Issue #130: May 15, 2004

• Annie author Martin Charnin has teamed up with Spy Magazine's Kurt Andersen, bringing us new musical Broomhilda based on the popular cartoon strip.  Charnin says "It's 'Brigadoon' for the 21st century." If you talk to Andersen, however, his take is "Men in Black meets Harry Potter." His other analogy is "It's as if Walt Disney and the Bush administration controlled the world, and Broomhilda and her magical creatures are about to be squeezed out of existence.  This is the final battle."  Who says this is fiction? Just check out the recent hard news!!!  The first reading should be fun - they are waiting for a date.

• Thomas Meehan (The Producers) says the first act of Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein musical is finally finished.  He is hoping to have the full production completed by the fall of 2004.  Then let the readings begin!

• Look for Brit superstar Jonathan Pryce to star in the 2004-05 revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.  Playing Martha?  Jessica Lange and Mercedes Ruehl have been mentioned but no confirmation yet.

• The Tony Award nominations are out and Wicked leads the musical pack with 10 nods including Best Musical and Best Actress in a Musical for two of it's "witches" - Kristen Chenoweth and Idina Menzel.  The other musical nominees are Avenue Q, Caroline, Or Change and The Boy From Oz, although it looks like the favourite is Wicked.  Legendary Canadian actor Christopher Plummer has been nominated for Best Actor in a Play for his critically acclaimed performance in the Ontario Stratford Theatre's production of King Lear.  The Tony Awards will be presented with The Boy From Oz himself, Hugh Jackman, hosting from the Radio City Music Hall stage on June 6.

• Legendary lyricist-director Martin Charnin is really busy these days. As he awaits the first reading of Broomhilda, his other musical project Robin Hood opens in November just outside Seattle at the Village Theater.

• Edward Albee's newest play Homelife will hit the Hartford Stage on May 28 under the direction of Pam MacKinnon.  This is the prequel to Albee's 1959 The Zoo Story.

• Staying on the Albee theme - Edward Albee's Tony award winning play The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? transfers from the Almeida to the West End with star Jonathan Pryce in tow.