“Galileo,” a play by Bertolt Brecht that has rarely been seen in the United States, opened this week Off-Broadway at the Classic Stage Company and starred Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham as the title character. The run already has been extended to March 18. Many consider the work to be one of the German playwright’s masterpieces, and was translated into English by Charles Laughton for a 1947 New York production that...

“Kinky Boots,” the new Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper, will get a tryout run in Chicago later this year, producers recently announced. Producers Daryl Roth and Hal Luftig announced that the Chicago run will be held at the Bank of America Theatre this October in preparation for a Broadway run. Though no Broadway dates have been set, Roth said she is hoping to open during the 2012-2013...

Producers announced yesterday that Off Broadway hit “The Lyons” will be transferring to Broadway in April, in time for eligibility for the 2012 Tony Awards. The play opened in the fall at the Vineyard Theatre and has been extended twice. It will open at the Cort Theater sometime before the April 26 Tony eligibility cut off, though producers have not yet specified an exact date. Preview performances will begin the first...

The Manhattan Theatre Club announced recently that Boyd Gaines and Margaret Colin will join John Lithgow in the cast of David Auburn’s “The Columnist.” The drama will begin performances on Wednesday, April 4 at Manhattan Theatre Club’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, and will officially open on April 25. In the production, Colin will play Susan Alsop, the wife of Lithgow’s Joseph Alsop. Lithgow’s character plays a powerful political columnist in 1960s America,...

“Project Runway: All Stars” collided with Broadway yesterday when contestants were challenged to design an outfit that will be included in a production of “Godspell” on Broadway. The episode, which was officially titled “Puttin’ on the Glitz,” also featured Tony Award winner Sutton Foster as a guest judge. Stephen Schwartz, who wrote the lyrics and the music for the production, appeared on the show to issue the challenge. Eventually, designer Mondo...

Jeff Goldblum will replace Alan Rickman on the hit Broadway play “Seminar” beginning in early April. Producers announced on February 14 that Rickman will leave his role of Leonard after his April 1 performance, and Goldblum will begin an eight-week stint in the role April 3. Goldblum had broken the news the previous evening during an appearance on ABC’s late night talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” In the play by Theresa...

The hit West End musical “Matilda” may be making the jump across the pond for a Spring 2013 Broadway opening, but a few details have to be ironed out before any official announcements are made. Among other outlets, the New York Post reports that several Broadway producers are interested in the musical. But the paper also reports that a source says the Royal Shakespeare Company, which is producing the London show,...

It appears that the late Whitney Houston’s upcoming final film, “Sparkle,” may be heading to Broadway. Forbes reports that producer Howard Rosenman was so impressed with the unedited pieces of “Sparkle” that he saw that he plans to convert the film into a Broadway play after it premieres. Rosenman also was the producer of the original 1976 film on which the new film is based, and expressed his excitement about the...

Saturday, February 11 marked the 10,000^th Broadway performance of the mega-hit “Phantom of the Opera,” which is makes it the first Broadway show to do so. The longest-running show on Broadway also recently celebrated its 24^th anniversary last month. The Andrew Lloyd Weber production opened January 26, 1988, with previews beginning January 8 of the same year. The show won seven Tony Awards that year, including Best Musical and Best Direction...

Rumors have been flying around the internet recently that “Glee” star Lea Michele will reprise the role of Wendla in the upcoming film adaptation of “Spring Awakening,” but the actor has issued a statement saying that nothing is certain as of right now. Michele originated the role in both the off-Broadway and Broadway productions of the musical. The stories originated yesterday when E! Online quoted the film’s director, McG, as saying,...