By Andrew Gans
02 Jul 2004
DIVA TIDBITS
Elaine Paige, the leading lady of the British musical theatre, will soon return to the small screen with a guest appearance on a new "Miss Marple" film. The award-winning actress, recently seen in the New York City Opera production of Sweeney Todd, will play Dora Bunner in the second of four "Miss Marple" TV films, which star Geraldine McEwan as Agatha Christie's spinster sleuth. The films will be broadcast on ITV1 later this year; shooting for the second film is expected to begin this month. Paige will be joined in the TV film by Zoë Wanamaker, Alexander Armstrong, Keeley Hawes and Robert Pugh as well as Claire Skinner, Cherie Lunghi, Frances Barber, Catherine Tate, Christian Coulson, Sienna Guillory, Matthew Goode and Virginia McKenna. According to production notes, this "Miss Marple" film concerns "the villagers of Chipping Cleghorn [who] are agog with curiosity over an advertisement in the local gazette which reads: ‘A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, September 25th, at Little Paddocks at 7:30 PM' A childish practical joke? Or a hoax intended to scare poor Letitia Blacklock? Unable to resist the mysterious invitation, a crowd begins to gather at Little Paddocks at the appointed time when, without warning, the lights go out, a man bursts into the room and fires three shots. When the lights are turned back on, Letitia is wounded but the mysterious gunman lies dead on the floor."
Theatre lovers will have a chance to hear tunes from Amanda Green and Tom Kitt's new musical, High Fidelity, at a July 12 concert at Birdland. Among the performers interpreting songs by Green and Kitt will be Mario Cantone, Jenn Colella, Jonathan Dokuchitz, Matt McGrath, Greg Naughton, Nancy Opel, Alice Ripley and Amy Spanger. The 8 PM evening will also include the Tom Kitt Band. Birdland is located between Eighth and Ninth Avenues at 315 West 44th Street. There is a $20 cover and a $10 food/drink minimum. Call (212) 581-3080 for reservations.
Ana Gasteyer — best known for her lengthy run on the legendary NBC series "Saturday Night Live" — will make her Ars Nova concert debut next month. Gasteyer will perform Let it Rip! An Evening of Songs July 12 and 13 at 8 PM. Directed by Jason Eagan with musical direction by Mitch Kaplan, the concerts will feature an evening of favorite songs and observations. The Ars Nova Theater is located at 511 West 54th Street, off Tenth Avenue. Tickets, priced at $20, are available by calling (212) 868-4444 or by visiting www.smarttix.com.
Josie de Guzman, who received a Tony nomination for her performance in the 1992 revival of Guys and Dolls, has joined the cast of the North Shore Music Theatre's upcoming production of Nine. The singer-actress will be play Luisa, wife of Guido Contini in the Maury Yeston musical, which plays the North Shore Aug. 24-Sept. 12. As previously announced, "Guiding Light" star Robert Newman will star as filmmaker Contini with Cabaret's Milena Govich as Carla. The company will also include Amanda Serkasevich as Claudia, Beth McVey as Liliane La Fleur, Melissa Hart as Guido's Mother, Inga Ballard as Saraghina, Jacqueline Hendy as Our Lady of the Spa, Charlotte Cohn as Stephanie Necrophorus and Cindy Marchionda as Lina Darling. The ensemble comprises Amy Barker, Alison Spratt, Jennifer Taylor, Melissa Rouse, Jaclyn Minerva, Becky Barta, Carol Schuberg and Joanne Javien. The North Shore Music Theatre is located in Beverly, MA at 62 Dunham Road. Call (978) 232-7200 for more information or visit the theatre on line at www.nsmt.org.
Rebecca Luker, most recently on Broadway in the Tony-winning revival of Nine, will return to her native Alabama for a concert version of Carousel this September. Luker will join George Dvorsky for a concert of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic Sept. 25 at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Center Concert Hall. Backed by the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, the Christopher Confessore directed evening will also feature the Alabama Ballet. Show time is 8 PM. Tickets for Carousel are available by calling (205) 251-7727 or by visiting the Symphony box office at 3621 Sixth Avenue South. For more information, go to http://www.alabamasymphony.org.
Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley, who are currently starring in the Pasadena Playhouse's production of 110 in the Shade, will offer evenings of duets at The Cinegrill next month. The husband-and wife team will perform Opposite You at the intimate cabaret July 29 31. Show time is 8:30 PM. Mazzie and Danieley have previously performed their duets show at Joe's Pub and for Lincoln Center's American Songbook series. The Cinegrill is located within the Roosevelt Hotel at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, CA. Call (323) 769-7269 for reservations.
And, finally, I've been hearing great things about Marta Goes' A Safe Harbor for Elizabeth Bishop, which is currently playing Vassar College's Powerhouse Theatre. Starring Amy Irving and directed by Richard Jay-Alexander, the production — part of the New York Stage and Film season — ends its limited, sold-out run July 3. Polly Bergen and David Marshall Grant are just two of the celebs who have been thrilled by the drama, and several Broadway producers have been quietly checking it out as well. Stay tuned . . .
Well, that's all for now. Happy diva-watching!
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| Polly Bergen (l.) congratulates Amy Irving at the gala celebrating the premiere of A Safe Harbor for Elizabeth Bishop
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