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| (© Joseph Marzullo/WENN) |
On Thursday night, The Signature Theater Company opened its 2008-2009 season with a revival of The First Breeze of Summer, featuring a superb performance by Tony Award winner Leslie Uggams.
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| (© Joseph Marzullo/WENN) |
The multi-talented Marva Hicks (right), who plays Uggams' daughter-in-law, partied after the performance with talk show host Star Jones.
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| (© Joseph Marzullo/WENN) |
Legendary director Melvin Van Peebles greeted the show's director, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, before the performance.
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| (© Joseph Marzullo/WENN) |
The Signature season is devoted to the work of the Negro Ensemble Company, which was founded by Douglas Turner-Ward, who attended the opening.
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| (© Joseph Marzullo/WENN) |
And here's Leslie Lee, the author of Breeze, who received an Obie Award and a Tony Award nomination for the show's 1975 premiere.
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| (© Joseph Marzullo/WENN) |
Opening nighters included actress Lynn Whitfield, who will be seen on the big-screen in the soon-to-open remake of The Women and the film version of the hit musical Mama, I Want to Sing!
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| (© Joseph Marzullo/WENN) |
The fabulous Kate Mulgrew will return to Broadway next month as Hester in the much-anticipated revival of Equus.
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| (© Joseph Marzullo/WENN) |
The wonderful Veanne Cox -- who received a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for her work in Signature's production of Paradise Park -- will star next month in Washington D.C.'s Shakespeare Theatre Company's repertory productions of Twelfth Night and The Way of the World.
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| (© Joseph Marzullo/WENN) |
Tony winner George C. Wolfe will return to the his former home, the Public Theater, later this season to direct John Guare's A Free Man of Color.
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The great Andrea McArdle is finishing up a run of her new cabaret act at the Metropolitan Room. Among the stars who have already attended are Oscar winner and theater great Celeste Holm.
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| (© Lilly Charles) |
Operation Backpack, which provides school supplies to needy schoolchildren, got back in business with the help of executive Rachel Weinstein (center) and married actors Paige Davis and Patrick Page.
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| (© Ben Strothmann) |
The new CD of the musical The Gig was celebrated at Barnes & Noble Lincoln Triangle on Monday night, with a discussion moderated by TheaterMania contributor Peter Filichia and featuring playwright Frank Gilroy, lyricist Sheldon Harnick, and composer Douglas Cohen.
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| (© Ben Strothhmann) |
Charles Pistone and Karen Ziemba were among the stars who came out to perform some of the show's musical selections.
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| (© Ben Strothmann) |
Michael McCormick, Steve Routman, and James Judy also entertained the crowd.
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| (© Joseph Marzullo/WENN) |
Finally, here's Equus (and Harry Potter) star Daniel Radcliffe, who's doing his part to publicize the show, including his participation at a New York Times TimesTalk; an August 25 appearance on NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien; and posing nude atop a horse for the September issue of Vogue.
For TheaterMania's review of
The First Breeze of Summer,
click here.
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