Broadway musical casts coming to AyCee

THE IDEA of "Broadway on the Boardwalk" has been a staple of the Atlantic City casino era.

For decades, gaming halls have staged both Broadway-themed revues and actual musicals, from full-blown renditions to "tab shows" truncated to get gamblers back to the casinos within 90 minutes.

But the Broadway-to-Boardwalk blueprint will be taken to unprecedented levels next month as the Atlantic City Alliance - the town's casino-funded marketing agency - stages a series of free Monday night concerts on the Great Wood Way.

What makes the program dubbed (what else?) "Broadway on the Boardwalk" such a major undertaking is that it will feature cast members from 11 of New York's current productions including Best Musical Tony-winner "A Gentlemen's Guide to Love and Murder" and the Philly-centric "Rocky."

"It's a concert version of the shows," said Judy Ludovico, the Roxborough native who serves as the ACA's chief entertainment officer. "Each cast will probably do three or four numbers. Casts will be in their show [T-shirts], not full costumes. And they'll be singing to [pre-recorded] tracks."

Ludovico couldn't confirm precisely which performers will schlep to AyCee on their night off for the gigs set for Kennedy Plaza opposite Boardwalk Hall, so there's no guarantee you will see Jessie Mueller, who won the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical Tony for her work as Carole King in "Beautiful - The Carole King Musical," or Andy Karl, who was nominated for his role as Rocky Balboa in "Rocky."

But what Ludovico does know is that the Broadway crowd is a devoted - and affluent - one, and, she offered, a perfect match for Atlantic City.

"Broadway has such a passionate audience," she said. "They're engaged and their passionate. We're happy to bring in that audience."

Here is the "Broadway on the Boardwalk" schedule:

* July 14: "Cabaret," "Cinderella," "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder," "Motown the Musical."

* July 21: "Chicago," Pippin," "On the Town," "Rocky."

* July 28: "Beautiful - The Carole King Musical," "Bullets Over Broadway," "Rock of Ages."

All performances begin at 8 p.m.

And while we're on the subject of Broadway on the Boardwalk, be advised Sarah Brightman ("Phantom Of the Opera"), has had to cancel her upcoming tour that included an Aug. 23 stop at Revel Casino-Hotel.

"I have suffered a hairline fracture to my ankle and have been advised by my doctors to rest it until September, by which time it will have fully recovered," Brightman said in a statement released to the media. "I have, regrettably, taken the decision to cancel my forthcoming U.S. dates in August. I truly apologize for any disappointment caused."

Refunds are available at the point of purchase.

We are not kidding when we tell you that "Solstice," which debuts tomorrow, is truly a once-in-lifetime event. It seems that the one-man show written by Andrew J. Carroll and Douglas A. Williams was conjured specifically to be performed on one day only: June 21, the summer solstice.

According to Williams, the show, which is being staged in the backyard of a house in the city's Point Breeze section, is a meditation on what we do with our lives and focuses on a man who learns he will die in September. With that knowledge comes the opportunity for him to review every June 21 of his life.

"Solstice" is being presented as part of the cutting-edge SoLow Festival, which began yesterday and continues, at various venues, through July 29. Seats are very limited and reservations are required. For more info on the festival, go to solowfest.com.