Monster Mash: 'Avenue Q' is closing; new director at Philadelphia Museum of Art; critic sues Elaine Stritch

-- Still running, for now: 2004 best musical Tony winner "Avenue Q" is set to close in September.

-- New leader: Philadelphia Museum of Art lures its new director from the Cleveland Museum of Art.

-- No decision: The fate of the Nederlander production of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" musical remains uncertain.

-- Mechanical problems: The touring production of "Mary Poppins" leaves the audience hanging in Chicago. The tour arrives in Los Angeles in November.

-- Lawsuit filed: New Yorker critic John Lahr sues Elaine Stritch over payment for her solo show, "Elaine Stritch at Liberty," which he helped to "construct." 

-- Years in the making: Work will begin on the long-delayed Louis Kahn Park in New York City.

-- Same name, different school: Dueling Stella Adler acting schools in Los Angeles create a turf battle.

-- More money for the arts: The House of Representatives approves additional funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

-- First effort: Rufus Wainwright's opera, "Prima Donna," is set to open in Manchester, England.

-- Economic woes: Portland (Ore.) Art Museum scales back its budget, cuts five employees and raises admission prices.

-- Economic woes, Part 2: Seven state museums in Nevada trim their hours of operation and raise admission prices.

-- Economic woes, Part 3: Funding cuts leave the Charlotte (N.C.) Symphony in a precarious position.

-- Crowning achievement: Westminster Abbey will get a corona -- a crown-shaped roof -- in time for the Diamond Jubilee celebration of the queen's coronation in 2013.

-- Lisa Fung

Photo:  Kate Monster, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Princeton and John Tartaglia in "Avenue Q." Credit: Ari Mintz / Newsday