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April 2005

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Welcome to the latest edition of the Live Broadway Fan Club newsletter, exclusively for members of the Broadway Fan Club. This month's newsletter is our most exciting yet, including an exclusive interview with Tony-award winning actress Sutton Foster, links to the latest new Broadway shows, spotlights on theatres and events in New York and on the road, and much more!

We hope you enjoy receiving this newsletter and will pass it on to friends and family members. They can join the Fan Club here. A link to our privacy policy and unsubscribe information can be found below. See you on Broadway!
A CONVERSATION WITH SUTTON FOSTER
Sutton Foster in
Little Women.
©2004 Joan Marcus
Recently, we sat down with Sutton Foster, currently starring as Jo March in the new Broadway musical, Little Women. Ms. Foster won the 2002 Tony Award® for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance as Millie Dillmount in Thoroughly Modern Millie. Below are some excerpts from the conversation, exclusively for our Broadway Fan Club members.
League: Did you read Little Women when you were growing up?

Sutton Foster: No! I had the book but I never actually got around to reading it. I did read the book this summer before going into rehearsals.

League: What kind of person is Jo March?

Sutton Foster: Jo is an empowered young woman who is determined to break the rules, to change her destiny, and do things that no woman has done before. Her dream in life is not to marry, but to break with tradition, and to make a name for herself. The book was written in the 1860s, but even today she is amazingly strong and determined and inspiring. In a time where there still hasn't been a woman president, we are still trying to gain equality across the board. But actually I think Jo is inspiring to everyone - young women, young men, all generations. Little Women tells a coming-of-age story that anyone can relate to. All the characters are strong and empowered.

League: What's it been like for you to re-create characters for the stage that have already appeared in other media?

Sutton Foster: The character of Millie was so much different than was in the film, so that was an easier transition. Little Women has been much more challenging because the novel is a beloved classic. People have very strong opinions about this character. I read a couple of different biographies of Louisa May Alcott, I read the novel, I watched all the films, and then I thought, "I'm not going to try to do someone else' interpretation. I'll just bring as much of myself to this part as I can." Unlike any other character I've played, Jo is so close to who Sutton is. I wanted to put as much of myself into this character as I could. And that's what I did.

Sutton Foster in
Little Women.
©2004 Joan Marcus

League: Do you find that the different theatres you perform in have different personalities?

Sutton Foster: Totally. The Marquis [where Thoroughly Modern Millie played] feels more like an auditorium, because it is more modern. My dressing room there was huge. At the Virginia [where Little Women is playing] my dressing room is about a quarter of the size. The Virginia really suits Little Women because it has so much character and such good energy.

League: What do you like to eat before the show?

Sutton Foster: I am addicted to Blimpies. Isn't that horrible? It's only three blocks away from the theatre, and I try to eat something light. I get a turkey sandwich, or a salad from Café Europa. I usually eat at around five o'clock and then I'll have a snack after.

ON THE ROAD: FAMILY FIRST NIGHTS

This year marks the 75th anniversary of The League of American Theatres and Producers, Inc. The following is the first in a series of profiles on theatres around the country who, like The League, are celebrating 75 years in the arts.

Click here for information on touring Broadway in YOUR city!

THE BUSHNELL CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS SERVES AS PILOT FOR LEAGUE OF AMERICAN THEATRES' FAMILY FIRST NIGHTS PROGRAM

Bringing Arts, Education and Community Together for 75 Years

The Bushnell Center for the
Performing Arts in Hartford, CT
(Robert Benson Photography)

In March of this year, The Bushnell partnered with The League of American Theatres and Producers, Inc. to pilot a new program, "Family First Nights," designed for underserved families to attend theater together on a regular basis.

On Saturday, March 12, the first phase of the program was launched. At the matinee performance of Little Shop of Horrors, more than 30 underserved families from the greater Hartford area were introduced to live theater. After the performance, the families attended a reception with staff from the League where they discussed their first theatrical experience. One mother shook the hand of a League staff member and told him, "You've opened a door for my daughter that will never be shut."

In addition to Little Shop of Horrors, The Bushnell's presentations of Peter Pan in April and My Fair Lady in the fall will also participate in the program.

The Bushnell has delighted and inspired audiences for 75 years and plays a leading role in the state's cultural life. The Bushnell, a nonprofit organization, is renowned for community programs, as well as being a leading educator and advocate of the arts. On January 13, 2005, The Bushnell celebrated its 75th Anniversary.

The Bushnell hosts more than 450 events yearly, including major Broadway tours, symphony orchestras, family presentations, local arts and community events. In November 2001, The Bushnell completed a $45 million expansion project that added a second, 907-seat theatre to the existing historic structure. The new, state-of-the-art performance hall allows for expanded arts, entertainment and community offerings.

Visit the Bushnell by clicking here.

SPOTLIGHT ON...
THE LYCEUM THEATER
From its inaugural production, The Proud Prince in 1903, to the current run of Steel Magnolias, the Lyceum is the oldest continually used Broadway theatre. Built by producer-manager Daniel Frohman, the building was designed in a Beaux Arts style by architects Herts and Tallant with a handsome gray limestone façade, six ornate Corinthian columns, a wide marquee, and gas torches to illuminate it. At the time it was built, the Lyceum included such singular characteristics as a modern ventilation system, with air passing over either ice chambers or steam coils, dressing rooms with separate bathrooms (an innovation for the time), and elevators that descended 30 feet below the stage for scenery changes (another marvel of modern technology).
Daniel Frohman at his desk in the apartment above the Lyceum. Photo: Whitney Cox, courtesy of The Shubert Archives.

Over the theater, Frohman built an apartment for himself that included an office, a rehearsal studio and a library complete with a secret door offering a bird's eye view of the stage below. Legend has it that he would wave a white handkerchief out the open door at his wife, the actress Margaret Illington, whenever he felt she was overacting.

The secret door, with view of the stage below.

The Lyceum's early years saw some of the best the American theater had to offer: Lionel Barrymore in The Other Girl (1903), Ethel Barrymore in A Doll's House (1906), and Margaret Illington (aka Mrs. Frohman) in The Thief (1907). Other notable productions included Clifford Odet's The Country Girl with Uta Hagen (1950), A Hatful of Rain (1955) with Shelley Winters, and Harold Pinter's The Caretaker with Alan Bates (1961). Recent tenants included Our Town with Spalding Gray (1988) and Doug Wright's Tony and Pulitzer-winning I am My Own Wife (2003).

For a complete list of productions at the Lyceum, click here.

For larger and additional photos of The Lyceum, click here.
JUST IN TIME FOR MOTHER'S/FATHER'S DAY AND GRADUATION!
Available in various denominations, The Broadway Visa Gift Card™ can be used to purchase tickets to any show at the 39 Broadway playhouses in New York, as well as at theaters in the 140 other cities that touring Broadway shows visit every year. Tickets can be obtained in person at the box office, by telephone, on the Internet — wherever Visa debit cards are accepted.
Click here to learn more!

GENERATION BROADWAY

Generation Broadway (www.generationbroadway.com) is the new website JUST FOR KIDS (and parents, of course)! Here you will find comprehensive information about Broadway - its past, present and future - plus games, activities and exercises for your little ones to enjoy!
BROADWAY OPEN HOUSE
Broadway Open House is the ONLY walking tour that allows you inside access into two of Broadway's historic theatres. Tours depart from the Broadway Ticket Center, located inside the Times Square Information Center at 1560 Broadway, Tuesdays through Saturdays at 10 AM.
Click here to learn more.