Issue #136: August 15, 2004

• And the rock and roll legends just keep on coming to the Broadway stage.  Now in pre-production is Pink Floyd's The Wall.  Heavy hitters Miramax Films and former Sony Music chief Tommy Mottola are the producers behind the rock opera.  Co-founder Roger Waters will pen the show's book and arrange and orchestrate the music for the stage production.

• It looks like the Sly Fox production has had a major face-lift!  "Spin City" star Richard Kind is in the Richard Dreyfuss role, Carol Kane has replaced Rachel York; Richard Libertini plays Rene Auberjonois' role; and Larry Storch is in Peter Scolari's shoes.

• Plans are moving forward on the revival of Glengarry Glen Ross with Liev Schreiber joining the cast.  Talks are taking place with Alan Alda and Frederick Weller to come on board when director Joe Montello joins the play, which opens in April.

• Woody Harrelson will direct the Toronto remount of Kenneth Lonergan's This Is Our Youth.  Under Harrelson's direction last fall the production premiered and received critical acclaim.  The three-cast member production will be packed with some star power this time around.  Jason Lewis formerly with the Sex and the City cast is confirmed as well as Canadian actor Kathaine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps and Falling Angels).  Toronto actor Marcello Cabezas is the only returning cast member from last year. Opening is scheduled for September 2 at the Berkeley Street Theatre.

• Also on the Toronto schedule look for the Canadian premiere of Brenda Withers and Mindy Kaling's off-Broadway favourite Matt and Ben.  The darling of the 2003 New York Fringe Festival, this satirical look at the pre Good Will Hunting days of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck adds a hilarious twist with the two stars being played by women.  A September 30 opening is set for the Poor Alex Theatre.

• Another high profile musical is bypassing New York and has headed straight to the Las Vegas stage.  The London musical We Will Rock You, based on the music of the Brit band Queen is currently rocking at the hotel Paris.  A great deal of disappointment has been voiced by cities with subscription series since the local presenters were expecting to get a road production of this musical in the next year or so.

• If you're not a heavy metal rock fan the group Skid Row probably means nothing to you.  However, its former lead singer, Sebastian Bach, may be a name you do know.  Especially if a recent tour of Jesus Christ Superstar came through town.  Although no longer with the tour the ex rocker states it was some of the hardest work he's ever done.  This was not his first Broadway outing though.  He made his Broadway debut in late 2000 when he replaced another rocker, Ian Gillian of Deep Purple fame, in the title role of Jekyll & Hyde.  Then he played Riff Raff in the 2001 production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.  The Canadian musician/actor comes by his artistry honestly when his artist father David Bierk introduced him to all forms of art at a young age.  Bierk founded one of Canada's first not for profit visual arts centres in Peterborough, Ontario.  Thus began Bach's introduction to the arts.  Look for him next on television when he stars in, what else, his own reality show I Married Sebastian Bach.  As he says, "sooner or later every person in North America will have his or her own reality TV show."