Canadian actor Luke Macfarlane (pictured) portrayed F. Scott Fitzgerald in the play The Jazz Age which just finished its run in LA. Best known for his TV role in Brothers & Sisters, Macfarlane was born in London (Ontario), and studied drama at Juilliard in New York city. He was last seen on the New York stage in The Busy World Is Hushed, co-starring with Jill Clayburgh.

Loraine O’Donnell will star in Willy Russell’s musical Blood Brothers, the first offering in the Irish Classical Theater Company’s 2009-10 season. The production will be directed by Fortunato Pezzimenti, with music direction by Donald Jenczka. The British musical opened on Broadway in 1993 with its London star Stephanie Lawrence, who was succeeded by Petula Clark, Carol King, and Helen Reddy.

Musicalfare is turning 20 next season, and in addition to Zooma, Zooma, they are also bringing back Falsettos which the company first produced in 1995. Most of the original cast is set to come back: John Fredo, Debbie Pappas, Pamela Rose Mangus, and music director Eric Alsford. The season will open with Two Pianos, Four Hands, which was originally scheduled for earlier this year. Also in the 2009/2010 season, the world premiere of Crossroad Blues, and the classic Man of LaMancha with a cast of 10 actors who will also play the musical instruments.

Nikki Renee Daniels, who played Aida at Artpark a couple of seasons ago, will return this summer to play the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The production will re-unite the team of director Randy Kramer, choreographer Lynne Kurdziel-Formato, and music director Eric Alsford. By the way, congratulations to Alsford, who just won another Carbonell Award (the Arties of South Florida) for his musical direction of Adding Machine.

And the fabulous Chita Rivera just won the Helen Hayes Award (the Arties of the DC area) for her performance in The Visit at the Signature Theatre. She tied with Natascia Diaz for her performance in Rooms at MetroStage, a co-production with the Geva Theatre in Rochester. Coincidentally, Diaz played Aurora in Kiss of the Spider Woman (the part originated by Chita on Broadway), also at the Signature, just a few weeks before The Visit opened. Diaz was also at Studio Arena in 2004 in Tom Dudzick’s Hail Mary.

TOY will conclude its 37th season with the musical Go, Dog. Go! Directed and choreographed by Michael Walline, the production will star Anne Roaldi, Elizabeth Popelka, Michael Peter Deeb, Jaclynn Carpenter Crawford, Kelly Cammarata, and Kevin Kennedy. The show opens May 1.

Willie Judson will play God in Ujima’s upcoming production of The Green Pastures, which is being directed by Lorna C. Hill. Opening date is May 8.

Christopher Shipman is the winner of this year’s student playwriting contest The Write To Be Heard. Shipman, a senior at Buffalo School #84, won for his play Wheels to Court. The play will be produced in late April at the New Phoenix, directed by Darleen Pickering Hummert. Now in its 11th year, the regional (Western New York and Ontario) contest was originated by Margo Davis.

Speaking of the New Phoenix, it seems that their next season will open with Macbeth, to be directed by Kelli Bocock Natale with Brian Riggs in the title role. The production will be followed by Freud and the Sandman (postponed from this season), a piece conceived and directed by Robert Waterhouse, based on Hoffman’s The Sandman and Freud’s The Uncanny. Waterhouse was recently awarded a NYSCA Individual Artist grant for the show. The Phoenix season will also include a new play by Richard Lambert based on the photographic work of Milton Rogovin.

The Kavinoky Theatre will hold its third annual fundraising event, Kavinoky Kavalkade, on Saturday May 2, 7-10pm, at the Saturn Club. Tickets are $60, and can be purchased by phone at 829-8141.