Happy birthday to Richard Chamberlain (pictured above) who will turn 72 on March 31st! The ever popular Dr. Kildare is getting ready for the national tour of the play On Golden Pond (in the part played by Henry Fonda in the movie) which begins in September in Fort Worth, Texas. Directed by Leonard Foglia, who directed the recent Broadway revival starring James Earl Jones and Leslie Uggams, the touring production will also star former child star Hayley Mills, who turns 60 next April.

The national tour of Howard Ashman’s and Alan Menken’s musical Little Shop of Horrors arrives at Shea’s on March 28th. The show, which has been touring since August 2004, will come to its final stop in Columbus in April. Joe Farrell, of TV’s “Trading Spaces” fame, plays Seymour. Menken is currently working on the new musical Sister Act, The Musical, based on the popular movie. It is scheduled to open in October at the Padasena Playhouse in California.

The Tony award winning Urinetown will play April 19th-May 21st at MusicalFare. Directed by Randy Kramer, choreographed by Lynne Kurdziel-Formato, with musical direction by Michael Hake, this much anticipated show will mark the company’s 100th production. Coming up this summer, MusicalFare will present the musical revue I Left My Heart: The Music of Tony Bennett. And among the shows for next season: Sisters of Swing: The Andrews Sisters Musical, Jonathan Larson’s Tick, Tick…Boom!, and a world premiere dance musical conceived by Michael Walline, featuring the music of Joni Mitchell.

Alleyway Theatre will kick-off the 2006-07 season with Reefer Madness, a musical inspired by the 1930’s anti-marijuana film which was a huge hit in Los Angeles when it was first produced in 1999. The show had a short New York run where it opened shortly after 9/11. Showtime made a film version of the musical which was released on DVD last October. Todd Warfield will direct the Alleyway production.

The Irish Classical Theatre will also open the season with a musical, the charming A Man of No Importance, by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, with book by Terrence McNally. The show will be directed by Brother Augustine Towey.

Anna Maria Gillespie will now play the daughter opposite Sharon Strait in the Torn Space production of ‘Night, Mother which opens March 30th and plays through April 14th at the Adam Mickiewicz Dramatic Circle. Following this production, April 28th—May 20th, the company will present Doug Wright’s Quills, directed by Chris Standart, and starring David Oliver as the Marquis de Sade.

It will be a double bill in Buffalo for playwright Doug Wright, as BUA will present his Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winner I Am My Own Wife, beginning April 21st at Alleyway’s Main Street Cabaret. The production will be directed by Chris Kelly and will star Jimmy Janowski. Based on a true story, the play tells the fascinating tale of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a real-life German transvestite who managed to survive both the Nazi onslaught and the repressive East German Communist regime.

The Kavinoky Theatre will conclude the season with the very entertaining Celadine, a play by Charles Evered written for Amy Irving which premiered at the George Street Playhouse starring Irving in the title role. The local production stars Eileen Dugan, Richard Wesp, Paul Todaro, Kathy Weese, and Joe Wiens. Costumes for this comedy set in 17th century England, will be designed by Jenipher Gurney. David Lamb directs.

Popular personality Doug Smith will play Grandpa Vanderhof in the Town Players’ production of You Can’t Take it With You, which plays March 31st —April 8th in the Sheridan Parkside Community Center in the Town of Tonawanda. This will be Smith’s fifth Can’t Take production, the first one as Grandpa.

Composer John Kander (of Kander & Ebb fame) will be the guest of honor at the 21st Annual Friends of Niagara University Theatre Gala and Auction which will be held on April 29th at the Leary Theatre and Castellani Art Museum on NU’s campus. NU Theatre will be presenting Kander & Ebb’s musical Chicago April 27th-May 7th.

Theatre of Youth’s 35th anniversary season (2006-07) will include The Witches, A Little House Christmas, Bridge to Terabithia, The Giver, and Charlotte’s Web.

Road Less Traveled Productions’ Scott Behrend (pictured below) just returned from New York where he spent the past several weeks as assistant director to Scott Ellis in the Roundabout production of Entertaining Mr. Sloane, which opened last Thursday. Ellis will be directing the world premiere of Kander & Ebb’s musical Curtains, in Los Angeles this summer.

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