| Play on plays
After several years of redecorating and organ practice, I, the Phantom of the Opera, have returned to some all-too-familiar haunting grounds - Chicago. And with a ten-week stint at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, I will remind the White City why I've thrived so many years.
Unlike recent famous masked men, my mask doesn't need to stand for noble ideas, for principles and beliefs that topple regimes and inspire the masses. My mask stands for an even nobler cause: pure, unrestrained vanity, in the vainest of forms. What else can ignite the heart of man more than a tug at the strings of his physical insecurities?
But alas, my vanity is well-fed. My escapades in my show have earned an estimated $3.2 billion in ticket sales, according to my official Web site. My show is the longest running in Broadway history, finally toppling my great rival Cats in the middle of last year.
‘Cats’ will cavort at Civic Center
It is a show that is synonymous with Broadway. And animal lovers. �Cats,� a musical filled with fuzzy felines and show-stopping numbers, will make a stop in Panama City on Wednesday, Nov. 21. The Marina Civic Center will host the one-night-only production of a national tour at 7:30 p.m. Composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber (�Phantom of the Opera,� �Jesus Christ Superstar�) and based on �Old Possum�s Book of Practical Cats� by T.S. Eliot, �Cats� has amassed many awards since its inception in 1981. As Tricia Tanguy notes, the show�s appeal is easy to see. �Cats are very much like you and me,� said Tanguy, the actress who plays Grizabella. �We all have hearts and a soul.� Grizabella is a former glamor cat who has returned to her old stomping grounds, weathered from experiences in the outside world.
Married Sutherlands Spar (and Star) in St. Louis Kiss Me, Kate
Rehearsals are under way for The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis revival of Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate, featuring real-life married couple Brian and Diane Sutherland as bickering divorced actors putting on a show. The Nov. 28-Dec. 28 production uses the 1999 Broadway revival script. The married Sutherlands aren't the only couples attached to the staging. Newlyweds David Larsen (who plays Bill Calhoun) and Amanda Kloots (of the ensemble) share the stage, and director Victoria Bussert is working with husband Dale Rieling, who is the musical director. Both Larsen and Kloots appeared in Broadway's Good Vibrations. Diane Sutherland (the former Diane Fratantoni) appeared in Broadway's A Chorus Line, Cats, She Loves Me and The Light in the Piazza, and Brian Sutherland appeared in Broadway's Dance a Little Closer, Victor/Victoria, Steel Pier, 1776 and in the recent regional Maltby and Shire revue, A Time for Love.
Passing Strange Director Dorsen Announces Latest Project
Presented in association with the Foundry Theatre and PS 122, Democracy in America will put the show's creation in the hands of the public. Beginning Nov. 26, the public will have the opportunity to "buy" pieces of the production. Through a live auction at Joe's Pub and the launch of the website www.buydemocracy.com on Nov. 26, the public will be able to determine the components of the production and what actions will take place on stage. An individual can pay to see an action (like a stage kiss) or a costume design employed or a prop used. Production notes also state that the public will be able to pay to contribute text, jokes, opinions, anecdotes and even sound cues and other design elements. Product placement will also be available for purchase. The sales will close Feb.
Broadway producers sue strikers, "Grinch" goes on
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Several Broadway producers sued striking stagehands for $35 million and a New York judge on Wednesday separately ordered a theater to allow "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical" to reopen. Producers of nine shows sued members of Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and its president James Claffey Jr. in Manhattan federal court seeking to recover damages for lost revenues. The League of American Theaters and Producers has said the strike that has darkened some 25 productions since November 10 is costing a total of about $17 million for every day it lasts. .
Costs To Escalate As Broadway Strike Drags On
(RTTNews) - As the lights stay off on Broadway, the full impact of the stage hands strike is causing concern for many whose livelihoods depend on theater. Already, shows are cancelled for the remainder of the week, and Thanksgiving will be a quiet one for the thousands who depend on those shows for work. The Holiday season is a big time not only for Broadway, but also surrounding restaurants and industries dependent on the theater district. The financial effects of the strike will total in the millions, making it a potentially dour Christmas for many New Yorkers. The League of American Theaters and Producers estimates that the strike is costing about $17 million every day, with the trickle down effect impacting restaurants, retailers, hotels, and others who depend on New York's thriving theater district to bring in customers.
Coffee & constituents -- Council members find out what's brewing
Three local elected officials have new places to show their mugs. The officials, all members of the Rochester City Council, use regular coffee-house outings as a way to keep in touch with constituents and keep up with happenings in their wards. Ward 5 council member Bob Nowicki was first, starting his weekly, 90-minute caffeinated convocation about three years ago. It's at 7 a.m. Fridays at Grandma's Kitchen, in the Northbrook Shopping Center. "I just thought of (the idea)," Nowicki said. "I thought it was smart." Ward 3 member Bruce Snyder was next, starting his event, Thursdays at the Marketplace Caribou Coffee, soon after he was elected last fall. "I just want to give people a chance to talk to me at their convenience," Snyder said.
Stagehands and producers resume talks
Broadway's stagehands and theater producers resumed talking Saturday, a week after a walkout by Local 1 shut down more than two dozen plays and musicals. The two sides met at an undisclosed location, their first meeting since Nov. 8 when Thomas C. Short, president of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, gave the local authority to strike. The walkout two days later forced 27 productions to cancel shows during the run-up to one of the most lucrative times of the year for Broadway, Thanksgiving week. Local 1 and the League of American Theatres and Producers would not comment on the resumption of talks. Pressure to settle the contract dispute is increasing as the holiday approaches and losses mount for the shows, which include some of Broadway's biggest hits such as "Wicked," "Jersey Boys," "The Phantom of the Opera," "The Lion King" and "Mamma Mia!" Ticket sales for Thanksgiving week could easily top $1 million for several of those shows.
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