Theater News

Photo File

The Boy From Oz opens, the Biltmore Theatre reopens, Jerry Herman celebrates the publication of his lyrics in book form…and much more!

New York City

The critics didn’t exactly embrace the Peter Allen bio-musical The Boy From Oz upon its opening last night, but — big surpise! — star Hugh Jackman has come up smelling like a rose. Here’s Jackman at the party held at the Copa, Copacabana after the opening. (Oddly, Barry Manilow was not in attendance.)




Also caught by our photographer at the party: Stephanie J. Block and Isabel Keating, who respectively play Liza Minnelli and Judy Garland in the show…



…and Mitchel David Federan, who plays Peter Allen as a boy.

Another biographical Broadway show that opened recently was Golda’s Balcony. Here is Tovah Feldshuh, who plays Golda Meir in the one-woman play, with author William Gibson, whose other credits include The Miracle Worker and Two for the Seesaw, attending the opening night party at the Bryant Park Grill on Wednesday, October 15.

Also on hand at the Golda’s Balcony party: Scott Schwartz (right), who directed the show, with dad Stephen Schwartz, the composer/lyricist whose new musical Wicked is soon to open at the Gershwin Theatre.

Among those on hand for the festivities at the Bryant Park Grill were Marissa Jaret Winokur, late of Hairspray, who may be seen this Sunday in the TV movie Beautiful Girl on the ABC Family Channel…








…and Laura Benanti, who is between jobs.



With two of the season’s big Broadway musical productions having already opened to disappointing reviews, Never Gonna Dance is looking better and better. A press preview of several numbers from this potential hit was held on Thursday, October 9. Here are co-stars Noah Racey and Nancy Lemenager in action…

…and here are featured performers Deidre Goodwin and Eugene Fleming.




On Wednesday, October 15, the Biltmore Theatre on West 47th Street was officially reopened after many years of disuse. The venue will serve as the new Broadway home of the Manhattan Theatre Club. The first show to be presented in the renovated theater is The Violet Hour.








Very much present for the Biltmore reopening celebration was Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City.






At a reception at the New York offices of ASCAP on Tuesday, October 14, Jerry Herman and friends celebrated the publication of Jerry Herman: The Lyrics, a gorgeously designed new book from Routledge. Here is the man of the hour (right) with Ken Bloom, his collaborator on the book…






Friends of Jerry: Composer Pat Rasile (left) and Broadway veterans Karen Mason (Sunset Blvd., Mamma Mia!) and Harvey Evans (West Side Story, Follies, The Scarlet Pimpernel, etc., etc.) were also on hand for the Herman book reception.

We leave you with two photos of the Avenue Q CD signing event that was held at Tower Records on Monday, October 13. Pictured from left to right: composer-lyricists Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez, John Tartaglia with “Rod,” Jennifer Barnhart with “Mrs. T.” (rear), Ann Harada, Jordan Gelber (rear), and Rick Lyon with “Nicky.”




It pays to be first! Fans at the front of the line at Tower got their CDs signed not only by the human stars of Avenue Q but also by the puppets.