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Serving the Theatre Community since 1998

Issue #16: February 1, 1999

Broadway

  • Last seen on Broadway in 1994 in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard, it is reported that Glen Close is currently in negotiations to star in a revival of Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music for the 1999-2000 season.
  • Celebrating the Gershwin centennial there will be a Broadway premiere of The Gershwins’ Fascinating Rhythm at the Longacre Theater in March.

Broadway On The Road

  • After a couple of reworkings of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg’s latest musical Martin Guerre, it looks like it is finally heading for the states. Producer Cameron Mackintosh has chosen the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis for the premiere on September 28. It is then scheduled to hit the road with stops in Boston, Washington, Chicago and Toronto before a Broadway opening in March 2000.

London's West End

  • A revival of Michael Bennett’s 1981 musical Dreamgirls is finally going to open in the late spring or early summer. The popular story follows a fictitious Motown female trio’s rise to fame in the ’60s. Sound familiar?–you probably won’t see Diana Ross at the opening. Auditions began at the end of January for the 30+ company as well as the 15-piece back-up band.
  • The 1999 Laurence Olivier Awards were announced on Jan. 14 with the much-celebrated Nicole Kidman vehicle The Blue Room receiving six nominations. The Royal National Theatre’s stunning revival of Oklahoma! racked up nine nominations. The ceremony will be held on Feb. 12 at the National.
  • London’s Globe Theatre will be adding a new twist to its upcoming production of Antony And Cleopatra scheduled to open on July 30. Artistic director Mark Rylance will play the celebrated Egyptian queen. The summer season will also include Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and The Comedy Of Errors–alas, there will be no "cross acting" in these productions!

Bits & Pieces

  • Nominated for a best actor Laurence Olivier Award for his role in The Unexpected Man is Dublin native Michael Gambon. Last seen on Broadway in September 1996 in the critically acclaimed Skylight, Gambon may be familiar to television viewers. Fans of the BBC and PBS may remember the series Maigret and The Singing Detective just to name a few. He has also appeared in numerous movies including The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover.
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