Bella Spewack News

There were actually those who thought Cole Porter, Broadway's fountain of divine wit and sophistication, had run dry by that winter of 1948.  Though his recent offerings like Something For The Boys and Mexican Hayride were far from flops, his kind of thin-plotted musical comedy where the book and the songs often had little more than a passing acquaintance with each other was being overshadowed by the enormous success of Rodgers and Hammerstein's integrated musical dramas.  Even in the lightest of entertainments, the public was becoming more and more enthralled by musicals with strong plots and well-developed characters.

With their Platinum Anniversary just around the corner, Paper Mill Playhouse is celebrating the abundance of springtime with a musical comedy favorite, Cole Porter's 'Kiss Me, Kate!' James Brennan's 'wunderbar' direction and 'too darn hot' choreography by Patti Columbo take center-stage with the hard-working and high-energy cast led by Mike McGowan, Michele Ragusa, Amanda Watkins and Timothy J. Alex!

Paper Mill Playhouse, during its 2007-2008 season, will explore six outstanding titles with intergenerational appeal - some new to the Paper Mill stage and some returning favorites.

California Musical Theatre has announced its 2007 Music Circus season with seven large-scale musical productions and seasoned Broadway veterans helming casts! Nancy Opel, Laura Griffith, Adinah Alexander, James Barbour, Walter Charles, Michael Gruber and others star!

On December 26th at 8 PM, PBS will re-broadcast Kiss Me, Kate, which was originally aired some years ago as part of the 'Great Performances' series

San Francisco's PBS affiliate, KQED TV9 and DT9, has several great up-coming Broadway and theatre-related broadcasts planned for the month of December, including Great Performances of 'Kiss Me, Kate' and 'Cinderella,' plus Audra McDonald Live at Lincoln Center!