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This week’s theater news blog…

Published January 27th, 2012 by playhousesquare | No Comments

Wit starring Cynthia Nixon opens on Broadway

Theater news for the week of January 21-January 27

Each week, we’re going to keep you up-to-speed with the latest Broadway news and stories. Check back every Friday to see what you missed this week and to catch a glimpse of what’s going on at PlayhouseSquare this weekend. Enjoy!

Happening on Broadway …

Becoming Chaplin to open on Broadway

Becoming Chaplin, a new musical depicting the life of Charlie Chaplin, is set to open on Broadway during the 2012 – 2013 season. Directed and choreographed by Warren Carlye (Finian’s Rainbow), Becoming Chaplin showcases music and lyrics by Christopher Curtis and a book by both Curtis and Tony Award winner Thomas Meehan (The Producers). No casting has been announced at this time.

Margaret Edson’s Wit opens on Broadway

Margaret Edson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Wit, starring Tony and Emmy-winning actress Cynthia Nixon (best known for her role as Miranda Hobbes in Sex and the City) opened this week at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. Produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club and directed by MTC Artistic Director Lynne Meadow, Wit revolves around poetry professor Vivian Bearing as she undergoes experimental treatment for stage-four cancer.

Revival of A Streetcar Named Desire opens this spring

A planned revival of Tennessee William’s A Streetcar Named Desire will open at the Broadhurst Theatre on Broadway this spring. Although dates have not yet been announced, the revival will star Blair Underwood, Nicole Ari Parker, Wood Harris and Daphne Rubin-Vega. The revival is being produced by Stephen Byrd and Alia Jones of Front Row Productions, which presented the 2008 Broadway revival of William’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Upcoming Events at PlayhouseSquare

Flanagan’s Wake –presented by the Frankie Kong Players
Ten Chimneys –presented by Cleveland Play House
HAIR –part of the KeyBank Broadway Series
Slam U Writing Workshop
Joshua Seth’s Beyond Belief
Inbal Pinto & Avshalom Pollak – presented by Dance Cleveland
Why She Had to Dance Learning Distance Program
In Arabia We’d All Be Kings – Cleveland Play House
Kathleen Madigan- Gone Madigan

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This week’s theater news blog…

Published January 20th, 2012 by playhousesquare | No Comments

The Phantom of the Opera celebrates milestone.

Theater news for the week of January 14-January 20

Happening on Broadway …

Phantom of the Opera to celebrate milestone

The Phantom of the Opera will be celebrating its 10,000^th Broadway performance on February 11, making it the first show in Broadway history to hit that milestone. In honor of the event, all ticket sales for the February 11 matinee at the Majestic Theatre will benefit the Actors Fund. The Actors Fund is a national human services organization that directly benefits more than 12,000 performers and crew members each year, assisting with social services, health care, insurance, housing, employment and training services.

Tony Awards announces ceremony date

The 66^th Annual Tony Awards will take place on Sunday June 10, 2012. The event will be broadcast live on CBS from New York City’s Beacon Theatre and will be directed by Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner of White Cherry Entertainment. Broadway productions must officially open by April 26, 2012 to be considered eligible for a Tony Award nomination this year, and nominations will likely be announced in late April.

Peter and the Starcatcher announce Broadway run

Peter and the Starcatcher, a play that is a prequel to the original to the original Peter Pan, will begin previews at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on March 28 and will open on April 15. Directed by Roger Rees and Alex Timbers, the show features a company of 12 actors who portray more than 50 characters. Peter and the Starcatcher attempts to answer the question: How did Peter Pan become The Boy Who Refused To Grow Up? The show’s workshop performances received five 2011 Drama Desk nominations and won an award for Outstanding Music in a Play.

Upcoming Events at PlayhouseSquare

Flanagan’s Wake –presented by the Frankie Kong Players
Last Call Cleveland
YP Night at Last Call Cleveland
Ten Chimneys –presented by Cleveland Play House
HAIR –part of the KeyBank Broadway Series
HAIR Careers in the Performing Arts Distance Learning Program
HAIR Vocal Master Class
Ryan Adams with Jason Isbell

Slam U Writing Workshop
Joshua Seth’s Beyond Belief
Inbal Pinto & Avshalom Pollak – presented by Dance Cleveland

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This week’s theater news…

Published January 13th, 2012 by playhousesquare | No Comments

Rent star Colin Hanlon will channel Edward Cullen in Twilight: The Musical

Theater news for the week of January 7-January 13

Happening on Broadway …

Weeds Star Justin Kirk joins run of Other Desert Cities

Weeds star Justin Kirk is returning to Broadway in Robin Baitz’s Other Desert Cities, starring as Trip Wyeth. Other Desert Cities is currently running at the Booth Theatre. Kirk is known for his roles both on Broadway and on television. He starred in Terrence McNally’s Love! Valour! Compassion! and Baitz’s Ten Unknowns on Broadway; on television, he has a recurring role on Modern Family, has played Andy Botwin on Weeds and has received an Emmy nomination for his performance as Prior Walter in the HBO adaptation of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America.

Dates announced for Shatner’s World

Dates have been set for William Shatner’s one-man Broadway show, Shatner’s World: We Just Live in It. The Star Trek icon will star in the show, which is set to begin performances on February 14 at the Music Box Theatre and will run through March 4.

Rent star Colin Hanlon will channel Edward Cullen in Twilight: The Musical

Rent veteran Colin Hanlon (he played both Mark Cohen and Roger Davis) will star as Edward Cullen in the parody Twilight: The Musical-he will join previously announced Meghann Fahy and Jenna Leigh Green for a concert reading at New World Stages on January 16. Based on the book series by Stephenie Meyer, Twilight tells the story of Bella Swan, a teenage outcast who falls in love with Edward Cullen, a vampire.

Upcoming Events at PlayhouseSquare

Flanagan’s Wake –presented by the Frankie Kong Players
Last Call Cleveland
YP Night at Last Call Cleveland
Ten Chimneys –presented by Cleveland Play House
KEM with After 7
HAIR –part of the KeyBank Broadway Series
HAIR Careers in the Performing Arts Distance Learning Program
HAIR Vocal Master Class
Ryan Adams with Jason Isbell

Share your thoughts on this week’s news below, or talk to us on Facebook or Twitter!

This week’s theater news…

Published January 6th, 2012 by playhousesquare | No Comments

Spider Man, Turn Off the Dark broke the record for the highest single-week gross of any show in Broadway history in 2011.

Theater news for the week of December 31-January 6

Happening on Broadway …

Taylor Swift and Amanda Seyfried offered roles for Les Miserables

Grammy winner Taylor Swift has been offered the role of Eponine in Tom Hooper’s film adaptation of Les Miserables and Mamma Mia! actress Amanda Seyfried has been offered the role of Cosette. If they accept the roles, Swift and Seyfried would join the likes of Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, Aaron Tveit, Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter in the film, which begins production in February 2012.

18 shows gross more than one million dollars in 2011

2011 was a good year for Broadway, with more than 18 shows grossing more than one million dollars. Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark broke the record for the highest single-week gross of any show in Broadway history, taking in nearly $3 million; the former record holder, Wicked, also had a great week at $2.7 million in ticket sales. Other members of the million dollar club include How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and The Lion King.

The Help’s Jessica Chastain to star in Broadway revival of The Heiress

Golden Globe nominee Jessica Chastain will make her Broadway debut as the lead in the revival of Ruth and Augustus Goetz’s The Heiress. Directed by Moises Kaufman, the play is slated to open in fall 2012. Based on a Henry James’ novel, The Heiress tells the story of a young woman named Catherine Sloper, who turns the tables on the men in her life after she falls for a man whom her emotionally abusive father suspects is only after her money. Chastain was recently nominated for her role in The Help; other film credits include The Tree of Life and Take Shelter.

Upcoming Events at PlayhouseSquare

Joshua Seth’s Beyond Belief
Flanagan’s Wake –presented by the Frankie Kong Players
Elvis Birthday Tribute
Aaron D. Miller –presented by Town Hall of Cleveland and CWRU
Last Call Cleveland
Ten Chimneys –presented by Cleveland Play House
KEM with After 7
HAIR –part of the KeyBank Broadway Series

Share your thoughts on this week’s news below, or talk to us on Facebook or Twitter!

This week’s theater news…

Published December 30th, 2011 by playhousesquare | No Comments

Nicholas Spark’s The Notebook headed for Broadway

Theater news for the week of December 24-December 31

Happening on Broadway …

Nicholas Spark’s classic The Notebook headed for Broadway

Author Nicholas Sparks announced that his New York Times Best Seller, The Notebook, is taking on the Broadway stage. No dates have been set for the musical, which is currently in the works. “We’re still in development of this process,” Sparks said, “but the best way that I’ve always found…is to work with people that you really trust who understand what it’s about, and they want to take that and mold it into something new.” The Notebook, set in 1932, is the story of two North Carolina teens, one poor, one rich, who fall in love one summer and then don’t meet again for several years. The novel revolves around whether Allie Nelson, now engaged to an attorney, will leave him for Noah Calhoun, the man she really loves.

Complete cast of Broadway revival Jesus Christ Superstar announced

The complete cast of the Broadway revival Jesus Christ Superstar was announced this week. The show, set to open March 22 at the Neil Simon Theatre will feature Paul Nolan, Josh Young and Chilina Kennedy reprising their roles as Jesus Christ, Judas Iscariot and Mary Magdalene, respectively. The creative team for Jesus Christ Superstar includes choreographer Lisa Shriver, musical director Rick Fox, set designer Robert Brill, costume designer Paul Tazewell, lighting designer Howell Binkley, sound designer Steve Canyon Kennedy and video designer Sean Nieuwenhuis.

Dolly Parton plans Broadway musical of her life

Dolly Parton is currently working on writing her life story as a musical for Broadway. “I probably won’t be in it but I’ll find a way to introduce it somehow,maybe the older me” said Parton. This won’t be Parton’s first Broadway gig; she previously wrote all the music for the stage adaptation of her hit film, 9 to 5.

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Calling all Yarn Bombers

Published December 27th, 2011 by playhousesquare | 4 Comments

"Yarn Bombed" tree

Want to participate in a unique art installation at PlayhouseSquare? We’re looking for your help with our latest project: Yarn Bombing.

Yarn bombing, otherwise known as yarn storming, guerrilla knitting, or graffiti knitting, is a type of graffiti or street art that employs colorful displays of knitted or crocheted cloth rather than paint or chalk.

PlayhouseSquare is teaming up with Soft n’ Sassy in Broadview Heights to “Yarn Bomb” the Palace Theatre with a rainbow of color. The Yarn Bombing will be installed for the two weeks that HAIR will be in the Palace Theatre (January 17-29) and we need your help!

We are looking to include knitted or crocheted children’s hats, scarves & mittens/gloves in one of the following colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet. These pieces will hang in the Palace Theatre arranged in color spectrum order. After being on display for the Yarn Bombing, all pieces will be donated to University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital.

"Yarn Bombed" phone booth

We need your help to knit or crochet hats, scarves & mittens/gloves. This Yarn Bombing will not only be an amazing installation, but a great way to bring our community together by combining art work and a good cause. The children of Rainbow Babies will be able to have a little piece of art as well as stay warm for our Cleveland winter!

If you are interested in participating, please drop off your knitted or crocheted children’s hats, scarves & mittens/gloves to Soft n’ Sassy Yarns by January 11, 2012. Free patterns for children’s scarves, hats and mittens/gloves are available to pick up at Soft n’ Sassy. Special yarn will be available at half price for the project – check out our Yarn Bomb section at Soft n’ Sassy Yarns!

We are having a “Yarn Bomb Marathon” at Soft n’ Sassy January 6-7. The marathon starts at 10 a.m. each morning and goes all day each day. Bring your needles, your yarn, a food dish to share and be ready for fun!

Questions? Want to get involved? Call Soft ‘n Sassy at 440-746-9650. You can also visit Soft ‘n Sassy on Facebook here.

Hair is part of the KeyBank Broadway Series at PlayhouseSquare.

Holiday Season = Time Crunch

Published December 21st, 2011 by playhousesquare | No Comments

The holidays are quickly approaching and that means it’s a bit chaotic around Cleveland. Although we’ve gotten lucky with not having a lot of snow, the lack of snowflakes hasn’t put a damper on the holiday spirit that’s in the air. The stores are packed, traffic seems to be everywhere you go, and I’d be surprised if I heard anything but holiday music on the radio these days.

One of the things I both look forward to and dread during the holidays is shopping for my loved ones. I enjoy shopping, don’t get me wrong—and I love trying to pick out unique presents that suit everyone’s diverse personalities. But between work and helping my family get ready for the holidays, I still haven’t had time to get gifts for everyone on my list. It’s a problem that seems to be common amongst many people during the holiday season, and one that helped inspire us at PlayhouseSquare to provide an option for all of the last-minute, time-crunched shoppers out there.

PlayhouseSquare is introducing a new and convenient way to help Clevelanders celebrate the holidays this year–on Thursday, Dec. 22 from 7am-7pm, we will be holding the first PlayhouseSquare Gift Card Drive-Through curbside along Euclid avenue right in front of our theaters. Our staff will be using remote ticketing technology to allow people the opportunity to do some last minute holiday gift card shopping without even having to leave their cars-all you have to do is drive up, park in the Drive-Through, and let the service come to you!

You can learn more about our Gift Card Drive-Through here. We’re looking forward to seeing you on Thursday!

–Carly

This week’s theater news…

Published December 16th, 2011 by playhousesquare | No Comments

Cinderella to make first Broadway appearanceCinderella to make first Broadway appearance

Theater news for the week of December 10-December 16

Happening on Broadway …

Austin Powers headed for Broadway

Mike Myers is in discussion to adapt the popular movie series Austin Powers for Broadway. Although Myers himself wouldn’t appear on stage to reprise the role of Powers, he would be heavily involved in the writing and development of the show. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery hit movie theaters in May 1997, with two successive sequels: Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) and Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002).

Cinderella looking to premiere on Broadway in 2012-2013

The first Broadway production of Cinderella will potentially premiere in the 2012-2013 season. Cinderella was first produced as a made-for-television film in 1957; it will feature a new book by Douglas Carter Beane (Sister Act, Lysistrata Jones). The production is expected to feature several songs that were cut from other Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals including “Now is the Time” from South Pacific and “I’ve Lived and I’ve Loved” from The Sound of Music. The show will also have several storyline changes and elimination of some minor characters.

New musical It Shoulda Been You aims for Broadway launch

David Hyde Pierce’s new musical, It Shoulda Been You, is looking for a fall 2012 Broadway run. Featuring music by Barbra Anselmi and book/lyrics by Brian Hargrove, It Shoulda Been You follows a Jewish bride as she readies to marry her Catholic boyfriend. When the bride’s ex-boyfriend shows up, the perfect wedding starts to unravel, leaving the sister of the bride to turn a tangled mess into happily ever after.

Upcoming Events at PlayhouseSquare

The Game’s Afoot (or Holmes for the Holidays) –presented by Cleveland Play House
A Christmas Carol –presented by Great Lakes Theater
Neil Zaza’s One Silent Night
Joshua Seth’s Beyond Belief
Flanagan’s Wake –presented by the Frankie Kong Players
Elvis Birthday Tribute
Aaron D. Miller –presented by Town Hall of Cleveland and CWRU
Last Call Cleveland
Ten Chimneys –presented by Cleveland Play House
KEM with After 7
HAIR –part of the KeyBank Broadway Series

Share your thoughts on this week’s news below, or talk to us on Facebook or Twitter!

This week’s theater news…

Published December 9th, 2011 by playhousesquare | No Comments

Les Miserables set to begin filming in February 2012.

Theater news for the week of December 3 -December 9

Happening on Broadway …

Sacha Baron Cohen and Helen Bonham Carter join cast of upcoming Les Miserables movie

Les Miserables (the movie) is set to begin production in February 2012, with a star-studded cast including Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway and Eddie Redmayne. Sacha Baron Cohen (best known for Borat) and Helen Bonham Carter (Sweeny Todd, Harry Potter) are also joining the cast in the roles of Monsieur Thénardier and Madame Thénardier.

Once moving on up to Broadway

Once, based off the movie of the same name, is moving on up to Broadway starting February 28, 2012. Originally intended to be performed off-Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop, Once will open in mid-February, starring Steve Kazee and Cristin Milioti.

Broadway heading to TV’s Modern Family

Emmy winner Bobby Cannavale (Will and Grace, Sex and the City) and Tony winner Ellen Barkin (The Normal Heart) will guest star on TV’s Modern Family in early 2012. Cannavale will star as Louis, former partner of Fizbo, the alter ego of Cam (Eric Stonestreet). Barkin will play Vera, a tough-as-nails real estate broker who becomes enemies with Phil (Ty Burrell).

Upcoming Events at PlayhouseSquare

The Santaland Diaries
The Game’s Afoot (or Holmes for the Holidays) –presented by Cleveland Play House
A Christmas Carol –presented by Great Lakes Theater
The Nutcracker-Royal Winnipeg Ballet – presented by Fifth-Third Bank
Tinsel Town – A Holiday Celebration for Families at PlayhouseSquare, presented by PlayhouseSquare Partners
Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
Cleveland Jazz Orchestra Celebrates the Season, A Not So Silent Night – presented by Cleveland Jazz Orchestra
Jazz Up Your Holidays – presented by Cleveland Jazz Orchestra
Capitol Steps – presented by Town Hall Cleveland and CWRU
Jump Back Ball December Ticket Sales Happy Hour – presented by PlayhouseSquare Partners
The Singing Angels presents The Spirit of Christmas-featuring Peter Lawson Jones –presented by The Singing Angels
Neil Zaza’s One Silent Night

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Celebration!

Published December 7th, 2011 by playhousesquare | No Comments

Photo: Raul Esparza leads a vocal master class for Northeast Ohio college students the day before Celebration!

What a celebration we had this past Saturday night! To welcome Cleveland Play House and Cleveland State University to PlayhouseSquare, 860 guests gathered to view the transformed Allen Theatre and new Second Stage (the new Helen Rosenfeld Lewis Bialosky Lab Theatre will open in January 2012), wine and dine in our lobbies and on the State Theatre stage, enjoy a performance by the incomparable Raul Esparza and dance the night away to the sounds of Nitebridge.

Throughout the evening guests were treated to performances by students from Case Western Reserve University/Cleveland Play House MFA Acting Program; Cleveland School of the Arts; Cleveland State University, Department of Dance; Cleveland State University, Department of Music; Cleveland State University, Department of Theatre; Fairmount Center for the Arts; and St. Ignatius Clown Company.

Celebration!, presented by Huntington, raised $1 million in support of The Power of Three: The Allen Theatre Project, a first-of-its-kind collaboration between a university, performing arts center and regional theater.

We gratefully acknowledge Celebration! Chairs Char Fowler, Ellen Stirn Mavec and K.K. Sullivan; Honorary Chairs Lainie Hadden, Chloe Oldenburg and Michael Schwartz; and Vice Chairs Julie Bolton, Jenny Brown and Mebby Brown who planned the memorable evening. Many thanks also are owed to The Power of Three Campaign Committee led by Co-chairs Walter Kalberer and Alexander Pendleton. Every donor to the campaign has our deepest gratitude.

About Us

A not-for-profit performing arts center that presents and produces a wide variety of performing arts, advances arts education and creates a destination that is a superior location for entertainment business and residential living, thereby strengthening the economic vitality of the region.