What's New on the Rialto

Twelfth Night
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Nicholas Hytner
Running through August 30
Vivian Beaumont Theater

For those who haven't yet seen it or won't be able to make it to Lincoln Center Theatre's revival of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night before it closes next Sunday, be sure to have your VCRs ready. The final Broadway performance will be broadcast live, 8-11 PM (ET) Aug. 30 on PBS' Live From Lincoln Center series.

Helen Hunt stars as Viola with Philip Bosco as Malvolio, Max Wright as Andrew Aguecheek, Amy Hill as Maria, Julio Monge as Antonio, Brian Murray as Sir Toby Belch, Paul Rudd as Orsino, and Kyra Sedgwick as Olivia.

If you're not doing anything Wednesday, August 26 at 6:30pm, stop by and take in the latest in Lincoln Center Theater's Platform Series. Director Nicholas Hytner will be talking about this production of Twelfth Night. Hytner is one of England's leading directors and an Associate Director of LCT, where he previously staged Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel, which won five Tony Awards including Best Revival and Best Director. His films include the recent hit The Object of My Affection, The Crucible and The Madness of King George.

The Lincoln Center Theater's Platform Series, where you can meet some of the artists working at LCT is based on a popular program at London's Royal National Theatre. These events are hour-long, pre-performance talks held in the Vivian Beaumont Theater lobby (150 W. 65th St.) and are free to the public. (Seating is limited and available only on a first-come, first-served basis. Standing room is almost always available - it's a big lobby.)

A New Brain
Music and Lyrics by William Finn
Book by William Finn & James Lapine
Directed and Choreographed by Graciela Daniele
Closing August 23
Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater

Although A New Brain had been extended to Oct. 2, it will now end its run August 23 with 116 total performances. (The original closing date was August 2, so the show is really running three extra weeks.) The RCA Victor cast recording will go on sale September 15.

PARADE
Book by Alfred Uhry
Music & Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
Co-conceived and Directed by Harold Prince
Vivian Beaumont Theater
In association with Livent, Inc.

PARADE is the most eagerly anticipated new musical of the fall season. Directed by Harold Prince, it is based on the true story of Leo Frank, wrongfully convicted of murdering a 13-year-old girl in 1913 Atlanta.

Rehearsals on the production begin September 14, with previews starting November 12 for a December 17 opening. This will be a limited run through February 28, 1999, and tickets are already somewhat difficult to get.

With Harold Prince, director of The Phantom of the Opera and Sweeney Todd directing, a book by Tony and Pulitzer winner Alfred Uhry, and a score by newcomer Jason Robert Brown, it's easy to understand why. Brent Carver, a Tony winner for Kiss of the Spider Woman, will be making his return to Broadway as Leo Frank. Also in the cast are Carolee Carmello, J.B. Adams, Ray Aranha, Rufus Bonds, Jr., Don Chastain, Jeff Edgerton, John Hickok, Herndon Lackey, Jessica Molaskey, Kirk McDonald, Evan Pappas, Christy Carlson Romano, and John Leslie Wolfe. Patricia Birch will choreograph. The production will be designed by Judith Dolan (costumes), Riccardo Hernandez (sets) and Howell Binkley (lighting).

The next time you visit Lincoln Center Theater, you can purchase window card posters for Twelfth Night and A New Brain, LCT umbrellas and mugs, Twelfth Night t-shirts and note cards, LCT t-shirts, Twelfth Night compact disks (featuring the music of Jeanine Tesori), and original cast albums (on CD) of various LCT productions direct from the source.

The Shop at Lincoln Center Theater, located in the South Landing of the Vivian Beaumont Theater Lobby has finally opened. The shop opens one to one-and-a-half hours prior to the first performance of the day at the Beaumont, and closes shortly after the end of the evening performance. The shop is closed on Mondays.

Tidbits: Our Auction is officially over. The final tally is is around $1,950. Thanks to all who participated. Autographed items seemed to be the big thing, so a special thanks to Steve Schalchlin, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Adam Guettel, Ann Reinking, and Robert Cuccioli. Now is the fun part ... collecting the money and mailing this memorabilia to the four corners of the globe. As mentioned many times, the proceeds from this auction go to charity and that charity is BC/EFA, Broadway Cares Equity Fights Aids. Since our goal was $1000, I'd say we did pretty well. So popular was our auction that we even got a blurb in the New York Post. Thanks.

Rumormill has it that the rehearsal yesterday for Footloose at the Kennedy Center was a disaster. Everybody ended up screaming and yelling at everybody else and several of the young kids in the chorus ended up in tears. They are supposed to start previews Tuesday, but may postpone for a couple of days. Not to worry ... all a part of the process.

See you Thursday!

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