Issue #170: May 1, 2006

• Damp reviews for Richard Greenberg’s Three Days of Rain have no effect on the box office. The limited run with superstar mom Julia Roberts making her Broadway debut has virtually guaranteed a sold-out run at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. Although slated to close on June 18, there is talk of an extension.

• Funny lady Wendie Malick stars in Roger Kirby’s comedy Burleigh Grimes at New World Stages beginning June 13.

• Antonio Banderas can’t get enough of Broadway…. He will be starring in New Line’s new musical Don Juan DeMarco, which is based on the movie.  No date or theatre is confirmed yet.

• That little Toronto Fringe Festival hit… is a hit on Broadway. Even before it officially opens, The Drowsy Chaperone has raked in 14 Drama Desk nominations. This definitely bodes well for the Tony’s.

• Laurence Fishburne heads the cast of Alfred Uhry’s Without Walls, which begins June 11 at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.

• Broadway blockbuster Wicked left quite an impression recently at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. In just three weeks the production grossed a whopping $4.7 million. Needless to say they are all looking forward to their return engagement next July.

• It isn’t a stretch to understand why the first stop on the national tour of The Color Purple is Chicago. With Oprah Winfrey’s name above the title it was a cinch to predict…. Look for it to open in April 2007 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre.

• Another Broadway hit burning up the road is Monty Python’s Spamalot. The six-week run at the Colonial Theatre in Boston is completely sold out. Now that’s boffo box office!

• Look for another blockbuster musical to make its way to the big screen.  Tom Hanks’ production company is currently working on the film version of the ABBA hit machine Mamma Mia! They are talking about it debuting next year…. No casting information was mentioned.