After being away from Broadway for 20 years, the fabulous Jill Clayburgh (pictured above) returned this season to appear in two plays, Richard Greenberg’s A Naked Girl on the Appian Way, which played last fall, and the current revival of Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park, which is scheduled to close on May 21. The show will have played 108 performances. The original 1963 production ran for 1,530 performances. Clayburgh, who turned 62 last Sunday, April 30, was last seen on Broadway in the revival of Noel Coward’s Design for Living, which opened in 1984 co-starring Frank Langella and the late Raul Julia.

Speaking of Neil Simon, his new play Waiting for Poppa had been announced as part of Miami’s Coconut Grove Playhouse 2006-07 season. The future of that production and of that acclaimed regional theater is now up in the air. Over the past couple of weeks it was revealed that the theater was about more than $4 million in debt, just as it was finishing its 50th anniversary season. As of this week, the theater has terminated most of its employees. Producing Artistic Director Arnold Mittelman, who has been at the helm of the theater for 21 years, announced last week that he would not resign his position even though some board directors want him out.

Studio Arena Theatre will have an open house at the theater on Saturday, May 13 from 10am to 12 noon. Guests are encouraged to come to meet the organization’s new artistic director Kathleen Gaffney. In addition to backstage tours and displays of costumes and set models, there will be a book sale in the adjacent building, 702 Main Street. The proceeds of the sale will benefit Studio Arena Theatre and Literacy Volunteers of Buffalo & Erie County.

The Kenny Awards, recognizing local high school talent for excellence in producing and performing musicals, will be held on May 13 at 4pm at Shea’s Performing Arts Center.

Saul Elkin and Lou Colaiacovo star in the upcoming Jewish Repertory Theatre production of Old Wicked Songs, which opens on June 8 at MusicalFare Theatre, directed by Sheila McCarthy. Next season, the company will present Wendy Wasserstein’s The Sisters Rosensweig, directed by Greg Natale at the Irish Classical Theatre (December 4-31), and Brooklyn Boy, directed and designed by Scott Behrend at the Alleyway Theatre (Febuary 22-March 18).

Even before its opening night, Musicalfare’s production of Urinetown announced an extension. The show will run for an additional week, May 23-28, including a Tuesday performance. Charmagne Chi, who was in last summer’s production of The Melody Lingers On, will join the cast, replacing Loraine O’Donnell Gray. On Friday, June 9, the company will present its 100th Show Celebration, an evening of songs, MusicalFare trivia contest, recognition of certain long-time MusicalFare performers (hint: The Last Five Years marked Kathy Weese’s 40th MusicalFare production) and a 100th Show Celebration cake.

Susan Forbes will return to Buffalo State College Theater Department next season to direct the production of Diana Son’s Stop Kiss. The department’s season will also include Christopher Durang’s Betty’s Summer Vacation, directed by Donn Youngstrom, and the classic The Diary of Anne Frank, directed by Drew Kahn.

Click This!, written and performed by Linda Stein, will be Pandora’s Box Theatre Company’s final offering for the current season. Directed by Michael Stebbins, the production will run June 1-17 at Alleyway’s Main Street Cabaret.

Add one more musical to the Curtain Up! slot next September. The Kavinoky will open with A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. The season will also include Larry Gelbart’s Sly Fox (based on Ben Jonson’s Volpone) and, following on the steps of the very successful The Cocktail Hour, another play by A.R. Gurney, The Fourth Wall.

On May 8 beginning at 7:30pm, the Irish Classical Theatre will present an evening of the poetry of Brother Augustine Towey. Performers will include Vincent O’Neill, Josephine Hogan, Paul Todaro, Jeanne Cairns, Saul Elkin, Maureen Porter, Kristen Tripp Kelly and Brendan Powers.

Another jukebox musical just opened on Broadway. Hot Feet, featuring the music of Earth, Wind and Fire, opened last Sunday at the Hilton Theatre. It stars Tony Award winner Ann Duquesnay who appeared at Studio Arena in Cookin’ at the Cookery. And opening soon in Los Angeles, probably on its way to Broadway, Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, the Motown Musical.

The Cleveland Play House will open the 2006-07 season with the critically acclaimed Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire. The play had a very successful run on Broadway, where it closed its limited engagement on April 9. Cynthia Nixon and Tyne Daly were in the cast.