There's a Rainbow on the Great White Way

The brand new revival of the 1947 musical Finian's Rainbow opened on Broadway this evening. The production, which is playing an open run at the St. James Theatre, began as a part of the City Center Encores! series. Because of its success during that limited run, producers decided that they wanted to transfer it to Broadway. The Broadway production, re-imagined and expanded from the Encores! version, stars Tony Award winner Jim Norton (The Seafarer) as the title character and Christopher Fitzgerald (Young Frankenstein) as the leprechaun who chases him from old Ireland to America's Deep South. Also starring is Cheyenne Jackson (Xanadu), Kate Baldwin, Chuck Cooper, Terri White, and William Youmans. A whimsical, satirical, romantic romp, Finian's Rainbow has a score by Burton Lane and E.Y. Harburg that features songs such as "How Are Things In Glocca Morra?" and "Old Devil Moon".

How the Grinch Stole ... Thanksgiving?

The Broadway stagehands strike goes on, but there has been drama at the St. James Theatre this week. The theater was scheduled to be temporary home to the Broadway holiday musical How the Grinch Stole Christmas when Local One began its strike on November 10. However, due to the fact that Local One negotiated a contract with Grinch earlier this year that is separate from the one currently under dispute, the union agreed to go back to work at the St. James so that the show could resume. Unfortunately, though, Jujamcyn Theatres is not cooperating, refusing to open the doors to the theater until Local One ends its strike entirely. The latest news is that Grinch's producer is going to court to seek an injunction to force the theater to open up. Stay tuned ...