Issue #216: September 1, 2008

• Crooner Harry Connick Jr. makes a return visit to Broadway in March when he stars in Nice Work if You Can Get It.

• Also returning to Broadway next spring are Jeremy Irons and Joan Allen in the new drama Impressionism.

• It looks like the recent release of the movie Mamma Mia! has breathed new life into the stage musical. Box office tallies enjoyed a nice bump following the premiere. Similar reaction happened when the movies Hairspray and Rent hit the big screen.

• Elizabeth Moss (Mad Men) joins the cast of the revival Speed-the-Plow opening on October 26.

• Susan Stroman returns to NY to direct the Lincoln Center Theater production of Happiness scheduled to open in the spring.

• Jane Kaczmarek hits the Mark Taper stage in Los Angeles on September 14 in The House of Blue Leaves.

• Two major heavyweights join forces in the spring at Theatre Royal, Haymarket. Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen will take the stage in a revival of Beckett’s Waiting for Godot.

• Toronto opened its arms to the arrival of the 2006 Tony Award winner Jersey Boys on August 24. The performance was flawless and the audience electric with the launch of what could be a long run for this blockbuster. There to help usher in this mega-hit was the creative team including Toronto natives Des McAnuff (director) and Sergio Trujillo (choreographer) along with book writers Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. And to join them on stage during the curtain call was original Four Season Bob Gaudio. If the buzz during the evening is any indication this show should run for years!