Best of the Rest Post for 05/21/09

[riot_cabaret]

• Broadway-bound tuner “Memphis” has nailed down the Shubert Theater for its fall run. Storyline follows a 1950s Memphis DJ who is one of the first to play music by African-Americans. 
• Chace Crawford will play Ren McCormack in the screen remake of the 1984 film "Footloose."
• Stephen Daldry's multi award-winning production of JB Priestley's classic drama, An Inspector Calls, returns to the West End for a strictly limited season of 8 weeks following a hugely successful UK tour.
• Roberto Benigni's one-man show, TuttoDante, will stop at the Hammerstein Ballroom on May 30, part of a seven-day North American tour that also includes San Francisco (May 26), Boston (June 6) and Chicago (June 12).
• Bobby Cannavale and Steven Weber to host talkback sessions following performances of Reasons to Be Pretty. Cannavale will moderate the discussion following the May 24 3 PM performance at the Lyceum Theatre; Weber will host the May 25 at 8 PM talkback.
• Richard Thomas will join the previously announced James Spader in “Race,” the new David Mamet play that bows on Broadway in the fall.

• Goodspeed's Camelot will feature Erin Davie, Bradley Dean, and Maxime de Toledo.
• The York Theatre Company's upcoming production of High Spirits will feature Carol Kane, Veanne Cox, Howard McGillin and Kirsten Wyatt.
• The Williamstown Theatre Festival's production of Knickerbocker will feature Brooks Ashmanskas, Bob Dishy, Peter Dinklage, Annie Parisse and Reg Rogers.
• The songs of up-n-coming composer Bobby Cronin will be recorded live at the Laurie Beechman Theatre Aug. 3 for an upcoming CD. Scheduled to perform on the cd are Caissie Levy, Marcus Paul James, Natalie Weiss, Jared Gertner, Katie Thompson, and Kate Pazakis.
• The Bridge Project will return to BAM in 2010 with Three Sisters and As You Like It. Once again, Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes will helm both productions.