Issue #137: September 1, 2004
End-of-Summer Edition - next issue October 1

• Woody Allen's new play A Second Hand Memory has its world premier on November 22  at off-Broadway's Atlantic Theater Company.  And of course control freak Allen is directing.

• And in the spirit of Mamma Mia! Look for Good Vibrations to open in January.  A new musical featuring 30 Beach Boys songs starts previews in early December at the Eugene O'Neill Theater.  Urinetown's choreographer John Carrafa will be pulling double duty as director and choreographer.

• Matthew Broderick will be back on Broadway this fall, off-Broadway that is.  He'll be starring in the Roundabout's revival of the Larry Shue comedy The Foreigner .  Look for previews to begin on October 15 at the Laura Pels Theater with a November 7 opening.

• James Naughton will star in Michael Frayn's Democracy when it takes to the Brooks Atkinson stage on November 18.  The cast is rounded out with Richard Thomas, Robert Prosky and Michael Cumpsty.

•  The music of the 70s band Chicago is on tap to be the next rock-based stage musical.  Colour My World will use two dozen of Chicago's hits to tell the classic tale, boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back.  Yawn..

• They're adding some star power Wonderful Town in September.  New mother Brooke Sheilds will take over the lead from Donna Murphy on September 28.  This is not Brooke's first turn at a musical.  You may remember she replaced Rosie O'Donnell as Rizzo in the long running revival of Grease back in the 90s

• And another movie is about to become a stage musical.  Producer Tony Adams (Victor/Victoria) and Marvel Comics are looking at releasing the Spider-Man franchise onto the stage.  They aren't messing around either.  They have Tony award-winning director Julie Taymor (Lion King) on board to direct as well as U2 members Bono and the Edge set to write the music. 

• Eve Ensler returns to Broadway with her latest play The Good Body.  On the heels of the successful international hit The Vagina Monologues, The Good Body begins previews at the Booth Theater on October 22 with the opening set for November 15.  This solo show is directed by Peter Askin (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) and will run for just 12 weeks.

• A revival of Marsha Norman's night, Mother opens November 14 at the Royale Theater.  Edie Falco (The Sopranos) and Brenda Blethyn will star with Michael Mayer doing director duties.

• Brent Barrett is ready to step into the lead in Ken Ludwig's new play Leading Ladies which opens at the Cleveland Playhouse on September 7.

• A "new" musical Calamity Jane is in the works and headed to Broadway, sort of.  It is based on the 1953 movie and on a legit production from the 60s.  The 2005 tour will have a revised book although the Sammy Fain/Paul Francis Webster songs remain intact.  No Broadway opening booked just yet.

• Julie Andrews takes the helm in New Haven as director in the upcoming Goodspeed Opera House production of The Boy Friend next summer.  Plans are in the works to take this revival on the road for an eight-city tour through December 2005 with a second leg of the tour heading out in 2006.  This show is quite familiar to Andrews - it's the production in which she made her Broadway debut.

• San Francisco's Magic Theater plays host to the new musical, The Opposite of Sex,  based on the Don Roos film.  Karen Ziemba will star when the curtain rises for previews September 25.

• Director John Caird is mounting a production of Macbeth at the Almeida Theatre beginning January 13.  The Mr. & Mrs. will be played by Emma Fielding - known for her unforgettable role as Thomasina in Arcadia - and Simon Russell Beale.