There are several bits of news that have come out in the past few days and I want to bring that info to you. It is Wednesday and I would like to play a game and see if I can give you all the pertinent info in 20 words or less for each news item.  Isn't this fun?  Maybe it isn't, but please - indulge me!Lockout?Last night Bway producers delivered a final offer. Stagehands Union rejected. Lockout likely.Word Count: 13  (ohhh, this is fun!)Fierce FiersteinLast week L.A. Times ripped A Catered Affair in San Diego.  Writer/star Harvey Fierstein openly spanked the critic and basically said he was WRONG. You go girl!Word Count: 27 (ugh, I couldn't resist the "you go girl!") Country GirlMorgan ...

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I know it is not fair.  A show needs time to rehearse and preview and work out all the kinks before people begin judging it.  But, hey, this is New York City and when you open a Broadway musical you have to be prepared for people to start to nit-pick, gossip and tear apart your show right from the very start.  So - here we go!  Tuesday night Young Frankenstein, the mega Mel Brooks musical, had an invited dress rehearsal ahead of the first preview on the 11th.  The theater chat boards were on fire last night with reports from witnesses who managed to snag a ticket to the invited dress.  Side note: everyone in town is uber-desperate to get a free ticket to the show because they are certa...

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As a child it was always important for me to be "right".  Oh, who am I kidding, as an adult it is always important for me to be "right".  Recently two items appeared in the press that verified pieces of gossip that we first revealed here at Two On The Aisle.  Spider-Man Reading Casting:Monday night Julie Taymor appeared on The Charlie Rose Show (a PBS talk show for the smart set) and confirmed that Jim Sturgess and Evan Rachel Wood (from her film Across the Universe) did indeed play the roles of Peter Parker and Mary Jane in the reading this past July of her new musical Spider-Man.  You may recall that I dropped that piece of gossip a few weeks back.  Well, Ms. Taymor has now gone publi...

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Oil up your mouse and get your pointer finger warmed up; there is a bunch of stuff floating out there on the World Wide Web that I think you might be interested in.  My team of researchers (ok, it's really just me) spends endless hours (ok, not endless, but a lot) trolling the internet for important news worthy items (ok, juicy bits of theater gossip and trivia) to bring to YOU, the reader.  I have found a few things that I think you might want to take a look at.  Start clicking!NEW LITTLE MERMAID PIXS:In the past few days Disney's PR machine has kicked in to high gear and they have been slowly releasing some photos of their upcoming production of The Little Mermaid.  IMHO (in my humble ...

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Dieting and weekend are two words that do NOT go well together.   I started a diet last week and somehow managed to lose three pounds.  As the weekend started I was worried that I would be tempted to stray from my smaller portions and healthy choices; I was right.  Everything this weekend seemed to tempt me!  Let me explain and please pardon me if today's Dark Day Dish has a slightly gastronomic focus. I started the weekend off with a big delicious bowl of broccoli and water.  Mmmmmm, how fulfilling.   I was doing well.  I was prepared to maintain a nutritional food intake and nothing was going to deter me.  My first stop for entertainment was a final NYMF show, The Family Fiorell...

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A few days ago I got a comment from a reader (betsyuclas18) wanting to know more about Adam Pascal in Rent and it got me thinking...why not have a blog feature where I focus on a  particular topic that YOU (the readers) might be interested in.  Thus, READER'S REQUEST is born!  Well, Betsyucla18 let's see if we can address your interest (er, obsession) with Mr. Pascal.  Firstly, he is back in Rent.  That's right (and you may have already heard this) but Adam is back in the part of Roger, a role that brought him to the attention of the public and pushed him into the spotlight.  If you want to see him (and Anthony Rapp who is back in the role of Mark) you had better run.  Are you runnin...

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This summer's biggest controversy is back!  This past summer the message boards and chat rooms were on fire with one subject - Patti Lupone.  City Center Encores! Summer Stars presented a production of the much loved musical Gypsy starring Bway diva extraordinaire Patti Lupone directed by the author himself, Arthur Laurents.  Critics and audiences wildly disagreed on the merits of this production.  In one corner we had the enthusiasts who were jumping to their feet in the middle of songs (yup, that actually happened) and in the other corner we had the folks that believed Lupone and Mamma Rose were a mismatch and the production as a whole lacked a major spark.  If you happened to troll t...

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Tonight Kristin Chenoweth (um, from Wicked, duh) is part of the cast of the new ABC tv series Pushing Daisies.  The show about a man who can bring people back to life with one touch also stars such former NYC stage stars as; Swoosie Kurtz, Lee Pace, Anna Friel and Ellen Greene.  Pushing Daisies has been getting great advance buzz and received a rave review in the NY Times today.  If you have been craving some Chenoweth check out this new show, tonight!  Check your local listings for more details (I have always wanted to write that - I don't know why!?!) ~See You On The Aisle...

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Can we start with something off topic today.  Did anyone think that my picture and Bob Saget's picture looked similar?  Discuss.  Ok, now on to today's business - the reviews for A Catered Affair... Many Broadway musicals have what is called a "pre-Broadway run" or an "out of town try-out".   They typically go to cities such as Seattle, Chicago, Boston, Denver and San Diego.   This gives the creative team time to work on the show far from the judgemental eyes of New Yorkers who have been known to kill a show with bad word of mouth.   That being said, these shows do have official openings and the local press does come and review the productions.   These reviews are often very impo...

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