When The Black Keys first exploded out of Akron, Ohio with the release of their sophomore LP Thickfreakness back in April 2003, The White Stripes were at the top of their game. Elephant—the album that made Jack White and his ex-wife superstars—had been released the week before, and the Keys suffered from comparisons to that other guitar-and-drums blues duo. Thankfully, while Jack went on to marry a model and star in duets with Alicia Keys, Akron’s Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney have quietly soldiered on. Two fantastically gritty albums followed Thickfreakness—2004’s Rubber Factory and 2006’s Magic Potion—and this spring the duo collaborated with producer Danger Mouse, the guy behind Beck’s Modern Guilt, for their latest record, Attack & Release. The new tunes are a wild mix of post-modern funk and pre-modern blues (see “Psychotic Girl” and “Strange Times”)—a curious juxtaposition you’ll have the change to witness live when Auerbach and Carney play Terminal 5 on February 6. [Tickets on sale: Friday, October 31 at noon]

There’ve been lots of Frank Zappa cover bands over the years, but none, presumably, as faithful to Frank’s strange muse as Zappa Plays Zappa—the project led by his son, Dweezil.  read more »

You might spot The Public Theater's new top dog at the Delacorte's opening night performance of Hair in Central Park tonight. Andrew D. Hamingson, former helmer of the Atlantic Theater Company, will make his first unofficial appearance in his new role as executive director of the Public at the rock musical.

Mr. Hamingson, 45, will replace Mara Manus, who held the post for six years and helped the Public rise from financial doldrums. She's leaving in September to become executive director of the Film Society of Lincoln Center, according to the New York Times. Mr. Hamingston will officially start the job in October and be in charge of all administrative and financial matters, including a $20 million budget that rose from $11 million in the past five years (Thanks, Mara!).

Oskar Eustis, the artistic director, told the Times: “He is a fantastic combination of an inside and outside guy,” Mr. Eustis said. “He really has demonstrated strong management and internal leadership skills and ability in fund-raising. Being able to do both of those was an important part of the package.”

A little more on his background:  read more »

The Public Theater’s 2008-2009 season will include work from Stephen Sondheim, John Guare, Danny Hoch, Christopher Durang, Craig Lucas, Mike Daisey, and Tracey Scott Wilson, Variety reports. The Sondheim musical, called “Bounce,” will be directed by John Doyle, who previously helmed the Sondheim hits “Company” and “Sweeney Todd.” The Guare piece, “A Free Man of Color”—his first new one in over seven years—will be directed by George C. Wolfe and will feature actor and hip-hop artist Mos Def and actor Jeffrey Wright, who co-starred in the Public's 2003 hit"Topdog/Underdog." Also announced: The theater’s consistently popular Shakespeare in the Park series will feature, in 2009, a presentation of “The Bacchae” directed by JoAnne Akalaitis and backed with music by Philip Glass (a preceding production has yet to be announced).

Lauren Ambrose will return to the Delacorte this summer as Ophelia in the Public Theater's production of Hamlet. The fiery redhead was the leading lady in last year's Romeo and Juliet at Shakespeare in the Park and will replace Crimes of the Heart's Lily Rabe, who had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts.  read more »

We've been hearing a lot about this young lady, Lily Rabe. We wrote about her in Kathleen Turner-directed play Crimes of the Heart and she stars in Emily Hubley's animation film The Toe Tactic. Now she has joined the cast of the Public Theater's production of Hamlet in Central Park this summer, according to Variety. Ms. Rabe plays Ophelia to Michael Stuhlbarg’s Dane and Andre Braugher will play the royal usurper Claudius. Hamlet runs May 27-June 29. Tickets go on sale March 30.

Elizabeth LeCompte’s latest avant-garde experiment in high-tech disorientation and miked automatons might be described as the world’s first karaoke production of Hamlet.  read more »