BroadwayReporter.com

The Big Bad Day - Multiple Broadway Closings

2009-01-04T02:17:00.002-05:00

Today is a tough day for Broadway, with numerous shows closing. Long-runner Hairspray, last season hits Young Frankenstein and Boeing Boeing, limited run White Christmas, and newbie 13 are among the Broadway musicals and plays shutting their doors. And over the next month, a few more shows will be shutting down, leaving many Broadway theaters barren. The good news is that the spring will usher in several new Broadway productions, including Guys and Dolls, Hair, and Waiting For Godot.

American Plan Starts On Broadway Tonight

2009-01-02T16:11:00.001-05:00

Richard Greenberg's play The American Plan, starring Mercedes Ruehl, begins performances on Broadway today. The Manhattan Theatre Club production is playing at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (formerly the Biltmore Theatre) and will have its official Broadway opening on January 22.

Broadway At The Cineplex

2008-12-29T22:09:00.003-05:00

Two recent hit Broadway plays are now playing at a movie theater near you. John Patrick Shanley's drama Doubt has been made into a film, directed by the playwright and starring Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The docu-drama Frost/Nixon is now a film as well, and this one has retained the two men who starred in the Broadway production, Frank Langella and Michael Sheen, as Richard Nixon and David Frost, respectively. So if you missed these top-notch plays while they graced Broadway, catch them in the movie theater now!

Piven Out, Butz and Macy In

2008-12-19T15:51:00.001-05:00

Jeremy Piven has departed from the Broadway production of Speed-the-Plow, reportedly due to high mercury levels in his system. The acclaimed Broadway revival still has 10 weeks until its run ends, and Piven fans holding tickets to the play may be upset about his sudden leave-taking. However, the powers-that-be at Speed-the-Plow have managed to find two exciting replacements. The always excellent Norbert Leo Butz, whose Broadway credits include Wicked and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, will take over the role of Bobby Gould through January 11. Then film, TV, and sometime stage star William H. Macy will play the part until the show's run concludes. Broadway lovers who have already seen Speed-the-Plow now have two good reasons to return. If you want discount tickets to see it on Broadway, get them while you still can by clicking here.

Slava's Snowshow Opens On Broadway

2008-12-07T21:38:00.000-05:00

Slava's Snowshow officially opened on Broadway today for a limited holiday run. The Olivier Award-winning show, which also played a lengthy engagement Off-Broadway, will end its brief Broadway run at the Helen Hayes Theatre on January 4.

Broadway's Grease To Rock Out Of The Atkinson

2008-12-04T16:50:00.000-05:00

The current Broadway revival of the musical Grease, now starring reality TV show finalists Derek Keeling and Ashley Spencer, will close in the New Year. The '50s rock 'n' roll musical will have its final performance at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on January 4.

Slava's Snowshow Blows Onto Broadway

2008-12-02T01:19:00.001-05:00

Slava's Snowshow opens on Broadway tonight. The magical show featuring Russian clown Slava Polunin previously played Off-Broadway for over two years, and it is now enjoying a limited holiday engagement at Broadway's Helen Hayes Theatre through January 4.

Doc About Broadway's Billys Airs Tonight

2008-12-01T01:03:00.000-05:00

"Finding Billy," a new documentary about the casting of the three performers currently playing the title role in Billy Elliot on Broadway, airs on New York's PBS station tonight. The program offers a behind-the-scenes look at the nationwide search for three young men with the acting, singing, and dancing talent necessary to carry the lead in Broadway's hottest new musical.

Broadway Playwright William Gibson Dies

2008-11-28T17:15:00.002-05:00

William Gibson, the writer best known for The Miracle Worker, has passed away at the age of 94. Gibson also penned the Broadway plays Two for the Seesaw and the recent hit Golda's Balcony.

Young Frankenstein and 13 To Close January

2008-11-24T10:26:00.001-05:00

Yet another of the big musicals has posted its Broadway closing notice: Young Frankenstein will shutter on January 4, 2009. Like the soon-to-be-closing Hairspray and Spamalot, Young Frankenstein is one of those shows popular with tourists looking for a big, splashy Broadway musical. But unlike Wicked and Jersey Boys, these shows have long had middling ticket sales, meaning that the current economic woes are just too much for them to survive on Broadway. The much newer musical, 13, is also ending its run on January 4. With the cold, quiet winter months ahead, many Broadway producers have decided to pack it in right after the popular Christmas holiday, knowing that ticket sales will dip considerably in the New Year.

White Christmas Opens On Broadway

2008-11-23T03:34:00.000-05:00

Today the stage version of Irving Berlin's White Christmas opens on Broadway. The classic film gets the big Broadway treatment just in time for the holidays. Starring Kerry O'Malley and Stephen Bogardus, the cheery musical is scheduled to play through January 4.

Broadway's Spamalot Moves Up Closing Date

2008-11-23T03:15:00.001-05:00

Following a previous announcement that it would close on Broadway on January 18, Spamalot has moved up its closing date. The Monty Python musical is now scheduled to have its final Broadway performance on January 11, so get those discount tickets now, while you still can!

American Buffalo Opens On Broadway

2008-11-17T02:50:00.001-05:00

The latest Broadway revival of American Buffalo, David Mamet's play about small-time crooks, opens at the Belasco Theatre today. The dark comedy stars Cedric the Entertainer, John Leguizamo, and Oscar-nominee Haley Joel Osment, making his Broadway debut.

To Be Or Not To Be Closes On Broadway

2008-11-17T02:39:00.000-05:00

Manhattan Theatre Club's production of Nick Whitby's dark comedy To Be Or Not To Be closed on Broadway today. Based on the film of the same name, the World War II-era play suffered from bad word-of-mouth and negative reviews. MTC's next production scheduled to play the Samuel J. Friedman is Richard Greenberg's play The American Plan.

Tale of Two Cities Closes On Broadway

2008-11-09T13:48:00.000-05:00

Broadway's A Tale of Two Cities, which previously announced a closing date of November 16, has bumped up the date and is now shuttering today. Based on the Charles Dickens novel, the French Revolutionary-set musical was a crowd-pleaser but struggled to get audiences into the theater.

Shrek Starts Broadway Performances

2008-11-08T22:05:00.000-05:00

The new stage musical version of Shrek starts performances on Broadway today. Brian d'Arcy James, who has been on Broadway in many shows including Titanic and Sweet Smell of Success, stars as Shrek himself, and Sutton Foster (most recently seen on Broadway in Young Frankenstein) plays Princess Fiona. The big green musical will have its official opening at the Broadway Theatre on December 14.

More Broadway Closings

2008-10-24T16:00:00.001-04:00

Spamalot won't be the only Broadway musical to close on January 18. It has just been announced that Spring Awakening will also take its final Broadway bow that day. Hairspray, too, will shut its doors at the beginning of the year, closing on January 4. Seeing such significant Broadway shows - all Tony-winning musicals, all having enjoyed a lot of box office success - go down all at once is dispiriting. It's not a very good sign for the health of Broadway. That said, the truth is that all of these shows have had less than impressive ticket sales for awhile now, so it isn't a huge surprise. To get discount tickets to these shows while they're still on Broadway, click here.

Legally Blonde Closes On Broadway Today

2008-10-19T00:50:00.000-04:00

The Broadway production of Legally Blonde closes at the Palace Theatre on Broadway today. The 'girl power' musical, based on the Reese Witherspoon movie of the same name, will have played 595 regular Broadway performances when it ends its run this afternoon. Legally Blonde is survived by a national tour that is still scheduled to play through autumn 2009.

Spamalot To Close On Broadway In 2009

2008-10-19T00:36:00.000-04:00

Monty Python's Spamalot has announced that it will be closing on Broadway on January 18, 2009. The Tony-winner was a sensation when it opened at the Shubert Theatre in early 2005, but ticket sales have steadily declined since the show's second year on Broadway. The Broadway musical will have played over 1,500 Broadway performances when it closes in January.

Broadway's 39 Steps Moving To Helen Hayes

2008-10-18T23:52:00.002-04:00

The 39 Steps is moving house again. The Broadway comedy loosely based on Hitchcock's film of the same name will depart from the Cort Theatre on January 11, 2009 and re-open at the Helen Hayes Theatre on January 20. Will Ferrell's solo show will be taking its place at the Cort.

Will Ferrell Coming To Broadway In 2009

2008-10-18T23:39:00.000-04:00

Actor/comedian Will Ferrell, who first gained fame as a Saturday Night Live regular, will make his Broadway debut on January 20, 2009 in the solo show You're Welcome America - A Final Night with George W. Bush. The show will be directed by Adam McKay, Ferrell's frequent collaborator, who directed the funny man in movies Anchorman and Talladega Nights. You're Welcome America is expected to play a limited engagement through March 15.

To Be Or Not To Be Opens On Broadway

2008-10-14T17:15:00.001-04:00

To Be Or Not To Be, the latest production of the Manhattan Theatre Club, officially opens on Broadway tonight. It is MTC's first Broadway show since re-naming their Broadway home the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (formerly known as the Biltmore). To Be Or Not To Be, written by Nick Whitby and based on the film of the same name, has been through quite a bit of turmoil in the lead-up to its Broadway opening. Two of the play's lead actors, Craig Bierko and Brian Murray, dropped out during the rehearsal process, and word on the street is that the self-proclaimed dark comedy wasn't funny enough. It will be interesting to see the critics weigh in after tonight's opening.

[title of show] Closes October 12

2008-10-11T23:48:00.000-04:00

Last chance alert! The new Broadway musical [title of show] has its final performance at the Lyceum Theatre on Sunday, October 12. The witty little show about two guys trying to write a Broadway musical didn't have a long life on Broadway, but it did have a passionate fan base and will hopefully continue to have a life beyond Broadway.

Broadway Bailey Goes To High School

2008-10-08T14:31:00.002-04:00

Bailey Hanks, the talented young lady who made her Broadway debut in Legally Blonde thanks to the MTV reality show "The Search For Elle Woods," had the misfortune to learn that her Broadway run would end not long after it began, due to Blonde's impending closure on October 19. However, Bailey will bounce back quickly - not to Broadway this time, but to New Jersey. She will be playing Sharpay in the upcoming Paper Mill Playhouse production of that teenybopper sensation, High School Musical, opening in early November.

13 Opens On Broadway Today

2008-10-05T23:26:00.001-04:00

The new musical 13, about teenagers and starring teenagers, opened this afternoon on Broadway at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. The bright, fun musical is about Evan, a New York City boy who tries to win over the popular kids when he's forced to move with his mom to Indiana. 13's book is by Dan Elish and Robert Horn, with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown (whose Broadway credits include Parade and Urban Cowboy).