Category: theatre

“Manhattan’s Latino theatre company, INTAR, which was set to premiere Eduardo Machado’s In Paradise and Nick Norman’s She Plundered Him, may have to postpone its season after the sudden closure of the Zipper Factory.”

“A new musical entitled Obama On My Mind — featuring book, music and lyrics by American crime writer and filmmaker Teddy Hayes, who has been resident in the UK for the last 13 years — will make its world premiere in March.” The show was workshopped last year.

“Broadway continued its January decline last week, with total cume down $2 million to $13.9 million for 21 shows on the boards. Still, a few shows saw upticks, notably ‘Speed-the-Plow’ ($421,987), which rose $87,000 in the first week of perfs with new star William H. Macy, who stepped into the lead role originally occupied by the departed Jeremy Piven (and played over the holidays by Norbert Leo Butz).” This is Broadway’s traditional slow time, slower this year with the recent spate of show closings.

“Director Sam Mendes, with his wife, Kate Winslet, standing nearby, told a crowd of about 150 at the opening-night party for ‘The Cherry Orchard’ that he was astonished his new British-American theater venture got off the ground ‘in this climate.’ … [T]he Bridge Project, a three-year collaboration between Mendes, actor Kevin Spacey and BAM, is getting $2.8 million from its main sponsor, Bank of America.” That is, the, uh, troubled Bank of America.

He had plenty to say to Frank Rich the other night in a 90-minute chat at Avery Fisher Hall. On Ethel Merman: “We found out later that she could act.” On Spanish in West Side Story: “The Sharks now sound more authentic than the Jets.” On critics: “Musicals are the only art form reviewed by ignoramuses.” And the man hates South Pacific: “It’s the happiest war I’ve ever seen.” (By the way, he says Bobby in Company is definitely not gay.)

As AJ’s own Amanda Ameer blogged last week, Patti LuPone – in her next-to-last Broadway performance in one of the crowning roles of her career, as Mama Rose in Gypsy – stopped in the middle of her big 11 o’clock number and blew her stack at an audience member taking pictures. Now there’s live audio on YouTube.

“With just 20 shows now running on Broadway following a slew of January closings, you don’t need to have majored in economics to see that the global recession has caused an understandable loss of nerve among New York producers. Their London counterparts, meanwhile, appear to be toughing it out.”

“The Magic Theatre’s emergency fundraising drive was a success, raising $455,000 – counting a $100,000 matching grant that put the company well over its $350,000 goal…. That means not only that the next show, Oni Faida Lampley’s ‘Tough Titty,’ will begin previews as scheduled Saturday, as previously reported, but also that the Magic will be able to complete its season. The season will be one show shorter than originally planned, however.”

“‘How do you remember your words?’ is one of the most commonly asked questions of actors, and it’s one that we’re generally reluctant to answer. The truth is, we don’t really know. It’s an act of faith, and if it’s all the same to you, we’d rather not think about it.”

“The main reason I don’t see more opera or theatre in London, let alone New York, is the cost. … But £10 sounds a lot more like it.” That’s the price of a play in the National Theatre’s NT Live program, which will bring theatre to regional cinemas — and isn’t likely to threaten regional theatres in the process.