Director Doyle — who staged the 2006 Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd (to Tony Award success), and helms the current Broadway staging of Company — takes on the musical tale of the legendary showman behind "the greatest show on earth." The musical featuring Cy Coleman's music, Michael Stewart's lyrics and a book by Mark Bramble will play in the San Diego company's Old Globe Theatre July 12-Aug. 19, 2007. The director will be re-imagining the musical, with some of the actors playing musical instruments.

In the Cassius Carter Centre Stage, Shakespeare Festival artistic director Darko Tresnjak will stage John Van Druten's play Bell, Book and Candle Aug. 4-Sept. 9, 2007. The "magical" work centers on a witch who falls in love with a publisher and casts a spell on him to dump his fiancée for her.

"But witches, unfortunately, cannot fall in love," an announcement reveals, "which leads to a number of hilarious difficulties, where Gillian loses her witch's powers, her cat deserts her, and her aunt and warlock brother don't quite know how to relate to Gillian as a human."

As previously announced, the Tony Award-winning musical Avenue Q will run June 30-Aug. 5, 2007 at the historic Spreckels Theatre. Featuring music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, book by Jeff Whitty and directed by Jason Moore, the musical centers on the people and puppet-populated fictitious street in New York City.

These productions join the Old Globe's announced Shakespeare Festival lineup which will include The Two Gentlemen of Verona, directed by Matt August, Measure for Measure, directed by Paul Mullins and Hamlet, staged by Tresnjak. The three works will play in repertory at the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre at the outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre (June 16-Sept. 30, 2007). For subscriptions and more information on the shows at The Old Globe, call Globe Ticket Services at (619) 23-GLOBE or visit www.theoldglobe.org.