Broadway Industry News

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BAD 'DREAMS'By MICHAEL RIEDELNY PostANDREW Lloyd Webber has two shows running on Broadway right now. One is much-hyped and brand-new, the other is in its 17th year.But if you rifle through the box-office receipts, you'll find that the old war horse is holding its own against the young Turk."Bombay Dreams" - the $14 million (some say $15 million) musical about Bollywood that Lloyd Webber is producing at the Broadway - has an advance ticket sale of $4 million."The Phantom of the Opera" - which Lloyd Webber wrote - has an advance of just over $3 million.Last week, "Phantom" grossed $700,000, beating out "Bombay Dreams" by $100,000.What do those figures say about both shows?The news is all good for "Phantom." Only six months ago, the musical appeared to be winding down. Word around Shubert Alley was that it would be pushed out of the Majestic later this year to make way for "Jerry Springer, the Opera."Now, sources say, Lloyd Webber may be able to squeeze a few more years out of "Phantom." And if it lasts until January 2006, it will overtake "Cats" as the longest-running show in Broadway history.Industry sources credit a successful winter sale, an effective radio campaign and an uptick in tourism for the resurgence of "Phantom."Aside from a sudden plunge in the tourist trade, the biggest threat to its longevity may be one of its producers, Cameron Mackintosh.He's got his eye on the Majestic for his next show, "Mary Poppins," scheduled to hit New York in 2005.The box-office figures tell a less cheery tale for "Bombay Dreams," which has music by Lloyd Webber protégé A.R. Rahman.A $4 million advance for a $15 million show doesn't provide much of a cushion against bad reviews. The only other show its size this season - "Wicked" - opened with an advance of close to $10 million, which helped it overcome mixed reviews."Bombay Dreams" is going to be at the mercy of the critics.Nobody involved in the show is expecting them to put it on a par with "The King and I."What they're hoping for are the kinds of reviews "Mamma Mia!" got: This is pretty mindless stuff, but it's colorful and fun, so go and have a good time."If the reviews are bad, you could see this show close right after the Tonys," says one producer.On a brighter note, the show, which costs more than $500,000 a week to run, has not lost money during previews, and daily ticket sales are on the rise.One person familiar with the production's finances says the overall picture is "OK, but we need to build."Lloyd Webber is said to be pleased with how the show is shaping up in previews. He's darted into New York to see it a couple of times, and has given notes to the creators on everything from the ending to the ad campaign.He wasn't thrilled with how the front of the Broadway Theater looked, so, at his urging, a much flashier marquee is going up.But for all the influence he has, he isn't on the line for very much of the $14 million. While he put up most of the money for the London production - which, in its third year, is profitable - he has only about $1 million in the Broadway production.The rest was raised by American producers Elizabeth Williams and Anita Waxman.Which means that on opening night, while Lloyd Webber is having fun playing Mr. Producer, Williams and Waxman are going to be biting their nails waiting for those reviews to come through on their Palm Pilots.KEVIN McCollum , the producer of "Avenue Q," phoned to point out an error in my column on Wednesday. The puppets are not, as I reported, bigger on Broadway than they were off-Broadway. They are the same size, but there are more of them.McCollum is pressing the case that "Avenue Q" was substantially revised for Broadway and should therefore be reconsidered for the same awards it was nominated for last year.I think he's fighting an uphill battle, but what the hell: If "more" is better than "bigger," I'm happy to do my part for "Avenue Q."

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EOnline.com ALONG THE GREAT WHITE WAY: Wicked, Broadway's musical prequel to The Wizard of Oz, scoring 11 Drama Desk nominations, honoring the best of this year's New York theater season. The Stephen Sondheim-John Weidman musical, Assassins, earned seven nods.

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EOnline.com HE WUZ ROBBED! Stage rookie Sean "P. Diddy" Combs failed to bag a Drama Desk nod for A Raisin in the Sun, but costar Phylicia Rashad was nominated. Other big names with nods: Hugh Jackman, Kevin Kline, Alfred Molina and Christopher Plummer.

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EOnline.com THE TONY RACE HEATS UP: Wicked, a musical based on The Wizard of Oz, winning four Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Best Musical. Wonderful Town snagged Best Revival while Hugh Jackman was named Best Actor for the musical The Boy from Oz.

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EOnline.com

 

BROADWAY BOUNCE: The Broadway box office jumped nearly 6 percent last week following the Tony Awards earlier this month to bring the total gross to approximately $15.5 million, up from the old post-Tony record of $14.5 million set in June 2003.

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EOnline.com WORKING IT OUT: The Broadway's actors union opting to keep shows going through the July 4 holiday weekend and hold off on a strike despite the current impasse in talks with producers to renew their contract, which expired last Sunday.

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EOnline.com WILL THE SHOW GO ON? Broadway actors' union expected to meet today to decide whether they'll declare a strike in their ongoing dispute with producers.

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AND IF YOU CAN'T MAKE IT THERE?TV Guide.comOver the weekend, Actors' Equity and Broadway's producers reached an impasse in their ongoing negotiations to keep the lights of the Great White Way turned on. Late Friday night, the union made its final offer, and the bigwigs gave their final answer: Heck, no! Both sides agree on salary and health-care benefits for B'way performers; however, they can't get it together where road-show casts are concerned. Sheesh. If anybody deserves a break, isn't it a chorus boy who's bringing a little razzle-dazzle to Peoria?

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EOnline.com THE SHOW GOES ON: Broadway's actors union striking a last-minute deal with producers to avert a strike. Until the tentative settlement was struck, many theaters were expected to go dark Monday.

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THE SHOW WILL GO ONTV Guide.comActor's Equity and Broadway producers reached a tentative agreement on Monday regarding future performances on the Great White Way. The four-year production contract, which is expected to be finalized today, will improve salary and health-care benefits for performers on Broadway and on the road.

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From BobbyD's post in "Gay Issues in the News Again" thread, open forum: From Out.com...No Song and Dance for BushWhen Republican National Convention attendees set foot on the Great White Way on September 1, they may be seeing understudies. The New York Daily News reports that the organizers of an anti-Bush protest are urging Broadway actors?especially the gay ones?to call in sick the day before Bush?s speech. Gary Boston and Jeff Adler, organizers of Shut It Down (www.shutitdownnyc.com), are attempting to thwart the expected 13,000 delegates? plans to see eight GOP-approved Broadway shows: Aida, 42nd Street, The Lion King, Fiddler on the Roof, Phantom of the Opera, Beauty and the Beast, Bombay Dreams, and Wonderful Town. ?There are a lot of gay people in the Broadway community,? Boston told the paper, ?and this is basically asking them to sing and dance for them while they?re writing them out of the Constitution.?

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EOnline.com IT'S A DEAL: Broadway actors overwhelmingly okaying a new four-year production contract with the League of American Theaters and Producers that ensures a raise in their minimum salaries and deals with the contentious issue of road shows.

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Cindy AdamsNY Post BROADWAY'S upcoming season, per an internal crib sheet, not for outsid er's eyes, and mostly so insiders see who's doing what where, ain't terrific."Plays" are mostly revivals. A dozen. Like "American Buffalo," "Twelve Angry Men," " 'Night Mother." Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire" in Studio 54 and "The Glass Menagerie." David Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross," maybe into the Royale. Arthur Miller 's "After the Fall" at American Airlines. And the musical revivals: "The Wiz," "Sweet Charity," "Pacific Overtures," "The Threepenny Opera," "La Cage Aux Folles" into the Marriott Marquis. Of the five new plays, two are Brit imports, like "Democracy," which goes to the Brooks Atkinson, and "Pillowman," which will probably show at the Cort.For new musicals, "The Frogs" and "Dracula, the Musical" already have come up off-key. "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" is from London. Borough President Marty Markowitz will be well-represented, however. New musical "Brooklyn" goes to the Plymouth," new play "Brooklyn Boy" heads for the Biltmore. The big deal are the special events. Like the not-so-risky/not-so-expensive one-man jobs — Billy Crystal at the Broadhurst, Dame Edna at the Music Box, Whoopi Goldberg at the Lyceum, Martin Short at wherever he's going to be and "Forever Tango."So Where, Oh Where Have the New Playwrights gone? To Sitcomland.

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NY Post THE ax is swinging at Dodger Stage Holding, which was once one ofBroadway's biggest producers.The company's staff is being reduced from nearly 30 to four between now and the end of the year, theater sources say.Shubert Alley is teaming with ex-Dodgers who, résumés in hand, are looking for jobs at other producing offices.The official reason for the mass layoffs is that the Dodgers will soon be closing two Broadway shows ? "42nd Street," the demise of which has been announced, and "Dracula," the demise of which at the end of the year, though not yet official, is almost certain.But the real trouble for the Dodgers is that their sugar daddy, Dutch entertainment mogul Joop van den Ende, is severing his relationship with the company.Without his deep pockets at their disposal, the Dodgers, are being forced to downsize, sources say.They may even have to vacate their plush offices ? two floors and a very nice roof garden.

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THE KINGS OF BROADWAY QUEENSBy LETITIA ROWLANDSNY PostTHERE'S plenty of nudge, nudge and lots of wink, wink going on along Broadway at the moment, possums. With no fewer than four shows currently featuring men in dresses (well, maybe five, if you count the guys in kimonos in "Pacific Overtures"), The Post decided to send two real New York drag queens along to judge how the productions measure up.So saying, the Broadway cross-dressers' hair, wardrobe and makeup were subjected to the discerning eyes (and lipstick rating system) of our girls, All Beef Patty and Peppermint, who waitress and perform at the Greenwich Village restaurant Lips."Putting a gay man in a dress does not make a drag queen," declares Patty, 30, who stepped into her first pair of high heels four years ago."There's an art to making gender seem fluid, but not taking yourself too seriously at the same time."If it's not done right, it can look ridiculous, like a man who puts on a dress once a year at Halloween."Peppermint, 25, who describes herself as "an energetic beauty" with an eye for fashion and makeup, was equally keen to judge the shows."You can dress up and wear makeup, but you have to consider how a character would fit into the drag community," explains Peppermint, who's done drag since she was 19."It's that drag reality factor that really counts.""Fabulous," "superb" and "demeaning " were just a few of the words she and Patty had for their Broadway counterparts.Here are their verdicts, show by show:THE PRODUCERSThe Tony-winning Mel Brooks' production is, like the movie it's based on, about a scheme to make the worst Broadway show ever - leading Max Bialystock and his mousy accountant Leo Bloom to hire the flamboyantly terrible director, Roger De Bris.Overall drag rating: AveragePeppermint: "Roger De Bris [is] a very, very funny character, who provides many unexpected laughs throughout the show, but his/her drag life is a bit short lived - about five minutes. Seeing De Bris put her drag on piece by piece seems like playing a tape of Mr./Mrs. Transvestite Potato Head, until the very saucy and very satisfying end result."Patty: "The dress and wig were fabulous but were not displayed in any useful way. [De Bris] was used as a vehicle to propel every gay stereotype imaginable and the drag was only a small aspect of the show.HAIRSPRAYBig girls with big hair star in this hit musical based on the 1988 John Waters film about overweight teen Tracy Turnblad's transformation into a Civil Rights activist and star of local TV. Bruce Vilanch stars as Tracy's loving, equally plus-size mom, Edna.Overall drag rating: Very goodPeppermint: "Edna Turnblad is a very endearing, lovable motherly figure. She fits into the show perfectly - almost too perfectly from a drag perspective. ... Edna is a great example of that a frumpy woman that lives down the street, that just can't seem to get to the beauty salon, but captures your heart with her inner beauty."Patty: "The whole show had a very camp feel. Bruce Valanch made the gender of his character feel very fluid - there was no question he was a man, but also a mother. Also, the transformation from frump to glamour drag, using a lot of classic camp shtick, was inspiring. The characters were portrayed as people you could root for."DAME EDNA: BACK WITH A VENGEANCEHousewife and self-proclaimed international star Dame Edna, aka Barry Humphries, returns to Broadway - with an onstage pianist and a quartet of chorus boys and girls - to dish out her brand of "tough love" to a willing audience.Overall drag rating: Very goodPeppermint: "Dame Edna is refreshingly more crass than most people would expect from someone who bears a strange resemblance to Barbara Bush on acid. From her very glamorous entrance and energetic opening song, she's a reminder of what may happen when Grandma - or even worse, Grandpa - has a few too many cups of eggnog at the holiday party."Patty: "Barry Humphries completely immersed himself in the character, in a way commonly seen in many drag acts. She has everything perfected - from costume and wig to makeup and movement. Humphries made gender seem very fluid, leaving audience members confused [about] whether to refer to Edna as him or her. .. It is quite an achievement for a straight man to do drag so well."AND THE WINNER IS: LA CAGE AUX FOLLESJerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein's uplifting 1983 musical tells the story of Albin and Georges, middle-age partners who run a drag nightclub in St. Tropez, and the chaos that erupts when their son decides to marry the daughter of a local morals crusader.Overall drag rating: FabulousPeppermint: "This cast does an amazing job, the sets are beautiful and the production as a whole is unmatched by any other show promising "gender illusion." Zaza [Albin's drag incarnation] delivers a lot of glamour and womanly appeal. Scene after scene, I can't help but wonder where they keep all of those clothes! From a fashion standpoint, this show is a dream come true - and Zaza and Les Cagelles blow every other kick line out of the water."Patty: "The wardrobe and makeup were absolutely splendid and gave the show a very high camp factor. The change from male to female is done so well that some audience members are uncomfortable at first - not knowing what sex the performers are. But the performers don't take themselves too seriously, and that gets them off the hook. This show is a must-see for anyone wanting a realistic glimpse of life in the drag community."

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I love going to a Broadway play but alas, its become way too expensive.

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NY Post EXIT THE STAGEBy MICHAEL RIEDELTHE theater lost some pretty major figures this year.To commemorate these lives, I rifled through The Post's archives in search of reviews and profiles that were published at the beginning or at key moments in their careers.Here's a bit of what I found:MARLON BRANDOWhile studying acting under Stella Adler, Marlon Brando made his Broadway debut in "I Remember Mama" in 1944.He didn't make much of an impression, but two years later, many drama critics singled him out for praise in Maxwell Anderson's melodrama "Truckline Café.""Long after the play is forgotten," wrote Vernon Rice, in The Post, "we will remember the poignant playing of Ann Shepherd and Marlon Brando as the ill-fated husband and wife."Brando's greatest (and final) stage appearance was, of course, as Stanley Kowalski in "A Streetcar Named Desire" in 1947.In his opening night review, The Post's Richard Watts Jr. said: "I have hitherto not shared the enthusiasm of most reviewers for Marlon Brando, but his portrayal of the heroine's sullen, violent nemesis is an excellent piece of work."Even as a young actor, Brando seldom gave interviews. But in an exhaustive eight-part Post profile in 1955, writer Helen Dudar pieced together Brando's early career.One thing she discovered was that Brando was well-known around Broadway for giving poor auditions.The great actor Alfred Lunt once asked him to read for "O Mistress Mine."Handed a sheet of paper with a few lines on it, Brando froze."Well, say something," Lunt shouted at him from the back of the theater."Hickory, dickory, dock," Brando said, and walked out.FRED EBBLyricist whose musicals included "Cabaret" and "Chicago"The first show Fred Ebb wrote with his longtime collaborator John Kander was "Flora the Red Menace," starring Liza Minelli, in 1965.Writing in The Post, Richard Watts Jr. said: "The score and the lyrics are, after the manner of most of the show, agreeable but not especially eventful. I'm afraid I can't single out any one song for special approval."In 1987, "Flora" was revived off-Broadway, and Ebb, in an interview with The Post, recalled his reaction to original reviews:"After the show the party was at a restaurant next door. I asked John how the reviews were and he said they weren't very good. I fainted. Really. I went upstairs to the men's room ? I thought maybe I should faint in private ? but I never made it. I fainted on the landing."CY COLEMANComposer whose shows included "Sweet Charity," "Barnum" and "City of Angels."A musical prodigy, Coleman made his Carnegie Hall debut at age 6. He later switched to jazz, and by the time he was 22, he was one of the best-known jazz pianists in the city.Interviewed about the popularity of rock 'n' roll in 1957, Coleman, then 25, said: "On last week's [radio playlist], I don't think there was one song that made any sense melodically or lyrically. Not one that couldn't have been composed by my nephew, and he's 10."We've got experts in the record business who think they have their fingers on the pulse of the 'public' ? but any doctor could tell you nobody who has a pulse that bounces and rocks 'n' rolls like that can long endure."UTA HAGENUta Hagen's most famous stage role was that of Martha in Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"Shortly after the drama opened in 1963, Hagen was asked by Post columnist Earl Wilson about the profanity in the play."People are always coming up to me gasping that they understand I say this or that four-letter word in the show," she said."They get so excited about it, I hate to tell them I don't. But there is some strong language. However, it doesn't bother me. I've been around artists, professors, actors. That's the way people talk. Especially when they drink."TONY RANDALLRandall appeared in more than a dozen Broadway shows before finding fame as Mister Weskitt in "Mr. Peepers" on television.A New York fixture, he frequently appeared in newspaper columns and on quiz shows and was a playful interview subject ? a fine example of which is this excerpt from an interview that appeared in The Post in 1962.Explaining how he "beat" the phone company, Randall told the writer: "I have an unlisted phone number in New York. One day three years ago, the telephone company sent me a notice that I would henceforth be charged 50 cents per month to have my number unlisted."If I were going to play the game right, I would pay. I thought of a way out. I filled out the application to have my phone listed under the name of Reuben L. Pischmann."Think of it. I am saving 50 cents a month. That adds up. In three years I have saved $18. In a thousand years, that would amount to $6,000!"Asked how he handled a telephone salesman, he replied: "I usually answer in the voice of my secretary. When the salesman asks me if Mr. Pischmann would like to have his drapes cleaned, I tell them in a sobbing voice, 'This is Mrs. Pischmann ? sob! ? Mr. Pischmann died this morning.' "

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THE GREAT GREEN WAYTV Guide.comPlenty of people gave their regards to ol' Broadway in 2004, as overall attendance climbed to 11.3 million ? up from 11.09 million in 2003. Box-office receipts also inched upward to $748.9 million, a 3.2 percent increase. Much of the upswing can be attributed to an influx of foreign tourists, not to mention the highly anticipated arrival of Red Lobster to Times Square.

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NY PostNO ROOM FOR 'DOUBT'By MICHAEL RIEDEL'DOUBT" is the "Sideways" of the theater world.John Patrick Shanley 's engross ing drama about a nun who suspects a priest of molesting a student made every major drama critic's year-end top 10 list, usually landing in the No. 1 spot. It's also a sellout off-Broadway.It's a shoo-in to win this year's New York Drama Critics Circle, Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Awards; is the front-runner for the Pulitzer Prize; and will be the play to beat in June at the Tony Awards.Wait a sec on that last one.To be eligible for the Tony, "Doubt" first has to get to Broadway ? and that's where the off-stage drama begins.A theater-booking jam is making it difficult for the play to transfer from the Manhattan Theater Club to a Tony-eligible Broadway house."It's on the runway, it's ready for takeoff, we just can't get clearance from air traffic control," says a person involved in the show.There is plenty of intrigue ? and the potential for betrayals and wounded egos ? surrounding the blocked transfer of "Doubt."Here's one example: An obvious place for the show to go is the Walter Kerr Theatre, currently home to August Wilson's "Gem of the Ocean," which is hardly setting the box office on fire.But the producer of "Gem" ? San Francisco real estate heiress Carole Shorenstein Hays ? is also the producer of "Doubt."And so she's faced with a ? what shall we call it? ? Carole's Choice: sacrificing one of her plays for another.Now, the obvious decision would be to pull the plug on the weaker show, "Gem," so that the stronger one, "Doubt," can thrive.But the picture's more complicated than that.Shorenstein Hays is the savior of "Gem of the Ocean." When the original producer failed to come up with enough money to open it at the Kerr, she came through with nearly $1 million.She is also an old friend of Wilson's, having produced one of his early hits, "Fences.""She doesn't want to jeopardize her relationship with August, and, for appearance's sake, she has to look like she's fighting for 'Gem,' " one theater person says of Sorenstein Hays' dilemma.Further complicating matters is that "Gem," while no "Cats," isn't losing money, with weekly grosses hovering around $200,000.A person close to Shorenstein Hays says the producer is committed to running "Gem of the Ocean" for as long as she can, but if the box office falls apart, she will not hesitate to make a "business decision" and close it.Shorenstein Hays wouldn't be in this situation if another struggling show would close up shop.But "Brooklyn" clings to life at the Plymouth Theatre, despite poor reviews and lackluster box-office receipts. A pop musical so loud and screechy it could be Idina Menzel's understudy in "Wicked," "Brooklyn" is just barely keeping its head above water.The producers of "Brooklyn" are certainly tenacious ? maybe even a bit deluded. They plan to run at least through the end of the 2004-05 season, confident that if they can survive the January-February doldrums, business will shoot up in the spring.Indeed, director Jeff Calhoun and producer John McDaniel have been known to say that "Brooklyn" is this season's "Wicked." (Never mind the fact that "Wicked" has an advance of $30 million and "Brooklyn" about 30 cents.)Should "Brooklyn" be forced to close, that doesn't mean the Plymouth's next show will be "Doubt." Nothing's ever that simple in the theater.Here's what would happen instead: "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" would move from the Longacre to the Plymouth, the revival of "The Glass Menagerie" would move from the Barrymore to the Longacre and "Doubt" would go to the Barrymore.Why?Because Jessica Lange, the star of "The Glass Menagerie" is not happy about being in the Barrymore.She played that house in 1992 as Blanche du Bois in "A Streetcar Named Desire" and was criticized for not being able to project beyond the fifth row.Naturally, she blames the theater, and this time around wants to be in a more intimate house like the Longacre.So for Jessica's sake ? and to prevent a run on the infrared hearing aid system at the Barrymore ? a lot of theater people are hoping "Brooklyn" finally gives up the ghost.

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people.comREMEMBERED: Theater composer Cy Coleman, who died at 75 in November, was remembered Monday at a New York tribute that united the remaining members of Broadway's Golden Age, with a few descendants. Performers included Lucie Arnaz, Bea Arthur and Chita Rivera, who with Ann Reinking delivered "Hey, Big Spender" from Sweet Charity, which as Neil Simon noted, will be revived on Broadway for the fourth time next spring (with Christina Applegate). Brian Stokes Mitchell closed the two-hour tribute by subbing for a laryngitis-stricken Tony Bennett, with Coleman's pop hit "The Best Is Yet to Come."

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people.comMaking the SceneYou won't find the more mature, statelier celebs in New York's sexy downtown clubs ? but you may catch them on Broadway these days. After seeing the play Democracy recently, Bill and Hillary Clinton joined star James Naughton and his family for a late dinner at Angus McIndoe's in the heart of the theater district. Escorted by McIndoe himself to the exclusive third-floor dining room, the Clintons ran into Uma Thurman, who was dining with boyfriend Andre Balazs and actress Natasha Richardson. It was hard to tell who was more excited to see whom, spies tell us, as dinner out turned into an impromptu party. Thurman jokingly apologized to the former President for appearing in two movies called Kill Bill ? but the laughs really began when Billy Crystal and his wife dropped in for dinner after his one-man show. Thurman, who soon will play Ulla in the film version of The Producers, got a chance to compare notes with Broadway's current Ulla, Angie Schworer. As the party wore down around 1:30 a.m., the ever-cordial Bill Clinton took time to seek out every waiter and waitress in the place and personally thank them for their service before saying good-bye.

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EOnline.com ON THE BOARDS: Mary Poppins, which premiered last month in London to rave reviews, snagging 10 nominations for this year's Laurence Olivier Awards, Britain's top theater honors. The Producers followed with eight nods, including a Best Actor in a Musical nod for star Nathan Lane.

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IN A DEJÀ STEWBy MICHAEL RIEDELNY PostTHE producers of the ac claimed off-Broadway re vival of "Hurlyburly" are getting cold feet about making the leap to Broad way.They fear ? correctly, it seems to me ? that there are too many play revivals heading to Broadway this spring and that theirs might get lost in the shuffle.There are few things more disheartening in the theater than moving a super-hot little show to the Rialto ? only to watch it die.And so "Hurlyburly," which stars Ethan Hawke, Parker Posey, Bobby Cannavale and Wallace Shawn , may reopen at a new off-Broadway theater way over 10th Avenue after it wraps ups its sold-out run at the tiny Acorn theater on West 42nd Street next month.This play-revival craze is really getting out of hand.There are seven major revivals about to open on Broadway, and no one thinks they'll all survive.As one producer says, "For the last couple of years, we've watched all the musical revivals cannibalize each other. Now we're going to see all the play revivals cannibalize each other."Let's take a quick look at the combatants in what promises to be a fiercely competitive atmosphere, with an eye to their strengths and potential weaknesses:* The production showing the greatest strength, at least at the box office, is "Julius Caesar," starring Denzel Washington.The show, which will be on the boards for only four months, has already racked up nearly $3 million in ticket sales. Washington is the draw, of course. Next to Billy Crystal, he's the biggest the name on Broadway this season.The danger for "Julius Caesar" is the boredom factor. This could turn out to be a very competent but sleep-inducing revival of a lesser Shakespeare tragedy.* "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" is highly anticipated for two reasons:(1) This is the first time since 1976 that Edward Albee's firecracker of a play has been revived on Broadway and (2) Kathleen Turner seems perfectly cast as blousy, foul-mouthed, hard-drinking Martha. The big question mark is Bill Irwin. The celebrated clown has been cast as George, and it will be interesting to see how he stacks up against Turner.* "The Glass Menagerie" brings Jessica Lange back to Broadway for the first time since she appeared in "A Streetcar Named Desire" in 1991. Lange was brilliant, but you had to be seated in the first five rows or you couldn't hear her. Has she learned to project since then, or will her performance once again be swallowed up in the Barrymore Theater?* "A Streetcar Named Desire" stars the wonderful Natasha Richardson , always a welcome addition to the Broadway season. But it remains to be seen whether she can find the vulnerability to play Blanche Du Bois.* "On Golden Pond" is as soapy a play as you're likely to find in the American theater. What makes the revival worth checking out, however, is its star, James Earl Jones.This great actor has not appeared on Broadway since his monumental performance in August Wilson's "Fences" in 1988. The voice is probably still there, but is the stage presence?* "Glengarry Glen Ross" should set off sparks, especially with Liev Schreiber as Ricky Roma, the real estate shark who devours everyone in his path. But the play itself might not pack quite the same punch as it did 20 years ago. After all, you can watch the same thing on "The Apprentice" every week.* "Steel Magnolias" is one play that, for the life of me, I cannot come up with a reason to revive. Robert Harling's gentle comedy about a Southern beauty parlor was charming off-Broadway in 1987, but it's hardly a play for the ages.

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Does anyone have any details on the kiosk that's in Times Square (I think it's Times Square) that sells last minute show tickets for a reasonable price?? You can even get tixs to sold out events. They only sells tixs for show dates in the next 48 hours or so, so you have to be flexible, but can get a good price for them?? I've known a few people that have done that and have been very happy. You have to get the tixs in person though, no pre-ordering.

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people.com

 

RECHRISTENED: Hugh Jackman and Dame Edna helped unveil the newly re-named Plymouth and Royale Theaters to the Gerald Schoenfeld and the Bernard Jacobs before 700 invited guests on Broadway Monday night. Schoenfeld, 80, and Jacobs, who died in 1996, helped revitalize the theater district during the financially bleak 1970s, noted New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg during the ceremony, which was stolen by Dame Edna, who poked fun at fellow Aussie Jackman (saying she was proud of the way he turned out) and flubbed a poem she was reading. Looking at the crowd, Edna boasted that at least she had composed her own material – not like her friend "Little Laura," as Edna called the first lady, whose comedy material at the recent White House correspondents' dinner was supplied by a professional writer.