In honor of the Olympic games, this week’s theater news wrap-up will be extra speedy (with, I hope, bonus points for style). On your mark, get set, GO…

Marcus Stevens, Natalie Charlé Ellis, Jenny Lee Stern and (kneeling) Scott Richard Foster in "Forbidden Broadway: Alive and Kicking". Photo by Carol Rosegg.

• Something wicked (and wickedly awesome) this way comes as the ever-popular, star-skewering Forbidden Broadway makes a triumphant return this week. The limited run officially opens in September and promises all-new parodies of Porgy and Bess, Once, The Book of Mormon and Spider-Man. And if I were Ricky Martin, I’d be preparing myself for some ribbing about left arm acting.

• The New York Post is reporting that Cheyenne Jackson will be playing an adult film star opposite Henry Winkler (the Fonz!) in The Performers on Broadway this fall. That’s some casting I can get behind.

• The hit Off-Broadway revival of Closer Than Ever is getting two new leading ladies for its extension, Jacquelyn Piro Donovan (Miss Siagon) and, one of our faves, Julia Murney (Wicked). I’m checking it out this weekend so watch for a review later this week.

• Another Off-Broadway hit is proving pundits wrong and settling in for a longer run. The acclaimed drama Tribes announced an extension through January 6, 2013.

• For you cast recording collectors out there, big news as four unexpected CDs are dropping (ooh, that’s some music biz slang). Ghostlight Records preserves the original cast of Michael John LaChiusa’s latest Queen of the Mist and upstart Broadway Records is offering completists downloads or CDs of Bonnie & Clyde, Lysistrata Jones and Nick Jonas: Songs from How to Succeed…

• And finally, two dates to add to your calendar: the always-popular free concert Broadway on Broadway is scheduled for 11:30am on September 9th and the Broadway transfer of the London smash Matilda: The Musical is scheduled to begin previews March 4, 2013 at the Shubert Theatre.

Nick Jonas & Rob Bartlett in "How to Succeed...". Photo by Joan Marcus.

What’s that smell in the Broadway air? Dance belt and shattered dreams? Well, yes. But I’m talking about the delightfully floral scent of a theater news potpourri..

• Michael Riedel at the New York Post broke the news this week that Tom Hanks (Bosom Buddies) will make his Broadway debut in a new play by Nora Ephron. He’ll play famed tabloid columnist Mike McAlary in Lucky Guy, January 2013. Sleepless in the Newsroom?

• Movie stars are coming up like weeds, it would seem, because Hanks isn’t the only film favorite coming to the Great White Way—although he is a bit more alive than the other arrival. The New York Times reports that a bio-musical about Chaplin (as in Charlie Chaplin) will begin previews August 10.

• Lay wreathes at two more Broadway theaters this week as the season ending culling continues. The new musical Leap of Faith, with only a single Tony nomination and disappointing sales, will shutter this Sunday, and the teen friendly reboot of How to Succeed… (currently starring Nick Jonas) will cash it’s last (investment recouped) check on May 20 after 473 regular performances. Expect the death toll to increase in the coming weeks.

• 

  Reeve Carney & Rebecca Faulkenberry in "Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark". Photo by Jacob Cohl.

  Turning the proverbial lemons into lemonade (Is there a lemon flower? Have I lost the thread of my organizing theme already?), the producers of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark have cheekily and quite delightfully decided to acknowledge their underrepresentation at the Tony Nominations by celebrating “Tonys”. People named “Tony” or variations thereof will be eligible for free tickets to see the musical at the matinee on Tony Sunday. The rules and regulations are here; there may still be time for a legal name change should you so desire.

• Feeling like a bud vase of theater instead of a whole bouquet? Scrappy Milk Can Theatre Company is offering an evening of seven ten minute plays, The Snap Shot Plays, this weekend at Shetler Studios. The twist: each play was inspired by a local photographer’s work. Sounds interesting and worth a peak.

• Isn’t one supposed to throw roses at a diva? Well, get your dozen ready to toss at your TV because Christine (and her beloved Phantom) are making their way to PBS. A filmed performance of the much-discussed sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies, will be presented in June. As they say, check your local listings.

• In the world of grand laurels, I have once again received the honor of being a guest on the radio show This Show is So Gay to discuss all things Broadway. As usual, I embarrass myself at least twice. How I suffer for my art.

"Death Takes a Holiday". Photo by Joan Marcus.

It’s so hot out there, I thought it might be time for a super cool round-up of theater news.

• The new Maury Yeston-Peter Stone-Thomas Meehan musical Death Takes a Holiday opened last night with one major thing missing: Death himself. According to playbill.com, the titular leading man Julian Ovenden had to bow out of the performance due to laryngitis. It seems he took the title a little too much to heart…damn method actors. All ironies aside, we wish him a speedy recovery; it must be heartbreaking to miss out on your big moment.

• 

  Andrew Rannells. Photo by Joan Marcus.

  In a rare crossover between the music theater and comic book geek worlds (other than that Spider-Man show), the producers of The Book of Mormon are offering the chance to win free tickets to the show to fans visiting the South Park Experience at San Diego’s Comic Con today and tomorrow. Stop by and try your luck (and while you’re at it, enjoy a South Park-themed sno-cone named by yours truly…Papa’s got to pay the bills and he does it by working as a writer at Comedy Central).

• Hold onto your hats (which I hope are lovely, wide-brimmed sunhats); this week was stuffed with big Broadway casting announcements. Hollywood website Deadline.com scooped word that Glee‘s Darren Criss is in final talks to take over for Daniel Radcliffe when he exits How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying in January. I guess the folks at the Al Hirschfeld Theater won’t have to remove the swooning couches after all.

• For us actress lovers, the news got even more interesting. Look for Tony-winner Cynthia Nixon to go for a repeat in the Broadway premiere of Wit. I loved Emma Thompson in the filmed version but this casting is also prickly perfection.

• The line-up has fallen into place, as well, for Other Desert Cities to make its move to the Great White Way after a successful Lincoln Center run earlier this year. Entertainment Weekly reports that talented Aussie Rachel Griffiths (Brothers and Sisters) will make her Broadway debut in the role Elizabeth Marvel played and Judith Light (sure Who’s the Boss, but also a Tony-nominee this year for Lombardi) will take over for Linda Lavin. And ready for the spooky factoid to tie it all together: Judith Light starred in the Off-Broadway and touring productions of Wit. Ooh. Ahh.

• Finally, I know for a theater blog we’ve done marriage equality news out the ying yang but I’ve got two more quick bites as we prepare for the big wedding weekend. As our sistah blog Global Cocktails reported, gay puppets Rod and Ricky from Avenue Q will be among the couples tying the knot at City Hall. (They’re here. They’re felt. Get used to it.) In addition, one of our favorite stage divas (and twitterers) Audra McDonald announced via tweet the following, “Gonna sing at the celebration of the first gay marriage officiated by Mayor Bloomberg this weekend. So honored and excited!” And, get ready for some goosebumps, Audra McDonald was also in the movie of Wit. Dang, I’m good.

Some news briefs from the week in theater; click the links for more info:

• The Wednesday night performance of How to Succeed was cancelled following the death of a crew member just before curtain. The cause of death is officially still under investigation. Our thoughts go out to the family of the stagehand and to the entire staff and cast of the show as they face the difficult task of moving forward without one of their own.

• 

  Mauricio Perez.

  A number of shows announced big moves this week: LCT3′s well-reviewed 4000 Miles is getting an Off-Broadway run, the next Frank Wildhorn musical Bonnie & Clyde heads for Broadway this fall and, according to Playbill, the Transport Group hit Lysistrata Jones is rumored to be on the same road to the Great White Way.

• Broadway Bares XXI: Masterpiece broke its fundraising record with a $1.1 million dollar take. Boy Culture has a NSFW review of the festivities with lots of pics and videos.

• The amazing Angela Bassett is coming to Broadway opposite Samuel L. Jackson in a play about Martin Luther King, Jr.

• And, to end on a light note, we have a new theatrical crush: Mauricio Perez. As the lovestruck assistant “Paco” opposite a sweetly game Joyce DeWitt in Miss Abigail’s Guide to Dating, Mating & Marriage, Mauricio handles groan-worthy one-liners, drunk audience members and a pair of tight track shorts with charmingly sexy ease. Somebody (or some big show) snap this boy up!

Jenny Powers and Matt Cavenaugh. Photo by Mariana Blanco.

• Have you ever met a couple that you kind of want to date, together? No, I don’t mean in a 1970′s key party way; I mean in a “I’d like to share breakfast over the Times and go for a walk hand in hand with them” kind of way. Well, it’s hard not to feel smitten with Broadway’s favorite young marrieds Jenny Powers (Happiness, Dangerous Beauty) and Matt Cavenaugh (West Side Story, the upcoming Death Takes a Holiday). They’re both charming, talented, attractive (I think we all recall Matt’s publicity stills for Urban Cowboy but I’m not linking; you’ve got to work for some things), and now they’ve released an album together. Available for sale on iTunes, Amazon and CDBaby, “Gonna Make You Love Me” features an eclectic mix of pop songs and standards, all charting a couple’s journey toward love. So maybe if you play the album, tucked into bed with the Style section and a glass of OJ, you can pretend they’re singing it just for you.
• In other music news, Playbill.com is reporting that Broadway Blog favorite Kate Baldwin recorded her recent Feinstein’s tribute to Sheldon Harnick, She Loves Him. Featuring duets with Harnick himself, the live album will be released early this summer. So congratulations to Kate on delivering another bundle of joy (following the birth of her first child last month!)
• I’m also going on record today (ok, that’s a thematic stretch…deal with it) with a few long shots and prayers for tomorrow’s Tony Award nominations. Please, nominating committee, don’t forget about: the sweeping romanticism and delicate magic of Brief Encounter; the loopy wonder of Tammy Blanchard in How to Succeed; the show-stopping supporting work of The Book of Mormon‘s Rory O’Malley; and the wrenching yet centering performance by John Benjamin Hickey in the current revival of The Normal Heart.

Photo by Joan Marcus.

The 2010-2011 awards season is beginning to take shape with the announcement of the Outer Critics Circle Award nominations today. On the musical side, the biggest news is the field-best tally of nine nominations for Sister Act (beating out the six nominations for perceived steamroller The Book of Mormon), as well as a surprisingly strong showing for the much maligned Women on the Verge of Nervous Breakdown (Laura Benanti’s performance was a true wonder so I’m glad she’s still in the mix.) On the play side, the best actor category is a blockbuster with four performances, Al Pacino (The Merchant of Venice), Mark Rylance (Jerusalem), Joe Mantello (The Normal Heart) and Bobby Cannavale (The Mother… With the Hat), that would all seem to be clear winners in other years. On the other end of the spectrum, the acclaimed revival of Arcadia was completely snubbed, receiving no nominations.

One note: The Outer Critics mix Broadway and Off-Broadway so the list can be a bit skewed. Shows like Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson weren’t eligible here because of prior Off-Broadway runs, but they will be eligible for Tonys. However, one can’t help but notice that this season is stuffed with quality shows in categories that are often sparse; this could be an unusually exciting race.

Born Yesterday's Nina Arianda. Photo by Carol Rosegg.

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Nina Arianda. She made her Broadway debut last night in the revival of the classic Garson Kanin comedy Born Yesterday and, cue the trumpets and flashbulbs, a star is born. (Why does writing about theater make me sound like I’m wearing a fedora and smoking a cigar?)

Fresh from NYU, Arianda won raves last year for her role in the Off-Broadway play Venus in Fur, but this performance should kick her into the stratosphere. As the smarter-than-she knows gangster moll with a yen for gin (bottled and shuffled), Arianda is brash and funny yet also surprisingly touching, all while following in the incredibly daunting footsteps of the role’s originator, the Tony and Oscar-winning Judy Holliday. Ably supported by Robert Sean Leonard as the man charged with classing her up for the D.C. political scene, she is wonderfully present and alive in what could be just an extended dumb blonde joke. Whether off-handedly discovering her lingerie has a train (like a puppy startled by her shadow) or welling up at the thought of her hard-working father, she creates magic within this solidly entertaining though certainly old-fashioned play.

While we’re on the topic of great dames:

Read more…

April’s review round-up continues with two Broadway shows that shine a light on the relationship between stars and their fans.

Photo by Ari Mintz.

HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING

Danielle Radcliffe aka Harry Potter hits the Great White Way as a singing/dancing corporate climber in this 50^th Anniversary musical revival directed by Rob Ashford.

“That makes Mr. Radcliffe the only reason to see the show, and contrary to what the title suggests, this young actor really, really tries.” New York Times

“Welcome to the wonderful world of musicals, Daniel. We hope you’ll stick with it.” New York Post

“… a fairly exhilarating demonstration of how a well-run musical, like a well-run company, adapts itself to the peculiar talents of its personnel…” New York Magazine

“…director-choreographer Rob Ashford and lead producers Broadway Across America and Craig Zadan/Neil Meron take a clear step forward with this bright and irresistible revival…” Variety

Mizer’s Two Cents:  If you like your musicals straight up, no twist, then you’ll enjoy this brisk and freshly scrubbed production of what can be an unexpectedly biting corporate satire. (Did 1960′s theater party ladies get their panties in a twist over a hero that is rewarded for lying and cheating?) I was drawn to the more dangerous aspects flirting around the edges of the production. Utility performer and soap star Michael Park is wonderfully two-faced in the supporting role of Bert Bratt. And what can I say about Tammy Blanchard as bombshell Hedy La Rue? With an open-mouthed, sideways grin and a teetering stance, she gives a fearlessly funny performance that suggests a woman who has the brain power to handle only one thing at a time: walking, talking or thinking. Sly and willing to sacrifice the hard sell on a joke for the sake of committing to her character, Blanchard is endearingly, gloriously odd in a Broadway world that often prizes the safe choice. As for Radcliffe, we’ll get to that after…

Read more…

Photo by Ari Mintz

The always-charming Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter and Fill in the Blank) brought some movie star magic to Broadway last night for the official opening of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. I’ll be catching the show soon—I can’t wait to see the wonderous Tammy Blanchard (Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows)—and will be sure to give a full round-up in next week’s “To See or Not to See” column.

Until then, the return of this 50 year old musical got me thinking about the business of revivals and which show should be given another chance at the spotlight. For years, I always said Little Shop of Horrors, one of the two or three scores that made me want to be a writer, but its big revival finally arrived in 2003—along with some complaints that it just didn’t belong in a large theater. Recapturing the magic of a classic piece can be a dangerous business.

So, let’s play a little Revival Roulette; which musical or play do you think has what it takes to make a winning return to Broadway? My vote is City of Angels: witty score by Cy Coleman and David Zippel, hilarious book by comic genius Larry Gelbart and a clever conceit–just think what they could do with projections to make the film noir sequences come to life.