Playbill: George Furth, Librettist for Company, Dies at 75

George Furth, Librettist for Company, Dies at 75

By Robert Simonson
August 12, 2008

George Furth, a playwright and actor who made his lasting contribution to the American theatre through two collaborations with composer Stephen Sondheim, the musicals Company and Merrily We Roll Along, died Aug. 10 in Santa Monica, CA.

He was 75. He had been in the hospital for a lung infection.

( Read more... )

Playbill: Rent's Espinosa and Thoms and Blonde's Hanks to Sing at Aug. 14 "Broadway in Bryant Park"

Rent's Espinosa and Thoms and Blonde's Hanks to Sing at Aug. 14 "Broadway in Bryant Park"

By Ernio Hernandez
August 12, 2008

Rent's Eden Espinosa and Tracie Thoms; the new stars of Legally Blonde and Grease; and the cast of 13 are scheduled to appear Aug. 14 in the final week of the "Broadway in Bryant Park" series.

( Read more... )

NYT: George Furth, an Actor and Playwright, Dies at 75

August 12, 2008
George Furth, an Actor and Playwright, Dies at 75
By BRUCE WEBER

George Furth, a playwright who collaborated with Stephen Sondheim on the Tony Award-winning musical “Company” and who was a ubiquitous character actor whose distinct profile enlivened dozens of popular television series as well as movies like “Blazing Saddles,” “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “Shampoo,” died on Monday in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 75.

Dennis Aspland, his friend and agent, confirmed his death. Mr. Aspland said that he did not know the precise cause, but that Mr. Furth had been in the hospital for a lung infection.

( Read more... )

Playbill: "Rainbow High": Murney Is Evita for Sacramento Music Circus Beginning Aug. 12

"Rainbow High": Murney Is Evita for Sacramento Music Circus Beginning Aug. 12

By Andrew Gans
August 12, 2008

Julia Murney, the singing actress acclaimed for her performances on Broadway in Wicked and Off-Broadway in The Wild Party, tackles another demanding musical theatre role beginning Aug. 12: Eva Peron in Evita.

Murney — who was most recently seen in the new musical Saved at Playwrights Horizons — will play the wife of Argentinean dictator Juan Peron in the Music Circus season at the Wells Fargo Pavilion in Sacramento, CA. Performances continue through Aug. 17.

Glenn Casale directs the production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice musical with choreography by John MacInnis and musical direction by Dennis Castellano.

( Read more... )

Playbiill: Sondheim & Weidman's Bounce Is Now Called Road Show; Cast Announced

Sondheim & Weidman's Bounce Is Now Called Road Show; Cast Announced

By Kenneth Jones
August 12, 2008

Road Show is the new title of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman's new musical — once known as Bounce — The Public Theater announced Aug. 12. The fall Off-Broadway production, directed by John Doyle, will star Michael Cerveris and Alexander Gemignani as the Mizner brothers.

Doyle, who won a Best Direction Tony for the recent revival of Sondheim's Sweeney Todd and also directed the recent Company and A Catered Affair on Broadway, will also provide scenic design for the newly revised musical.

( Read more... )