Broadway veteran Mary Testa has received Tony Award nominations for her work in On the Town and 42nd Street and has appeared on Broadway in Guys and Dolls, Xanadu, Marie Christine, Chicago, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Currently, Testa is starring in the Transport Group’s world premiere production of Michael John LaChiusa’s new musical Queen of the Mist, in which she plays Anna Edson Taylor, who set out at age 63 to become the first woman to spill over Niagara Falls in a barrel. TheaterMania recently chatted with Testa about creating this iconic role.

THEATERMANIA: When did you first hear about this production?… Read the rest

Jesse Eisenberg has become one of the film world’s hottest actors, thanks to his work in such films as The Squid and the Whale, Zombieland, and The Social Network, for which he received an Academy Award nomination. However, Eisenberg is not only an actor, he’s a playwright — and he is currently co-starring with Justin Bartha and Camille Mana in his new play, Asuncion, being presented by the Rattlestick Theatre Company at the Cherry Lane. TheaterMania recently spoke to Eisenberg and Mana about this project.

THEATERMANIA: What are you looking forward to as far as audiences seeing Asuncion?
JESSE EISENBERG: The play is funny and I hope people find it funny.… Read the rest

Former MTV VJ La La Anthony is juggling many roles these days. She has her own reality show on VH1, La La’s Full Court Life, which follows her daily life as she moves back to New York City after her husband, Carmelo Anthony, is traded to the New York Knicks. She will soon be seen in the film Think Like a Manand is currently part of the rotating cast of Nora and Delia Ephron’s Love, Loss, and What I Wore at the Westside Theatre. TheaterMania caught up with Anthony to speak about her stage debut, her personal take on fashion, and seeing shows with her son.

THEATERMANIA: How did this role come about?… Read the rest