January 29, 2012 - Louise Pitre Will Be MAME at Goodspeed - "Goodspeed Musicals' spring revival of Jerry Herman, Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee's MAME will star Louise Pitre, the Canadian actress and concert star who was Tony Award-nominated for playing Donna in Mamma Mia! on Broadway.

MAME, the tale of a life-embracing woman who exposes her orphaned nephew to the world, begins April 20 at Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, CT.

In addition to leading the Toronto, Broadway, and U.S. touring company casts of Mamma Mia!, Pitre played Fantine in Les Misérables (Toronto, Montreal, and Paris) and the title character in Edith Piaf. She starred in Annie Get Your Gun; Song & Dance; Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well And Living In Paris; I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change; Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?; The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd; The Toxic Avenger; and A Year With Frog and Toad. Her concert, La Vie En Rouge, was recorded.

The two-time Tony Award-honored Goodspeed begins its 49th season with MAME,which will play through July 1. The brassy 1966 musical is based on the episodic Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee play “Auntie Mame”, about the hedonistic eccentric aunt of a young orphan.

Jerry Herman wrote the show's songs, including "Open a New Window," "It's Today" and "If He Walked Into My Life." The source material for the play and musical is the Patrick Dennis novel "Auntie Mame." (Lawrence & Lee wrote the libretto.)

MAME will be directed by Ray Roderick (Goodspeed's Hello! My Baby, My One And Only, Singin' in the Rain and 42nd Street) and choreographed by Vince Pesce (associate choreographer of Broadway's Anything Goes, The Pajama Game, Wonderful Town and Little Shop of Horrors).
Additional casting will be announced."

For Goodspeed subscription information, call (860) 873-8668 or visit goodspeed.org.

in Playbill On-Line by Kenneth Jones

January 5, 2012 - Sandi Patty is Dolly in Concert of HELLO, DOLLY! - "Sandi Patty, known for her soulful belting soprano in gospel and pops concerts, will be joined by Broadway performers when she plays Dolly Levi in a semi-staged concert version of HELLO, DOLLY! with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Jan. 13-15 in Indiana. As previously reported, her leading man — playing Horace Vandergelder — will be Tony Award winner Gary Beach of The Producers.

Three performances are scheduled at the Hilbert Circle Theatre in Indianapolis (11 AM and 8 PM Jan. 13, 8 PM Jan. 14) before the players move to Carmel, IN, to appear at The Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts (7:30 PM Jan. 15).

Jack Everly, who was music director and conductor of the 1978 and 1995 Broadway revivals of HELLO, DOLLY!, will conduct. His principal cast for the concert includes Christina Bianco (Off-Broadway's NEWSical the Musical, Forbidden Broadway Goes to Rehab), James T. Lane (The Scottsboro Boys), opera star Gwendolyn Jones, Laura Shoop (the most recent Broadway revivals of Oklahoma! and Fiddler on the Roof), Robin Massie, Ben Crawford (Shrek the Musical and the Broadway revival of Les Misérables), with the Indianapolis Men's Chorus.

Everly conducted Patty's new "Broadway Stories" album of show tunes, which represents a new phase for the singer who has sold 11 million albums of Christian pop and gospel music. Patty told Playbill.com that singing pop music and show tunes won't replace Christian music in her career — it will be an additional part of her repertoire. "It wouldn't be 'instead of,' certainly, but it certainly could be 'in addition to' — if that makes sense," she said.

Inspired by Thornton Wilder's comedy “The Matchmaker”, HELLO, DOLLY! has music and lyrics by Jerry Herman and a book by Michael Stewart. In 1954, it won the Tony Award as Best Musical, plus nine other Tonys.

Patty previously told Playbill.com that the concert will also include music from the show's film version, including the song "Love Is Only Love," which Patty sings on her new album.

"[I acted in musicals] in high school and college," Patty told Playbill.com. "So, I am terrifyingly excited about [HELLO, DOLLY!], and looking forward to see what might develop from it. Everybody has a wish list, and one of the things that's been on my wish list for a while would be to do something on Broadway."

Beach will play the irascible Yonkers half-a-millionaire Horace Vandergelder, who hires matchmaker Dolly Levi to find him a wife. She schemes to become his bride, all the while making matches for his niece, his chief clerk and others in 1880s New York City. The famous Tony Award-winning score includes "Before the Parade Passes By," "Put On Your Sunday Clothes," "Dancing," "It Takes a Woman," "So Long, Dearie," "Elegance" and the title tune.

For more information, visit www.indianapolissymphony.org. For more information about the work of Sandi Patty, visit www.sandipatty.com.

in Playbill On-Line by Kenneth Jones

November 19, 2011 - MAME at Goodspeed - "Goodspeed Musicals will produce MAME and “Carousel” in its 2012 mainstage season at Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, CT, executive director Michael P. Price announced on Nov. 14. A third production will be named.

The two-time Tony Award-honored company's 49th season will launch April 20-July 1, 2012, with the brassy MAME (1966), based on the episodic Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee play Auntie Mame, about the hedonistic eccentric aunt of a young orphan. Jerry Herman wrote the show's life-embracing songs, including "Open a New Window," "It's Today" and "If He Walked Into My Life." The source material for the play and musical is the Patrick Dennis novel "Auntie Mame." (Lawrence & Lee wrote the libretto.)

MAME will be directed by Ray Roderick (Goodspeed's Hello! My Baby, My One And Only, Singin' in the Rain and 42nd Street) and choreographed by Vince Pesce (associate choreographer of Broadway's Anything Goes, The Pajama Game, Wonderful Town and Little Shop of Horrors).

The fall musical at Goodspeed Opera House will play Oct. 5-Dec. 9, 2012.

For Goodspeed subscription information, call (860) 873-8668 or visit goodspeed.org."

in Playbill On-Line by Kenneth Jones

October 11, 2011 - LA CAGE AUX FOLLES Tour Launches at Des Moines - "Tony nominee Christopher Sieber and stage and screen star George Hamilton head the cast of the national tour of the recent Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, which launches Oct. 11-16 at the Civic Center in Des Moines, IA.

Sieber, who appeared on Broadway as Georges opposite Harvey Fierstein, plays the role of Albin in the national tour with Hamilton as Georges.

They are joined on stage by Billy Harringtan Tighe as Jean-Michel, Bernard Burak Sheredy as M. Renaud/M. Dindon, Cathy Newman as Mme. Dindon/ Mme. Renaud, Jeigh Madjus as Jacob, Gay Marshall as Jacqueline, Allison Blair McDowell as Anne, Dale Hensley as Francis, Ashley Kate Adams as Colette, Danny Vaccaro as Tabarro, Matt Anctil as Angelique, Mark Roland as Hanna, Donald Shorter, Jr. as Chantal, Trevor Downey as Phaedra, Logan Keslar as Bitelle, Terry Lavell as Mercedes, Todd Thurston as Male Ensemble (waiter), SuEllen Estey as Female Ensemble Adult, Todd Lattimore as Male Swing, Christophe Caballero as Male Swing and Rylyn Juliano as Female Swing.

The current tour itinerary follows:
Oct. 11-16 at the Civic Center in Des Moines, IA
Oct. 18-23 at the State in Minneapolis, MN
Oct. 25-30 at the Proctors Theatre in Schenectady, NY
Nov. 1-6 at the Hippodrome in Baltimore, MD
Nov. 8-20 at the Palace in Cleveland, OH
Dec. 6-18 at the Shubert in Boston, MA
Dec. 20-Jan. 1, 2012, at the Bank of America in Chicago, IL
Jan. 3-15 at the Fox in St. Louis, MO
Jan. 17-Feb. 12 at the Eisenhower Theatre in Washington, DC
Feb. 14-19 at the Kravis Center in W. Palm Beach, FL
Feb. 21-26 at the Tampa Bay PAC in Tampa, FL
Feb. 28-March 4 at the Philharmonic in Naples, FL
March 6-11 at the Dupont in Wilmington, DE
March 13-18 at the Benedum in Pittsburgh, PA
March 20-25 at the Orpheum in Memphis, TN
April 10-22 at the Music Hall in Dallas, TX
April 24-May 6 at the Hobby Center in Houston, TX
May 8-13 at the Majestic in San Antonio, TX
May 15-20 at the Gammage Auditorium in Tempe, AZ
May 29-June 3 at the Belk in Charlotte, NC
June 5-10 at the Bob Carr in Orlando, FL
June 12-24 at the Broward PAC in Ft. Lauderdale, FL
July 10-22 at the Pantages in Los Angeles, CA
July 24-Aug. 5 at the Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa, CA

The national tour is produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, David Babani and Fran and Barry Weissler in association with NETworks Presentations.  

LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, according to press notes, "tells the story of Georges (George Hamilton) the owner of a glitzy nightclub in lovely Saint-Tropez, and his partner Albin (Christopher Sieber), who moonlights as the glamorous chanteuse Zaza. When Georges' son brings his fiancée's conservative parents home to meet the flashy pair, the bonds of family are put to the test as the feather boas fly!"

LA CAGE AUX FOLLES features music and lyrics by Jerry Herman and book by Fierstein, based on the play by Jean Poiret. This production is choreographed by Lynne Page and directed by Terry Johnson, who won a 2010 Tony Award for his direction. It won the 2010 Best Revival (Musical) Tony. The original revival cast included Kelsey Grammer and Tony winner Douglas Hodge."

in Playbill On-Line by Andrew Gans