The fabulous Susan Anton (pictured above) is starring in the Las Vegas production of the musical Hairspray which begins previews this week at the Luxor Hotel before the official opening on February 15th. For this production, the show has been shortened to a 90–minute version with no intermission. Anton, who is a major Vegas headliner in her own club acts, is playing Velma Von Tussle which is now a non–singing part. In the original version, the character sings the hilarious “Miss Baltimore Crabs” (Canadian actress Susan Henly played the part when the touring production came to Buffalo). Anton, who is now 55, made her Broadway debut in 1985 in David Rabe’s Hurlyburly. She later appeared in The Will Rogers Follies.

Speaking of Hairspray, the original Penny, Kerry Butler, will be singing a song from Buffalonian Dan Acquisto’s musical Like You Like It at the New York Musical Theatre Festival’s Best of The Best concert which will be held on February 27th at Dodger Stages in New York. The evening features highlights from several of the musicals that the festival has introduced over the past two years. Jeffry Denman (who was back in Buffalo earlier this season to direct MusicalFare’s If Love Were All) is also scheduled to appear. Denman will be starring in the upcoming New York revival of Children of a Lesser God, opening March 14th at the Keen Company off–Broadway.

Back in the ’80s, Denman and Stephanie Riso performed with the St. Joe’s Swing Choir. They both appeared at Upstage and Summerfare (now MusicalFare). Since graduating from City Honors High School in 1989, Riso has been living in Pittsburgh, where she was the Founding Managing Director for the Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre (the theater that produced The Dead in which she also appeared opposite fellow Buffalonian Paul Todaro). A couple of weeks ago, Riso left her position at the theater to start her own endeavor, Cabaret Pittsburgh, which will present cabaret stars and other intimate musical acts at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh. Their season begins May 5th with classic cabaret artist Mary Cleere Haran.

MusicalFare presents a special event on Monday February 13th at 7pm, A Behind the Scenes Conversation with Eric Jordan Young. Accompanied by Randy Kramer, Young will sing some of his favorite songs and share some backstage stories about his life in the theater ranging from his Williamsville East High School days to Broadway. Proceeds from the evening will benefit MusicalFare Theatre and the continuing development of Young’s current show, Sammy & Me.

In honor of National Women’s History Month, Down in My Soul Productions will present Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf on Saturday March 4th at 7pm at the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center. Directed by Joyce Carolyn, the ensemble features Lydia Baines Al-Amin, Jermain Cooper, Beverly Crowell, Annette Daniels-Taylor, Phobie Davis, Sandra Gilliam, and Cynthia Maxwell. Shange’s play opened on Broadway thirty years ago.

After kicking off this week with a reading of Darryl Schneider’s The War Room, Road Less Traveled Productions’ New Play Workshop reading series will continue with Logo by Cindy Darling (March 6th), Cinderella Regina by Michael Fanelli (March 13th), The Three of Us by Frank Canino (April 3rd), and A Bit of Paradise by Annette Daniels Taylor (April 10th).

Franz Kafka’s The Trial, adapted by Steven Berkoff and directed by Vincent O’Neill will be presented by UB’s Department of Theatre & Dance February 22–26. Donn Youngstrom is directing Christopher Hampton’s Les Liaisons Dangereuses for Buffalo State’s Theater Department, March 2–4. Brendan Powers directs Arthur Miller’s A View From the Bridge for Niagara University Theatre, March 3–11.

Lancaster Opera House is presenting the national premiere of Radiation, a play by Kazimierz Braun that tells the story of Madame Curie, portrayed by Sharon Strait. The production runs through February 12th.

Don’t miss the chance to see one of the most entertaining acts to come to Buffalo in recent years, Dame Edna, Back With a Vengeance! Dame Edna, portrayed by the extraordinary Barry Humphries, will be at Shea’s through this weekend. The show was nominated for last year’s Tony Award for Special Theatrical Event.

It was little over a year ago that playwright Wendy Wasserstein (pictured below) gave a very moving speech at the Cy Coleman memorial which was held at the Majestic Theater on Broadway. Coleman, who died in November 2004, and Wasserstein who died at 55 on January 30th, had been working on a musical adaptation of her children’s book Pamela’s First Musical. Wasserstein’s latest play, Third, had a very successful run at Lincoln Center, where it was extended through last December. The production starred Studio Arena Theatre alum Charles Durning. Studio Arena produced her plays, Isn’t it Romantic? and The Sisters Rosensweig; BUA produced her Pulitzer Prize winning The Heidi Chronicles. She signed my poster of the Broadway production of Rosensweig: “To Javier, who saw Gorgeous in Madrid.” She was curious to know whether they had translated the name of the character, Gorgeous, originally played by the late Madeline Kahn. They hadn’t.