Last weekend, Broadway went dark for the first time since the terrorist attacks of 11 September, 2001. This time, it was the threat of Hurricane Irene causing the shutdown. In the end, Irene had weakened to a tropical storm by the time it reached New York City, but the powers that be had already decided to cancel public transport as a precautionary measure, meaning all Saturday and Sunday performances across the theatre district were cancelled. It’s estimated that the closure will cost producers several million dollars in lost box office returns
Photograph: Wu Jingdan/Xinhua Press/Corbis
Ticket sales were looking distinctly rosier at the Edinburgh festival, where the Fringe reported yet another record year – an estimated 1,877,119 tickets were issued. Meanwhile, the final week saw the festival’s showcase awards given out. Adam Riches picked up the Edinburgh Comedy award, with Humphrey Ker receiving best newcomer at the same ceremony. Meanwhile, there were awards for director Max Stafford-Clark (Herald Archangel), the Team (Edinburgh International Festival Fringe prize), Translunar Paradise (Holden Street Theatres award) and Leo (Carol Tambor award). Meanwhile Billy Mack, Gerard Logan, Alessija Lause and the Glasgow Citizens were all recognised at the Stage’s awards for acting excellence
Photograph: David Cheskin/PA
Awards aplenty this week, with the announcement of the winner of the inaugural New Adventures Choreographer award. The prize was launched to celebrate the 50th birthday of Matthew Bourne – the award-winning artistic director of New Adventures – and aims to recognise an up-and-coming choreographer. The first winner is 22-year-old James Cousins, who will receive a £15,000 grant to work on his choreographic skills, be mentored by Bourne and will give a showcase performance of his new work in 2012
Photograph: Tristram Kenton for the Guardian
Sad news that absurdist playwright NF Simpson – widely known as ‘Wally’ – has died at the age of 92. Simpson broke through at the Royal Court in the 1950s and was a big influence on comedians such as Peter Cook and the Pythons. He was best known for One Way Pendulum and A Resounding Tinkle – the latter revived at the Donmar Warehouse in 2007, starring Peter Capaldi. Simpson was once dubbed by critic Kenneth Tynan 'the most gifted comic writer the English stage has discovered since the war'. His final work, If So, Then Yes, premiered last year at the Jermyn Street theatre in London
Photograph: Ernest Allen/Associated Newspapers
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust has launched a pre-emptive strike before the release of a forthcoming Hollywood film, Authorship, which posits that the Earl of Oxford, Edward de Vere, was the true author of Shakespeare’s works. The trust has lined up 60 actors, writers and scholars (including Stephen Fry, Simon Callow and the Guardian’s own Andrew Dickson) to address the issue of Shakespeare’s authorship for 60 seconds each on a new website – 60 Minutes With Shakespeare
Photograph: Max Nash/AP
It was only a matter of time before theatre tackled the News of the World phone-hacking crisis, and fastest out of the block is south-west London fringe venue Theatre 503. Hacked is being created by a team of six writers including Ben Ellis, Marcelo Dos Santos and Telegraph theatre critic Dominic Cavendish. They will create a series of short plays inspired by ‘hacking’ into phones of members of the public, who have given Theatre 503 access to their voicemail messages
Photograph: Chris Jackson/Getty Images
And finally, the news you’ve all been waiting for. At long last, Peter Andre is preparing to make his West End stage debut. But, before you get too excited, it’s for one night only. Andre will be making a cameo appearance at the West End musical Ghost as part of BBC Children in Need’s Pop Goes the Musical scheme. Other pop stars due to be belting out numbers from their favourite shows this month include Stacey Solomon (Wicked), Melanie C (We Will Rock You) and the Sugababes (Mamma Mia!)
Photograph: Murdo Macleod for the Guardian
