It was fun while it lasted.

I've seen many Broadway shows, but one of the funniest I've ever seen was the Tony Award winning show "Spamalot". This show is said to be "lovingly ripped-off from the internationally famous comedy team's most popular motion picture, Monty Python and the Holy Grail" and, like the movie, the musical will have you laughing until it hurts. Knowing all of this, I was sad to hear that the cast will perform their last show of Spamalot at the Shubert Theatre on Sunday, January 11, after having performed the show 1,574 times. When the show closes, it will have grossed over $175,000,000 and will have been seen by more than 2 million people since it opened on March 17, 2005. Now that I think back on it, although it makes me sad to see Spamalot leave Broadway, I'm really glad that I got to see it before its closing and laugh along with the hilarious production.

Thanksgiving brings a little Broadway to your home.

Not only are the holidays a good time for family, food, and fun, but also they are a great time to see a little Broadway without ever leaving your living room. To bring in the holiday season, Disney Theatrical Productions (producers of "Mary Poppins", "The Little Mermaid", and "The Lion King") will be airing four performances from two of their three Broadway shows on TV. If you are interested in seeing performances from "The Little Mermaid" or "Mary Poppins", here are the times you should be waiting for:

• Chicago's "Magnificent Mile Lights Festival" on ABC - (Live performance of "Practically Perfect" by Ashley Brown of Mary Poppins' national tour)

^Saturday, November 22 from 6PM-7PM CST.

• "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" on ABC - (Live performance of "Under the Sea" by the cast of Broadway's The Little Mermaid)

^Thursday, November 27 from 9AM-12PM EST.

• "The Thanksgiving Day Parade on CBS" - (Performance of "Spoonful of Sugar" by Scarlett Strallen and Adam Fiorentino of Broadway's Mary Poppins)

^Thursday, November 27 from 9AM-12PM EST.

• "Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade" on ABC - (Performance of "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" by Ashley Brown and Gavin Lee of the Mary Poppins' National Tour)

^Thursday, November 27 from 9AM-12PM EST.

What's new with the Jersey Boys?

The Tony Award-winning musical, Jersey Boys, tells the tale of the true life story of Franki Valli and The Four Seasons (Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito, and Nick Massi). The musical unfolds to show how the blue-collar group of boys from "the wrong side of the tracks" became one of the biggest American pop music sensations of all time. Now, on Broadway there will be a new Canadian cast including: Derek Krantz (as Bob Gaudio), Jeremy Kushnier (continuing in his role of Tommy DeVito), Michael Lomenda (as Nick Massi), Jeff Madden (in the role of Frankie Valli), Timothy Sell (as Gyp DeCarlo), and Shawn Wright (as Bob Creve). Performances of the show will begin Friday, December 12, 2008 at the Toronto Centre for the Arts.

Roaring with Excitement

Many people who think of Broadway musicals immediately think of the classics like "Wicked." In case you didn't already know, Wicked is the "untold story of the witches of Oz" and based on the book written by Gregory Maguire. After selling over 2.5 million copies of the book, Maguire is coming out with a new book, entitled "A Lion Among Men". This book tells the story of the Cowardly Lion--the motherless cub who is defended by Elphaba in "Wicked." I'm really excited for this book to come out so that I can read another one of Maguire's amazing literary works.

Fierstein returns as Hairspray departs.

I'm sure many of you who have seen or know of the musical (or even the musical movie) Hairspray know by now that the role of Tracy Turnblad's mother, Edna Turnblad, is played by a man. On Broadway, in the past, the role was played by Harvey Fierstein, who won several awards, including a Tony, for his portrayal as the larger-than-life mother. On Tuesday, November 11, Fierstein returned to his role as Edna for the last couple shows.
Hairspray will close off of Broadway after the performance at the Neil Simon Theatre on Sunday, January 4, 2009. It's upsetting to Broadway fans that the 19th longest running show on Broadway will finally close after opening on June 12, 2002, and having played 2,641 performances and 31 previews. I think that it is sad that Hairspray will be going off of the 'big stage', but on the other hand, I'm glad that Fierstein was able to return for the last couple performances of the show.