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Whoopi Goldberg announced on The View that she is headed back to old Broadway.

Goldberg will appear in the Tony-nominated roller-skating musical “Xanadu” as one of the show’s evil sisters, Caliope.

Nothing new about Broadway for Goldberg, she has been on Broadway with her own one-woman show as well as in revivals of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”

She plans a six-week “Xanadu” run on July 29, taking over for actress Jackie Hoffman, who will return to the production on Sept. 9.

The show — an unexpected critical favorite — was loosely adapted from 1980s film starring Olivia Newton-John.  “Xanadu” features Kerry Butler, Cheyenne Jackson and Tony Roberts.

All in all, the original Broadway musical recording of “Xanadu” is nothing short spectacular. I held a giveaway but the winner never came forward, so I just might run the giveaway again for Whoopi Goldberg’s return to Broadway.

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Broadway musical “Passing Strange” will be filmed by director Spike Lee. The seven Tony nominated musical, which won one for book, will be shot in three performances – two with an audience and the third without.

Critics praised the musical while the box office sales were a challenge.  The Tony win has helped the sales a little.  

The plan is to air the Broadway musical on a cable net.

Filming is schedule to start July 9^th.

“Passing Strange,” the semi-autobiographical rock tuner by musician Stew with music co-written with Heidi Rodewald.

The story focuses on young black artist from L.A. who flees his middle-class upbringing and heads to Amsterdam and Berlin in an attempt to find himself. Show originated at Berkeley Rep in 2006 and played Off Broadway’s Public Theater last year.

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New Broadway cast recording of Roger & Hammerstein’s South Pacific is a CD you’ll want in your collection of show tunes because you may never make it to Broadway.  The music is spontaneously fun and uplifting.

The score includes such classics as Some Enchanted Evening, Younger Than Springtime, Bali Ha’i, There is Nothing’ Like a Dame and A Wonderful Guy.

Reportedly, South Pacific is about 20 minutes longer than the original Broadway version of 1949, which I find interesting and haven’t a clue why it is longer.

Please take a look at Amazon’s studio recording session of South Pacific.

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I read from United Press International that Australian actor Hugh Jackman is considering returning to Broadway in a stage adaptation of the 1954 Judy Garland-James Mason movie “A Star is Born.”

Jackman won a Tony Award for his work in the Broadway musical “The Boy From Oz.”

The New York Post said Jackman is considering returning to the New York stage to play Mason’s character Norman Maine, an alcoholic movie star whose career is on the decline.

The new musical is to feature the movie’s Harold Arlen-Ira Gershwin songs, including “The Man That Got Away” and the “Born in a Trunk” medley — “Swanee,” “I’ll Get By” and “Melancholy Baby,” the Post said.

I love these songs, wonderful story, too.

The show could open on Broadway in 2009 or 2010, following a workshop production this year.

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Harry Potter is Broadway bound – well – sort of.Daniel Radcliffe, the icon of “Harry Potter” movies, makes his Broadway debut on Sept. 5 in the play “Equus.”  Radcliffe plays the stable boy who is blinded by six horses and appears undressed on stage.

According to Hollywood Reporter, Radcliffe earned rave reviews for his performance in the London production. He also received loads of media attention for appearing naked onstage — a departure from his wholesome image as the bespectacled boy wizard in the big-screen adaptations of J.K. Rowling’s best-selling fantasy novels.

Richard Griffiths, who portrays Harry’s mean Uncle Vernon in the “Potter” movies, reprises his London role as the psychiatrist who treats the stable boy who has blinded six horses.

“Equus” begins previews Sept. 5 for a limited 22-week run at the Broadhurst Theatre.

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Sony BMG Masterworks proudly announces the upcoming release of the New Broadway Cast Recording of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific.  The CD will be available nationwide on May 27, 2008.  This much-anticipated Lincoln Center Theater production of this treasured American musical directed by Bartlett Sher will have its Official Opening at the Vivian Beaumont Theater (150 West 65th Street) on Thursday, April 3.  Previews began March 1.  Produced by David Caddick and David Lai, the CD will be recorded on Monday, April 14 at New York’s Legacy Recording Studios (509 West 38^th Street).  Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific premiered at Broadway’s Majestic Theatre on April 7, 1949 and enjoyed a five-year run winning countless awards including nine Tony Awards (among them, Best Musical) and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.  Considered by many to be the finest musical ever written, the score includes such classics as Some Enchanted Evening, Younger Than Springtime, Bali Ha’i, There is Nothin’ Like A Dame and A Wonderful Guy.                                                  Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific features a cast of 40 headed by Kelli O’Hara as Nellie Forbush and Paulo Szot as Emile de Becque, with Matthew Morrison (Lt. Joe Cable), Danny Burstein (Luther Billis), Loretta Ables Sayre (Bloody Mary), Sean Cullen, Victor Hawks, Luka Kain, Lu Jun Li (Liat), Laurissa Romain, Skipp Sudduth, Noah Weisberg, Becca Ayers, Wendi Bergamini, Genson Blimline, Grady McLeod Bowman, Charlie Brady, Matt Caplan, Christian Carter, Helmar Augustus Cooper, Jeremy Davis, Margot de la Barre, Christian Delacroix, Laura Marie Duncan, Mike Evariste, Laura Griffith, Lisa Howard, MaryAnn Hu, Zachary James, Robert Lenzi, Garrett Long, Nick Mayo, George Merrick, William Michals, Kimber Monroe, Emily Morales, Darius Nichols, George Psomas, Andrew Samonsky and Jerold E. Solomon.  Mr. Szot appears in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific with the permission of Actors Equity Association.   The production includes musical staging by Christopher Gattelli, sets by Michael Yeargan, costumes by Catherine Zuber, lighting by Donald Holder, sound by Scott Lehrer and a 30 piece orchestra conducted by musical director Ted Sperling performing the original 1949 orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett and dance and incidental music arranged by Trude Rittmann.

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