Blazing Saddles the Musical a Reality?

According to the man himself, "Blazing Saddles" may actually get the musical treatment. At a PBS panel, Mel Brooks stated that he's seriously thinking about turning the western comedy into a Broadway musical. He said, "A lot of it is musical already. It has a rather fanciful and fantastic tone to it. and now that "Django Unchained" has literally used the N word, I think I’m in the clear. I don’t look so bad. He really used that word a lot." If it does happen, will it be The Producers hit or Young Frankenstein flop? Are you excited for another Mel Brooks musical? Start casting!

Smash Season Premiere Teaser is Live

Have you been anxiously waiting to see what's next "Smash", our favorite Broadway themed drama series? What's happened to our friends Karen and Ivy and Tom and Julia and McSleazy and Ellis...wait, he's been written off...and Dez...he's gone too...the rest of the Bombshell gang? Well, wait no longer! The first hour of the two hour season premiere is live on nbc.com, among other outlets, for your viewing pleasure! The link is right here: http://www.nbc.com/smash/video/on-broadway/n31452/ If you don't want to watch now and wait for the full thing, February 5th is right around the corner! No spoilers here! And make sure you check back after the first episode for my Smash Recap!

Mary Poppins to Fly Away to Make Room for a Magic Carpet Ride?

If the rumors are true, Disney will have a new show coming to the Great White Way very soon. The New York Times and NY Post are reporting that Mary Poppins will be closing on Broadway so Disney can renovate the New Amsterdam Theater to bring in a new production of their hit movie Aladdin. Though no official announcements were made, previous productions of the Aladdin stage musical at 5th Avenue in Seattle and The Muny in St. Louis could be the form the Broadway production follows. What do you think? Will Aladdin be a The Lion King/Beauty and the Beast hit or a Tarzan/The Little Mermaid flop? Are you still like me wishing the folks at Disney would get their brains churning on a Broadway production of "Hercules"?

The Normal Heart Movie Official

As previously reported a long time ago, Larry Kramer's Tony Winning AIDS drama The Normal Heart will get the TV movie treatment by HBO. Directed by "Glee" creator Ryan Murphy, the movie will star Julia Roberts as Dr. Emma Brookner, Mark Ruffalo as Ned Weeks, and newly announced Matt Bomer as Felix Turner. Kramer will adapt the stage play for the screen which will debut in 2014. Are you excited? I am! Who else is on your wish list to round out the cast?

Magic to Do This Spring; Pippin to Broadway

The A.R.T. revival of the musical Pippin directed by Diane Paulus is set to head down to New York this Spring. Beginning previews on March 23rd, with an opening on April 25th, the Stephen Schwartz musical will play the Music Box Theater. Though no official casting is announced, the current company includes Patina Miller as the Leading Player and Matthew James Thomas as the title character Pippin. Are you as ecstatic as I am? Glory glory!

Spotlight On...Cory Einbinder

Name: Cory Einbinder

Hometown: Brooklyn

Education: Brooklyn College, MFA Performance and Interactive Media Arts, University of The Arts, BFA Theatre Arts

Favorite Credits: Director and Production Designer for Adhesive Theater Project's NOIR, Spring Awakening, and Chantecler.

Why theater?: I have many different interests and like to try my hand in different mediums. Theater allows me to explore all of these interests, whether it is video design, stage design, interactive technology, choreography, music, or performance.

Tell us about The Service Road?: The story is about a Brooklyn nature guide who is trying to do penance for a very bad thing she had done when she was out of her mind.  A violent storm of mythic proportions hits Prospect Park.  The once peaceful service road turns strange as the nature guide attempts to find a lost child.  On her quest she meets the denizens of one of the few natural places left in a large city.  The nature guide is a modern day Hercules. The play examines what it means to be of service and the true nature of forgiveness.

What inspired you to create The Service Road?: My wife and I have always loved Erin Courtney's work. We've known Erin as a friend and mentor, and approached her to write a piece for us that would use her knowledge of us as artists and individuals. This is a very personal project, even the character of the “big headed toddler” was inspired by our boy Emmett.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I enjoy theater that involves all the senses and that uses theatrical spectacle to serve the story telling. I'm a sucker for metaphor and allegory. I love using paintings to inspire my stage pictures. I often return to the work of de Chirico, Anselm Keefer, Duchamp, and Marc Chagall.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Since I run a theater company that is dedicated to working with professionals and artists who have never before worked in the theater there are a plethora of people I'd love to work with. I'd love to develop a science fiction piece with writer Neal Stephenson. How about a set designed by sculptor Richard Serra? I'd also love to work on a video tracking system for the theatre with Johnny Chung Lee who helped develop the Microsoft Kinect sensor.

What shows have you recommended to your friends?: Any piece by The Debate Society or Big Dance Theater. Erin's last play “The Map of Virtue.”

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Peter Dinklage, “No sleep til Brooklyn”.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Tickling my son until he screams.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: In a Research and Development department working with magnets and optics.

What’s up next?: European Tour?

For more, visit http://www.adhesivetheater.com/

Starcatcher to Re-Open Off Broadway

Superfans of the Tony Winning play Peter and the Starcatcher rejoice! Originally set to close on January 20th on Broadway, the play will find new life Off-Broadway at New World Stages. Though no casting or dates have been announced, the original design team is set to bring the show to the new stage. Are you excited that you'll get more starstuff?