Issue #211: April 1, 2008

Read the Toronto Star article on Camp Broadway!!

• The current revival of Sunday in the Park With George is receiving kudos especially the performances of Daniel Evans and Jenna Russell.
  

• The long anticipated revival of the Rogers & Hammerstein’s treasure South Pacific is over. Opening on April 3 at Lincoln Center, it has been 54 years since this musical was on Broadway. Although it is one of the most requested musicals from the R&H catalogue….for regional or touring productions…it has taken over half a century for it to return to Broadway where it last played from 1949 to 1954.

• Director Joe Montello takes the reins of the Roundabout Theater Company’s revival of Pal Joey, which opens at Studio 54 on November 21.

• Big changes recently at Canada’s Stratford Festival….originally hailed as a team to be reckoned with…the triumvirate artistic directors of Des McAnuff, Don Shipley and Marti Maraden is now whittled down to one….Des McAnuff stays on as the other two have left to pursue other opportunities.

• The hottest play on the boards at the moment is Kneehigh Theatre’s production of Brief Encounter, which is based on Noel Coward’s 1945 film. Already they have extended the production to September 21…where they will be looking at recasting should it continue to burn up the box office.

• Another hot ticket in London is playwright Yasmina Reza’s God of Carnage starring Ralph Finnes, Tamsen Greig, Janet McTeer and Ken Stott currently at the Gielgud Theatre until June 14.

• Liv Ullmann has signed on to direct Cate Blanchett in the Sydney Theatre Company’s 2009 production of A Streetcar Named Desire.

• Mel Brooks is taking his Broadway smash The Producers to Austria. Set to open on June 30 at Vienna’s historic Etablissement Ronacher, this premiere will be in German.