A reunion of Hamilton stars, a three-night tribute to Wendy Wasserstein, and more.

Here Lies Love, currently running at Off-Broadway's Public Theater, officially opens Oct. 13 following previews that began Sept. 30 at the new Dorfman Theatre (formerly the Cottesloe) at London's National Theatre. This follows the theatre's complete refurbishment as part of the NT Future project.

Here Lies Love, currently running at Off-Broadway's Public Theater in an open-ended commercial run following its premiere there last year, begins performances at the new Dorfman Theatre (formerly the Cottesloe) at London's National Theatre Sept. 30, prior to an official opening Oct. 13. This follows the theatre's complete refurbishment as part of the NT Future project.

Michael McCarty, a veteran stage actor, died Sept. 26, in Santa Barbara, where he was performing in a production of Amadeus. The cause was heart failure. He was 68.

Hello, diva lovers. Hope you caught the wonderful tribute to John Kander and Fred Ebb on "The Kennedy Center Honors" program this past Wednesday evening on CBS. If all TV could be this moving, I'd never leave my apartment! But, truly, what a classy, heartfelt tribute to these two Broadway legends. Kudos to whomever thought to include live performances from both Tony-winning Cabaret Emcees, Alan Cumming and Joel Grey. How exciting it was to watch Cumming sing "Willkommen" and then see Joel Grey appear out of nowhere to finish the song. If that wasn1t enough, the Tony-winning star of the most recent production of Chicago , Bebe Neuwirth, brought her own unique style to "All That Jazz" and was then followed by the incandescent star of the original production, Chita Rivera. And, how could such an honor be given to Kander and Ebb without the star of their first Broadway musical and the woman who has brought their music and lyrics into more homes around the world than anyone, Liza Minnelli? Although Minnelli1s voice appears to be in poor shape, her love for these two men made any vocal problem irrelevant. Wonderful tributes were also bestowed upon Bill Cosby, Willie Nelson, Shirley Temple Black and Andre Previn. A class act! . . . As we enter 1999, some of this column1s favorite ladies return to the stage. Let1s hope it1s a banner year for divas (and diva lovers)!

Hello, diva lovers. Hope you caught the wonderful tribute to John Kander and Fred Ebb on "The Kennedy Center Honors" program this past Wednesday evening on CBS. If all TV could be this moving, I'd never leave my apartment! But, truly, what a classy, heartfelt tribute to these two Broadway legends. Kudos to whomever thought to include live performances from both Tony-winning Cabaret Emcees, Alan Cumming and Joel Grey. How exciting it was to watch Cumming sing "Willkommen" and then see Joel Grey appear out of nowhere to finish the song. If that wasn1t enough, the Tony-winning star of the most recent production of Chicago , Bebe Neuwirth, brought her own unique style to "All That Jazz" and was then followed by the incandescent star of the original production, Chita Rivera. And, how could such an honor be given to Kander and Ebb without the star of their first Broadway musical and the woman who has brought their music and lyrics into more homes around the world than anyone, Liza Minnelli? Although Minnelli1s voice appears to be in poor shape, her love for these two men made any vocal problem irrelevant. Wonderful tributes were also bestowed upon Bill Cosby, Willie Nelson, Shirley Temple Black and Andre Previn. A class act! . . . As we enter 1999, some of this column1s favorite ladies return to the stage. Let1s hope it1s a banner year for divas (and diva lovers)!

For his March 25, 1998 STAGESTRUCK column, Peter Filichia announced his choices for the 100 top Broadway musical performers of all time. Playbill On-Line invited readers to suggest names that they would have added to the list -- and names they would have left off the list.

Recognizing that love of theatre begins early, Millburn, NJ's Paper Mill Playhouse held its second annual Rising Star Awards for excellence in musical theatre in area high schools, May 20. Eighty schools from across the state were entered, with 49 nominated in 20 categories. Each show considered was attended by at least four judges.

In honor of Stephen Sondheim's 85th birthday, we look at the four different recordings of one of his most challenging and complex musicals: Follies.

BETTY BUCKLEY
Some exciting news on the Betty Buckley front. It looks like the Tony winning actress will be part of this summer’s acclaimed “Divas at the Donmar” series at the Donmar Warehouse in London. Buckley is scheduled to sing in the intimate theatre from August 21 through September 3. Stay tuned for more details. Also, I received a call from a loyal BB fan who informed me that Buckley’s sensational version of Stephen Sondheim’s “Send in the Clowns” can be found on Kenny Werner’s new CD, “Beauty Secrets.” Werner, as you know, is Buckley’s long-time musical director, arranger and pianist, and the disc is now available from RCA Victor. And, of course, Buckley’s newest solo CD, “Heart to Heart” (on the KO Productions label), hit stores last week and is selling extraordinarily well. Be sure to add this heartfelt recording of tunes to your collection.

Here is a survey of recent cast album releases (and significant Broadway-related releases), and a schedule of those announced for the balance of 1999.

As reported by the NY Daily News and NY Post (July 8) and speculated on for several weeks, Paper Mill Playhouse's smash revival of Follies will not be coming to Broadway. The all-star cast would have made it an expensive proposition to begin with, and since the show closed at the NJ theatre May 31, regrouping the performers would have been one extra difficulty for any remounting to overcome.

Andrew Gans' weekly column of the latest news about the great ladies of musical theatre.

Andrew Gans' weekly column of the latest news about the great ladies of musical theatre.

Long-running Off-Broadway musical Avenue Q has released a video in response to the recent controversial advertisements and tweets by wireless provider AT&T, appearing to promote cell phone use in the theatre. The ads caused members of the theatre to community to speak out in defense of keeping the theatre a cell phone-free zone.

Howie Michael Smith and Christian Anderson, who played Princeton/Rod and Nicky/Trekkie Monster, respectively, in Avenue Q, made a third appearance on "America's Got Talent" Aug. 18.