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NOTE: This is an archived version of this newsletter. Not all shows and offers still apply. Some links may no longer be accessible. |
 November '07 |
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With Rosie O'Donnell as National Ambassador, Kids' Night on Broadway ticket sales are now underway in New York City. On Kids' Night, children age 6-18 see a show for free when accompanied by a full-paying adult. |
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Tickets are going fast, and while some shows are sold out, there are still plenty of great seats available! Visit KidsNightOnBroadway.com for participating shows, restaurant offers, parking deals and much, much more. Check back frequently as more Kids' Night on Broadway events across the U.S. are announced throughout the autumn and winter. |
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August: Osage County is directed by another Steppenwolf member, Anna D. Shapiro, who is making her Broadway debut. The company features 11 of the original 13 Steppenwolf cast members. We recently caught up with Mr. Letts, Ms. Shapiro, and the cast to talk about the play and about coming to Broadway. Tracy Letts: The play is based on actual family experience. My grandfather disappeared when I was 10 years old, and it's an event that has continued to have ripples in my family for generations now. It's something I've always turned over in my head and thought about writing, and in the last few years I thought I was finally at a place where I could write it. Anna D. Shapiro: It's a fantastic story. There's a tapestry of people that are all connected. To have a new American story on Broadway is really great because we don't often get that. We're all thrilled to be a part of it. I think that what's special about Tracy's writing is that he is both incredibly funny and incredibly dark. Also he's extremely smart. Funny and dark if you're not smart is just annoying! Deanna Dunagan ["Violet Weston"]: It's a very important play. It's an important metaphor for our country in these current times. Shapiro: Whenever you're talking about the kind of failure of the patriarchy and the dissolution of the American family, there's a social echo. It is connected to this moment in American history where some of our old models aren't working anymore. Dunagan: Also it's very funny, and the language is just brilliant. Steppenwolf was founded in 1976 and is renowned for its ensemble-based approach. How does this impact the work? |
Shapiro: We have so many Steppenwolf ensemble members in this play, and so many of them have worked together so often that they really have a rhythm with each other. It's not just that they have the same technique. They actually have learned each other's energy. They really trust one another and as a result I think they're really trusting with me. Ian Barford ["Little Charles"]: Since Tracy is also an ensemble member, he wrote the play with this company in mind. So I think that the marriage of the writing style and the acting and directing style is very potent. |
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Letts: The people in our ensemble are really good, and that challenges me as a writer to create something that is worthy of them, that excites them, that ignites their interest. Barford: There's a line in the play that Fran [Guinan] and Rondi [Reed] have been married 38 years. Well, these people have been working together for 35 years! It's a well-oiled machine. Traveling to New York City from Chicago with the show was not an easy decision for some of the cast members. How did you feel about packing up and moving east? Francis Guinan ["Charlie Aiken"]: We definitely wanted to come, but we're not a bunch of itinerant gypsies anymore. Rondi Reed ["Mattie Fae Aiken"]: We have families and animals and homes back in Chicago, so we're not as footloose and fancy free as we used to be to just pick up and go. Dunagan: When I went to the post office and wanted to change my address, they wouldn't let me because I didn't know when I was going to be returning! Also, it's harder to live in New York. I'm used to jumping in my car and heading to the store. It's a different life here. |
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Dennis Letts, you are the playwright's father. You happen to play family patriarch Beverly Weston in the show. Just how exactly did that come about? Dennis Letts: Basically Tracy called me and said, "Would you do this, dad? We don't have anybody else to do it." I said, "Okay." Tracy Letts: It's been terrifically fun and exciting and very strange having my father in the cast. There's been many times in rehearsals when I've looked up and said, "Dad, what are you doing here?" I'm not used to having those two worlds merged like that. But we've had great fun, and he's great in the show. |
How do you feel about opening on Broadway? Madeleine Martin ["Jean Fordham"]: I love Broadway. In TV you never know if you're doing well! I love the live audience and getting a response. I love hearing laughter. Tracy Letts: I don't know what to expect because it's so new to me. But it's very exciting. Just to be able to say to family members in Oklahoma that my show is going to Broadway, they instantly recognize that that's a good thing! Reed: The energy and the spirit of Broadway is undeniable, just to walk down the street and see the theatres. There's nothing that can top that. Get information for and tickets to August: Osage County. Take advantage of our exclusive Broadway Fan Club ticket discount offer for August: Osage County. |
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Broadway theatres across the U.S. dimmed their marquee lights last week in memory of Robert Goulet, the celebrated Broadway, television, and movie star who first achieved fame as Sir Lancelot in the original Broadway production of Camelot, opposite Richard Burton and Julie Andrews. A 1968 Tony Award®-winner for his leading performance in the musical The Happy Time, Goulet was especially beloved for his stage work in numerous national touring Broadway productions. |
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Pat Halloran, president of the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, Tennessee, remembered him this way: "When Robert was in a show and touring the country, we knew that the production would be a success. As Yul Brynner is synonymous with The King and I, Robert Goulet is the legend of Camelot. People loved and admired his commanding stage presence and powerful and beautiful voice." Goulet received the 2000 Distinguished Lifetime Service Award for Touring Broadway presented by the League of American Theatres and Producers in 2000. League Executive Director Charlotte St. Martin, captured the feeling of many Broadway fans in a statement. "We will dearly miss this enchanting and charismatic entertainer who has charmed audiences throughout the world," she said. "He is a national treasure who gave his life to his first love, theatre.” |
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October 24th was Ladies Night Out on Broadway, a fabulous evening for Broadway's most loyal demographic. The event featured special discounted tickets and a free party at Spotlight Live with food and drinks, karaoke, Women-In-Theatre discussion panels, giveaways, and more. In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, there was a raffle to benefit the Phyllis Newman Women's Health Initiative of the Actors Fund. Below are some photos from the event by Emile Wamsteker. |
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| The Buzz Two "Sopranos" - veterans of the HBO series - are set to join the Broadway company of the long-running musical Chicago. On November 19, Aida Turturro (Tony's sister Janice Soprano) steps into the role of Matron "Mama" Morton. Vincent Pastore (Sal "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero) joins her as Amos Hart..."American Idol" finalist Clay Aiken joins the Broadway cast of Monty Python's Spamalot in the role of Sir Robin on January 18...The Broadway-bound musical Cry-Baby has its world premiere this week at the La Jolla Playhouse, with performances starting November 6th in a limited engagement through December 16th. The tuner is based on the film by John Waters (Hairspray), and is expected to open on Broadway this spring. The Macy's Thanksgiving Parade Broadway stars abound at the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade (macysparade.com) with appearances by cast members from Legally Blonde The Musical and Mary Poppins, as well as other Broadway-themed surprises. The 81st annual parade is scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to noon ET on Thursday November 22nd and will be broadcast on NBC starting at 9:00. CBS will also broadcast a Thanksgiving special involving Broadway shows.
Boys on Broadway The English pop group Duran Duran, known for hit singles like "Girls on Film," "Rio," and "Hungry Like the Wolf," makes a special appearance this week at Broadway's Ethel Barrymore Theatre. The limited engagement concert through November 13th celebrates the release of the band's newest album, "Red Carpet Massacre." Tickets are available at telecharge.com.
Celebrating Behind-the-Scenes Excellence On October 30, Tommy Tune hosted the annual luncheon saluting the recipients of American Theatre Wing's Tony® Honors for Excellence in the Theatre. |
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The four craftspeople who received the 2007 honors - presented by the League of American Theatres and Producers and the Wing at a special autumn ceremony giving the recipients their own moment in the spotlight - include a re-creator of classic choreography, a technical director/scenery builder, a wardrobe supervisor, and a musical contractor. |
| Meet the honorees and see photos of the event at TonyAwards.com. Who Goes to Broadway? The League recently released its latest report profiling the demographics of the Broadway audience. Among the findings were the fact that tourists accounted for 65 percent of Broadway ticket buyers. Six million of the 12 million tickets sold to Broadway shows were purchased by people from outside the New York area but within the United States. Another 1.9 million tickets were sold to people from foreign countries, an all-time high. A record 1.4 million admissions were made by theatregoers under 18 years old and sixty-four percent of the audience was female. Broadway audiences have also become more diverse; 26 percent of theatergoers were not Caucasian, a 56 percent increase from five years ago. |
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