All Entries Tagged With: "Roundabout Theatre Company"

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.

Four TONY Nominations for Pal Joey!

The American Theatre Wing announced the 2009 Tony Award Nominees today, with Roundabout Theatre Company’s Pal Joey picking up a respectable FOUR:

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!!

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.

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.

Michael Riedel Can’t Get Enough of Pal Joey

I just can’t resist posting another gossipy article from Michael Riedel’s NY Post column Broadway Matinee (Thursday, December 17). I just have to wonder, how in the world is he privy to someone else’s e-mail unless he has a) hacked into their computer; b) made it all up; or c) been leaked the information by someone desperate for publicity.

UNFRIENDLY WORDS OVER ‘PAL’
POST LEAK LEADS TO E-MAIL BATTLE

ON the eve of the opening of the troubled revival of “Pal Joey,” a war of words has broken out between the head of the Roundabout Theatre Company and the head of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, which controls the rights to the show.

In a series of blistering e-mails, Todd Haimes, who’s shepherded the Roundabout for nearly 20 years, accused Ted Chapin, who oversees the Richard Rodgers estate, of badmouthing the production to - who else? - The Post!

Delightful NY Times Interview With Stockard Channing

I hope you enjoy reading this interview as much as I did. It shows a softer, more personal side to Stockard.

Bewitched, Bothered and Back
By ERIK PIEPENBURG
Published: December 3, 2008

HOW you know the name Stockard Channing may depend on how you’re entertained. She was the naughty bun-in-the-oven Rizzo, with Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta, in the 1978 movie adaptation of “Grease.” Theater fans remember her as Ouisa Kittredge in John Guare’s play “Six Degrees of Separation” in 1990 (she reprised the role in the 1993 film adaptation, which also starred Will Smith and Donald Sutherland). And for several seasons she was Abbey Bartlet, the wife of the president on the NBC series “The West Wing.”

“It’s interesting to be known as an errant teenager or the first lady of the United States, depending who you’re talking to,” Ms. Channing said.

Last seen on Broadway in the 1999 revival of “The Lion in Winter” opposite Laurence Fishburne, Ms. Channing, 64, is returning as Vera Simpson in the Roundabout Theater Company’s production of the Rodgers and Hart musical “Pal Joey” at Studio 54. The show, with a new book by the playwright Richard Greenberg, is directed by Joe Mantello, with musical direction by Paul Gemignani.

The title of Vera’s big number, “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” is an apt description of the backstage dramatics that unfolded shortly after previews started. Christian Hoff, 40, who was to play Joey Evans, withdrew from the show after a foot injury and was replaced permanently by his understudy, Matthew Risch, 27. The show’s opening was pushed back a week, to Dec. 18.

Before a recent preview performance Erik Piepenburg sat down with Ms. Channing to discuss the challenges of a sudden cast change, her light-bulb moment with Brecht and Weill, and letting go of “Grease.” Excerpts from the interview follow.

Losing a Co-Star
It’s been hard on the company, any time you lose a member of the company so suddenly who’s been such an organic part of the creative process. … You can see how demanding the show is physically. I obviously wasn’t present for these conversations, but everybody had to make a quick decision. I think from his part, to bow out — he could injure himself permanently if he came back too soon. The temptation in any kind of athletic situation, I think, is “I don’t want to let the team down,” which is very much Christian’s way. … It was terribly dramatic because we had to cancel the Saturday matinee. …We’re blessed, and we also have a great loss at the same time, which is really stressful. I’m sure it was a very painful decision for him to make.

Old Joey, New Joey
I think we’re telling a slightly different story. There’s a much larger gap in age, which concerns me sometimes, that Vera Simpson is not going to be arrested for robbing the cradle. On the other hand there’s a great tradition that goes back to Colette, of an older woman and a younger man. It’s been going on for a long time.

Did You Know…..?

Anyone who knows the name Stockard Channing knows that she played Rizzo in the 1978 film Grease. But did you also know that she played a very important role in the success of Roundabout Theatre Company?

In the early 1980’s, the not-for-profit Roundabout was in serious financial difficulty, and was trying to work it’s way out of Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. According to the Roundabout website, “In 1984, Roundabout was forced out of its 23rd Street home … and moved to Union Square. The company converted Tammany Hall into a 499-seat theatre. During the $1 million renovation, Roundabout staged its most acclaimed production to that time, Peter Nichols’ A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, starring Jim Dale and Stockard Channing. The production moved to Broadway where it won the 1985 Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Outstanding Revival.” Channing also won the 1985 Tony Award for Best Actress In A Play.

You know, you can find anything on youtube.com! And I found this video montage of Stockard Channing that covers many years and many looks. Take a look, and enjoy! Clicking here will open the video in a new window.