production has already enjoyed critical acclaim at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London, and now comes to Broadway with Kelsey Grammer (TV's Frasier and Cheers) in the role of nightclub owner Georges. Olivier Award winner Douglas Hodge reprises his role of Albin, Georges' partner, who is also a featured drag performer at his club. Based on a French play and featuring a book by Harvey Fierstein and a score by Jerry Herman ("I Am What I Am" is the show's signature song), La Cage Aux Folles originally appeared on Broadway in 1983 and had a fairly recent Broadway revival just a few years ago. For this current production, star Grammer will switch to the part of Albin in six months from now.

Harry Potter's Daniel Radcliffe To Return To Broadway

Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe, will be returning to Broadway soon, this time as the lead in a classic Broadway musical. Radcliffe will star in Frank Loesser's How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, which is due to hit Broadway in 2011 in a production directed by Rob Ashford (the director/choreographer who is currently helming Promises, Promises). Daniel Radcliffe will play a young window washer who rapidly rises up the ladder in the business world with a little help from a book called How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. The role was famously played by Robert Morse in the original 1961 Broadway production.

Fences Begins Performances on Broadway

The Broadway revival of August Wilson's acclaimed drama Fences begins preview performances at the Cort Theatre. The production stars Oscar winning actor Denzel Washington (most recently seen on Broadway as Brutus in the 2005 production of Julius Caesar) as Troy Maxson, a Pittsburgh sanitation worker whose dreams of a professional baseball career were dashed by segregation in the sport. Tony winner Viola Davis (who has appeared on Broadway in Doubt and in August Wilson's plays King Hedley II and Seven Guitars) plays his wife, Rose. A Pulitzer Prize winning and Tony Award winning drama, Fences debuted on Broadway back in 1987. This revival, which has its official Broadway opening on April 26, is scheduled for a strictly limited 13-week engagement at the Cort.

Next To Normal Wins Pulitzer Prize

The acclaimed Broadway musical Next To Normal, which last year nabbed the Tony Award for Best Musical, has now won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Written by Tony-winning songwriting team Tom Kitt (music) and Brian Yorkey (book and lyrics), the new musical is about the unlikely subject of mental illness and stars Alice Ripley in a role that won her the Tony. The show, which has been under development for a few years (and was previously titled Feeling Electric) had its Off-Broadway debut at the Second Stage Theatre, and it appears that Next To Normal's next major production will be in Toronto. The other finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama this year were The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity by Kristoffer Diaz; Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo by Rajiv Joseph; and In the Next Room or the vibrator play by Sarah Ruhl, which was seen on Broadway earlier this season.

Looped Closes On Broadway

The new Broadway show Looped closes at the Lyceum Theatre after just playing 27 preview performances and 25 regular Broadway performances. The short-lived comedy starred Valerie Harper (best known from TV shows Rhoda and Valerie) as the outrageous actress Tallulah Bankhead on a day when she had to come into a sound recording studio to "loop" a single line of a dialogue - a much larger challenge that one might expect. The play was written by Matthew Lombardo and directed by Rob Ruggiero, and co-starred Brian Hutchison as an aggravated film editor and Michael Mulheren as a sound engineer. Although Looped was well-reviewed by critics, the play simply couldn't drum up enough ticket sales to keep running.

Broadway Showstopper: Jersey Boys Cancelled Tonight

It seems that sometimes the show doesn't actually go on. It's always very rare for a Broadway show to cancel a performance (even this winter's many snowstorms didn't faze Broadway), but Jersey Boys has had to cancel tonight's show due an underground fire and carbon monoxide concerns on West 52nd Street, where the show's theater resides. Earlier this evening there was a fire in the area due to smoldering cable lines underground. There were no injuries and everything is under control, but authorities are still concerned about carbon monoxide levels. Ticket holders will be able to get refunds or exchange their tickets, and all should be back to normal for Jersey Boys tomorrow.

Lend Me a Tenor Opens on Broadway

The Broadway revival of Ken Ludwig's farce Lend Me a Tenor opens at the Music Box Theatre. This new production stars Justin Bartha (best known from films such as The Hangover and National Treasure) as the harried assistant of an opera producer, played by Monk's Tony Shalhoub, and Anthony Lapaglia is the world-famous Italian opera star whose debut at the Cleveland Opera goes terribly awry for all concerned. Lend Me a Tenor is directed by actor Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones, The Devil Wears Prada, Julie & Julia), in his Broadway directing debut. The production also stars Broadway regulars Jan Maxwell (already seen on Broadway earlier this season in The Royal Family), Mary Catherine Garrison (Rabbit Hole, Assassins), and Jennifer Laura Thompson (Urinetown).

Everyday Rapture To Replace Lips Together Teeth Apart

Not even a week after the "postponement" (effectively a cancellation) of the Roundabout Theatre Company production of Terrence McNally's play Lips Together, Teeth Apart, Roundabout has announced that they will fill the hole in their season with Everyday Rapture. Starring and co-written by Broadway actress/singer Sherie Rene Scott (Aida, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Everyday Rapture recently had an acclaimed Off-Broadway run at Second Stage Theatre. Now Scott's unique, semi-autobiographical musical will have its Broadway debut at the American Airlines Theatre starting April 19 for a limited run ending July 11.

New Broadway Play Red Opens Tonight

Red has its official Broadway opening at the John Golden Theatre this evening. The Donmar Warehouse production, which just transferred from a successful run in London's West End, stars Alfred Molina (seen on Broadway in Fiddler on the Roof and Art) as the famed abstract painter Mark Rothko and Eddie Redmayne as his young assistant. The biographical drama set in Rothko's Manhattan studio was penned by American writer John Logan, who has served as a screenwriter on such major films as Gladiator, Any Given Sunday, and Tim Burton's movie version of the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Directed by Michael Grandage, Red is scheduled to play a limited 15-week engagement on Broadway, running at the Golden Theatre from now until June 27.

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.