Performing Offstage

On August 13, Cheyenne Jackson and Michael Feinstein recorded their cabaret act The Power of Two. Jackson and Feinstein performed an extended run at Feinstein's at the Regency this past June and plan to release the album this fall. Songs on the album include I'm Nothing Without You, The Time Has Come, Old Devil Moon and I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter.

On Sunday, September 13, The Broadway League and the Times Square Alliance present Broadway on Broadway, an annual concert held in Times Square. The concert is free and open to the public and begins at 11:30 am. Daniel Breaker, Kerry Butler, Sutton Foster, Cheyenne Jackson, Alice Ripley and Aaron Tveit are among the 200 performers that will appear on Sunday. The concert will feature musical numbers from Bye Bye Birdie, Billy Elliot, Hair, In the Heights, Jersey Boys, The Lion King, Next to Normal, South Pacific, and more.

When In Doubt, Adapt Something

Production on the new Spider-Man musical was temporarily suspended last month due to "an unexpected cash flow problem." Inspired by over 40 years of Marvel comic books, Spider-Man, Turn Off The Dark is set to begin previews at the Hilton Theater on February 25, 2010. The $35 million production is directed by Julie Taymor (The Lion King) and features music and lyrics by U2 members Bono and The Edge. Evan Rachel Wood will play Mary Jane Watson and Tony Award-winner Alan Cumming will play Norman Osborne, aka Green Goblin.

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet (American Buffalo, Speed-the-Plow, Oleanna, November, Race) is set to write and direct a new film version of The Diary of Anne Frank. According to Variety, the film's script will be based on the original diary, as well as the 1955 play by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. Casting and a specific time frame for the project have yet to be announced.

Director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw (The Drowsy Chaperone, Spamalot) will stage an upcoming workshop of Elf-The Musical, based on the 2003 New Line Cinema film. The workshop will be presented in Manhattan Nov. 1 - Dec. 12.

American Idiot, a new musical based on the Green Day album of the same name, premiered at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre on September 4. The show includes every song from the Grammy Award-winning album, as well as new material from 21st Century Breakdown. Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening) collaborated with Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong to develop the story. The production features orchestrations by Tony-Award winning composer Tom Kitt (Next to Normal) and lighting by Tony Award-winning designer Kevin Adams (Spring Awakening, Passing Strange, Next to Normal). Tony Award-winning actor John Gallagher, Jr. leads a cast that includes fellow Spring Awakening alums Gerard Canonico and Brian Charles Johnson, as well as Matt Caplan, Mary Faber, and Rebecca Naomi Jones. After record-breaking ticket sales, the show has already been extended three weeks, officially opening September 16 and running through November 1.

Big Bright Beautiful World

Let the countdown begin: less than four months until Brian d'Arcy James says goodbye to the 90-minute makeup sessions that transform him into an ogre. That's right. d'Arcy has finally announced that he is leaving Shrek the Musical. The finally may seem unwarranted, but I have been looking forward to this day since I saw the production this past January. In fact, I wish d'Arcy had rejected the role from the start and reprised his role in Next to Normal instead. To be fair, Shrek has commercial appeal and it was a good way to put his name on the map - but he is far too talented to be performing such weak material night after night. Despite a star-studded cast, an impressive set, and great costumes, the musical never goes beyond the original Dreamworks picture in any meaningful way.

d'Arcy is leaving Shrek to star opposite Laura Linney in the Manhattan Theater Club's production of Time Stands Still. According to the MTC website, "Sarah and James, a photographer and a journalist (Linney and James), have been together for nine years and share a passion for documenting the realities of war. But when injuries force them to return home to New York, the adventurous couple confronts the prospect of a more conventional life." The show will also feature Alicia Silverstone and an unnamed fourth cast member. Previews begin January 5, 2010.