All stories by Roger Friedman on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

"Spider Man" Lawsuit Could Mean No National Tour For Now by Roger Friedman

Julie Taymor’s lawsuit against the producers of “Spider Man: Turn off the Dark” has some serious consequences not yet explored. It turns out her lawyers are asking for a pe…

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 12:33PM[SHARE]

Hugh Dancy, Nina Arianda Whip "Venus in Fur" Into Shape by Roger Friedman

Another big Broadway bow: Hugh Dancy and Nina Arianda pretty much stole the week, and it’s only Tuesday. They opened the Manhattan Theater Club’s fall season with a wild renditio…

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 12:38AM[SHARE]
Friday, November 4, 2011

Charles Edwards, The Future Stuttering King, Has a NY Triumph by Roger Friedman

Charles Edwards–you do not know who he is because you are not British. Last night he completed the second of two performances at NYU’s Skirball Center with better known actor Jos…

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 12:49AM[SHARE]

"Funny Girl" Cancelled: Broadway, Soap Operas Affected by Bad Economy by Roger Friedman

The economy is bad, and maybe worse than we thought. On Thursday evening, the producers of the revival of “Funny Girl” on Broadway–set for this winter–announced they …

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 12:02AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Spider Man on Broadway Update: Taymor Still Unpaid, Director's Credit Goes to McKinley by Roger Friedman

It’s almost a year since “Spider Man: Turn off the Dark” started previews on Broadway. Flashback if you will to November 21st, no, 28th to that fateful, postponed performan…

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 02:22AM[SHARE]
Monday, October 31, 2011

Hugh Jackman's Solo Broadway Show Does $1.2 Mil in First Week by Roger Friedman

Movie star Hugh Jackman’s solo musical show took in $1.2 million in its first week on Broadway. It finished 5th for the week, behind big deal musicals “Wicked,” “The …

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 06:13PM[SHARE]
Monday, October 24, 2011

New Shakespeare Film: The Really Bad News, and A Little Good News by Roger Friedman

Roland Emmerich’s “Anonymous” opens this week. It should be called “Preposterous.” The film makes a case that William Shakespeare didn’t write his plays. …

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 12:29PM[SHARE]
Friday, October 21, 2011

Woody Allen Play Opening Is A Hit with A List Audience by Roger Friedman

The trio of one act plays called “Relatively Speaking” is a hit–opening last night on Broadway with contributions from Woody Allen, Elaine May, and Ethan Coen. And it’…

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 12:25AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Exclusive: Kirstie Alley Trying for Broadway Debut by Roger Friedman

Exclusive: Kirstie Alley–newly slimmed down, but still a dieting Scientologist–is planning a Broadway debut. I’m told that Kirstie has agreed to do a three month run in a n…

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 07:35PM[SHARE]
Friday, October 14, 2011

Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett Return to Broadway After 20 Years (or More) Away by Roger Friedman

What a night on Broadway: “The Mountaintop” opened, with incendiary performances from Samuel L. Jackson respectively as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Angela Bassett as a maid (…

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 12:26AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, October 11, 2011

"The King's Speech" Sets Actors for UK Run, Broadway Will Follow by Roger Friedman

“The King’s Speech” is headed to Broadway. But readers of this column know I broke this story last year–that David Seidler wrote the script as a play, then converted …

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 12:44AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick Hunt Dinosaurs by Roger Friedman

Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick learned a lot about dinosaurs last night. So did about 200 people who came to the American Museum of Natural History to support Mike Nichols and Cy…

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 08:46PM[SHARE]

Alicia Keys Writing Music for Broadway Play by Roger Friedman

Alicia Keys — Grammy winner, newcomer from a decade ago–has really spread her wings in showbiz. She’s now writing music for the new Broadway play “Stick Fly.” K…

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 01:25PM[SHARE]
Friday, September 23, 2011

Broadway Spider Man: Casting Call for New Female Leads by Roger Friedman

Broadway’s $70 million “Spider Man: Turn off the Dark” actually started performances in mid November 2010, if you recall. Coming up on the year anniversary, two leads from …

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 08:40PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Alicia Keys Broadway Play Sets Cast With Stars from "ER" and "Psych" by Roger Friedman

Alicia Keys is producing a Broadway play. Why not? She’s conquered pop music, that’s for sure. The play, “Stick Fly,” will star Ruben Santiago Hudson, Mekhi Phifer (&…

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 09:50PM[SHARE]
Monday, September 5, 2011

James Franco: Cancelled Broadway Play Not His Fault by Roger Friedman

I read with some amusement in the last few days that Oscar nominated actor James Franco “backed out” of doing “Sweet Bird of Youth” on Broadway this fall. This isn…

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 11:29PM[SHARE]
Monday, August 15, 2011

Broadway Spider Man Reeve Carney to Play Jeff Buckley in Film by Roger Friedman

Reeve Carney can really thank Julie Taymor now. He’s been plucked from his grueling job playing Peter Parker in “Spider Man: Turn off the Dark” to star in the official bio …

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 07:20PM[SHARE]
Saturday, August 6, 2011

"The King's Speech" Headed to Broadway in Fall 2012 by Roger Friedman

I told you first, and quite a while ago, that “The King’s Speech” would head to Broadway after its run as a film. Then it won the Oscar. Now I’m told that David Seidl…

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 11:28AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, July 26, 2011

"Funny Girl" Coming to Broadway, But Without Lea Michele by Roger Friedman

Exclusive: The revival of “Funny Girl” is on its way to Broadway, but without “Glee” star Lea Michele. There was talk that Lea was going to star as Fanny Brice, the p…

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 01:59PM[SHARE]
Friday, July 15, 2011

"Harry Potter" London Premiere Cost Daniel Radcliffe's Broadway Show $400K by Roger Friedman

This is how not to succeed in business: Broadway’s “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” had to shut down for two nights last week so Daniel Radcliffe could be…

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 10:12AM[SHARE]
Thursday, July 14, 2011

"Glee" Star Lea Michele At "Hair" Premiere After Pink Slip by Roger Friedman

Poor little Lea Michele. Imagine getting fired from your wildly popular TV show and the news breaks while you’re sitting in a Broadway premiere. A premiere, by the way, filled with pre…

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 01:36AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Aretha Franklin Visits, Sings Along to "Baby It's You" on Broadway by Roger Friedman

What a night for the cast of Broadway’s “Baby, It’s You”! The one and only Queen of Soul, Miss Aretha Franklin, arrived a couple of minutes late at the Broadhurst The…

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 12:50AM[SHARE]
Friday, July 1, 2011

Bill Irwin Makes It into A Shakespeare Play About…DSK? by Roger Friedman

Not many modern stars find their names in a Shakespeare play. It’s usually Henry the fourth and Richard the third. But last night Broadway and film star Bill Irwin got a surprise when …

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 10:39AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Broadway "Spider Man" Defies Critics: $1.7Mil in Ticket Sales Last Week by Roger Friedman

“Spider Man: Turn off the Dark” is bigger than ever. Defying the critics and naysayers, the troubled Broadway musical is troubled no more. Having actually opened on June 14th, th…

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 12:20PM[SHARE]
Thursday, June 16, 2011

Media Mogul David Geffen Wasn't "Born Yesterday" by Roger Friedman

David Geffen is a busy man. He’s obviously too busy to watch an entire play. Last night he left the revival of “Born Yesterday” at the intermission. Geffen, accompanied by …

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 01:13AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Bono, Man of the People as Long as He Picks the People by Roger Friedman

And so the “Spider Man” after party meant what seemed like thousands of people tried to jam into the Bowl Mor lanes on West 44th St. The queue ran up the block from BowlMor to th…

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 02:27AM[SHARE]

"Spider Man" Producers Made it Hard for Taymor at Premiere by Roger Friedman

“Spider Man: Turn off the Dark” finally opened last night, and it is better. There’s no question that some needed editing, rearranging, and adding of a couple of key scenes…

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 01:55AM[SHARE]
Monday, June 13, 2011

Matthew Broderick Will Replace Harry Connick Jr. In Gershwin Musical by Roger Friedman

One of the big topics last night at the Tony Awards: word that Matthew Broderick will replace Harry Connick, Jr. in a long planned “new” Gershwin musical. “Nice Work If You…

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 11:20AM[SHARE]
Sunday, June 12, 2011

Broadway: After Tony Awards, Born Yesterday May Be Gone Tomorrow by Roger Friedman

Tonight: the Tony Awards on CBS. Don’t miss ‘em. You’ll see the best of the past Broadway season. But once the parties and fun are over, get ready for closing notices. R…

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 12:03PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Christie Brinkley: A Hit on Broadway, Will Take Her "Chicago" to London by Roger Friedman

Christie Brinkley — supermodel, ex wife of Billy Joel, TV aerobics pitchwoman. Broadway musical star. Huh? Gorgeous Christie is 57, looks 20 years younger, and has never sung or danced…

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 02:02AM[SHARE]
Thursday, June 2, 2011

"Spider Man" on Broadway: New Version a Lot Like Old, Just Rearranged by Roger Friedman

“Spider Man: Turn off the Dark” finally opens–yes, opens– on June 14th after a wild winter and spring of previews, the sidelining of creator Julie Taymor, and a three…

SOURCE: ShowBiz 411 at 08:46AM[SHARE]