Tony-Winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson Directs a Wilson Classic

Ruben Santiago-Hudson is laughing. He's calling himself a "doting father," referring to the fact that he's directing August Wilson's Seven Guitars, the revival of which is kicking off the Signature Theater Company's season of Wilson plays.

New Theater to "Honor" Sarasota

Sarasota Actor's Workshop, a new company of actors honing their craft, begin group explorations in October 2004 at the JABU Center, a Sarasota gallery. Six plays on the theme of honor will be staged in the round on three successive weekends, starting October 1-3.

The Many Weills of Helen Schneider

When thinking of the music of Kurt Weill during his centennial year of 2000, the name of Helen Schneider naturally comes to mind. The American singer-actress has performed even more frequently in Weill's country of birth, Germany, than in the USA, and she is closely identified with Weill's work. In fact, she headlined at the Dessau Festival in Weill's home town during the centennial celebration in August 2000. In October and November she's starring in a double bill of Weill's Mahagonny Songspiel and Seven Deadly Sinsin Vienna.

May the Schwartz Be With Us

Two themes run repeatedly through the songs of Stephen Schwartz. One is magic, the other is family.

Stephen Schwartz has continually, and pointedly, written about parent-child relationships. Think about Pippin and his father, Charlemagne, in Pippin. Geppetto and his puppet-son, Pinocchio, in the TV musical "Geppetto." Judge Frollo, the surrogate father of Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Marian Seldes -- First Lady?

In a note in the program of his play, Dedication or The Stuff of Dreams, Terrence McNally writes that the work was completed in 2002. The other night, following a preview performance, he said he didn't write the role of wealthy matron Annabelle Willard with a particular actress in mind. "But now that I've seen Marian Seldes in the part," he said, "I can't imagine anyone else in the role." He went on to say that he wasn't smart enough to see her in the role until director Scott Ellis suggested the part had her name written all over it.

Danny Burstein on the Wall

I've known Danny Burstein since he was 15 or 16, when he played Og the leprechaun in an amateur production of Finian's Rainbow as I ran the follow spot. I'd be lying if I told you that I jumped up and shouted, "That kid is going to be a star!" But I sure could see that Danny was exceptionally talented -- and I would have probably bet that, with any luck at all, he'd have a fine career as a professional actor.

Selyabration

When you see Movin' Out, Broadway's dance musical built around Billy Joel tunes that enters its third year Tuesday, you might think John Selya is superhuman. He soars through the air faster than a speeding bullet and does dizzying, whirling-dervish spins, suspending audiences in a state of disbelief.

Michele Shay: Lady In Waiting

Fresh from her scene-stealing, Tony-nominated triumph on Broadway in August Wilson's Seven Guitars, Michele Shay is again scene-stealing and triumphant Off Broadway (Vineyard Theater, 108 East 15th Street) in Lisa Loomer's melodrama, The Waiting Room. In this play, about three women -- from different cultures and different centuries -- who come together in their doctor's waiting room, Shay, portraying five characters, provides much of the comic relief.

Michael Siberry: The Captain Is On Course

The Playbill note on the cast page at the Broadway revival of The Sound of Musicreads: "Michael Siberry is appearing with the permission of Actors' Equity Association pursuant to an exchange program between American Equity and British Equity." That statement usually means quite a fuss went on between producers and American Equity to get a leading man from the U.K. because they feel he's best for the job. And it usually means that actor isn't a star or known by Broadway theatergoers. In the case of Siberry, nothing could be further from the truth. But there's a catch.

For Henry Krieger & Bill Russell, Side Show is a Family Business

When it's mentioned to book writer/lyricist Bill Russell and composer Henry Krieger that their Side Show is the most anticipated new musical since Titanic, Russell's dropped jaw spoke volumes. It was hard to know if he was thinking about the pre-Tony nomination buzz or the post-Tony Awards buzz for that show.

Singular Sensation

EVERY WEEK A NEW STAR! bragged Singular Sensations, composer/music director Glen Roven's series of intimate conversations and songs from "legendary" Broadway stars at the Village Theater [158 Bleecker between Sullivan and Thompson]. Dancer extraordinaire Donna McKechnie, Tony-winner for A Chorus Line, was be in the catbird seat this week [November 10-16, 2003]. She follows the unstoppable Carol Channing, appearing through Sunday. [Miss Channing is preparing to hit the road again -- No!

Jean Smart Commutes From TV & Film To The Stage

In her TV and stage career, Jean Smart has alternated regularly between comedy and drama, but her star turn in "a role to die for," as flamboyant stage star Lorraine Sheldon in The Man Who Came To Dinner, certainly proves she was born to play comedy. The Roundabout Theatre Company production of the classic 1939 Kaufman and Hart play, headlining Nathan Lane and directed by Jerry Zaks, debuts their new home, the restored Selwyn Theater, now the American Airlines Theater, on New 42nd Street.

Keely Smith, Fine and Frank

Move over, Barbara Cook. Here comes another lady in her 70s with a voice that sounds decades younger. This is Keely Smith, who is appearing in cabaret at Feinstein's on Park Avenue in Manhattan in May 2003. If her dreams come true, she'll someday appear a few blocks from there on Broadway in her own show.

Going Public With a Private Spirit

Gay cabaret performer, Don Snell, returns to Dallas at the Theater Three basement, March 23-26, 2003, with his performing partner, Shano Palovich, in A Private Spirit: Noel Coward and his Gal Pals.Palovich will enact the roles of Gertrude Lawrence, Tallulah Bankhead, and Marlene Dietrich.

The Sound of Music in Austria

The Sound of Music has pleased viewers of its many stage revivals and of the film version. It also has spawned a series of specialized tours in the city of Salzburg, Austria.

This is the town where the von Trapp family lived and where most of the 1965 movie was shot. The lure of these locations is so appealing that several different companies run daily bus tours of SOM-related sites. The fact that Mozart was born here is an afterthought for many visitors! Rodgers & Hammerstein are the heroes, inspiring these folks to find out how alive these hills really are.

Conductor Ted Sperling Goes in a New Direction

Ted Sperling made his debut as a stage director in February 2001 at the Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia and returned in October to direct a revival of the Kurt Weill-Ira Gershwin-Moss Hart musical, Lady in the Dark. With these productions, Sperling completes a theatrical triple crown. He now has been a music director, singer-actor and, finally, a director.

Valcq And Alley Get Cooking On Their Spitfire Grill

The movie "The Spitfire Grill," winner of the audience award at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival, went on to commercial and critical mainstream success. The story about a young woman who, when released from prison, begins a new life working for the proprietress of a small-town greasy spoon, impressed Wisconsin-native composer James Valcq enough to want to set it to music. Although his introduction was by way of a review in the New Yorker magazine, it would be months later that Valcq finally saw the film and knew what he was going to do.

Strong Medicine: Playwright Jeffrey Stanley

When reading or seeing a play, one always wonders where playwrights get their ideas for plot and characterization. I contacted Jeffrey Stanley, author of Medicine Man, which premiered at Dallas' Theater Three this spring, to find his answers.

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Jean Stapleton - Forever Grateful, and Back on Stage

It's reassuring to report that Jean Stapleton, one of the most recognized names in the entertainment world, is unpretentious, charming and astute. Observing the ovation she gets at the curtain of Horton Foote's The Carpetbagger's Children, that also stars Hallie Foote (the author/playwright's daughter) and Roberta Maxwell, and the affection with which she's greeted as she exits the stage door of Lincoln Center Theater, it's obvious that she made an impact on many lives.

Jean Stapleton - Seized By a Desire to Act

One the of most recognized names in entertainment, Jean Stapleton stands in the wings of "one of my homes away from home," New York's tiny, East Village Classic Stage Company, where she's about to go on as Phoebe, the alcoholic wife in John Osborne's devastating The Entertainer, about the dysfunctional family of fading vaudevillian Archie Rice.

Remembering Mo

Maureen Stapleton, who always could be believed when she said something, was true to her word.

After attending the memorial for Colleen Dewhurst in 1991, "Mo," as she was affectionately called by her friends, was heard to say, "I'm not coming to one of these things ever - except my own!" *

Wagner on the Hudson

Jim Steinman is nothing if not versatile. Though best known as a rock and pop composer and producer of "power ballads," he's adept at arranging, has been a solo-artist and, a bit ahead of the trend, formed an all-girl band. His numerous worldwide mega-hits include "Bat Out of Hell" and "Dead Ringer" with Meat Loaf, "Falling Into You" with Celine Dion, "Making Love Out of Nothing At All" for Air Supply, "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" (which has found a natural fit in Dance of the Vampires), and "Faster Than the Second Speed of Night" for Bonnie Tyler.

Whirling Sterling

The old adage that 'laughter is the best medicine' has never seemed truer than now as a way to lift America from the gloom of its recent tragedy, and Randy Bennett and his Lone Star Comedy troupe are doing their part at "Upstaged, Smart Comedy, Smart Cocktails."

Dallas will get a heaping dose of laughter on October 5 and 6, 2001 as Upstaged presents headliner Mindy Sterling, Bennett's former Groundlings colleague and comedienne from Los Angeles. Sterling will be reprising Frau Farbissina, a role written for her by Mike Myers of "Saturday Night Live" and Austin Powers notoriety.

My Next Role is My Favorite

Newsday drama critic Linda Winer's wish has come true. When she reviewed Talking Heads, Alan Bennett's six solo plays, which are being presented in Programs A and B Off Broadway at the Minetta Lane Theater, she raved that Lynn Redgrave was "irresistible," Kathleen Chalfant, "ever-remarkable"; Christine Ebersole, "heartbreaking"; Brenda Wehle, "lovely"; Daniel Davis, "wonderful"; and that Valerie Mahaffey, had "a sweet generosity." But, she concluded, "I kept wanting more!"

Tony Awards Bring Back Memories For Isabelle Stevenson

After 32 years, Isabelle Stevenson stepped down as president of the American Theater Wing, the organization co-founded by Antoinette Perry, a leading 30s and 40s actress, producer and director. Stevenson is now chair of the Wing board, the first time since Perry's death in 1946 that this position has been filled. (Perry's nickname was Tony, and she is the namesake of the annual Broadway honors.)

What's On In Tehran

A vibrant theater community is waiting to be discovered in Iran's capital.

This is the quick summary of several weeks of theater going last fall. In spite of consistent underfunding, directors and actors succeed in putting on shows that are entertaining and often thought-provoking for large, enthusiastic audiences. Theater operates in the shadow of the Iranian film industry, which has garnered worldwide acclaim. Still, with prices modest (about double an already-reasonable film ticket), theater fans can afford to keep up with current stagings.

TV Heroes: Douglas Carter Beane Recalls the Hosts of TV Yesteryear in Philadelphia

What were the television heros of your childhood like in real life? And what ever became of them?

Those are the questions explored by three guys in their late 30s in the play, Music From a Sparkling Planet, that was an Off-Broadway hit during its limited run by The Drama Dept. in 2001. Frustrated by problems in their personal and professional lives, the characters decide to search for Tamara Tomorrow, the host of an afternoon kids' TV show of their youth. (One of them says he has to thank Tamara for giving him his first erection.)

In Times of Woe, Playwrights Speak Words of Wisdom

There is no explanation for evil, wrote W. Somerset Maugham. It must be looked upon as a necessary part of the order of the universe. To expose it is childish, to bewail it senseless.

Theater Works, Sarasota: No Longer Working

If Theater Works, a professional non-Equity house that billed itself as the "friendliest theater in Sarasota" is still alive, it certainly isn't stirring. The former Palm Street Playhouse, TW's downtown home since 1985, has been bought by Florida Studio Theater for an expansion. Meanwhile, speaking to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, board president Joseph LaRusso claimed he'll stay in office for the rest of the year. He hopes to start Theater Works up again within a complex being built by a developer east of downtown.

That Was the Army

This Is the Army, the theatrical phenomenon of World War II, is back in the news because Decca Records has released the cast album on CD. This phenomenon of its era had become almost forgotten. Some of the surviving cast members complain that everyone talks about Bob Hope's contribution to soldiers' morale when, in fact, many more men in that war were entertained by This Is the Army.

Comden and Green: Two On the Aisle

Two On the Aisle, with music by Jule Styne and lyrics and comedy sketches by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, has the reputation for being the last of the "old-time" Broadway revues, which specialized in musical production numbers and comic bits that often bordered just this side of burlesque.

Beautiful Fish in a Big Pond: Leslie Uggams Teams with James Earl Jones on Broadway

Their career paths have crossed several times. But now a twist of fate has Tony Award-winners Leslie Uggams and, after much too long an absence, James Earl Jones back on Broadway and together for the first time. Along with the loons, they've returned for one more summer On Golden Pond, the revival of Ernest Thompson's hit 1978 play.

Fear Itself: Alfred Uhry and the Jewish Question in Atlanta

It's ten minutes before 11 p.m. on Sunday, June 1, 1997. On the stage of Radio City Music Hall the envelope is about to be opened to reveal the winner of the Tony Award for Best Play of the Year. One nominee is The Last Night of Ballyhoo, written by Alfred Uhry.

The Road to Urinetown

Could a water shortage, a tycoon set on forcing the public to pay to use facilities, and a hero out to stop him be the subject matter of a musical? Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis thought so. Their problem was finding producers to agreed. But the happy result is Urinetown: The Musical, the off-beat show that moved to Broadway and was nominated for 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Score. Although it didn't take the Best Musical prize, it won Tonys for Best Book of a Musical (Kotis), Best Score (Kotis and Hollmann) and Best Director (John Rando).

A Quick Overview of the Utah Shakespearean Festival

Nestled among some of the country's most breathtakingly beautiful national parks is the real gem of Southwestern Utah, the Utah Shakespearean Festival, in the small town of Cedar City on the campus of Southern Utah University.

From its humble beginnings in 1962 when a small band of college students and townspeople presented three plays by Shakespeare over a two-week period, on an outdoor platform -- creating their own sets, props, and costumes -- the Utah Shakespearean Festival has morphed into an award-winning organization.

A Career As She Likes It: An Interview with Jennifer Van Dyck

"I'm glad I am getting another crack at playing Rosalind," says former Princeton native Jennifer Van Dyck, who heads the cast of As You Like It, the season opener at the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival. With a growing repertoire of the Bard's heroines under her belt, including Portia (The Merchant of Venice) at the Bread Loaf Theater, Cordelia (King Lear) and Ophelia (Hamlet) at the Old Globe, Van Dyck, however, recalls the "joyous" comedy" as her first experience performing Shakespeare.

Goodbye Golden Apple

Golden Apple Dinner Theater in Venice, Florida, has closed.

Robert Ennis Turoff, producer, announced in a brief Sarasota Herald-Tribune article that Buffalo Bob's food service, which catered the Apple's buffets, was incompatible with the Apple's theatrical operation. The May 3, 2003 end of How the Other Half Loves by Alan Ayckbourn thus ended 14 years of the Venice satellite of Sarasota's Golden Apple, now in its 32nd season.

Theater as a Blood Sport

 Buckets, fountains, catfuls, neckfuls and bitefuls of red blood have poured out and onto the stages of Broadway and Off Broadway this season.
John Doyle's new, inventive production of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's Sweeney Todd, a musical thriller, in which actors create their own orchestra as well, led the season off to a deliciously electrifying start.

Memorable Visits With "Aunt Mae"

Age and sex appeal are timeless things. Look at me! I'm living proof...

Michael West -- Flying High With Crabtree's Pigs

Howard Crabtree's When Pigs Fly has emerged as one of the biggest hits on Broadway or off (it's at the Douglas Fairbanks on 42nd Street's Theater Row). Critics showered it with accolades, and audiences, who roar with laughter, return in droves. It's a small company, but they pack the wallop of three Broadway musicals. There are no crashing chandeliers or whirling helicopters, but there are some spectacular, colorful and hilarious costumes.

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