Issue #46: June 15, 2000

• The 54th annual Tony Awards had a very British presence this year. Best Play was Copenhagen, which also received the best Director award for Michael Blakemore. Brit Blakemore also picked up best direction of a musical for Kiss Me Kate. Tom Stoppard’s The Real Thing picked up an award for best revival of a play as well as did the leading actor and actress in the play, Stephen Dillane and Jennifer Ehle. Tony awards also went to Contact for best musical, Kiss Me, Kate for best revival of a musical, Brian Stokes Mitchell for leading actor in a musical, Kiss Me, Kate and to Heather Headley for leading actress in a musical for Aida.

• On the heels of a disappointing showing at the Tony’s, producers have closed The Wild Party. After receiving seven nominations, the musical failed to walk away with at least one statue.

• It looks like director Julie Taymor’s golden touch (Lion King) may have vanished. Her most recent production, The Green Bird closed a week before the June 4 Tony Awards.

• Before winning the Tony Award for Best Musical, Contact announced its national tour which begins next May. It will open at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco first then move to The Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles for a July opening. No other dates have been mentioned yet.

• The stage version of The Full Monty is set to hit Broadway very soon. Currently on the boards in San Diego at the Old Globe, the musical, with book by Terrence McNally, has been Americanized with the story based in Buffalo, NY.

• Barry Manilow is seeing his musical come to life in North America after 18 months in London and a two-year tour throughout Britain. Copacabana premieres in Pittsburgh then opens at the Hummingbird Centre in Toronto on July 31 for eight performances. Heading the cast is The Love Boat alum Gavin MacLeod along with Franc D’Ambrosio, who possesses the record for the most performances as the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera.

• Former model Jerry Hall will be taking over the role of Mrs. Robinson in the current production of The Graduate at the Gielgud Theatre. Kathleen Turner, who reprised the famous role in the current stage production will be bowing out with Hall taking over on July 31. This is not Ms. Hall’s first time on stage — she was last seen in 1990 during the two-month run of Bus Stop at the Lyric Theatre.

• Andrew Lloyd Webber returns to the West End with his latest musical The Beautiful Game, which is set to open on September 26 at the Cambridge Theatre following previews that begin September 5. The story line follows the lives of a group of Irish teenagers who are all members of a local soccer team.

• Former ER star Julianna Margulies will be heading for the Broadway stage next year in Ten Unknowns with Jason Robarts. I’ll keep you posted on a theatre and opening date.

• There is an adaptation of Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur’s Twentieth Century currently in the works. Ken Ludwig (Moon Over Buffalo, Lend Me a Tenor) is working with James MacArthur (Dano for those who remember Hawaii Five-O) Charles’ son. If this production is a success look for other MacArthur/Hecht revised productions such as The Front Page, to hit the stage.