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News ... ... News ... ... News ... ... News
Fame
to Last Longer at West End's Aldwych
30th January 2003
"Fame! I'm Gonna Live Forever!" Well, maybe not, but at least audiences will have an extra six months to catch the show: Fame, the musical, has extended its run at the Aldwych by a six-month booking period.The show, based on the film and TV series of the same name, is now booking through Oct. 25, 2003.
Article from Theatrenow
Les
Miz Extension On Sale Beginning Feb. 1;
Show Must Close May 18
1st February 2003
Tickets for the nine-week extension of Les Misérables — through May 18 at the Imperial Theatre on Broadway — go on sale the morning of Feb. 1, by phone and at the box office.Producer Cameron Mackintosh announced Jan. 30 that Les Misérables, which previously announced a closing date of March 15, will extend its Broadway run by an additional nine weeks through Sunday May 18 only.
The final five performances (May 15-18) have been taken off sale until final performance events have been finalized.
Ticket sales for the musical have "soared" since the closing was announced in October of last year, according to the producer. Mackintosh promises this will be the only extension for this historic production, as the Broadway set is due in Berlin for a production of Les Miz.
Additionally, a restoration of The Imperial Theatre must be completed prior to the fall opening of the new musical, The Boy From Oz.
Mackintiosh said in a statement: "Les Miserables continues to surprise me with its extraordinary ability to attract new audiences that never fail to fall under its emotional spell. For the numerous people who've written to me saying they can't visit Broadway to see the show again until the spring, this will be an extra opportunity for them to say, 'Au Revoir.'"
Coinciding with the musical's final weeks, two-time Tony Award nominee and Broadway's original Inspector Javert, Terrence Mann, returns to the role beginning Tuesday, Feb. 4 for a limited time. There has been talk for weeks that Colm Wilkinson has been wooed to return to the role of Valjean, but no such casting has been announced.
Complete details for the closing celebrations of the megahit will be announced in the coming weeks.
For ticket information, call Tele-charge at (212) 239-6200. Les Miz plays 7 PM Tuesdays, 8 PM Wednesday- Saturday, 2 PM Wednesday and Saturday and 3 PM Sunday.
Article from Playbill
From
London to Broadway:
Chicago's Marti Pellow May Join Cast at the Ambassador Theatre
31st January 2003
Theatrenow reports that Marti Pellow, who co-starred as Billy Flynn in the London production of Chicago last year, is to reprise the role on Broadway beginning March 17.Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson is currently playing the slick lawyer at Broadway's Ambassador Theatre through March 9. A spokesperson for the New York production said that nothing is finalized, although negotiations are in progress for Pellow's N.Y. arrival. This would mark the Broadway debut for Pellow, who was a member of the Scottish band Wet Wet Wet before starting a solo career.
Several stars of the London production of the Kander and Ebb musical have made the trans-Atlantic trip to Broadway, including Ruthie Henshall, Denise Van Outen, Ute Lemper and Caroline O'Connor; the latter is currently starring in the Broadway company as Velma Kelly. The Ambassador Theatre is located at 215 West 49th Street. For ticket information, call Telecharge at (212) 239-6200 or visit www.telecharge.com.
The London production continues to run at the Adelphi Theatre, while the film of the musical — directed by Rob Marshall — is currently playing in theatres in both London and the U.S.
Article from Playbill
Wicked
to Fly Into Gershwin in Fall
31st January 2003
Wicked, Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman's new musical riff on the story of Oz, has found a Broadway home at the Gershwin Theatre, the New York Times reported.No official announcement about Wicked's New York destination has been made, though the Gershwin is widely expected to be the goal of the new show. A spokesman for the production said that the announcemnet in the Times was premature.
Oklahoma!, the current resident at the Gershwin, this week announced it would shutter in spring.
Kristin Chenoweth, the sought after musical comedy actress who won a Tony Award for her Sally Brown in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, but hasn't been in a Broadway musical since, will begin rehearsals on March 31 for the show.
"The music Stephen has done—brace yourself. It's wonderful," said Chenoweth, discussing her new stage assignment with Playbill On-Line. The actress said the score does not compare to any of Schwartz's past works, but is a complete departure. "It's a fantasy, but it's all a real show. It's not going to be all spectacle. It's got a lot of heart in it."
The blonde, comic-voiced Chenoweth will play a part many think is tailor made for her: Glinda the Good Witch of the North, the too-good-to-be-true sorceress made famous by Billie Burke in the 1939 film of "The Wizard of Oz." Wicked is based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, which purports to tell the true story of Elphaba, "The Wizard of Oz"'s Wicked Witch of the West. Raised in the backwaters of Oz but sent to school in the city, the future Wicked Witch suffers through her dormmate Glinda's prissy behavior, becomes a radical animal rights activist and falls in love.
Rent's original Maureen, Idina Menzel, will play Elphaba. Norbert Leo Butz will portray the handsome young Fiyero in Wicked, Carole Shelley is the headmistress of the school attended by both witches, Madame Morrible; and, said Chenoweth, Robert Morse (How to Succeed...., Tru) is all by certain to play the Wizard.
Chenoweth is frank about the fact that Glinda is not the focus of the piece. She said she has an opening song and two duets with Menzel. "I do wish I were singing more," said Chenoweth, "but the reason I took this role was for the acting. It is a wonderful role. Very funny and very dark. Glinda's not so good. It's what makes her good in the end—that's the transition you'll see."
The musical will begin performances May 27 at San Francisco's Curran Theatre and run there until June 29. It will then take a break and officially open in New York on Oct. 30, probably at one of Broadway's biggest houses, though not theatre has been announced.
Article from Playbill
Bway
Les Miz Lives "One Day More," Extending to May 18
30th January 2003
Producer Cameron Mackintosh announced Jan. 30 that Les Miserables, which previously announced a closing date of March 15, will extend its Broadway run by an additional nine weeks through Sunday May 18 only.Ticket sales for the musical have "soared" since the closing was announced in October of last year, according to the producer. Mackintosh promises this will be the only extension for this historic production, as the Broadway set is due in Berlin for a production of Les Miz.
Additionally, a restoration of The Imperial Theatre must be completed prior to the fall opening of the new musical, The Boy From Oz.
Mackintiosh said in a statement: "Les Miserables continues to surprise me with its extraordinary ability to attract new audiences that never fail to fall under its emotional spell. For the numerous people who've written to me saying they can't visit Broadway to see the show again until the spring, this will be an extra opportunity for them to say, 'Au Revoir.'"
Coinciding with the musical's final weeks, two-time Tony Award nominee and Broadway's original Inspector Javert, Terrence Mann, returns to the role beginning Tuesday, Feb. 4 for a limited time.
Complete details for the closing celebrations of the megahit will be announced in the coming weeks.
The new block of tickets (including the 16th Anniversary on March 12) will go on sale starting Saturday morning, Feb. 1. The final five performances (May 15-18) have been taken off sale until final performance events have been finalized.
Article from Playbill
"Chicago"
Soundtrack Soars on Billboard Charts
30th January 2003
The soundtrack to the Miramax film "Chicago" continues to fly off the shelves.Variety reports that the recording of the Kander and Ebb songs by Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renée Zellweger and Richard Gere moved from fourth to second place in the Billboard charts in its second week in record stores. The Epic Records CD sold nearly 92,000 units during the week past, bringing the total sales to 176,000 copies. The best seller of the week was Norah Jones' debut disc, "Come Away With Me," on the Blue Note label, which sold 112,000 copies.
The Golden Globe Award-winning "Chicago" also did well at the box office last week. The Rob Marshall-directed motion picture moved into the number three spot, bringing in a weekend gross of $8.5 million, a remarkable feat for a movie that is still in limited release. To date, "Chicago" has grossed a total of $40.6 million, just a few million shy of its estimated $45 million price tag. The film will open everywhere Feb. 7, just a few days prior to this year's Oscar nominations: The 75th Anniversary Academy Award nominations will be announced Feb. 11.
Article from Playbill
Bway
Oklahoma! Will End In Spring
29th January 2003
The end is in sight for the Broadway run of Oklahoma!, according to print advertisements appearing Jan. 29."Broadway engagement must end this spring!" the ads read. A spokesman said no date has yet been announced for the final performance of the Tony Award-nominated Cameron Mackintosh revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic.
Performances continue at the Gershwin Theatre. There is no official announcement of the next show for the Gershwin, and no official announcement of a national tour for Oklahoma!, though some touring houses around the country have announced the show for its 2003 season.
The Cameron Mackintosh revival began at the Royal National Theatre in London in 1998 and was embraced as a fresh, more naturalistic view of the hardscrabble folks of "Indian territory." Trevor Nunn directs, Susan Stroman choreographs. The cast includes Patty Duke, Stephen R. Buntrock, Josefina Gabrielle, Jessica Boevers, Merwin Foard, Justin Bohon, Aasif Mandi, Michael McCarty and John Jellison.
Article from Playbill
She'll
Do it With Finesse:
Bway Gypsy Casts its Tessie Tura
29th January 2003
The upcoming revival of Gypsy — featuring direction by Academy Award winner Sam Mendes — has found its Tessie Tura.Californian Heather Lee will play the "demure" stripper in the revival of the Arthur Laurents-Jule Styne-Stephen Sondheim musical, which stars two-time Tony Award winner Bernadette Peters as "Mama" Rose. Lee will join Julie Halston's Electra and Kate Buddeke's Mazeppa for the second-act show stopper "You Gotta Have a Gimmick." Lee was seen in the Broadway revival of Guys and Dolls and has also appeared in several concerts for the L.A. Reprise! series.
Rehearsals began Jan. 27 for Gypsy, which begins previews at the Shubert Theatre March 31 prior to an official opening May 1. As previously announced, others in the cast include John Dossett as Herbie, Tammy Blanchard as Louise, Kate Reinders as Dainty June, David Burtka as Tulsa, Heather Tepe as Baby June, Addison Timlin as Baby Louise, Julie Halston as both Miss Cratchit and Electra, Kate Buddeke as Mazeppa, Brooks Ashmanskas as Mr. Goldstone and Pastey, William Parry as Pop and Kringelein and Michael McCormick as Uncle Jocko and Cigar.
Article from Playbill
"A
Brand New Start to Do that Jazz":
Chicago Reopens at the Ambassador Theatre
29th January 2003
As the film of "Chicago" — directed by Rob Marshall — continues to rack up awards and nominations, the live Broadway musical — directed by Walter Bobbie — is set to reopen at the Ambassador Theatre Jan. 29.The Kander and Ebb musical, which recently ended a lengthy run at the Shubert Theatre on Jan. 26 — to pave the way for the upcoming revival of Gypsy starring Bernadette Peters — will begin its open-ended run at the Ambassador with a 2 PM matinee. U.K. stage star Caroline O'Connor and Chicago veteran Belle Calaway will star as, respectively, Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart. Kevin Richardson — of Backstreet Boys fame — will play slick lawyer Billy Flynn, and the remainder of the cast includes Roz Ryan as Matron "Mama" Morton, M. Agnes as Mary Sunshine and Rob Bartlett as Amos Hart.
Article from Playbill
National
Tour of a Revised Camelot, in Fall 2004,
Will Aim for Broadway
28th January 2003
Glenn Casale, the director who reimagined the musical, Peter Pan, in the 1990s, will lead the team reinventing Lerner and Loewe's Camelot for the 2000s, he told Playbill On-Line.Members of the same creative group that sent out a tour of Peter Pan starring Cathy Rigby — landing on Broadway in 1998-99 with a Best Revival Tony nomination — will launch the romantic King Arthur fable in fall 2004.
"It's going to tour and then hopefully go into New York," Casale told Playbill On-Line. "They're looking for a star."
Anita Waxman, Elizabeth Williams and Tom McCoy are the producing partners for the venture. A tour schedule and Broadway target date may very well depend on a star's itinerary. Peter Pan's Patti Colombo will choreograph.
Casale said he's working with the writers' estates to reshape the show, which had a famously rocky Toronto tryout during which director Moss Hart suffered a heart attack back in 1960; lyricist-librettist Alan Jay Lerner took the helm. The musical sticks in the American public's imagination partly because John F. Kennedy's administration was linked to the idea of Camelot. The president's widow said he liked the title song and the democratic ideals presented in the story (the musical is drawn from a section of T.H. White's Arthur-rich novel, "The Once and Future King").
The show's 873-performance run was fueled by Lerner and composer Frederick Loewe's reputation for My Fair Lady, and by appearances by stars Julie Andrews and Richard Burton on "The Ed Sullivan Show."
Article from Playbill
SAG
Award Nominees Announced:
"Chicago" and "The Hours" Rack Up More Noms
28th January 2003
Melissa Gilbert, Megan Mullally and Michael Clarke Duncan announced Jan. 28 the nominations for the 9th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performances during 2002.Nominees were chosen in five theatrical motion picture categories and ten television categories. Winners will be presented with their statuettes on Sunday, March 9 at the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center. The awards ceremony will be televised live on Turner Network Television (TNT) at 8 PM ET/PT. Check local listings.
Both "Chicago" — directed by Rob Marshall — and David Hare's "The Hours" — directed by Stephen Daldry — picked up a slew of nominations for its actors. Richard Gere, the Billy Flynn of "Chicago," was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role, while his co-star, Renée Zellweger, was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role. Zellweger was nominated against Nicole Kidman, who portrays Virginia Woolf in "The Hours." Others in that category include Salma Hayek ("Frida"), Diane Lane ("Unfaithful") and Julianne Moore ("Far From Heaven"). Moore was also nominated for her work in "The Hours" in the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role category. Her competitors in that category include two "Chicago" stars, Queen Latifah and Catherine Zeta-Jones, as well as Kathy Bates ("About Schmidt") and Michelle Pfeiffer ("White Oleander").
The casts of "Chicago" and "The Hours" were also nominated in the Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture category. Other films vying for that award include "Adaptation," "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" and "My Big Fat Greek Wedding."
For a complete list of SAG nominees, go to www.sagawards.org.
Article from Playbill
We Will Rock
You Adds Extra Matinee & Hikes Price
28th January 2003
Queen musical We Will Rock You has added an additional matinee performance to its monthly schedule. From 26 February 2003, there will be an extra performance held at the West End's Dominion Theatre on the last Wednesday of every month at 2.30pm.
The musical currently has no midweek matinee. Shortly after opening to damning reviews on 14 May 2002 (previews from 22 April), it's Friday afternoon performances were pulled. Despite its shaky start, the show has defied the critics to become one of the year's biggest blockbusters.
Prices for the new performance will be set at midweek rates, ranging from £22.50 to £40. At the same time, prices for weekend performances have been hiked up to £45 for top-price seats on Fridays and Saturday matinees and a full £50 (or £54.25 with booking fee) on Saturday evenings, the most popular night of the week.
Article from What's on Stage
Ball Extends
as Sheen & Others Join Chitty Cast
28th January 2003
Michael Ball has extended his contract by four months in the £6.2 million production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the West End's London Palladium. He'll continue to star as Caractacus Potts until 19 July 2003.
From 17 March 2003, he'll be joined by new cast members Caroline Sheen (as Truly Scrumptious), Victor Spinetti (Baron Bomburst), Sandra Dickinson (Baroness Bomburst) and Derek Griffiths (The Child Catcher) who take over from, respectively, Emma Williams, Brian Blessed, Nichola McAuliffe and Peter Polycarpou. Original star Anton Rodgers (Grandpa Potts) will remain in the cast.
Article from What's on Stage
"Chicago"
Grosses Continue to Soar: #3 at Box Office for Jan. 24 Weekend
27th January 2003
"Chicago" — directed by Rob Marshall — continued to climb the box-office charts for the weekend of Jan. 24.The Golden Globe Award-winning film of the Kander and Ebb musical moved into the number three spot, bringing in a weekend gross of $8.5 million. It's a remarkable feat for a movie that is still in limited release; "Chicago" was available at only 616 screens for the weekend past. The top two box-office grossers for the weekend, "Darkness Falls" ($12.5 million) and "Kangaroo Jack" ($11.9 million), were shown on 2,837 and 2,848 screens, respectively.
To date, "Chicago" has grossed a total of $40.6 million, just a few million shy of its estimated $45 million price tag. Other top draws of the Jan. 24-26 weekend included "Just Married," "National Security," "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," "Catch Me If You Can," "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," "About Schmidt" and "The Hours."
"Chicago," starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renée Zellweger and Richard Gere, debuted in the top-20 markets Dec. 27 and then opened at 300 other screens Jan. 3. The much-in-the-news film had another limited expansion Jan. 17 — for a total of 557 screens — and a further expansion Jan. 24; the film will open everywhere Feb. 7. The wide release comes just a few days before this year's Oscar nominations: The 75th Anniversary Academy Award nominations will be announced Feb. 11.
Rob
Marshall's "Chicago" Nominated for 12 BAFTA Awards Including Best Film
27th January 2003
Nominations for The Orange British Academy Film Awards — the British equivalent of the Oscars — were announced Jan. 27. The Rob Marshall directed "Chicago" picked up 12 BAFTA nods."Chicago," starring Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere, received a Best Film nomination; others in that category include "Gangs of New York," "The Hours," "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" and "The Pianist." In addition to Best Film, "Chicago" also received nominations in these categories: The David Lean Award for Achievement in Direction (Rob Marshall), Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Renée Zellweger), Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Queen Latifah and Catherine Zeta-Jones), The Anthony Asquith Award for Achievement in Film Music (Danny Elfman/John Kander/Fred Ebb), Cinematography (Dion Beebe), Production Design (John Myhre), Costume Design (Colleen Atwood), Editing (Martin Walsh), Sound, and Make-Up/Hair (Jordan Samuel/Judi Cooper Sealy).
The awards ceremony will be held Feb. 23 at the Odeon in Leicester Square. Stephen Fry will host the annual ceremony, which will be broadcast on BBC1. For a complete list of this year's nominees, go to www.bafta.org
Theatre
Dark: Dance of the Vampires Closes on Broadway
25th January 2003
After playing its 56th performance — following 61 previews — Broadway's Dance of the Vampires closes at the Minskoff Theatre Jan. 25. The musical based on the Roman Polanski film, "The Fearless Vampire Killers," opened Dec. 9 to critical disapproval. Capitalized at $12 million, the tuner began performances Oct. 16 following a brief postponement due to technical issues. The opening was also delayed due to director John Rando's absence as he attended to his ailing mother.
There are no plans for a Broadway cast recording, tour or regional productions at present, a spokesperson confirmed.
Tony Award winner John Rando (Urinetown) directed and John Carrafa (Urinetown, Into The Woods) choreographed the musical scored by Jim Steinman with a book by David Ives, Steinman and Michael Kunze (who is also credited with the original German book and lyrics).
Dance of the Vampires marked Michael Crawford's first return to Broadway since starring in The Phantom of the Opera. Rene Auberjonois (City of Angels), Mandy Gonzalez, Max von Essen, Ron Orbach, Asa Somers, Liz McCartney, Leah Hocking and Mark Price also lead the cast of the show.
Article from Playbill
Bernadette
Peters Gypsy Set to Begin Rehearsals
24th January 2003
Rehearsals for the upcoming revival of Gypsy begin Monday, January 27.Starring two-time Tony Award winner Bernadette Peters in the role of "Mama" Rose, the much-anticipated production of the Arthur Laurents-Jule Styne-Stephen Sondheim musical will begin performances at the Shubert Theatre March 31 prior to an official opening May 1.
As previously announced on Playbill On-Line, others in the cast include John Dossett as Herbie, Tammy Blanchard as Louise, Kate Reinders as Dainty June, David Burtka as Tulsa, Heather Tepe as Baby June, Addison Timlin as Baby Louise, Julie Halston as both Miss Cratchit and Electra, Kate Buddeke as Mazeppa, Brooks Ashmanskas as Mr. Goldstone and Pastey, William Parry as Pop and Kringelein and Michael McCormick as Uncle Jocko and Cigar. A spokesperson for the production said the musical is still searching for its Tessie Tura and two Hollywood Blondes. A complete casting announcement is expected shortly.
Is
Guys and Dolls Next for Miramax?
24th January 2003
Now that the film of "Chicago" seems on its way to be a major success — it won three Golden Globes Jan. 19 including Best Musical or Comedy — Miramax is looking toward other stage-to-screen musical projects.Liz Smith reports that the film company headed by Harvey Weinstein is interested in bringing Damon Runyon's mythical group of saints and sinners to the screen. The gossip maven writes, "It drifts down to me from a Vin Diesel insider that the bicep-laden movie star and Miramax are talking now of bringing the epic 'Guys and Dolls' to the big screen. Estate rights are being negotiated." Smith also explains that Miramax plans to reset the classic musical comedy in modern times.
Capturing the gritty, streetwise spirit of New York, Guys and Dolls features a score by Frank Loesser and a book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows that was based on Damon Runyon's story and characters. The classic Loesser score includes such tunes as "If I Were a Bell," "I've Never Been in Love Before," "My Time of Day," "I'll Know," "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat," "A Bushel and a Peck," "Luck Be a Lady" and the title tune.
The original Broadway production of Guys and Dolls opened at the 46th Street Theatre in Nov. 1950, running 1,200 performances before closing Nov. 28, 1953. Among the premiere cast were Robert Alda as Sky Masterson, Isabel Bigley as Sarah Brown, Sam Levene as Nathan Detroit and Vivian Blaine as Miss Adelaide. Blaine re-created her role for the 1955 film, which also starred Marlon Brando as Sky Masterson, Jean Simmons as Sarah Brown and Frank Sinatra as Nathan Detroit.
The most recent Broadway revival was mounted at the Martin Beck Theatre in March 1992. Directed by Jerry Zaks, the Tony-winning production cast Peter Gallagher as Sky, Josie de Guzman as Sarah Brown, Nathan Lane as Nathan Detroit and Faith Prince as Miss Adelaide. Prince won a Tony for her performance in the musical, which ran 1,143 performances.
"Chicago"
Movie Soundtrack Debuts High on Billboard Charts
22nd January 2003
The soundtrack to the movie of John Kander and Freb Ebb's musical Chicago has made a lofty debut in its first week on the Billboard Charts. The album ranked fourth in Billboard's "Top 200" list.The soundtrack beat out such bestselling pop, rock and rap artists as Eminem, Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliot. Holding down the top spot was "Come Away with Me" by Norah Jones, followed by Avril Lavigne at number two and the Dixie Chicks at number three.
The Jones album sold 114,000 to "Chicago"'s 83,000. The film disc perhaps owes its strong showing in part to having been released during a typically slow time of year in the music world calendar.
In addition to winning three Golden Globe Awards, including Best Musical or Comedy, the Miramax film brought in an estimated $8 million at the box office this past week, despite its limited-release status. That's over a 40 percent increase from the previous weekend, which brought in $5.6 million. The film remained one of the top-ten draws of the weekend, with a cumulative total nearing $28 million.
Lloyd
Webber's Phantom & Beautiful Game Have Screen Plans
21st
January 2003
Both Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals The Phantom of the Opera and The Beautiful Game are gearing up for stage-to-screen adaptations.Variety reports that The Phantom of the Opera — one of Lord Lloyd Webber's most successful stage ventures — is aiming for an October start. Lloyd Webber recently bought the Phantom film rights back from Warner Bros., and Austin Shaw, who is the managing director of Really Useful Films, is now in Los Angeles to begin casting the projected $50-$60 million film. Shaw told the industry paper that Hugh Jackman — scheduled to bow on Broadway in The Boy From Oz — and Antonio Banderas, who will make his Broadway debut in the upcoming revival of Nine, head the list of possible title players.
Shaw also said that Lloyd Webber's most recent West End musical, The Beautiful Game, is aiming for an October screen start as well. Ben Elton, who wrote that show's book and lyrics, has completed a draft of the script. Elton previously described the short-lived musical thusly: "Set in Belfast mainly between 1969 and 1972, [The Beautiful Game] concerns the fortunes of a group of young men and women centered around a local youth football team — these young people have the misfortune to come of age at the beginning of a time of terrible trouble in Northern Ireland and the drama follows their efforts to live their lives against a backdrop of ever increasing sectarian division and violence. Some of the characters are drawn into the conflict, others stand aside wanting only to be allowed to get on with their lives in peace."
Serbian director Srdjan Dragojevic ("Pretty Village, Pretty Flames") has been lined up to direct Beautiful Game. Says Really Useful's Shaw, "[Dragojevic is] wonderful, and has a very clear vision of what he wants to do. And because Srdjan is from another conflict altogether, he doesn't bring any prejudices." The film will be shot in Northern Ireland, most likely with a cast of young, unknown Irish actors.
There have also been stage-to-screen discussions of two other Lloyd Webber musicals, Sunset Boulevard, which itself is based on the classic Billy Wilder black-and-white film; and Aspects of Love, which has a film script written by Indiscretions's Jeremy Sams. There are no directors or film dates attached to either of these two projects, however.
Rob
Marshall Nominated for Directors Guild Award for "Chicago"
21st January 2003
The Miramax film "Chicago" — directed by Rob Marshall — continues to rack up awards and nominations.Earlier in the week, the film of the Kander and Ebb musical received three Golden Globe Awards, including one for Best Musical or Comedy. On Jan. 21, the Directors Guild of America announced its nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2002. The five nominees include Marshall for "Chicago," Stephen Daldry for "The Hours," Peter Jackson for "Lord of the Rings: Two Towers," Roman Polanski for "The Pianist" and Martin Scorsese for "Gangs of New York."
The winner of the award will be announced at the 55th Annual DGA Awards Dinner, which will be held March 1 at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles. The DGA Award is an amazingly accurate barometer of who will win the Academy Award for Best Director. Only five times since the DGA Award's inception — in 1949 — have the two awards not coincided.
"Chicago" — which opens wide Feb. 7 — also nabbed three awards, including Best Picture, at the Broadcast Film Critics Association's eighth annual Critics' Choice Awards. The ceremony, held Jan. 17 at the Beverly Hills Hotel, also awarded prizes to Catherine Zeta-Jones for Best Supporting Actress and to the entire company of "Chicago" for Best Acting Ensemble. Representing 187, TV, radio and on-line critics, the BCFA is the largest critics organization in North America.
Bombay
Dreams of Toronto First, then Broadway
21st January 2003
The new West End musical Bombay Dreams — produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber — is eyeing Toronto for its North American debut.Variety reports that the musical about a handsome young slum-dweller and his dreams of becoming a Bollywood movie star will have an autumn debut at one of the Mirvish theatres in Toronto before heading to Broadway in 2004. On Sept. 30, Lloyd Webber had announced that Bombay Dreams would open on Broadway in the spring of 2004. In a statement at that time, Lloyd Webber said, "[Composer] A. R. Rahman is nothing short of a melodic genius. It has been thrilling to watch London theatregoers embrace Bombay Dreams with such fervor. Bringing this talent and this musical to Broadway brings my own dreams for this project full-circle."
The September announcement also said that the musical will be produced on Broadway by Lloyd Webber, with direction by Steven Pimlott (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) and choreography by Anthony Van Laast and Farah Khan. The production is designed by Mark Thompson with lighting by Hugh Vanstone and sound design by Mick Potter.
It's
Official: Terrence Mann Returns to Bway Les Miz
21st January 2003
One of the worst-kept secrets of the current season — the return of Terrence Mann to his Tony Award-nominated role of Inspector Javert in Broadway's Les Misérables — was confirmed by a spokesman for the show on Jan. 20.
Mann's official website had previously announced the casting. Mann returns to the show in its final weeks, Feb. 4-March 15. The Broadway run ends March 15 at the Imperial Theatre. The show's 16th anniversary on Broadway is March 12.
Mann will again play monomaniacal Javert, who hunts down ex-con Jean Valjean (created by Colm Wilkinson in London and on Broadway) in early 19th-century France, as the country roils with political and social change.
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