Since the Eleanor CD was released, it has picked up some other positive press - not only nationally but also in Great Britain. Newark Star-Ledger theatre critic Peter Filichia wrote in his Theatre.com column that Eleanor is "a Must-Listen... there are many pleasures to be had here." Steven Winn of the San Francisco Examiner & Chronicle described the CD as "a case study of the intelligently crafted musical... with handsome music, effective lyrics and an ambitious book." Newhouse News Service critic-at-large Byron Belt described Eleanor as a musical that "has become something of a cult classic...surprisingly lovely, melodically rich and ultimately wonderfully touching." You can see these reviews and learn more about the show on Eleanor, the Musical's website.

We would like to recommend to any of you that are members of NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences) that you take a listen and consider including Eleanor on your short list of Grammy nominees for Best Musical Show Album. If you are a member of the Recording Academy and would like a complimentary copy, contact ValKill Productions at Twinsun@att.net and include your address and NARAS info. We heartily endorse this show for Grammy consideration.

And if you're just a collector of cast recordings, you can purchase the Cd of Eleanor at 2-die-4 Music's website. If you liked Ragtime, you'll love Eleanor.

Tidbits:

• If positive Internet buzz means anything then it looks like Jane Eyre, now in previews, is a real crowd pleaser. It's clocking in at 3 hours now after 15 minutes of trimming. The musical opens December 3 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.

• One acerbic wit notes that Les Mis is trimming 15 minutes of the musical to cut back on overtime expenses...new title?
  Less Mis, of course.

• Bruce Memblatt, a chatterati member, had a devastating experience last week. His apartment burned down which left him homeless and, of course, all his possessions were destroyed. Bruce Kimmel, when told of the fire, donated a collection of Sondheim CD's to replace the ones Memblatt lost. Kimmel produced many CD's for Varese Sarabande and recently started his new label Fynsworth Alley. Other chatterati on our message board, All That Chat, are doing other deeds and collections for Mr. Memblatt.

• We recently interviewed James Hindman for our Spotlight On section. Box office opens tomorrow for his new musical, Pete 'n' Keely which previews Sat. Dec. 2nd at the John Houseman Theatre on W. 42nd Street. You can also call TeleCharge at (212) 239-6200 or visit them on the Web.

• Lea Salonga joins Miss Saigon on December 31 for the final weeks of the musical. It will close on January 28th. She will be recreating her Tony Award-winning performance as Kim...reason enough to pay another visit.

• Steve Ross is appearing at The Firebird, located at 365 West 46th Street in New York through December 2nd. Performance times are 9:30pm on Thursday nights, and 9:00pm and 11:00pm on Friday and Saturday nights. For reservations call (212) 586-0244. For more information on Steve Ross, visit his website. Jonathan Frank interviews Steve in his current cabaret column.

• Judy Kaye is currently performing her new cabaret show "Solo" at Arci's Place , 450 Park Avenue South (between 30th & 31st) at 9:00 PM Tuesdays through Thursdays, 8:30 & 11:00 PM Fridays and Saturdays through December 2nd. There is a $30 cover and $15 minimum at all performances except Thursday, November 23rd. A special Thanksgiving Day event will be announced. Reservations (212) 532-4370. We talked with Judy in our last Rialto column.

See you Thursday!

Wanna' talk to others about this column or anything else theatre related? Check out All That Chat