Theater News

Photo File

Nathan Lane, Marian Seldes, Russell Simmons, Bryan Batt, and the Broadway Bears star in our latest photo roundup.

New York City

On Thursday, March 20, prior to his surprise guest star appearance in The Play What I Wrote, Nathan Lane stopped by Don’t Tell Mama’s to dish in Seth Rudetsky’s Chatterbox.

At certain points during their chat, Lane looked somewhat bemused by Rudetsky.

Last night’s Broadway Bears auction at B.B. King’s raised more than $116,000 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Here’s Tina Maddigan with her Mamma Mia! bear…

…B.D. Wong with his M. Butterfly bear…

…Harriet Harris with her Thoroughly Modern Millie bear…





…Marian Seldes with her 45 Seconds From Broadway bear…

…and José Llana with a Flower Drum Song bear. The costume on which this bear’s garb is modeled was worn in the show by someone other than Llana. (Pity!)


The emcee for the Broadway Bears event was Bryan Batt, pictured here with Douglas Sills, who helped auction off his Scarlet Pimpernel bear. (Batt also played the leading role of Percy during that show’s run.)






Among the other stars who showed up to help auction off bears last evening: Adam Pascal (Rent, Aida)…









…and Tom Hewitt (right) of The Rocky Horror Show, pictured here with Edward Staudenmayer (Forbidden Broadway, Beauty and the Beast on tour).

On Friday, March 21, Russell Simmons (pictured) brought several of his Def Poetry Jam on Broadway stars to the Lincoln Center Barnes & Noble for a reading.


The ubiquitous Bryan Batt (l) frolicked in the Broadway Musicals of 1939 edition of The Town Hall’s Broadway by the Year series on Monday, March 17, in a hat designed by Maryann LoPinto. Batt is seen here with one of his co-stars, Darius de Haas, during the after-party for the show at Café Un Deux Trois.

Jim Caruso’s Cast Party, held in the King Kong Room at The Supper Club every Monday beginning at 10pm, has really caught on. Among the impromptu performers last night were Jonathan Dokuchitz (l) and Mario Cantone…


…and the dynamic duo of Steve Barcus and Julie Johnson, whom you may have caught in the Tom Jones-Harvey Schmidt musical Roadside at the York Theatre.





Billy Porter also sang at the King Kong Room last night. He was on hand the previous week as well, and posed for a pic with Daniel Reichard. These two mega-talents recently appeared together at the Public Theater in Radiant Baby, a show that should have had a warmer critical reception and a much longer life.