One Broadway Stage Family Enters, As Another Exits

The Royal Family, the classic George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber comedy about a family of stage stars, concludes its limited run at Manhattan Theatre Club's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre today. The production, which was extended twice due to ticket demand, featured a glittery cast of theater regulars including Jan Maxwell, John Glover, Tony Roberts, Ana Gasteyer, Reg Rogers, and Rosemary Harris. Meanwhile over at the Walter Kerr Theatre, the Trevor Nunn-directed production of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's charming A Little Night Music is having its official opening. This is the first-ever Broadway revival of the 1973 musical based on Ingmar Bergman's film Smiles of a Summer Night, and it stars Catherine Zeta-Jones as a glamorous actress and Angela Lansbury as her mother. It was recently announced that PS Classics and Nonesuch will be releasing a new recording of the musical with this production's cast.

Catherine-Zeta Jones Will Star In Broadway Revival of Night Music

Rumors have been flying about the upcoming Broadway revival of A Little Night Music for some time, but at last details are getting finalized, notably the production's star. Catherine Zeta-Jones (who showed off her musical skills in the film of Chicago) will play Desiree Armfeldt in the charming Hugh Wheeler/Stephen Sondheim musical, based on the Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night. Playing Madame Armfeldt will be legendary stage and screen star Angela Lansbury, who recently appeared on Broadway in Blithe Spirit. The production is scheduled to open at the Walter Kerr Theatre on December 13.

Blithe Spirit Floats Away From Broadway

The Broadway revival of Noel Coward's play Blithe Spirit ends its run at the Shubert Theatre today. The production, which recouped its investment during its nearly five months on Broadway, was the first Broadway revival of the classic comedy since 1987. In it, Rupert Everett (My Best Friend's Wedding, An Ideal Husband) starred as a writer who, following his participation in a seance, finds himself haunted by the ghost of his first wife (Christine Ebersole) - which makes his current wife (Jayne Atkinson) none-too-happy. The role of the medium who conducts the seance was played to loopy perfection by the legendary actress Angela Lansbury (Murder, She Wrote, Beauty and the Beast, Gaslight), who won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her efforts.

Blithe Spirit Opens and Ferrell Says Farewell To Broadway

The new Broadway revival of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit opens on Broadway today at the Shubert Theatre. The supernatural comedy stars Rupert Everett (in his Broadway debut) as a novelist and Angela Lansbury (last seen on Broadway in Deuce) as the clairvoyant who accidentally conjures up his dead first wife.

Over at the Cort Theatre, Will Ferrell is concluding his Broadway run of You're Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush. The Broadway comedy was broadcast last night on HBO.