Kelli O’Hara and Mary Testa will perform the works of Rick Ian Gordon at Joe’s Pub. The show, which will take place October 6th, will feature Gordon’s works from The Grapes of Wrath, Dream True and My Life with Albertine, among others. Tickets are $30. For more information, visit JoesPub.com

The annual Film, Stage and ShowBiz Expo will take place at the Hilton Hotel in New York City on September 21st. At this year’s event, Telsey and Company will hold auditions for both Broadway and touring productions, including Spider-Man, Legally Blonde and Hairspray. The expo will also feature workshops, Q&A sessions and information about unions, guilds and other organizations. Visit ShowBizExpo.com for registration information.

Cast Members from In The Heights will perform and sign autographs at the Lincoln Triangle Barnes and Noble on September 16th at 4:30 p.m. The bookstore will also host Alec Baldwin, who will discuss his book “A Promise To Ourselves,” on September 23rd, and Alan Alda, who will sign copies of his book “Things I Overheard While Talking To Myself” on September 9th.

Cry-Baby’s Christopher J. Hanke is set to take over the role of Claude in the Shakespeare in the Park production of Hair. Hanke, who will take over for Jonathan Groff on August 16th, will play Claude through August 31st.

ShareThis

Brenda Braxton has returned to the role of Velma in Chicago. Braxton, who has played Velma in over 1,200 performances, joins Tom Wopat and Kevin Chamberlin, who are currently starring in the show. Chicago will celebrate its 12th anniversary (and 5,000th performance) on November 14th.

Orfeh, Legally Blonde’s Paulette, will release a solo pop record this fall. Orfeh’s “What Do You Want From Me” will hit stores September 30th.

Broadway Stars Jonathan Groff and Liev Schreiber, along with Emile Hirsch, Eugene Levy and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, will join director Ang Lee’s cinematic memoir Taking Woodstock. The film is aiming for a summer 2009 release, which would also mark the 40th anniversary of the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival.

Playwright Tracy Letts is hard at work on a film adaptation of the Tony and Pulitzer price winning play August: Osage County. No cast or filming schedule has been announced, however, Jam Theatricals along with Jeffrey Richards and Jerry Frankel are set to produce this dysfunctional masterpiece for the silver-screen.

ShareThis

Three-time Tony Award winner Frank Langella has joined the cast of A Man For All Seasons. Presented by the Roundabout Theatre Company, A Man For All Seasons explores the life of Sir Thomas More and his objection to King Henry VIII’s decision to leave the Catholic Church. This new  production will begin previews September 12th at the American Airlines Theatre with an opening night set for October 7th.

Frank Langella’s former production, Peter Morgan’s Frost/Nixon, will take its act on the road next spring. The production will star screen actor Stacy Keach as President Nixon and Alan Cox as David Frost. Frost/Nixon will hit the road in May of 2009.

The 22nd Annual Broadway Flea Market has been scheduled for September 21st in the Shubert Alley on West 44th Street. This all-day event benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and will feature a celebrity autograph table, a grand auction, and everything from costume sketches to cast recordings for sale.

Manhattan Theatre Club’s production of Fifty Words will star the multi-talented and adorable Tony winner Norbert Leo Butz. Fifty Words will begin previews September 10th at the Lucille Lortel Theatre on Christopher Street. Written by Michael Weller, Fifty Words is a look at modern marriage as seen through the looking glass of one couple’s long night’s journey into day.

ShareThis

Lea Michele of Spring Awakening fame will make her cabaret debut in Los Angeles. Michele, who just finished a run in Les Miserables at the Hollywood Bowl, will perform at the Upright Cabaret in Mark’s Restaurant in West Hollywood on August 15th and 16th.

In other Spring Awakening news, Gerard Canonico has stepped into the principle role of Mortiz. Canonico has been a member of the ensemble cast of Spring Awakening since it opened.

Ann Hampton Callaway has a new show on PBS in Chicago called “Singer’s Spotlight.” The show, which will premier on August 21st at 8 pm, will feature two-time Tony Award winner Christine Ebersole. Check out WTTW.com for more info.

Linda Eder, who hasn’t been on Broadway since Jekyll & Hyde, will release her tenth solo album this fall. “The Other Side of Me” will arrive in stores September 30 via the Verve Music Group.

The cast of Stomp recently filmed a public service announcement in conjunction with Mayor Bloomberg’s campaign to make New York green. “Stomp Out Litter” captures the cast cleaning up New York in their own unique, rhythmic way. The PSA will run in taxi cabs throughout the month.

ShareThis

Dylan McDermott and Maura Tierney will star in Playwrights Horizons production of Nicky Silver’s Three Changes. This new play is a funny and darkly suspenseful look at the joy of family and how far people will go to get it. This limited engagement runs August 22nd to September 28th.

Guys & Dolls is set to return to Broadway. The latest production will be directed by Des McAnuff and will open in the Spring of 2009 at a Nederlander theatre to be announced. The most recent production of Guys & Dolls ran in 1992.

The new Gershwin musical Nice Work If You Can Get It has had to delay its pre-Broadway run in Boston after cast member Kathleen Marshall left the production.

The revival of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf has also had to push back performances after losing a key financier.

Brigadoon, directed and choreographed by Tony-nominee Rob Ashford, has also had to postpone performances due to the lack of an appropriate Broadway theatre.

Original Rent cast member Adam Pascal is set to release his latest solo album “Blinding Light” on September 9th. Fellow original Rent cast member Daphne Rubin-Vega shares a duet with Pascal on this new CD in the song “Call Your Bluff.” Following the new album release, Pascal will headline the newest Rent tour with Anthony Rapp.

ShareThis

Primary Stages will honor Tony winner Patti LuPone at their 24th Anniversary Gala Benefit on October 27th. Past honorees include Julie Harris and Susan Stroman. The gala will be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel on East 42nd Street. For tickets and more information about the event, visit PrimaryStages.org.

A Chorus Line cast member Charlotte d’Amboise will leave the role of Cassie on August 10th, a few days before the show’s final performance. Original cast member Jessica Lee Goldyn will reprise her role as Cassie for the final week of performances. A Chorus Line will take its final bow on August 17th.

Mitzi Gaynor Razzle Dazzle!: The Special Years will be released on DVD November 18th. The DVD, which includes interviews with costume designer Bob Mackie, Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth, and the current Nurse Nellie on Broadway Kelli O’Hara, will air on national public television in the fall.

Broadway.com and JetBlue have teamed up to offer a chance for Rent’s biggest fan to win a trip to New York,  with accommodations and tickets to the show’s final Broadway performance on September 7th. To enter, upload a video of yourself explaining why you are the biggest Rent fan and why you deserve to win. Submissions are due by August 14th. Go to  broadway.com for more information.

ShareThis

The Off Broadway production of My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish and I’m in Therapy is  slated to close August 24th at the Westside Theatre after 724 performances. The Off Broadway production currently stars Eddie Mekka from the classic TV series Laverne and Shirley and will be closing with a record-breaking run for a one-man show.

Mario Lopez, currently starring in A Chorus Line, is set to become the head anchor of the entertainment show Extra. Lopez will begin doing Extra full time September 15th.

The Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis Minnesota has extended the run of the new musical Little House on the Prairie through October 19th due to increased ticket demand. Little House: the musical features Jenn Gambatese and former Little House on the Prairie TV star Melissa Gilbert. The musical is based on the television series with the same name and opens in Minnesota August 15th. The show is also rumored to be Broadway bound.

The Public Theatre will host Shakespeare Lab Jr. in the Bronx, a one-week course that explores Shakespeare’s plays and allows teens to play theatre games and write and perform their own works. The course runs through August 28th at the Bronx Charter School of the Arts. Registration is now open by visiting publictheater.org.

ShareThis

The 12th Annual Broadway Blessing will kick off the new theatre season on September 8th at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Tony winner Boyd Gaines and past Tony-nominee Lynn Redgrave will be part of the evening. The event 
is free and open to the public.

The annual Broadway on Broadway concert has been set for September 14th at 11:30 am in Times Square. This marks the 17th year for this free outdoor Broadway festival, which consumes all of Times Square.

Tony and Emmy Award winning actress Cynthia Nixon will be the Grand Marshal of the Komen New York City Race for the Cure on September 14th. Nixon, who is a breast cancer survivor herself, will be on hand all day for this 5k run/walk held in Central Park. To be part of this race for a cure, register for the race or donate today at komennyc.org/race.

Flamingo Court, a new play starring Jamie Farr and Anita Gillette, recently opened Off-Broadway at the New World Stages. Billed as “a comedy in three condos” taking place in a condo community in South Florida, Farr and Gillette take on multiple roles in this three act piece, featuring the endearing residents of Flamingo Court.

ShareThis

Oscar winner Morgan Freeman, who just completed a run in the Broadway revival of The Country Girl, is in a hospital in Memphis after being injured in a car accident in Mississippi,  The 71-year-old actor will reportedly undergo elbow surgery and has serious injuries to his neck and shoulders.

Whoopi Goldberg is joining the cast of the Xanadu. Whoopi will appear in the Tony nominated roller disco musical through September 7th.

Current and future Broadway shows are adopting a new pricing policy for seats located on the aisle in the orchestra. The small premium roughly $20.Current shows like Gypsy and Spring Awakening are adopting this new aisle seat premium as well as this season’s The Seagull.

The upcoming revival of Equus will offer onstage seating at each performance. Equus, starring Daniel Radcliffe (aka Harry Potter) will offer 52 on-stage seats. Richard Griffiths and Kate Mulgrew also join Radcliffe in Equus, which begins at the Broadhurst Theatre September 5th with an opening night set for September 25th and is scheduled to run through February 8th.

ShareThis

Laura Benanti, John Lloyd Young, Kelli O’Hara, and others will perform at an upcoming benefit for the Ross School’s theatre programs. The event will be held at the East Hampton campus on August 18th. For more information, visit Ross.org.

MTV is in the process of revamping The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The film remake will feature the original screenplay by Jim Sharman and Richard O’Brien and is hoping to premiere Halloween 2009.

Phantom of the Opera, the longest running show in Broadway history, will close down for 4
performances beginning the August 23rd. The show will close in order to install a digital sound
system at the Majestic Theatre. Phantom will we back August 28th, sounding better than ever.

Spring Awakening, which is set to start a national tour soon, will begin performances in Germany in 2009. The musical, based on a play penned by German author Frank Wedekind (pronounced Ve-de-kin-d) will begin March 29th in Düsseldorf.

ShareThis