John Malkovich As A Latter-Day Jack The Ripper In The Infernal Comedy: Confessions of a Serial Killer, a chamber music-theater piece opening this week in Vienna, Malkovich plays Jack Unterweger, an Austrian poet/journalist/murderer who was released from prison in 1990 following a campaign by "Viennese cafe intellectuals" - and went on to kill 11 prostitutes by strangling them with their bra straps. "[A]s a journalist for the state broadcaster, he was reporting on the very crime wave for which he was responsible." The Guardian (UK) 06/30/09

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Jackson's Death Kicks Broadway Thriller Project Into Limbo "[I]magine the potential for a multimillion-dollar Broadway musical based on the 'Thriller' video and brandishing the seal of approval from Jackson himself. The Nederlander Organization," which announced that project in January, "may be sitting on a gold mine. But the gold mine won't be producing for a while. The musical has yet to be written, and Jackson's sudden death has thrown the production into confusion." New York Post 07/01/09

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From Austria, Sound And Fury Over Goodman Cancellation By cutting "Joan D'Arc" from its fall lineup, saying the show wasn't ready for Chicago, the Goodman Theatre has enraged its producing partner, Austria's Linz09 festival. "We are appalled by the Goodman Theatre's actions and wording as it represents an insult to the artistic integrity of the project and the work of all involved artists," wrote the festival's Airan Berg, who called the Goodman's decision "censorship." Chicago Tribune 06/30/09

email this story | Posted 07/01/09@07:16AM

High School Musical Stars Find A New York Stage "[T]he recent rise to prominence of several actors recognized by regional theaters for their high school-era performances is lending regional theaters credibility" even as "television shows like 'So You Think You Can Dance' and 'American Idol' have also directed attention to young people in the performing arts." Into this milieu step the Jimmy Awards, named for producer James M. Nederlander and honoring high school musical theatre performers from across the country. The New York Times 07/01/09

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Jude Law/Donmar Hamlet Headed To New York "That collective 'oooh' you just heard from Broadway is the sound of theatergoers whose solid (or sullied) flesh has melted and resolved itself into a dew after learning that Jude Law is headed their way." New York Times 06/30/09

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After 17 Years, Mamet's Oleanna Will Finally Play Broadway "The revival of David Mamet's 1992 play, starring Julia Stiles and Bill Pullman and directed by Doug Hughes, opened at the Mark Taper Forum on June 5 to largely positive reviews. It will open at the John Golden Theater on Oct.  11.  … Oleanna had its world premiere in May 1992 in Cambridge, Mass., around the time of the he-said/she-said Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings … [and] premiered off-Broadway at the Orpheum Theatre the same year." Los Angeles Times 06/30/09

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Meanwhile, The Little Mermaid Is Leaving Broadway "Ariel and her underwater friends have officially run out of air. Producers … announced today that the musical will end its run Aug. 30 after 685 performances and 50 previews. A national tour is set to begin in fall 2010. Based on the 1989 Disney animated film, The Little Mermaid opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in January 2008 to scathing reviews." Los Angeles Times 06/30/09

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At 50, San Francisco Mime Troupe Is Still Making Noise "Who would've thought that an avant-garde arts experiment would become one of the nation's best-known companies within its first decade? That it would launch careers as diverse as those of Peter Coyote, Shabaka and Bill Graham? That a gritty anti-establishment troupe would win a Tony award? Or that mimes could be this vocal?" San Francisco Chronicle 06/30/09

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Stephen Eich Named Pasadena Playhouse's Exec. Director "Stephen Eich, the former managing director of the Geffen Playhouse, has been named executive director of the Pasadena Playhouse in partnership with Playhouse artistic director Sheldon Epps. ... Eich, who left his Geffen post last June, is also a former managing director of Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater Company." Los Angeles Times 06/29/09

email this story | Posted 06/30/09@06:22AM

Jerry Lewis To Direct Nutty Professor Musical On Broadway "A musical version of the 1963 comedy classic 'The Nutty Professor' is headed to Broadway, and the director will be none other than Jerry Lewis himself. The comedian, who won't be acting in the musical, has brought on board Marvin Hamlisch to write music and Rupert Holmes to do book and lyrics." Los Angeles Times 06/29/09

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Six-Year B'way Run Of Avenue Q Will End In September "Broadway tuner 'Avenue Q' will shutter in the fall after a run of six years. Comedy, in which a cast of humans and puppets play twentysomethings struggling to find their way in New York City, was one of the first of a new generation of small-scale offerings that carved out a stable foothold on a Rialto landscape more often associated with splashier fare." Variety 06/29/09

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In LA, One Stella Adler School Squares Off Against Another "Why are two schools that were founded by the same person -- and that teach the same acting technique -- competing with each other? Leaders at both said that simple economics plays an important role. In a city bursting with aspiring actors, there's money to be made for a school with an aggressive agenda." Los Angeles Times 06/29/09

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Women Directors Take Broadway "This has been something of a banner year for female directors in New York, a development that wouldn't be worth noting if it weren't so rare." The New York Times 06/28/09

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Looking For A Broadway Hit? Guaranteed! Just follow these very simple rules... Toronto Star 06/27/09

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Live Nation Looks To Sell Its UK Theatres "The global live entertainment group, which sold its US theatres in a $90 million deal in 2007, is accepting bids for a package of 17 UK venues. This includes two of the West End's largest and most profitable sites - the Apollo Victoria and Lyceum theatres. […] A total of more than 30,000 theatre seats across venues in London, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh, among others, are on offer." The Stage (UK) 06/24/09

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Manchester's Oldest Theatre To Host Performances Once Again "Manchester's oldest surviving performance venue" - the 164-year-old Theatre Royal - "is to get a theatrical revival after 88 years of use as a cinema, bingo hall and nightclub, if proposals by the city's Library Theatre company are given the green light." The Stage (UK) 06/24/09

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Photo Essay: UK Theatres Trust List Of At-Risk Buildings "The Theatres' Trust has released its 'at risk' register of threatened buildings. Blackpool's huge Winter Gardens complex tops the list, due to its poor condition and the threat of demolition." BBC 06/24/09

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Responding To Economy, North American Theatres Revamp "From major theaters such as Canada's Stratford Shakespeare Festival to small companies such as the Barnstormers Theatre in bucolic Tamworth, N.H., uncertain economic times have forced theaters across North America not only to re-examine what they are putting on stage this summer - and beyond - but how to sell these plays and musicals as well." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (AP) 06/25/09

email this story | Posted 06/25/09@06:59AM

At Peak Of Tourist Season, Much Of Broadway Going Dark "Walking through New York's Theater District earlier this week, I was startled by the sight of more than a dozen dark theaters or posters advertising final performances. ... By the end of July, 19 of the district's 39 houses (49 percent) will be empty at a time when the city is abuzz with tourists looking for somewhere to spend their entertainment dollars." Bloomberg 06/25/09

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ART Exec. Director Orchard Stepping Down After 4 Decades "Robert J. Orchard, executive director of the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Mass., since it was founded in 1970, will step down at the end of the company's 2008-09 season. The ART vet will stay on as special adviser to help incoming artistic director Diane Paulus launch her inaugural season and provide support during the leadership transition." Variety 06/24/09

email this story | Posted 06/25/09@05:07AM

Dublin's Abbey Theatre Faces Job Cuts "Negotiations on redundancies are under way at Ireland's national theatre, the Abbey, as funding cuts and the economic downturn force budgetary belt-tightening. More than 25 jobs may be cut, mainly from the 120 administrative staff, according to an Abbey spokeswoman, and it is hoped the redundancies will be voluntary." The Stage (UK) 06/24/09

email this story | Posted 06/24/09@09:53PM