EXIT THE KING’S GEOFFREY RUSH FEATURED IN VANITY FAIR

EXIT THE KING’S

GEOFFREY RUSH

FEATURED IN JULY’S VANITY FAIR

NOW ON STANDS

 

ONLY 12 MORE PERFORMANCES TO SEE

GEOFFREY RUSH IN EXIT THE KING

 

“Geoffrey Rush as King Berenger is giving one of the

Greatest virtuoso performances I’ve ever seen.”

–John Heilpern, NY Observer

 

EXIT THE KING’s Tony nominated Geoffrey Rush is currently featured in the July issue of Vanity Fair, now on stands. Rush was photographed by Howard Schatz for the magazine’s ‘In Character’ feature.

 

For his performance as ‘King Berenger,’ Rush has recently been nominated for a Tony Award and recognized with the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Actor in a Play, Theatre World Award, Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance, and the Drama Desk Award for Best Actor in a Play.

 

EXIT THE KING is a limited engagement, through June 14 only.

 

www.ExitTheKingonBroadway.com

 

ABOUT EXIT THE KING

EXIT THE KING stars Geoffrey Rush, Susan Sarandon, Lauren Ambrose, Andrea Martin, William Sadler and Brian Hutchison.  Eugene Ionesco’s classic comedy is directed by Neil Armfield, and translated by Armfield and Rush.  

 

EXIT THE KING is a hilarious and poignant comedy about a megalomaniacal ruler, King Berenger (Rush) whose incompetence has left his country in near ruin.  Despite the efforts of Queen Marguerite (Sarandon) and the other members of the court to convince the King he has only 90 minutes left to live, he refuses to relinquish any control.

 

The design team for EXIT THE KING includes Dale Ferguson (Set & Costume), Damien Cooper (Lighting), Russell Goldsmith (Sound) and John Rodgers (Composer).

 

Geoffrey Rush is appearing with the permission of Actors’ Equity Association.

 

Tickets are available through Telecharge.com, by phone at 212-239-6200, or 800-432-7250, online at www.Telecharge.com or in person at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre box office, 243 West 47^th Street.  Box office hours are Monday through Saturday 10:00am – 8:00pm and Sunday from 12:00pm – 6:00pm.

 

Ticket prices range from $66.50 to $116.50.  Student rush tickets will be sold the day of the performance when the box office opens. Tickets are $26.50 and there is a limit of two tickets per person with valid ID and they are based on availability.

 

The performance schedule for EXIT THE KING is Tuesday at 7:00pm, Wednesday through Saturday at 8:00pm, Wednesday and Saturday at 2:00pm and Sunday at 3:00pm, through June 14.  Please note that on Sunday, June 7, the curtain is at 2:00pm.

.

www.ExitTheKingonBroadway.com

 

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Advertisement

FINAL TWO WEEKS TO SEE EXIT THE KING

FINAL TWO WEEKS TO SEE

EXIT THE KING

 

CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED LIMITED ENGAGEMENT

THROUGH JUNE 14 ONLY

 

“A TOUCHSTONE WORK OF

PURE COMEDY.”

–Ben Brantley, The New York Times

 

“A COMEDY THAT IS

TIMELY AND TIMELESS” 

–Emily Bobrow, Economist

 

“EXTRAVAGANT, HILARIOUS and HAUNTING.”

–Michael Kuchwara, AP

“INSPIRED, EXHILARATING THEATER.”

–Linda Winer, Newsday

 

“A CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT!”

–Elysa Gardner, USA Today

 

“SEE IT BY ALL MEANS!

THE REAL THING!”

–Terry Teachout, Wall Street Journal

 

 

The critically acclaimed Broadway production of EXIT THE KING will begin the final two weeks of its limited engagement, set to end Sunday, June 14 at the Barrymore Theatre (243 West 47^th Street). The production will have played 21 previews and 93 regular performances.

 

Eugene Ionesco’s EXIT THE KING, directed by Neil Armfield, stars Tony nominee Geoffrey Rush as King Berenger, Susan Sarandon as Queen Marguerite, Lauren Ambrose, Andrea Martin, William Sadler and Brian Hutchison.

 

Translated by Armfield and Geoffrey Rush, EXIT THE KING opened Thursday, March 26, 2009 at the Barrymore Theatre (243 West 47^th Street). 

 

www.ExitTheKingonBroadway.com

 

ABOUT EXIT THE KING

EXIT THE KING stars Geoffrey Rush, Susan Sarandon, Lauren Ambrose, Andrea Martin, William Sadler and Brian Hutchison.  Eugene Ionesco’s classic comedy is directed by Neil Armfield, and translated by Armfield and Rush.  

 

EXIT THE KING is a hilarious and poignant comedy about a megalomaniacal ruler, King Berenger (Rush) whose incompetence has left his country in near ruin.  Despite the efforts of Queen Marguerite (Sarandon) and the other members of the court to convince the King he has only 90 minutes left to live, he refuses to relinquish any control.

 

The design team for EXIT THE KING includes Dale Ferguson (Set & Costume), Damien Cooper (Lighting), Russell Goldsmith (Sound) and John Rodgers (Composer).

 

Geoffrey Rush is appearing with the permission of Actors’ Equity Association.

 

Tickets are available through Telecharge.com, by phone at 212-239-6200, or 800-432-7250, online at www.Telecharge.com or in person at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre box office, 243 West 47^th Street.  Box office hours are Monday through Saturday 10:00am – 8:00pm and Sunday from 12:00pm – 6:00pm.

 

Ticket prices range from $66.50 to $116.50.  Student rush tickets will be sold the day of the performance when the box office opens. Tickets are $26.50 and there is a limit of two tickets per person with valid ID and they are based on availability.

 

The performance schedule for EXIT THE KING is Tuesday at 7:00pm, Wednesday through Saturday at 8:00pm, Wednesday and Saturday at 2:00pm and Sunday at 3:00pm, through June 14.  Please note that on Sunday, June 7, the curtain is at 2:00pm.

.

www.ExitTheKingonBroadway.com

 

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EXIT THE KING’S GEOFFREY RUSH SPEAKS TO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

EXIT THE KING’S

GEOFFREY RUSH

SPEAKS TO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

“Geoffrey Rush as King Berenger is giving one of the

Greatest virtuoso performances I’ve ever seen.”

–John Heilpern, NY Observer

 

EXIT THE KING NOW PLAYING AT THE BARRYMORE THEATRE

THROUGH JUNE 14 ONLY

 

www.ExitTheKingonBroadway.com 

 

How Geoffrey Rush wooed Susan Sarandon to Broadway

May 27, 2009

By MARK KENNEDY

NEW YORK (AP) — Geoffrey Rush has a soft spot for Susan Sarandon. It’s understandable, seeing how they first met.

 

“She handed me my Oscar,” Rush says.

That was back in 1997, when Rush heard his name called as best actor for “Shine.” Waiting for him with his prize was Sarandon, the best-actress winner the year before for “Dead Man Walking.”

“In a very numb state, I went up on the stage and thought, `Walk toward the person holding the statue.’ Note to self, `Put hand around statue. Don’t drop. Turn around, say something to crowd,'” Rush recalls.

He got more than a golden statuette and a hug from Sarandon. There also was some timely advice on his way to the podium.

“She was so human and so true. She looked me in the eye and she said, `Just take your time,'” he says during an interview. “That was so beautiful! This wave of calm came over me.”

After that night, the two would occasionally bump into each other at premieres and even appeared together in the 2002 film “The Banger Sisters,” in which she rather rudely hit him with her car.

Flash forward to this year: Rush, 57, needed someone to play a queen for his Broadway run in the title role of Eugene Ionesco’s absurdist comedy “Exit the King.”

Rush had won raves in his native Australia for portraying King Berenger, a dictatorial monarch facing both the decay of his kingdom and his own life.

“It is a role that gives you a chance to play the full range of your instrument,” he says. “You’re really up on the high notes and you’re down on the slower, low notes. And you get to do all the flashier bits in between.”

For New York, Rush needed a strong queen, one who has perhaps one of the best spoiler alerts in theatrical history. “You are going to die in an hour and a half,” she tells the king at the play’s beginning. “You are going to die at the end of this play.”

Who better to deliver that than Sarandon?

Rush thought a personal touch was called for to coax Sarandon back on Broadway for the first time in 37 years. So he wrote her a letter and sent her Ionesco’s play, warning her not to be alarmed by how abstract it is.

He said it was filled with amazing dialogue and moods that shifted from “hilarious, burlesque pratfalls into the feeling that you might be sitting in a cathedral by yourself at midnight with a few candles.”

Sarandon was intrigued. In a separate interview, she recalls getting the “really funny, articulate and thoughtful letter — obviously, a very seductive letter.”

“It was a letter that basically sold the play as being something that was completely different and an experience that would really challenge me,” she says.

She cracked open the script.

Then she signed on.

“Her response to reading the play was she got it,” Rush says, snapping his long, thin fingers. “She got it like that.”

Sarandon’s addition meant the two Oscar winners would again share the same stage — appropriate, she says, considering the magical night they met: “I always felt as if there was some kind of cosmic connection there.”

The casting was completed with the addition of Lauren Ambrose, William Sadler, Brian Hutchison and Andrea Martin. Neil Armfield, who helped Rush adapt the play, directs.

The cheers that lifted the play in Australia continued in America. Rush, making his Broadway debut, has earned a Drama Desk Award and a best actor Tony nomination.

On June 7, he will be up against fellow Tony nominees Raul Esparza in “Speed-the-Plow,” Thomas Sadoski in “reasons to be pretty,” and Jeff Daniels and James Gandolfini, both in “God of Carnage.”

For Sarandon, 62, working with Rush has been eye-opening. “His stamina and generosity on stage have been really great,” she says. “He’s really taught me how to be courageous and not worry about failure.”

She says she likes to peer at the audience when she’s offstage, watching as they react, transfixed, to Rush and his strange character’s demise.

“It’s so transformative to see them in awe, to be in a place where there’s magic happening — and that’s Geoffrey,” she says.

What might be next for this dynamic duo, now that they’ve worked together on stage with such rewarding results?

“A sequel,” Rush says, laughing. “‘Re-enter the King’! The king’s back and he’s madder than hell!”

 

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EXIT THE KING’S GEOFFREY RUSH FEATURED ON NEWYORKER.COM

EXIT THE KING’S

GEOFFREY RUSH

FEATURED ON

WWW.NEWYORKER.COM

 

“Geoffrey Rush as King Berenger is giving one of the

Greatest virtuoso performances I’ve ever seen.”

–John Heilpern, NY Observer

 

EXIT THE KING’s Tony nominated Geoffrey Rush is currently featured on The New Yorker’s website in a new video series, Conversations with John Lahr.  Click here to watch the interview.

 

For his performance as ‘King Berenger,’ Rush has recently been nominated for a Tony Award and recognized with the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Actor in a Play, Theatre World Award, Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance, and the Drama Desk Award for Best Actor in a Play.

 

EXIT THE KING is a limited engagement, through June 14 only.

 

www.ExitTheKingonBroadway.com

 

ABOUT EXIT THE KING

EXIT THE KING stars Geoffrey Rush, Susan Sarandon, Lauren Ambrose, Andrea Martin, William Sadler and Brian Hutchison.  Eugene Ionesco’s classic comedy is directed by Neil Armfield, and translated by Armfield and Rush.  

 

EXIT THE KING is a hilarious and poignant comedy about a megalomaniacal ruler, King Berenger (Rush) whose incompetence has left his country in near ruin.  Despite the efforts of Queen Marguerite (Sarandon) and the other members of the court to convince the King he has only 90 minutes left to live, he refuses to relinquish any control.

 

The design team for EXIT THE KING includes Dale Ferguson (Set & Costume), Damien Cooper (Lighting), Russell Goldsmith (Sound) and John Rodgers (Composer).

 

Geoffrey Rush is appearing with the permission of Actors’ Equity Association.

 

Tickets are available through Telecharge.com, by phone at 212-239-6200, or 800-432-7250, online at www.Telecharge.com or in person at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre box office, 243 West 47^th Street.  Box office hours are Monday through Saturday 10:00am – 8:00pm and Sunday from 12:00pm – 6:00pm.

 

Ticket prices range from $66.50 to $116.50.  Student rush tickets will be sold the day of the performance when the box office opens. Tickets are $26.50 and there is a limit of two tickets per person with valid ID and they are based on availability.

 

The performance schedule for EXIT THE KING is Tuesday at 7:00pm, Wednesday through Saturday at 8:00pm, Wednesday and Saturday at 2:00pm and Sunday at 3:00pm, through June 14.  Please note that on Sunday, June 7, the curtain is at 2:00pm.

.

www.ExitTheKingonBroadway.com

#     #     # 

 

EXIT THE KING’S SUSAN SARANDON FEATURED ON LIVE WITH REGIS & KELLY

EXIT THE KING’S

SUSAN SARANDON

FEATURED ON

LIVE WITH REGIS & KELLY

THURSDAY, MAY 21

 

“SUSAN SARANDON IS CRISPLY REGAL.”

–Thom Geier, Entertainment Weekly

 

EXIT THE KING’s Susan Sarandon will be a live guest on “Live with Regis & Kelly” this Thursday, May 21 between 9-10AM. EXIT THE KING is a limited engagement, through June 14 only.

 

www.ExitTheKingonBroadway.com

 

ABOUT EXIT THE KING

EXIT THE KING stars Geoffrey Rush, Susan Sarandon, Lauren Ambrose, Andrea Martin, William Sadler and Brian Hutchison.  Eugene Ionesco’s classic comedy is directed by Neil Armfield, and translated by Armfield and Rush.  

 

EXIT THE KING is a hilarious and poignant comedy about a megalomaniacal ruler, King Berenger (Rush) whose incompetence has left his country in near ruin.  Despite the efforts of Queen Marguerite (Sarandon) and the other members of the court to convince the King he has only 90 minutes left to live, he refuses to relinquish any control.

 

The design team for EXIT THE KING includes Dale Ferguson (Set & Costume), Damien Cooper (Lighting), Russell Goldsmith (Sound) and John Rodgers (Composer).

 

Geoffrey Rush is appearing with the permission of Actors’ Equity Association.

 

Tickets are available through Telecharge.com, by phone at 212-239-6200, or 800-432-7250, online at www.Telecharge.com or in person at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre box office, 243 West 47^th Street.  Box office hours are Monday through Saturday 10:00am – 8:00pm and Sunday from 12:00pm – 6:00pm.

 

Ticket prices range from $66.50 to $116.50.  Student rush tickets will be sold the day of the performance when the box office opens. Tickets are $26.50 and there is a limit of two tickets per person with valid ID and they are based on availability.

 

The performance schedule for EXIT THE KING is Tuesday at 7:00pm, Wednesday through Saturday at 8:00pm, Wednesday and Saturday at 2:00pm and Sunday at 3:00pm, through June 14.  Please note that on Sunday, June 7, the curtain is at 2:00pm.

.

www.ExitTheKingonBroadway.com

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EXIT THE KING’S GEOFFREY RUSH WINS DRAMA LEAGUE AWARD FOR DISTINGUISHED PERFORMER

EXIT THE KING’S

GEOFFREY RUSH

HONORED WITH THE DRAMA LEAGUE’S

DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE AWARD

 

“A FIRE-TRAILING COMET”

-Ben Brantley, New York Times

 

“GEOFFREY RUSH IS GIVING ONE OF THE

GREATEST VIRTUOSO PERFORMANCES I’VE EVER SEEN.”

–John Heilpern, New York Observer

 

EXIT THE KING’s Tony nominated Geoffrey Rush has won the Drama League’s Distinguished Performance Award. The awards were presented in a ceremony this afternoon at the Marriott Marquis Hotel.

 

For his portrayal of ‘King Berenger,’ Rush has been nominated for the Tony, Drama Desk and Drama League Awards and won the Outer Critic Circle and Theatre World Awards. EXIT THE KING is a limited engagement, through June 14 only.

 

www.ExitTheKingonBroadway.com

 

ABOUT EXIT THE KING

EXIT THE KING stars Geoffrey Rush, Susan Sarandon, Lauren Ambrose, Andrea Martin, William Sadler and Brian Hutchison.  Eugene Ionesco’s classic comedy is directed by Neil Armfield, and translated by Armfield and Rush.  

 

EXIT THE KING is a hilarious and poignant comedy about a megalomaniacal ruler, King Berenger (Rush) whose incompetence has left his country in near ruin.  Despite the efforts of Queen Marguerite (Sarandon) and the other members of the court to convince the King he has only 90 minutes left to live, he refuses to relinquish any control.

 

The design team for EXIT THE KING includes Dale Ferguson (Set & Costume), Damien Cooper (Lighting), Russell Goldsmith (Sound) and John Rodgers (Composer).

 

Geoffrey Rush is appearing with the permission of Actors’ Equity Association.

 

Tickets are available through Telecharge.com, by phone at 212-239-6200, or 800-432-7250, online at www.Telecharge.com or in person at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre box office, 243 West 47^th Street.  Box office hours are Monday through Saturday 10:00am – 8:00pm and Sunday from 12:00pm – 6:00pm.

 

Ticket prices range from $66.50 to $116.50.  Student rush tickets will be sold the day of the performance when the box office opens. Tickets are $26.50 and there is a limit of two tickets per person with valid ID and they are based on availability.

 

The performance schedule for EXIT THE KING is Tuesday at 7:00pm, Wednesday through Saturday at 8:00pm, Wednesday and Saturday at 2:00pm and Sunday at 3:00pm, through June 14.  Please note that on Sunday, June 7, the curtain is at 2:00pm.

.

www.ExitTheKingonBroadway.com

#     #     #

 

 

 

THEATRE WORLD AWARD WINNERS

2008 – 2009

THEATRE WORLD AWARDS

The Theatre World Award Winners were announced today.

The awards ceremony will take place on June 2, 2009.

 

 

 

Colin Hanks, currently appearing as ‘Mike Clark’ in 33 VARIATIONS has won a Theatre World Award for his Broadway debut in the production.

 

 

Condola Rashad, currently making her New York theatrical debut in MTC’s production of Lynn Nottage’s RUINED, has received a Theatre World Award for her portrayal of ‘Sophie.’

 

 

Geoffrey Rush, currently earning raves for his performance in EXIT THE KING has won a for his Broadway debut performance as ‘King Berenger.’  Rush also translated the play with director Neil Armfield.

 

 

The cast of THE NORMAN CONQUESTS (Amelia Bullmore, Jessica Hynes, Stephen Mangan, Ben Miles, Paul Ritter, Amanda Root) will receive a special award from the Theater World Awards. 

 

 

 

 

TO READ THE COMPLETE LIST OF NOMINEES, VISIT: http://tinyurl.com/oobdss

OUTER CRITICS CIRCLE AWARDS WINNERS

2008 – 2009

OUTER CRITICS CIRCLE AWARDS

The Outer Critics Circle Award Winners were announced Today.

The awards ceremony will take place on May 21, 2009.

 

 

 

 

THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN won the Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play Award (David Pearse).

 

 

GOD OF CARNAGE has won Outstanding New Broadway Play and Outstanding Actress in a Play (Marcia Gay Harden).

 

 

EXIT THE KING has won Outstanding Actor in a Play (Geoffrey Rush).

 

 

HUMOR ABUSE’s Lorenzo Pisoni has won Outstanding Solo Performance.

 

 

THE NORMAN CONQUESTS has won Outstanding Revival of a Play, Outstanding Director of a Play (Matthew Warchus) and Outstanding Ensemble Performance (Amelia Bullmore, Jessica Hynes, Stephen Mangan, Ben Miles, Paul Ritter, Amanda Root).

 

 

RUINED won the Outstanding Off-Broadway Play.

 

 

SHREK THE MUSICAL has won Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Brian d’Arcy James), Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Sutton Foster), Outstanding Set Design (Tim Hatley), Outstanding Costume Design (Tim Hatley).

 

 

 

 

TO READ THE COMPLETE LIST OF NOMINEES, VISIT: http://www.outercritics.org/Awards.aspx

EXIT THE KING’S GEOFFREY RUSH FEATURED ON NYPOST.COM

EXIT THE KING’S

GEOFFREY RUSH

FEATURED ON NYPOST.COM

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE INTERVIEW

 

“Geoffrey Rush as King Berenger is giving one of the

Greatest virtuoso performances I’ve ever seen.”

–John Heilpern, NY Observer

 

Geoffrey Rush is currently featured on NYPost.com with an interview by columnist Michael Riedel.  Rush and Riedel recently met to discuss bringing Ionesco’s classic comedy to Broadway and creating the tyrannical ‘King Berenger’ with director Neil Armfield.

 

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE INTERVIEW

 

www.ExitTheKingonBroadway.com

 

ABOUT EXIT THE KING

EXIT THE KING stars Geoffrey Rush, Susan Sarandon, Lauren Ambrose, Andrea Martin, William Sadler and Brian Hutchison.  Eugene Ionesco’s classic comedy is directed by Neil Armfield, and translated by Armfield and Rush. 

 

EXIT THE KING is a hilarious and poignant comedy about a megalomaniacal ruler, King Berenger (Rush) whose incompetence has left his country in near ruin.  Despite the efforts of Queen Marguerite (Sarandon) and the other members of the court to convince the King he has only 90 minutes left to live, he refuses to relinquish any control.

 

The design team for EXIT THE KING includes Dale Ferguson (Set & Costume), Damien Cooper (Lighting), Russell Goldsmith (Sound) and John Rodgers (Composer).

 

Geoffrey Rush is appearing with the permission of Actors’ Equity Association.

 

Tickets are available through Telecharge.com, by phone at 212-239-6200, or 800-432-7250, online at www.Telecharge.com or in person at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre box office, 243 West 47^th Street.  Box office hours are Monday through Saturday 10:00am – 8:00pm and Sunday from 12:00pm – 6:00pm.

 

Ticket prices range from $66.50 to $116.50.  Student rush tickets will be sold the day of the performance when the box office opens. Tickets are $26.50 and there is a limit of two tickets per person with valid ID and they are based on availability.

 

The performance schedule for EXIT THE KING is Tuesday at 7:00pm, Wednesday through Saturday at 8:00pm, Wednesday and Saturday at 2:00pm and Sunday at 3:00pm.  Please note that on Sunday, June 7, the curtain is at 2:00pm.

.

www.ExitTheKingonBroadway.com

 

#     #     # 

 

HIGHLIGHTS OF A STAR-FILLED 08-09 BROADWAY SEASON

2008-2009 Broadway Season Officially Ends

 

HIGHLIGHTS OF AN HISTORIC STAR-FILLED YEAR,

PACKED WITH PLAYS,  INCLUDES: 

 

The Seagull • A Man For All Seasons •  To Be Or Not To Be • All My Sons • White Christmas 

 Shrek •  Pal Joey •  Soul of Shaolin•  The American Plan  • Hedda Gabler •  33 Variations 

God Of Carnage •  Impressionism •  Exit The King • Mary Stuart •  The Norman Conquests 

The Philanthropist • Accent on Youth •  Waiting for Godot 

 

as well as the stars:

Joan Allen •  Matthew Broderick •  Stockard Channing  •  Jeff Daniels •  Hope Davis

Jane Fonda  •  Sutton Foster •  James Gandolfini •  John Glover •  John Goodman

Colin Hanks •  Marcia Gay Harden • Katie Holmes  •  Jeremy Irons  •  Bill Irwin

Brian d’Arcy James •  Nathan Lane •   Frank Langella • John Lithgow •  Samantha Mathis

Jan Maxwell •  Janet McTeer •  Mary Loiuse Parker •   David Hyde Pierce

Lily Rabe  • David Rasche •  Matthew Risch  •   Mercedes Ruehl  •  Geoffrey Rush

Susan Sarandon •  Peter Sarsgaard •  Christopher Sieber  • Kristin Scott Thomas

Harriet Walter • Steven Weber •  Dianne Wiest •  Patrick Wilson

 

Visit the link below for a 2.5 minute glance back at the stars and shows this season

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ1ZH2TZNT8

 

 

Here are some highlights from the season. 

 

This was one of the busiest, starriest and eclectic Broadway seasons in years, featuring productions and performances that will make it one to remember.   Starting in October with The Seagull starring Kristin Scott Thomas and Peter Sarsgaard, through last night’s Roundabout Theatre Company revival of Waiting for Godot starring Nathan Lane, Bill Irwin, John Goodman and John Glover, 43 productions have opened on Broadway, including 10 new musicals, nine new plays, four musical revivals, 16 play revivals and five “special events.” 

 

Fall kicked off with the Royal Court’s acclaimed production of Chekhov’s The Seagull directed Ian Rickson, examining the romantic entanglements and regrets of a group of artists gathered on a Russian estate. 

 

Roundabout Theatre Company began autumn exploring politics, religion and power with Frank Langella in A Man for All Seasons directed by Doug Hughes, and wrapped up 2008 with Stockard Channing , Martha Plimpton  and Matthew Risch in Pal Joey, directed by Joe Mantello.  Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler starring Mary Louise Parker rang in the new year at Roundabout, in an adaptation by Christopher Shinn.

 

 

Arthur Miller’s All My Sons, asked audiences to reexamine the costs of war when it returned to Broadway this fall, directed by Simon McBurney and starring John Lithgow, Patrick Wilson, Dianne Wiest and Katie Holmes. 

 

Snow fell early on Broadway when Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, a new stage adaptation of the classic film, opened in November starring Stephen Bogardus, Kerry O’Malley, Jeffry Denman and Meredith Patterson, featuring direction by Tony Award winner Walter Bobbie and choreography by Randy Skinner.

 

The Great White Way saw green in December when Shrek The Musical landed at the Broadway Theatre starring Brian d’Arcy James as the loveable ogre and Sutton Foster as Princess Fiona. Also starring Daniel Breaker, Christopher Sieber and John Tartaglia, the new musical is directed by Jason Moore and written by David Lindsay Abaire (book & lyrics) and Jeanine Tesori (musical) with choreography by Josh Prince.   Flying monks were spotted a few blocks south when Soul of Shaolin played a limited run at the Minskoff.

 

Manhattan Theatre Club opened their season with To Be Or Not to Be, directed by Casey Nicholaw and began the new year in the Catskill Mountains of the 1960s with Richard Greenberg’s The American Plan starring Mercedes Ruehl and Lily Rabe.  They wrapped up their season with Samuel Raphaelson’s on-and-off stage love story, Accent on Youth starring David Hyde Pierce and directed by Daniel Sullivan.

 

This spring, Jane Fonda returned to Broadway after 46 years to confront an obsession with Beethoven and to settle with her on stage daughter played by Samantha Mathis in Moisés Kaufman’s 33 Variations, alongside Colin Hanks and Zach Grenier.  Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, James Gandolfini and Marcia Gay Harden tried to make nice (and failed) in Yasmina Reza’s comedy God of Carnage directed by Matthew Warchus.  Jeremy Irons and Joan Allen returned to Broadway after long absences to star in Michael Jacobs’ examination of art and love in Impressionism, directed by Tony Award-winner Jack O’Brien.

 

Fictitious monarchs Geoffrey Rush, Susan Sarandon, and Lauren Ambrose – and unappreciated servant Andrea Martin – added their regal presence to the Rialto in Eugene Ionesco’s Exit the King under the direction of Broadway newcomer Neil Armfield.  Historic British royalty was welcomed when Harriet Walter and Janet McTeer took to the stage in the Donmar Warehouse production of Mary Stuart, directed by Phyllida Lloyd.  And The Norman Conquests, Alan Ayckbourn’s trilogy, showcased a somewhat more middle class group of Brits, helmed by the busy Matthew Warchus.

 

Christopher Hampton’s The Philanthropist , directed by David Grindley and starring Matthew Broderick and Steven Weber, looked at the empty, insular lives of college intellectuals.  Appropriately closing the season is Samuel Beckett’s historic Waiting for Godot starring Nathan Lane, Bill Irwin, John Goodman and John Glover, and directed by Anthony Page.  It tells of two seemingly homeless men waiting for someone or something to explain life’s meaning – which, of course, never shows up.  Vladimir and Estragon might be relieved to know that as of yesterday, this year’s season has arrived at its end.

 

Please visit the link below for a 2.5 minute long glance back at the stars and shows this season  www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ1ZH2TZNT8

 

 

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