Have you heard of this guy, Anton Chekhov?  He's written a few things I guess.  A play about cherry trees and some kooky uncle and I know he is getting a lot of "heat" for some thing he did about a bunch of sisters.  He's got himself a new play that found it's way to Broadway.  I don't know how he did it, in this day and age when most producers just want to do revivals and musicals based on movies, it is great that this new and untested talent is getting a big splashy showing.Oh, what?  Oh.  Wait.  I'm wrong.  I just checked Wikipedia.  Seems as if this Anton Chekhov has been around for years and years and years.  The funny thing is, the new production of his play The Seagull (whic...

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First there was the news that Rob Ashford was flying out to Seattle to "show doctor" the new musical.  Now comes the cast shake up.  The producers of the Broadway bound Shrek: The Musical announced that Daniel Breaker (from last season's Passing Strange) would be taking over for the departing Chester Gregory who played the role of "Donkey".  In addition to that, it was released the Kecia Lewis-Evans would vacate the role of "Dragon" and that the role was being "re-defined" for the NYC production.  Does all of this spell doom for the new tuner OR does it mean that the creative team is making the necessary changes to make the show the very best it can be?I am having a lot of thoughts, so.....

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I love Chicago (the city, not the musical).   It is s a great town.  The people are incredibly friendly.  The architecture is stupendous (the Sears tower, Louis Sullivan buildings, the new "bean").  The lake (‘nuf...

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It is time to head over to the casting couch and see what exciting casting is headed our way.  The couch was really full yesterday; a flurry of announcements whizzed around "The Broadway".  Let's take a look at what is going on.[UPDATE]This just in - there is a casting related rumor spreading around town this morning that I thought you all might want to hear about.  Chester Gregory (in the role of Donkey) and Kecia Lewis-Evans (in the role of The Dragon) are apparently being removed from the upcoming Broadway show Shrek: The Musical.  Apparently these roles did not work very well in the recent out of town try-out in Seattle and some changes needed to be made.  There seemed to be confirm...

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This weekend I got a chance to check out Bailey Hanks in Legally Blonde. OMIGOSH!  I put on my pink and white checkered shirt and headed over the Palace Theater in Times Square.  I was uber-excited.  I really was.  I had seen the show on MTV and, as we all know, followed the reality television show as if it was my religion.  Now I was going to get to see Bailey (as well as Autumn Hulbert) take the stage for reals!  Snaps!  What am I talking about - DOUBLE snaps!I was not disappointed.  The MTV version was great but it does not compare to seeing the production live and in person.  Legally Blonde is a fantastic and  fun frolic through the zany world of Elle Woods, packed with sassy s...

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After all the fuss, after all the double entendres about "wands" and "quidditch balls", after the scandalous photos, after all the talk and gossip and rumors...the play remains.   And it is the play that reigns supreme at the Broadhurst Theater where Peter Shaffer's compelling and intoxicating drama, Equus, has received a stunning new production that stars a little known newcomer by the name of Harry Potter, er, I mean Daniel Radcliffe.Tuesday night I attended a press preview of Equus.  I went in with many questions.  Would Radcliffe be up to the task?  Would the nudity be gratuitous?  Could I erase the image of Harry Potter from my mind as I watched the play? But, as the curtain went ...

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OMG!  Yesterday ANOTHER Broadway show posted closing.  I can hardly believe it.  The loveable and good spirited B'way show with a heart of pink, Legally Blonde, will dim the lights on October 19th.  This is the third show on "The Broadway" to post a closing notice in the span of a week (first was Xanadu and then [title of show] close on its heals).  It is not hard to make the connection between the ballooning financial crisis and the tightening of purse strings on the Great White Way.  Legally Blonde has put in an extremely valiant effort, trying to turn this musical (about a perky blonde who follows her man to Harvard Law School) into a box office smash.  First they forged new marke...

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The producers of Xanadu have now announced that the show will close on Sunday September 27th at 3:00pm, this is a change from the previous announcement stating that the show would shutter on October 12th.This is certainly an unusual move by the producers of Xanadu.  One would think that they would have calibrated things in order to finalize a decisive date for closing.  I have also heard that Kerry Butler may or many not be performing the final show.  I am sure that she will change her plans to be involved, but as of yesterday she was not scheduled to appear this weekend.  I am very curious to know what has motivated the change - there has been no official word from the producers.  Do w...

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Quietly opening this week in Chicago at the Goodman Theater is a new musical called Turn of the Century.  You haven't heard to much about it, right?  Well, I am pretty certain that the creative team and the producers are considering the Chicago production an "out of town" try out,  but they just aren't calling that...and oddly enough no one is paying much attention.  My guess is that people will be paying a ton of attention once this show opens and it will swiftly move to "The Broadway".Here are the stats.  The book is by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice (the folks that brought us Jersey Boys...you've heard of that show - yes?).  The producer is Elizabeth I. McCann (represented on B'wa...

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