As a follow up to my last blog, two more Broadway shows have posted closing dates: Collected Stories starring Linda Lavin will play its last performance on Sunday, June 13^th while Lend Me a Tenor starring Anthony LaPaglia, Tony Shalhoub and Tony-nominee Jan Maxwell will be bowing out on August 15^th. Both productions are first-rate and I highly recommend you see them while you still can.

  Michael McKean whose most recent Broadway credits include stellar turns in Tracy Letts' Superior Donuts, the hit revival of Harold Pinter's The Homecoming and the musical blockbuster, The Pajama Game, is returning in David Cromer's highly lauded Off-Broadway production of Our Town.  Even if you've seen the show multiple times, McKean's presence warrants another visit. He begins performance on June 2^nd. And for the record, I personally have lost count of the number of extensions this production has put into play, but the last closing date of June 27^th has been pushed to September 12^th.  Just a guess, but I don't anticipate that marks the end.  ourtownoffbroadway.com

  Alice Ripley is exiting the Pulitzer-Prize/Tony Award-winning rock musical Next to Normal on July 18^th to share her Tony-winning performance with audiences in 36 cities across North America, starting in L.A. in late September. In the central role of Diana, a mother riding the wave of a mental tsunami while trying to keep her family physically and emotionally intact, Ripley has given her all to the show since it began its journey to Broadway via a workshop at Off-Broadway's Second Stage Theatre in 2007.  Grab the opportunity to see her on Broadway before she departs. INCIDENTALLY: Brian D'Arcy James, who played the role of Diana's husband, Dan, in the 2008 Off-Broadway production rejoined the show on May 17^th will also be leaving the cast on July 18^th.  His follow-up however, will be the Broadway remounting of the critically-acclaimed Time Stands Still with former castmates Laura Linney and Eric Bogosian in September. Christina Ricci will be replacing Alicia Silverstone as the youngest member of the four-character cast.  AS FOR NEXT TO NORMAL: actors moving into Ripley and D'Arcy James' roles have yet to be announced.

  Speaking of D'Arcy James, his former Shrek costar, Tony-winner Sutton Foster is opting - at least briefly - for the cabaret route at the iconic Café Carlyle. Her show, Sutton Foster at The Carlyle is set for a two week run from June 15^th through the 26^th, and will include "an eclectic evening... of standards, songs from the worlds of pop and Broadway, and selections from her debut album, 'Wish." She'lll be accompanied by music director Michael Rafter on the piano and Kevin Kuhn on guitar. thecarlyle.com.

Posted on May 27, 2010 - by