He has made his mark on American TV: West Wing,   Made About You, Desperate Housewives, Frasier, Third Rock From the Sun, and more.

He's done some movies: Kate and Leopold, Rocket Man, Jumpin' Jack Flash.

Paxton Whitehead as Mr. Hardcastle in "She Stoops to Conquer" at McCarter Theatre in Princeton.

And he has done tons of theater in London, on Broadway, American regional stages, and in Canada.  He kind of retired in 2007. So, you may have one of your few chances left to catch him on stage again, now through Sunday, at McCarter Theatre in the delightful She Stoops to Conquer.

He may have just celebrated his 72nd birthday, but Whitehead is spot on as Mr. Hardcastle in Oliver Goldsmith's comedy written in the 1770s. The younger cast members have to work hard to keep up with him - and that's a good thing.

I was fortunate to catch Whitehead in such classic British roles as Sherlock Holmes in The Crucifer of Blood (Broadway, 1978), as Pellinore in Camelot (Broadway, 1980 with a Tony nomination), as Hector in Heartbreak House (London, 1983), as Freddy in Noises Off (Broadway, 1983), as Colonel Pickering in My Fair Lady (Broadway, 1993) and as Holmes again in The Mask of Moriarty (Paper Mill Playhouse, 1998).

He is always wonderful no matter what role he takes on and in She Stoops he is at his best. Don't miss the opportunity to spend a couple hours at the theater admiring his flawless technique while laughing your head off.

Click here to order tickets and get more info.

Kristen Chenoweth did a star turn on "Glee" with series regular and Broadway vet Matthew Morrison.

she'll be starring opposite Sean Hayes in the first-ever revival of Promises, Promises.

Based on the Oscar-winning movie The Apartment., the musical features a book by Neil Simon and a score by Burt Bacharach and Hal David that includes such 1960s hits as I'll Never Fall In Love Again, Promises, Promises and Knowing When to Leave. (Remember when the hit songs on

the radio were from Broadway shows? Sigh ...)

The show is scheduled to open April 25, 2010, at the Broadway Theatre with previews beginning March 28. Rob Ashford directs and choreographs.

Hayes is best known for playing Jack on the television

Sean Hayes

series Will & Grace. Chenoweth last appeared on Broadway in the 2006 revival of The Apple Tree. More recently she did a star turn on TV's new Glee, and blew away the cast. (I never miss an opportunity to push Glee, which airs 9 p.m. Wednesdays on Fox, but not this week because of the World Series. Next episode to air 8 p.m. Nov. 4. Can't wait! )

Scheduled for Friday, Nov. 6 to Sunday, Nov. 8, the show stars Emmy Award-winning Elaine Bromka who explores Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon, and Betty Ford who suddenly found themselves celebrities. It is a behind-the-scenes look at the personal cost of what Mrs. Nixon called the “hardest unpaid job in the world.”

Touring the country, Tea for Three has been critically acclaimed for its blend of humor and passion, cited as “marvelous, poignant” and “a fascinating evening, laced with insight, emotion and humor… brilliant acting.”

“Elaine Bromka's performance is truly brilliant, she's a chameleon,'' says TRTC's associate artistic director KJ Sanchez. "Her performances of the three first ladies are filled with such precision, subtlety, love, and respect, that you will feel like you're really spending time with these remarkable women."

The inspiration for Tea for Three came about when Bromka starred opposite Rich Little in The Presidents, which she performed across the country and on PBS. Called upon to impersonate eight of the most recent first ladies, she ended up spending months poring over videotapes of the women. Studying nuances of their body language and speech patterns to explore psychologically why they moved and spoke as they did, she became more and more drawn in by their personalities.

“These were women of intelligence and grit who suddenly found themselves in a fishbowl,” Bromka observed. “I realized I wanted to tell the story from their point of view.”

Tea for Three is scheduled to run Friday, November 6 at 8pm, Saturday, November 7 at 3pm and 8pm, and Sunday, November 8 at 3pm. Tickets are $20. Get more information online at www.trtc.org, call 732.345.1400, or visit the Two River Theater Company Box Office in Red Bank, located at 21 Bridge Avenue. Box Office Hours: Monday-Saturday: 10am-6pm; Sunday: 12pm-5pm.

Elaine Bromka has been a professional actress for more than 30 years. Film: Cindy the mom in Uncle Buck; Without a Trace. T.V.: E.R., The Sopranos, Providence, Dharma & Greg, Sisters, L.A. Law, Law and Order, Law and Order: Special Victims’ Unit, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Stella Lombard on Days of Our Lives, the Emmy Award–winning Playing for Time with Vanessa Redgrave and Catch a Rainbow, for which Bromka won an Emmy. She has appeared on Broadway (The Rose Tattoo, I’m Not Rappaport, Macbeth) and off-Broadway (Cloud 9 at the Lucille Lortel, Roundabout’s Inadmissible Evidence with Nicol Williamson and Candide with the National Theatre of the Deaf.) She has played leads at regional theaters across the country, including McCarter Theatre and the George Street Playhouse in roles ranging from Much Ado About Nothing's Beatrice to Shirley Valentine.

For those who would like an advance opportunity to view and purchase items for sale, there will be a Preview on Friday, October 23 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets for the Preview are $5.00 and can be purchased in advance or at the door. To purchase tickets for the Preview or for more information, call The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey box office at 973-408-5600.

A must-go event for drama teachers and those seeking unusual items for Halloween, the sale will feature one-of-a-kind items from the Theatre’s prop, costume, and furniture collection. From gowns to masks to decorative and furniture items, there is sure to be something for everyone. All items are priced to sell. All proceeds from the sale benefit The Shakespeare Theatre’s artistic and educational programs.

For more information, call 973-408-5600 or visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org.

Sources told TMZ Macy's invited the Glee cast -- the deal was all but signed -- but when rival NBC found out, they told the department store to pull the plug.

A rep for FOX declined to comment. NBC could not be reached. Macy's didn't respond.

Glee is about as Broadway as you can get on TV these days and the first part of the parade is usually taken up with numbers from Broadway shows before the first marchers arrive in Herald Square.

To see past episodes of  Glee click here. Next airing at 8 p.m. tomorrow (Wednesday) Oct. 14.

Gotta say, wasn't all that thrilled with last week's Vitamin D episode, although it featured a production number to It's My Life/Confessions Pt. 2 by Bon Jovi/Usher featuring the guys against the girls, who dances to Halo/Walking on Sunshine by Beyonce/Katrina & the Waves.

IMHO, the football team dancing to Beyonce's  Single Girls was the best team effort. Check it out yourself:  

Of course, Broadway diva Kristen Chenoweth's appearence on episode 5 The Rhodes Not Taken was pure delight.

Any Glee fans out there?

Here's the rub ... you can only purchase them between noon and 6 p.m. today - Oct. 12 -- in person. The theater is at 99 Monmouth St., Red Bank. Forget trying to call them at 732-842-9000. I just tried (1:48 p.m.) and the message says "due to overwhelming response, the phone lines are down."  They hope to have them up tomorrow.

Click here for more info and list of the performances on the list.

Alison Fraser and Shirley Knight in the world premiere of "Come Back, Come Back, Wherever You Are" -- written and directed by Arthur Laurents -- at George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick now through November 1.

Actress Alison Fraser may have played Carnegie Hall, The White House, Symphony Space and Joe's Pub at the Public Theater, but she calls the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick her "theatrical home."

It began when longtime artistic director David Saint hired her to play Chloe the neurotic community theater mother in "Lips Together, Teeth Apart" (2004) not long after her husband Benjamin "Rusty" Magee, a composer and lyricist for theater, television, and film, died in 2003.

"David Saint brought me back to life, as far as my theatrical career was concerned," she said. "I had been devastated by Rusty's illness (colon cancer) and David offered me the right part at his wonderful theater and I just fell hin love with the ambiance, the vibe, the technical aspects, with everyone there."

She returned in 2005 to play Diana, the soprano in "Lend Me A Tenor," and in 2006 to reprise the role of The Blonde she had originated in the Philadelphia premiere of the film noir musical "Gunmetal Blues." Saint directed both.

She's back in the world premiere of "Come Back, Come Back, Wherever You Are," opening on Friday and written and directed by Arthur Laurents, who also has a longtime connection with the theater and Saint.

This new work is a drama about a woman (Fraser) coping with a devastating loss, her overbearing mother-in-law (played by Shirely Knight) and the advances of a sexually persistent new suitor.

Fraser was in last season's Broadway revival of "Gypsy" as the stripper Tessie Tura, directed by Laurents who also wrote the book for musical. She first met Laurents during her husband's illness. Laurents' partner of more than 50 years Tom Hatcher was ill with lung cancer and both men shared the same doctor.

"We got talking about life and death and illness," Fraser said. "That friendship let to Tessie and ultimately to this new show which deals with important matters such as redemption and rebirth.

"I play singer who had the perfect mate who died of cancer and she is coping with that void in her life," Fraser explained. "When we open, she's just trying to get back to normalcy, a new kind of normal because it's never going to be what it was.

"That doesn't mean we can't hold on to a piece of the past in our heart," she said. "But some people dead can mean more than anyone who is living, and dead doesn't mean they are not there."

She says the play also has funny moments, but hopes audiences will keep an open mind about death and sex, ideas she said Americans tend to avoid.

"There are some shocking things said about both in this play," she said. "Arthur is a really smart man who's been around a long time (he's 92) and has important things to say we say we can all learn from. He's lived it. He's insightful. He sees into the human heart."

Although not a musical, Fraser character is a cabaret singer and she performs two standards in the show: "The Best Things in Life are Free" and "Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries."

"These songs serve the show and are favorites of Laurents", she said, and she is thrilled to sing them. She also is thrilled to be creating a new role.

"I get to find out who who I am and how I fit into show and how the show affects my character," she said. "It's a wonderful puzzle and it's wonderful to be the first person to do the part."

Creating roles offer actors a kind of immortality, she said, as she originated the role of Trina in "In Trousers" (1979) and its sequel "March of the Falsettos" (1981); 'Uta" in Charles Busch and Rusty Magee's "The Green Heart"; Josefine Weninger in "Romance/Romance" (1988) and Martha, the chambermaid in "The Secret Garden" (1991). She was nominated for Tony Awards for "The Secret Garden" and "Romance/Romance."

"I really do believe a piece of you remains in that part no matter who performs it later. Little things I added to those shows during the rehearsals for 'Secret Garden' and as Trina are in the script and I like being a part of that ... I just wish I got a check for it," she joked.

"Come Back, Come Back, Wherever You Are"
Written and directed by Arthur Laurents
George Street Playhouse, 9 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick
Performances Tuesdays through Sundays through Nov. 1
Tickets range from $21.50 to $71.50
Box Office: 732-246-7717

Written by Quiara Aalegria Hudes and clocking in at 100 minutes (no intermission), the show focuses on Cuban mother Beatriz (Zabryna Guevara) and her estranged daughter Olivia (Laura C. Harris), now a high school sophomore. Eight years earlier she lost custody of her daughter to the white father Aaron (Michael Frederic).

Aaron has since married and the step-mother and daughter don't get along (no surprise there for a stage drama). Her father is not particularly paternalistic and Olivia feels lonely, abandoned and, as we soon discover, suicidal.

She is so desperate for human comfort she turns to the mother she is so angry with. Beatriz's maternal instincts kick in with the phone call and she arrives in the middle of the night from the other side of Philadelphia to take her home. But Olivia falls asleep in the car and when she wakes up they are in Ohio.

Directed by Two River Associated Artistic Director KJ Sanchez the story unfolds through a series of scenes on a sparse wooden stage with several key set pieces and plenty of projections designed by Daniel Conway with exquisite lighting by Thom Weaver and superb sound design by Zachary Williamson.

With liberal use of the "F" word, mother and daughter try to find common ground as they discover who each other is while they are unclear themselves who they are. Although of mixed race, Olivia looks nothing like her mother and speaks no Spanish. Beatriz takes solace in prayer, Olivia keeps copious journals.

Olivia's dream is to see buffalo run through the snow at Yellowstone National Park because she saw a picture of that in a copy of National Geographic. The shot captured the buffalo with all four feet in the air -- as if it were flying. Finally, as they enter the gates of the park the sign indicates it's another 26 miles to the area were the buffalo roam.

Hudes' story is interesting and brings up issues of identity and family that are compelling. There is no traditional climax to the play but in the end, lives are changed and the dynamics between mother, father and daughter seem on the mend and better for the experience.

Tickets are $35 - $61. Get more information online at www.trtc.org, call 732.345.1400, or visit the Two River Theater Company Box Office in Red Bank, 21 Bridge Avenue.

From left, Brynn Williams, Jillian Mueller, Daniel Quadrino, Emma Rowley, Allison Strong, Jess Le Protto, Catherine Blades, Paul Pilcz, Kevin Shotwell, Deanna Cipolla, Julia Knitel and Riley Costello (Photo by Joan Marcus)

Howell High School grad Paul Pilcz is making his Broadway debut as Harvey Johnson in the revival of Bye Bye Birdie. I know, he's kind of too small to see in the photo above. We're working on getting a production close-up.

The show currently is in previews and is scheduled to open Oct. 15.

After graduating from the Fine  and Performing Arts Center at Howell, Paul attended Montclair State University's BFA Musical Theatre Program. According to his Birdie bio, his "Favorite roles include: You're A Good Man Charlie Brown (Schroeder) and West Side Story (Big Deal).

In this photo, from the Birdie Web site, Paul remembers the people who have helped him along the way:
Special thanks to Dina Bogner at Generation TV, TM Talent, his teachers, friends, mom, dad, Stephanie and Shari for all of their love and support!

This is the first time Birdie returns to Broadway after its debut 48 years ago - long before Paul was born. With music by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams, the show-stopping score features Put on a Happy Face, Kids and A Lot of Livin' to Do.

This production is directed and choreographed by Robert Longbottom who told Playbill.com he is making this Birdie to be brand new.

"It was important to me to breathe fresh life into this as a whole ...  Do you make that nod to the great director–choreographer (Gower Champion, the show's original director–choreographer) by way of paying homage or borrowing it? Or do you try to set out and do something that’s original?"

Playbill.com says he's chosen the latter. Not only is he reinventing the musical staging — including the iconic Telephone Hour number, originally done with the teen ensemble planted in cubicles onstage — he also decided to go with a young and rather unconventional cast. Best known for their work on screen (but no strangers to Broadway), John Stamos and Gina Gershon star as Albert and Rosie. Nickelodeon teen idol Nolan Gerard Funk stars as Conrad Birdie opposite the Kim MacAfee of 14-year-old Allie Trimm (last seen in 13), who turns 15 in October.

The musical is at The Henry Miller Thetre, 124 W. 43rd St.  Performances are 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

How many times do audiences needed to be reminded they are in a community event when seeing a show and they shouldn't talk, text, take photographs, sloooowly unwrap candy during quiet moments and, perhaps most of all, they should TURN OFF THEIR CELL PHONES.

At the Two River Theatre Company matinned Sunday of "26" miles I was advised to TURN OFF MY CELL PHONE when the lady took my tickets, when the usher seated me, and via an announcer before the curtain went up. I think there might even have been an insert in my program reminding me as well. Didn't hear a single ring tone during the 100-minute play.

Broadway seems to be following suit after Hugh Jackman stopped the show for a cell phone that recently interrupted a preview performance of "A Steady Rain," also starring Daniel Craig.

A crude video on the TMZ.com Web site that appears to have been shot
from the audience shows Jackman breaking character to tell the owner of the ringing cell phone, "You want to get that?" as the audience erupts in cheers. As the ringing persists, Jackman pleads: "Come on, just turn it off." He
then paces the stage of the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, waits about a minute
for the ringing to stop and the play resumes.

Producers of "A Steady Rain" could not immediately be reached for
comment Monday, according to an AP story.

The interruption occurred during an intense moment in the play, when
Jackman's character, a Chicago policeman, reveals haunting memories.

A customary loudspeaker announcement reminds theatergoers to turn off
their phones. Since the incident, ushers who seat patrons and pass out
playbills at Schoenfeld are also instructing patrons to silence their
phones.

"A Steady Rain," a taut drama about the relationship between two
policemen, opens Tuesday for a limited engagement through Dec. 6. The play
by Keith Huff already has proven to be a potent box-office winner, playing
to capacity audiences since it began previews on Sept. 10.