The AndyGram

Jan Maxwell, Kelli Barrett and Rosemary Harris in The Royal Family Photo: Joan Marcus

The Manhattan Theatre Club’s lavish new revival of The Royal Family, the 1927 Edna Ferber  and George S. Kaufman  comedy snaps, crackles and pops under the sharp direction of Dough Hughes (Doubt).   The old chestnut, loosely based on the Barrymore clan runs a weighty three hours with two intermissions.  For all that, it never bogs down or stops vibrating thanks to a fine cast led by theatre grand dame Rosemary Harris and future theatre royalty Jan Maxwell. 

Carrie Fisher in Wishful Drinking Photo: Joan Marcus

Considering that Carrie Fisher has been performing her one-woman show Wishful Drinking since 2006 it is as fresh as the cinnamon buns on her head were in 1977. The show is a two hour skip along the surface of Fisher’s roller-coaster life as the off-spring of Hollywood darlings Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. “Blue-blood white trash” as she calls them.

Fisher has particular fun with the audience drawing them into her story and even onto the stage to don the cinnamon bun wig she wore as Princess Leia. She opens the show singing “Happy Days are Here Again” as she tosses confetti about like Rip Taylor (to whom she does give credit, sort of).

In a particularly funny segment “Hollywood Inbreeding 101” Fisher provides a tutorial to her sordid “family” tree. It comes complete with visual aids in the form of a board with headshots of the players starting at the top with Eddie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Todd. After Taylor’s husband Todd dies, Fisher left Reynolds for Taylor. This culminates in the ultimate question of whether Fisher’s daughter dating Elizabeth Taylor’s grandson is incest.

Fisher doesn’t shy away from her two marriages to singer Paul Simon and Hollywood super agent Bryan Lourde. Lourde left her for another man. “Turning men gay is a super power of mine” she exclaims proudly. While she doesn’t shy away from these painful memories neither does she give you anything but a comedic take on each of them; right down to the death of a dear gay Republican friend in her own bed.

Carrie Fisher and Jeff Styles in Wishful Drinking

The evening I saw the show my date for the evening was my friend Jeff. Jeff happened to be the person that Fisher chose to come onstage to attempt sex with a life-size Princess Leia sex toy after Fisher gives up because her alter-ego “is heterosexual.” Fisher makes her stage guest wear a Princess Leia wig of his own. The curtain goes down on the first act with my friend Jeff being dry-humped on the sofa center stage by Carrie Fisher, both of them wearing large cinnamon buns on their head. A photo they took together also makes an appearance on the back screen of the set during the closing of the show and is shown at the right.

Fisher’s cathartic telling of her life’s story (even if it is just from a cursory glance) runs two hours with an intermission. It’s jam packed full of self-deprecating zingers but devoid of any real depth. We are given an opportunity to see what it might be like to be Fisher’s best friend. But the sort of best friend who hides the pain behind humor.

Tony Taccone has done a terrific job in directing Ms. Fisher. The scenic design by Alexander V. Nichols is cute and not overwrought. Up center is a divided screen upon which photos of Fisher’s life are shown larger than life. Considering the lack of depth into her self-examination, this piece could have been trimmed by 15 minutes and done without an intermission at a neat 90 minutes. But I can’t complain, and you won’t either, you will laugh.

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Read complete production credits at the Internet Broadway Database

Review Roundup:

Michael Kuchwara for Associated Press - "Fisher is a raconteur in the best sense of the word. She knows how to tell a story. And "Wishful Drinking," her hilariously perceptive journey through a world of celebrity and self-destruction, is chock-full of funny, fascinating tales."

David Rooney for Variety - “Nobody needs another poor-little-me solo piece about overcoming personal demons, even from a writer-performer as witty as Fisher. But from its title to its first spoken line, ‘Hi, I'm Carrie Fisher, and I'm an alcoholic,’ the show suggests a cathartic cleansing in the manner of Elaine Stritch at Liberty.

Ben Brantley for The New York Times – “After the show, you’ll probably start to think that Ms. Fisher didn’t really tell you everything. But as long as you’re watching her, you experience the illusion of extremely funny, subliminally sad full-frontal confession.”

John Simon for Bloomburg.com – “There are two antithetical ways of viewing Carrie Fisher’s autobiographical monodrama, or monocomedy, Wishful Drinking on Broadway. It is like a head charming in profile, but seen full face rather plain and even slightly vulgar.”

Jude Law in Hamlet Photo: Johan Persson

It’s hard to imagine Jude Law more exquisite in the role of Hamlet.  Conversely, it’s hard to imagine him being paired with a more sedentary and unmoving cast.  Law combines a physicality and a vocal quality and range that is unmatched by the rest of the cast.  Most actors use of such broad physicality would be accused in actors’ parlance of “telegraphing,” but not Law.  He makes use of broad physical comedy and sarcasm as he teases out the truth behind his father’s murder and sets about avenging it.  Law’s Hamlet is pissed, really pissed.  Who could blame him if he leans a wee bit on the side of melodrama.

ROUNDABOUT THEATRE COMPANY
WISHFUL DRINKING

Creator & Star 
Carrie Fisher
will be featured on

NBC’s “Today Show”

Tuesday, October 13th between 10:00-11:00AM  
on Channel 4

“Extremely funny full-frontal confession. Carrie Fisher makes you feel like you’ve arrived for a slumber party to swap confidences. You’re going to like it. A Lot.”  -Ben Brantley, The New York Times

"Winning and Hilarious! Carrie Fisher is witty, likable, acerbic, clever and wryly forthcoming about the warped reality of life in the celebrity bubble.” -David Rooney, Variety

Carrie Fisher, star of Roundabout Theatre Company’s Wishful Drinking, will be live in studio, Tuesday, October 13th on NBC’s “Today Show” between 10:00-11:00AM on channel 4.

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director), in association with Jonathan Reinis, Jamie Cesa, Eva Price & Berkeley Repertory Theatre, is proud to present the Broadway premiere production of Wishful Drinking, created and performed by Carrie Fisher and directed by Tony Taccone at Studio 54 on Broadway (254 West 54th St).  

Wishful Drinking opened officially on Sunday, October 4th, 2009. This is a limited engagement through January 3rd, 2010.

In Wishful Drinking, Carrie Fisher recounts the true and intoxicating tale of her life as a Hollywood legend, told with the same wry wit she poured into bestsellers like Postcards from the Edge. The daughter of Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, Carrie Fisher became a cultural icon when she starred as “Princess Leia” in the first Star Wars trilogy at 19 years old. Forever changed, Carrie’s life did not stay picture perfect.  Fisher is the life of the party in this uproarious and sobering look at her Hollywood hangover.

TICKET INFORMATION:
Tickets are available by calling Roundabout Ticket Services at (212) 719-1300 and online at www.roundabouttheatre.org.
.  
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
Wishful Drinking plays Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8:00PM with a Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday matinee at 2:00PM.  Prices range from $31.50-$111.50.
www.roundabouttheatre.org

MANHATTAN THEATRE CLUB’S
THE ROYAL FAMILY
EMBRACED BY CRITICS

“Rosemary Harris and Jan Maxwell are giving the kind of performance
that turn agnostics into true believers. It’s something close to a miracle.”
– Ben Brantley, The New York Times

The Manhattan Theatre Club production of the classic comedy THE ROYAL FAMILY, by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber and directed by Doug Hughes, opened last night at MTC’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street) and was embraced by critics and audiences alike. Below is a sampling of what critics had to say:

“THE ROYAL FAMILY is suffused with the radiance of pure, inexhaustible love of an ancient craft. The passion atthe play’s heart is forever. You may find yourself moved to tears. Rosemary Harris and Jan Maxwell are giving the kind of performance that turn agnostics into true believers. It’s something close to a miracle.”
–        Ben Brantley, The New York Times

“Effervescent! This comedy is graced with a terrific collection of actors. Jan Maxwell hilariously raises neurotic indecision to a fine art. Reg Rogers is wonderful. Ana Gasteyer is supremely comic. Director Doug Hughes never lets any of the actors descend into cartoons, which makes the play’s ending all the more poignant.”
–        Michael Kuchwara, Associated Press

“THE ROYAL FAMILY is a royal inside-theater delight. There are many pleasures in Doug Hughes’ sumptuous joy of a revival. The legendary Rosemary Harris gives a thrilling and ravishing performance. Hughes clearly knows that comedy is serious business.”
–        Linda Winer, Newsday

“A fine showcase for two marvelous actresses, Jan Maxwell and Rosemary Harris. They are a joy to behold. Maxwell’s elegant, high-cheekboned beauty and comic dexterity suit the part perfectly. It’s impossible to imagine an actress who would be more likable or funnier. Harris similarly makes us laugh and breaks our heart. She is masterful . Under Doug Hughes’ sprightly direction, the ensemble performs gamely. John Glover is excellent.”
–        Elysa Gardner, USA Today

“Dazzling comic performances from a superb cast who go for broke and emerge triumphant. With exquisitely juicy material and over-the-top bravura performances, it persuades you that there’s nothing funnier than actors playing actors. Under the stylish, pitch-perfect direction of Doug Hughes, it’s crucially, believably human and it works beautifully.”
–        Robert Feldberg, The Bergen Record

“THE ROYAL FAMILY has the best cast assembled in a show this season or any other season. They are absolutely wonderful from top to bottom! When you hear Tony Roberts’ gravelly voice, you know you’re in for a funny evening.”
–        David Richardson, WOR Radio

“THE ROYAL FAMILY is a love letter to the stage and an amusing look at the lunacies of the theater.  Jan Maxwell squeezes her juicy role for all it’s worth. She is a riot while Tony Roberts is terrific.”
–        Joe Dziemianowicz, Daily News

“THE ROYAL FAMILY is one of those ageless comedies with extravagant, often brilliantly comic banter that is sure to beguile audiences. Enhanced by John Lee Beatty's perfectly grand setting, director Doug Hughes and 16 actors beautifully dressed by Catherine Zuber serve the comedy very well indeed. Rosemary Harris etches a sassy, valiant Fanny while the ever-elegant Jan Maxwell stops the show. It's very early in the Broadway season to predict the spring's Tony Award contenders, but this classy staging of THE ROYAL FAMILY sets a high bar for subsequent shows to beat.”
–        Michael Sommers, New Jersey Newsroom

“3 ½ STARS (OUT OF 4)! Doug Hughes’ production has a firm hold on THE ROYAL FAMILY’s humor and heart. Rosemary Harris is perfectly cast as the aging, regal matriarch Fanny. Jan Maxwell triumphs.”
–        Matt Windman, amNY

“Under Doug Hughes' inspired direction, the cast is just-about perfect. Rosemary Harris is a combination of maternal concern and girlish maturity as matriarch Fanny. Maxwell, in an extravagantly over-the-top and Tony Award-worthy performance, leaves no stop unpulled. John Lee Beatty's re-creation of an East-Fifties Manhattan mansion is perhaps the finest interior the architecturally savvy designer has ever created.”
–        David Finkle, Theatermania

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE ROYAL FAMILY
The cast of THE ROYAL FAMILY features “Saturday Night Live” alum Ana Gasteyer (Kitty Dean), Tony winner John Glover (Herbert Dean), Tony Award winner and Oscar nominee Rosemary Harris (Fanny Cavendish), Tony Award nominee and Drama Desk Award winner Jan Maxwell (Julie Cavendish), Broadway veteran Larry Pine (Gilbert Marshall), Tony Award nominee Tony Roberts (Oscar Wolfe), and Tony Award nominee and Drama Desk Award nominee Reg Rogers (Tony Cavendish). They are joined by Freddy Arsenault (Perry Stewart), Kelli Barrett (Gwen Cavendish), Caroline Stefanie Clay (Della), Rufus Collins (McDermott, Gunga), David Greenspan (Jo), Anthony Newfield (Chauffeur), Henny Russell (Miss Peake), Cat Walleck (Hallboy), and John Wernke (Hallboy).

Follow a famous family of stage stars as they go about the drama of the day: choosing scripts, dashing off to performances, stealing kisses from handsome beaus. But what’s this business about the youngest diva wanting to quit the stage for domestic bliss? Never, darling! 

TICKETING INFORMATION FOR THE ROYAL FAMILY

• Single tickets to THE ROYAL FAMILY are available via www.Telecharge.com; by telephone at (212) 239-6200 or (800) 432-7250 if outside the NY metro area; and at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre box office (261 West 47th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue).
• THE ROYAL FAMILY tickets range in price from $57.00-$111.00. 

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Please note: For all weeks except Thanksgiving Week, THE ROYAL FAMILY is dark on Mondays.

• THROUGH SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1: Tuesday at 7 PM, Wednesday through Saturday at 8 PM. Matinees on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2 PM.
• MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2 – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8: Tuesday at 7 PM, Wednesday through Saturday at 8 PM. Matinees on Saturday, and Sunday at 2 PM. Please note there are only 7 performances on sale to the general public this week.
• MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9 – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22: Tuesday at 7 PM, Wednesday through Saturday at 8 PM. Matinees on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2 PM.
• MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23 – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29 (THANKSGIVING WEEK): Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday at 8 PM. Tuesday at 7 PM. Matinees on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 2 PM. Dark on Thursday.

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www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com  

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Chance and Chemistry:
A Centennial Celebration of Frank Loesser

Laura Benanti, Ashley Brown, Charles Busch, Liz Callaway, Ana Gasteyer, Debbie Gravitte, Hugh Jackman, Michele Lee, Emily Loesser, Jo Sullivan Loesser, Sir Paul McCartney, Audra McDonald, John McMartin, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Julia Murney, Phyllis Newman, Steven Pasquale, Noah Racey, Ron Raines, Chita Rivera, Christopher Sieber, John Stamos, Nia Vardalos and Patrick Wilson
Will appear in A Concert to Benefit The Actors Fund
Co-chaired by Jo Sullivan Loesser and Sir Paul McCartney
Hosted by Annette Bening, Kevin McCollum and Jonathan Tisch
at Broadway's Minskoff Theatre on Monday, October 26, 2009

(October 9, 2009, NYC) Additional names have been announced for Chance and Chemistry: A Centennial Celebration of Frank Loesser, a concert to benefit The Actors Fund taking place at the Minskoff Theatre on Monday, October 26, 2009 at 7:30PM.

The event will be co-chaired by Jo Sullivan Loesser and Sir Paul McCartney, and hosted by Annette Bening, Kevin McCollum and Jonathan Tisch.
Laura Benanti, Ashley Brown, Charles Busch, Ana Gasteyer, Michele Lee, Emily Loesser, Jo Sullivan Loesser, Sir Paul McCartney, John McMartin, Julia Murney, Phyllis Newman, Steven Pasquale, Noah Racey, Ron Raines, Nia Vardalos, and Patrick Wilson join the previously announced Liz Callaway, Debbie Gravitte, Hugh Jackman, Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Chita Rivera, Christopher Sieber and John Stamos for the one-night-only event.

Jo Sullivan Loesser, co-chair for the concert event, said “I’m so honored that so many wonderful stars are paying tribute to Frank at this special evening.” 
"I was very happy to be asked to attend this special evening,” said Sir Paul McCartney, continuing, “As a tribute to a man whose work I greatly admire, I will be singing one of his songs and I'm looking forward to it."

Because of the preview performance schedule of "Fela!", Lillias White, who had been announced previously to appear, will be unable to participate in the event. 
The evening will be directed and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli (South Pacific, Sunday in the Park with George, Altar Boyz) with musical direction by Brad Haak (Mary Poppins). 
 
For tickets, call Ticketmaster at  212 307- 4100 or National Arts Ticketmaster – Outside tri-state area at  800 982-2787.  Sponsorship opportunities are also available.  Contact The Actors Fund at (212) 221-7300 Extension 133.  Sponsorship opportunities are also available.  For updates, please visit www.actorsfund.org
 
FRANK LOESSER has been called the most versatile of all Broadway composers, having supplied both music and lyrics for such varied works as Guys & Dolls, Where's Charley?, The Most Happy Fella and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying,

Born June 29, 1910, in New York City, Frank wrote his first song at the age of six. In 1931, he teamed with William Schuman (future President of Juilliard), resulting in Frank's first published song, "In Love with a Memory of You." In 1936, Loesser and composer Irving Actman contributed five songs to "The Illustrator's Show." It closed after five performances, but landed them a Hollywood contract. There Loesser provided lyrics for the music of such greats as Jule Styne, Hoagy Carmichael, and Burton Lane, producing hits such as "I Don't Want to Walk Without You," "Heart and Soul",  "Two Sleepy People," and the
1948 Academy Award winner, "Baby, It's Cold Outside," for which he also supplied the music.
 
In 1948, producers Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin convinced Loesser to create the score for Where's Charley?, which became his first Broadway hit, and introduced the song, "Once In Love With Amy." He followed that with one of the masterworks of musical theatre, Guys and Dolls, opening November 24, 1950, and winning the Tony Award for Best Musical.

Frank wrote the score and the book for his next show, which he called an "extended musical comedy," The Most Happy Fella". "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying" opened October 14, 1961, winning the Pulitzer Prize and seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

In the midst of his stage work, Frank returned to Hollywood and created one of his best loved scores for the film Hans Christian Andersen, which featured "Wonderful Copenhagen," "Anywhere I Wander," "The Inch Worm" and "Thumbelina."

Since Loesser's untimely death in 1969, The Most Happy Fella has been revived on Broadway and at the New York City Opera (where it has become part of the permanent repertory); How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying returned in 1995, starring Matthew Broderick, and becoming a long running hit. Guys and Dolls won the 1992 Tony Award for Best Revival, and returned in 2009 for its fourth run on Broadway.  In 1999, Frank Loesser was honored by the U.S. Postal Service with a postage stamp bearing his likeness.

In New York City, The Actors Fund has produced a string of successful one-night-only benefits including the acclaimed 20th Anniversary concert of Dreamgirls with Audra McDonald, Heather Headley and Lillias White (recorded on Nonesuch Records), Funny Girl with Sutton Foster, Jane Krakowski and Kristin Chenoweth, Chess with Josh Groban, Hair with Jennifer Hudson (recorded on Ghostlight Records, Grammy nomination) On the Twentieth Century with Douglas Sills and Marin Mazzie, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas with Emily Skinner and Terrence Mann, Brian Stokes Mitchell at Carnegie Hall and last year's all star reading of All About Eve with Annette Bening and Keri Russell. 

In Los Angeles, The Actors Fund has produced a successful string of musical events including a concert of William Finn's Falsettos starring Jason Alexander and Malcolm Gets.  The Fund also presented a series of musical tributes that celebrated the great Broadway composers including Tap Your Troubles Away; A Salute to Jerry Herman, Everything's Coming up Roses: A Jule Styne Tribute and Say Yes; The Songs of John Kander and Fred Ebb.  Additionally, the "Screenplays on Stage" series has showcased such talents as Stockard Channing, Calista Flockhart, Anjelica Huston, Christian Slater and Anne Heche.

THE ACTORS FUND is a national human services organization that helps all professionals in performing arts and entertainment. The Fund, which supports actors and performers and everyone behind the scenes who works in theatre, film, TV, music, dance, radio and opera, is a safety net, providing social services and emergency assistance, health services, employment and training programs and housing support for those who are in need, crisis or transition. Learn more about The Actors Fund at www.actorsfund.org

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“DISNEY COLLECTION” SURPASSES
MILESTONE 20,000 THEATRICAL LICENSES

NEW YORK, NY October 9, 2009 - - Disney Theatrical Productions (DTP) announced that in the five years of its partnership with Music Theatre International (MTI), an astonishing 20,000 licenses (representing approximately 100,000 performances) of stage titles in The Disney Collection have been issued for productions in schools, community theatres, summer camps, civic groups and professional theatres around the globe.  More than 600,000 children – from Dayton, Seattle and San Antonio to Dubai, Taipei and Copenhagen – have participated in productions of Disney musicals. The most popular title in the Collection has been HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL, whose 4,000 licenses since its launch in 2007 have generated over 20,000 performances of the show. That figure is sure to rise with the recent introduction of HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL JUNIOR, adapted for middle-school productions.

“It’s tremendously gratifying that Disney titles are being embraced so enthusiastically by theatre and school communities around the world,” said Steve Fickinger, Vice President of Licensing for Disney Theatrical Productions.  “Making The Disney Collection widely accessible helps achieve our mission to instill a love of theatre in the next generation of performers and audiences.  We look forward to continuing to develop new and exciting material.”

MTI offers licenses to three types of Disney musicals – Full Length, Junior® and KIDS®:

• FULL LENGTH titles are large-scale musicals designed for professional, amateur and high school theatre groups. They include: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, ELTON JOHN AND TIM RICE’S AIDA (Broadway and School Editions), HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL (Two-Act and One-Act Editions), HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2 (Two-Act and One-Act Editions), and MY SON PINOCCHIO: GEPPETTO’S MUSICAL TALE (Two-Act and One-Act Editions).

• JUNIOR® titles are hour-long musicals designed for middle-school-aged performers. They include: ALADDIN JR., ALICE IN WONDERLAND JR., BEAUTY AND THE BEAST JR., HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL JR., High School Musical 2 JR., and MULAN  JR. 

• KIDS® titles are 30-minute musicals designed for elementary-school-aged performers.  They include: 101 Dalmatians KIDS, ALADDIN KIDS (Winter 2010), THE Aristocats KIDS, Cinderella KIDS, THE Jungle Book KIDS, and Sleeping Beauty KIDS

In addition, The Disney Collection includes Aladdin: Dual-Language EDITION / EDICIÓN de lenguaje dual, a new telling of the classic tale that utilizes two languages (English and Spanish) to express the contrasting worlds of the palace and the streets.  As an engaging language-learning tool and opportunity for audience development, this thrilling and touching bilingual musical has been created especially for schools and community theatres.

The recently launched DisneyMusicals.com is an online community where kids, parents, educators and theatre professionals can find more information on titles in The Disney Collection, see photos and watch videos from school and community-theatre productions, and link to MTI’s website to download applications for licenses (www.mtishows.com). 

DISNEY THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS
For the past 15 years, DISNEY THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS (DTP) has been a leading producer of live stage entertainment on Broadway and around the world. Currently under the direction of producer and president Thomas Schumacher, DTP has produced six award-winning Broadway musicals including Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Elton John & Tim Rice’s Aida, TARZAN®, Mary Poppins, a co-production by Disney and Cameron Mackintosh, and The Little Mermaid.  In total, these six shows have been seenby over 21 million people in New York alone and, cumulatively, over 82 million people worldwide.  Thanks to the tremendous appeal of the Disney brand and its beloved characters, DTP has brought new audiences to Broadway, many of whom have never been to the theatre before.  Additionally, DTP produces and licenses its Broadway musicals around the world reaching a global annual audience of more than 10 million people in over 40 countries.  DTP licenses musical titles for local school and community productions through a partnership with Music Theatre International.  Through its educational outreach department, DTP partners with New York City schools to bring young audiences to Broadway and DTP has donated regularly to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, among other charitable organizations.

MUSIC THEATRE INTERNATIONAL
MTI [www.mtishows.com] is one of the world’s leading dramatic licensing agencies, protecting the rights and legacy of composers, lyricists and book writers and supplying scripts and musical materials to theatres around the world. With over 250 titles in its catalogue, MTI has been the driving force in perpetuating such great musicals as Guys and Dolls, Fiddler on the Roof and West Side Story. Additionally, MTI is the home of The Broadway Junior Collection®, 70-minute adaptations of Broadway musicals designed for middle school children to perform [Annie, Jr.; The Music Man, Jr.; Thoroughly Modern Millie, Jr. and many others] and the Kids Collection®, 30-minute musicals for performance by elementary school children [Willy Wonka Kids and Frog and Toad Kids, among others]. For more information, please visit www.broadwayjr.com.

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GO BEHIND THE SCENES AT
BROADWAY’S “JERSEY BOYS”
WITH WNBC’S “LX-TV”
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/shows/lxnewyork/What_the_Flock___Jersey_Boys_All__National_.html

Go behind the scenes at Broadway’s hottest musical JERSEY BOYS with WNBC’s “LX-TV”.  Click here to watch Jarrod Spector, who stars as Frankie Valli, talk about how the show comes to life 8 times a week and meet his co-stars:  http://www.nbcnewyork.com/shows/lxnewyork/What_the_Flock___Jersey_Boys_All__National_.html

JERSEY BOYS is the winner of the 2006 Best Musical Tony Award®, the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album, and most recently, the 2009 Olivier Award for Best New Musical.

Directed by two-time Tony Award® winner Des McAnuff, JERSEY BOYS is written by Academy Award-winner Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe and choreography by Sergio Trujillo.

JERSEY BOYS opened at the August Wilson Theatre on Broadway to critical acclaim on November 6, 2005.  The JERSEY BOYS National Tour opened to rave reviews in San Francisco on December 1, 2006.  There are seven current productions of JERSEY BOYS:  New York, London, Chicago, Las Vegas, Toronto, a US National tour, and Melbourne, Australia. 

JERSEY BOYS is the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons: Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi. It’s a journey of how a group of blue-collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks became one of the biggest American pop music sensations of all time. They wrote their own songs, invented their own sounds and sold 175 million records worldwide - all before they were thirty.

The JERSEY BOYS design and production team comprises Klara Zieglerova (Scenic Design), Jess Goldstein (Costume Design), Howell Binkley (winner of the 2006 Tony Award® for his Lighting Design of JERSEY BOYS), Steve Canyon Kennedy (Sound Design), Michael Clark (Projections Design), Charles LaPointe (Wig and Hair Design), Steve Orich (Orchestrations) and Ron Melrose (Music Direction, Vocal Arrangements & Incidental Music).

The Original Broadway Cast Recording of JERSEY BOYS was produced by Bob Gaudio, and was recently certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The cast recording is now available on Rhino Records. JERSEY BOYS: The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons (Broadway Books) is the official handbook to the smash Broadway hit.

www.JerseyBoysInfo.com

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STUDENT RUSH POLICY ANNOUNCED FOR
THE NEIL SIMON PLAYS
BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS AND BROADWAY BOUND

$30 TICKETS AVAILABLE DAY OF PERFORMANCE
AT THE NEDERLANDER THEATRE BOX OFFICE

The producers of THE NEIL SIMON PLAYS are pleased to announce a student rush policy.  A limited number of $30 tickets will be made available for purchase by students, available at the box office on the day of the performance only.  Two tickets per valid student ID.  Student rush tickets are subject to availability and the number of student tickets for each performance may vary.  

The first Broadway revivals of BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS and BROADWAY BOUND, two of Neil Simon’s beloved semi-autobiographical “Eugene Jerome” plays are directed by David Cromer (Our Town) at the Nederlander Theatre (208 West 41st Street). 

BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS is now in previews and opens on Sunday, October 25.  BROADWAY BOUND begins previews on Wednesday, November 18 and opens Thursday, December 10.    Starting on November 18, the two plays will be performed in repertory on a varied schedule. 

BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS and BROADWAY BOUND were two of the longest running Broadway plays of the 1980s.  The works ushered in a new era of appreciation for Neil Simon, with praise for the playwright’s hilarious and poignant account of his adolescence, early career and family life in New York in the 1930s and 1940s.

BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS originally opened on March 27, 1983 at the Alvin Theatre and played for 1,299 performances.  (During the run of BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS, the Alvin Theatre was renamed The Neil Simon Theatre).   BROADWAY BOUND opened on December 4, 1986 at the Broadhurst Theatre, where it played for 756 performances.  

BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS stars Laurie Metcalf (Kate Jerome) and Dennis Boutsikaris (Jack Jerome) with Santino Fontana (Stanley Jerome), Jessica Hecht (Blanche), Gracie Bea Lawrence (Laurie), Noah Robbins (Eugene Jerome) and Alexandra Socha (Nora).

BROADWAY BOUND stars Laurie Metcalf (Kate Jerome) and Dennis Boutsikaris (Jack Jerome) with Santino Fontana (Stanley Jerome), Jessica Hecht (Blanche), Josh Grisetti (Eugene Jerome) and Allan Miller (Ben).

BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS centers on young Jewish teen Eugene Morris Jerome and his extended family living in a crowded home in the Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn in the late 1930s: his overworked father, Jack; overbearing mother, Kate; his older brother Stanley; Kate’s widowed sister Blanche and her daughters, Nora and Laurie.  As Eugene spends his time daydreaming about a baseball career, he must also cope with his family’s troubles, his awkward discovery of the opposite sex and his developing identity as a writer.   

In BROADWAY BOUND, it’s the late 1940s and Eugene and Stanley have started their careers as professional comedy writers.  But when the brothers use their home life in Brighton Beach as inspiration for a radio comedy skit, the Jerome family may never be the same.  

Scenic design is by John Lee Beatty, costume design is by Jane Greenwood, lighting design is by Brian MacDevitt and sound design is by Josh Schmidt and Fitz Patton.   Hair and wig design is by Tom Watson. 

THE NEIL SIMON PLAYS are produced by Ira Pittelman, Max Cooper, Jeffrey Sine, Scott Delman, Ruth Hendel, Roy Furman, Ben Sprecher/Wendy Federman, Scott Landis and Emanuel Azenberg. 

THE NEIL SIMON PLAYS will be performed in repertory on a varied schedule.  Visit www.TheNeilSimonPlays.com for performance schedule and other information.  Tickets are available online at www.TicketMaster.com, by phone at 212-307-4100 or at the Nederlander Theatre box office (208 West 41st Street).

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JERSEY BOYS STAR JARROD SPECTOR
TO SING NATIONAL ANTHEM
AT PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES GAME
TODAY, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8

Jarrod Spector, a Philadelphia native and currently starring as Frankie Valli in the Broadway production of the Tony®, Grammy® and Olivier® Award-winning hit musical JERSEY BOYS, will perform the National Anthem prior to the Philadelphia Phillies playoff game vs. the Colorado Rockies today, October 8, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia at 2:30 PM.

JERSEY BOYS is the winner of the 2006 Best Musical Tony Award®, the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album, and most recently, the 2009 Olivier Award for Best New Musical.

Directed by two-time Tony Award® winner Des McAnuff, JERSEY BOYS is written by Academy Award-winner Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe and choreography by Sergio Trujillo.

JERSEY BOYS opened on Broadway on November 6, 2005 to critical acclaim at the August Wilson Theatre where it continues to break box office records three years later.  There are seven current productions of JERSEY BOYS:  New York, London, Chicago, Las Vegas, Toronto, a US National tour, and Melbourne, Australia. 

JERSEY BOYS is the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons: Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi. It’s a journey of how a group of blue-collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks became one of the biggest American pop music sensations of all time. They wrote their own songs, invented their own sounds and sold 175 million records worldwide - all before they were thirty.

The Original Broadway Cast Recording of JERSEY BOYS was produced by Bob Gaudio, and was recently certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The cast recording is now available on Rhino Records. JERSEY BOYS: The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons (Broadway Books) is the official handbook to the smash Broadway hit.

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