By Kenneth Jones
16 Jan 2009

	Scene from Soul of Shaolin
	photo by Joan Marcus

Soul of Shaolin, the martial arts-driven tale of an orphan boy raised in the ancient ways of monks, opened at the Marquis Theatre Jan. 15, marking the first time a production from the People's Republic of China has appeared on Broadway. Seen in other cities throughout the world, this mix of dance, martial arts, acrobatics, potent music and vivid theatrical design, plays only 24 performances, to Jan. 31. Previews began Jan. 13.

Nederlander Worldwide Productions, LLC and The Eastern Shanghai International Culture Film & Television Group are partnering to present the production, under the producing brand China on Broadway. Executive producers are Fang Jun and Robert Nederlander, Jr.

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"Fargo" Academy Award nominee William H. Macy stepped into the role of Bobby Gould Jan. 13 in the acclaimed Broadway revival of David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. Macy succeeded Tony winner Norbert Leo Butz, who played his final performance Jan. 11. Butz had replaced original star Jeremy Piven, who abruptly departed the production in December 2008 citing high levels of mercury in his system, a result, he said, of eating sushi every day for the past 20 years.

In a televised Golden Globes Awards red-carpet interview with former pro football player (turned journalist) Tiki Barber on Jan. 11, Piven spoke of the illness. He seemed thrown when Barber suggested that ballplayers are trained to suck it up and get back the game. (We're not making this up.)

Speed-the-Plow, which co-stars Raul Esparza and Elisabeth Moss, is playing a limited engagement through Feb. 22.

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Tom O'Horgan, the Drama Desk Award-winning, Tony-nominated director who brought a downtown ethic to his Broadway projects, including the original Broadway productions of Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar, died in his sleep Jan. 11 at his home in Venice, FL. He was influential in helping re-shape Hair between its Public Theater launch in 1967 and its Broadway bow in 1968. O'Horgan, a composer, singer, actor, director and musician who directed many productions for Café La Mama, the downtown Manhattan institution that embraced experimental and non-commercial works, had suffered from Alzheimer's disease in recent years. He was 84 years old.

In the early 1970s Mr. O'Horgan was a major name on Broadway, challenging the establishment and making money for it at the same time. At one point, he had four Broadway projects on the boards: He was director of Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Lenny and Inner City.

In 1969 he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for Hair.

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Bad news this week for fans of risky Off-Broadway fare in midtown Manhattan: The Zipper Factory, the funky West 37th Street space that offered edgy plays, pop and rock musicals, concerts, comedy and more, closed its doors Jan. 13, owner Lee Z. Davis announced. No other explanation was given.

The Zipper — housed in a former zipper production space in the fashion/garment district just below Times Square — opened in October 2001 with a production of Charles L. Mee's True Love directed by Daniel Fish and starring Dallas Roberts and Jayne Houdyshell. Over the years, and run by various partners, the theatre was home to such shows as Margaret Cho's The Sensuous Woman (fall 2007); Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris (2006-07); Here Lies Jenny starring Bebe Neuwirth (summer-fall 2004); Sarah Silverman's Jesus is Magic (spring 2003), BETTY Rules (fall 2002-spring 2003); and Alan Cumming's adaptation of Jean Genet's Elle (summer 2002).

The auditorium seating, comprised of abandoned car seats (some with seatbelts intact), gave the venue a shaggy East Villlage vibe, blocks away from the Broadway theatre district.

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The Really Useful Group, the musical entertainment company founded by Andrew Lloyd Webber, has begun discussions with several video game publishers, it was announced this week.

The company, according to a press statement, is looking to "take its portfolio of world-famous brands into the interactive entertainment sphere." The Really Useful Group owns such global properties as Cats, Sunset Blvd., Evita and The Phantom of the Opera.

Can we expect Phantom: Combat Zone, Killing Norma Desmond and Shooting Cats in a Junkyard?

Douglas Glen, head of Digital Strategy for The Really Useful Group, said in a statement, "With the video gaming audience having moved from its male-dominated roots towards a more family-oriented demographic, now is the perfect time for us to take some of the best-known names in musical entertainment in a more interactive direction. Our aim is to find a partner who will work across our entire catalogue to deliver high-quality games on a variety of hardware platforms."

(Kenneth Jones is managing editor of Playbill.com.)