Issue #31: October 1, 1999

• A tentative four-week engagement has been booked for Broadway diva Liza Minnelli’s one-woman show Minnelli On Minnelli. Known for her many health problems, Ms. Minnelli is scheduled to open on December 1 at the historic Palace vaudeville house where her mother, Judy Garland, graced the stage in the 50s and 60s.

• Can it be? Emmy-winner Susan Lucci dons six-guns and takes over the lead in the musical Annie Get Your Gun. This would be a first for television’s All My Children soap star. Apparently it will only be temporary–Tony-award winner Bernadette Peters will be taking a much-earned vacation beginning December 21. La Lucci will headline during Peters’ three-week hiatus.

• The Tony-award winning musical Fosse was to return to Toronto in December but the Chicago engagement is so strong that the producers will hold it over in the windy city indefinitely. A rescheduled Toronto date has not yet been announced.

• Less than a hit in London, Rent will be closing its doors at the Shaftesbury Theatre on October 30. This American megahit opened to negative reviews as well as losing out on the three Olivier Awards it was nominated for. Compounding the challenge to sell tickets is the local interpretation of the word "rent" which refers to "rent boys" or male prostitutes. Another example on how one should do market research before sinking millions of dollars into what one thinks is a sure thing.

• Berlin is getting a taste of current Broadway productions since Rent recently opened at the Freie Volksbuhne theatre and the Fosse signature piece Chicago opened at the Theatre des Westens on September 25. Both productions are performed in German with Rent running until mid-January and Chicago packing up in April.

• A great new publication is now available for those of you with families and heading to New York for some theatre. Camp Broadway has just launched Kids Eat Broadway. This delightful guide features 50 kid friendly restaurants, behind the scenes Broadway info, 25 family shows on and off-Broadway and valuable money saving coupons. The introduction is by the original Annie, Andrea McArdle, a mother herself and currently playing Belle in Broadway’s Beauty and the Beast. If you are interested in purchasing Kids Eat Broadway for that special someone this upcoming holiday season you can write to: Kids Eat Broadway Publishing, 284 W. 12^th St., No. 2, New York, NY 10014. Or call 212-929-0734. The price of this fabulous handbook is just $12.95 US. Visit the Camp Broadway Web site at www.campbroadway.com for more information.

• A speaker at the first annual Proud Voices series in Toronto is Olympic diving champion Greg Louganis. On October 15 he kicks off this groundbreaking series that is designed to promote understanding of sexual diversity issues. His best-selling autobiography Breaking the Surface chronicles his difficulties in the past and hope for the future, despite being HIV positive. In recent years, Greg has tried his hand on the off-Broadway stage as well as Hollywood productions. If you are interested in purchasing Breaking the Surface, visit www.chapters.indigo.ca. The Proud Voices speaker series will expand into other major cities in the next few years.