Broadway Friday

- The revival of Godspell opens at the Barrymore on October 23rd with previews beginning on September 29th. Tony nominee Gavin Creel will star, David Goldstein will direct.

- Passing Strange closes on July 20th after a five month run.

- Bryant Park's summer program of free lunchtime Broadway performances kicked off yesterday. For the next five Thursdays you can see the casts of major hit shows do several numbers from each of their shows. Next Thursday: Mamma Mia!, Avenue Q, In The Heights. Showtime 12:30-1:30PM.

- Antonio Banderas has launched a fragrance called Blue Seduction For Women. A portion of sales will benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. OK, then.

- The 12th Annual Fringe NYC Festival runs August 8 -24th. Among this year's entries: Perez Hilton Saves The World. Gulp. There will also be shows about Britney Spears and Anna Nicole Smith. What a world.

- Nine-time Tony winner Tommy Tune will be among the honorees at On Broadway! A Glittering Salute To The American Musical - Career Transition For Dancers, 23rd Anniversary Jubilee, to be held Monday, October 27 at 7pm at New York City Center. Angela Lansbury will host.

- The 10th Annual Broadway Barks, the animal shelter benefit created and hosted by Mary Tyler Moore and Bernadette Peters, takes place tomorrow on Shubert Alley from 3:30-6:30PM. Major Broadway stars of past and present will be on hand. I went last year and had a blast. My photos are here. JoAnne Worley!

- The 2006 sleeper hit movie Kinky Boots will be coming to Broadway in musical form. Jerry Mitchell, who choreographed past movie-to-musical hits The Full Monty and Hairspray, is in talks to direct. No opening date has been announced.

- David H. Koch, NYC's wealthiest citizen, has donated $100M to Lincoln Center for the renovation of the New York State Theater, home to the New York City Ballet and the New York City Opera. In 1980 Koch ( pronounced "coke") ran for Vice President on the Libertarian ticket, but he is now one of the Republican Party's greatest contributors and supports many conservative causes. His gift to Lincoln Center represents 0.5% of his total wealth. Beginning this fall the theater will bear his name, but renovations will continue for years. The building's original Phillip Johnson design will be maintained.