2/13/05 - 2/19/05

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PICK OF THE WEEK DESSA ROSE Starts Thursday, February 17 At the time of her death from cancer in 1999, author Sherley Anne Williams was writing a sequel to Dessa Rose, her acclaimed novel that imagined the meeting of two real-life figures: a pregnant black woman who led a slave uprising in Kentucky and a white woman in North Carolina who gave refuge to runaway slaves.        Although we'll never know what Williams had in store for her literary follow-up, we now have a musical version of her story, starting performances tonight at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater tonight. While big-budget Broadway tuners like All Shook Up, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Spamalot are getting all the buzz this spring, Dessa Rose is arriving quietly at Lincoln Center's intimate off-Broadway venue after a well-received workshop production last year.       The under-the-radar approach calls to mind Once On This Island, an earlier collaboration by Dessa Rose director/ choreographer Graciela Danielle and songwriters Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty that opened small at Playwrights Horizons in 1990 and went on to find big Broadway success and a place in the hearts of many theatergoers. Even LaChanze, who rose to stage stardom in the earlier collaboration, is onboard in the title role. The ebullient performer told us she wouldn't miss a chance to work with her old friends again: “If they say, 'LaChanze, can you sing in our basement for our cat's birthday?' I'm there! In full make-up! I love them so much."—Paul Wontorek Dessa Rose plays at off-Broadway's Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre, 150 West 65th Street. Opening night is set for March 21.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13
GRAMMY SMACKDOWN
Avenue Q vs. Wicked, Round Two. The two hit musicals—who staged a battle royale for the Tony Award for Best Musical last spring—compete tonight for the hotly contested Grammy for Best Musical Show Album. Once again, Avenue Q is leading a more aggressive campaign, with co-composer Jeff Marx taking to e-mail pleas to the theater and Friendster communities. Or maybe PS Classics will take home their first Grammy for recording Sondheim's Assassins? Or maybe more voters saw Hugh Jackman in The Boy from Oz than anything else and will just pick that show on the ballot? Tune in and find out!
The 47th Annual Grammy Awards will air on CBS at 8PM.

ALSO:
—Caryl Churchill's acclaimed A Number finishes its off-Broadway run at New York Theatre Workshop.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14
SPAMALOT STARTS
This whole “let's turn our cult film into a big splashy musical” trend (made famous by Mel Brooks a few seasons back) sure seems to be working out nicely for Monty Python pioneer Eric Idle. Spamalot, his freestyle adaptation of Monty Python and the Holy Grail is already hit without having played a single New York performance. Previews start tonight, after a Chicago run that had critics and theatergoers cheering. Tim Curry, David Hyde Pierce (left) and Hank Azaria star.
Spamalot plays at the Shubert Theatre, 225 West 44th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue. Opening night is set for March 17.

ALSO:
—Chita Rivera, Elaine Stritch, Karen Ziemba, Christine Ebersole, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Lee Roy Reams and others will salute Bobby Short as part of the black tie New Yorkers for New York Awards at the Waldorf-Astoria.
—André De Shields of The Wiz and The Full Monty fame plays Joe's Pub in Black By Popular Demand, the second night of his first cabaret appearance in 21 years.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15
HOLY HOTTIES
After a buzzed-about run off-off-Broadway last year, Altar Boyz arrives at Dodgers Stages tonight. Poised to be the big hit of the off-Broadway season, the show follows a struggling Christian boy-band looking for a big break in the Big Apple. If you want to get a taste of Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan and Abraham, check out our recent video feature, with rehearsal footage of songs from the show including our personal favorite, “Jesus Called Me On My Cell Phone.”.
Altar Boyz plays at Dodger Stages Theatre 4, 340 West 50th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues. Opening night is set for March 1.

ALSO:
—The Controversy of Valladolid, set in 1550, a time when the Catholic Church had the right to determine whether or not you were human, starts performances at the Public. .
—Stars Lea DeLaria and David Greenspan celebrate opening night of Samuel Beckett's Happy Days, produced by the Worth Street Theatre. .
—We're Still Hot, the off-Broadway musical following a group of menopausal woman dealing with their 35th high school reunion, opens at St. Luke's Church. .
—Guiding Light star Paul Anthony Stewart joins the company of Fiddler on the Roof in the role of revolutionary Perchik. .

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16
LAZER LIGHTS AT THE HOUSEMAN
A bicycle hoop-roller (we don't know either) and rope spinner teams up with a juggling champ and an acrobatic box juggler to create the new off-Broadway extravaganza called Lazer Vaudeville. After touring the country for almost two decades, the show finally lands in New York City tonight, as the final tenant of the soon-to-be-demolished John Houseman Theatre on Theatre Row.
Lazer Vaudeville plays at the John Houseman Theatre, 450 West 42nd Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues. Opening night is set for March 9.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17
RUEHL TAKES ON PEGGY
Mercedes Ruehl, last seen as a woman grappling with her hubby's infidelities with a barnyard animal in the unforgettable The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?, is back on the boards. This time out she plays Peggy Guggenheim in the one-person play Woman Before a Glass. Set from 1963 to 1968 in Peggy's home in Venice, the play follows the great triumphs and supreme disappointments of the legendary Grande dame of the art world.
Woman Before a Glass plays at the Promenade Theatre, 2162 Broadway at 76th Street. Opening night is set for March 10.

ALSO:
—Ron Hutchinson's Moonlight and Magnolias, about legendary Hollywood producer David O. Selznick and the making of Gone With the Wind starts performances. Matthew Arkin, David Rasche, Douglas Sills and Margo Skinner star.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18
MIKE DAISEY PREMIERES NEW WORK
The man who brought us 21 Dog Years about his time working at Amazon.com is back with another attack on corporate America. Monopoly! weaves in the checkered history of the famous board game with details about Microsoft's historic antitrust lawsuit, the battle between inventors Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison over electricity and finally the widespread popularity of department chain Wal-Mart, the sole remaining retailer in Daisey's hometown.
Monopoly! plays at the Ohio Theatre, 66 Wooster Street. Future performances on February 19, 25 and 26..

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19
SPRINGER SIGNS OFF IN WEST END
Jerry Springer: The Opera, the acclaimed West End musical featuring former Starsky and Hutch star David Soul in the role of the controversial talk show host, finishes its London run today. Although it was once set to start performances on Broadway this spring, plans for a New York transfer are now up in the air.
Jerry Springer: The Opera plays at the Cambridge Theatre, Earlham Street, London.