Ian McKellen, Edward Scissorhands, et al. Set for BAM in 2007

A rare New York appearance by Sir Ian McKellen, the national tour of Matthew Bourne’s Edward Scissorhands, and the return of the critically acclaimed Cheek by Jowl and Propeller theater companies highlight the 2007 slate of programming at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

McKellen, a Tony Award winner for his work in Amadeus, will come to BAM in the Royal Shakespare Company productions of King Lear and The Seagull. Directed by Trevor Nunn, the two plays will run in repertory, September 6-30; McKellen will play the title role in Lear and Sorin in The Seagull at select performances.

Edward Scissorhands, the musical version of the Tim Burton film directed and choreographed by Tony winner Bourne, will play at BAM from March 14 through 31. The show’s national tour kicks off tonight in San Francisco.

Propeller, the all-male company directed by Edward Hall, will make its third visit to BAM, presenting Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew and Twelfth Night in repertory from March 17 through April 1. Another BAM favorite, Cheek by Jowl, will offer Shakespeare’s Cymbeline, May 2-8, under the direction of Declan Donnellan.

Upcoming non-theater events at BAM include the Hamburg Ballet in Death in Venice (February 7-10), a concert by actor/singer Mos Def (February 16-17), The Forsythe Company’s Three Atmospheric Studies (February 28-March 3), the U.S. premiere of director William Kentridge’s production of The Magic Flute (April 9-14), and the New York premiere of choreographer Doug Varone’s Dense Terrain (May 16-19).

For more information, call 718-636-4100 or visit www.BAM.org.