Week In Review: Broadway Business

Hello Everyone! As the 2010-2011 theatre season comes to an end here, Broadway is gearing up for yet another crazy year and season as 2011-2012 approaches! However, we here at Luner on Theatre are preparing for another new year and season of Broadway theatre as well. So sit back and relax as Luner on Theatre brings you some final Broadway Business as we wrap up the 2010-2011 season and look ahead to the new one before us.

From productions closing to new shows aiming for Broadway, the annual business of Broadways end of season cleaning is most definitely taking place. But lets get into the details of what exactly is going to be happening within these next few weeks.

Catch Me If You Can Set to Close September 4th, 2011

Things at The Neil Simon Theatre will soon no longer be live in living color as it has been announced the Broadway production of Catch Me If You Can will shutter as summer ends on Broadway. The production which opened in earlier this spring on Broadway will have played 32 previews and 170 performances when the production closes. The production stars big names such as Aaron Tveit, Norbert Leo Butz (Who received a Tony Award for his Role), Kerry Butler and Tom Wopat. Catch Me If You Can began in Seattle during the Summer of 2010 only to transfer to Broadway later. It was brought to you by the same team that brought you Hairspray, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman and followed the true life story of Frank Abagnale Jr. If you’d like to check out more information on Catch Me If You Can, click here! And if you’d like to see my review of Catch Me If You Can, click here!

Ghost The Musical Plans to Officially Spook Broadway in 2012

Ghost The Musical, a musical based off of the movie of the same title from 1990 that has received much praise from its current West End run, has officially announced it will be making its way to Broadway come early 2012. The production will be placed in a Nederlander Theatre to be announced soon. Ghost The Musical was adapted by Bruce Joel Rubin with direction from the Tony Award Winning director Matthew Warchus. The production also features music and lyrics by Dave Stewart (of the Eurythmics) and Glen Ballard. Rubin also helped with lyrics. Luner on Theatre will keep you up to date on all the Broadway news concerning Ghost The Musical and its transfer across the pond.

Broadway League Delays Broadway on Broadway to Remember 9/11

The Broadway League has announced that it will delay the annual Broadway on Broadway celebration that takes place annually in Times Square to honor those on September 11th as the 10th anniversary comes this september. The annual celebration which generally takes place the first weekend in September will be moved to another weekend. Organizers have also announced that this years celebration will be extra special to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the concert.

Lyricist Jerry Leiber Passes Away at Age 78 of Heart Failure

Jerry Leiber, of the famous song writing team Leiber and Stoller, has passed away at the age of 78 . Leiber was famous for many of his well known songs with Mike Stoller such as  ”Loving You”, “Jailhouse Rock”, “Standby Me” and “On Broadway” and many many others. The team was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1985 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. All of their songs were placed into a Broadway show still performed today known as Smokey Joes Cafe.

 

And as for now, that is all we really have! Luner on Theatre is going to be bringing you “Previews” again for all the new upcoming shows for the 2011-2012 season! That way you will be able to learn some more about the new shows coming to the Great White Way! Keep an eye out for that and more here on Luner on Theatre!

Week in Review: Broadway Buzz

Hello Everyone! We’d like to take a quick moment to apologize for the lack of Blog Posts this week on Luner on Theatre! We were having an issue with Blog Posts and the internet set up allowing us to publish them! But WE’RE BACK!

Hello Everyone! We know we have not done one of these in a while but sadly there has been barely any news to do one on hence the lack of these articles. However, we wanted to give you a current update as to what Broadway is up to right now and planning to be up to within in the next months. So here we go with another Luner on Theatre Week in Review article as we give you the current Broadway Buzz

Ranging from casting replacements to looking at potential productions for a new season, Broadway is starting to kick back up business wise with the summer end nearing and a new season of plays and musicals preparing to take the great white way.

Darren Criss Set to Replace Daniel Radcliffe in How to Succeed

The Brotherhood of Man will continue on strong on Broadway in the new year as Glee star Darren Criss is now set to take over for Daniel Radcliffe in the Tony Award Winning production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Radcliffe is set to exit the production January 1st, 2012 and Criss will begin January 3rd for a 3 week period. His stint in the the show will only cause for one absence from the FOX hit TV series Glee which will by then be in the second half of its third season. The news is very exciting as fans have worried who would replace the big name attraction of Radcliffe. And funny as it is, Daniel Radcliffe is most known for his role as Harry Potter in the hit movies. His replacement, Darren Criss, is best known for playing Harry Potter in the smash Youtube hit A Very Potter Musical. However, who will replace Criss upon his exit from the production? Lets see what the sorting hat will decide for How to Succeed next!

Follies Begins Broadway Previews Today At The Marquis Today

The Kennedy Center production of Follies starring Bernadette Peters, Jan Maxwell, Elaine Paige and many others begins its Broadway previews today at the Marquis Theatre in New York City. The production which received praise upon praise after its run in Washington decided to transfer to Broadway for a limited engagement. The production features an enormous cast, budget and orchestra. Luner on Theatre has previously covered news of this Follies transfer. To check that out, you can click here. Luner on Theatre will continue to bring you more news of the Follies return to Broadway as time goes on.

Baby, Its You! Sets Broadway Closing for September 4th, 2011

In news the Broadway the community has been waiting for months now, the producers of Baby, Its You! announced August 3rd the production would close September 4th. However, this news was neither upsetting or surprising to anyone in the Broadway community. Playbill.com Announced the closing only to end the article with “Wait. That show was still running?”. Hands down being one of the worst musicals of the season, Baby, Its You! shutter will not shed tears or any sort of loss for Broadway come September 4th. Thats the business baby!

West End’s Ghost the Musical headed to Broadway?

Producers of the new West End production of Ghost the Musical are eying a Broadway future for their production according to a news source. The production which received decent reviews is looking to somehow transfer to Broadway in April of 2012. The production was reviewed negatively by Ben Brantley but to be honest, what isn’t? Ghost The Musical has new music and lyrics by Dave Stewart, who was half of The Eurythmics and Glen Ballard. Bruce Joel Rubinadapted his original screenplay for the stage. We’ll be sure to keep an eye out for the future life of Ghost the Musical on Broadway!

Glee’s Ryan Murphy Set to Make Normal Heart Film, Declines Annie

The creator of the FOX hit TV series Glee is currently in the works to make a film version of The Normal Heart, Larry Kramer’s Tony Award Winning drama which just most recently ended on Broadway. He released the following statement about working on it: “The Normal Heart’ is the thing that I’m going to do next. I optioned it and there’s a brilliant script that Larry Kramer wrote and I’m going to do that with Mark Ruffalo and maybe [Julia] Roberts. I believe in that play”. Murphy has also announced he will in no way take part in the upcoming Annie remake. While he stated that he loved the idea and the people working on it, he did not have the time to fully commit himself so he let the project go for someone else.

London’s One Man, Two Guvnor’s headed to Broadway?

According to Variety, this new London comedy is eyeing a Broadway future in this upcoming season after its West End engagement runs out. The production is based off of one page from the piece The Servant of Two Masters and is absolutely hilarious according to sources. James Corden stars in the production and his performance has been praised by critics and fans alike. The production will play London later tis year into 2012 at which time it will look for a Broadway future. Luner on Theatre will be sure to keep you up to date on all the potential news of the productions Broadway future!

And thats it folks! A lot of Broadway buzz going on! We’ll be sure to keep you up to date on everything like always! Stay tuned to Luner on Theatre as we continue to cover the final theatre of Summer 2011 and head into a new season of Broadway!

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Week In Review: Broadway Blooms

Hello Everyone! Luner on Theatre is back! And we’re here with our second ever Week in Review article! Bringing you all the best Broadway news from this past week, Luner on Theatre is still bringing you the theatre news you need to know! Broadway may be at a lull during these summer months, but this week Broadway was blooming!

What a week on Broadway it was! From shows opening to shows closing, Broadway this week bloomed in the heat of Summer bringing us new productions, replacements and old time memories. So lets begin!

Hair Returns to Broadway for Limited Engagement

The week started out groovy and hip as Hair returned to Broadway for a limited summer engagement. The production, which is nestled in the St. James Theatre, till early September is merely the National Tour of Hair staying in New York City for some time. Hair fairs flocked to the theatre this week as a show that defined a generation returned to the Great White Way. Hair will Officially Open on Broadway July 13th and play the St. James until September 10th. Luner on Theatre previously covered the news of Hair’s return to Broadway. You can view that article here. Or you can click here to check out the National Tour of Hair’s Website.

Master Class Officially Opens on Broadway! Review Roundup!

Master Class, the story of Maria Callas, who has gone from having it all to loosing it all officially opened this week on Broadway. Starring Tyne Daly and Sierra Boggess, the production is being put together by the Manhattan Theatre Club at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. Here ar just a few quotes from the production to have a taste of what the critics think. Ben Brantley of the New York Times said “Ms. Daly transforms that script into one of the most haunting portraits I’ve seen of life after stardom”. David Rooney from The Hollywood Reporter said “It should be no surprise that someone with six Emmys and a Tony is an accomplished actor, but Tyne Daly is doing something extraordinary in Master Class”. And Mark Kennedy of the Associated Press said “Tony Award-winning Daly puts everything she’s got into portraying Callas in a new revival of Terrence McNally’s play”. So if you are interested in seeing or learnign more about Master Class on Broadway, you can click here for more!

Snap Snap! Brooke Shields Officially Opens in The Adams Family!

Broadway’s The Adams Family got a new face this past week was Brooke Shields took over and officially opened in the role of Morticia. Joining a star studded cast currently featuring Roger Rees as Gomez, The Adams Family is a fun family friendly show  currently on Broadway. The show revolves itself around the lives of the class Adams Family cartoon characters. And while the show may not have the strongest songs or plot in the world, they are good. The aspect of this show that really shines is its technical aspects. The Adams Family is definitely a Broadway production to see! Click here for more information.

Anything Goes and Catch Me If You Can Celebrate the Big 100!

Luner on Theatre would like to wish a giant congratulations to both Catch Me If You Can and Anything Goes who both this week celebrated 100 Performances on Broadway! It still blows my mind that these shows are only getting to 100 performances! However, I have no doubt in my mind both shows will be running for a long time.

The Normal Heart Closes Today on Broadway

Today, the Tony Award winning production of The Normal Heart, which captured the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play, closes on Broadway. The production, which was nominated for multiple Tony Awards became a profound piece of theatre this season in New York and is hands down one of the best theatre pieces of the current season. The play talks about and follows friends who refuse to let politicians, doctors and a city in denial about an epidemic no one will seem to care about. The AIDS epidemic story covered in this piece is not only an emotional journey but one of the greatest works of theatre. If you did not get to witness The Normal Heart in its time on Broadway, you have truly missed a masterpiece.

And thats it! What week for Broadway folks! Who only knows what this week will hold in store! Stayed tuned to Luner on Theatre for an exciting week as we bring you more news from Upper Darby Summer Stage and other theatres around the country doing summer time shows! And dont forget to click here and Vote for Luner on Theatre as Phillys Best Local Blogger! Thats its everyone! See you tomorrow for another week of Summer 2011 Theatre!

Week in Review: Casting, Casting, Casting

Hello Everyone! Welcome to Luner on Theatre’s very first Week in Review post! We’re going to do this from now on every week till the end of the summer! We’ll be putting some stories you wanna make sure to check out in here! Bigger stories we really wanna feature will still have their own articles. What went on this week on Broadway?

Not too much actually! A very quiet week for Broadway however there were some major casting announcements which is why we are bringing you this article like we promised!

Porgy and Bess is Coming to Broadway! Official Cast Announced!

It was already announced earlier this year that The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess would be coming to Broadway. However, this week the excitement towards that production got a little boost after the cast was finally announced! And boy does it have names!

Leading it all will be Broadway legend  Audra McDonald in the role of Bess opposite other Broadway legend Norm Lewis in the role of Porgy. Wow! What two great names to have attached to the production! Supporting roles also include David Alan Grier, Joshua Henry, Phillip Boykin, Nikki Renee Daniels, Bryonha Marie Parham, NaTasha Yvette Williams, Cedric Neal, J.D. Webster, Heather Hill, Phumzile Sojola and Nathaniel Stampley. The ensemble also includes Allison Blackwell, Roosevelt Andre Credit, Trevon Davis, Joseph Dellger, Wilkie Ferguson, Alicia Hall Moran, Andrea Jones-Sojola, Lisa Nicole Wilkerson and Joseph Dellger. Click here to view more of this story!

Follies Return to New York City! Leads Set to Transfer!

As previous announced by Luner on Theatre, the recent production of Follies at the Kennedy Center is set to transfer to Broadway later this summer for a limited engagement. However, what had been up in the air for quite some time was “Was the all star cast leading the production going to transfer with it?”. This week, Broadway learned that Bernadette Peters, Jan Maxwell, Danny Burstein and Ron Raines who all took part in the Washington D.C. engagement of the production will transfer with Follies to New York City. More casting details will be announced soon. Click here to check out more about this story!

Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo Ends Limited Engagement Today!

July 3rd marks closing day for Bengal Tiger At The Baghdad Zoo which has played a 16 Week limited engagement on Broadway at The Richard Rogers Theatre. The production, which was nominated for 3 Tony Awards and 2 Drama Desk Awards, will end on Broadway and travel across the pond to Europe where productions are currently planned in Germany, Italy and France. The production stars Robin Williams  and by the time in closes will have played 23 previews and 109 performances. Click here to read more about this story!

And thats about it for this week folks! More of a quiet week for Broadway was we previously announced! Anyways, we hope you enjoyed this article and be sure to check back today for another one coming soon! Also, don’t forget to CLICK HERE and Vote for Luner on Theatre as the Best Local Blogger for Philly’s 2011 HOT LIST! This is a contest we’d love to make it into the Top 5 for! Help Us do that! And stay tuned to Luner on Theatre for more Summer Theatre news this week as we bring you rehearsal shots, upcoming productions and MORE!