Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

Arts & Entertainment

Hobbits and Half of the Odd Couple: In Theatre This Week

Mallory Jensen

Published Jul 26, 2005

Modified Mar 7, 2008

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

Never miss a story

Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .

Mallory Jensen

Published Jul 26, 2005

Modified Mar 7, 2008

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Though there are festivals running and a few small ones still opening, after several weeks of festival posting Gothamist is taking a break and looking at what else is going on in theatre. First, we were glad to hear in the latest backstage news that Avenue Q is going to splash across the pond and premiere in London early next year. It would be better if it could go sooner, but in Gothamist’s mind this is sort of New York theatre’s way of showing solidarity with recently terrorized Londoners. What better rejoinder could we have than these songs sung by a cast of multicultural, goofy, slightly naughty but utterly lovable puppets?

In other foreign theatre news, the cast of the inevitable Lord of the Rings stage adaptation was announced yesterday. Not surprisingly, it’s huge – 65 performers will be directed by Matthew Warchus, with Brent Carver anchoring it all as Gandalf, in this premiere production, which begins previews in Toronto next February. The show is touting itself as “the biggest, most ambitious theatrical production ever staged,” which makes Gothamist curious (or maybe 'irked' is the better word) as to why it’s not opening in New York or London. Doubtless the creators are just hedging their bets and not going all out with something that might not work, but it’s hard to imagine Peter Jackson being so cautious. In any case, unless it’s just a complete, unmitigated disaster, it probably won’t be too long before it’s breaking box office records here.

Speaking of shattered box office records, a good friend of Broadway has sort of slipped into the cast of a rather smaller production than he may be accustomed to. Nathan Lane will star alongside Marian Seldes in Terrence McNally’s Dedication or the Stuff of Dreams, which starts previews today at the perpetually busy 59E59 Theaters. Lane is on-the-go nonstop, too; he’s part of this show in between doing a new film version of The Producers and the beginning of this season’s Broadway blockbuster, The Odd Couple with Matthew Broderick (no, obviously it hasn’t even begun previews yet, so it’s not technically a blockbuster at this point, but is there a doubt in anyone’s mind?) Anyway, that Lane is adding Dedication… to his stuffed schedule speaks well for the material; it’s a play about a “life-changing encounter” between a couple that runs a children’s theater (that would be Lane and Seldes) and a woman who owns an abandoned theater that they want to take over. If that premise doesn’t grab you, just trust the cast – they’re surely going to make sparks fly.

Finally, even though Dedication… may not be quite the hot ticket that the Odd Couple already is, it’s on the pricey side of off-Broadway, and the cast of award-winners will surely mean lots of sold-out shows. So in keeping with Gothamist’s love of affordable, accessible theater, let’s not neglect a free show opening this week: Measure for Measure. It’s Shakespeare in the Park, except instead of the Public Theater it’s a company called Palpable Hit, and instead of Central Park it’s Riverside Park, and instead of having to line up for tickets early in the morning you can just head over and sprawl out on a picnic blanket and have dinner while you watch. Sounds like an excellent way to spend an evening this weekend.

Details: Dedication or the Stuff of Dreams is at 59E59 Theaters, 59 E. 59th Street, starting today through Sept. 18. Shows are Tues. at 7pm, Wed.-Sat. 8pm, Wed. & Sat. at 2pm. Tickets can be bought online via Ticket Central
Measure for Measure is in Riverside Park on the North Lawn (79th St.). It opens on Friday 7/29 and runs through August 7; shows are Fri.-Sun. at 7:30 (Thurs.-Sun. next week).

Photo of Avenue Q by Carol Rosegg. Photo of Nathan Lane by Tristram Kenton.

Tagged

avenue q

breaking

Brent Carver

festivals

gothamist

london

new york

peter jackson

running

theater

toronto

Mallory Jensen

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

MORE arts-entertainment

Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.

Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.

Sonia Rao

Published Oct 16, 2026

Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?

We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.

Elizabeth Shwe

and

James Ramsay

Arts & Entertainment

Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?

We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.

Elizabeth Shwe

and

James Ramsay

How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years

Hannah Frishberg

A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson

Sonia Rao

The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?

Lindsay Lee Wallace

Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .