Issue #105: March 1, 2003

• JoBeth Williams takes to the Manhattan Theater Club stage in May headlining Marsha Norman's new work Last Dance. 

• It's a rarity, but producer Cameron Mackintosh closed the one-year run of Oklahoma! in the red.  The show returned only 60% of its $6.5 million capitalization. Ouch!

• After a few name changes - from Wise Guys to Gold - the Stephen Sondheim musical now known as Bounce is set to open June 30 at the Goodman Theater in Chicago.  The cast includes Richard Kind, Faith Prince and Howard McGillin.

• It was just a matter of when, not if, the producers of the Broadway musical revival Chicago were going to remount a production for the road.  Never a pair to miss an opportunity to capitalize on a good thing, producers Fran and Barry Weissler will be sending out a road company in June. 

• Other tours readying to hit the road - Thoroughly Modern Millie kicks off in Kansas City in July and the Billy Joel/Twyla Tharp dance musical Movin' Out heads out in February 2004.

• After more than three years a much toned-down production of Ragtime will finally premiere at the Piccadilly Theatre on March 19 for a 12-week run.  This will be the first time the musical will be seen outside of North America since production costs overrunning capitalization led to the close of both the Broadway and touring productions.

• Further to the announcement of actor Kevin Spacey taking up artistic director duties at The Old Vic, Spacey said, "it will be my personal commitment to appear in at least two productions a season.  I also intend to direct."  Spacey's relationship with The Old Vic goes back to 1998 when he performed in the critically acclaimed and boffo box office production of The Iceman Cometh.  The support of The Old Vic board for Spacey was evident at the recent press conference with Dame Judi Dench, Sir Richard Attenborough and Sir Elton John all in attendance.

• It looks like director-choreographer Matthew Bourne has backed out of staging Disney's latest film to stage project The Little Mermaid.  The corporate timeline for the project and Bourne's other London based theatrical commitments coincided.  A new design team to mount the production has yet to be announced.

• I'm currently in the midst of a near sold-out western Canadian tour of the popular children's character Caillou.  My client, Tanglewood Entertainment Inc., has the live stage rights for Caillou as well as Franklin the Turtle and Little Bear - all of whom are touring North America.  The musical, Caillou's Big Party, is the latest tour out of Tanglewood and the first for this pre-school personality.  We are looking forward to a successful engagement at Toronto's Hummingbird Centre for the Performing Arts in May and hope that tour dates in the States will be firmed up for the fall.