ATW NewsClips - National, Industry Print

Associated Press

Two musical obsessives follow their dream to B'way
When we last saw Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen on stage, the two theater-obsessed lads were basking in the glow of a successful off-Broadway run in ''title of show,'' their delightful tale of writing and putting on a musical.

Variety

Sondheim re-ups with Warner
Icon's catalog spans more than 50 years

High School Theater to be feted
First round of trophies will be presented June 1

Cape Cod attracts big names
Summer program's current offering is 'Reality!

Marshall-Green, Pine join 'Beast'
Duo will play maimed Iraqi War vets

O'Neill Theater lines up cabaret
Event runs July 30-Aug. 9

Corddrys to play stage brothers
Crispin Whittell directing 'True West'

Review: [title of show]
...stripped of satirical edge for its heavy Broadway date, the backstage show by Hunter Bell (book) and Jeff Bowen (score) is revealed in all its narcissism, flaunting its shallow aesthetic values and taking unseemly pride in its inflated ambitions

Review: There Reigns Love
Ever since an afternoon in 1979 when he performed all 154 of Shakespeare's sonnets from the stage of the Olivier Theater in London, Simon Callow has taken an almost obsessive interest in these poetical works from the Bard of Avon. Now, in "There Reigns Love," he has rethought them in a more theatrical light. The final result, although still in need of some polishing, makes for high drama indeed.

Review; Eh Joe
It is an incontrovertible fact that Liam Neeson has the most beautiful -- and beautifully expressive -- upper back in the entire English-speaking theater. And that's a very good thing, since that broad, muscular back is pretty much all we get to see in the flesh of Neeson, who has the title role but not a single line of dialogue in Beckett's bleak 30-minute piece "Eh Joe," ...

Review: Zorro
Replete with arch putdowns and audience-nudging one-liners, tuner "Zorro" tries to put the camp in "gypsy encampment." Unfortunately, it also bangs on about honor, identity and dignity and takes itself so seriously it kills off its most winning personality -- a tragedy for both the remaining characters and the audience's enjoyment. Although tremendous flamenco stomping ...

USA Today

Streep is the dancing and singing queen in 'Mamma Mia!'

Bloomberg.com

Bossy-Boots Lover, Bad Flamenco, Wild Gypsies Harass Sexy Zorro in London
The London musical ``Zorro'' should have the qualities to make a night of passionate theater: dashing hero and flamenco from the best-selling Gipsy Kings.

Streep Dances, Brosnan Sings in Hummable, Syrupy `Mamma Mia': Rick Warner
Pierce Brosnan sings! Meryl Streep dances! Colin Firth plays guitar!

`[title of show]' Sinks; Durang Says `Boo' to Catholic Church: John Simon A familiar problem at birthdays is what to give the celebrant who has everything. The problem with reviewing ``[title of show],'' a vest-pocket and sweaty-collar musical, is what to say about a show that has nothing.

Wall Street Journal

Songs of Themselves
"[title of show]" comes across as a flyweight exercise in narcissism interspersed with fleeting moments of genuineness.

Q&A: Bill T. Jones on His New Musical "Fela!"

Christian Science Monitor

All the world on stage
New International theater festival in California offers audiences a window on foreign cultures – and shared stories.

Back Stage

The Desk Set
Most actors would undoubtedly love to find a supplemental job that's closer to their field — where they could learn things that might prove valuable in their craft.

Continuing Education
You've decided to find an acting teacher. That's a big enough decision in itself. So what else is there to think about in getting yourself back to class?

Undiscovered
Many actors arrive in Los Angeles with a fantasy about landing representation. In reality, nabbing an agent and/or manager is a process, and there's no one way to go about it.
[more Welcome to L.A. Coverage can be found at http://www.backstage.com/]

[title of show] reviewed by David Sheward
Can an intimate little musical with no stars and virtually no plot — but lots of charm and laughs — survive on big, spectacle-loving Broadway?

Gate/Beckett: Eh Joe reviewed by Leonard Jacobs
Who is this hermitic, tormented man on stage? It's Liam Neeson, of course, wearing a forlorn yet mysteriously blank-faced look.

Theater Boys reviewed by Jerry Portwood
Bare skin is the name of the game when it comes to gay-themed plays.

Traces/Fades reviewed by Andy Propst
Lenora Champagne crams Traces/fades with enough material to fill two or three plays.

Back Stage MITF Reviews

Kidnapping Laura Linney
Philip Mutz's Kidnapping Laura Linney is exactly the type of fluffy fun one always hopes to find in festivals but so rarely does.

The Red Paintball
Just ask Ted Haggard — this country loves to catch religious hypocrites with their pants down, especially the gay ones.