Edward Albee

Happy birthday to playwright Edward Albee, who turns 80 next week, on March 12. With no signs of slowing down, his play Me, Myself and I had its world premiere this past January at the McCarter Theater in Princeton starring Tyne Daly. His latest play, Occupant, will have its world premiere at Signature Theater in New York next May, starring Mercedes Ruehl. Earlier in the season, Peter and Jerry (which is comprised of his first play The Zoo Story plus a new one act) was seen at the Second Stage in New York. And, beginning next week, the Cherry Lane in New York will be presenting The American Dream and The Sandbox, directed by Mr. Albee himself. Albee is the winner of three Pulitzer Prizes, for Seascape, A Delicate Balance and Three Tall Women. The latter two starred the grand dame of Broadway, Marian Seldes.

Speaking of great ladies of the theater, we are sorry to report that Liz Hiller, one of the grande dames of Buffalo theater, passed away this week in Saratoga Springs. Hiller starred years ago in The Importance of Being Earnest at the old Playhouse on Main Street and in numerous productions on stages all over town. Her last appearance was in the ICTC production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses.

It seems that 2005 Pulitzer Prize winner Doubt, one of the best plays to hit the New York stage in many years when it first opened at the Manhattan Theatre Club in 2004, will finally make it to Buffalo. The Kavinoky now has the rights (Studio Arena had also been interested) for the play to be featured in the opening slot of next season. Doubt just finished a successful run at Syracuse Stage. And speaking of opening slots, the Irish Classical Theatre Company has secured the rights for Moliere’s The Learned Ladies, translated by Richard Wilbur.

Congratulations to Buffalo’s Jeffry Denman, who just won a Bistro Award which recognizes outstanding achievement in the cabaret field in New York. Denman, very appropriately, won in the category “Song & Dance Man.”

Marie Hasselback-Costa will be Serafina and Michael Votta will be Alvaro in ART’s upcoming production of The Rose Tattoo, to be directed by Chris Standart. The parts were originated in 1951 by Maureen Stapleton and Eli Wallach and later played by Mercedes Ruehl and Anthony LaPaglia in the 1995 revival. The ART production will play April 18-May 11 at TheaterLoft and will also feature Jeanne Cairns and Mary Loftus.

Eileen Dugan will return to BUA (The Baby Dance, Beautiful Thing) in the Buffalo premiere of Facing East by Carol Lynn Pearson. Directed by Kelli Bocock Natale, the production will also star Dan Walker and is slated to open on April 11 at Main Street Cabaret.

Gregory Fletcher, director of Niagara University Theater, will be making his local directorial debut with the Spanish classic Life is a Dream by Calderon de la Barca. The production runs March 6-16 at the Leary Theater on the university campus.

Kate LoConti will be directing Frank Wedekind’s 1891 play Spring Awakening for UB’s Department of Theatre & Dance. The play, which deals with sexuality and puberty among some young German students, is the inspiration for the hit Broadway musical of the same name which opened in December 2006 and is still running strong.

Mark your calendars, the 18th Annual Artie Awards will be held on Monday, June 2.

Tim Klein takes over for Brendan Powers in Road Less Traveled upcoming production of Eric Bogosian’s Humpty Dumpty which will run April 11-May 11. Directed by Scott Behrend, the production will also star Lisa Vitrano, Brian Riggs, Bonnie Jean Taylor, and Phil Knoerzer. There will be a special performance on April 23 in conjunction with the company’s Spring 2008 Gala, which will feature Eric Bogosian himself.

Happy birthday also to Buffalo’s legendary Manny Fried (pictured below), who turned 95 this past March 1. Manny shows no signs of slowing down, as evidenced by his one man play Boilermakers and Martinis which had its world premiere at Road Less Traveled last fall. Fried will be honored at the Arts Council Awards luncheon on March 14.