Christian Slater (pictured above) will return to London’s West End to reprise his role as Randle P. McMurphy in the stage version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The production, which originally opened in August 2004 at the Edinburgh Festival before moving to London for a successful 2004-05 run, begins previews next week at the Garrick Theatre. Slater was last seen on Broadway a year ago, co-starring with Jessica Lange in the revival of The Glass Menagerie. He made his Broadway debut at the age of 11 in the 1980 Broadway revival of The Music Man that starred Dick Van Dyke, which lasted only 21 performances.

Buffalo’s Corinne Melançon has taken over the leading role in the Broadway production of Mamma Mia!. Melançon had been understudying the part for Michele Pawk who began playing Donna Sheridan last October and had been contracted to stay with the production for one year. Canadian actress Louise Pitre originated the part when the show opened on Broadway in October of 2001.

Just as his play The Cocktail Hour is having its local premiere (now at the Kavinoky through April 2nd), A.R. Gurney’s latest is heading for its world premiere in New York this coming summer. Indian Blood will be the season opener for the off-Broadway company Primary Stages, July 25th–September 3rd. The season will also offer the New York premiere of the musical Adrift in Macao, which had its world premiere last November at the Philadelphia Theatre Company, starring Michele Ragusa.

Neglia Ballet Artists is bringing back its very successful production of Don Quixote for one performance only, March 18th at 7pm at UB’s Center for the Arts. David Butler, who also designed the set, will reprise his part as Sancho Panza, joined this time by Jason Bravo as Don Quixote. By the way, 2005 marked the 400th anniversary of the publication of the renowned Miguel de Cervantes novel Don Quixote.

UB’s Department of Theatre and Dance will present Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along, March 30th–April 9th at the Center for the Arts. Based on the 1935 Kaufman and Hart comedy, the musical, which opened on Broadway in 1981, goes back in time from 1980 to 1955. The UB production will be directed by guest artist Marcia Milgrom Dodge who worked as choreographer in the outstanding 1990 Arena Stage production of the show.

Road Less Traveled Productions continues its new play reading series with Michael Fanelli’s Cinderella Regina on Monday, March 13th at 8pm at the New Phoenix Theatre. Directed by Joe Natale, the reading will feature Hallie Clarke, Luke Wager, Keith Elkins, Kelli Bocock Natale, Jimmy Janowski, Joseph Demerly, Kelly Ferguson, Dava Jones, Greg Natale and Tim Finnegan. Fanelli’s previous plays include Behind the Green Dog, produced by BET in 2004, and George, produced by Subversive Theatre Collective in 2005.

Blue Garrote in association with Morphine Hearts will present Timothy McPeek’s The Ditch at Rust Belt Books, April 5th–9th at 8pm. Directed by Matthew LaChiusa, the production will star Hugh Davis, Jamie Hamilton and Travis Hipkens.

Plans are under way for the Second Annual Infringement Festival which will take place July 27th–August 6th. The festival is open to performances of all styles, lengths, subject matters, and forms. Applications are available at the festival website, www.infringebuffalo.org and are due April 1st. The Buffalo festival is part of an international circuit that includes similar events in New York, Philadelphia, and several cities in Canada.

BUA will present Matthew Crehan Higgins’ new one man play The Casual Sex Diary March 31st–April 8th at the Alleyway Theatre’s Main Street Cabaret. The play will be presented March 9th–12th as part of Best of the Fest in Columbus, and March 17th–19th as part of National Gay Comedy Jam in St. Louis.

Don’t forget! March 21st, the 20th Annual Arts Council Awards at the Buffalo Convention Center, honoring: Amherst Symphony Orchestra, Brother Augustine Towey, John R. Oshei Foundation, Gibraltar Industries/Lipke Foundation, Tom Burrows, Marilyn Ciancio, and Dr. Edna Lindemann. There will be no keynote address this year.

Don Knotts (pictured below) who was widely known to TV audiences for his roles in “The Andy Griffith Show” and “Three’s Company” died this past February 24th at the age of 81. Knotts made his Broadway debut, and only Broadway appearance, in the 1955 production of Ira Levin’s No Time For Sergeants, which also starred Andy Griffith.

To respond to this article, e-mail editorial@artvoice.com or write to: Artvoice, 810 Main St., Buffalo, NY 14202