Issue #145: February 1, 2005

• They're fiddlin' with the fiddler on Broadway... but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing.  The producer of the revival of that favourite chestnut Fiddler On The Roof, has cast none other than Harvey Fierstein in the role of Tevye.  A Broadway veteran, Fierstein is best know for his recent Tony award-winning role in Hairspray.  Adding to the expected humourous twist that Fierstein is sure to add to the production, is the casting of comedy favourite Andrea Martin (SCTV, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, etc).  With this type of creative casting by the producers you can be sure they will expand their audience and create new followers of the Broadway classic.

• It looks like the trend to turn Broadway productions into successful films continues to bring audiences back to the theatre. As with the huge success of Chicago The Movie breathing new life into the Broadway and touring productions, the same goes for the recent release of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera.  Even though the masked man has been on Broadway for 17 years, the release of the movie has the public stampeding back to Broadway to see the flying chandelier again, and again.  The producers of the Broadway productions of The Producers and Rent are watching this closely as their movie versions are set to hit screens at Christmas this year.

• Tap sensation Savion Glover is back on the Broadway radar with his most recent offering Classical Savion, which was recently showcased at the Joyce Theater in New York.  The two hour one-man dance extravaganza is performed to the timeless music of Vivaldi, Bach and other classic composers. As well, the tapper pays respect to ballet, flamenco and tango dance styles.  Look for this dance genius to kick-off a nine week, 35-city tour beginning March 22 at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles and winding things up at the Apollo in New York for two nights in May.

• A shaved down version of the eight-time Tony award winning musical Hairspray is heading to what now looks like "Broadway Lite"... Las Vegas.  Joining the ranks of numerous other Broadway productions, the 90-minute, 12 million dollar production will hit the stage of its own theatre in the Luxor hotel-casino in late November.