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'Altar Boyz' Take Stage in Big Apple
12/08/2004 1:37 PM, AP
Michael Kuchwara
Matthew, Mark, Luke and Juan. Plus Abraham.
They are members of a Christian boy band, characters at the center of "Altar Boyz," a new musical arriving March 1 at Dodger Stages, 340 W. 50th St. Preview performances begin Feb. 15.
The show has a score by Gary Adler, the musical director of "Avenue Q," and Michael Patrick Walker, and a book by Kevin Del Aguila. The plot concerns the group's efforts to make it big in New York.
"Altar Boyz" was a hit earlier this year at the New York Musical Theatre Festival, where it had a brief run. Casting for the new engagement will be announced shortly. One of its original leads, Cheyenne Jackson, already has moved on to a starring role in the Broadway-bound "All Shook Up." The musical, which also opens in March, uses songs by Elvis Presley.
Tickets for "Altar Boyz" are available through Telecharge, 212-239-6200, or online at www.telecharge.com.
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Off-Broadway ticket availability and capsule reviews of selected shows as of Dec. 6. Unless otherwise noted, tickets are available at the theaters' box offices for the shows listed. Details about how to obtain tickets — including by calling the box office, Telecharge or Ticketmaster — appear at the end.
_"A Number." Caryl Churchill's play about cloning. Sam Shepard and Dallas Roberts star. New York Theatre Workshop. Telecharge.
_"A Second Hand Memory." Woody Allen 's sour domestic drama, set in Brooklyn in the 1950s. The cast includes Michael McKean. Atlantic Theater Company. Telecharge. Closes Jan. 23.
_"A Stoop on Orchard Street." An educational musical about the immigrant experience. Mazur. Telecharge.
_"Belle Epoque." A new work by Martha Clarke and Charles Mee set in 1890s Paris in and around the famous nightspot, the Moulin Rouge. A Lincoln Center Theater production. Mitzi Newhouse. Telecharge. Closes Jan. 9.
_"Blue Man Group." They paint each other. They paint the audience. They unroll toilet paper. Foreign tourists love this long-running new vaudeville show. Astor Place. Ticketmaster.
_"Bug." Tracy Letts' outrageously entertaining play about a drug-addled woman who hooks up with a paranoid stranger. Barrow Street. Telecharge.
_"Cookin'." Four Korean chefs prepare a banquet under deadline pressure. A lot of slicing and dicing. Minetta Lane. Ticketmaster.
_"Doubt." John Patrick Shanley's potent drama about a nun's suspicions when a priest begins to take too much interest in the life of a student. The superb cast includes the marvelous Cherry Jones. Manhattan Theatre Club Stage I. CityTix 212-581-1212. Closes Jan. 30. Difficult.
_"Falling Off Broadway." Producer David Black reminisces about his career in the theater. Peter Jay Sharp Theater at Playwrights Horizons. Ticket Central 212-279-4200. Closes Feb. 20.
_"Fat Pig." Neil LaBute's comedy about a man in love with a generously proportioned woman. The cast includes Ashlie Atkinson, Andrew McCarthy, Jeremy Piven and Keri Russell. Now in previews. Opens Dec. 15. MCC Theater at the Lucille Lortel. Ticket Central. 212-279-4200.
_"Five by Tenn." Five one-act plays by Tennessee Williams. The director is Michael Kahn and one of the actors is Kathleen Chalfant. Manhattan Theatre Club Stage II. CityTix. 212-581-1212. Closes Dec. 19.
_"Forbidden Broadway: Special Victims Unit." The latest edition of the long-running off-Broadway revue that pokes fun at Broadway shows and their stars. Now in previews. Opens Dec. 16. Douglas Fairbanks. Telecharge.
_"Guantanamo." The story of five British detainees at the American naval base in Cuba is told in this docudrama by Victoria Brittain and Gillian Slovo. 45 Bleecker. Ticketmaster. Closes Dec. 19.
_"I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change." The mildest of musical revues about relationships between men and women. Westside Theatre Upstairs. Telecharge.
_"Jewtopia." A gentile wants to marry a nice Jewish girl. A comedy written by and starring Bryan Fogel and Sam Wolfson. Westside Downstairs. Telecharge.
_"Lone Star Love." A country-western musical featuring the Red Clay Ramblers and based on Shakespeare's "The Merry Wives of Windsor." John Houseman. Telecharge.
_"Marijuana-Logues." The rites and rituals of pot. Written and performed by Arj Barker, Doug Benson and Tony Camin. Actors' Playhouse. Telecharge.
_"Menopause. The Musical." Women and their change of life — in song. Playhouse 91. Ticketmaster.
_"Modern Orthodox." Daniel Goldfarb's comedy about a young Jewish couple who have lost faith in their religion. The cast includes Jason Biggs , Molly Ringwald and Craig Bierko. Dodger Stages. Telecharge.
_"Newsical." A musical revue that spoofs current events — with songs updated every week. Upstairs at Studio 54. Ticketmaster.
_"Nine Parts of Desire." Heather Raffo stars in a look at the women of Iraq . Manhattan Ensemble Theater. Telecharge. Closes Jan. 23.
_"Rodney's Wife." A fading movie star and his wife unravel the family secrets. A play by Richard Nelson. Playwrights Horizons. Ticket Central. 212-279-4200. Closes Dec. 19.
_"Slava's Snowshow." The Russian clown form Cirque du Soleil brings his latest entertainment to New York. Union Square. Ticketmaster.
_"Souvenir." A fantasia on the life of the vocally challenged coloratura Florence Foster Jenkins. Judy Kaye and Jack Lee star. York Theatre Company at St. Peter's. Smarttix 212-868-4444.
_"Stomp." A noisy yet effective celebration of percussion in this long-running new vaudeville revue. Orpheum. Ticketmaster.
_"Symphonie Fantastique." Puppeteer Basil Twist's underwater extravaganza performed in a 1,000-gallon tank. Dodger Stages. Telecharge.
_"The Awesome '80s Prom." An interactive high school prom musical set in the 1980s. Friday and Saturday evenings. Webster Hall. 212-352-3101.
_"The Baltimore Waltz." A revival of the Paula Vogel's play about a young woman's mysterious illness and her brother's attempts to help her. Signature Theatre Company. 212-244-7529.
_"The Foreigner." Matthew Broderick and Frances Sternhagen star in the Roundabout Theatre Company revival of Larry Shue's comedy about a socially backward Englishman who, while visiting the United States, pretends he doesn't understand the language. Laura Pels. 212-719-1300.
_"Trying." A marvelous Fritz Weaver stars as Francis Biddle, attorney general under President Franklin Roosevelt, confronting old age as well as a new 25-year-old secretary. A heartfelt play by Joanna McClelland Glass. Promenade. Telecharge.
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The Telecharge number is 212-239-6200 unless otherwise indicated. There is a $6 service charge per ticket, plus a $2.50 handling fee per order.
Ticketmaster is 212-307-4100. There is a $6 service charge per ticket, plus a $3 handling fee per order.
Both Telecharge and Ticketmaster will provide information on specific seat locations. They also have toll-free numbers for theater ticket calls outside New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. For Telecharge call 800-432-7250; for Ticketmaster call 800-755-4000.
The TKTS booth in Times Square at Broadway and 47th Street sells same-day discount tickets to Broadway, off-Broadway, music and dance productions. There is a $3 service charge per ticket. Cash or travelers checks only. Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday evening performances, 3 p.m.-8 p.m.; matinees Wednesday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
The downtown TKTS booth is in the South Street Seaport at the corner of Front and John Streets. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Closed Sunday. Matinee tickets must be purchased at South Street Seaport the day before, meaning Wednesday matinee tickets are available Tuesday, Saturday matinee tickets are available Friday and Sunday matinee tickets are available Saturday.
Full-price tickets and information on Broadway and off-Broadway shows are available at the Broadway Ticket Center, located on the east side of Broadway between 46th Street and 47th Street. There is a $4.50 service charge per ticket.
For 24-hour information on theater, dance and music performances in New York's five boroughs, call the Theater Development Fund's New York City-On Stage, 212-768-1818.
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