Category: theatre

Broadway is booming – 36 of 37 theaters are currently open for business. Though the years of the Big British Musical seem done for, a new breed of American musical play has taken over, one that appeals to one Brit reviewer. – The Telegraph (UK) 

Contracts are signed to develop new theaters for the seediest end of 42nd Street in New York – including a new 499-seat Schubert and five others – pushing the rebuilding of that end of the Times Square theater district into high gear. – New York Times 

Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise are reportedly planning to star on stage together in a London revival of Tennessee Williams’ “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” The West End production would be directed by Donmar Warehouse director Sam Mendes (of “American Beauty”) who directed Kidman in her dramatic breakthrough, “The Blue Room,” last year. – The Age (Melbourne) 

— and the musicals dominate. The “Kiss Me, Kate” revival led the pack with 12 nominations (more than any other play or musical); “The Music Man,” received 5; and George C. Wolfe’s struggling “Wild Party,” which opened to mixed reviews and was believed to be on the verge of closing, got a new lease on life with 7 nods. All the winners will be announced at the televised ceremony from Radio City Music Hall on June 4. – New York Times

THE COMPLETE LIST OF NOMINEES: – Backstage

Patrick Stewart was overlooked for a Tony nomination a week after he publicly chastised the producers of “The Ride Down Mt. Morgan” for insufficiently promoting the play. – CNN

Why are film actors accused of “slumming” when they take to the Broadway stage? Why are they so often called “crossover successes” when they manage to work in both stage and screen? Isn’t acting just acting? – CBC

The Tony Awards are announced on Monday, and as usual there is difficulty finding enough good material for some of the categories. This year it’s musicals. “You know the season is in trouble when the executive committee of the Tony Awards announced that ‘Riverdance’ is eligible to be considered a new Broadway musical. Combined with ‘Contact’ and ‘Swing!’ it’s possible to have three shows nominated for best new musical that have no script, no original songs and, in the case of the favorite, ‘Contact,’ no orchestra. (The show, once billed as a ‘dance play,’ uses a prerecorded score of old pop hits and classical music.)” – Hartford Courant

“The 1999-2000 season has so often looked like fool’s gold that it’s hard to believe the crowning event to honor excellence on Broadway – the Tony Awards – is already upon us.” – MSNBC

With two producer giants of former days – David Merrick and Alexander Cohen – passing away recently, some reflections on the power producers used to wield in the golden age of theater. – New York Times

Theatre producer David Merrick left his entire estate – about $9.3 million – to his sixth wife, according to his will, which was filed Thursday. The estate’s assets include cash, an Upper East Side townhouse and several apartments. – Ottawa Citizen (AP)