THE BEST OF JIM CARUSO’S CAST PARTY - benefit for The Actor's Fund

New York: In its ninth star-studded year at Birdland, Jim Caruso will bring his celebrated Cast Party back to the big stage at Town Hall for a second year. The Best of Jim Caruso’s Cast Party will take place on Thursday, February 23 at 8PM and will be presented by the one and only Scott Siegel.  Tickets are $25, $50, and $75 and are available by calling 800-982-2787 or visiting TicketMaster.com. A portion of the proceeds will benefit The Actors Fund.

Some of the celebs joining this year’s Cast Party include Golden Globe and Tony Winner Linda Lavin, the uber-talented jazz and adult contemporary vocalist Jane Monheit, Broadway Star and Drama Desk NomineeStephanie J. Block, nine-time Grammy winning solo artist and founding member of The Manhattan Transfer Janis Siegel, David Ippolito AKA “That Guitar Man From Central Park”, Broadway sensation Julia Murney(Wicked), stand-up comedian, Grammy nominee and "Celebrity Apprentice"   Lisa Lampanelli, Tony Winner Paulo Szot (South Pacific),Lysistrata Jones’ Liz Mikel, comic juggler Marcus Monroe, “The Acromedian” Rudi Macaggi, also performing  are Holly Near performing with lyricist/composer John Bucchino (A Catered Affair) and Laura Osneswill join composer Frank Wildhorn, best known for his Broadway musicalJekyll & Hyde. Also joining the party is Terri Klausner, who will be singing “Hit Me With A Hot Note” from Sophisticated Ladies, and Andrew Nemr, whose tap company “Cats Paying Dues” will perform an unforgettable tribute to Gregory Hines. And that’s not all - many more surprise performers and special guest stars will be announced over the next few weeks!

Billy Stritch will hold court at the piano, adding vocals and banter to the proceedings.  Joining the musical fun will be Daniel Glass on drums and Tom Hubbard on bass.

The Flea Theater announces 2nd extension of 5-hour epic THESE SEVEN SICKNESSES

The Flea Announces 2nd Extension for 5-Hour Sophocles-Inspired Epic
THESE SEVEN SICKNESSES
Extended thru March 4
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The Flea Theater is proud to announce a second extension of the New York Premiere of THESE SEVEN SICKNESSES, a 5-hour marathon of all seven of Sophocles’ plays re-envisioned by playwright Sean Graney, directed by Ed Sylvanus Iskandar, and starring The Bats. Originally scheduled to close February 12, performances have been extended through March 4. Tribeca dining destination Macao Trading Co. provides a complimentary Asian fusion feast at all performances, with dessert by Billy's Bakery.

In THESE SEVEN SICKNESSES, Sophocles’ seven surviving plays—Oedipus, In Trachis, In Colonus, Philoktetes, Ajax, Elektra & Antigone—combine to create a stunning portrait of the human condition, where the intermingling of chance & fate yields disquieting results. A witty & relevant interpretation of the classics, THESE SEVEN SICKNESSES is an epic examination of the past & a window on the present.
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(website)

Tribes starts on Feb 16th

Tribes sounds interesting.  Here is the marketing details.  It starts February 16th if you are interested.
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TRIBES
A New Play by NINA RAINE
Directed by DAVID CROMER

Billy was born deaf into a hearing family, and raised inside the fiercely idiosyncratic and unrepentantly politically incorrect cocoon of his parents' house. He has adapted brilliantly to his family's unconventional ways, but they've never bothered to return the favor. It's not until he meets Sylvia, a young woman on the brink of deafness, that he finally understands what it means to be understood.

Alec Mapa in Baby Daddy

February 9 - 11:
Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 West 42nd Street.

"America's Gaysian Sweetheart" ALEC MAPA (Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty, The View, RuPaul's Drag Race) returns to New York with his acclaimed comedy. Join Mapa as he hilariously recounts his adventures when his life is turned upside down after adopting a five-year old boy. Find out how this flamboyant comic goes from stand up gigs, red carpets, gay cruises, and circuit parties to being a responsible car pool driving, P.T.A. member. A cautionary tale. Thurs. - Sat. at 7:30pm. (NOTE: Saturday is almost sold out!) Tix are $20 - $22 (+ $15 food/drink minimum -- full dinner menu & bar available). Buy tickets at 212-352-3101 or click HERE.

Peter & The Starcatcher set for an April 15th Opening

As space opens up on Broadway, so eagerly anticipated shows are beginning to line up.  The latest is Peter and the Starcatcher - the story of how a misfit became Peter Pan.
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From the Press Release:

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The producers of Peter and the Starcatcher announced today that the acclaimed new American play by Tony Award nominee Rick Elice, directed by Tony Award-winner Roger Rees and Drama Desk Award-winner and Tony Award nominee Alex Timbers (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson), will begin preview performances on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 West 47th Street) on Wednesday, March 28, with an official opening night set for Sunday, April 15, 2012.    Based on The New York Times best selling Disney-Hyperion novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, Peter and the Starcatcher will be produced on Broadway by Nancy Nagel Gibbs, Greg Schaffert, Eva Price and Tom Smedes.  Tickets will be on sale via Ticketmaster starting February 13 and in person at the Brooks Atkinson box office beginning February 20, 2012.

From the New York Theater Workshop show (with Christian Borle- Drama Desk Award Winner)

In this innovative and imaginative new play, a company of twelve actors plays some 50 characters, all on a journey to answer the century-old question: How did Peter Pan become The Boy Who Refused To Grow Up?  This epic origin story of one of popular culture’s most enduring and beloved characters proves that an audience’s imagination can be the most captivating place in the world

Alice Ripley at some intimate sites in New York

Tony Award-winner Alice Ripley (Next to Normal; Side Show) will play a series of concerts in New York City later this month, it was announced today.  “Alice Ripley’s Daily Practice,” which features Ms. Ripley on vocals and guitar (along with a few surprise guests), will play Don’t Tell Mama (343 West 46th Street) on Monday, January 9 and January 30 at 9:15 PM and The Laurie Beechman Theatre (407 West 42nd Street) on Monday, January 16; Sunday, January 22 and Tuesday, January 24 at 9:30 PM.

All concerts will include a blend of original songs and covers of crowd-favorites.   Selections for “Daily Practice” include acoustic versions of “Who Will Love Me As I Am” from Side Show, “I’ve Been” from Next to Normal, and “Pinball Wizard” from The Who’s Tommy, all Broadway shows in which Ripley was a member of the original casts.  These concerts come on the heels of Ripley’s solo gigs last month at the Laurie Beechman Theatre.

Tickets for all shows are $20.  To book reservations for Don’t Tell Mama performances (cash only; 2 drink minimum), call212-757-0788 or visit www.donttellmamanyc.com; for the Laurie Beechman Theatre ($15 food / drink minimum), call 212-695-6909 or visit www.westbankcafe.com/beechman_theatre.html.

Fringe Benefit Revival Veritas

The Alumni Association of the New York International Fringe Festival Presents THE FringeBENEFITS SERIES Celebrating FringeNYC's 15th Anniversary with 15 shows over 15 weeks Thursdays May 5 - August 11 at The Laurie Beechman Theatre.

The New York International Fringe Festival (FringeNYC), the largest multi-arts festival in North America, will celebrate its 15th anniversary in August. Since the opening of the very first Festival in August of 1997, FringeNYC has never thrown a benefit. That is about to change as the Alumni Association of the New York International Festival presents THE Fringe BENEFITS SERIES.


June 16: Veritas (2010). Stan Richardson dramatizes the true story of a group of young gay men at Harvard in 1920 whose promising futures fell prey to Harvard's homophobic "Secret Court."  Staged reading. $20. 7pm.