Latest Broadway News Updates

A STEADY RAIN Adds Special Final Performance on Sunday, December 6

• SPECIAL FINAL PERFORMANCE ADDED •

• LAST OPPORTUNITY FOR THE BEST SEATS IN THE HOUSE •

DANIEL CRAIG & HUGH JACKMAN

Add One Additional and Final Performance

To Benefit

 New Yorkers for Children

and

New York City Patrolmen's Benevolent Association Widows & Children's Fund

Absolute Final Performance is now Sunday, December 6 at 7pm

TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH

NEW YORKERS FOR CHILDREN

REMAINING TICKETS TO GO ON SALE VIA TELECHARGE AND THE BOX OFFICE BEGINNING FRIDAY, 11/20 AT 9AM

At the request of Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman, A STEADY RAIN will add one additional performance on the final day of their limited engagement, Sunday, December 6th at 7pm, to benefit New Yorkers For Children and the NYCPBA Widows & Children’s Fund. All proceeds generated by this additional performance at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre (236 West 45th Street) will benefit these two wonderful local charities. This is the final opportunity to see one of the most celebrated theatrical events of the season. This acclaimed, record-breaking play has been virtually sold out since the beginning of its limited 14-week run.

A STEADY RAIN tells the story of two cops who are lifelong friends and their differing accounts of a few harrowing days that changed their lives forever. 

Tickets are now available for purchase exclusively through NYFC by phone. Please call 646-257-2927 to buy tickets. These special tickets are priced at $500 for Premium Orchestra seats and $250 for Preferred Orchestra and Front-Row Mezzanine seats, of which $140 per ticket is non-tax deductible.

Beginning this Friday, November 20 at 9am, the remaining tickets for this absolute final performance of A STEADY RAIN will also be available via Telecharge (www.telecharge.com and 212-239-6200) and the box office ranging from $66.50 to $140.00 (non-tax deductible). 

New Yorkers For Children (NYFC) is the non-profit organization that partners with the Administration for Children’s Services to improve the lives of children in foster care in New York City. Since 1996, NYFC has made a difference in the lives of these youth through college scholarships, tutoring programs, job training, and networking opportunities. There are almost 17,000 children in foster care in New York City, and NYFC is committed to providing them with the essential tools to become successful, self-sufficient adults. For more information about New Yorkers For Children, please visit www.newyorkersforchildren.org.

The NYCPBA Widows’ and Children’s Fund provides aid and assistance to widows, widowers and eligible dependents of police officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. Eligibility is defined as all widows, widowers and children of active police officers who lose their lives in the line of duty as the Directors may deem either worthy of or otherwise in need of relief or assistance. For more information about the NYCPBA Widows’ and Children’s Fund, please visit www.nycpba.org/fund.

BROADWAY’S RENOWNED SHUBERT ORGANIZATION

ENTERS INTO THREE-YEAR

DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION AGREEMENT WITH

ROBERT COLE AND FREDERICK ZOLLO

Thursday, November 19 – Philip J. Smith, Chairman of the Shubert Organization and Robert E. Wankel, President of the Shubert Organization, announced today that they have entered into a development and production agreement with Broadway producers Robert Cole and Frederick Zollo.  The agreement, which has a three-year duration and is effective immediately, is the first development deal that the Shubert Organization has had with producers in more than 25 years.

Cole and Zollo have worked together since 1982 and have co-produced such successes as August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Eric Bogosian’s Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll, Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, and currently Broadway’s biggest hit, Keith Huff’s A Steady Rain, co-starring Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman.  Zollo and Cole each began their respective producing careers with the support of the Shubert Organization and in Shubert theaters.

The focus of Cole and Zollo’s work with the Shubert Organization will be on developing and producing both new plays and revivals as well as on collaborating with notable actors and directors—with the possibility of also bringing musicals and special events to the stage.

Robert Cole made his Broadway producing debut in 1984 with August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.  Other producing credits include The Crucible (Liam Neeson and Laura Linney); Death of a Salesman (Brian Dennehy); Tony Kushner’s Angels in America; Horton Foote’s The Young Man From Atlanta; Redwood Curtain (Lanford Wilson); Elaine Stritch: At Liberty; Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll (Eric Bogosian); One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Gary Sinise); Freak (John Leguizamo); and Emily Mann’s Having Our Say.  Mr. Cole produced the film Tape, starring Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke.

Frederick Zollo’s Broadway credits include Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Tony nomination,Grammy Award); ’night, Mother (Tony nomination); King Hedley II (Tony nomination); On Golden Pond; The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel; Death and the Maiden; Hurlyburly (Tony nomination); Angels in America: Millennium Approaches (Tony Award) and Perestroika (Tony Award); Private Lives (Tony Award); Caroline, or Change (Tony nomination); Frozen (Tony nomination); The Goat (Tony Award); Our Country’s Good (Tony nomination); Butley; The Hairy Ape; Buried Child (Tony nomination). Off-Broadway he has produced multiple Obie winners, including Marvin’s Room; Oleanna; The Cryptogram; Talk Radio, which Mr. Zollo directed; Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll; Aven’ U Boys, for which Mr. Zollo received an Obie Award for direction.  On the London stage he produced Olivier winners Les Liaisons Dangereuses and Glengarry Glen Ross (Pulitzer Prize); Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; Breaking the Silence.  Films include Best Picture Oscar nominees Mississippi Burning and Quiz Show as well as The Paper, Ghosts of Mississippi, Naked in New York and the Emmy nominated “In the Gloaming” and “Lansky.”

The Shubert Organization owns and operates 21 theatres in New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, DC. Under the leadership of Philip J. Smith, Chairman, and Robert E. Wankel, President, the firm continues its tradition of producing distinguished theatrical attractions.  These include Amadeus, Cats, Dancin’, Dreamgirls, God of Carnage, Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, Lettice and Lovage, Passion, Sunday in the Park With George, The Gin Game and The Heidi Chronicles.  The Shubert Organization is dedicated to the revitalization of the American theatre. Its activities include the restoration and modernization of its theatres and participation in civic and community affairs.  Shubert Ticketing provides superior box office, call center and marketing services, as well as online products for live entertainment venues across the country.

THANKFUL FOR NATIONAL TV APPEARANCES ON

“THE THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE ON CBS”

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009

The cast of the new production of DREAMGIRLS at the Apollo Theater will perform the title song “Dreamgirls” and the cast of Broadway’s hit production of WEST SIDE STORY will perform “America” Thursday, November 26, at 9am (EST) on “The Thanksgiving Day Parade on CBS.” 

Producer John Breglio and the Apollo Theater Foundation, Inc. present the premiere engagement of Dreamgirls at the Apollo Theater. This brand-new production of the landmark musical opens Sunday, November 22, 2009 and runs through Saturday, December 12, 2009 at Harlem’s legendary Apollo Theater (253 West 125 Street – just ten minutes from midtown), launching the national tour.  Dreamgirls began previews at the Apollo Theater Saturday, November 7, 2009.

WEST SIDE STORY has returned to Broadway in a new production directed by its two-time Tony Award winning librettist Arthur Laurents with the original Jerome Robbins choreography restaged by Tony Award nominee Joey McKneely. The new production began previews on Broadway Monday, February 23, 2009, and opened to critical acclaim breaking box office records at the Palace Theatre (1564 Broadway) on Thursday, March 19, 2009.  The New Broadway Cast Recording of WEST SIDE STORY was released nationwide on June 2, 2009 by Sony Masterworks.  A national tour of this production of WEST SIDE STORY will begin in the fall of 2010. 

For more information on DREAMGIRLS visit:

www.dreamgirlsonstage.com

For more information on WEST SIDE STORY visit: www.broadwaywestsidestory.com

For publicity photos, please visit www.thehartmangrouppr.com

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SECOND STAGE THEATRE

TO HOST POST PERFORMANCE DISCUSSION

WITH ANNA DEAVERE SMITH

AND THREE OF THE INTERVIEW SUBJECTS FROM

LET ME DOWN EASY

FOLLOWING THE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20 PERFORMANCE

Second Stage Theatre will host a post performance discussion with Anna Deavere Smith and three of her interview subjects from Let Me Down Easy following the Friday, November 20 performance. Moderated by NPR and Radiolab’s Robert Krulwich, Smith will be joined by Ruth Katz (Chief Public Health Counsel, Committee on Energy and Commerce, U.S. House of Representatives), Elizabeth Streb (Choreographer, Streb Dance Company), and Sally Jenkins (Sports Columnist, The Washington Post), all of whom are portrayed by Smith in this acclaimed solo show.  The discussion is free to all in attendance at the Friday, November 20 performance and will feature a brief Q&A with the panelists and Ms. Smith.

Conceived, written, and performed by Anna Deavere Smith and directed by Leonard Foglia, LET ME DOWN EASY opened on Wednesday, October 7 and is scheduled to run through December 6.  For subscription or ticket information, please call the Second Stage Theatre Box Office at 212-246-4422 or visit www.letmedowneasy.com.  Theatre is located at 305 West 43rd street. 

Channeling a dramatic range of interview subjects, from artists and athletes to doctors and those they treat, LET ME DOWN EASY is a virtuosic and moving exploration of the power of the body, the price of health, and the resilience of the spirit.  With Ms. Smith’s trademark journalistic precision, LET ME DOWN EASY features first person accounts from a wide variety of sources, including Lance Armstrong and former Texas Governor Ann Richards. 

Charles Isherwood of The New York Times calls LET ME DOWN EASY, “A continually engaging and engrossing collection of testimonials about life experienced at its extremes.”  Michael Kuchwara of the Associated Press calls the play, “Fascinating! This remarkable new show is a joyous celebration of human perseverance.” And Jamie Gangel of The Today Show says, “Run – do not walk – to see this play!  Watching Anna Deavere Smith on stage is magical.  One minute you are laughing, the next you are crying.  It is truly brilliant and stunning.” 

MEET BROADWAY’S NEWEST BILLYS!

2009 TONY AWARD-WINNING

BEST MUSICAL WELCOMES

DAYTON TAVARES

&

LIAM REDHEAD

AS ‘BILLY’

TOMMY BATCHELOR TO PLAY FINAL PERFORMANCE ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11th

Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions in association with Weinstein Live Entertainment announced today that Dayton Tavares and Liam Redhead will join the cast of the 10-time Tony Award-winning Billy Elliot the Musical, both in the role of ‘Billy.’

Tavares, 13, who previously played ‘Billy’ in the Sydney and Melbourne productions of Billy Elliot, will be the 6th boy to perform the role on Broadway.  Redhead, 14, a student at Toronto’s prestigious National Ballet School, will be the 7th boy to make his Broadway debut as ‘Billy.’  First performance dates for both boys will be announced soon.

Tommy Batchelor will play his final performance as Billy on Broadway on Friday, December 11th.  As previously announced, Batchelor will star as ‘Billy’ in the Chicago production of Billy Elliot.  The production will begin performances on March 18, 2010 at Chicago’s Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre (24 West Randolph, Chicago) before embarking on a multi-city tour.

DAYTON TAVARES (Billy).  Hi, my name is Dayton Tavares and I am 13 years old.  I

had the honor of playing the role in the Sydney and Melbourne productions of Billy Elliot and I am so excited to now be making my Broadway debut as Billy!  I used to watch both of my sisters dance and I thought it looked like fun, so in 2005 I decided to take a hip-hop class and that’s how I discovered that my true passion was to dance and perform.  I also love to sing, play soccer and am a black belt in taekwondo.  Since I started dancing, I’ve won lots of awards, including Australian Dancer of the Year in 2007, which meant that I got to represent Australia at the World Dance Championships in Las Vegas.  I won prizes in the competition including my favorite – Mr. Junior LasVegas!  I have performed at the Urban Music Awards, Industry Awards and the Sydney Opera House.  I also toured Malaysia with Studio 11 until I got the amazing opportunity to be Billy.  This is a dream come true for me and I want to thank everyone at Billy Elliot in Australia and New York and also my Mum, Dad and sisters Aeysha and Tenille.  See you on Broadway!

LIAM REDHEAD (Billy).  Hello!  My name is Liam, I’m 14 years old and I can’t wait to be Billy on Broadway!  I began dancing at age 7 when I joined my sister in a hip hop class at the Barber Treleaven School of Dance in my hometown of North Bay, Ontario, Canada.  I liked that so much that I started studying jazz and tap and then at age 9 I joined their competitive group and was introduced to ballet.  During the next three years, I competed locally as well as in New York, Atlantic City and Las Vegas, where I won the national title of Mr. Pre Teen with Dance Educators of America as well as the President’s Cup for the highest mark at the competition.  That summer, I joined the Young Dancer Summer Workshop on scholarship at the JKO School and then in the fall of 2007, I moved to Toronto to attend the National Ballet School.  I got to perform the role of Misha in the James Kudelka version of The Nutcracker with The National Ballet of Canada in December 2007 and 2008.  At NBS, I really developed my passion for classical dance.  A big thank you to Mom, Dad, my sisters and brother for believing in me.

The 2009 Tony Award-winning Best Musical Billy Elliot the Musical currently stars David Alvarez, Tommy Batchelor, Alex Ko and Trent Kowalik as Billy, Kate Hennig as Mrs. Wilkinson, Gregory Jbara as Dad, Carole Shelley as Grandma, Will Chase as Tony and Trevor Braun and Keean Johnson as Michael. 

Billy Elliot the Musical is the funny, heartwarming tale of a young boy with a dream, and a celebration of his triumph against the odds.  Set against the historic British miners’ strike of the 1980s, the story follows Billy’s journey as a boy in a small mining town who, after stumbling across a ballet class while on his way to a boxing lesson, realizes that his future lay not in the boxing ring but on stage as a dancer.

Featuring music by Elton John, book and lyrics by Lee Hall, choreographed by Peter Darling and directed by Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot the Musical opened at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre (240 W 45th St) Thursday, November 13th and was the winner of ten 2009 Tony Awards including Best Musical.

Tickets for Billy Elliot the Musical range from $41.50 to $136.50, and can be purchased at the Imperial Theatre Box Office (240 West 45th Street) or by calling Telecharge.com at 212-239-6200 or visiting www.Telecharge.com.  The playing schedule for Billy Elliot is as follows: Tuesdays at 7pm, Wednesdays – Saturdays at 8pm, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2pm and Sundays at 3pm.

Billy Elliot the Musical is produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Jon Finn and Sally Greene. Angela Morrison and David Furnish are Executive Producers. The production features scenic design by Ian MacNeil, costume design by Nicky Gillibrand, lighting design by Rick Fisher and sound design by Paul Arditti. Musical supervision and orchestrations are by Martin Koch.

For tickets and information visit www.billyelliotbroadway.com