At The Stagedoor: Two-Time Oscar Winner TOM HANKS Making his Broadway Debut in Nora Ephron's "Lucky Guy"

Two-time Academy Award winning actor, Tom Hanks makes his Broadway debut in Nora Ephron's final work, "Lucky Guy." Hanks plays Mike McAlary, a gutsy New York City newspaper columnist who won a Pulitzer Prize for exposing that a Haitian immigrant had been sodomized by police in 1997. “Lucky Guy” has been nominated for six Tony Awards, including best play and best leading actor for Hanks. "Lucky Guy" plays the Broadhurst Theatre located at 235 West 44th Street. After the matinee show yesterday, Hanks greeted his fans and signed autographs outside the stagedoor.

"Play Express" at TKTS

TKTS sells day-of-show tickets for Broadway and Off-Broadway theater events at discounts of 25% to 50%. For Broadway play fans, the TKTS booth in Times Square offers the "PLAY EXPRESS" window to make it easy for theatergoers to purchase tickets to non-musical and Off-Broadway productions. Victoria Bailey, the executive director of the Theatre Development Fund (TDF), which maintains the discount booth, said in a statement, “We have found that having a dedicated window to sell same day tickets to non-musical productions has been of great service to New Yorkers and tourists who enjoy seeing the newest plays on and Off Broadway, but are sometimes daunted by the lines at TKTS when we first open in the afternoon. With the old name, ‘Play Only,’ many customers thought that they couldn’t purchase tickets to plays at the other eleven TKTS windows. The fact is that tickets to plays may be purchased at any ticket window – but using the ‘Play Express’ window will shorten their wait time considerably. We feel this new name helps to clarify that.”

The Times Square TKTS is located at Broadway and 47th Street. Hours are 3-8 PM for 8 PM performances, Monday-Saturday (2-8 PM on Tuesdays for 7 PM performances); 10 AM–2 PM Wednesday and Saturday for 2 PM matinees; 11 AM-3 PM Sundays for matinees; and 3 PM-7 PM Sundays for evening performances. TKTS booths are also located in Lower Manhattan at South Street Seaport (corner of Front and John Streets), and in Brooklyn at 1 MetroTech Center at the corner of Jay Street and Myrtle Avenue Promenade.

DENZEL WASHINGTON and VIOLA DAVIS, stars of "FENCES" at the Cort Theatre stagedoor

Two-time Academy Award winning actor, DENZEL WASHINGTON and Tony Award winner, VIOLA DAVIS were greeted enthusiastically outside the stagedoor of the Cort Theatre yesterday, after a matinee performance of August Wilson's FENCES. Mr. Washington plays the role of Troy Maxson, an African-American struggling with racial barriers, betrayal and life's disappointments. Set in 1950s Pittsburgh, the drama follows Troy Maxson, a former baseball player in the Negro Leagues, now reduced to collecting trash. Troy must deal with his headstrong football-player son, who has a chance to go so much further than he did, and with his wife, who reevaluates their marriage when Troy comes home with the baby he fathered with another woman. Winner of the 1985 Pulitzer Prize for drama. The revival of the Broadway play received 10 Tony Award nominations, including Best Play Revival, Best Actor for Mr. Washington, and Best Actress for Ms. Davis. The Cort Theatre is located at 138 West 48th Street.