Soap Stars On Stage

Saundra Santiago and Robert Bogue in "Manipulation" Off-Broadway

2011-08-13T10:53:00.000-07:00

Guiding Light alums Saundra Santiago (Carmen) and Robert Bogue (Mallet) are currently appearing in the Off-Broadway play Manipulation at Cherry Lane Theatre. Here's a brief description of the play:

"Cristina seems to have it all - money, position, privilege. So why is she beginning to feel she has no control over her life, mind or body? Drawing on the best traditions of Latin American literature and its potent "magic realism," as well as a little-known Biblical tale, playwright Victoria E. Calderon conjures a provocative and unexpected world where the relationships we all cling to - mother and child, husband and wife - become a swirl of games, deception and surprise. Is Cristina willing to fight for her authenticity and a real place in this world?"

For more information and to purchase tickets, see the play's website.

Judith Chapman in "Vivien" in LA

2011-08-13T10:46:00.000-07:00

Friends, this is the one of the few times I wish I were in L.A.! Usually seen as Genoa City's most lovable bad girl, Gloria, Judith Chapman is portraying movie star Vivien Leigh (most famous for her role as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind) in a one-woman show. Playing now through September 4 at the Rogue Machine Theatre, Vivien is co-produced by the theater company started by Judith, The Troubadours of Daytime. Following its L.A. engagment, the show will go on tour with stops in Palm Springs, New Orleans, and Atlanta.

In addition to her current role on The Young and the Restless, Judith has appeared on too many soaps to mention here. But, she says, “That’s just my day job which allows me to luxuriate in my theater.”

Click here for more information and to buy tickets.

Read a wonderful article about Judith, the show, and Vivien.

Tom Pelphrey in "Mauritius" at the Dorset Theatre Festival

2011-08-06T12:03:00.000-07:00

Tom Pelphrey (aka Jonathan in Guiding Light and Mick Dante in As the World Turns) will be appearing in the play Mauritius at the Dorset Theatre Festival in Dorset VT, August 18-27. Here's a brief description of the play:

A riveting thriller about time/place/ inheritance and the world of philately, DTF proudly presents renowned playwright Rebeck with this mysterious and darkly funny hit play which played to sell out audiences at NY's Manhattan Theatre Club and Boston's Huntington Theatre.

For more information and to order tickets, see the festival's website.

Ellen Dolan in "Steel Magnolias" at Cape May Stage

2011-08-06T11:46:00.000-07:00

Ellen Dolan (Margo, As the World Turns) is starring as Truvy in Steel Magnolias at Cape May Stage in Cape May, NJ. The show runs through September 10. Here's some information about the show, in case you haven't seen the movie (Ellen is playing the role that Dolly Parton played in the movie).

There’s no such thing as a bad hair day at Truvy’s hair salon! Many things beside hair get done as Truvy and company come together to share their secrets, fears, and love for one another while engaging the audience in hysterical and neighborly gossip. Filled with humor and heartbreak, these "Steel Magnolias" make us laugh and cry as the realities of their lives and friendships unfold. Admirers of the 1989 film version starring Shirley MacLaine, Julia Roberts, Sally Field, and Dolly Parton will delight in seeing these vivid characters come to life on the stage of the Robert Shackleton Playhouse.

See the theater's website for more information and to order tickets.

Ron Raines in "Follies" on Broadway

2011-08-06T11:39:00.000-07:00

The Kennedy Center's production of the Stephen Sondheim musical Follies is moving to Broadway for a limited engagement. The production stars Ron Raines (Alan, Guiding Light), as well as such Broadway stars as Bernadette Peters. Previews begin August 7 at the Marquis Theater in NYC.

Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.

Paul Anthony Stewart in "The People in the Picture" on Broadway

2011-05-28T15:03:00.000-07:00

Guiding Light's Danny, Paul Anthony Stewart, is currently appearing in the new musical The People in the Picture at Studio 54 on Broadway. Here's a brief description of the show:

Bubbie is a grandmother in 1970s New York City who was once the darling of Yiddish Theatre in pre-war Poland. Although her granddaughter Jenny is enchanted by her tales of the old world, her daughter Red, a TV writer, will do anything to keep from looking back at the Holocaust and her childhood in Warsaw.

Click here for more information and to order tickets.

Trent Dawson in "Beyond Therapy" at Westport Country Playhouse

2011-05-02T17:22:00.000-07:00

As the World Turns' own Henry Coleman, Trent Dawson, is currently appearing in the comedy Beyond Therapy at the Westport Country Playhouse in Westport, Connecticut. The show runs through May 14; click here for more information and to order tickets.

"After a disastrous first date, Bruce and Prudence seek solace in therapy - despite both their therapists being stark raving mad. And that's only the beginning of their problems. In Durang's topsy-turvy world, life is a potent cocktail of sexual mix-ups, relationship neuroses, and a serious lack of impulse control. This wicked and wickedly funny look at the days and nights of the young and single will inspire you to outrageous laughter, the most effective therapy of all."

Ron Raines in "Follies" at the Kennedy Center

2011-05-02T17:17:00.000-07:00

Ron Raines (Alan, Guiding Light) will be appearing in the musical Follies (music and lyrics by the great Stephen Sondheim) at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Ron will be sharing the stage with such Broadway greats as Bernadette Peters. The show runs from May 7 through June 19; click here for more information and to order tickets.

"Winner of seven Tonys, Follies is one of James Goldman and Stephen Sondheim's greatest works. All of life's might-have-beens take center stage as two couples rehash past times and favorite songs amid the crumbling magnificence of their old theater."

Sean Kanan and Christian Le Blanc Go East!

2011-04-13T17:47:00.000-07:00

Two west coast soap actors, Young and the Restless' Sean Kanan (Deacon) and Christian Jules Le Blanc (Michael), are traveling to the east cost for a few appearances. They will be bringing their comedy/story-telling/autograph-signing tour to The Brokerage Comedy Club in Bellmore NY on Saturday May 14, and to Uncle Vinnie's Comedy Club in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ on Sunday May 15.

You can find more information, discussion, and videos, on the tour's facebook page.

Colleen Zenk: LIVE! at Bob Egan's New Hope

2011-04-04T17:58:00.000-07:00

The beautiful and talented Colleen Zenk (aka Barbara Ryan from As the World Turns) will be performing her one-woman show Colleen Zenk: LIVE! at Bob Egan's New Hope in eastern Pennsylvania on Friday, April 8. For more information and to buy tickets see the Bob Egan's New Hope website.

Here's what Colleen has to say about the show: “I believe the old saying that ‘when one window closes, another window opens.’ The end of As the World Turns was a great loss for me, but has given me the time to explore a lifelong dream. I have great material to draw upon and this show will give me the opportunity to sing some of my favorite songs and give the audience a glimpse into my life.”

Eileen Fulton's cabaret show at Bob Egan's New Hope

2011-04-04T17:51:00.000-07:00

The fabulous Eileen Fulton (a 50-year veteran of As the World Turns) will be bringing her new cabaret show, called Blame it on My Youth, to Bob Egan's New Hope in eastern Pennsylvania. For more information and to buy tickets see the Bob Egan website, and scroll down to April 17.

Here's some more info on the show: Directed by Diana Basmajian, with Bob Goldstone as Music Director and Tom Hubbard on Bass, Fulton will delight audiences when she adds her signature flair to such classic standards as “Fever,” “Blue Moon,” and “Stormy Weather” among others. She will also perform a special rendition of “Blame It On My Youth,” the famous jazz standard written by Oscar Levant and Edward Heyman. Fulton will also share memorable stories of growing up as a preacher’s daughter in North Carolina; becoming the vixen of daytime television; her time spent in Hollywood and all of her loves and let go’s – the men who got away – and the men who she survived to tell about.

Kim Zimmer and Robert Newman in "Curtains"

2011-04-04T17:41:00.000-07:00

Kim Zimmer and Robert Newman, otherwise known as Guiding Light's Reva and Josh, are reuniting in the musical Curtains. The show is currently playing (through April 10) in Houston at Theatre Under the Stars, and will then be moving to New Jersey's Papermill Playhouse from April 27 through May 22.

Click here for information and tickets to Theatre Under the Stars.

Click here for information and tickets to the Papermill Playhouse.

A summary of Curtains: Aspiring actor and detective Lt. Frank Cioffi is investigating the rising body count on the set of a Broadway-bound show - and starting a romance with one of the actors. Can he solve the case without becoming one of the victims? This musical mystery-comedy was created by John Kander and Fred Ebb, the award-winning composer and lyricist responsible for both Cabaret and Chicago. Curtains will have you on the edge of your seat - laughing!

Annie Parisse in Shakespeare in the Park

2011-04-04T17:23:00.000-07:00

Annie Parisse (known to some of us as Julia from As the World Turns) will be appearing in The Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park this summer in Central Park, NYC. The company will be performing All's Well that Ends Well and Measure for Measure in repertory from June 6 through July 30. For more information and to buy tickets, see The Public Theater's website.

ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL
A fairytale for grown-ups, this beguiling fable follows the low-born Helena, one of Shakespeare's most resourceful heroines, as she inventively surmounts obstacle after impossible obstacle in order to win the love of the aristocratic and haughty Count Bertram.

MEASURE FOR MEASURE
Measure sweeps from the corridors of national power to the intimate confines of the bedroom, and from the convent's chapel to the executioner's block. It is Shakespeare at his grittiest: a bracing and bawdy glimpse of what happens when those in power allow their basest human impulses to range unchecked.

Michael Park in "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying"

2011-01-02T12:31:00.000-08:00

Michael Park (ATWT's Detective Jack Snyder) is headed back to Broadway! Having been a part of the original casts of Smokey Joe's Cafe in 1995 and Little Me in 1998, Michael is joining the 50th anniversary revival cast of the 1961 musical How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying. Michael will be playing the role of Bert Bratt. The show also stars John Larroquette and Daniel Radcliffe, who you may have heard of from a small movie franchise called Harry Potter. Previews begin on February 25 and the show officially opens on March 27 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre in New York City. Click here for more information and to order tickets.

Update: Tammy Blanchard, who played the role of Drew Jacobs on Guiding Light, also appears in the show.

Trent Dawson in "The Homecoming"

2010-12-28T13:05:00.000-08:00

In his third play since As the World Turns went off the air, Trent Dawson (aka Henry Coleman) is returning to Center Stage in Baltimore for Harold Pinter's play The Homecoming:

"Who says you can’t go home again? Prodigal son Teddy returns to London to visit the family, with his new American wife in tow, but finds more than he bargained for. Roles reverse, long-buried secrets surprise, and words become weapons in Harold Pinter’s tough, sexy, and surprisingly funny modern classic, which feels like it could have been written tomorrow."

The show runs from January 26 through February 20. See the Center Stage website for more details and to order tickets.

Jake Silbermann in "Dracula"

2010-11-30T17:44:00.000-08:00

Jake Silbermann (Noah on As the World Turns) is appearing in the Off-Broadway play Dracula, based on the classic tale by Bram Stoker. He is playing the role of Jonathan Harker. Previews begin on December 14th with the official opening on January 5th at the Little Shubert Theatre. For more information or to buy tickets, visit www.draculaonstage.com. Or you can follow them on Facebook.

Larry Bryggman in "The Collection" and "A Kind of Alaska"

2010-11-30T17:21:00.000-08:00

Oakdale's Dr. John Dixon, Larry Bryggman, who reprised his role on As the World Turns just before the end, is back on stage. He's currently appearing in two plays by Harold Pinter with the Atlantic Theater Company in New York City: The Collection and A Kind of Alaska. The plays are described as:

"In The Collection (1962), a four a.m. phone call and a surprise visitor set off a series of conversations about potential infidelities among two couples. And a middle-aged woman who has been asleep in a hospital room awakens after thirty years and must reorient herself to a greatly changed world in A Kind of Alaska (1982), which was inspired by the work of Oliver Sacks in his seminal book, Awakenings."

For more information and to buy tickets visit the Atlantic Theater Company website. The show runs through December 19.

Expect Mr. Bryggman to make frequent appearances on this blog; he has a busy theater career.

Anthony Geary in "Into the Woods"

2010-11-02T17:42:00.000-07:00

Anthony Geary, aka Luke of the famed General Hospital super-couple Luke and Laura, is currently appearing in the Stephen Sondheim musical Into the Woods. He is playing the role of Narrator/Mysterious Man in Lucid by Proxy's production in Los Angeles, now through November 20. For more information or to purchase tickets, check out the Lucid by Proxy website.

Evan Alex Cole (Hunter on ATWT) at Pittsburgh Public Theater

2010-10-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

The lovely and talented Evan Alex Cole joins other soap alum in the Pittsburgh Public Theater's production of "The Royal Family" by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber. Directed by Ted Pappas, "The Royal Family" is a delightful story about a family of Broadway royalty and the lives of stage gypsies.

The production began September 30, and runs through October 31, 2010, so there's still time to see it!

Evan Alex Cole is joined by fellow soap alumni Tony Bingham (ATWT), Jennifer Regan (ATWT, GL), and David Whalen (AMC, GL).

for more information, go to The Pittsburgh Public Theater website or Evan's official page.

ABC Soap Stars in Kander and Ebb's "The World Goes Round"

2010-10-01T10:42:00.000-07:00

ABC Daytime and The L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center's Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center are teaming up to present an evening of soap opera stars and Broadway song! Cast members from All My Children and General Hospital will perform the award-winning Kander and Ebb musical revue The World Goes ‘Round, seasoned with backstage insights and hush-hush previews of upcoming storylines.

The performances will feature All My Children’s Bobbie Eakes and Natalie Hall and General Hospital’s Bradford Anderson and Brandon Barash. Each performance will feature as host an actor from All My Children. On Thursday, October 7 the production will feature Cameron Mathison, on Saturday, October 9 Christina Bennet Lind, and on Sunday, October 10 Walt Willy.

Click here for information and to order tickets.

CBS Soap Stars in "SoapStar Spectacular" in North and South Carolina

2010-10-01T10:28:00.000-07:00

Your favorite CBS soap stars will appear at a meet and greet event in Myrtle Beach SC on Saturday November 20, and in Raleigh NC on Sunday November 21. The event will include an autograph and photo session, a Q&A, audience scene-acting with the stars, and more! Actors scheduled to appear are:

The Young and the Restless:
Christian LeBlanc (Michael, host)
Sharon Case (Sharon)
Billy Miller (Billy)
Michelle Stafford (Phyllis)
Michael Muhney (Adam)
Jeanne Cooper (Katherine)
Maura West (Diane, also ATWT's Carly)

The Bold and the Beautiful:
Don Diamont (Bill)
Brandon Beemer (Owen)

Guiding Light:
Kim Zimmer (Reva)

Click here for more information on the Raleigh and Myrtle Beach events.

Trent Dawson in The Memorandum

2010-09-25T12:58:00.000-07:00

Trent Dawson (also known for his role as Henry from As The World Turns) will star in The Actor's Theatre Company production, The Memorandum, from October 25, 2010 - November 27, 2010 at the Beckett Theatre. Opening night is on November 4. Written by former president of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Havel, The Memorandum satirizes the madness of bureaucratic red tape.

More information here and here.

Update: the show has been extended through December 4.

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS

2010-09-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

See your favorite New York soap stars support AIDS research at the annual Broadway Flea Market and Grand Auction this Sunday, September 26th located in the Shubert Alley. Colleen Zenk, Terri Colombino, Austin Peck, Vanessa Ray, Ellen Dolan, Judith Light, and David Andrew MacDonald are just a few of the special guests who have made names for themselves both on soaps and on the stage. Check out http://www.broadwaycares.org/ for more information and for the full list of attendees.

A special thank you to Michelle MacDonald for the heads up.

Mandy Bruno in "The Sound of Music"

2010-08-26T05:17:00.000-07:00

Mandy Bruno, who played Marina on Guiding Light prior to it's recent cancellation, is currently playing Maria in the Theater of The Stars' touring production of The Sound of Music. After a stop in Tampa last weekend, the show is now playing at Atlanta's Fox Theatre, August 24-29. The show will then move on to The Wolf Trap in Vienna, VA, August 31-September 5.

For information and tickets for Atlanta see The Theater of the Stars website.

For information and tickets for Vienna see The Wolf Trap website.

Fun fact: Mandy's costar, Burke Moses, is also a soap vet, having played Sean Baxter on As the World Turns in the late 80s/early 90s.

Michael Park in "Middletown"

2010-08-24T05:01:00.000-07:00

Shortly after finishing up The Last Goodbye: A Musical Adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, Michael (Jack, ATWT) has been cast in the new play Middletown by Will Eno. Previews begin on October 13 at the off-Broadway Vineyard Theatre. More information and tickets are available at the theatre's website, which describes the show as:

From Pulitzer Prize-finalist Will Eno (THOM PAIN (based on nothing)), comes a deeply moving and funny new play, exploring the universe of a small American town. As a friendship develops between longtime resident John Dodge (Linus Roache) and new arrival Mary Swanson (Heather Burns), the lives of the inhabitants of Middletown intersect in strange and compelling ways. A powerful and poignant meditation on birth, death and points between, MIDDLETOWN is a remarkable new play from one of our finest young theatrical voices featuring Linus Roache (“RFK” “Law & Order”) and Heather Burns (“Miss Congeniality”, MARRIAGE OF BETTE AND BOO).