Pal Joey Blog

Hoff Set To Co-Star in LA Production of “Parade”

According to Variety, Christian Hoff is set to join T.R. Knight in the upcoming Los Angeles revival of Parade. Also slated for the show are Broadway vets Michael Berresse and Charlotte d’Amboise, and Olivier Award nominee Lara Pulver. The production will run from September 24 to November 15 at the Mark Taper Forum.

Hoff, who was sidelined from Pal Joey with a foot injury, won a Tony Award for his portrayal of Tommy DeVito in Jersey Boys, His “character” both onstage and off won him many dedicated and loyal fans who, I’m sure, will be delighted to see him on the stage again.

Knight, who is trained for stage, is probably most recognizable as Dr. George O’Malley in Grey’s Anatomy, a role he played since the show’s debut in 2005. He made the decision earlier this year not to continue on Grey’s, and his character will apparently be written off the show.

For more information on Parade, click here.

A Taste Of The Tony’s

The Tony Awards show on Sunday night was spectacular! And although Pal Joey didn’t come away with any awards, the show was well represented….from Martha Plimpton on the red carpet (at time code 1:15)…

**video from broadway.com

….to Stockard Channing “bewitching” in the opening number (she appears at 4:55 in this video), alongside Aaron Tveit of Next to Normal.

And the finale was just too funny to miss! Neil Patrick Harris did a fabulous job as Tony host.

Stockard Channing to Perform on Tony Awards

Representatives for the Tony Awards announced Tuesday that Stockard Channing, of “Pal Joey”, is among the scheduled performers for Sunday night’s Tony Awards show. The following performers have also been added to Sunday’s awards ceremony: Dolly Parton along with the cast of “9 to 5: The Musical”; Elton John with the cast of “Billy Elliot, The Musical”; Liza Minnelli; and the band Poison along with the cast of “Rock of Ages.”

The roster of performers features the casts of the Tony nominees for best musical and best musical revival, which also includes “Guys and Dolls,” “Hair,” “Next to Normal,” “Shrek the Musical” and “West Side Story.” The Tonys show will be hosted by Neil Patrick Harris and broadcast on CBS.

Gemignani and Plimpton, Together Again

From Playbill:
Wall to Wall Broadway’s 12-Hour Line-Up Announced
By Andrew Gans
12 May 2009

Symphony Space’s free Wall to Wall Broadway: A Century of Musicals, a 12-hour celebration of the music of Broadway, will be presented May 16 beginning at 11 AM.

Hosted and staged by Symphony Space artistic director and co-founder Isaiah Sheffer, the annual event will feature an array of works from Broadway — songs, overtures, dance music — performed by hundreds of well known and emerging artists…

…At 8 PM, Tony and Emmy Award winner Paul Gemignani conducts a full orchestra in performances of Broadway musical classics. Performers include Michael Cerveris, Alexander Gemignani, George S. Irving, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Raúl Esparza, Martha Plimpton, Loni Ackerman, Terrence Mann, Randy Graff, Kate Baldwin, Leenya Rideout, Gregg Edelman, B.D. Wong, Julie Wilson, Debbie Gravitte, Ivy Austin, Isaiah Sheffer, Melissa Errico, James Naughton, Lisa Flanagan, Kathryn Markey, Amy Vice, Jonathan Hadary, Jeffrey Schecter, Liz Calaway, D’Ambrose Boyd, Chip Zien and Donna Murphy.

The current schedule of performances follows:
Read Entire Post

Jenny Fellner Back With Roundabout Theatre Company

Jenny Fellner will be back with Roundabout Theater Company in their upcoming new musical “Tin Pan Alley Rag”. The production will be the New York premiere of the show, which will run at Roundabout’s Laura Pels Theater at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theater — the first musical presented in that space.

Full casting for the musical was announced last month, with the actors Michael Boatman and Michael Therriault playing, respectively, Scott Joplin and Irving Berlin, who have an imagined meeting in this production that draws on their legendary music. Previews are to start Friday, June 12, with the opening scheduled for Tuesday, July 14.

For Martha Plimpton Fans: A Goonies Reunion Video

Many of Martha Plimpton’s fans have been following her since 1985 and The Goonies. So, for all you Goonies fans…..from Empire Online:

You may not have realised, but March 17, 2009, was an historic day. It was on that day in Hollywood, California, that all of The Goonies, including director Richard Donner and producer Steven Spielberg, were reunited for the first time in over 20 years* to have their photo taken for Empire’s 20th birthday issue.

For the full interview, including talk of unconvincing sea-monsters, Josh Brolin’s fashion mistakes and discussions of a Broadway remake of the movie, pick up the new issue of Empire.

In the meantime, you can watch video from the shoot here.

More Award Nominations for Pal Joey!

From Variety:
Astaire Awards announce nominees

Choreographers of Broadway tuners “Billy Elliot” and “Hair” and pics “Slumdog Millionaire” and “High School Musical 3″ are among the nominees of the 2009 edition of the dance-centric Astaire Awards.
Director and choreographer Stanley Donen (”Singin’ in the Rain,” “On the Town”) will get the lifetime achievement award at the ceremony, set for June 1.

Nominees for Rialto choreographer are Andy Blankenbuehler (”9 to 5″), Karole Armitage (”Hair”), Peter Darling (”Billy Elliot”), Sergio Trujillo (”Guys and Dolls”) and Graciela Daniele (”Pal Joey”)…

Performer noms for male dancers went to Jeffrey Denman (”White Christmas”), Matthew Risch (”Pal Joey”), plus a shared nom for the three young actors who rotate in the title role of “Billy Elliot” and another for the two who alternate in the role of Billy’s friend Michael.

Four TONY Nominations for Pal Joey!

The American Theatre Wing announced the 2009 Tony Award Nominees today. While Billy Elliott and Next to Normal topped the list of multiple nominations by show (15 and 11 respectively), Roundabout Theatre Company’s Pal Joey picked up a respectable 4 Tony nods:

Best Revival of a Musical
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical; Stockard Channing
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical; Martha Plimpton
Best Scenic Design of a Musical; Scott Pask

Congratulations to Roundabout and the entire Pal Joey team!!

For a full listing of Nominees, read more. Read Entire Post

Pal Joey Hits It Big With Award Nominations

The Drama Desk Awards nominations were announced on April 27 at the New York Friars Club, with Pal Joey garnering three nominations:

Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Outstanding Actress in a Musical: Stockard Channing
and Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical: Martha Plimpton

The Drama Desk, an organization of professional theater critics, writers and editors, bestows awards with Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions competing in the same categories. The ceremony will be held on May 17 at F.H. LaGuardia Concert Hall at Lincoln Center, hosted by Harvey Fierstein.

For a full listing of Drama Desk Award nominees, please click here.

Also, the Outer Critics CircleAwards nominations were announced on April 20 at the Algonquin Hotel, with Pal Joey being nominated for two awards:

Outstanding Revival of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical: Martha Plimpton

Outer Critics Circle Awards are bestowed by an association whose members are affiliated with more than 90 publications and broadcasting outlets. Winners will be announced on May 11, and the 2009 awards ceremony will be held on May 21 at Sardi’s.

For a full listing of Outer Critics Circle Awards nominees, please click here.

Congratulation to Stockard and Martha for those well-deserved noms!

Robert Clohessy on ABC’s “The Unusuals”

Imagine my delight last night when my husband called out to me, while watching TV, “Hey, that’s the guy from Pal Joey“. I knew immediately who he was talking about, because he was watching a new show on ABC called “The Unusuals”, which is a kind of gritty New York type of show. Who else could it be but Robert Clohessy (Pal Joey’s Mike), who is, to me, the quintessential gritty New Yorker?

Clohessy had a guest starring role as Mike Boorland, the head of a New York crime family that, after being quiet for years, has suddenly gone on a daylong crime spree. Clohessy played the part perfectly - wise-ass tough guy who has no respect for the police. He was great, and it was great to see him on television again. My husband and I really enjoyed him on the short-lived Fox drama “New Amsterdam”, on which he played Detective Tony Santori. Here’s hoping he gets picked up on another drama soon!

To watch the April 15 episode, Boorland Day, click here.

Martha Plimpton At Roundabout Spring Gala

from TheaterMania, April 7, 2009
And the World Goes Roundabout

On Monday night, the Roundabout Theatre held its annual Spring Gala at the Roseland Ballroom, with many of Broadway’s greatest stars on hand as performers and guests. Among them was Pal Joey favorite Martha Plimpton. A host of other stars, including Nick Adams, Matthew Broderick, Bill Irwin, Eddie Izzard, Cheyenne Jackson, Nathan Lane, Audra McDonald, Cynthia Nixon, Martha Plimpton, Brooke Shields, and Steven Weber.

And the caption for this beautiful Martha pic? Martha Plimpton is sure to be remembered this awards season for her work in the Roundabout’s recent revival of Pal Joey.

Only time will tell!

Click here to view TheaterMania article.

It’s A Girl!

Congratulations to Melissa and Christian Hoff, who welcomed baby Evelyn Jane into the Hoff family on Monday, March 16th. Little Evelyn, who weighed in at 8.5 pounds and 21 inches, joins brother Eli and sisters Erika and Elizabeth in the ever-expanding Hoff family.

“What a blessing from God”, says Christian. And we wish the Hoffs many more blessings in all aspects of life.

Martha Plimpton To Co-Host Obie Awards

Plimpton and Breaker to Host 54th Annual Obie Awards
By Andrew Gans
17 Mar 2009, Playbill

Pal Joey’s Martha Plimpton and Shrek the Musical’s Daniel Breaker will co-host the 54th Annual Village Voice Obie Awards.

The awards, which celebrate the 2008-2009 Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway seasons, will be held May 18 at Webster Hall in Manhattan.

Presented by the Village Voice, the annual event will be produced and directed by Eileen Phelan.

…The Obie Awards were created in 1955 by Jerry Tallmer. Past recipients include Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, William Hurt, Morgan Freeman, Mos Def, Amy Irving, Kevin Kline, Nathan Lane, Olympia Dukakis, Robert Duvall, Kevin Bacon, Alec Baldwin, Kathy Bates, James Earl Jones, Felicity Huffman and Harvey Fierstein, among others.

Plimpton won an Obie in 2002 for her performance in Hobson’s Choice. Breaker was a 2008 Obie winner for his work in the ensemble cast of Passing Strange.

A “Creative Block and Obies After Party” — featuring burlesque, digital art, performance art, dance and fiber arts from New York’s creative emerging artists and avant-garde underground — will be held in tandem with the awards ceremony. Michael Musto will host. Tickets, priced $15, for “Creative Block” will go on sale April 1.

Triad Theatre Presents Bahiyah Sayyed Gaines

Following our Pal Joey favorites beyond Studio 54……

Thursday, March 5, 2009; Posted: 11:03 PM - by BWW News Desk

The Triad Theatre presents Bahiyah Sayyed Gaines Sunday, March 22, 2009. Broadway Dance Diva, Bahiyah Sayyed Gaines, takes the stage in her one woman show…Gaines is no stranger to the stage as she [recently appeared] in her third originated Broadway production, Pal Joey at 54 Studio. What you may not know is that, not only does this graceful leggy beauty dance, she also sings. Bahiyah Sayyed Gaines is a trained dancer who’s studied at the infamous Baltimore School for the Arts as well as The Julliard School.

Her BFA has allowed her to join world renowned companies such as Creative Outlet Dance Theater of Brooklyn, The Frankfurt Ballet and The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Ms. Gaines was also noted as one of the top 25 dancers to watch in the 2005 issue of Dance Magazine. Come and discover another side of Bahiyah as she takes the stage to serenade you with songs of love & laughter in jazz, R & B, and standards. This celebrated dancer who’s conquered dance in concerts world wide would like to invite you come into “her world” as she performs in her own one woman show at The Triad. “Because I’m known as a dancer, I feel the need to show the world what else I have to share,” said Ms. Gaines.

Come and join Bahiyah Sayyed Gaines in a sensational evening at The Triad on March 22nd a 7pm. The Triad is located at 158 West 72nd 2nd floor between Broadway & Columbus. *There is a 2 Drink Minimum. The Triad is cash only.

….check back for more cast updates….

Matthew Risch Heading To Chicago….To Teach!

Following his extended run in Pal Joey, Matthew Risch will be headed to Chicago to participate in a one-day-only workshop presented by The Broadway Dreams Foundation. “Triple Threat Extreme - Legally Blonde Style” brings three of the original cast members of the hit Broadway Show Legally Blonde to instruct, encourage and inspire Broadway hopefuls of all ages to follow their dreams. Besides Risch, the faculty includes Nikki Snelson (Brooke, the fitness guru in Legally Blonde), and Paul Canaan (Legally Blonde ensemble, and a judge on the MTV series Legally Blonde: The Search For Elle Woods) as its Artistic Director.

The curriculum for this event emphasizes becoming a triple threat: a performer equally talented in singing, dancing, and acting. Something Matt has had much practice in for the past several months. Attendees to this workshop will certainly benefit from his recent experience in Pal Joey.

“Triple Threat Extreme - Legally Blonde Style” will be offered one day only: Sunday, March 29th at Giordano Dance School, 614 Davis Street, Evanston, IL 60201. For more information, you can visit www.mybroadwaydreams.com.