The Broadway League (the trade association representing Broadway theater owners and producers), having encountered widespread resistance on social media to its decision to dim the lights of only six Broadway theaters in recognition of the passing of actress Marin Mazzie from ovarian cancer on Sept. 13, has reversed itself. The lights of all Broadway theaters were dimmed for one minute at 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday in Mazzie’s honor. Mazzie’s Broadway credits included “Passion,” “Ragtime” and “Kiss Me, Kate.” Mazzie’s husband, Jason Danieley, is currently playing Philip Stuckey in “Pretty Woman.” In 2010, they simultaneously joined the cast of “Next to Normal” and played husband and wife.
TKTS shuts down Brooklyn location
The 10-year-old TKTS discount theater ticket booth at MetroTech Center in Downtown Brooklyn has closed down due to declining ticket sales, according to TDF, the organization that runs TKTS. The best-known TKTS location is in Times Square. There are also TKTS booths at Lincoln Center and the South Street Seaport. TKTS has recently been experimenting with listing discounted ticket prices on its exterior electronic boards instead of discount rates.
Actor exits ‘Bernhardt/Hamlet’ during previews
80-year-old English actor Paxton Whitehead (who made his Broadway debut in 1962) has exited the new Broadway play “Bernhardt/Hamlet” (which is now in previews at the American Airlines Theatre) for unspecified health reasons. In 2010, Whitehead appeared in “The Importance of Being Earnest” at the same theater. In his place, Tony Carlin (who has numerous credits as a Broadway understudy) has taken over the role of Louis. “Bernhardt/Hamlet” (a new play by Theresa Rebeck being produced by the Roundabout Theatre Company) is still scheduled to open on Tuesday, Sept. 25.
‘Theater Talk’ ends long TV run
“Theater Talk,” the no-frills public television series featuring in-depth interviews with prominent theater artists, has ended following a more than 25-year run. In a statement on social media, producer and host Susan Haskins-Doloff said that the show recently ended its relationship with the CUNY TV studio due to a disagreement over “editorial and creative control” and has been unable to find a suitable “producing partnership elsewhere.” I appeared as a guest on “Theater Talk” on three occasions, most recently in June.
Met Opera to add Sunday matinees
The Metropolitan Opera has reached an agreement with the unions representing its musicians and chorus that will allow Sunday matinees to become part of the Met’s regular performance schedule beginning next season. The news comes as a relief to operagoers who are unable to sit through a four-plus-hour work by Wagner on a weeknight. As part of the agreement, the unions will receive a wage increase and improved pension benefits. The annual season will also be restructured to include a midseason break in February and extend the season into mid-June.
Spotted …
Kevin Bacon and Michael Cera at “The Band’s Visit” … Stockard Channing at “Pretty Woman” … Sara Bareilles and Amber Tamblyn at “Collective Rage” … Julianne Moore at “I Was Most Alive With You.”
