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Sweeney Todd, Company and Sunday in the Park with George will play May through June while Merrily We Roll Along, Passion and A Little Night Music will play July through August.

The last week of 2001 has brought two developments to light which may result in new theaters in DC to attend in the future. The competition for development of a mixed-use project at 5^th and K Streets NW has been won by a firm that included a new theater for the Washington Stage Guild in its proposal. The Guild has been performing at Source Theatre since losing its old home at the old Carroll Hall about eight blocks away from the new site. At the same time, the Shakespeare Theatre which has been so successful filling its lovely new house on 7^th Street two blocks south of the MCI Center said that it is considering establishing a second stage on the now-vacant lot next to the old Hecht store across F Street from the Center. Reports are that the second stage might be nearly twice the capacity of their 450-seat house at the Landsburgh. It will be years before either theater may become a reality. The new Washington Stage Guild house may be ready for performances by the 2004-2005 season and the Shakespeare Theatre is still months away from even making a decision as to whether to pursue the development of a second stage.

In between stints as visiting director at Virginia’s Classika Theatre, Yuri Kordonsky directed Anton Checkhov’s Uncle Vanya in Bucharest. That production has been selected by the thirteen-country Union of European Theatres for inclusion in this season’s festival of plays to be held in Polermo, Italy. Kordonsky came to Classika from the Maly Drama Theatre of St. Petersburg, Russia, to be the first visiting director. He directed Dostoevsky’s Someone Else’s Wife and the Husband under the Bed, J. B. Priestley’s Dangerous Corner and St. Exupéry’s The Little Prince at Classika. Next month Nikolai Gogl’s The Marriage opens at Classika under his direction.

While the Kennedy Center continues to say the only casting decisions set for their May – September 2002 Sondheim Celebration are Brian Stokes Mitchell and Christine Baranski to star in Sweeney Todd, another name has become public. Added to the list of people who have been reported to have been selected is Jane Pesci-Townsend whose bio for the program for her cabaret show now playing at the Washington Jewish Theatre says she will be Baranski’s understudy in the role of Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd. We have previously reported that Broadway’s Melissa Ericco is slated to play Dot in Sunday in the Park with George and that the Potomac Region’s Bob McDonald will have roles in that show as well as Passion. In addition to these shows, the celebration will be mounting Company, Merrily We Roll Along and A Little Night Music.

The Shakespeare Theatre has named Nicholas T. Golsborough its new Managing Director, filling the vacancy caused by the departure of Sam Sweet who is now the Managing Director of Signature Theatre. Golsborough comes to the Potomac Region from Los Angeles where he has held a number of positions including Chief Operating Officer of the Music Center of Los Angeles, the second largest performing arts complex in the United States, and deputy director of Development for the University of California at Los Angeles. His credentials also include Chief Operating Officer of a management consulting firm in New York serving such clients as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.

Allison Spratt, who attended Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, returns as a headliner, handling the role of drugged out chanteuse Sally Bowles as the national tour of the Kander and Ebb musical Cabaret stops at the Warner Theatre December 26-31. Spratt, also toured in Jekyll & Hyde. Within the region she performed at BAPA, Round House and at Glen Echo.

The Landless Theatre Company has two different shows playing at the District of Columbia Arts Center (DCAC.) The intriguing THE EIGHT: Reindeer Monologues is a late night offering running at 10 PM from December 14 to 29. The other, the musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood is playing a fairly normal schedule (7:30 PM curtain time) starting tomorrow and running through January 5. For the four nights the runs coincide, the company is offering a "Double Feature" admission of $20 for both shows on the same night instead of the $27 the two would cost separately. The special is available December 21, 22, 28 and 29.

Rob Evan, who starred as both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in Jekyll & Hyde on Broadway, is the featured vocalist with the rock-opera/symphonic orchestra fusion group Trans Siberian Orchestra for their Christmas Tour, which stops twice in the Potomac Region this year. Tonight they perform at Constitution Hall and then on December 28 they perform at Baltimore’s Symphony Hall. The tour is really two shows in one. The first half is the Rock Opera Christmas Eve and Other Stories which was the group’s first album. The second half is a more traditional rock show. The group has a rock band (guitars, keyboards and drums) along with an 8-piece string section and six singers as well as a narrator for the Christmas stories. The performance includes a light show designed by Brian Harley. Tickets run from $27 to $36.

The design team features Paul Raiman (musical direction) David Kreppel (orchestrations) Keith Thompson (vocal arrangements) Karma Camp (choreography) James Kronzer (set) Daniel MacLean Wagner (lights) and Rhonda Key (costumes.)

Tickets go on sale today for the February 13 – 17 run of Blues Clues Live! – Blue’s Birthday Party a stage musical at the Warner Theatre. The musical is intended to introduce children ages 2 to 7 to live musical theater and uses both live actors and puppets for characters including Blue, Magenta, Periwinkle, Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper. Tickets ($15 - $35) are available at the Box Office and Ticketmaster.

The teenagers of The Repertory Actors’ Troupe (ReAcT) give a free performance of their original theater piece, Relativity, on the porch of the Olney Theatre Center at 8:00 tonight. The piece is a collection of scenes written by high school students about their own experiences and views of life in today’s society. The troupe includes seven students from Rockville, Sherwood and Gaithersburg High Schools under the direction of ReAcT founder Annie Montie.

The ABBA musical Mamma Mia! is a sell-out hit in London and now on Broadway. The national touring company has been selling out as well. It is coming to The National Theatre March 19 – April 28, 2002 as part of the National’s return to offering a season of Broadway musicals. The season subscription package went on sale earlier this year but single show tickets were not made available. They go on sale for the first time on Friday, December 14. Tickets can be purchased at the box office or through Telecharge either on line or at 800 447-7400. Ticket prices range from $25 to $75. Click here to read our review of Mamma Mia! on Broadway.

Many Potomac Region professional theaters offer a limited number of tickets through the booth. The booth is open from 11 AM to 6 PM Tuesday-Saturday selling tickets to that evening’s performances at half price plus a service charge. Access to The Old Post Office Pavilion is through the South Plaza entrance on 12^th street between Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues NW. Information on what shows are offering tickets is available by phone at 202 842-5387.

Tony Award Nominee Sally Mayes (She Loves Me) will be the mistress of ceremonies for a DC Area Cabaret Network showcase to be held at the Rosslyn Spectrum on Saturday, December 15. Scheduled to appear are such local cabaret performers as Wendy Lane Bailey, Beverly Cosham and Steven Cupo. Music direction is by George Fulginiti-Shakar. The $15 tickets can be purchased at 703 218-6500. For information call 703 228-1847.