Broadway Friday

- Matthew Broderick will star in Kenneth Lonergan's new play The Starry Messenger, set to have its world premiere on October 24th at Theatre Row.

- The Broadway Cabaret Festival opens at Town Hall on October 16th with A Tribute To David Merrick, the producer who brought Gypsy, Oliver!, Hello Dolly! and 42nd Street to Broadway. Robert Cuccioli, Stephen Bogardus, Jim Caruso, and Carleton Carpenter are among the performers.

- Hipster alert: A musical based on the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty, titled Beauty, is Broadway bound with the help of indie star Regina Spektor, who is collaborating on lyrics.

- An explosion of feathers: Spring will be a drag on Broadway, with the revival of La Cage Aux Folles set to open at the Longacre, followed shortly by Dame Edna's third stint on the Great White Way. Jerry Zaks will direct Dame Edna, whose show will be called It's All About Me.

- At Sunday's final Broadway performance of Avenue Q, producer Kevin McCullom took the stage with the surprise announcement that the show would be reopening a few blocks away at the New World Stages on October 9th.

- Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS will release Broadway's Greatest Gifts: Carols For A Cure on October 24th, a two-disc set of traditional holiday songs performed by the casts of hit Broadway and Off Broadway shows. Pre-order your copy online here.

- And as reported here earlier this week, on Friday I upgraded my show queen card to Platinum Level.