Broadway is having a gay ol' time with the return of an old favorite in this week's round up of all things From Screen to Stage:- The revival of Terrence McNally's door-slamming sex farce The Ritz, set in a New York bathhouse circa the 1970's, starts previews today. Actually, it was supposed to start yesterday, but a last-minute cast change pushed back the opening. (No, don't worry, it wasn't Ryan Idol.)
The new production stars Kevin Chamberlin, Rosie Perez (in the role made famous -- and Tony winning -- by Rita Moreno) and our favorite Playbill columnist, Seth Rudetsky. In his latest column, Seth recounts the horrors of tech week ... and having to pee next to a porn star.
- If you didn't get enough of Cheyenne Jackson in this week's "Out in Film", then get thee to YouTube, where you can see him and a very Aussie-fied Kerry Butler in their performance of "Suddenly" from Xanadu, as seen this week on The View.
- Mark your calendars for Saturday, September 29: That's the day Legally Blonde - The Musical will debut on MTV. To tide you over until then, QueerSighted chats with Elle's nemesis, a former Miss America (seriously), actress Kate Shindle.
- Have you ever dreamed of owning the complete score of Annie, a.k.a. "The Red Album"? How about hearing any of the infamous Annie 2: Miss Hannigan's Revenge? Well, your show tune wishes will finally be answered with the upcoming "30th Anniversary Cast Recording" -- and then some. Several Annie alumni returned for the event, including original orphan Andrea McArdle and movie Hannigan Carol Burnett. The sun truly will come out tomorrow.
- In other anniversary news, West Side Story is nearing its 50th. To celebrate the occasion, the Library of Congress will open a new exhibit displaying rare photos, set designs and other items exploring the "Birth of a Classic".
Also in honor of the landmark musical's golden anniversary, a new tribute CD has been released, featuring such stars as Barbra Streisand, Julie Andrews and Kristin Chenoweth singing such classics as "Tonight" and "I Feel Pretty". Click here to purchase A Place for Us: A Tribute to 50 Years of West Side Story
from Amazon.com.- In more news on the classics, South Pacific will get its first Broadway revival ever, and they've already found their Nellie and Emile. Meanwhile, don't hold your breath for that starry revival of Guys and Dolls, and Lou Diamond Phillips is the new King Arthur in Camelot on tour. Yes, I said Lou Diamond Phillips.
- Also making its first return to Broadway: Les Liaisons Dangereuses, told and retold many times on film, most famously as Dangerous Liaisons and Cruel Intentions.
- Sweeney Todd: The Movie will spawn Sweeney Todd: The Soundtrack and Sweeney Todd: The Companion Book.
(You can pre-order the book from Amazon.com by clicking the link.)- The Grinch will get some new songs for Christmas this year.
- And finally, in this week's Hairspray news: Jim J. Bullock will replace Jerry Mathers as Wilbur Turnblad. In other words, Monroe Ficus is taking over where Beaver Cleaver left off. And with Paul Vogt as Edna, who knows where Tracy came from ...
Links via Playbill.com, Broadway.com, YouTube.com and QueerSighted.com.
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