New 'Tale' and more on previews

Last weekend, I saw the new musical, "A Tale of Two Cities," in New York previews. This is the production that started at Sarasota's Asolo Theater. James Barbour is incredible -- funny, poignant and sad -- as the lout who does a far better thing than he has ever done before.

Barbour has his own blog, and he recently posted about previews, to add to our previous discussion here:

http://jamesbarbour.blogspot.com/

From Florida to Broadway?

We often use this space to talk about shows coming down here from Broadway, but sometimes things work the other way. Once upon a time, struggling Steppenwolf Theater movers-and-shakers John Malcovich and Gary Sinise mounted a production of True West in their native Chicago before it ended up in New York. That obviously worked out pretty well for all involved. A lot of other big musicals are workshopped outside the Great White Way before paying Manhattan cost of living.

Angela L. passed a story on to me this morning which talks about a show being commissioned at Sarasota's own Asolo Theater, which may have a fast track to the Big Apple - a Les Mis-style treatment of Copperfield's A Tale of Two Cities. Look for that production to open Oct. 13.

Can't wait that long to see a new show with local origination? Jobsite Theater, resident theater company here at TBPAC, is staging a brand-new version of the quirky romantic comedy The March of the Kitefliers,which opens March 29. Jobsite is inviting theater and film professionals to opening weekend performances in an attempt to give this play, which played a sold-out four-week run to standing ovations and critical acclaim in 2005 as an original works project, a life far beyond Tampa.

Check out both shows, then once they've gone huge you can say "you saw it when ..."

-dj

(Disclosure: I am the producing artistic director for Jobsite Theater, as well as a castmember of Kitefliers.)