I need to sit down.  My head is spinning.  I'm feeling dizzy.  Wow.  I had such a cool evening last night and there is so much stuff happening on the rialto today - I can't keep up.  Seriously,  I thought January was supposed to be a sleepy month where nothing special went on and the B'way shut down for winter.  Hello?  I was promised a break in January!  Hello? 

Just kidding.  I am being dramatic (quell surprise').  First up, last night, I went downtown with my director friend Stephen Brackett to see Amazons and Their Men.  This new show is written by Jordan Harrison and directed by Ken Rus Schmoll, produced by Clubbed Thumb (don't ask - I don't know where the name comes from).  

Stephen is a great theater "date"; he always has a lot of theater dish.  Stephen is currently in rehearsals for Passing Strange and said that things are going great.  I am so excited for this show to open on B'way.  I saw it downtown at The Public Theater and loved it.  I am hoping it will be the Spring Awakening of 2008.  Stephen also said that In The Heights is rehearsing upstairs from them and that Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is rehearsing below them.  He rode the elevator with Phylicia Rashad (from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof).  He said he had trouble not saying, "Hello Mrs. Huxtable!"

The show (Amazons and Their Men) was great!  Super funny and touching.  Brilliantly directed by Ken Rus Schmoll and featuring a star making performance by Rebecca Wisocky in the lead role.  You can check it out for two more nights.  Click HERE for more info. 

The theater was packed with industry insiders.  I ran into Jeff Whitty (Avenue Q) who I congratulated on the new Tales of the City Musical.  As I said in my post the other day; I think this is a fantastic idea and I can't wait for it to open!  Hurry up already!  I also ran into a casting director friend and tried to get the scoop on Dead Man's Cell Phone at Playwrights Horizons staring Mary Louise Parker.  My source told me that things are going very well.  She said it seems like a real love fest in the rehearsal room and everyone at the theater is excited about the show.  So, get out your cell phones and start dialing your friends - tell them to get tixs NOW.  HERE. 

After the show I got home and found out all these other things were going on as well.  My head started spinning.  Here is some breaking news...

Color Them Closing

A little bit of a shocker from yesterday; The Color Purple posted their closing notice yesterday.  I didn't really see this one coming.  I know that sales were down, but I assumed they would be able to make it another year or so.  The show will play its final performance on February 24th.  The Color Purple produced by Oprah Winfrey and directed by Gary Griffin and staring La Chanze (later replaced by Fantasia) ran for 30 previews and 910 regular performances after opening on December 1st, 2005.  That means another B'way theater will be available.  What show will go into the Broadway?  I need to know.  

Scoop Scoop

I love that I have been posting about the MTV/Legally Blonde reality show as if it were a done deal.  Then last night I saw that the producers released an "official" announcement of that the show was proceeding.  I guess my call for the MTV casting folks was a real scoop and I didn't even know it.  How can I be such a flake?

Lost Sheba Brings Home Great Reviews

The MTC production of Come Back, Little Sheba staring S. Epatha Merkerson (from Law & Order) opened last night and the reviews are rushing in - and they look pretty good.  The productin is getting good reviews and Ms. Merkerson is winning some raves.  Ben Brantley had this to say in the NY Times:

"The marvel of Ms. Merkerson's performance in this revitalizing production of a play often dismissed as a soggy period piece is how completely and starkly she allows us to see what Lola sees. Conveying everything while seeming to do nothing is no mean feat - a rare accomplishment expected, perhaps, from seasoned stage stars like Vanessa Redgrave (in "The Year of Magical Thinking") or Lois Smith (in the recent revival of "The Trip to Bountiful")."  Click HERE to read the full review.

Celebrities Attack Broadway

No, this isn't the title for a new horror movie; the cast of Celebrity Apprentice was let loose on the rialto for a challenge and the results aired last night on NBC.  I didn't get to see it yet (I tivo'd it) but my friend filled me in.  She said it was really fun.  The episode featured shows such as; Spamalot, Curtains, and Spring Awakening.  David Hyde Pierce (Curtains) showed up - apparently Marilu Henner called him up and pulled in a favor.  Unfortunately he didn't do much good for the team, I heard. 

Sunday on Friday

I can not post today without mentioning that Sunday in the Park with George starts previews tonight.  I have a feeling that this is going to be a HUGE HIT!  I just feel it in my bones.  The show stars British imports Daniel Evans and Jenna Russell.  Daniel Bunrock directs this masterpiece from Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine.  I am beside myself.  The London Times had this to say about the production in London; "Buntrock's production is so inventive and emotionally intense that it induces a state of sustained wonderment!"  I think my head is going to explode.

That is it.  My head is spinning and exploding.  I am going to take an alka seltzer or something and go back to bed.  I really need to pull it together.  Have a great weekend and I will...

~ See You On The Aisle