Theatre Talk: In Our Own Little Corner

Rinaldo · February 26, 2015

Every time someone says they loved On the Town, an angel gets its wings.

aradia22 · February 27, 2015

Theatre News Roundup: Shakespeare Edition?

The international sensation and Edinburgh Fringe Festival hit Nirbhaya will make its U.S. premiere Off-Broadway beginning April 16. The award-winning docudrama is based on the Delhi bus gang rape in 2012 and features performers' testimonials of female violence.
Ghost Quartet by Dave Malloy has been given 24 additional performances at the McKittrick Hotel in Chelsea.
Donna McKechnie has been announced as standby for Chita Rivera in the upcoming Broadway musical, The Visit.
On the Town news! Tiler Peck will leap into the balletic role of “Miss Subways,” Ivy Smith, for six performances March 3-4 and 13-15. Peck will be subbing for her fellow NYCB principal—and sister-in-law—Megan Fairchild. Peck will play the role in On the Town at 7 PM March 3, 2 PM and 8 PM March 4, 2 PM and 8 PM March 14, and 3 PM March 15.
Darren Criss is starring in a reading of a new musical based on the 2009 Zac Efron film "17 Again." First Date and Secondhand Lions songwriters Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner wrote the score for the musical that is being directed by Adam Shankman. In addition to Criss, the cast features Steve Rosen, Craig Bierko, Caissie Levy, Andy Mientus, Leslie Kritzer, Jennifer Damiano, Carly Hughes, George Wendt, Derek Klena, Taylor Louderman, Jackie Hoffman, Nikki Bohne, Catherine Ricafort, Sydney Shepherd, Ryan Vasquez, Raymond Lee and Max Crumm. (I'm not sure this needed to be a musical but there are some solid names in the cast.)
Megan Hilty will play a former Broadway star in a Judah Miller comedy pilot for ABC.
Julie White has joined the cast of the Chicago hit Airline Highway for its Broadway transfer this spring. The limited engagement of Airline Highway is scheduled to begin previews April 1 and open April 23.
Chicago production of Dunsinane, a sequel to Macbeth
The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC will commemorate the 400th anniversary of its namesake’s death by sending out rare original copies of the First Folio of his plays, to be exhibited in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, the Washington Post reported.
The Broadway engagement of Wolf Hall and its sequel Bring Up the Bodies, based on the history novels by Hilary Mantel about Henry VIII, which will begin performances March 20 at the Winter Garden Theatre, will offer tickets for each individual the segment of the two-part theatrical event. Additionally, a limited number of student tickets will be available for $27 per part and will be available online at Tix4Students.com.
Additional casting has been announced for The New Group's world premiere of Jesse Eisenberg's The Spoils, which will begin previews May 7 prior to an official opening June 2 at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street).
Classic Stage Company has announced complete casting for its upcoming production of William Shakespeare's Hamlet. Previews will begin March 27 prior to an official opening April 15. The production will continue through May 10. Peter Sarsgaard (Hamlet) Penelope Allen (Gertrude) Harris Yulin (King Claudius) Lisa Joyce (Ophelia) Glenn Fitzgerald (Laertes) Stephen Spinella (Polonius) Austin Jones (Horatio) Jim Broaddus (Player King/others) Scott Parkinson (Rosencrantz/others) Daniel Morgan Shelley (Guildenstern/others)
Christopher B. Latro's The Happy Family is heading off-Broadway. Directed by Anna Bamberger and featuring Kailey Prior, Eric Gravez, Sabina Petra and James Feuer, the dark comedy will play a limited engagement April 2 through May 9. Opening night is scheduled for April 8 at Theatre Row.
Josh Young, Chad Kimball,and Randy Harrison will headline Real Men Sing Showtunes, a March 9 concert spotlighting the music of composer Jeff Thomson and lyricist Jeremy Desmon. Joining them will be Andi Alhadeff, David Errigo Jr., David Josefsberg, Greg Hildreth, Jillian Gottlieb, Kasey Williams, Katie Thompson, Matthew Kacergis, Natalie Weiss, Russel Fischer, Tim Shew, Tommy McDowell and Zach Landes.
On Kentucky Avenue, a celebration of Atlantic City's iconic Club Harlem will be performed at the Aaron Davis Hall on the City College of New York campus for three shows only. Performances will run Feb. 27-28.
Chichester Festival Theatre has announced its line-up for the 2015 summer season, which will include a major new production of Mack & Mabel starring Michael Ball, Rob Ashford directing A Damsel in Distress with a score by the Gershwins and a new book, and Lenny Henry in Educating Rita.
Finding Neverland producer Harvey Weinstein showcased several songs from the new musical Around the World in 80 Days during his pre-Oscars party in Hollywood last week. There's a video of Nicole Scherzinger singing one of the songs at the link. (It's too poppy for my taste and doesn't take advantage of the strengths of her voice. It's something you'd write for a pop singer who can't sing. It's also just... terrible.)
Cast members from the original 1968 Broadway production of Hair will be part of a multigenerational concert retrospective of the musical at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre. Presented March 20-April 12
OPENINGS: John & Jen officially opens tonight.
IN THE WORKS: Readings of What Women Do (and men too), penned by William Youmans, grandnephew of acclaimed composer and producer Vincent Youmans, are presented Feb. 26-27 in New York City.

Edited February 27, 2015 by aradia22

aradia22 · February 28, 2015

I listened to Paint Your Wagon last night. Frankly, it's not the greatest score. But I Talk to the Trees was so beautiful I'm going to take a chance on the performers. I'll see you there, Rinaldo! No, seriously, let's figure out how to coordinate plans so I can run down from the nosebleed seats during intermission. And with that let's get on to the THEATER NEWS ROUNDUP!!!

Lena Hall, who won a Tony Award for her performance as Yitzhak in the Broadway production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, will play her final performance in the award-winning rock musical April 4. Her next gig is already lined up. Hall will make her Café Carlyle nightclub debut in a two-week engagement, April 7-18.
Peter Gallagher is still out but is scheduled to return to On the Twentieth Century March 3.
Collected reviews for John & Jen.
Alan Cumming will play Café Carlyle with his show Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs while Megan Hilty debuts Songs For My Daughter.
The Vineyard has announced that it will extend the world premiere of new musical Brooklynite. Originally slated to continue through March 22, performances will now run through March 29.
Nancy Anderson will play Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, kicking off the 2015 season at Goodspeed Opera House April 10-June 20.
While I'm not personally familiar with his work, I'm still sad to report the death of Leonard Nimoy.
Soho Rep announced that the world premiere of Washeteria, an off-site theatrical event aimed at children aged 7+ and families, will take place in a vacant Brooklyn storefront to be transformed into a fantastical laundromat. Inspired by the world of the laundromat and the diverse community of people who visit, Washeteria will run March 21-April 5 with an official opening night slated for March 29.
St. Ann's Warehouse will present two new works by The Wooster Group, marking the final presentation at the Dumbo performance space before the organization moves to its permanent home in the historic Tobacco Warehouse in Brooklyn Bridge Park. (Cry, Trojans! taking on Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida/Early Shaker Spirituals based on a 1976 LP of Shaker hymns, marches, anthems and interviews recorded by Sister R. Mildred Barker and the sisters of the Shaker community in Sabbathday Lake, ME.)
Cush Jumbo brings her one-woman play Josephine and I to Joe's Pub at the Public Theater, beginning Feb. 27. The Public Theater engagement will continue through April 5 at Joe's Pub. An official opening has been set for March 10.
David Deblinger and David Proval, who appeared on "The Sopranos," will reunite for the Off-Broadway world premiere of Michael Ricigliano Jr.’s Queen For a Day at Theatre St. Clement's. A Queen For a Day, directed by John Gould Rubin, runs April 14 through July 26, with an opening night set for May 3. Set in an abandoned warehouse, the play centers on Giovanni (Proval) a mafia man who finds himself in an impossible position when asked to give up his crime boss brother as part of an immunity deal.
A stage adaptation of the BBC/PBS 1990s sitcom "Keeping Up Appearances," by series creator Roy Clarke, will receive its U.S. premiere next month in the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church's Jones Auditorium in New York.
Baz Luhrmann has launched a website to find young talent, specifically African-American and Latino men and women aged 18-21, for his new Netflix series, "The Get Down."

aradia22 · March 1, 2015

Theatre News Roundup is slow today after the info dumps of the last few days.

OPENINGS: Claybourne Elder stars in the Kansas City Repertory Theatre production of Angels in America, which officially opens Feb. 28. Kid Victory officially opens Feb. 28 following previews that began Feb. 17 at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA. 59E59 Theaters and Prospect Theater Company's New York premiere of Long Story Short, a pop rock musical adapted by Brendan Milburn and Valerie Vigoda from David Schulner's play An Infinite Ache, begins previews Feb. 28 Off-Broadway.
Cartoon incorporating all the new Broadway shows. Something Rotten and On the Twentieth Century jumped out immediately. An American in Paris, The King and I, Fish in the Dark, The Audience, Wolf Hall, Finding Neverland, It Should Have Been You, and Living on Love clicked into place with a bit more thought. I think the other ones are supposed to be Brooklynite, Hand to God, and Doctor Zhivago. I don't think the others work at all. Caricatures are an art.

aradia22 · March 1, 2015

I finally had a chance to watch that Marc Shaiman/Scott Wittman special. It was cute for what it was. I'd recommend catching the next airing if you missed this one. There wasn't a lot of insight to be found but it was a pleasant concert. I wonder if Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will transfer and I'm happy they're working so steadily. I can't believe they wrote They Just Keep Moving the Line over the phone.

Theatre News Roundup

Les Misérables cast members Caissie Levy (Fantine), Andy Mientus (Marius), Cliff Saunders (Thenardier), Kyle Scatliffe (Enjolras) and Keala Settle (Madame Thenardier) take their final bows in the Tony-nominated Broadway revival March 1. Replacing them will be Gavin Lee as Thenardier, ensemble member Chris McCarrell as Marius, Broadway vet Wallace Smith as Enjolras, Erika Henningsen as Fantine, Brennyn Lark as Eponine, and Rachel Izen as Madame Thenardier.
Reviews for Kid Victory (2 at the moment of posting)
OPENINGS: Abundance, Pulitzer Prize winner Beth Henley's tall tale set in the Great American West, officially opens Off-Broadway at The Actors Company Theatre March 1. Fashions For Men, Ferenc Molnár's comedy of character, officially opens at at the Mint Theater Company March 1 following previews that began Feb. 3. The production continues through March 29.

aradia22 · March 3, 2015

I am still in the process of building up my Spotify playlists since I pretty much haven't used iTunes in years. I am currently listening to all the versions of Gypsy. I got through Ethel Merman, Rosalind Russell/Lisa Kirk, and Patti Lupone. I have Bette Midler and Bernadette Peters to go. You wouldn't think there'd be so much variety but there is. There are strengths and weaknesses to each album and each performance. After listening to so many imitations of Ethel, her version sounds a little cartoonish when some of those quirks creep in. I refuse to believe they used these same recordings in the movie because they sound off to me. I think the Patti version is my favorite just because it sounds the best (sound quality/technology/etc.) but there is something a little bit cold about it and she does overplay it at times. Bernadette played the only Gypsy I've seen on stage but I have very little memory of it.

Theatre News Roundup

Speaking of Gypsy, here's a clip reel/promo of Imelda Staunton as Rose.
In an odd bit of promotion, Brynn O'Malley will appear Say Yes to the Dress on TLC wedding March 6. Apparently she's shopping for the dress she'll wear in Honeymoon in Vegas? I was under the impression she was wearing something designed by... you know, the costume designer.
Judy Kuhn will record an album dedicated to the music of Richard Rodgers, his daughter Mary Rodgers and her son Adam Guettel, PS Classics announced March 2. The song list is written out in the article.
Roundabout Theatre Company will kick off its 50th season with Harold Pinter's Old Times, which will feature the Broadway debut of Clive Owen. Directed by Douglas Hodge, Old Times will begin previews Sept. 17 prior to an official opening Oct. 15 at a Broadway theatre to be announced.
Rebecca Naomi Jones, currently starring in Big Love at Off-Broadway's Signature Theatre, will join the Broadway cast of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, playing the role of Yitzhak, starting April 14.
The Broadway revival of On the Twentieth Century has postponed its opening night by three days after the show's leading man, Peter Gallagher, missed a week of performances due to a severe sinus infection. As a result, Roundabout Theatre Company has pushed back the show's originally scheduled March 12 opening night by three days. On the Twentieth Century will now officially open March 15. The limited 20-week engagement will continue through July 5 at the American Airlines Theatre as scheduled. (I'm going March 18 so the show will be locked into place by that time. I'm not sure how much they're changing in previews anyway.)
MCC Theater has announced that it will extend performances of Jennifer Haley's The Nether, currently playing Off-Broadway. The New York premiere began previews Feb. 4 and was originally scheduled to run through March 15. Performances will now continue through March 22.
The composing team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty and librettist Terrence McNally are preparing a streamlined “concert version” of their 2002 musical A Man of No Importance for a March 15 reading at 54 Below nightclub that is open to the public.
A baby abandoned at a convent transforms the lives of a group of nuns in The Cradle Song, Gregorio Martinez Sierra’s 1927 drama getting a reading March 9 by The Acting Company at Off-Broadway's Pearl Theater. The Pearl Theater is at 555 W. 42nd St. For tickets, priced $35 and $60, call (212) 258-3111.
The WorkShop Theater Company will present an evening of six short plays titled A La Carte: a Feast of New Plays. In each of the plays, of various genres, food motifs are used to examine life, love, sex and conflict. Performances will run April 9-May 2 at WorkShop Theater Company Off-Broadway.
Lorna Luft will star in Judy — The Life and Music of a Hollywood Legend, which will begin performances May 8 at Edinburgh's Playhouse Theatre ahead of a U.K. tour. Also in the cast are Louise Dearman, Ben Richards and Rachel Stanley.
Mel Brooks is to present his first-ever solo U.K. show, Mel Brooks Live in London, at the West End's Prince of Wales Theatre for one-night only March 22.
Adrienne Barbeau will swing into the national tour of Pippin beginning March 31 in Ft. Lauderdale.
Animal Parts will present Revenge of the Popinjay at Dixon Place in downtown New York. Created by Anthony Johnston, the experimental theatrical piece explores LGBT themes and blends original live rap music and horror. Revenge of the Popinjay will begin performances April 1 and continue through April 25, with an official opening night slated for April 17.
The first Shubert Foundation High School Theatre Festival for NYC Public Schools will be held March 9 at Broadway's Imperial Theatre. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time star Alex Sharp will host.
OPENINGS: The Mystery of Love & Sex, officially opens Off-Broadway March 2 at Lincoln Center Theater's Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater.
IN THE WORKS: Tectonic Theater Project will present dance and music excerpts from Carmen: An Afro-Cuban Musical, a new development piece, for invited guests March 6 in NYC. The music adaptation is by 2015 Grammy winner Arturo O'Farrill with direction by Tony and Emmy-nominated director and playwright Moisés Kaufman. The classic Bizet opera has been re-imagined to take place in Cuba in 1958, just before the breakout of the revolution. A production is slated for 2016.

SilverShadow · March 3, 2015

A song from the new musical "It Shoulda Been You" is (officially) up on youtube, looks like it's from a press preview or something:

I actually really like it. It's very modern, but cute, and the two "sisters" have excellent chemistry.

aradia22 · March 3, 2015

I watched all the available videos from the preview of It Shoulda Been You. Not impressed with anything. I am happy to hear that Sierra's going to be doing a vlog for Broadway.com again.

aradia22 · March 4, 2015

Theatre News Roundup: Why Am I Still Coughing? Edition

Plans may already be in the works to move Waitress to Broadway.
Yes, yes, yes! Lea Salonga said discussions are currently underway between Allegiance's producers and her agent about her joining the Broadway cast of Allegiance.
Premiere of Daily Life Everlasting, the new work penned by Charles Mee: pop-culture dance/theatre style to the piece, a group of characters who find themselves at a huge party in the hope of finding true love. Daily Life Everlasting will run April 2-19 at La Mama's Ellen Stewart Theater. It will be directed and choreographed by Daniel Safer featuring original songs by Heather Christian.
Gingold Theatrical Group’s Project Shaw will continue April 6 at 7 PM with a reading of George Bernard Shaw’s 1910 comedy Misalliance at Symphony Space’s Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre.
Manhattan Theatre Club will stage the world premiere of Heisenberg, a new play by Simon Stephens. The piece will star Mary-Louise Parker and Kenneth Welsh.
Juliette Binoche will star in in the title role of Antigone as part of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' 2015-16 season. More about the season at the link.
Amy Morton will direct the world premiere of Rajiv Joseph's play Guards at the Taj, starring Omar Metwally and Arian Moayed. The play will begin previews May 10 and continue through June 28 at the Atlantic Theater Company. An official opening night is slated for June 11. The play, set in India in 1648, tells the story of two guards watching the sun rise for the first time over the newly finished Taj Mahal. During the course of the morning, an event takes place that will test their friendship and change them forever.
Oprah Winfrey has canceled plans to star in a Broadway revival of ’night, Mother, saying Marsha Norman’s Tony- and Pulitzer-winning drama is “too depressing,” according to a report in The Hollywood Reporter.
PS Classics' two-disc cast album of On the Town is released digitally and on the PS Classics website March 3 prior to an in-store release March 17.
Peter Gallagher returns to OTTC tonight.
Broadway By the Year has announced the lineup of artists who will perform selections from musicals spanning 1941-1965, including the classics Oklahoma!, My Fair Lady, West Side Story, Gypsy and Fiddler on the Roof March 30 at the Town Hall.
Theatre for a New Audience has announced that performances of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' play An Octoroon will be extended. Originally scheduled to close March 8, performances will now run through March 29.
CHICAGO NEWS: The Broadway in Chicago series announced that its 2015-16 season will include visits from the national tours of recent Broadway hits A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, If/Then, Matilda and Cabaret plus Dirty Dancing as well as the previously announced world premiere of the Jerry Mitchell musical Gotta Dance. Chicago's Porchlight Music Theatre continues its “lost” musicals in staged concert series March 3-4 with Porchlight Revisits… City of Angels.
LONDON NEWS: Final casting has been announced for Lonny Price's production of Sweeney Todd that begins performances at the London Coliseum March 30, prior to an official opening March 31, for a run through April 12. Casting has been announced for the U.K. premiere of Simon Stephens' Carmen Disruption that begins performances at London's Almeida Theatre April 10 prior to an official opening April 17, for a run through May 23. London's Royal Court Theatre is to premiere new plays by Michael Wynne, debbie tucker green and Gary Owen, and has also confirmed that it will take Nick Payne's Constellations, originally premiered at the theatre before its current Broadway season, on a U.K. national tour. Kevin Spacey reprises his solo turn in the title role of Clarence Darrow beginning performances at London's Old Vic Theatre March 3-April 11.
TV NEWS: Jeremy Jordan cast on Supergirl. I don't know what CBS' game plan is for this. Then again, I didn't see a future for NCIS: New Orleans or Stalker so what do I know? Jane Lynch also gets a CBS pilot. Mireille Enos has been cast in the new Shonda Rhimes drama pilot "The Catch." Nicole Scherzinger will appear on a NBC comedy variety series this summer hosted by Marlon Wayans. I Can Do That! will challenge the former Pussy Cat Doll and five other celebrities to put on an entertainment show with skills they didn’t even know they had.
OPENINGS: Buyer & Cellar with John Tartaglia begins previews March 3 prior to an official opening March 6.
CABARET NEWS: Tony Yazbeck will return to 54 Below for a solo show called The Floor Above Me, an evening of tenor melodies and tap dancing.
Performances will be March 16 and March 23

So aside from the regular NY theatre news I think the big categories seem to be openings, things in the works, London news, Chicago news, TV news, and cabarets/concerts. I am taking suggestions for names. For London I'm thinking something from My Fair Lady. For Chicago maybe Chicago or Victor/Victoria. "They Mean Chicago Illinois"? Cabaret is the obvious choice for the cabarets. I'm thinking "Life is a Cabaret" or "Come to the Cabaret." Let's try to settle on something that's easy to pick up on and not too confusing for people who don't read TNR every day.

aradia22 · March 5, 2015

Theatre News Roundup: Workshopping New Headings Edition

Another Op'nin' Another Show (Openings)

The Hunchback of Notre Dame begins performances at the Paper Mill Playhouse March 4. Michael Arden, Patrick Page and Ciara Renée star.
Produced in association with La Jolla Playhouse, the musical will officially open March 15 and continue through April 5.
The box office at the Longacre Theatre, which will soon be home to Joe DiPietro’s Living on Love, opens for business March 4.

Closed For Renovations (Closings)

New World Stages has announced that Nevermore - The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe will play its final performance Off-Broadway March 29.
Lincoln Center has announced that due to conflicting production schedules with her HBO series "Girls," Allison Williams' American Songbook concert will be postponed to 2016.

IN THE WORKS

A musical adaptation of best-selling author E. Lynn Harris' 1994 novel "Invisible Life," which tracks one man's coming of age and his experiences in bisexual and gay culture, is being reborn as a new musical featuring a score by hit-makers Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. The musical adaptation, which has been in development for several years, will receive an Actors Equity approved showcase at Harlem's Apollo Theater June 25-30.
Glenn Slater will workshop a new musical, Beatsville, set in the world of 1950s beatniks, March 26-29. The workshop will be presented by NYU Steinhardt’s Program in Vocal Performance. Slater will write the libretto. The “bebop-inflected” music and lyrics to Beatsville are being written by Wendy Leigh Wilf, an artist in residence at the William Inge Festival in Kansas. The workshop of Beatsville is open to the public. It will be performed 8 PM March 26-28, and 3 PM March 28 and 29 at the Village’s legendary Provincetown Playhouse. (At least he's finally staying away from the lyrics?)

Come To The Cabaret (Concerts/Cabarets)

The York Theatre Company will offer a starry evening titled The 100 Musicals in Mufti Concert Celebration, the performance will be held March 30 at 7:30 PM in The Sanctuary at Saint Peter's Church. Tickets, which include a star-studded reception following the performance, are priced $75.
Zak Resnick, who starred as Bert Berns in the Off-Broadway musical Piece of My Heart, will join singer-songwriter Joey Contreras for a free Rockwood Music Hall concert March 22.
Adam Kantor and Phillipa Soo are among the performers who are set to bare it all in song when The Skivvies return to 42West March 16. (I want to like them but the musical arrangements as well as the vocal harmonies always seem to clash in their concerts making most of the songs unlistenable.)
The program for the third London Festival of Cabaret (LFoC), running April 28-May 11, will include appearances by Kerry Ellis, Jack Jones, Scott Alan with Cynthia Erivo, Janie Dee, Anita Harris, Anne Reid and more.
Amy Spanger, who recently starred in the Broadway revival of Chicago, will bring her solo show to Birdland March 16 at 7 PM.

I Heard It Through the Grapevine (Rumors)

Cirque du Soleil is looking to take over Broadway’s Lyric Theatre after the current tenant, On the Town, completes its run there, according to a report in The New York Post.

One Song Glory (Albums)

Nicholas Rodriguez, who made his Broadway debut in Tarzan, will release his debut solo album "The First Time..." on the PS Classics label May 19.

Brush Up Your Shakespeare

The Manhattan Shakespeare Project will present the world premiere of Macbeth: The Unsex Me Here Project, in which audiences will be able to decide which actors portray which iconic character from the play. Audiences will be encouraged to defy traditional gender roles when casting.
Staged at the Access Theater Gallery and directed by Amanda Boekelheide, performances will run April 1-19, with an official opening night scheduled for April 5.

They Mean Chicago, Illinois

Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company has announced that their 40th anniversary season will feature a world-premiere adaptation of John Steinbeck's East of Eden, the Chicago premiere of Annie Baker's Pulitzer Prize-winning The Flick and the world premiere of Mary Page Marlowe, the newest work from Pulitzer-winning playwright Tracy Letts (August: Osage County, Killer Joe).

A Foggy Day in London Town

Nominations for the Olivier Awards 2015 are to be announced March 9 by Lesley Manville and James McAvoy. It will be simultaneously live streamed to audiences worldwide at noon (local time, 8 AM EDT) at www.olivierawards.com.   The awards themselves are scheduled to be given April 12 at London's Royal Opera House, with a full television highlights package to be broadcast on ITV later that evening.
Anna-Jane Casey, Ria Jones and Sarah-Louise Young headline a London revival of the 1985 Broadway revue Jerry's Girls that celebrates the work of composer Jerry Herman and officially opens March 4 at the St. James Studio (following a preview March 3), for a run through March 15 only.

Let Me Be Your (Television) Star

Anika Noni Rose has landed the leading role in the CBS pilot "For Justice." Based on James Patterson's novel "The Thomas Berryman Number," the civil rights crime drama will be directed by Ava DuVernay. Rene Balcer penned the pilot. The pilot will also feature Phylicia Rashad.

EVERYTHING ELSE

Leading man Peter Gallagher will miss an additional three performances of the musical as he continues to recover. He will not perform March 4 or 5 in OTTC.
Bruce Willis and Elizabeth Marvel will star in Misery, a new play written by William Goldman, based on the novel by Stephen King.
The musical theatre program at Marymount Manhattan College (MMC) continues its theatre festival honoring three generations of musical writers: Richard Rodgers, Mary Rodgers and Adam Guettel. On March 4 the festival will present Guettel and Craig Lucas' musical The Light in the Piazza. Performances of the romantic play continue through March 8. Slated next is a staging of Mary Rodgers' Once Upon a Mattress. Performances will run March 25-28.
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, which has been seeking a benefactor to finance the renovation of Avery Fisher Hall, has revealed its high-profile donor. Music and entertainment mogul David Geffen has made a $100 million gift to the arts organization, which will rename the hall for him this fall.
Complete casting has been announced for the Inaugural (3) Plays from The Kilroys’ List: A Reading Series.

ebk57 · March 5, 2015

Thanks aradia!! I just wish I could get up there more than twice a year...

Hope you're feeling better!

Amello · March 5, 2015

Thanks aradia for alway putting the round-ups together.

It's nice to see what Nicholas Rodriguez is up to, one of the many, many Broadway/theatre actors soap operas have completely wasted.

And damn, David Geffen sure is generous. I don't think I've read of a donation quite as large. Must be nice.

aradia22 · March 5, 2015

Thanks aradia!! I just wish I could get up there more than twice a year...

I wish you could get up here more often, too! I don't mind being an independent modern girl but once in a while it's nice to go out with a friend. Or to just talk about theatre in person instead of online. :)

Rick Kitchen · March 5, 2015

Nicholas Rodriguez turned into a villain on OLTL, it was too bad, because he started out with great promise.

aradia22 · March 6, 2015

Theatre News Roundup: There were no complaints, so we'll stick with this format for the time being. What do you like better for closings "The Party's Over" (Bells are Ringing) or "It All Fades Away" (Bridges of Madison County)? Also, for the everything else section I'm debating between "Stop! Wait! What?!" (A Gentleman's Guide To Love and Murder) and Et Cetera, Et Cetera, Et Cetera (The King and I).

Another Op'nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

Larry David's dysfunctional family comedy Fish in the Dark, about the death of a patriarch, officially opens on Broadway March 5 at the Cort Theatre.

Come to the Cabaret (CABARETS/CONCERTS/ETC.)

The cult classic musical Reefer Madness will be presented in concert April 19-20 at 54 Below, starring a slew of the musical's original cast members.
James Monroe Iglehart will make his solo concert debut at 54 Below on May 4 for one night only.
Carol Burnett will head to the St. George Theatre on Staten Island May 9 for an evening of "off-the-cuff banter." An Evening With Carol Burnett will be held May 9 at 8 PM and is described as a "rare opportunity to talk to Carol in the same enjoyable and intimate audience-interactive format" as "The Carol Burnett Show."

We Open in Venice, We Next Play Verona (TOURS)

Following its Off-Broadway run at the Lynn Redgrave Theater, The Lion, Benjamin Scheuer's autobiographical coming-of-age musical, will launch a national tour.

Closed for Renovations (CANCELLATIONS)

March 5 evening performances of shows at two New Jersey professional theatres have been canceled owing to "extreme weather conditions." Heavy snow has forced cancellation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame at Paper Mill Playhouse and Buyer & Cellar at George Street Playhouse.

A Foggy Day in London Town (UK NEWS)

Manchester International Festival of plays has announced a series of theatre commissions for the 2015 festival, including wonder.land, a new musical inspired by Lewis Carroll's iconic "Alice in Wonderland," which will begin performances at Manchester's Palace Theatre June 29 prior to an official opening July 2 for a run through July12. It has music by Damon Albarn and book and lyrics by Moira Buffini and is directed by the National's incoming artistic director Rufus Norris.

I Want to Go to Hollywood (MOVIE NEWS)

Dan Stevens is in negotiations to play the Beast in the upcoming Disney live-action version of Beauty and the Beast, according to the Hollywood Reporter. It has also been reported that Luke Evans has been cast as Gaston.
Eddie Redmayne will next portray transgender pioneer Lili Elbe in "The Danish Girl." Directed by Tom Hooper, the film has set a release date of Nov. 27, 2015.

Stop! Wait! What?! (EVERYTHING ELSE)

Broadwaycon Update: BroadwayCon tickets will be made available in three batches, spanning several months. Beginning at 1:00pm New York time on March 15, our registration portal will be active and our first batch of tickets will go on sale. If you decide to purchase your BroadwayCon ticket from our first batch, you will be entered in a drawing to win a private meet-and-greet with BroadwayCon special guests!
Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Anna Chlumsky will host the 30th Annual Lucille Lortel Awards, which will take place May 10 at the Skirball Center. The event will also honor Terrence McNally, Jeanine Tesori and Nancy Nagel Gibbs.
The Public Theater has announced the complete line-up for its Spotlight Series of free staged readings of new plays by their Emerging Writers Group. (There are some interesting ideas but nothing jumps out from the descriptions.)
Nick & Nora, the 1991 musical, will get what’s being billed as its first fully staged post-Broadway production April 1-19 in San Francisco.
MCC Theater has announced that the final play of its 2015-16 season will be Halley Feiffer's A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Gynecologic Oncology Unit at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center of New York City. The comedy is about two strangers coming together in a cancer ward.
The Liberty theatre just off Times Square, will be transformed into Speakeasy Dollhouse: Ziegfeld's Midnight Frolic. The interactive show will re-imagine Florenz Ziegfeld's lavish 1910-20's revues of the same title. It is the third interactive show in the series from author, artist and playwright Cynthia von Buhler. Performances will run April 18-May 9.
Arkansas Repertory Theatre will be among the first professional theatre companies in the U.S. to stage The Bridges of Madison County. The production, which will take place April 8-May 1, 2016, is separate from the national tour of the Broadway production that launches this fall.

Edited March 6, 2015 by aradia22

ebk57 · March 6, 2015

I'm kinda partial to "The Party's Over" and "Stop!Wait!What?!" seems easier to type :-)

aradia22 · March 6, 2015

I was thinking about buying a $324 skirt today but I reasoned out that it'd be 8-16 Broadway/concert tickets or 3 voice lessons and put it back. Sigh...

aradia22 · March 7, 2015

Theatre News Roundup: I finally had my second voice lesson today. It didn't go as well as the first. I have to figure out how to use the time more wisely. The song's also not the best for me. I'm more "I Got Lost in His Arms" than "They Say It's Wonderful." If anyone wants me to add another location to the lineup (Washington D.C. and California seem to be the other big locations for stories) just come up with a heading and I'll throw it in.

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

The stage adaptation of "Keeping Up Appearances" premieres tonight at 7 PM in the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church's Jones Auditorium in New York and continues through March 15 at 2 PM.
Buyer & Cellar starring John Tartaglia officially opens March 6 following previews that began March 3. The George Street Playhouse production continues through March 29.
Huntington Theatre's production of George C. Wolfe's The Colored Museum, directed by Tony Award winning actor Billy Porter, will begin performances tonight in Boston.

Closed for Renovations (CANCELLATIONS)

Six performances of On the Town have been canceled in May because Univision will utilize the Lyric Theater for its upfront presentations to potential advertisers and the TV industry press. Performances of the musical are canceled for May 7-8, May 9 (matinee and evening), May 10 and 12. Univision is paying for the six canceled performances. Performances have been added for Monday, May 4 and Sunday, May 17 (at 1 PM and 7 PM).
Peter Gallagher remains out sick from On the Twentieth Century. The Tony nominee will now not make the March 6 performance or March 7 matinee as he continues to recover from a severe sinus infection. He is currently expected to return for the evening performance on March 7.

I Heard It Through the Grapevine (RUMORS)

The Broadway musical adaptation of Billy Elliot is likely in the works to dance its way back to screen, according to Stephen Daldry, who helmed both the original film and stage musical.

Come to the Cabaret (CABARETS/CONCERTS/ETC)

Broadway for Self Help Africa will bring Broadway stars to New York City's Cutting Room March 9 for a night of song and celebration benefiting Self Help Africa. The concert will feature performances from Matt Doyle, Lesli Margherita, Tamika Sonja Lawrence, Julia Murney, Maia Wilson, Josh Young, Kyle Taylor Parker, Abby Mueller, and more.
A host of Broadway favorites, including Jeremy Jordan, will perform tunes from the short-lived Marvin Hamlisch musical Sweet Smell of Success May 4 to benefit the American Cancer Society. Titled A Spring Tribute to Marvin Hamlisch, the event will be held at the Hudson Theatre at the Millennium Broadway Hotel in New York City. In addition to Jordan, the concert will feature Adam Jacobs (Aladdin), Lindsay Mendez (Wicked), Marissa McGowan, Steven Brinberg, Bernard Dotson, Peter Dugan and Charles Yang.
Broadway.com article highlighting upcoming 54 Below engagements
Shanktunes, a night of original songs by Lynne Shankel, will return to 54 Below March 22 at 9:30 PM. Shankel will be joined onstage by Katie Rose Clarke, Derek Klena, Jared Loftin, Telly Leung, Alyse Alan Louis, Lindsay Mendez, Tyler Maynard, Eric William Morris, Lauren Pritchard, Barbara Walsh and Jeanna de Waal.
The Circle, a group of award-wining songwriters, will present their third concert of original songs in New York City.

A Foggy Day in London Town (UK NEWS)

Jason Robert Brown's song cycle Songs for a New World is to receive a 20th anniversary revival production at London's St. James Theatre, beginning performances July 22, prior to an official opening July 24, for a three week run through Aug. 8.
Mark Rylance is to return to the West End, transferring in his wife Claire van Kampen's new play Farinelli and the King that is currently running at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare's Globe through March 8. It will begin performances at the Duke of York's Theatre in September. Set in eighteenth-century Spain, the play tells the true story of Farinelli, once the world’s most famous castrato and one of the greatest celebrities of his time, and his decision to trade fame and fortune in the opera-houses of Europe for a life of servitude at the court of King Philippe V of Spain.
Janie Dee is to star in the previously premiere of the musical Mrs Henderson Presents, based on the 2005 film, that begins performances at Bath's Theatre Royal Aug. 15 prior to an official opening Aug. 26, for a run through Sept. 5.
A London showcase for the work of U.S. composer/lyricist Ryan Scott Oliver is to be held at the St. James Theatre March 23, with cast that includes Emma Williams, Eva Noblezada, Daniel Boys and Anton Zetterholm.
Matthew Bourne's 2012 production of Sleeping Beauty for his company New Adventures will be revived this fall for a U.K and world tour, including a Christmas season at London's Sadlers Wells. (Last time I checked, you could still watch in online.)

Stop! Wait! What?! (EVERYTHING ELSE)

Ticketmaster promo: $39 orchestra tickets for the first 39 performances of The 39 Steps
Collected reviews for A Fish in the Dark
Trailer for An American in Paris (I'm worried that they refuse to show the singing. I've never seen any of the dance shows and those of you from the TCM board know how I feel about long, indulgent Gene Kelly dance numbers.)
The 29th Annual Easter Bonnet Competition, produced by and benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, will be held April 20 at 4:30 PM and April 21 at 2 PM at the Minskoff Theatre, home to the Tony-winning musical The Lion King. (Has anyone ever been?)
Asolo Repertory Theatre (Saratoga, Florida) will present the world premiere of the new musical Josephine about Josephine Baker beginning April 27 prior to an official opening May 6. Deborah Cox (vocals for the Whitney Houston Lifetime movie, Aida ,Jekyll & Hyde) Inspired by Stephen Papich’s book “Remembering Josephine,” the musical, according to press notes, "revolves around Baker’s stint as the star of the Folies Bergere in Paris 1939-45, her scandalous affair with Swedish Crown Prince Gustav VI, and her heroic service in the French Resistance during World War II."
Wisconsin's Capital City Theatre has announced that Broadway star Leigh Ann Larkin will star in their production of Violet. Larkin replaces previously announced Christine Dwyer. Wisconsin's Capital City Theatre has announced that Broadway star Leigh Ann Larkin (A Little Night Music, Gypsy) will star in their production of the award-winning musical Violet. Larkin replaces previously announced Christine Dwyer (Wicked).
Laura Linney and Seth Numrich star in Switzerland, a new play by Joanna Murray-Smith about famed crime novelist Patricia Highsmith, at California's Geffen Playhouse. Performances begin March 6.
The world premiere of the political drama The Originalist, a new play by John Strand about Justice Antonin Scalia, begins performances at Arena Stage March 6. Performances continue in Washington, D.C. through April 26.

Edited March 7, 2015 by aradia22

Charlie Baker · March 7, 2015

Re American in Paris: this Times article, mainly about director/choreographer Christopher Wheeldon may not alleviate your fears, aradia. It mentions how the leads have had "extensive vocal training since they started to work on the show" and there are two extended ballets. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/08/theater/christopher-wheeldon-directs-an-american-in-paris-for-broadway.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=nytimesarts&_r=0

From a previous roundup: the San Francisco production of Nick and Nora intrigues me. As a fervent Thin Man fan, I found the original production to be one of the biggest disappointments of my theatergoing life. I really wonder if a different production approach and/or revisions would make a difference.

Edited March 7, 2015 by Charlie Baker

Rinaldo · March 7, 2015

I think the only way to "save" Nick & Nora would be to discard Arthur Laurents's book and replace it with a new one, and there probably aren't the songs extant to support that. (Though there were a lot of songs cut during previews.) I saw it on its very first weekend, not having heard any word on how it was and therefore expecting a lot from the premise and participants. What a disappointment! -- as with Charlie Baker, one of my biggest ever. I just fear that it's not fixable.

aradia22 · March 8, 2015

Theatre News Roundup: I've got nothing. This redefines a slow day. I watched Say Yes to the Dress for the first time in a while to see Brynn O'Malley's appearance. There was nothing much to it. Massive eyeroll at Pnina. They had to make a dress at the end because none of her designs worked.

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

The Gallery Players production of The Baker's Wife, the Stephen Schwartz-Joseph Stein musical begins performances March 7 in Brooklyn. The staging marks the first professional NYC run of the revised version of the musical.

Stop! Wait! What?! (EVERYTHING ELSE)

Kendra Kassebaum and Louis Hobson appear in Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well & Living in Paris, that begins performances in Seattle March 7.
The co-production between The 5th Avenue Theatre and ACT – A Contemporary Theatre will officially open March 12 and continue through May 17.

Edited March 8, 2015 by aradia22

aradia22 · March 9, 2015

Ahhh! I was almost done with the theatre news roundup and I pressed backspace and got sent back to the last page I was on and... just frustrated. I'm skipping TNR for today in light of this. All I had was the openings of Liquid Plain and The Audience, some random "everything else" stories, as well as tickets for Hamilton...

Tickets go on sale at 9 AM today, Sunday, March 8, for the Broadway transfer of Hamilton, which will begin performances July 13 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. Those wishing to buy tickets in person will be directed to the larger Marquis Theatre box office next door to the Rodgers Theatre on the downtown side of 46th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue.

Rinaldo · March 9, 2015

The On the Town cast recording (2 CDs for the price of one, substantial booklet with essays and lyrics) started shipping last week for orders made directly from the label's website. (It's available elsewhere on March 17.) Mine arrived on Thursday and it sounds terrific.

aradia22 · March 10, 2015

Theatre News Roundup: I really need a heading for casting news.

We Open in Venice, We Next Play Verona (TOURS)

A revival of the 1997 Tony-winning musical Titanic will embark on a national tour which will play the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles in 2016. Titanic is one of four national tours of Tony-winning musicals that will be presented on Center Theatre Group's 2015-2016 subscription season, the others being The Sound of Music, The Bridges of Madison County and A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder.

Let Me Be Your Star (TV NEWS)

Lauren Ambrose has landed a leading role in the ABC drama pilot "Broad Squad" whose cast includes Charlotte Spencer, Cody Horn, Rutina Wesley, Michael Gaston, Kenneth Mitchell and Alberto Frezza. The show is described as a "fictionalized account of the graduating class of Boston’s first female patrol officers in 1978."

Stop! Wait! What?! (EVERYTHING ELSE)

Collected reviews of The Audience
Julie Halston will take over the four roles played by Jackie Hoffman in the Broadway revival of On the Town starting March 10 while Hoffman recovers from a foot injury
Seattle Repertory Theatre will present Lizard Boy, a world-premiere rock musical written and performed by Seattle native Justin Huertas, March 27-May 2 on the Leo K. Theatre Stage.
Ben Platt has joined the cast of the world premiere of Dear Evan Hansen, a new musical with a book by Steven Levenson, lyrics by Benj Pasek and music by Justin Paul (Dogfight). The show will premiere this summer at Arena Stage in Washington D.C.
Two-time Tony winner Patti LuPone and Emmy winner Bobby Cannavale will star in a one-night-only reading of Tennessee Williams' The Rose Tattoo next month to benefit The Acting Company. Tony winner Doug Hughes will direct the April 27 performance at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. Show time is 7 PM.
The Kindling Theater Company and Apartment 10C Productions will present the world premiere of Leave Me Green by Lisi DeHaas. The dramedy, set in New York during the historic moment when marriage equality was passed, will explore the "challenges of building a queer community while raising non-queer kids." Directed by Jay Stull, Leave Me Green will play the Gym at Judson March 20-April 11. Opening night is scheduled for March 26.
The Théâtre du Châtelet will present Singin' in the Rain. The production will play 15 performances March 12-26. The show will be performed entirely in English with French subtitles. Dan Burton will play Don Lockwood, Daniel Crossley will portray Cosmo Brown, Clare Halse will be Kathy Selden, and Emma Kate Nelson will be Lina Lamont.
The Montefiore Einstein Center for Bioethics will host a reading of Donald Margulies' one-act play July 7, 1994 March 16 to benefit its scholarship fund.
The evening at The Dalton School, which begins at 6 PM, will feature the acting talents of Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Kate Jennings Grant, Matthew Greer, Joseph Grifasi and Daphne Rubin-Vega. Charlie Polinger will direct. The one-act, according to press notes, "addresses the moral distress of a young physician working hard amid divisions posed by class, race, and a broken health care system."
Arielle Jacobs, whose brother Adam Jacobs is currently starring in the Disney musical Aladdin, returns to Broadway March 10 in Wicked. Jacobs succeeds Catherine Charlebois in the role of Nessarose. The evening performance also welcomes the return of P.J. Benjamin as The Wizard; Benjamin follows Tom McGowan in the role.

aradia22 · March 10, 2015

Theatre News Roundup: So much for being good. I dropped almost $200 on vintage shopping today. Oops. I Hope I Get It from A Chorus Line is going to be our Casting News Heading and I Wanna Be A Producer can be our In the Works heading until I think of something better.

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

Cush Jumbo brings her one-woman play Josephine and I to Joe's Pub at the Public Theater, officially opening March 10 following previews that began Feb. 27.
Signature Theatre's world premiere of the new musical Soon plays the Arlington, VA, venue March 10-April 26.
McCarter Theater presents Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Hound of the Baskervilles." The comedic murder mystery begins previews March 10 with an official opening night set for March 13.

I Wanna Be A Producer (IN THE WORKS)

Berkeley Repertory Theatre has announced its 48th season, which will include the world-premiere musical adaptation of Amélie. Amélie, directed by MacKinnon is written by Craig Lucas (An American in Paris, Prelude to a Kiss) and features music by Daniel Messé with lyrics by Nathan Tysen (The Burnt Part Boys, Tuck Everlasting) and Messé. (I haven't heard about Amelie in months. It's nice that it hasn't been abandoned.)
Hazel: A Musical Maid in America will give four invitation-only performances May 28 and 29 at the Lyric Theatre performance space. Lucie Arnaz will direct. Klea Blackhurst will repeat her role as Hazel in the second New York City reading. "Hazel, a saucy maid with a wry sense of humor, timeless wisdom, and a heart of gold, was created by cartoonist Ted Key. She first appeared in the Saturday Evening Post in 1943 as a single-panel cartoon which ran until the magazine went out of print in 1969. Hazel was also brought to life by Shirley Booth on a TV sitcom of the same name."

I Heard It Through the Grapevine (RUMORS)

The Honeymooners, a new musical based on the CBS television series — that was to make its world premiere as part of Goodspeed Musicals' 2015 season — may be on the fast track to Broadway.

One Song Glory (ALBUMS)

The Cast of Side Show Reunites in "Added Attractions," which was recorded live March 9 at 54 Below, will be released in May.

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

Matt Doyle, who originated the title role in the Off-Broadway production of Ryan Scott Oliver and Hunter Foster's Jasper in Deadland, will head to Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre to reprise his performance. (No idea what this means for Brooklynite.)
Fran Drescher will join the touring company of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella for the Los Angeles engagement of the award-winning Broadway musical.

We Open in Venice, We Next Play Verona (TOURS)

The Bridges of Madison County will launch its U.S. national tour this November at the Des Moines Civic Center. The tour will launch Nov. 28 with an official opening set for Dec. 1 in Des Moines. Additional stops on the tour include Los Angeles, CA (Ahmanson Theatre); Washington, D.C. (The Kennedy Center); Dallas, TX (Music Hall at Fair Park); Pittsburgh, PA (Benedum Center); Minneapolis, MN (Orpheum Theatre); Las Vegas, NV (The Smith Center); Houston, TX (The Hobby Center); West Palm Beach, FL (Kravis Center); Fayetteville, AR (Walton Arts Center); and Dayton, OH (Schuster Center).

They Mean Chicago, Illinois (CHICAGO NEWS)

Mary Zimmerman is directing a new adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s pirate classic, Treasure Island. It will open the 2015-16 season at Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre Company, where she is an ensemble member. No cast has yet been announced for the production, which will open Oct. 17 and run through the holiday season.

A Foggy Day in London Town (UK NEWS)

George and Ira Gershwin's 1932 musical Of Thee I Sing is to be given its London concert debut at the Royal Festival Hall for one performance only July 31.
The West End premiere run of a revised version of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown which was originally booking for a 20-week limited run only has extended through Aug. 22, when it will shutter.
London's Orange Tree is to transfer its 2014 production of Alistair McDowall's Pomona to the National Theatre and Manchester's Royal Exchange. It has also newly announced the return of last year's production of Deborah Bruce's The Distance to the Orange Tree following a run at Sheffield's Crucible Studio, as well as another world premiere in Adam Barnard's buckets.

Let Me Be Your Star (TV NEWS)

Diane Sawyer and Julie Andrews will collaborate on "The Untold Story of 'The Sound of Music,'" a one-hour special on their journey to Salzburg, Austria to relive the creation of the classic 1965 movie musical, "The Sound of Music." The special is scheduled for broadcast at 10 PM ET March 18 on ABC-TV.
Alice Lee, a contestant on ABC's "Rising Star" who was seen Off-Broadway in Heathers, has been cast in "Detour," inspired by the real-life story of Weezer lead singer Rivers Cuomo. (Did anyone continue watching Rising Star long enough to see who won?)

Stop! Wait! What?! (EVERYTHING ELSE)

An all-new version of Alan Menken and David Spencer's The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz: The Musical will feature an all-Canadian cast led by Ken James Stewart when it bows in Montreal this June. The show runs June 7-28 at the Segal Centre in Montreal, where the story is set. Menken wrote the first version of the score for Duddy between Little Shop of Horrors and Little Mermaid. The musical was first presented in Philadelphia as part of the 1987 American Music Theatre Festival, but did not continue on to Broadway. Menken and Spencer continued to work on it after the Philadelphia production. It now has a completely new libretto by Spencer.
Lindsay Maron, a 20-year-old college sophomore at Northwestern University and founder of New Jersey's Pixie Dust Players — a theatre company solely for children and teenagers to perform for audiences of all ages — got the go-ahead from Stephen Schwartz to adapt his epic two-act musical Children of Eden for younger performers.
Sarah Brightman is working with ex-husband Lloyd Webber on a piece of music she will perform during her upcoming trip to the International Space Station.

aradia22 · March 10, 2015

Broadway.com video of Nathaniel Hackmann singing 'They Call the Wind Maria' from the upcoming New York City Center Encores production of Paint Your Wagon

Here's Keith Carradine with I Still Dream of Elisa

As always, fair warning, it starts playing automatically. What are your thoughts, Rinaldo?

Rick Kitchen · March 11, 2015

Y'know, as much as I like Matt Doyle, he needs to give up playing a teenager.

Deadland's Seattle run only lasts ten days, though there are preview performances.

Brooklynite apparently only runs through March 29.

aradia22 · March 11, 2015

Back from Constellations. First of all, I was feeling a bit misanthropic because of all the slow-walkers who made me late. Thankfully, even though I was late, the show had not started yet and I was able to find my way to my seat minutes before the play began. It felt both like a short play and a long play at 1 hour and 10 minutes. It was short, in that I felt like I could have watched more when it was over but it felt long because around the time it was winding up I began wondering if there would be an intermission. As for the play itself, I think it's a real actor's play and a real writer's play. It's clearly an actor's play because it's all about giving these different line readings and I was impressed at how quickly they could shift and jump to different emotional spaces. It's an exercise, a challenge. It's a writer's play because you don't really have to make decisions. You don't have to kill your darlings. You can keep every precious line of dialogue. You can play out the scene as many ways as you want to. I think the real strength of the story is that core drama of Marianne's disease. I wasn't sure if it was cancer or a genetic disease but regardless, having that weight there anchored what might have otherwise just felt like a writing/acting exercise. I'm glad I saw it. I bought the script so I could reread it at my leisure.

Now, to the theatrical experience. Oh my God. It's spring. Why were so many people coughing? And there's a big insert in the Playbill about turning off your phone. But I swear 10 or more phones went off during the performance. I'm not exaggerating. And again, it was only an hour and 10 minutes. People.

Rinaldo · March 11, 2015

Here's Keith Carradine with I Still Dream of Elisa

As always, fair warning, it starts playing automatically. What are your thoughts, Rinaldo?

(Just a note that the song is "I Still See Elisa.") I try not to have thoughts in advance of these events. (I don't read the reviews, which appear by the time I go, either.) They seem to have cast it well, though. I couldn't think of someone in the right age range and type for Ben, and when they announced Keith Carradine I thought "Oh, of course!" His rendition seems to confirm his rightness. But these press performances are thrown together after a day of rehearsal, to provide something to write about, so I never figure they're going to resemble the final product much.

aradia22 · March 11, 2015

Theatre News Roundup: Trying to decide how insane it would be to get out of work early on Sunday to go stand another hour or two at the stage door so Jake Gyllenhaal can sign my script and Playbill. He came out today but he skipped over my part of the line when people from the back asked for photos.

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

Chicago will welcome John Dossett to the cast at the Ambassador Theatre at the March 14 matinee. Dossett was originally slated to debut as Billy Flynn in January, but was sidelined with an unrelated injury during his final week of rehearsals.

I Heard It Through the Grapevine (RUMORS)

The New York Post reports that Howard Panter of the London-based Ambassador Theatre Group is looking to expand his holdings in the Times Square area, having purchased the Lyric Theatre last year.

Brush Up Your Shakespeare (SHAKESPEARE)

Bedlam Theatre Company stages William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night; or What You Will, played in two different ways on alternating nights with only five actors. Previews begin March 11 with an official opening night scheduled for March 22 at the Dorothy Strelsin Theatre Off-Broadway.

Come to the Cabaret (CABARETS/CONCERTS/ETC)

54 Below will present Sondheimas, "the annual quasi-religious celebration of the birth of the savior of musical theater, Stephen Sondheim." The concert will be performed March 21, on the eve of the legendary composer's 85th birthday.
To celebrate its 25th anniversary--and just in time for composer Stephen Sondheim's 85th birthday--Signature Theatre has assembled a new revue called Simply Sondheim, running April 2-19 at the theatre in Arlington, VA.

One Song Glory (ALBUMS)

Josh Groban will release his newest album, titled "Stages," April 28. Track listing: Pure Imagination, What I Did For Love, Bring Him Home, Le Temps Des Cathédrales, All I Ask Of You (feat. Kelly Clarkson), Try To Remember, Over the Rainbow, Children Will Listen"/"Not While I'm Around, You'll Never Walk Alone, Old Devil Moon, Finishing the Hat, If I Loved You, Anthem

They Mean Chicago, Illinois (CHICAGO NEWS)

Chicago premiere of the new Broadway-aimed musical First Wives Club, which officially opens March 11 at 7:30 PM following previews that began Feb. 17 in Chicago’s Oriental Theatre.

Stop! Wait! What?! (EVERYTHING ELSE)

The Kennedy Center will present its 2015 Spring Gala, which is titled It Don’t Mean a Thing… A Celebration of Swing, May 3 in the Concert Hall.
The evening will boast the talents of six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald, "Smash" star Megan Hilty, Grammy winners Terence Blanchard and Paquito D'Rivera and the Puppini Sisters, who will pay tribute to the Andrews Sisters. The Paul Taylor Dance Company and the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, under the direction of Grammy-winning jazz producer John Clayton, will also be featured.
Video of the cast of Gigi performing The Night They Invented Champagne on GMA. It feels like a high school production.
The 2015 Tribeca Film Festival will celebrate the 40th anniversary of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" in April. The celebration will include a special screening of the film April 24 at the Beacon Theatre. The five surviving members of the comedy group, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin, will come together for the presentation. Tickets go on sale on March 23 at www.tribecafilm.com.
The one-night-only Broadway benefit concert of Bombshell is set to be a "Smash" as Christian Borle, Will Chase, Megan Hilty, Katharine McPhee and Debra Messing line up to star in the anticipated event that will take place June 8 at the Minskoff Theatre. Tickets go on sale in mid-April. Less than two hours after casting and ticket information was announced March 11 for a one-night-only concert of Bombshell that will take place June 8 at Broadway's Minskoff Theatre, more than 450 backers pledged upwards of $50,000 on Kickstarter in order to gain access to ticket pre-sale for the event.
59E59 Theaters will present the tenth season of the Brits Off Broadway festival, offering New York premieres of the best of new British theatre. Performances will run April 14-June 28.
Alec Baldwin is set to star in a June 9-28 revival of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons. Baldwin will appear opposite Laurie Metcalf at Guild Hall in East Hampton, in a production directed by Stephen Hamilton.
This summer the Atlas Performing Arts Center in Washington, D.C. will remount the Landless Theatre Company's production of Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - Prog Metal Version. Performances will run July 9-Aug. 2.

aradia22 · March 12, 2015

Finally popped in the album of Violet I bought from amazon in preparation for Sutton Foster at Carnegie Hall Friday. A little underwhelmed by the lyrics through most of it but I'm at the end now. And crying. So much crying.

ebk57 · March 12, 2015

Finally popped in the album of Violet I bought from amazon in preparation for Sutton Foster at Carnegie Hall Friday. A little underwhelmed by the lyrics through most of it but I'm at the end now. And crying. So much crying.

I like the show a lot. Went in with no expectations and was quite moved by the end.

I'll be interested in your thoughts about Sutton's concert. I saw her at Strathmore here last year and found her to be quite boring. Wonderful voice, but almost no personality, which surprised and disappointed me.

aradia22 · March 12, 2015

One other thing about Constellations. It's almost funny to me how other people in the audience seem programmed to gasp when someone is hit on stage, especially when it's a woman. It's that moment an audience turns into a panto crowd. I'm personally a very quiet audience member. I don't believe in applauding just when the actors walk out (which happened this afternoon). You generally won't hear a peep out of me until it's time to applaud at the end.

I'm going to the concert with no expectations of being entertained outside of the music. As is clear from the Broadway.com vlogs, everyone is not an entertainer in the same way. I'll be sure to check in with my thoughts, if not that night, then the next. We'll see how the stage door goes. The last NY Pops concert, Andrew Rannells came out and Stephanie J. Block went out another entrance to the afterparty.

Rinaldo · March 12, 2015

Broadway World has a longer preview video for Paint Your Wagon, with several interviews as well as the same two songs seen elsewhere.

Charlie Baker · March 12, 2015

I've never seen Sutton Foster in a concert or cabaret appearance, but there is a live recording of her at the Cafe Carlyle which shows a fair amount of personality.

I bow to no one in my admiration for Sondheim, and certainly his 85th birthday deserves recognition, but another compilation revue? A concert with maybe some different approaches to some of the songs seems more interesting to me.

Rinaldo · March 12, 2015

I bow to no one in my admiration for Sondheim, and certainly his 85th birthday deserves recognition, but another compilation revue? A concert with maybe some different approaches to some of the songs seems more interesting to me.

In fairness, the announced revue seems to be local to the DC area (where Signature Theatre is, in Arlington VA), and the theater has made its name with its Sondheim over the years. With the local fanbase and performer resources it's built up, I feel like it's entitled to a revue (even if I won't bother to travel to see it). And who knows... it may amount to pretty much a concert.

aradia22 · March 13, 2015

Theatre News Roundup: I started watching the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt today. I binged through 8 episodes. Episodes are very short but also very watchable. It's a good fit for Netflix. I wish Selfie had gone the Netflix route. Tituss Burgess, Jane Krakowski, and Carol Kane are in the main cast but it's not really that Broadway. It's more focused on Kimmy. Tituss sings every so often. James Monroe Iglehardt makes a cameo. That's really it. But it's charming. If you have Netflix and time to kill, give it a chance. Just not for the theatre angle.

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

The Broadway revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I, starring five-time Tony Award nominee Kelli O'Hara and Ken Watanabe, begins performances March 12 on the vast stage of Lincoln Center Theater. (So excited for when I finally go to see it. I have a feeling I'm going to want to see it again. Obviously, I won't but I'll probably want to.)
New York Spring Spectacular, the new multi-media Rockettes stage production begins March 12 at Radio City Music Hall.
The Los Angeles premiere of the re-imagined Carrie begins performances March 12, prior to an official opening March 18, at Southern California's La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

HOORAY!!! Producers Lorenzo Thione and Andrew Treagus announced March 12 that Tony Award winner Lea Salonga and Telly Leung will star in the Broadway premiere of the new musical Allegiance next season. The production is scheduled to begin previews Oct. 6 at the Longacre Theatre (220 West 48th Street) prior to an official opening Nov. 8.
Casting has been announced for the world premiere of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice A Musical, which will play the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts April 17-May 10. The cast comprises Bets Malone as Jane Austen, Jill Van Velzer as Cassandra Austen, Andrew Arrow as Mr. Gardiner, Brandon Andrus as Fitzwilliam Darcy, Mathew D'Amico as Dream Soldier, Eddie Egan as Mr. Bingley, Samantha Eggers as Jane Bennet, Arielle Fishman as Lydia Bennet, Kimberly Hessler as Mary Bennet, Matthew Kacergis as Mr. Wickham, Jamison Lingle as Caroline Bingley, Katharine Kelly McDonough as Kitty Bennet, Patricia Noonan as Elizabeth Bennet, Gregory North as Mr. Bennet, Amanda Naughton as Mrs. Bennet, Jeff Skowron as Mr. Collins, Brian Steven Shaw as Dream Soldier and Leigh Brian Wakeford as Dream Soldier. The musical, according to press notes, "springs to life when the author re-imagines the world of her novel. As the compelling love story of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy unfolds, Austen learns to see both the story and herself in a new light." Tickets range from $20 - $70 and can be purchased at La Mirada Theatre’s website. (If anyone goes to see this in California, please report back.)

Come to the Cabaret (CABARETS/CONCERTS/ETC)

My F#*ked Up Valentine, a concert about the joys and perils of dating in New York City, will be held March 19 at 54 Below. The evening, set to begin at 9:30 PM, will benefit the LGBT Center of NYC.

They Mean Chicago, Illinois (CHICAGO NEWS)

The Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green musical Wonderful Town, directed by Tony winner Mary Zimmerman, will be part of the Goodman Theatre's 2015-16 season.
The Court Theatre Chicago has announced the cast for its production of Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon's The Secret Garden to be directed by award-winning artistic director Charles Newell. Performances will run May 21 – June 21, with an official opening night scheduled for May 30. The cast includes James Earl Jones II ("Poker House"), Elizabeth Ledo (The Real Thing), Rob Lindley ("Angels in America"), Aubrey McGrath, Christine Mild, Alka Nayyar, Jeff Parker, Jennie Sophia, Marya Grandy, Maya Hlava and Tori Whaples.

A Foggy Day in London Town (UK NEWS)

Michael Urie is to reprise his award-winning Off-Broadway performance in Jonathan Tolins' Buyer and Cellar, beginning performances at London's Menier Chocolate Factory March 12, prior to an official opening March 19, for a run through May 2.
London's Almeida Theatre is planning to stage a season of ancient Greek plays from May to November, with new versions of Oresteia, Bakkai and Medea that will variously feature Lia Wiliams, Ben Whishaw and Bertie Carvel, and Kate Fleetwood.

Stop! Wait! What?! (EVERYTHING ELSE)

The reviews (4 at the moment) for The First Wives Club musical
A powerhouse trio of director George C. Wolfe, choreographer Savion Glover and six-time Tony-winning star Audra McDonald will converge in the forthcoming new Broadway musical, Shuffle Along, Or, The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed.
The initial batch of tickets for the first-ever BroadwayCon, an event that will bring together theatre fans and Broadway stars, will go on sale March 15. The second batch of BroadwayCon tickets go on sale July 18, with the third and final batch released on Oct. 17. Available packages include a $125 Day Pass, a $250 General Pass and a $600 VIP Pass.
The revised production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Love Never Dies is set to return to Europe this fall with performances to take place at Stage Operettenhaus in Hamburg, Germany.
12 minute mini-documentary on the Sondheim: A Musical Tribute concert at the Shubert Theatre in 1973. (I don't get it either.)

aradia22 · March 13, 2015

American in Paris Rush Policy: "Beginning with first preview, a very limited amount of general rush tickets for performances on the same day will be available for purchase exclusively at the box office. Rush tickets are $32 each including a facility fee, are limited to two per person, and are subject to the availability of each particular day. The Palace Theatre box office hours are Monday-Saturday 10am-8pm, Sundays beginning April 12 from 12pm-6pm."

Julia · March 14, 2015

Samantha Eggers as Jane Bennet

I read this as Samantha Eggar, and it hurt my brain a little.

aradia22 · March 14, 2015

Back from Sutton Foster at Carnegie Hall. There was a bit too much NY Pops for me. I wanted more Sutton. Joshua Henry also had two solos in addition to his duet with Sutton. It was less of her big solo debut at Carnegie and more of her being a featured guest. She danced with Joshua Henry during one song but aside from that she seemed a bit stiff. A lot of parking and barking. I mean, obviously she's a fantastic performer but I got what you were saying ebk57. She didn't go above and beyond. I'm guessing most of the people there loved her but I don't know if she would have won new people over. Her in between/set up segments (my brain is working slowly this late) were forced like when she pretended that they were going to reenact a video she was watching on youtube. And again, the parking and barking. But I've only seen her live in The Drowsy Chaperone so this was fun. I can give you the setlist if you want but it was mostly Anything Goes and stuff from her CD. Surprise Rose's Turn at the end. I think she's still a ways off from playing the role. I was in the Dress Circle. It was mostly full but there were more than a few empty seats throughout the house. Still, it was a fun night. My socks stayed on but I left happy. :)

aradia22 · March 14, 2015

Theatre News Roundup: After Midnight Edition

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

An American in Paris arrives at Broadway's Palace Theatre March 13 prior to an official opening April 12.
The Broadway production of David Hare's Skylight, starring Carey Mulligan, Bill Nighy and Matthew Beard — who all re-create their acclaimed London performances — begins performances March 13 at the John Golden Theatre. The West End import will officially open April 2 for a 13-week limited engagement through June 21.
Profiles Theatre presents the world premiere of Genius by Kate Walbert, acclaimed author of the award-winning novel "A Short History of Women." Performances begin March 13 at The Alley Stage and will run through May 3.
Hand to God, starring Steven Boyer in his acclaimed performance as a boy and his foul-mouthed hand puppet, begins previews March 14 at the Booth Theatre.
Laura Linney and Seth Numrich star in Switzerland, a new play by Joanna Murray-Smith about famed crime novelist Patricia Highsmith, at California's Geffen Playhouse. The play officially opens March 13 following previews that began March 6.
McCarter Theater presents Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Hound of the Baskervilles." The comedic murder mystery officially opens March 13, following previews that began March 10.

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

T.R. Knight will join the cast of It's Only a Play in the role of Frank Finger March 31 — the same day that Nathan Lane returns to the cast in the role of James Wicker. Knight will replace Maulik Pancholy in the role created on Broadway by Rupert Grint.

I Heard It Through the Grapevine (RUMORS)

Josh Gad is in final negotiations to play Le Fou in Disney's upcoming live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast

One Song Glory (ALBUMS)

Tony Yazbeck will record "The Floor Above Me," a new solo album based on his new nightclub act. PS Classics will record the studio album that will arrive in stores May 19. The recording is based on Yazbeck's solo show The Floor Above Me, which premiered at 54 Below last August and will play a March 16 and 23 encore run there.
A cast album for the Broadway revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I, starring five-time Tony Award nominee Kelli O'Hara and Ken Watanabe, will be released in June on Decca Broadway/Universal Music Classics, Playbill.com has confirmed.

A Foggy Day in London Town (UK NEWS)

Jonathan Groff will star as J. Pierrepont Finch in the previously announced London concert staging of How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying at the Royal Festival Hall May 19.
Rebecca LaChance, who recently made her Broadway debut in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical as a featured ensemble member while understudying Jessie Mueller in the title role, is to play Mabel Normand opposite Michael Ball as Mack Sennett in the previously announced new production of Mack & Mabel that will begin performances at Chichester Festival Theatre July 13, prior to an official opening July 21, for a run through September 5.   Following its Chichester run, it will also tour the UK from Oct. 1 to Dec. 6.

I Want to Go to Hollywood (MOVIE NEWS)

Walt Disney Animation Studios' new short film "Frozen Fever" opens in theatres March 13 in front of Disney's live-action "Cinderella." Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, the short features an original song by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez titled "Making Today a Perfect Day," and marks the first project reuniting the Oscar-winning original team from Disney's "Frozen.
Twenty years after it was made and 15 years after it was released in cinemas, the film adaptation of The Fantasticks is finally getting a release in Blu-Ray format in a limited 3,000-copy edition from Twilight Time.

Stop! Wait! What?! (EVERYTHING ELSE)

Strong demand for tickets has prompted La Jolla Playhouse to extend the runs of its first two productions of its 2015-16 season: the world premieres of Come from Away and Up Here.
Bucks County Playhouse has announced that its 2015 season will step up to the plate with National Pastime, a new musical comedy about baseball and romance to be directed by Hunter Foster. The cast features a lineup of Broadway vets and will run April 2-19.

ebk57 · March 14, 2015

Back from Sutton Foster at Carnegie Hall. There was a bit too much NY Pops for me. I wanted more Sutton. Joshua Henry also had two solos in addition to his duet with Sutton. It was less of her big solo debut at Carnegie and more of her being a featured guest. She danced with Joshua Henry during one song but aside from that she seemed a bit stiff. A lot of parking and barking. I mean, obviously she's a fantastic performer but I got what you were saying ebk57. She didn't go above and beyond. I'm guessing most of the people there loved her but I don't know if she would have won new people over. Her in between/set up segments (my brain is working slowly this late) were forced like when she pretended that they were going to reenact a video she was watching on youtube. And again, the parking and barking. But I've only seen her live in The Drowsy Chaperone so this was fun. I can give you the setlist if you want but it was mostly Anything Goes and stuff from her CD. Surprise Rose's Turn at the end. I think she's still a ways off from playing the role. I was in the Dress Circle. It was mostly full but there were more than a few empty seats throughout the house. Still, it was a fun night. My socks stayed on but I left happy. :)

Park and bark is a great phrase! That's exactly what she did - stood there and sang songs. And she sings songs really nicely. But she just stood there. For exactly one hour. And then she left. I could have saved the money I spent to sit in the 5th row and sat upstairs... I still love her in shows, but I'm less inclined to go see her in concert again.

aradia22 · March 14, 2015

Oh, randomness... I'm pretty sure I saw Debi Mazar (her co-star in Younger) last night while I was heading out.

aradia22 · March 15, 2015

I am filled with impotent rage. I did not go stage door to get Jake Gyllenhaal's autograph on my Playbill and Constellations script. I got called into work. And I did not manage to leave early because it is super busy today. I am still at work. (insert angsty teenage groan here)

aradia22 · March 16, 2015

Theatre News Roundup: I skipped yesterday because there was pretty much nothing to report. Today is similarly a slow news day with mainly openings. Listening to Anything Goes. The Patti Lupone version.

Another Op'nin Another Show (OPENINGS)

Roundabout Theatre Company's Broadway revival of On the Twentieth Century officially opens March 15 at the American Airlines Theatre. Reviews will be posted here as they're added.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the new musical based on the Victor Hugo novel and animated Disney film, opens at the Paper Mill Playhouse March 15 following previews that began March 4. Michael Arden, Patrick Page and Ciara Renée star.
Finding Neverland, the new Broadway musical that tells the tale of how Peter became Pan, begins performances March 15 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
The Atlantic Theater Company's world premiere of Posterity, a new play by Tony Award winner Doug Wright (I Am My Own Wife, Grey Gardens), opens March 15 following previews that began Feb. 25.

aradia22 · March 16, 2015

Theatre News Roundup: By the way, I feel like I should let you know now that I'm going on be going on vacation in April. Message me through previously if any of you want to take over while I'm away.

I Wanna Be A Producer (IN THE WORKS)

Sweet Potato Queens, a new musical with a book by Rupert Holmes and music by Melissa Manchester, will get its first public reading March 21 and 22 in Houston.

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

Cynthia Erivo, who earned raves from U.K. and American critics for her performance in the plum lead role of Celie in the 2013 London production of The Color Purple, has been tapped to recreate her performance in the fall 2015 Broadway revival of the musical.

Brush Up Your Shakespeare (SHAKESPEARE)

The fifth annual Shakespeare's Birthday Sonnet Slam will be held in New York April 24, featuring more than 150 volunteers performing all 154 of Shakespeare's sonnets in numerical order. The slam will be held at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park and is a free event open to the public.
The Acting Company's New York season will present two classic works in repertory, one a comedy, the other a tragedy: a newly commissioned adaptation of Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in Arthur's Court; and a new production of Macbeth. Performances will run April 1-12 at Off-Broadway's Pearl Theatre.

Come to the Cabaret (CABARETS/CONCERTS/ETC)

In celebration of the March 24 in-home debut of "Into the Woods" and Stephen Sondheim's 85th birthday, a lineup of Broadway performers will gather March 22 (the composer-lyricist's birthday) for a concert at 42West. Appearing at the 8 PM concert will be Billy Magnussen, MacKenzie Mauzy, Lilla Crawford, Rufus Wainwright, Michael McElroy and the Broadway Inspirational Voices, Norm Lewis, Lance Horne, Michael J. Moritz Jr., Christopher Sieber, Constantine Maroulis, Kristen Olness, Tituss Burgess, Welz Kauffman, Michael-Leon Wooley, Karen Ziemba, Chip Zien, Molly Pope and Kristin Olness, among others.

We Open in Venice, We Next Play Verona (TOURS)

Riverdance, the acclaimed international showcase of Irish dance, is back by popular demand with a 20th anniversary world tour. The production will perform in more than 60 North American cities including Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas and Denver.

A Foggy Day in London Town (UK NEWS)

A newly revised bilingual adaptation of Oscar Hammerstein II and Georges Bizet's Carmen Jones, which was first workshopped in Havana, Cuba last summer, will receive a New York reading later this month prior to a 2016 London premiere. Titled Carmencita Jones, the new incarnation of the 1943 work is directed by award-winning British director Christopher Henshaw. Cuban playwright and poet Norge Espinosa Mendoza penned the new Spanish script and lyrics.
Closer to Heaven, the 2001 musical that featured an original club score by the Pet Shop Boys and a book by playwright Jonathan Harvey, is to receive its first London revival. It will begin performances April 22, prior to an official opening April 28, for a run through May 23.

I Want to Go to Hollywood (MOVIE NEWS)

Disney announced March 16 that its forthcoming live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, which will be released in 3D, will hit theatres March 17, 2017. Kevin Kline and Emma Thompson are among the latest stars confirmed. It has also been confirmed that Thompson has joined the cast as Mrs. Potts, while Kline has been revealed to play Belle's father, Maurice. (I'm not sure how I feel about this casting. I like that they're going for talented actors with prestige and clout but everyone's starting to seem a bit too pretty for a story about the importance of looking past appearances.)

Let Me Be Your Star (TV NEWS)

Matt Bomer and Cheyenne Jackson have been cast in "American Horror Story: Hotel," according to Variety.
Matthew James Thomas and Eddie Izzard are among the actors who have signed on for the new period TV drama series "The Devil You Know," which centers on the Salem Witch Trials, according to Deadline.com. Jenji Kohan is co-writing the series with Bruce Miller and Tracy Miller for HBO.

Stop! Wait! What?! (EVERYTHING ELSE)

REVIEWS of John Cameron Mitchell in Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Hunchback at Papermill
Churchill, a new play adapted and performed by Ronald Keaton and directed by Kurt Johns has announced it will extend performances through July 12 at New World Stages due to strong demand for tickets. The show began previews Off-Broadway Feb. 6 and was originally scheduled to to run through May 31.

aradia22 · March 17, 2015

Theatre News Roundup: Before I do my nails in preparation for seeing On the Twentieth Century tomorrow (So excited it might hard to fall asleep! I hope it's not as windy as it was today.) it's time for the TNR. Again, message me if you would like to take over TNR for part of April.

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

It Shoulda Been You, the new Broadway musical comedy starring Tyne Daly, Harriet Harris, David Burtka and Sierra Boggess, begins previews March 17 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.
Anthony Warlow plays Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha. Performances begin March 17 at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C.
59E59 Theaters presents the New York premiere of Lonesome Traveller, a musical journey through the history of folk music in America, from 1920's Appalachia to the nightclubs of New York and San Francisco. Written and directed by James O'Neil, the show features nine singer/musicians and classic folk songs.

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

Barrett Wilbert Weed will star as Sally Bowles — opposite "Smash" actor Wesley Taylor as the Emcee — in Cabaret at the Signature Theatre presented May 12-June 28 as part of the company's 25th anniversary season in Arlington, VA.
The long-running revival of Chicago will welcome back to the cast Paige Davis as Roxie Hart and Amra-Faye Wright as Velma Kelly starting March 30 at the Ambassador Theatre. Now in its 19th year, the show is the longest-running American musical in Broadway history.

A Foggy Day in London Town (UK NEWS)

Love Me Tender a re-titled version of the 2005 Broadway musical All Shook Up that was inspired by and features the music of Elvis Presley, is to receive its British premiere in a production being mounted for a U.K. tour that will begin performances June 5 at Manchester's Opera House.
Duncan James, who is part of the band Blue, is to lead the cast of a new U.K. touring production of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, beginning performances Aug. 14.

Stop! Wait! What?! (EVERYTHING ELSE)

PBS has scheduled a national encore of the 2004 Emmy Award-winning film "Judy Garland: By Myself" March 20 from 9-11 PM ET on PBS.

aradia22 · March 19, 2015

Hello my dears,

I am just back from On the Twentieth Century. I did stage door but the show actually started a little late and seemed to run a bit long. It was an interesting experience as this is the first time in my memory that I've gotten to compare a musical to a TCM movie. At first I was thrown by the American Airlines theatre. It's beautiful and my Hiptix seat in the front mezzanine was actually great since the mezzanine is so close to the stage (a little closer and it feels like we'd be on top of the performers). But the frescoes and carvings and starry sky dome didn't fit the Art Deco style of the show or the curtain. But as soon as the lights came down and they started to light the curtain, I was into the world of the show. It's one of the more beautiful curtains I can remember. Still, hearing the overture, the show was already feeling curiously static and that feeling never really went away.

Though they've already opened, it's not feeling like a well-oiled machine yet. If you're going to put dancers in a line, I want precision. I want the Rockettes. The porters were a slight letdown though I did like the part where the tapping felt reminiscent of the sound of a train. The costumes are great. Very colorful and fun. I wasn't a fan of the train at first. It looks a bit too much like a motor home/monorail. Throughout the show they had fun with it though. I just wish most of that wasn't in the second act. The train looks beautiful from the inside though.

Two numbers really cut the momentum of the first act. Our Private World and Mrs. Primose's number just bring the show to a screeching halt. This show has a real problem with motivated songs that move the plot forward.

Never was a major high point. A lot of the Kristen-heavy numbers injected life into the show but I don't think it ever got better than Never.

The structure of the show is a bit convoluted, especially compared to the way the movie tells the story.

A good chunk of the audience was totally with it though. In an annoying way. Applauding everything... including basically everyone's entrances. Lots of laughter for things I would describe as mildly amusing at best.

There were moments (particularly at the beginning) where Gallagher was mugging with some of that John Barrymore crazy fire in his eyes and a few lines where Chenoweth was really channeling Madeline Kahn. However, while neither performance was mimicry throughout, I never really felt like either (or really anyone) had a strong characterization/character interpretation. And it's not really their faults with the way the characters are written. Why is Oscar Jaffee both a genius impresario of the THEATRE and also seemingly a hack who puts on terrible flashy productions? When he's singing about Hollywood in I've Got It All (and at other points in the show) there's a quality to Gallagher that makes me see how he could have done Guys and Dolls but it doesn't fit the Barrymore Jaffee and it's odd how this show seems to want him to be both of those people.

I just think the music and book/show are just too weak. Despite mishaps (which you'd think they would have worked out since they've already opened) the cast is giving it their all. Kristen is amazing of course but I thought Gallagher sounded great (with slight allowances for him getting over that cold... just some notes here and there) and Andy Karl was fun (it was odd that he was so easily overpowered during the contract part). The ensemble sounds great. It's just weak material. There's only so much lift you can give it. It never feels that buoyant. It never achieves the magical heights that theatre can. There are very fun numbers but the lyrics just get so TEDIOUS. They are so dumb. And so repetitive. I found myself getting bored a lot of times. Such a high performance level with such substandard material gives the whole thing a hollow feeling. As much as I like Andy Karl, there's not enough to the part for him to deserve a best supporting actor win as some people have been saying. I do give him points for staying engaged without pulling focus when he's in the background but not a big part of the scene. I notice these things.

OK, enough rambling. Double stuffed TNR tomorrow to make up for missing it tonight.

Edited March 19, 2015 by aradia22

aradia22 · March 19, 2015

Also, I know I've brought this up before but... maybe it was just too cold but I miss people dressing up for the theatre. It doesn't have to be a dress for the ladies but I swear people wouldn't even show up to work they do for the theatre sometimes. I get that it's a form of entertainment but it's not the same as going to the movies.

ancslove · March 19, 2015

Really late to this, but I've got to hear Kelly Clarkson take on All I Ask of You with Josh Groban!

I also hope that Sondheim birthday celebration will air on TV.

Emma Thompson did a great Mrs. Lovett. I'm just glad they didn't get Meryl Streep for Mrs. Potts.

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