Johansson Won’t Join Broadway for Upcoming Production
The magnificent Scarlett Johansson has been known to conquer a wide range of roles in her vivacious acting career, but one she won’t be tackling anytime soon is the role of Fran in the upcoming revival of the Neil Simon/Burt Bacharach/Hal David musical Promises, Promises. There have been rumors flying that Johansson will soon lead the Broadway production into fruition, but her rep confirmed today that this news is all media fodder, as Johansson was never even approached to appear in the musical.
While it appears that Scarlett Johansson won’t be making her Broadway debut in Promises, Promises anytime soon, there have been other popular film stars whose names have been thrown into the mix as actors and actresses in the upcoming production. In October 2008, Sean Hayes and Anne Hathaway did a reading of Promises, Promises, and now those two names are coming up again as possible leads for the Broadway run. Hayes is reported to be the male lead for the production, but Hathaway’s involvement in the production is less certain, as the role of Fran continues to be virtually un-cast. Stay tuned for more as the details for Promises, Promises unravel - with our without Scarlett Johansson!
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Previews Begin Tonight for ‘Oleanna’
The Broadway premiere of Oleanna, directed by Tony Award winner Doug Hughes and starring the famed Bill Pullman and Julia Stiles, will begin tonight with previews, as the David Mamet production starts its run at Broadway’s Golden Theatre this evening. After a summer run at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, Stiles and Pullman are bringing their battle of the sexes to the big stage in New York City this month, with the official opening night of Oleanna set for Sunday, Oct. 11 at 6:30 p.m.
Described as “Mamet’s attack on political correctness,” Oleanna focuses on the relationship between a university professor (Pullman) and a female student (Stiles), crossing all sorts of boundaries while keeping the audience on its toes throughout the performance. Oleanna marks Julia Stiles’ Broadway debut, though she’s earned respect in the theatrical realm following her performance in the West End production of Oleanna in 2004, when she starred opposite Aaron Eckhart in the title role. Both Stiles and Pullman have scored some big film roles over the last several years, as Pullman’s film credits include Sleepless in Seattle, While You were Sleeping and Spaceballs, while Stiles has starred in flicks like 10 Things I Hate about You, Save the Last Dance and three Bourne films.
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Jackman, Craig Shine in Broadway Production
Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig, two of Hollywood’s biggest film actors, have teamed up to star in the Broadway production A Steady Rain, gathering huge audiences for the spectacular show. Australia native Jackman and Englishman Craig put on convincing Chicago accents for their roles in A Steady Rain, which is the story of two childhood friends/policemen, and the comedic production has been a huge crowd-pleaser already, storming onto the Broadway circuit while playing a limited run (A Steady Rain is set to end Dec. 6).
While both Jackman and Craig’s performances have earned rave reviews by critics, the actors took their roles one step further last week, when an audience member’s cell phone kept interrupting the play. Not stepping out of character, the actors reprimanded the cell phone perpetrator, still not missing a beat of the show in the meantime. A Steady Rain is one of the most popular productions currently on the Broadway circuit, and it is Daniel Craig’s Broadway debut. Hugh Jackman, the other star of the show, also appeared in the 2004 Broadway production The Boy from Oz.
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Catherine Zeta-Jones to Make Broadway Debut
The lovely Catherine Zeta-Jones is the newest film actress to turn Broadway, as she’s just been announced as a leading actress in the upcoming Broadway revival of the Stephen Sondheim musical A Little Night Music. The Oscar-winning Zeta-Jones will take the role of Desiree Armfeldt in the upcoming production of A Little Night Music, starring alongside the iconic Angela Lansbury in the musical, as Lansbury plays the character Madame Armfeldt.
A Little Night Music is set at the turn of the century in a Swedish country house, and the musical will start previews later this fall on Nov. 24, opening on Dec. 13 at the Walter Kerr Theater in New York. The production first opened on Broadway in 1973 and has since garnered six Tony Awards. Of her role in the upcoming musical, Catherine Zeta-Jones said, “I’m honored that Trevor Nunn and Stephen Sondheim asked me to make my Broadway debut in this beautiful production. I look forward to starting rehearsal with this extraordinary group of people and working with the incomparable Angela Lansbury, whose work I’ve long admired.” The combination of Lansbury and Zeta-Jones is sure to be a powerful one, so don’t miss out on seeing A Little Night Music when the production begins its run on Broadway!
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T.R. Knight, Cast of ‘Parade’ Begin Run at Mark Taper Forum Tonight
The brand-new season of Grey’s Anatomy premieres tonight on primetime television, but the hospital drama is missing one of its main men - T.R. Knight (known as “George” on the show). Knight departed from Grey’s after last season’s heartbreaking finale, and now the actor is embarking upon his own premiere tonight, starting previews with the rest of the cast for the musical Parade at the Center Theatre Group’s Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. Knight takes the role of Leo Frank in the musical and also joins a star-studded cast for the production that includes Lara Pulver (Lucille Frank), Michael Berresse (Governor Slaton, Britt Craig Mr. Peavy), Charlotte d’Amboise (Mrs. Phagan, Sally Slaton) and Christian Hoff (Hugh Dorsey).
Led by T.R. Knight, the hit musical Parade starts previews tonight at the Mark Taper Forum, with an official opening date set for Oct. 4 and a closing date of Nov. 15. Parade is a highly emotional show following the arrest, unjustified conviction and lynching of Leo Frank in post-Civil war Georgia, and it is a romantic tale of American history and heartbreak. This Donmar Warehouse production of Parade is the first to be seen in the U.S., and it is a revised version of the Tony Award-winning production spearheaded by Alfred Uhry and Jason Robert Brown.
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‘Memphis’ Is Here!
Today’s the day theatergoers in New York City have been waiting on for months, as the Joe DiPietro/David Bryan-fronted rock musical Memphis begins previews tonight at Broadway’s Shubert Theatre. The Christopher Ashley-directed Memphis is sure to stir up media attention tonight as the production begins its romp on Broadway, and this is sure to be one magnificent must-see musical, as it features Chad Kimball (DJ Huey Calhoun), Montego Glover (Felicia Farrell), J. Bernard Calloway (Delray), James Monroe Iglehart (Bobby), Cass Morgan (Gladys Calhoun), Derrick Baskin (Gator) and Michael McGrath (Mr. Simmons). Kimball and Glover created their roles for Memphis at the La Jolla Playhouse last August, continuing the run at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre this winter before heading for Broadway.
The blazing and energetic musical Memphis will officially open at the Shubert Theatre on Oct. 19, and in the meantime viewers can catch the action of ’50s rock ‘n’ roll onstage by seeing a performance of Memphis as the production begins previews on Broadway tonight.
To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.
Carrie Fisher Brings One-Woman Show to Broadway
The autobiographical solo show Wishful Drinking has been an extremely popular venture for actress-writer Carrie Fisher, the woman behind the production, and later this month Fisher will bring the brutally honest tale of her substance abuse and mental illness while living in Hollywood to the big stage, as her production Wishful Drinking will start playing at Broadway’s Studio 54 on Sept. 22. The official opening for Wishful Drinking is set for Oct. 4, and the production will be a limited engagement running through Jan. 3, 2010.
Carrie Fisher broke into the entertainment business for the first time when she was 19 years old, starring as Princess Leia in the first Star Wars trilogy. Other films she’s appeared in include Charlie’s Angels, The Blues Brothers, Garbo Talks, The Man with One Red Shoe, This Is My Life, When Harry Met Sally and Sorority Row. Fisher’s Wishful Drinking premiered in 2006 at the Geffen Playhouse and has played at several theaters around the country, now set for a Broadway arrival. Wishful Drinking is also a published memoir, landing on the New York Times bestseller list for 14 weeks.
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Broadway Stars Triumph at Emmy Awards
Several theatrical heavyweights were on hand last night for the 61st annual Emmy Awards, nominated for the television awards that took place at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. TV shows 30 Rock and Mad Men stole the thunder at last night’s Emmy Awards by winning the two most prestigious categories, with 30 Rock winning Outstanding Comedy and Mad Men taking Outstanding Drama, and Broadway actors/actresses Kristin Chenoweth, Rob Ashford, Cherry Jones, Jessica Lange, Glenn Close and David Javerbaum all took home Emmy Awards from last night’s show, as well, with Chenoweth even taking the first trophy of the night for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Pushing Daisies).
The host of last night’s Emmy Awards was Broadway superstar Neil Patrick Harris, who earlier this year hosted the Tony Awards, and Harris was just one of the bright spots of the night, which garnered an estimated 13.32 million viewers in total. There were no shocking twists or outrages (ahem, Kanye West) during the Emmy Awards as there were during last week’s VMA Awards, and the elegant awards show went exactly as planned.
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Sienna Miller to Make Broadway Debut Tonight!
The stunning film actress Sienna Miller is making the jump to Broadway just weeks after her latest film G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra premiered on the big screen, and tonight previews will start for After Miss Julie, the one-act play that Miller stars in as the lead role Miss Julie. After Miss Julie begins previews tonight at the American Airlines Theatre on Broadway and also features Tony Award nominee Marin Ireland as Christine and Jonny Lee Miller (no relation to Sienna) as John. This incredible show is sure to make its mark on the Broadway scene as it lights up the stage tonight, and the production’s limited run is already one of the most talked-about plays currently on the market. The official opening for After Miss Julie is Oct. 22, and the play will run through Dec. 6.
After Miss Julie has been described as a play that “transposes August Strindberg’s 1888 play about sex and class to an English country house on the eve of Labour’s historic landslide in 1945.” The production is directed by Mark Brokaw and presented by the Roundabout Theatre Company, and it also serves as Sienna Miller’s Broadway debut.
To get Broadway tickets, go to StubHub.
Broadway Dims Lights for Larry Gelbart
Tony Award-winning playwright and screenwriter Larry Gelbart passed away at his home in Los Angeles last Friday, Sept. 11, after succumbing to cancer at age 81, and this Tuesday the Broadway realm took a minute - literally - to honor the memory of the great Broadway star, dimming the marquees of Broadway theaters in New York at 8:00 p.m. for one minute in memory of Gelbart.
Larry Gelbart has had his work on Broadway stages for over four decades now, spearheading everything from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and City of Angels to Sly Fox and The Conquering Hero. Gelbart also had his hand in hit television shows, even garnering an Emmy Award for developing the mega-series M*A*S*H. Gelbart is also known for works such as Tootsie, Barbarians at the Gate, The Notorious Landlady, Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, Blame It on Rio, Movie Movie and Oh, God, among several others. Larry Gelbart is not a name that will soon be forgotten in the Broadway realm, and his memory will last long past the minute that Broadway marquees were dimmed for him earlier this week.
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