The Latest in Theaters: Batman Besides

Although The Dark Knight is shaping up to be the movie event of the summer (if not the year), there are a lot of other movies opening this weekend as well. Such as:

• Mamma Mia! Can you ask for anything better then Meryl Streep and an all-star cast (including the absolutely dreamy Dominic Cooper) in a sun-kissed movie musical complete with ABBA's biggest hits? I think not.
• Chad Allen returns as gay detective Donald Strachey for another mystery in On the Other Hand, Death. Co-starring, as a lesbian high school guidance counselor no less, is Margot Kidder.
• Andy Samberg, Cheryl Hines, Jeff Daniels, Kristin Chenoweth, Jane Lynch and Stanley Tucci are among the voices in the new animated comedy adventure Space Chimps, about ... well, chimps in space.
• In Transsiberian, Ben Kingsley, Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer are wrapped up in a mystery aboard the titular train ride from Russia to China.
• Writer/director Jacques Nolot stars as an aging gay gigolo faced with his own mortality when his wealthy benefactor dies in in the French import Before I Forget (watch the trailer here).
• And finally: if you find yourself in New York and looking for a good time this weekend, then how about the Sing Along Xanadu?

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Whatever Lola Wants

"I'll have what she's having."

The New York City Center's Encores! Summer Stars series steps up to bat this evening for the official opening of their Damn Yankees. This production of the classic baseball musical stars Sean Hayes as Mr. Applegate (a.k.a. the Devil), Jane Krakowski as Lola and Cheyenne Jackson as "Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, MO" (the part played by Tab Hunter in the 1958 movie version).

Krakowski and Jackson are reuniting after previously working together on an early workshop of Xanadu; he is taking a temporary leave from that show to appear in this one, but will return to his short shorts and headbands once this one closes on July 27.

But he may have his next gig lined up if Yankees is the home run that the last Encores hit, Gypsy, was; that show transferred to Broadway and won three Tonys. If so, Cheyenne may have a Tony in his future as well if history repeats itself. Jarrod Emick won his Tony for playing the same role in the last Broadway revival of Damn Yankees in 1995.

The Latest on DVD: Muse-ical Magic!

Who knew that 28 years after its notorious box office belly flop that Xanadu would find itself resurrected not only as the quintessential "bad movie we love", but also as an award winning Broadway hit?

The magical, muse-filled musical starring Olivia Newton John, Michael Beck and Gene Kelly (in his last film role) is even getting a deluxe DVD treatment, new this week: the Xanadu: Magical Musical Edition.In addition to a digitally remastered picture, new 5.1 surround sound audio track and all-new bonus features, the set also includes the complete CD soundtrack (granted, most of us already have that, but still ... )

By the by, if you too have fond memories of "growing up Xanadu", be sure to read Dan McCallum's hilarious essay on doing just that over at AfterElton.com.

Check out the Latest on DVD widgets located in the sidebar for more of this week's new DVD releases available today from Amazon.com.

Tony Tube 2008

Here's a video round up of the best of Broadway, as seen on the Tony Awards last week:

- Of course, what everyone was talking about the next day: Xanadu's Cheyenne Jackson brings the house down with a fierce rendition of "Don't Walk Away".
- The Cry-Baby boys are "A Little Upset" (especially since their show closed a week later).
- Another show that announced their closing in the past week: A Catered Affair.
- For the wholesome family crowd, Disney was on hand with both The Lion King and The Little Mermaid ...
- ... with Megan Mullally in Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein there to scare them off later.
- Grease was the word ...
- ... but not the final word. That honor goes to Rent, reuniting the original cast for one last chorus of "Seasons of Love".

And for a little more Cheyenne, here's "All Over the World", as seen on Live with Regis and Kelly, plus a Tony red carpet interview from Broadway TV.

Awards Watch: Tony Awards 2008

It was "some enchanted evening" tonight at Radio City Music Hall as South Pacific swept this year's Tony Awards. The acclaimed revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage classic won seven trophies, including Best Musical Revival. In the Heights, the Best Musical winner, won four Tonys, while August: Osage County dominated on the drama side, with five wins, including Best Play. The swinging 60's comedy Boeing-Boeing rounds out the top categories with two wins, including Best Play Revival.

The other big winner was Gypsy, which saw wins for its three main actors, Laura Benanti (the first actually Gypsy to win), Boyd Gaines (his fourth Tony win) and a hilariously outspoken Patti LuPone. And speaking of Gypsy, its lyricist, Stephen Sondheim, was the recipient of the Tony's lifetime achievement award ... but didn't bother to show up.

Perhaps the biggest winner of the night was the viewers, thanks to the hostess with the mostest, Whoopi Goldberg, who was -- in a word -- fabulous. Whether it was appearing onstage as the high-flying Mary Poppins or in pre-taped segments as the high-kicking cast of A Chorus Line (plus Mario Lopez), she kept the show lively and entertaining from curtain to curtain.

Finally, on the From Screen to Stage front, The 39 Steps was the only winner, taking home two technical trophies. And although Cry-Baby and Xanadu went home empty-handed, at least their high-energy production numbers (led by their respective hunks, James Snyder and Cheyenne Jackson) actually made their shows appear, to me at least, as something worth paying Broadway ticket prices to see.

Awards Watch: Time for Tony

The clock is ticking down to the biggest event of the Broadway season, the Tony Awards. The 62nd Annual Antoinette Perry Awards will be telecast live tomorrow night on CBS, with Whoopi Goldberg presiding over the tony (ahem) evening as host.

The general consensus is that the two big awards -- Best Play and Best Musical -- are August: Osage County and In the Heights' to lose. However, the Tonys always have a few surprises waiting in the wings (remember Avenue Q besting Wicked?), so don't count out the underdog, which this year is Xanadu. The best bet for the Fanadu (and Movie Dearest) fave is Douglas Carter Beane's book, while Cry-Baby's exuberant dances should land Rob Ashford his second Tony.

Two revivals of theatrical classics, South Pacific and Gypsy, are expected to dominate the musical acting categories, with the former (the first return to New York of the Rodgers and Hammerstein standard ever) expected to nab Best Revival and Best Director (for Bartlett Sher). On the play front, Patrick Stewart is favored for Best Actor for his Macbeth, while Raúl Esparza may get the Tony this year (for The Homecoming) that many feel he deserved last year (for Company; he lost to surprise winner David Hyde Pierce, for Curtains).

The evening will also honor legendary composer Stephen Sondheim with a lifetime achievement award; fans will want to check out Broadway.com's look at his 50-year history with the Tonys, including his seven previous wins (more then any other composer).

For all of us outside of the New York area, there are a few ways we can join in on the excitement as it happens: Tony Award winners Julie White and Michael Cerveris will host the first hour of presentations of the "Creative Arts awards" live on the Tony's website, while Playbill.com will live blog from backstage at Radio City Music Hall. And if you are hosting your own Tony viewing party, Broadway.com has ideas for a critically acclaimed menu. A Catered Affair canapés, any one?

Reel Thoughts: Broadway Baby

Our Neil Cohen recently paid a visit to the Big Apple, and he naturally took time to take in some theatah ... so, to count down to the Tony Awards next Sunday, here is his first of five reviews of some of the current offerings on the Great White Way and beyond:

Any show that wheels a boy in an iron lung across the stage during “The Anti-Polio Picnic”, waving an American flag and shouting “I sure wish I’d gotten that vaccine!”, has both the earmarks of a John Waters movie and my undying love! Cry-Baby (currently playing at the Marriott Marquis Theatre) may not have Johnny Depp, but it has hands-down the hottest dancers doing the best choreography I can remember. Listen to the Tony voters, who nominated it for Best Musical, and get ready to have a great time.

The show has changed a little since I saw its debut in La Jolla last year, with the addition of a couple of songs in place of others, but I didn’t really notice. James Snyder is fine in the title role, a rockabilly heartthrob with a soft spot for good girl Allison Vernon-Williams (Elizabeth Stanley). In a town without pity like Baltimore circa 1954, however, this boy getting this girl is going to take a lot of work. The marvelous Harriet Harris (Desperate Housewives) plays Allison’s disapproving grandmother, and she brings down the house with her confessional number “I Did Something Wrong … Once”, while Alli Mauzey, as Cry-Baby’s crazy stalker Lenora, truly owns the show when she lets loose with Waters’ favorite number, “Screw Loose”; it’s like “Patsy Cline Goes Psycho”, and I can’t wait for the cast album to hear it again.

Allison’s “Squeaky Clean” boyfriend Baldwin is played to perfection by blond cutie Christopher J. Hanke. The bravura second act jailhouse number “A Little Upset” is a high-octane, hyper-masculine treat, complete with convicts tap-dancing with license plates for shoes! The rest of the cast, bad girl Mona, Dupree, Hatchet-Face and the Whiffles are perfect, but it is those amazing, often shirtless dancers who’ll make you cry for more! It’s the Drapes versus the Squares ... and we’re the winners with Cry-Baby!

In related news, the Cry-Baby dancers will be on view at the Tony Awards this Sunday doing their show-stopping "A Little Upset" production number, while "Fanadus" everywhere will rejoice as Cheyenne Jackson takes center stage to belt out "Don't Walk Away" from Xanadu.

MD Poll: Believe We Are Magic

In what turned out to be a close race to be named your favorite "screen-to-stage" Broadway show of the season, Xanadu eventually triumphed with roughly one-third of the votes (see the comments section below for the complete rundown). First, the 2007 Dearie, now this, could the 2008 Tony for Best Musical be next?

The answer is "yes!" if pint-sized YouTube sensation Cubby Bernstein has anything to say about it. The super-secret Tony Campaign Manager ("I smell a Tony!") has gone viral, choosing Xanadu as the one the win this year, so be a good "Fanadu" and board the "Cub-oose", buy a "Cub-cake" and watch all his videos, with special guest stars Kerry Butler, Cheyenne Jackson and Nathan Lane and more! Xanadu? Yes, it can!


And in more Xanadu news: London is calling.

Click here to vote in the latest MD Poll.

MD Poll: From Screen to Stage, Class of 2007-2008

With the 2007-2008 Broadway season now at its end (and the Tony Awards just around the corner), the latest MD Poll asks you to take a look at the six "screen to stage" productions that have trod the boards of the Great White Way over the past year and asks "which is your favorite?"

Five musicals (A Catered Affair, Cry-Baby, The Little Mermaid, Xanadu and Young Frankenstein) and one play (The 39 Steps) are in the running, so make your choice and place your vote in the poll located in the sidebar to your right. Results will be revealed in two weeks.

UPDATE: This polll is now closed. Click here for the results, and click here to vote in the latest MD Poll.

Awards Watch: Drama Desk 2008

While most of the gold went to such original works as August: Osage County and Passing Strange, a few screen-to-stage faves took home Drama Desk Awards earlier tonight.

Rob Ashford took home another prize for his Cry-Baby choreography while Xanadu's Douglas Carter Beane won his first for Outstanding Book of a Musical. And the Hitchcock-inspired The 39 Steps nabbed two awards, for lighting design and "Unique Theatrical Experience".

Awards Watch: Drama League 2008

It may have failed to get a Tony Award nomination for Best Musical, but A Catered Affair was just fine for the Drama League. The new tuner, based on the classic Bette Davis movie The Catered Affair, was named Distinguished Production of a Musical by the group, an association of theatre professionals and patrons dedicated to "encouraging the finest in professional theatre".

Winners, which also included August: Osage County, South Pacific, Macbeth and Gypsy's Patti LuPone (named the winner of the Distinguished Performance Award out of 70 (!) nominees), were announced at a luncheon yesterday, hosted by Affair's co-star/librettist Harvey Fierstein. Broadway.com has a report from the scene, which included an unexpected marriage proposal for one Cheyenne Jackson.

Cheyenne (and his Xanadu - which just announced its first national tour) are also among the nominees for the 9th Annual Broadway.com Audience Awards. Nominations have been announced for "the only theatrical award that honors the best of the season as chosen by regular theatergoers" and voting is currently underway. Other screen-to-stage favorites among the nominees (see the comments section below for a quick look) include A Bronx Tale, A Catered Affair, Grease, Hairspray, The Little Mermaid, Monty Python's Spamalot, Rent, The Ritz, The 39 Steps, Wicked and Young Frankenstein, which leads the pack with 10 nods.

Awards Watch: Tony Nominations

The nominations for the 62nd Annual Tony Awards were announced this morning, with lots of surprises among them. And while our favorites Cry-Baby and Xanadu were both nominated for Best Musical, other front-runners like A Catered Affair and Young Frankenstein were shut out in favor of original works In the Heights (which leads the field with 13 nominations) and Passing Strange. The 39 Steps, based on the classic Alfred Hitchcock film, was nominated for Best Play, where it faces tough competition from August: Osage County, Rock 'n' Roll and The Seafarer.

The 39 Steps leads the screen-to-stage nominees with six, followed by four each for Cry-Baby and Xanadu (including a Best Actress nod for Kerry Butler). A Catered Affair and Young Frankenstein did get three nominations each (including nods for actors Tom Wopat and Faith Prince in the former, and Christopher Fitzgerald and Andrea Martin in the latter), while The Little Mermaid netted only two, including a surprise nomination for Best Original Score.

Stephen Sondheim, currently represented on Broadway with the nominated revivals of Gypsy and Sunday in the Park with George, will receive a special Tony Award for "Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre". The Tony Award telecast, which will be hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, will be broadcast live on CBS from Radio City Music Hall on Sunday June 15. For a quick look at the nominations, see the comments section below.

Awards Watch: Outer Critics 2008

At first glance, screen to stage productions did well at the 58th annual Outer Critics Circle Awards today: the stage versions of Xanadu and Young Frankenstein tied for Outstanding Broadway Musical of the year, and Cry-Baby took home choreography honors.

But the big winners were the acclaimed revivals of Gypsy and South Pacific, with the latter taking home the most awards (four) of the day, including Outstanding Musical Revival. Both shows dominated the musical acting awards, including the first of likely many for Patti LuPone as Mama Rose.

Other acting winners include such big names as Kevin Kline (as Cyrano de Bergerac), James Earl Jones (as Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), Laurie Metcalf (November) and Laurence Fishburne (Thurgood).

From Stage to (Small) Screen

The MTV presentation of the Broadway musical Legally Blonde was nominated for two Daytime Emmy nominations today, including Outstanding Special Class Special. Isn't that special?

In more From Screen to Stage news of the day:
- Speaking of Legally Blonde, Kate Rockwell, an alumni of Grease: You're the One That I Want, will join the cast as a sorority sister next month.
- Raúl Esparza will star in the Steve Martin role in an upcoming workshop of the Broadway bound stage musical version of Leap of Faith. Film director Taylor Hackford is at the helm of the new tuner, which features songs by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater, currently represented on the Great White Way with Disney's The Little Mermaid.
- Speaking of Disney, the French production of The Lion King (known as Le Roi Lion) was named Best Musical at the recent Moliere Awards, the French version of the Tonys.
- Good news for "fanadus": original Xanadu cast members Kerry Butler, Cheyenne Jackson, Tony Roberts, Jackie Hoffman and Mary Testa have all renewed their contracts with the show through next January.
- And this last show has nothing to do with movies -- unless you count The Last King of Scotland -- but it does have the best title ever.

UPDATE: Cheyenne Jackson will be leaving Xanadu ... but just for the month of July so he can play "Shoeless Joe from Hannibal Mo" in the Encores! Summer Stars production of Damn Yankeess. Jane Krakowski (as Lola) and Sean Hayes (as the devilish Mr. Applegate) also star.

Awards Watch: Drama Desk

The next step on the road to the Tony Awards was taken today, with the announcement of the nominations for the 53rd Annual Drama Desk Awards. Leading the pack with 12 nods is A Catered Affair, the new musical based on the classic Bette Davis movie The Catered Affair. In addition to a Best Musical nod, librettist Harvey Fierstein and actors Faith Prince, Tom Wopat and Leslie Kritzer were also nominated.

Other screen-to-stage favorites with multiple nominations include Young Frankenstein with eight, The 39 Steps and The Little Mermaid with three each, and the Dearie Award-winning Xanadu with six, including Best Musical and acting nods for Cheyenne Jackson and Mary Testa. Playwright Edward Albee, celebrating his 80th year, will also be honored with a special lifetime achievement award.

The Drama Desk, an organization of theatre critics, writers and editors that honors excellence in all areas of New York theatre (Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway and not-for-profit), will present their awards May 18 at Lincoln Center. For a quick look at the nominees, see the comments section below.

Awards Watch: Drama League

More theater awards as the Broadway season approaches its end: nominees for the 2007-2008 Drama League Awards were recently announced.

Among the nominations are such screen-to-stage faves as A Bronx Tale, A Catered Affair, Die Mommie Die!, Cry-Baby, The Little Mermaid, The Ritz, The 39 Steps, Xanadu and Young Frankenstein.

The 74th Annual Drama League Awards will be revealed May 16.

Awards Watch: Outer Critics Circle

The stage musical version of Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein leads the recently announced Outer Critics Circle Awards nominations with ten nods, including Outstanding New Broadway Musical. Joining it in that category are three other movie-based musicals: A Catered Affair, Cry-Baby and Xanadu. And yet another film-inspired show, The 39 Steps, is up for Outstanding New Broadway Play.

The group, which consists of writers "covering New York theatre for out-of town newspapers, national publications and other media beyond Broadway", will announce the winners May 12, followed by an awards celebration dinner May 22 at the famed Sardi's Restaurant.

For a quick look at the nominees, see the comments section below.