Producers of the battle-scarred Broadway mega-musical Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark have yet to issue an official statement, but sources confirm that leading lady Natalie Mendoza will be leaving the production. Insiders tell the Post that Mendoza, who suffered a debilitating concussion when she was hit by a rope during the show's first performance, will be released from her contract with a "substantial" exit package. And other actors may follow in her footsteps and get out before they're carried out. more ›

Producers have confirmed what the Post's Michael Riedel revealed on Friday: Julie Taymor's big budget Broadway musical adaptation of "Spider-Man"—believed to be the most expensive production in the history of Broadway—has big problems. (Besides being a musical about Spider-Man.) Insiders say Taymor's burning through money at an alarming rate, and the budget for Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark could easily hit $50 million. Now work on the production has been suspended because of "an unexpected cash flow problem," and rumor has it that Sony and Marvel are ousting the show's lead producer, David Garfinkle, a showbiz lawyer with virtually no producing experience. With music and lyrics by U2's Bono and the Edge, and direction from the woman who brought you The Lion King, it seems inevitable that the spectacle will debut someday, and a publicist insists it will begin previews as scheduled in February, 2010. But Riedel declares, "If that happens, I'll eat my young." more ›

Yesterday we told you all about Randy Quaid being banned for life from Actors’ Equity and fined $81,572 for abusive and lewd behavior during the Seattle production of would-be Broadway musical Lone Star Love. Since then we’ve tried to get a comment on the allegations from Quaid’s wife Evi, who attended the Equity hearing on his behalf and ended up getting into a physical altercation – she says they broke her finger while trying to forcibly bar her entrance, they say she kicked a 76-year-old receptionist in the shins, drawing blood. more ›

If the would-be Broadway-bound musical Lone Star Love is half as entertaining as the backstage drama, then sign us up: Randy Quaid, the show’s former star, has been banned from the Actors' Equity union for life because of abusive, lewd and just plain crazy behavior during the show’s Seattle run. Quaid has also been fined $81,572, which equals two weeks pay for the cast of the $6.5 million show; producers claim they had to prematurely close because of Quaid’s hi jinks. The Post’s Michael Riedel got the rap sheet:
• Quaid hit an actor on the back of the head four times during performances. When the stage manager told him to stop, he smacked the actor again.
• Another actor was warned that if he made direct eye contact with Quaid onstage, he'd be fired.
• Quaid made "sexually inappropriate" comments onstage, repeatedly referring to an actress' musical instruments as her "gynecological instruments."

My endorsement of this measure, issued in blue covers, first referred to as the “blue Bills”, have come to be known, on late night Talkshows, as “The Blue Balls.” This, while accurate, is disrespectful to my Office. more ›

MOVIE: MoMA is currently running a retrospective on Joan Blondell, titled The Bombshell from Ninety-first Street. Trace the metamorphosis of the Manhattan-born actress from a young blonde bombshell to...a blonde bombshell in more mature roles! Tonight you can catch her in Blondie Johnson (1933) and Nightmare Alley (1947). more ›

There was a bit of drama Friday at the Broadway theater where The Color Purple performs, just not onstage. The lobby of the theater was mobbed by disgruntled ticket holders demanding refunds when ex-American Idol Fantasia, who stars as Celie, failed to turn up for work. Lobby spies for Post columnist Michael Riedel witnessed an 8-year-old girl “sobbing uncontrollably when she heard Fantasia was not going to be in the show.” But it seems there... more ›

Unnamed sources are telling the Daily News and The Post that a deal between the stagehands’ union and Broadway producers is within reach. The two sides have an agreement on the main sticking point, the dispute over the number of stagehands required for a show’s “load-in” and are currently negotiating salaries. As one source put it, "Everybody is confident we can finally get this done." There’s even optimism that some shows affected by the strike... more ›

State Supreme Court Justice Helen Freedman has ruled that the Broadway production of How the Grinch Stole Christmas can and will proceed, despite the theater owner’s attempt to lock out the stagehands. “Grinch” producers dragged Jucamcyn, the third largest owner of Broadway theaters, into court yesterday seeking an injunction to let the show go on. Local One, the stagehands’ union, is on strike until a contract is agreed upon with the producers’ league, of which... more ›

As GOP crank-yanker Roger Stone recently learned, most Broadway theaters are dark on Monday, so day three of the stagehands’ strike will have the least impact on the city’s economy. The Times has a funny photo in today’s article about stymied Broadway theatergoers; it depicts disappointed Spamalot ticket-holder Cecelia Pan taking her family to a slightly different show: St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Because, you know, with Broadway shuttered there’s simply no other family theater worth seeing... more ›

According to Broadway insider Michael Riedel, it’s not “if” but “when” the stagehands will go on strike – and “when” could be a soon as tonight! The long and contentious contract negotiations between the producers and Local One are now at an acrimonious standstill over changes to rules governing overtime pay, work assignments and the number of stagehands required per production. Last night Thomas Short, president of the international union that must approve Local One’s... more ›

Theater producers and Local One, the Broadway stagehands’ union, may have agreed to return to the bargaining table next week, but don’t rush out and buy Phantom of the Opera tickets just yet. (Or ever.) The Posts’s Michael Riedel points out that Local One is being joined at the table by Tom Short, the boss of their umbrella union, The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). Since Short will have to give the final authorization for a strike – and it's a union rule that an IATSE official be present during at least one round of negotiations before striking – this could signal a breakthrough or a breakdown. more ›

Bad news is staggering down from Young Frankenstein’s extravagant Broadway castle: When critics begin gathering with pitchforks and torches next weekend, the show’s star, Roger Bart (he plays the titular role Gene Wilder made famous in the film), may be benched with a herniated disc. A monstrous problem indeed, as the part demands extensive dancing, and according to Michael Riedel, Mel Brooks is panicking. (Isn’t Larry David available?) A little birdy tells Riedel: "One scenario has his doctor pumping him with cortisone so he can play the critics' performances and opening night, then take time off to heal. But that, as any dancer will tell you, is extremely risky." more ›

Will lightning strike twice for Mel Brooks, who hopes to enliven his stage adaptation of Young Frankenstein with the same spark that made The Producers a money making machine? His new monstrosity is already selling advance tickets for a Broadway run in October – a top ticket price of $450 sets a new record for excess – but last week Young Frankenstein came staggering out of the lab for an out-of-town rampage in Seattle. The haunting question at the show’s world premiere Thursday night was whether his 20 million dollar baby would be embraced by the Emerald City or get trampled by critics with torches and pitchforks. more ›

If you detected a frisson of fabulous excitement scorching the air this morning, it’s because the 61st annual Tony award nominations were announced! (For those who may not fathom the awesome significance of the Tonys, the awards are the Broadway theater world equivalent of the Oscars and named for Antoinette Perry, an actress, director, producer and who passed away prior to the first award show in 1947.) more ›

SCIENCE: Since we spent the weekend thinking about the Earth, spend tonight learning about Mars with NASA Solar System Ambassador Dr. Ken Kremer. He'll take you on a tour of the planet through 3-D orbital views. more ›

Stars of stage and screen will be rearing their boldface names on April 9th to blow out 443 candles for the boldest face of all: Billy Shakespeare. Broadway’s Michael Cerveris (Sweeney Todd), Debra Messing (Will & Grace), the esteemed Philip Bosco (Copenhagen) and other notables will perform scenes from the Bard’s plays at The Shakespeare Birthday Marathon at Hunter College’s Kaye Playhouse. But perhaps the most anticipated star at this free event is TV’s Rainn Wilson – who embodies the obsessive Dwight Schrute in The Office – as he unleashes of his Shakespearean side. (Safety goggles recommended.) Details. more ›

Michael Riedel has double-the-entendre fun with his rumor-laced news that the London revival of Equus – yes, that Equus starring the Harry Potter kid naked as a jaybird – is going to Broadway! According to Riedel’s sources, “one problem, though, is the length.” Wait for it... Wait for it... “Of the play, people, the play!” But producers seem cocksure, despite a couple small problems regarding young Daniel Radcliffe: “Where he comes up short (at least in one instance) is in the sex-appeal department… he's bulked up. But he's surprisingly asexual, my spies say.” more ›

In other film to stage news, the campy Broadway adaptation of the so-bad-it's-good Olivia Newton-John movie Xanadu (which famously prompted one critic's quip, "In a word, Xana-don't.") is rolling full speed ahead. The movie, famous for its over-the-top roller disco sequences – and catapulting "Magic" to the top of the U.S. pop singles chart – will at last fill the terrible void left behind by Lloyd Weber's roller skating spectacle Starlight Express. (Rumors of a Broadway adaptation of Zoo Animals on Wheels remain unconfirmed.) more ›

Voyage, Tom Stoppard’s first installment in the three play Coast of Utopia series, crowned a month of breathless Times hype with a gushing Brantley rave. But good old Tommy “Can’t Stop; Won’t” Stoppard – famous for his perfectionism – still ain't satisfied. According to Michael Riedel, Stoppard has been staking out Lincoln Center during intermission and confronting any audience member with the temerity to jump ship during the (nearly) three hour tour. According to Riedel, the exchange usually goes something like this: more ›

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And as reader Brian Van points out, since favored musical Wicked did not win, we'd like Times public editor Daniel Okrent to make good on his claim that "if [Wicked] loses the Tony I'll eat my black satin jacket from the road company of Jekyll and Hyde." You name the venue, Daniel! more ›