An article from City Theatre’s Backstage Blog

[Source]

SAM BENDRIX brings a song to our art
Published October 19, 2011

After a weekend of previews and a (well-deserved) day off, the Time Stands Still company was back in rehearsal yesterday afternoon on the Mainstage, continuing to refine the production for evening preview performances headed towards Friday’s opening. But yesterday we also welcomed Sam Bendrix at the Bon Soir—the first music rehearsal for that show, next up in the season, was underway in the rehearsal hall as Time Stands Still was rehearsing onstage. Music director Doug Levine and actor/singer Luke MacFarlane (best known for his role on ABC’s Brothers and Sisters, recently in the cast of the acclaimed New York revival of The Normal Heart) are clearly relishing the standards of the American songbook, as well as some lesser known but no less wonderful pieces, that playwright Keith Bunin has assembled into the “cabaret” performance of the character Sam Bendrix. Sam Bendrix at the Bon Soir will play in the Hamburg Studio, which we’ll be transforming into the legendary nightclub of the title.

Luke MacFarlane will be playing Sam in SAM BENDRIX AT
THE BON SOIR by Keith Bunin.

I intended to stay for just a few minutes at the beginning of the rehearsal yesterday but I ended up sitting and listening for a couple of hours. I noticed that playwright Keith Bunin was smiling along with me as we enjoyed the easy rapport that was quickly established between Luke and Doug, who will be playing Sam’s band leader, and the clear promise of a charismatic performance as Sam by Luke–who is a great singer. You can hear that for yourself by listening here to a couple of the tracks he recorded with his band “Fellow Nameless”  – I especially like “Ahead of Me,” “Bone Dry,” “Take You Home,” and “The Wild.” (By the way, you can find a link to purchase Luke’s album while you’re there.) Of course, Sam Bendrix at the Bon Soir is much different stylistically — it takes place in 1958 and Sam, backed by a three-piece ensemble, performs songs that were written more or less around the mid-20^th century: classics from the American songbook by such musical giants as Cole Porter, George and Ira Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, and Oscar Hammerstein II, to name a few.

Buy your tickets to Sam Bendrix while you’re here to see Time Stands Still. Or before that at 412-431 (CITY) or online–before it sells out!

Broadway World.com - 07/Sep/2011

[Source]

Luke Macfarlane Joins City Theater's SAM BENDRIX AT THE BON SOIR 11/12-12/18
Wednesday, September 7, 2011; Posted: 11:09 AM - by BWW News Desk

City Theatre has announced that Luke MacFarlane, star of ABC's hit series Brothers & Sisters, will perform the title role in the world premiere of Keith Bunin's Sam Bendrix at the Bon Soir. Mark Rucker will direct the play, also featuring music by legendary songwriters like Cole Porter, Leonard Bernstein and the Gershwins. Sam Bendrix at the Bon Soir plays on City Theatre's intimate Hamburg Studio Stage November 12 - December 18, 2011. The Opening Night performance is Friday, November 18 at 8 pm.

Mr. Macfarlane recently played Scotty Wendell on ABC's Brothers & Sisters and appeared in the 2011 Broadway production of The Normal Heart. Audiences will also recognize him from FX's Over There and the feature film Kinsey.

"Sam Bendrix requires an actor loaded with charisma and charm," states City Theatre Artistic Director Tracy Brigden, "someone who can tell an emotional story, and - most importantly - someone who can perform these wonderful songs. Luke's magnetic star power on the very intimate Hamburg stage is going to make for an unforgettable evening of theatre."

City Theatre will announce the entire production team, including musicians and designers, shortly.

The drinks and the music flow at the legendary Bon Soir. In 1958 Greenwich Village, a young singer and his band take the stage for a final performance before he quits New York City forever. While a chair he's holding for a special someone sits empty all night, Sam Bendrix tells a classic tale of an era not yet ready for the revolutionary changes on the horizon.

CITY THEATRE PRESENTS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF
Sam Bendrix at the Bon Soir
When: November 12 - December 18, 2011

Preview Schedule
Saturday, November 12 at 5:30 pm; Sunday, November 13 at 7pm;
Tuesday, November 15 and Wednesday, November 16 at 7pm;
Thursday, November 18 at 8 pm

PRESS / OPENING NIGHT
Friday, November 18 at 8 pm

Regular Run Schedule
Tuesday and Wednesday at 7 pm; Wednesday at 1 pm;
Thurs. and Fri. at 8 pm; Sat. at 5:30 & 9 pm; Sun. at 2 pm

Where: City Theatre, 1300 Bingham Street on Pittsburgh's South Side

Single tickets start at $30.

Students and age 26 and younger may reserve $15 tickets, subject to availability.

Seniors (age 60 and older) may purchase $22 rush tickets at the Box Office beginning two hours before show time, subject to availability.

Groups of 10 or more are eligible for discounts.
Call Kari Shaffer at 412.431-4400 x286.

Tickets are available at 412.431.CITY (2489) or CityTheatreCompany.org.

City Theatre is Pittsburgh's largest producing company located outside of downtown's Cultural District. Now in its 37th year and settled on Pittsburgh's historic South Side, City Theatre specializes in contemporary and new plays and has brought to Pittsburgh playwrights such as Adam Rapp, Christopher Durang, Eric Simonson, and Jeffrey Hatcher. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Tracy Brigden, Managing Director Mark R. Power, and a 45-member Board of Directors, City Theatre's mission is to provide an artistic home for the development and production of contemporary plays of substance and ideas that engage and challenge a diverse audience. www.citytheatrecompany.org

ABC Volunteer Outtakes!

Playbill and NY1’s Talkback With the Cast of The Normal Heart (Video)

[Source]

The Normal Heart’s May 26 performance gave the opportunity for theatregoers under the age of 30 to see the performance for a special discounted price. The night also featured a pre-party at Sardi’s as well as a talkback with the cast after the performance, hosted by NY1 theatre producer and reporter Frank DiLella and Playbill magazine editor in chief Blake Ross.
If you missed out on The Normal Heart’s big night, you can check out the entire talkback here on Playbill.com. DiLella and Ross were joined on stage by cast members Jim Parsons, Luke Macfarlane, Lee Pace and Wayne Wilcox. Joe Mantello, John Benjamin Hickey and Ellen Barkin also made special appearances, and author Larry Kramer was on hand to distribute a “Please Know” note that informs audiences that the HIV/AIDS crisis is an issue that our society still faces.
The actors talked about how they got involved with the show, the themes of Kramer’s work, and the impact the play has had on their own lives and the lives of others.
The play is described as “the story of a city in denial.” The Normal Heart “unfolds like a real-life political thriller—as a tight-knit group of friends refuses to let doctors, politicians and the press bury the truth of an unspoken epidemic behind a wall of silence. A quarter-century after it was written, this outrageous, unflinching, and totally unforgettable look at the sexual politics of New York during the AIDS crisis remains one of the theatre’s most powerful evenings ever.”
The limited engagement runs until July 10.
To watch the entire talkback, look below:

Talkback after the show at The Normal Heart

Talkback after the show at The Normal Heart from Fynyx on Vimeo.

The 2011 AfterElton Hot 100!

[Source]

6. Luke Macfarlane

Rank last year: 4

Sadly Brothers & Sisters has been canceled, so that means we won't be seeing any more of the adorable Scotty Wandell. But you can bet this won't be the last you see of handsome, out Canadian actor Luke Macfarlane. Five years on Brothers & Sisters showed us his talents as an actor, a singer (did you see the episode where he sang that touching Irish funeral song?), and even a potential underwear model-- at least based upon what we saw in a few brief briefs scenes. Hubba hubba.

Okay, he's probably too serious an actor to pursue underwear modeling, but keep your options open, Luke. And come back to television soon, we're going to miss you!

Further reading...

• Every Picture Tells A Story: The History of Kevin Walker in 42 Pages
• "Brothers & Sisters" Pic Post! What's Scotty's Life-Changing Discovery?
• Our Interview with Luke Macfarlane and Matthew Rhys

52. Matthew Rhys

Rank last year: 34

Further reading...

• Every Picture Tells A Story: The History of Kevin Walker in 42 Pages
• AfterElton's Interview with Luke Macfarlane and Matthew Rhys
• Interview with Brothers & Sisters' Matthew Rhys

1. Darren Criss 2. Adam Lambert 3. Chris Colfer 4. Neil Patrick Harris 5. John Barrowman 6. Luke MacFarlane 7. Jonathan Groff 8. Jensen Ackles 9. Anderson Cooper 10. Ricky Martin 11. Jake Gyllenhaal 12. Cheyenne Jackson 13. Ryan Reynolds 14. Chris Evans 15. Matt Bomer 16. Jared Padalecki 17. James Franco 18. Chord Overstreet 19. Russell Tovey 20. Mark Salling 21. Alexander Skarsgård 22. Gale Harold 23. Cory Monteith 24. Ian Somerhalder 25. Matthew Mitcham 26. Trevor Donovan 27. Nathan Fillion 28. Eric Sheffer Stevens 29. Joe Manganiello 30. Jared Leto 31. Johnny Depp 32. Joseph Gordon-Levitt 33. Zachary Quinto 34. Adam Levine 35. Jo Weil 36. Ryan Kwanten 37. Scott Evans 38. Bradley Cooper 39. Matt Smith 40. Misha Collins 41. Kevin Alejandro 42. Ben Cohen 43. Hugh Jackman 44. Gareth Thomas 45. Chris Pine 46. Jesse Tyler Ferguson 47. Zac Efron 48. Matthew Morrison 49. Thore Schölermann 50. Alex O'Loughlin

51. Harry Shum Jr. 52. Matthew Rhys 53. Chris Hemsworth 54. Van Hansis 55. Nate Berkus 56. Daniel Radcliffe 57. Taylor Lautner 58. Derek Hough 59. Chad Allen 60. James Marsden 61. Channing Tatum 62. Ewan McGregor 63. Tom Welling 64. Max Adler 65. Jake Silbermann 66. Jake Shears 67. Prince Harry 68. Mark Ballas 69. Taye Diggs 70. Ryan Gosling 71. Tom Ford 72. Nick Adams 73. Andrew Garfield 74. Brad Pitt 75. Robert Pattinson 76. Tom Hardy 77. David Beckham 78. Scott Caan 79. Chace Crawford 80. James Duke Mason 81. Tim Kang 82. Kellan Lutz 83. Cassidy Haley 84. Karl Urban 85. Dan Savage 86. Lee Pace 87. Wilson Cruz 88. Gavin Creel 89. Thomas Roberts 90. Kevin McHale 91. Daniel Craig 92. Darryl Stephens 93. Kris Allen 94. Emmet J. Scanlan 95. Paul Wesley 96. Henry Cavill 97. Nick Youngquest 98. Jon Hamm 99. Alex Pettyfer 100. Christopher Gorham

The GAYS Of DAYTIME- The Blog.: GOOD BYE, MY FAVORITE TV FAMILY!

The GAYS Of DAYTIME- The Blog.: GOOD BYE, MY FAVORITE TV FAMILY!: "I waited a while to post on this so I could calm down. Otherwise this post would have consisted mainly of expletives pointed in the direct..."