Debra Messing

The fabulous Debra Messing returned to her first love, the stage, a couple of weeks ago to appear in a staged reading of a play that was part of Standing on Ceremony—The Gay Marriage Plays. The one night only event was a benefit for the Human Rights Campaign in LA. Messing is eagerly looking for the right project for her next theatrical venture.

Jeffrey Coyle, Candice Kogut, and John Kreuzer will star in the upcoming ALT production of The Rocky Horror Show. Directed by Drew McCabe, the production will run October 8-31. David Butler will be featured ad Eddie/Dr.Von Scott.

American Repertory Theatre will open its 2009-10 season with the comedy Greater Tuna, directed by Tom Dooney, starring Chris Standart and Tom LaChiusa. The production will run November 19-December 5 at the Main Street Cabaret.

Lincoln Center will present the world premiere of A.R. Gurney’s The Grand Manner in June 2010. The play is a love letter to the legendary actress Katharine Cornell. Locally, Road Less Traveled Productions will present one of Gurney’s most recent plays, Light Lunch. Directed by Scott Behrend, the play will open on January 29 and will star Matt Witten, Jessica Wegrzyn, Lisa Vitrano, and David Hayes. By the way, congratulations to Behrend who will get married on October 3.

Betsy Bittar will direct Wendy Hall in a reading of Savage Arts, a one-woman play written by Buffalo’s Sharon Eberhardt. The reading will take place at the New Phoenix Theatre on October 4 at 8pm. The play is based on the Clothilde Marchand murder which took place in Buffalo in 1930.

A Memoir of 34 Years of Shakespeare in Delaware Park With Saul Elkin will be part of Shakespeare in Delaware Park’s Fall Fundraiser on November 8 at the Buffalo Seminary. The evening begins at 6pm. with hors d’oeuvres and wine tasting, followed by the performance at 7pm. Next year, the festival’s 35th season will feature Much Ado About Nothing and Macbeth, the latter with an all female cast.

BUA will participate in the October 12 reading of The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later, Epilogue, to commemorate the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard. The reading will be presented concurrently at theaters in all 50 US states, and seven countries. Chris Kelly, who directed BUA’s production of The Laramie Project back in 2001, will direct. The reading will star Arlene Clemente, Caitlin Coleman, Kate Elliott, Jimmy Janowski, Eric Rawski, and Doug Weyand.

Lea Salonga

The Kavinoky will continue its current season with The 39 Steps, a hilarious four-actor reinvention of the film by Hitchcock. Directed by David Lamb, the production will star Robert Rutland, David Lundy, Chris Corporandy, and Jenn Stafford. The play which is still running on Broadway (it will close in January) and in London, will kick off a national tour in November.

Rolando Gomez and Victoria Perez are set to star in 4 Guys Named Jose and Una Mujer Named Maria, the first musical to be presented by O’Connell and Company in its new residence at ECC North. The production opens October 1.

The fabulous Lea Salonga who was the original Miss Saigon on Broadway and provided the singing voices for Disney’s Mulan and Princess Jasmine in Aladdin, will perform at UB’s Center for the Arts on October 10 at 8pm.