Can you believe it has been 34 years since the release of the original The Poseidon Adventure? The classic disaster movie starred, among others, the fabulous Stella Stevens (pictured above), who turns 70 this year. Besides Poseidon Adventure, Stevens has starred in two other films that are considered classics in their genres, the classic comedy The Nutty Professor and the classic western The Ballad of Cable Hogue. Several years ago Stevens starred in a Canadian production of The Odd Couple, The Female Version opposite the late Sandy Dennis. One of Stevens’s early movies was the 1959 film version of the Broadway musical Li’l Abner, in which she played Appassionata Von Climax, the role created on stage by Tina Louise.

Michele Ragusa, who was recently at Studio Arena starring in Bad Dates, will play Appassionata Von Climax in the Goodspeed Opera House production of Li’l Abner, which is running through July 2. Inspired by Al Capp’s comic strip, the original 1956 Broadway production starred Edie Adams, Stubby Kaye, Charlotte Rae and Julie Newmar.

Studio Arena Theatre’s marketing director, Bil Schroeder, will be the new marketing director of the South Coast Repertory Theatre in Costa Mesa, California effective June 19. Schroeder’s last day at Studio will be on June 9. We wish him all the best!

Annie, another musical inspired by a comic strip, arrives at Shea’s on June 6, starring Buffalo native Conrad John Schuck as Daddy Warbucks. The original production opened on Broadway almost 30 years ago, in April 1977. Schuck, a Shea’s Hall of Fame inductee, played Daddy Warbucks in the 1997 Broadway revival.

Pandora’s Box Theatre Company has changed its name to Theatre Plus and will be under the leadership of newly appointed artistic director Kim Piazza. Next season the company will be performing at the Alleyway’s Main Street Cabaret.

Alleyway Theatre will kick off its 2006-07 season on September 14 with Unholy Trinity, a compilation of scenes and songs by Eric Bentley that premiered at the Alleyway 20 years ago. Directed by Neal Radice, the production will star Saul Elkin. Opening night happens to be Bentley’s 90th birthday. The Alleyway season will also include the musical Reefer Madness, Francine Conley’s one-woman play I Swear I Can Fly, the 16th Annual Buffalo Quickies and the world premiere musical Hollywoodland. Bentley was just presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at The 51st Annual Village Voice Obie Awards, a major honor in the Off-Broadway community.

Mamma Mia! original cast member Louise Pitre stars in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Song and Dance, which is currently playing at the newly renovated Danforth Music Hall in Toronto, through May 28. Featured in the cast is dancer/choreographer Kimberly O’Neill, who received her training from Matthew Clark at the Clark Academy.

Gary Earl Ross’s play Matter of Intent was the winner of this year’s Edgar Award, given by the Mystery Writers of America. Named for mystery writer Edgar Allan Poe, the 60th Annual Edgar ceremony took place in New York at the end of April. Matter of Intent won the Artie for Outstanding New Play in 2005. The play was produced by Ujima Theatre Company in April 2005.

Tonawanda native and Buffalo State alum Paul Vogt has taken over the Edna Turnblatt role in the Las Vegas production of the musical Hairspray! The show opened at the Luxor hotel in February starring the original Broadway Edna, Harvey Fierstein, who was only contracted to play the show for 12 weeks. Vogt, best known for his recurring role on MAD TV, will be playing Edna until October 29.

Familiar Strangers is the new show conceived, directed and choreographed by Michael Walline. Using the music of Joni Mitchell, the story is told completely through dance, starring Terrie George, Bobby Cooke, Kelly Cammarata, Doug Weyand, Nicole Marrle Cimato, Kristy Schupp, Marc Sacco and Christopher Howard. All vocals will be performed by Loraine O’Donnell-Gray. The show, part of Musicalfare’s 2006-07 season, will run January 10–February 11.

Tim Klein will join the faculty of SUNY Fredonia’s Department of Theater and Dance this coming fall as an acting professor. Klein appeared in BUA’s productions of Twilight of the Golds and Jeffrey before leaving the area to complete theater studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, followed by acting and directing jobs in Los Angeles and Chicago.

Instead of the regular performance of Quills on May 19th, Torn Space Theater will present a staged reading of Michael Votta’s adaptation of John Ford’s Tis Pity She’s a Whore. Simply titled She’s a Whore, the performance begins at 8 pm.

The 2006 Kenny Awards presented this past Saturday included the first Blossom Cohan Award, which honors a performer who “blooms” in a role. The legendary Cohan served on the Kenny Awards committee for many years.