Remember cute little Noah Galvin, who won our hearts as star of “Ace” at Playhouse last fall? On the heels of his Kevin Kline Award in St. Louis (for his “Ace” performance), Noah is announced as the lead in the new Cirque du Soleil show which debuts for the 2007 holidays at Madison Square Garden.
It’s hard to figure out if there’s a title from the Cirque Web site – “A Winter Tale in New York,” which is the headline, sounds a little mundane for the troupe. Anyway, Noah plays a boy who is living in a city with a cold winter but no snow – so he goes looking for some. It starts previews Nov. 1.
In other casting news, when the curtain comes down on “The Producers” for the last time next weekend, Northern Kentucky native son Lee Roy Reams, who’s been playing the “keep it gay” director Roger DeBris, will simply pack up DeBris’ Chrysler Building-esque haute couture and Hitler storm trooper rig and head for Vegas, where he takes over the role on May 7. And a tip of the fedora to Cincinnati-based producer Rick Steiner for a great Broadway run.
Cincinnati born playwright Theresa Rebeck’s “Mauritius” is nominated for four Elliott Norton Awards in Boston, including outstanding production, for its world premiere at the Huntongton Theatre Company. Awards are announced May 21. (Same night as our Acclaim Awards at The Carnegie!) The Independent Reviewers of New England has already selected “Mauritius” Best New Play.
Playbill Online speculates that Rebeck has “two potential contenders” for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, being announced tomorrow, “Mauritius” and Humana Festival hit “The Scene” which had a sell-out Off-Broadway production in January.
Also from Playbill Online, who knows, perhaps there’s another John Doyle re-consideration of Stephen Sondheim in the future. “Company,” of course, started at Playhouse in the Park – and keep your fingers crossed for New York stage award nominations, which begin April 23 with the Outer Critics Circle followed by Drama Desk noms on April 26.
Doyle’s NY critical darling “Sweeney Todd” is part of the Broadway/Across/America-Cincinnati touring season in 2007-2008 and now he’s in talks to re-mount “Merrily We Roll Along,” which moves backwards through time over a quarter century to see how best friends became virtual strangers. It unfairly died on Broadway in 1981 in about a blink.
Closer to home, word is cast members of “Disney’s The Lion King” will do some gender-bending for a good cause on April 30.
In the spirit of sexual, racial and age diversity, “Broadway Deconstructed” will cross boundaries to explore Broadway show tunes in unexpected ways at 8 p.m. at Playhouse in the Park.
“Deconstructed” benefits the Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Cincinnati. Tickets $25 adults, $20 students, e-mail www.glbtcentercincinnati.com for an invite. Valid IDs will be required for admission.
Jackie Demaline
