Issue #248: February 1, 2011

• You can catch Julia Stiles this spring when she joins Neil LaBute’s Fat Pig when it opens in April at the Belasco Theater.

• American Idiot, currently at the St. James Theater, plans to replace Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong with Melissa Etheridge.  Date to be confirmed.

• The ongoing Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark saga has taken yet another turn.  It has been reported that most of the critics plan on seeing the show within the next week even though it is still in previews.  Apparently fed up with all the delays and postponing of the opening night, the many critics plan file their reviews for Feb. 8th, the day after the original opening date.  It will be interesting to see if this production will be able to rise from all of the negative buzz so far.

• Theatre icon Christopher Plummer is currently on stage at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto with his Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle award winning turn in Barrymore.  The Canadian legend has reprised his role as the patriarch of the theatrical Barrymore family, which garnered him accolades when staged first at Stratford then to Broadway in the 90s.  A once in a lifetime treat for anyone lucky enough to get a ticket.

• The original cast of God of Carnage plans to reunite in LA this spring when they take the production to the Ahmanson Theatre. 

• A 25th Anniversary production of Les Miserables is currently making its way across North America.  Don’t look for the signature barricade turntable of the original production.  Producer Cameron Mackintosh says the newly minted, dusted off musical is grittier but still delivers a brilliant night of theatre just the same.