Music News Net

Zooey Deschanel to Appear on Broadway as Country Music Legend, Loretta Lynn

MUSIC NEWS -  Actor/singer/tv pitch-person Zooey Deschanel, has signed on to portray Loretta Lynn in a Broadway stage adaptation of the 1980 film "Coal Miner's Daughter." Ms Lynn announced the casting and musical at a performance at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN on Thursday, where she was joined onstage by Deschanel. The two then sang the country music legend's signature song, "Coal Miner's Daughter."

 "It's a long way from Butcher Holler to Broadway in New York City. I never imagined I'd see 'Coal Miner's Daughter' on a movie screen, and now I can't believe it's going to be on a stage for people to see," Lynn said in a statement. "I'm going to be right there in the front row. And I know Zooey is going to be great -- she sings and writes her own songs just like I do, and we even have the same color eyes!"

 

Big Audio Dynamite Announces Summer USA Concert Dates

MUSIC NEWS - Big Audio Dynamite, the legendary band formed in 1985 by Mick Jones (The Clash's ex-guitarist and singer), have announced USA tour dates for August 2011.  Jones formed the band after his departure from The Clash, and released a string of acclaimed albums and toured extensively back in the 80s and 90s before eventually breaking up in 1997.  In January of 2011 they announced the original line-up had gotten back together, and the group played a rousing set at this year's Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival in Indio, CA. The Coachella appearance represented the first U.S. show for the band in over 20 years. The band will also be making stops at this year's Lollapalooza festival in Chicago and Outside Lands in San Francisco.  See their full itinerary, below.

DUNCAN SHEIK Returns with "COVERS 80s" Album and Tour

MUSIC NEWS - Grammy and Tony award winning songwriter / composer/ performer Duncan Sheik takes on the synth-pop era’s classic and obscure songs on his upcoming Covers 80s album release.  The set will include tunes by Dépêche Mode, Thompson Twins, New Order, The Cure, Love and Rockets, The Smiths, Tears for Fears among others. Sheik, recognized for his work, Spring Awakening, makes his return to performing by covering the stand-alone pop songs of his teen years. The new album will be out via Sneaky Records/MRI on June 7 with brief spring tour to follow.

Green Day's "AMERICAN IDIOT" To Close on Broadway

MUSIC NEWS - Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong will return to the role of St. Jimmy for the last three weeks of the Broadway run of American Idiot, which will end it's run on April 24 at the St. James Theatre after 421 performances and 27 preview shows.  Armstrong, the show's co-author and lyricist, who wrote the music with Green Day, will return on April 5.  A first national tour kicks off this fall.

"Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" To Go Dark to Make Changes

MUSIC NEWS - Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, the infamous Broadway musical that features a score by Bono and The Edge of U2, is going to take a break and undergo a major overhaul.  The New York Times reports that the $65M production will shut down for three weeks, previews scheduled between April 19 and May 11 have been cancelled, to undergo significant changes.

This new delay will mark the sixth time the show has had its official opening delayed. Production on the show started began back in 2002, but the official public opening will likley now not occur until June.  Rick Miramontez, a spokesman for the show, earlier on Wednesday refused to confirm the newspaper's story, telling Reuters: "The production is not confirming any reports of a shutdown."  But, late last night a press release went out saying they show will open on "an evening in early summer, 2011" [editor's note: opening now confirmed for June 14, 2011] and that the show will be taking a few weeks off in the Spring and that director/co-writer/mask designer Julie Taymor is not longer involved with the show!

INXS' MICHAEL HUTCHENCE Musical in the Works

MUSIC NEWS - Nearly fourteen years after the suicide of INXS frontman, Michael Hutchence the Sydney Moring Herald is reporting that a documentary and Broadway musical about the singer are in the works, under the development of Hutchence's former manager, Martha Troupe.

L.A. literary and talent agencey APA is working with Troupe and ''Michael's Trust'' to develop ''various projects that highlight Michael's creative genius'' which "owns and controls significant assets that celebrate [Hutchence's] life, death and work," according to a statement. The five surviving members of INXS last year denied a request to use the group's music in a documentary. It's still to be determined  whether they'll approve of Ms Troupe's upcoming projects.  

SPIDERMAN Musical Brings on Broadway Expert for Help

MUSIC NEWS - Broadway's troubled musical "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" has brought on a veteran director to assist with the show's sound and arrangements.  Spokesman Rick Miramontez says that Paul Bogaev will work with Bono and The Edge to improve the $65 million show's music.   

Bogaev comes on board with considerable theatre music experience, he was musical director on Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express and Sunset Boulevard.  He won a Tony nomination in 2004 for his work on Bombay Dreams and has a history of working with rock musicians and their musicals.  He worked on Tarzan with Phil Collins and Aida with Elton John.   But the clock is ticking for this assignment, as Spider-Man is now scheduled to open on March 15 after several delays and problems. The show lost a main actress after she was injured and has experienced numerous accidents that have left several actors hospitalized.

MELISSA ETHERIDGE to Fill in at "American Idiot" on Broadway

MUSIC NEWS- Rocker Melissa Etheridge will hit the Great White Way next month to star in the Green Day Broadway musical,  "American Idiot" at the St James Theatre in NYC.  She'll fill in for Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong in the role of St. Jimmy from February 1 thru 6.   Armstrong, the show's composer and co-author, returns on February 10 to complete his 50-performance engagement on February 27. 

“Billie Joe and I always believed that it would be incredible to have a woman take on the role of St. Jimmy,” said the show’s director, Michael Mayer. “This character is seductive, thrilling and dangerous.  Melissa Etheridge is all that and so much more.”

SPIDERMAN Musical Delayed Again, Being Re-worked

 MUSIC NEWS- SPIDERMAN : TURN OFF THE DARK, the musical scored by U2's Bono and The Edge is under another delay; this time in order to allow the cast rehearse a new ending for the show.  The troubled 'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark' has suffered numerous problems, including lead actress Natalie Mendoza pulling out earlier this month following an onstage injury, as well as other delays. In December, another actor from the musical was hospitalised after falling off the set.

The February opening has now been scrapped and the production will officially open at the Foxwoods Theatre on 42nd Street on March 15, with the show's producer, Michael Cohl, promising the latest delay will be "the final postponement".

Bono and The Edge finally saw the show recently and have been personally working on the show.  they even brought in producer Steve Lillywhite to work with the cast on its music, reports Deadline.com.

BONO and THE EDGE to Join "Spider-man" Creative Team to Help "Fix" the Bway Show

MUSIC NEWS - We've asked previously about where Bono & The Edge were while Spider-man on Broadway deals with its ongoing problems, and now we learn that the U2 members plan on attending several preview performances of "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" in an effort to help fix the troubled Broadway musical.

A spokesman for the $65M show has told EW.com the two rock musicians, who wrote the score for director Julie Taymor's "Spider-Man" show, will join the creative team in an effort to fine-tune the musical, though neither have Broadway experience.  "Julie and Bono and Edge … will be in the theater next week and for all of the preview performances leading up to the opening night working on the show," production representative Rick Miramontez told EW.com exclusively. 

Spider Man : Turn Off the Dark Loses Lead Actress

MUSIC NEWS - The most expensive (and most talked about) Broadway show, SPIDER MAN - Turn Off the Dark has turned off its' lead actress.  Natalie Mendoza, who suffered a concussion last month during the first preview performance, is leaving the show, reports ArtsBeat.

Her exit agreement is reportedly still being negotiated, but an official announcement regarding her departure (and replacement) is expected on today.  Ms Mendoza quite ably played the role of Arachne, a villain created for the production.  Her departure marks one more incident in the Julie Taymor written/directed show that had been anticipated by many for some time, especially with music by U2's Bono and The Edge.  Which makes us take note on the low profile BONO & The EDGE have taken lately concerning the production.

SPIDER MAN : Turn off the Dark Resumes Preview Performances

MUSIC NEWS - Good news from the Foxwoods Theatre in NYC and Spider Man as the Julie Taymor directed Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark (music by U2's Bono and The Edge) resumed performances without a hitch.  Broadway's costliest show had to cancel two performances on Wednesday following the recent fall by stunt actor, Christopher Tierney.

Director and co-writer, Julie Taymor, credited the show's injured actor with inspiring the show's cast to rise above recent troubles. "We all got together before the show tonight and talked about Chris," Ms taynor told AP after the show. "Chris gave us the spirit tonight."

Mr Tierney underwent back surgery and was "walking today," Taymor said happily. "He says he wants to come back to the show, soon-ish."  Tierney is scheduled to be released from the NYC hospital today, or Saturday and will complete his recovery at home in New Hampshire, reported his brother Patrick. 

More @ CBSNews.com

SPIDERMAN Musical Comes to A Halt After Accident

MUSIC NEWS - Not to dwell on the continued problems with SPIDERMAN : TURN OFF THE DARK Broadway musical  after the producers announced over the weekend they delay the opening until February 2011), we now have the unfortunate news that an actor performing an aerial stunt fell about 30 feet, fire officials said. 

IAnd now, after last night’s accident, the, Actors’ Equity Association has announced it will halt performances of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark until improved safety measures are instituted.

“Actors’ Equity Association is working with management and the Department of Labor to ensure that performances will not resume until back-up safety measures are in place,” the labor union, which represents live theatrical performances, said this morning in a statement released to Broadway World.

Troubled SPIDERMAN Broadway Musical Still Trobuled, Opening Delayed 'til February

MUSIC NEWS- The January 11, 2011 opening of the SPIDERMAN Broadway musical, the vision of Julie Taymor that features new music by Bono and The Edge of U2 fame has been again delayed (for the 4th time).  This time it's due to "unforeseeable setbacks", says the show's producers. 

The show was delayed previously and has now been pushed back to a February 7, 2011 opening, reports  the New York Times. There have been numerous technical problems in the show's preview run one preview show stopped five times.  One incident had the lead actress Natalie Mendoza injured with a concussion after she was hit by a rope.  She's since left the production. 

DAVID CROSBY Returns to L.A. "Solo" Stage After 20 Yr Absence

MUSIC NEWS- After almost twenty years, David Crosby make his L.A. solo concert return on Monday, December 13, 2010 at the Avalon in Hollywood in a concert to benefit The Blank Theatre Company. 

The theatre company was formed back in 1990 and is dedicated to excellence and innovation in the theater arts with a goal of becoming Hollywood's first regional theater company.  Noah Wyle, of E.R. tv fame, is the group's artistic producer and vice chairman of the board with Debbie Reynolds, Tiffani Thiessen and Vanessa Williams among the advisory board members.