The fabulous Annette Bening (pictured above) just completed the run of the world premiere of the one woman show Ruth Draper’s Monologues at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. Bening, who turns 56 at the end of this month, made her Broadway debut in 1987 in Coastal Disturbances, for which she got a Tony nomination. This summer, she will play Goneril in the Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park production of King Lear, starring John Lithgow.

When Musicalfare turned 20, they brought back two previous hits, Zooma, Zooma, and Falsettos. Now the company is turning 25 and they are bringing back two other popular hits Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story and Sisters of Swing: The Andrews Sisters Musical. The 2014-15 season will open with The Drowsy Chaperone, directed by Chris Kelly, starring Anthony Alcocer, Charmagne Chi, Kelly Copps, Steve Copps, John Kaczorowski, Renee Landrigan, Debbie Pappas, Eric Rawski, Alan Trinca, Doug Weyand, Adam Yellen and Matt Witten who just won a Best of Buffalo award. In the meantime, get ready for Side by Side by Sondheim, which opens July 9th, also under the direction of Kelly, with music direction by Theresa Quinn, starring Kelli Bocock-Natale, Bobby Cooke, Jenn Stafford, and Kaczorowski.

After two shows at TheaterLoft this season, Buffalo Public Theatre parted ways with Ujima Theatre Company, and will no longer stay for the anticipated three-year residency. The newly formed company will instead collaborate with New Phoenix to present William Inge’s Picnic in the fall, directed by Loraine O’Donnell.

And speaking of New Phoenix, the company will open its next season with the classic All Quiet on the Western Front. Their season will also include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, directed by Chris Kelly; and Lanford Wilson’s Angels Fall, directed by Gail Golden, starring Mike Randall, Pamela Mangus, Candice Kogut, and Richard Lambert. Kelli Bocock-Natale will direct A Midsummer Night’s Dream in May.

Different angels, Noel Coward’s Fallen Angels will be the final show for the season at the Irish Classical Theatre Company. Directed by Fortunato Pezzimenti, the production will star Diane Curley, Brian Mysliwy, Bonnie Jean Taylor, Adriano Gatto, Annette Daniels Taylor, and Matt Witten, who just won a Best of Buffalo award. Fallen Angels opens on June 6th.

Michael Walline will direct O’Connell & Company’s productions of the musical revues Jerry’s Girls and Songs for a New World. Jerry’s Girls, which features the music of Jerry Herman, will star Mary Kate O’Connell, Pamela Rose Mangus, and Mary Craig. Both Mangus and Craig starred in the BUA production back in 1993. Songs for a New World features the songs of Jason Robert Brown, whose musical The Bridges of Madison County just closed on Broadway.

Up next for Kaleidoscope, the Cole Porter musical revue Cole. Directed by Cindy Ripley, with musical direction by Monica Stankewicz, and choreography by Jon Yepez, the production will star Meghan Attridge, Sarah Blewett, Beth Gerardi-Wharton, Bobby Hall, Heather Holden, James Holden, Nathan Miller, and Christian Riso. Cole opens Friday, June 13th.

As part of its Subversive Youth Series, Subversive Theatre Collective will present Linda Daugherty’s The Secret Lives of Girls, directed by Kelly Beuth. The show opens on June 19th and will feature an all-female cast from Buffalo’s Performing Arts High School.

At long last, Michael John LaChiusa’s Hello Again will have its Buffalo premiere courtesy of his brother Matthew LaChiusa’s company American Repertory Theater of WNY. Directed by Jeffrey Coyle, the production will star Katie Miner, Shanya Zadok Raichelson, Steve Brachmann, Carolyn Lansom, Matt Mooney Galantowicz, Robert Ernie Insana, and (the other brother) Tom LaChiusa. Hello Again opens September 11th.

Congratuations to the Blacktie Award nominees in the acting categories: Michael Seitz, Kerrykate Abel, winner Eric Rawski, Michael Blasdell, director Todd Warfield, and Christopher Standart. Next awards are the ARTIES, at the Town Ballroom on Monday, June 2nd.