The biggest names in theater have all been working on their contributions to ”Broadway: Day and Night,” the book being published in the fall by Pocket Books, which will give all royalties to Equity Fights AIDS and Broadway Cares. A first printing of 50,000 copies is planned.
Tom Viola, the administrative director of Equity Fights AIDS, says the book will have more than 200 photographs and essays to capture the life and spirit of Broadway from early morning until after the curtain falls-an insider`s view of the theater.
Contributors have been asked to share one of their most unexpected or profound experiences about the theater, and the response, Viola says, has been strong.
Among the selections will be Kelly Bishop on the reunion of the original company of ”A Chorus Line” on its closing night; Harvey Fierstein on being visited backstage by Ethel Merman at ”Torch Song Trilogy”; Helen Hayes on her first Broadway opening in 1910; Garson Kanin on how Judy Holliday was cast in ”Born Yesterday”; and Elaine Stritch on putting out a sofa fire in
”Who`s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”
– Don`t look now, but isn`t that ”Man of La Mancha” coming to town with a Broadway opening scheduled for Friday, April 17? OK, so maybe they`re not sneaking, since you can`t turn on the television here without seeing theatergoers` testimonials to its co-stars, Raul Julia and Sheena Easton, now on tour.
And one look at the grosses on the road ($827,988 in Orange County, Calif., at last count) shows that this is a musical with big-name recognition and audiences do want to see it.
But it seems that the show`s producer, Mitch Leigh, doesn`t think audiences should include critics, especially after the Hollywood Reporter said Easton acted like ”a pouty Valley girl who has confused San Fernando with Seville.”
Broadway shows rarely open on Friday nights because the common belief is that Saturday papers are not well read and that reviews on television get lost in the shuffle.
Manny Kladitis, the general manager of ”La Mancha,” speaking on Leigh`s behalf, says the Friday opening is to accommodate a large demand for theater parties during previews, which made it impossible to find another date with enough seats for the press. ”And it really is no secret that Mitch just doesn`t like critics,” Kladitis admits.
– Looking for love in the new year? You just might find it at the theater. Not since the lobby of ”Other People`s Money” had its heyday as prime hunting ground for Wall Street executives has the theater played such a vital role as a matchmaker.
The Roundabout Theater has had great success this season with its subscription series for singles, which its managing director, Todd Haimes, says has been sold to 1,277 people, with women outnumbering the men.
Tickets for the four-play series (”The Visit,” starring Jane Alexander; ”Hamlet,” starring Stephen Lang; ”The Price,” starring Eli Wallach; and a fourth to be announced) are $76 to $101. That includes a party after each show.
