Hank Azaria

Film and TV star Hank Azaria is enjoying great success with the current movie Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. Most famous for his voice work in The Simpsons (since 1989), Azaria made his Broadway debut in the musical Spamalot in 2005, receiving a Tony award nomination. He returned to Broadway last year to star in The Farnsworth Invention playing David Sarnoff, the part that Peter Palmisano played in the Kavinoky production.

Palmisano will direct the Kavinoky production of A Few Good Men which kicks off the company’s 30th anniversary season in September. The production will star Kate LoConti and 19 “good men.” Later in the season Palmisano will join Saul Elkin in the medical drama Secret Order, which will be directed by Doug Zschiegner. The previously announced Hysteria is no longer in the lineup for next season.

The ALT Theater will present ALT-terior Motive, a summer fundraiser, on Saturday June 20 from 7:30pm to midnight. Hosted by comedian Kristen Becker, the evening will feature performances by, among others, Loraine O’Donnell, Amy Taravella, Wendy Hall, David Kane, Theresa Quinn, David Butler, the Stripteasers, and the Eclectic Company. Suggested donation is $15. The theater, which has announced an impressive line-up for next season, is located in the Great Arrow Building at 255 Great Arrow Avenue.

The Subversive Theatre Collective will bring back Kurt Schneiderman’s Waterboarding Blues, June 18-July 10.

Curtain Up Productions, the resident production company at the beautiful Palace Theatre in Lockport, will present the classic musical Oklahoma July 9-19. The company auditioned for the male lead in New York and cast John Kownacki (fresh from a national tour of Cinderella) as Curly. He will be joined on stage by the three Jakiel sisters: Kelly as Laurey, Amy as Ado Annie, and Laura in the female ensemble. Steve Copps will be Judd. The production will be directed by Christopher Parada.

David Autovino and Steve Copps will play the brothers in the ICTC production of Blood Brothers which opens in September. They will be joined by Jenn Stafford, Doug Crane and Cassie Gorniewicz, in addition to the previously announced Loraine O’Donnell and Brian Riggs. Music direction is by Allan Paglia.

Ronald Leonardi will be joining the original cast of Buddy when the show returns to Musicalfare on July 8.

David Carradine

Desiderio’s Dinner Theatre is running a Neil Simon Series this summer. Now through June 28, I Ought to Be in Pictures, starring Marc-Jon Filippone, Mary Ann Moselle, and Sarah Young. Coming up next, Biloxi Blues.

Start the countdown: The fabulous Chita Rivera returns to Buffalo on May 4, 2010. She will be performing at UB’s Center for the Arts. (That’s 47 weeks away!)

BUA will present the radio play All About Eve on June 26 as a fundraiser for the company. Jimmy Janowski will play Margo Channing with Kelly Ferguson as Eve. The reading will also feature Brian Riggs, Darryl Hart, Mary Loftus, and Anthony Chase as theater critic Addison Dewitt. Charles Busch played Margo in a similar production a few years ago in New York.

The FBI will now assist in the investigation of David Carradine’s death last week. Carradine’s half brother is Broadway star Keith Carradine. Keith, who was nominated for a Tony for The Will Rogers Follies in 1991, made his Broadway debut in the original production of Hair where he met fellow castmember Shelley Plimpton. Their daughter is the fabulous Martha Plimpton, who was nominated for a Tony award this year for her performance in Pal Joey.