Platinum Broadway

F. Murray Abraham to Star in The Merchant of Venice in the U.K., Broadway.com Buzz

Link: F. Murray Abraham to Star in The Merchant of Venice in the U.K., Broadway.com Buzz.

Oscar-winning actor F. Murray Abraham will make his debut at Stratford-upon-Avon. Abraham, who is perhaps best known as the star of the film Amadeus, will play Shylock in The Merchant of Venice in the New York-based Theatre for a New Audience (TFANA) production of the play, which is set to visit the Swan Theatre as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company's Complete Works Festival from March 22-31. Opening night is set for March 27.

Variety.com - Reviews - Billie Holiday: Tribute To A Blue Lady

Link: Variety.com - Reviews - Billie Holiday: Tribute To A Blue Lady.

The subtitle of Carole Alston's one-woman show, "Tribute to a Blue Lady," couldn't be more apt: This is not just another Billie Holiday imitation, but rather, a tribute to her artistry. Alston doesn't so much reproduce Holiday's mannerisms as she channels the spirit of the jazz goddess.

An unusual 'Follies' leads an American invasion of London theater - Arts & Leisure - International Herald Tribune

Link: An unusual 'Follies' leads an American invasion of London theater - Arts & Leisure - International Herald Tribune.

The London theater can sometimes seem very un-English, though rarely to the degree that is the case right now. Next week, for instance, sees three major openings, all of them works originating from across the pond: the musicals "Monty Python's Spamalot" and "Caroline, or Change," both previously seen on Broadway ("Spamalot" is still running there) and a slice of Tennessee Williams esoterica, "Summer and Smoke," albeit boasting a British leading lady in a former Bond girl, Rosamund Pike. Recent weeks have had a scarcely less American hue. Not for the first time, London theatergoers could give themselves a full and thorough crash course in the range and repertoire of the American stage simply by seeking out what's on offer around the British capital