Julie Taymor's Spider-Man Hangs In The Balance The producers of the long-anticipated musical are to meet with director Taymor and other creative team members to discuss the show's now-considerable cash flow, logistical and scheduling problems. New York Times 11/05/09

email this story | Posted 11/05/09@10:04PM

Cirque Du Soleil Creating Elvis Presley Tribute "Today, the Montreal-based Cirque said the show will be titled 'Viva ELVIS' and that it will premiere in December at its permanent home" in Las Vegas. "Choreographer Vincent Paterson … describes the production as 'an abstract biography of Elvis Presley' that will incorporate some 'acting moments' spoken in English." Los Angeles Times 11/05/09 (includes video preview)

email this story | Posted 11/05/09@09:58PM

The Welsh Love Theatre -- Just Not The Professional Kind For National Theatre of Wales artistic director John McGrath, the challenge "is to build an audience for the NTW in a country that has a long tradition of amateur performance, but one of the lowest attendance rates at professional theatre in the UK. McGrath thinks the answer is to make theatre in, and with, those communities. " The Guardian (UK) 11/05/09

email this story | Posted 11/05/09@06:49AM

Did A New York Times Ad Deal Doom Neil Simon Plays? "The Times offered the producers of 'Brighton Beach' several weeks worth of splashy ads in the paper and on its Web site at steep discounts, production sources say." But there was a catch. "'Brighton Beach' couldn't advertise anywhere else until after opening night." New York Post 11/04/09

email this story | Posted 11/05/09@06:12AM

West End Adaptation Of Shawshank Redemption To Close Three Months Early "The show premiered in the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin earlier this year before opening in London on September 4. It was due to close on February 14, however will now end its run on November 29. It will embark on an UK tour next year, which will culminate in Dublin." The Stage (UK) 11/04/09

email this story | Posted 11/04/09@10:14PM

Why Its New Theatrical Behemoth Is A Boon For Britain "It's hard to see the acquisition of Live Nation's theatres by the Ambassador Theatre Group as anything other than good news," despite concerns that ATG is now too powerful. The group's "record suggests that [it is] not likely to achieve success by dumbing down." The Times (UK) 11/04/09

email this story | Posted 11/04/09@06:57AM

Northern Calif.'s Willows Theatre Company To Shutter "In September, the board of the 34-year-old company said that as a result of lackluster ticket sales and outstanding debt, they needed to raise $350,000 by Nov. 1 or the Willows would close." Emergency fund-raisers weren't enough to save it. Contra Costa Times (Calif.) 11/03/09

email this story | Posted 11/04/09@06:37AM

Transsexual Jesus Play Draws 300 Protesters In Glasgow Glasgay! arts festival organizers said "Jesus Queen of Heaven," written and performed by transsexual playwright Jo Clifford, "had not intended to incite or offend anyone. The Christian protesters gathered outside the theatre ahead of the opening night of the production on Tuesday." BBC 11/04/09

email this story | Posted 11/04/09@06:32AM

With £90M Acquisition, UK Theatre Has A New Titan "Yesterday Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire ... celebrated the £90 million acquisition that makes their company the largest British theatre operator since the variety era, dwarfing Lord Lloyd-Webber and Sir Cameron Mackintosh's rival empires." Their takeover of Live Nation's theatres "could have distinct consequences for theatregoers, particularly in the regions." The Times (UK) 11/04/09

email this story | Posted 11/04/09@05:16AM

Oregon Shakespeare Festival Survives Budget Crisis, Sets Box Office Records Just a year ago, the OSF revealed a $750,000 deficit for 2008 and made $1 million in emergency cuts to its 2009 budget. Now the company has announced that its 2009 season reached new highs in both attendance and revenue. The Oregonian (Portland) 11/02/09

email this story | Posted 11/03/09@10:19PM

British Equity Loses Bid For Pay Hike "Equity has failed to secure a 14.3% minimum pay increase across the board for actors and stage managers working outside the West End, after it was forced to accept an interim hike of 0.5% - £1.75 per week - for members employed in subsidised repertory theatre." The Stage (UK) 11/03/09

email this story | Posted 11/03/09@10:09PM

Classical Theatre of Harlem Founders Are Stepping Down "Classical Theatre of Harlem founders Alfred Preisser and Christopher McElroen have announced that they will depart the 11-year-old institution later this month." Playbill 11/02/09

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Pocono Playhouse Owner Boosted Insurance Before Fire "Ralph Miller says he had his Pocono Playhouse reappraised and its insurance bumped up to $1.25 million for refinancing purposes about six months before fire destroyed the theater. ... Fires deemed to be arson destroyed Miller's Woodstock Playhouse in New York state in 1988 and the Falmouth Playhouse in Cape Cod, Mass., in 1994." Pocono Record (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 11/03/09

email this story | Posted 11/03/09@07:27AM

Puppeteer Ronnie Burkett Wins $75K Siminovitch Prize "With the prize allocated for a designer this year - it also rewards playwrights and directors on a three-year cycle - Burkett won for crafting marionettes. ... In addition to $75,000 for the winning artist, the prize comes with $25,000 for a protégé of their choice." The Globe and Mail (Canada) 11/02/09

email this story | Posted 11/02/09@07:36PM

In Defense Of The Prompter -- And The Prompted "Matthew Broderick has taken heat for needing prompts in previews of a new off-Broadway play, and an actor was fired in Hartford for storing lines in his character's hat." In light of tradition, it's much ado about nothing. Boston Globe 11/02/09

email this story | Posted 11/02/09@06:28PM

Broadway Healthy Despite High-Profile Flop This is one of Broadway's busiest falls in years. And the box office so far - even in a recession - has been mostly good... Yahoo! (AP) 11/02/09

email this story | Posted 11/02/09@07:32AM

Why Neil Simon's Hit Play Flopped On Broadway What went wrong with "Brighton Beach Memoirs" is a case study in success and failure on Broadway today. There were no big stars like Jude Law in the current commercial hit "Hamlet," there was no marketing campaign that framed the Simon play as a can't-miss theatrical event, and there was no wow factor that brought the period piece to life, like the breakneck pacing of the popular farce "Boeing-Boeing" last year. But the failure also reflects America's evolving sense of humor and taste. The New York Times 11/01/09

email this story | Posted 11/02/09@12:43AM

The Impressario Gene Impresarios are businessmen by definition, but they also possess the starry-eyed ability to stare stone-cold fatal logic in the face and say, "We can make that work." St. Paul Pioneer-Press 10/30/09

email this story | Posted 11/02/09@12:40AM

Brighton Beach Memoirs Closes On Broadway After Only One Week "The Depression-era comedy-drama, loosely based on the early life of playwright Neil Simon, has struggled with low sales since it began perfs Oct. 2." Variety 10/30/09

email this story | Posted 11/01/09@08:24AM

Loving The Variation In Live Theatre "Great performances rarely disappear. The technical elements of a show don't vary much (disasters notwithstanding). Poor casting choices -- and I could list several on the boards currently in Chicago -- remain poor casting choices. But the longer I do this job, the more I realize the importance of these nightly variances." Chicago Tribune 10/30/09

email this story | Posted 10/30/09@08:16AM

Recession Consequence - A New Improved Broadway? "Around 65% of the tickets for Broadway shows are bought by tourists from outside New York's metropolitan area. A reliable choice for a family on the town has long been a splashy musical with some hearty laughs. But the recession is bringing about changes, some of which may be for the better." The Economist 10/30/09

email this story | Posted 10/30/09@08:04AM

UN Official's Play About Gaza War Draws Brickbats In Israel The spokesperson for the UN Relief and Works Agency is performing "a remarkable 20-minute, one-man play intended for Israeli audiences but so far unwelcome in Israeli theatres. It tells the story of the main UN warehouse in Gaza, a storage point for food and aid for a million Palestinians, and how it was hit repeatedly by Israeli artillery shells." The Guardian (UK) 10/29/09

email this story | Posted 10/29/09@10:16PM