Theatre Talk: In Our Own Little Corner

[Rinaldo]

Damn autocorrect. I thought I caught it every time it helpfully put "mice" instead of "mics", but I see I missed one. I would really rather say "mikes," which was the accepted spelling till the audio people started bossing us around in 1990, and which matches how it's pronounced... but in other forums that always leads to someone "correcting" me and I've started to just give up.

[aradia22]

On that note, I'd just like to thank everyone now that we've hit 15(!!!) pages of comments for keeping everything polite and friendly even when we disagree. I've grown very fond of this little corner of the internet we've built together. :)

[aradia22]

Theatre News Roundup: I don't think I'm cut out for running around too much. I'm still tired from The King and I. At least, my calves are tired from wearing heels for the first time in a while. I used to wear them every day but I'm out of practice and I feel it. I was going to try for Hedwig or Honeymoon in Vegas tickets today... or at least a trip to the Museum at FIT but I just stayed home.

 

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

• The New York premiere of Underland by Australian playwright Alexandra Collier. starring Annie Golden begins performances April 3 and continues through April 25. Underland is a play about two teenage schoolgirls in a dusty Australian town who dream of digging a hole to China. Official opening night is slated for April 11.

The Party’s Over (CLOSINGS)

• 50 Shades! The Musical, a parody of the best-selling book series, will play its last performance at the Elektra Theatre April 26.

Closed for Renovations (CANCELLATIONS)

• Actor Bradley Dean will take on the starring role for the April 3 performance of Doctor Zhivago.

I Wanna Be A Producer (IN THE WORKS)

• A developmental lab of Ryan Scott Oliver's Darling, a dark and sexy retelling of Peter Pan, will be held June 10-July 1. Set in 1900s Boston, Darling "follows sixteen year old Darling as she encounters a boy named Peter, who offers the opportunity to run away with him. She takes it and finds herself swept into a seedy underground of jazz, sex, lost rentboys, and a mysterious white powder called Dust." (Yeah, that's great and all but nothing about this fanfic strikes me as that special or compelling. Jazz, sex, and drugs? Oh, my. It's not like we've ever heard of that on Broadway before...)

Everyone’s a Critic (REVIEWS)

• Reviews of Skylight. What I've heard of the story hasn't appealed to me but all the reviews seem to be raves.

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• Casting is now complete for the Roundabout Theatre Company's fall revival of Harold Pinter's Old Times, which will begin previews Sept. 17 prior to an official opening Oct. 6 at Broadway's American Airlines Theatre.
• Casting for Nick and Nora in San Francisco. The new production will feature Ryan Drummond (Nick Charles), Brittany Danielle (Nora Charles), Michael Austin (Lt. Wolfe), and Michael Cassidy (Edward J. Connors).

I Heard It Through the Grapevine (RUMORS)

• According to The New York Times, opening night for Groundhog Day will be March 9, 2017, at a theatre to be announced.
• Citing strong box office for his London revival, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber says he is now "leaning toward" fall 2016 for the previously-announced Broadway production of Cats.

Come to the Cabaret (CABARETS/CONCERTS/ETC)

• The fifth annual Night of a Thousand Judys, a celebration of all things Judy Garland, will return to New York City in June with a lineup including Melissa Errico, Liz Callaway, Michael McElroy, Lauren Worsham and more. The annual event serves as a benefit for the Ali Forney Center and its mission to assist LGBT homeless youth. The June 1 event will also feature performances by Rachel York, Randy Graff, Kim David Smith and Danielle Grabianowski. Showtime is 8 PM at Merkin Concert Hall.
• Anthony Rapp will headline Paying the RENT!, a concert event with NYC-based theatre company Uncompromising Artistry Productions that will be held April 12 at Joe's Pub.

It’s Only a Play (PLAYS)

• The Acting Company will present a reading of playwright S. N. Behrman's 1932 play Biography April 6 at the Pearl Theater Off-Broadway. The 7 PM reading will feature the talents of Elizabeth Heflin, Patrick Kerr, David Manis, Lee Aaron Rosen, Armand Schultz, Carine Montbertrand, John Skelley and Lisa McCormick.

A Foggy Day in London Town (UK NEWS)

• Further casting has been announced for the forthcoming London production of Hamlet, starring Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role. He will be joined by Ciarán Hinds as Claudius, Jim Norton as Polonius, Leo Bill as Horatio, Sian Brooke as Ophelia, Anastasia Hille as Gertrude and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as Laertes.

Let Me Be Your Star (TV NEWS)

• Final Reminder: "Live from Lincoln Center" presents Billy Porter: Broadway and Soul April 3 at 9 PM on PBS stations across the country.

Stop! Wait! What?! (EVERYTHING ELSE)

• The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University, which is under the leadership of artistic director Diane Paulus, has announced its 2015-16 season, which will include the new musical Waitress, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, an electropop opera inspired by Tolstoy’s epic novel "War and Peace"; Nice Fish, written by and featuring Mark Rylance, about an ice-fishing expedition where the ordinary and the unbelievable collide; 1984, a stage adaptation of George Orwell’s novel by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan; In the Body of the World, a stage adaptation of Eve Ensler’s critically acclaimed memoir about the strength and joy that connect a single body to the planet; RoosevElvis, a madcap road-trip through American masculinities created by the TEAM; and The Pirate Princess, a new musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night for children and their families.
• "The Eye That Saw Death," a short horror story written by Pulitzer-winning playwright Tennessee Williams apparently during his high school years, has gotten its first publication in The Strand Magazine's spring 2015 issue.
• The 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's assassination at Ford's Theatre on April 14, 1865—will be marked April 14-15 with 24 hours of events at the playhouse, which still stands on 10th Street in Washington DC.

[aradia22]

The tourists have descended on New York. Both uptown when I tried to get a ticket for a show (no dice) and downtown (where I live). It is infuriating. The slow-walking. The not moving and blocking half the street. The constant jostling. I hate people sometimes.

[aradia22]

Theatre News Roundup: TKTS update, a lot of the shows in previews were up on the board... The Visit, An American in Paris, Gigi (I think), etc. 

 

The Party’s Over (CLOSINGS)

• Lena Hall, who won a Tony Award for her performance as Yitzhak in the Broadway production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, plays her final performance in the award-winning rock musical April 4. (I tried to get a ticket but I couldn't justify $90+ at TKTS and I didn't want to see the 10 pm show because I am a little old lady who doesn't like to be out of the house too late... and also the trains are bonkers today.)

A Foggy Day in London Town (UK NEWS)

• Dusty, a new multi-media show celebrating the music of pop icon Dusty Springfield, is to receive its world premiere at London's Charing Cross Theatre, beginning performances May 25 prior to an official opening June 3, for a 13-week run booking through Aug. 22. (As far as I know, this has nothing to do with that "Forever Dusty" show that played a few years ago.)

Stop! Wait! What?! (EVERYTHING ELSE)

• The theatre community erupted on social media starting March 26 after Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signed into law the so-called Religious Freedom Restoration Act, effectively allowing state business owners to discriminate against gays if serving them conflicts with their religion. More concrete action has followed this week.
• Tickets are now on sale to see stage and screen favorite Justin Bartha and Emmy nominee Elizabeth Reaser in the world premiere of Permission.
• Tickets are now available for A.R. Gurney’s What I Did Last Summer.

[aradia22]

So here is my dilemma. A full priced Loge Center seat at The King and I is around $150 (without extra fees)... but so is a 5-concert New York Pops subscription for next season. 

[aradia22]

You can hear the samples of the Imelda Staunton Gypsy from the album here. 

[Rick Kitchen]

Do you know what the Pops will be performing?

 

I'm not going to buy a full season subscription for the Sacramento Music Center this season, but these are the shows that I will be trying to get tickets for:

 

My Fair Lady

Bye Bye Birdie

West Side Story

Hair

 

Yes, Sacramento is a few decades behind the times.

 

The shows I'm not interested in seeing are Big River and Peter Pan.

[aradia22]

I jumped on the Pops ticket last night because I have no willpower/a seat that I've occupied... and liked, opened up. There's a Montego Glover show that I'm excited for... and some other random things but I'll just enjoy sitting in Carnegie Hall and listening to the music. It might actually be nice to not have that pressure of wanting to love the soloist. But anyway, my dilemma wasn't really choosing between the two but the fact that a ticket for The King and I is so expensive compared to what I usually spend on tickets. 

 

A few decades behind isn't too bad. Of those shows, I've only seen Hair and Peter Pan on stage. Besides, opinions on new shows are divided to say the least... unless you're Hamilton. ;)

[Rick Kitchen]

Sacramento Music Theatre does run more current productions.  "Once" was here last week. I've seen "Wicked" and "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" this season. (not that Joseph is "current") The summertime Music Circus is usually older musicals.

[aradia22]

Theatre News Roundup: I don't have it in me to sort through BroadwayWorld's terrible layout so it's another slow news day.

 

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

• The Brooklyn Academy of Music presents the U.S. premiere of Almeida Theatre's acclaimed production of Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts, directed by Richard Eyre and featuring an Olivier Award-winning performance by Lesley Manville beginning April 5. Performances continue through May 3 at the BAM Harvey Theater; opening night is scheduled for April 12. (I'd like to see this but I probably won't get a chance to. It's hard to get out of the city to see things and I'm going to be on vacation for a big chunk of April.)

The Party’s Over (CLOSINGS)

• The new musical Honeymoon in Vegas, based on the 1992 Castle Rock Entertainment film of the same name, plays its final performance at Broadway's Nederlander Theater April 5 at 3 PM. As of closing, the new musical played 66 previews and 93 regular performances for a total of 159 shows for a New York audience. (I considered trying to get a rush ticket this morning but I couldn't be bothered to wake up that early before work.)
• Lena Hall ends her run in Hedwig. It seems like her last show was a great experience for fans. 

It’s Only a Play (PLAYS)

• Playbill.com gives an overview of the plays considered leading contenders for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama by industry insiders.

[aradia22]

Theatre News Roundup: Went to the 92Y talk with Peter Gallagher and Kristin Chenoweth tonight. Peter is very charming. Kristin tries a little too hard to be funny. The moderator was the biggest issue. He was some bland guy from The Wall Street Journal and asked the lamest questions. No meet and greet. I should have stayed home and watched the livestream. And on that note...

 

I Wanna Be A Producer (IN THE WORKS)

• John Legend’s Get Lifted Film Co. is co-producing a movie "musical romantic drama" set behind the scenes in the pop music business, according to a report on Deadline Hollywood. Deadline describes the plot thus: "a former one-hit wonder… regains his love for music when he is hired to coach an aspiring singer for her audition on a singing competition show."

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• Christopher Fitzgerald and Tim Kazurinsky will play the Archangels Michael and Gabriel in An Act of God, starring Jim Parsons in the role of God.
• Manhattan Theatre Club has announced that Alicia Silverstone will be among the cast for the New York premiere of Melissa Ross' Of Good Stock, to be directed by artistic director Lynne Meadow. Performances will begin June 4, with an opening night slated for June 30 at New York City Center - Stage 1.
• Actor-musician Nick Cearley, one half of the stripped-down musical duo The Skivvies, stars in B Street Theatre's staging of the Jonathan Tolins one-man comedy Buyer & Cellar.

Brush Up Your Shakespeare (SHAKESPEARE)

• The Sonnet Project, created by Ross Williams from NY Shakespeare Exchange, is currently in the midst of filming Shakespeare's 154 sonnets at 154 New York City locations featuring 154 actors.
• After losing its regular parking lot performance space last year, the Drilling Company NY has secured a new Lower East Side location for its 21st annual two-play festival, Shakespeare in the Parking Lot. This year's performances will take place in the parking lot behind The Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center (CSV).

Come to the Cabaret (CABARETS/CONCERTS/ETC)

• Performers have been announced for Signature Theatre's Stephen Sondheim Award presentation, honoring librettist and director James Lapine. The event will feature performances by Tony winner Debra Monk and Claybourne Elder and Brynn O'Malley.
• Natalie Weiss will play the Highline Ballroom July 13.
• G'DAY Broadway! The Music of Matthew Lee Robinson, a concert featuring the music of the Australian songwriter, will be held April 29 at The Metropolitan Room in New York City.

It’s Only a Play (PLAYS)

• Kathryn Grody will perform another self-penned, one-woman show, Falling Apart...Together, at the Classic Stage Company this April. The production is presented in association with CSC, the Public Theater and terraNOVA Collective, and performances will run April 19, 20, 26 and 27 only.

I Want to Go to Hollywood (MOVIE NEWS)

• Hollywood has decided to make a movie of Speed-the-Plow, David Mamet's scathing takedown of the Hollywood decision-making process, according to Deadline Hollywood.

Stop! Wait! What?! (EVERYTHING ELSE)

• The Hunchback of Notre Dame will not transfer to Broadway following its run at the Paper Mill Playhouse, according to a posting on the Facebook page of actor Patrick Page.
• George Takei, who will star in the Broadway premiere of the new musical Allegiance next season, is currently raising funds for the production and the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) via Indiegogo.com.
• Connecticut's Hartford Stage has announced the world premiere of Rear Window, based on Cornell Woolrich's short story of the same name which inspired the Alfred Hitchcock film.
• Karen Olivo will make her directorial debut this summer with Chris Miller and Nathan Tysen's song cycle Fugitive Songs presented by University of Wisconsin-Madison's University Theatre — where Olivo teaches song interpretation. Performances will be held July 16-26, prior to a remount at the beginning of the school year in September.
• Photos from The King and I  (I will probably actually buy the album for this if they include some nice glossy photos. THOSE COSTUMES.)

[aradia22]

Another Miscast Cell Block Tango. This one isn't as fun as the other one. I miss the dancing.

[aradia22]

Hello my loves,

 

I don't ask for much so I hope you'll consider honoring this request. If you haven't used the TodayTix app yet to purchase a ticket, would you think about using my referral code OKEQS for your first purchase? You'll get $20 off the cost of your ticket and I will also get $20 credited to my account. I would really appreciate it if you could help me out with this. Thanks. :)

[ebk57]

A couple things...  Peter Gallagher is a lovely man.  He was at the theatre way back in the day in Long Day's Journey (with Jack Lemmon, Kevin Spacey and Bethel Leslie) and couldn't have been nicer.  I'm glad you found him charming, because he really is. 

 

I've never heard of Shakespeare in the Parking Lot, but it made me smile, so perhaps, if time permits, I may check it out next time I'm in town. 

 

Finally, if I had a phone that would download TodayTix, I'd certainly use your code, but I don't.  If I ever get a new phone, I'll be sure to ask you for it.

 

Thanks for continuing to do these!

[aradia22]

Theatre News Roundup: Sorry this is a little late. I was distracted by disastrous cooking experiments. I am definitely a recipe person. ;) Listening to the Barbara Cook version of Show Boat for the first time while doing the write up. (Just a note: If you look at theatre sites yourself, I'm filtering out a lot of the stories that have already been covered in previous TNR posts.) I'm thinking of adding a new heading for the various regional theatres across the country instead of putting them all under "Everything Else" but I can't think of anything.

 

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

• Hand to God, starring Steven Boyer in his acclaimed performance as a boy and his foul-mouthed hand puppet, officially opens April 7 at the Booth Theatre
• Grounded, George Brant's new Off-Broadway solo play starring Anne Hathaway with direction by Julie Taymor, begins previews April 7.
• Disenchanted! officially opens Off-Broadway at the Westside Theatre April 7 after previews beginning March 19.

Everyone’s a Critic (REVIEWS)

• Collected reviews of Hand to God

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• Casting has been announced for the City Center Encores! production of the classic musical Zorba!, which will play the famed Manhattan venue May 6-10. John Turturro will star in the title role with Adam Chanler-Berat, Santino Fontana, Marin Mazzie and Zoë Wanamaker. (I have my ticket!)
• Complete casting has been announced for The York Theatre Company's upcoming production of the new musical Cagney, which will begin previews May 19 prior to an official opening May 28 at The York Theatre Company at Saint Peter's. Robert Creighton will star as legendary Hollywood tough guy James Cagney with Jeremy Benton, Danette Holden, Bruce Sabath, Josh Walden and Ellen Zolezzi. (I haven't gotten around to James Cagney in my TCM viewing but I'll be keeping an eye on this one all the same.)
• Bebe Neuwirth and Edie Falco are among the stars newly announced to participate in the seventh 24 Hour Musicals, presented by The 24 Hour Company and Off-Broadway theatre company Exchange.

Brush Up Your Shakespeare (SHAKESPEARE)

• The new book "Women of Will: Following the Feminine in Shakespeare's Plays," by Tina Packer, is released April 7.

  Packer is the founder of Shakespeare & Company.

Come to the Cabaret (CABARETS/CONCERTS/ETC)

• Cabaret for a Cause, a benefit for the charity organization ALS Guardian Angels, will be held April 27 at The Cutting Room in Manhattan.

It’s Only a Play (PLAYS)

• The real-life married stage couple Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, famous during the 1920's, are the inspiration for Mark E. Lang's new play Lunt and Fontanne: The Celestials of Broadway. Lang unites with his own wife, Alison J. Murphy, to portray the famed couple. Performances will run April 30-May 3 at Stage Left Studio in New York.

A Foggy Day in London Town (UK NEWS)

• The Twits, a new stage adaptation by Enda Walsh of Roald Dahl's story, begins performances at London's Royal Court April 7 prior to an official opening April 14 for a run through May 31.
• Full casting has been announced for the London premiere of Carrie, beginning performances May 1 prior to an official opening May 6 at Southwark Playhouse, for a run through May 30.
• London's Park Theatre is to present the world premiere of An Audience with Jimmy Savile, the first play to examine the scandal of a popular U.K television personality who was discovered after his death to have been a serial sexual abuser of children.
• Rebecca Gilman's play Luna Gale, which received its world prmiere at Chicago's Goodman Theatre in 2014, is to receive its UK premiere in a new production at London's Hampstead Theatre, beginning performances June 13, prior to an official opening June 22, for a run through July 18.

Stop! Wait! What?! (EVERYTHING ELSE)

• The student rush policy has been announced for the Broadway premiere of the new musical, The Visit. $29 tickets with a valid student ID (Didn't I already report on this? I don't know anymore. If I did, it's Playbill's fault for all these repeats.)
• The fifth Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof will open Jan. 10, 2016, according to an Equity casting notice. Performances will begin on Broadway Nov. 17, but no theatre for the revival has been announced. Rehearsals are to begin Sept. 28. (This seems wrong. That's a REALLY long preview period, isn't it?)
• The 47th annual Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival will run April 13-18 at the John F. Kennedy Center of the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The event will see 125 outstanding theatre students from colleges and universities present their work.
• The creators of the musical Mama, I Want To Sing! and its sequels are planning a return engagement of another of their musical shows, Alive!, which showcases the talents of performers 55 and older. Performances begin April 11 at The Dempsey Theater in Harlem.
• LMNOP – A New Muzical, a story in which letters fall from the sky and a town's vocabulary is compromised, begins performances April 7 at TUTS Underground, the developmental theatre at Theatre Under the Stars in Texas.
• Connecticut Repertory Theatre's Nutmeg Summer Series, a presentation of the three popular musicals — Les Miserables, Peter Pan and Xanadu — will feature Tony nominee Terrence Mann, among other Broadway stars. The series will run May 28-July 19.
• The Geffen Playhouse has announced its 2015-16 season.
• Houston's Alley Theatre has announced the slate for its 2015-16 season, the first in its renovated space. The new season will include the Tony-winning play All the Way, Jennifer Haley's chilling whodunit The Nether and Tom Stoppard's Travesties.

[Rick Kitchen]

Darren Criss about starring in Hedwig

 

Who's playing Yitzhak?

Edited April 9, 2015 by Rick Kitchen

[Milburn Stone]

Just wanted to pipe in that we saw this past Sunday's matinee of On the Town, and nothing I could say about it here would do justice to its overpowering greatness.

 

If you are in NY, or going to be in NY, make it your first priority.

[aradia22]

Rick, the actress playing Yitzhak was a headline in a past TNR. I forget now but I think her name might be Rebecca? The announcement is also on the main Hedwig site.

 

As I'm sure you've realized, there was no TNR last night. I was stuck in the suburbs sneezing my brains out. TNR will resume tonight with a Double Stuffed edition.

[aradia22]

Theatre News Roundup: Double Stuffed Edition 4/8-4/9 JESUS CHRIST. I was almost done and I hit backspace and... I HATE TECHNOLOGY SOMETIMES. From the top... 

 

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

• Gigi opened April 8 at the Neil Simon
• Buzzer opened April 8 at the Public Theater Off-Broadway
• The London productions of Wolf Hall and its sequel Bring Up the Bodies officially open on Broadway April 9 at the Winter Garden Theatre.

The Party’s Over (CLOSINGS)

• The long-running Broadway production of Mamma Mia!, which currently plays the Broadhurst Theatre, will close September 5, producers announced April 9. Mamma Mia! will have played 5,765 performances on Broadway, making it the eighth longest running show in Broadway history. (Well, this is one I was expecting and yet completely unprepared for.)

I Wanna Be A Producer (IN THE WORKS)

• An invitation-only reading of Ben Bartolone's new play Timepiece will be held April 9 in NYC at the Manhattan Theatre Club. Timepiece, according to press notes, "follows John Kirby who is on the run from his past. Between New York City and a small town in the suburbs, he has been working hard to forget an unloving father, an absent mother, and a life of underachievement. All is going according to plan when a sudden crisis forces him to address the past and work towards the future."
• A private reading of John Ross Bowie's new play Hanukkah with Joey Ramone, set in the late 1970s world of the rock group The Ramones, will be presented April 9 at the Ivar Theater in Hollywood.

Everyone’s a Critic (REVIEWS)

• Oof. The generally brutal reviews for Gigi. I read some at work. The Schadenfreude was fun briefly but then it just got mean.

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• Additional casting has been announced for Douglas Carter Beane's Shows for Days. Dale Soules, Jordan Dean, Lance Coadie Williams, and Zoë Winters 
• Casting has been announced for The Gallery Players production of Evita, which will play the Brooklyn venue April 25-May 17. Carman Napier will star in the title role with Dale Sampson as Che and Jonathan Mesisca as Juan Peron.

Come to the Cabaret (CABARETS/CONCERTS/ETC)

• Musicals Tonight! will continue its ongoing salute to Broadway and Off-Broadway standbys, understudies and alternates 7 PM April 13 at The Lion Theatre with the latest edition of At This Performance.
• Tony Award winner Lena Hall, Gigi star Corey Cott and Hamilton actress Ariana DeBose are among the performers who have joined the lineup for Broadway Sings Bruno Mars, the eighth installment of the Broadway Sings… concert series that will be held May 17 at 42West.
• Michael McElroy, Caissie Levy, Derek Klena and Eden Espinosa will perform in Raise Your Voice: A Cabaret For A Cure, a benefit concert for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, April 12 at The Kimmel Center.
• Leslie Kritzer, composer-lyricist Scott Alan and Kyle Dean Massey have joined the lineup for the Broadway Sings Tori benefit concert April 20
• Tom Kitt will join Jason Robert Brown for his April 20 concert at New York City's SubCulture music club.

It’s Only a Play (PLAYS)

• Blessed Unrest will present Doruntine, a bilingual, international collaboration with Teatri ODA of Kosova. Co-written by Matt Opatrny and Lirak Celaj, performances of Doruntine will run April 23-May 10 at The Interart Theatre. The play is inspired by an ancient Albanian legend. 
• Elza Zagreda is reviving her solo show, Dating, Depression & Dirtbags: A Love Story. Performances begin April 10 and continue through June 26 at Stage Left Studios.

One Song Glory (ALBUMS)

• An American in Paris will get a cast album

I Want to Go to Hollywood (MOVIE NEWS)

• San Francisco Opera's 2014 production of Show Boat will be shown in venues across the U.S. later this spring. Broadway headliners Bill Irwin, Harriet Harris, Kirsten Wyatt and John Bolton star. It was taped for broadcast, and will be shown in Los Angeles-area movie theatres May 25, and in New York June 12. Other cities that will see the show include Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, Miami, Atlanta, St. Louis, Philadelphia, San Jose and Honolulu, with more locations and dates soon to be announced.
• Andrew Rannells will co-write and co-star in a yet-untitled movie comedy, according to Deadline Hollywood.
• Peter Hedges, the playwright of Imagining Brad, Good as New and Baby Anger, will pen the screenplay for a live-action film loosely based on the classic Disney fairytale "Pinocchio," according to Deadline.com.

Let Me Be Your Star (TV NEWS)

• The new comedy series "The Comedians," starring Billy Crystal and Josh Gad makes its debut on FX April 9.
• Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda are reuniting on screen for the new Netflix comedy "Grace & Frankie."

Stop! Wait! What?! (EVERYTHING ELSE)

• New York Spring Spectacular originally scheduled to conclude May 3 will extend through May 7. Additional performances are May 6 at 2 PM and 7:30 PM and May 7 at 2 PM and 7:30 PM. (I can't see why they're doing this. Are they selling that well? Why only a few dates? Do they just not have anything else to put in RCMH until May 7?)
• Infused Quirk Productions will present Ryan Scott Oliver's 35mm: A Musical Exhibition, based on the photographs by his husband, photographer Matthew Murphy, May 28-31 at Luna Stage Company in West Orange, NJ.
• Louise Pitre stars in Luck Be a Lady: The Iconic Music of Frank Loesser, a new revue having its world premiere May 1 at the Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota, FL. (I remember really enjoying her performance in Mamma Mia.)
• The New York premiere of Stupid Fu**ing Bird, Aaron Posners's adaptation of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull, which moves the action moved to the here and now, will be one of the highlights of the 2015-2016 season just announced at Off-Broadway's Pearl Theatre Company.
• Tony and Academy Award-winning actress Liza Minnelli, who recently entered a rehabilitation facility for substance abuse, is now home. She has booked a concert at the IP Casino Resort Spa located in Biloxi, MS, July 24 at 8 PM.

Edited April 9, 2015 by aradia22

[Rinaldo]

Just wanted to pipe in that we saw this past Sunday's matinee of On the Town, and nothing I could say about it here would do justice to its overpowering greatness.

 

If you are in NY, or going to be in NY, make it your first priority.

I'm so very glad you saw it, Milburn Stone! I know you were regretful you couldn't get to it back in the fall, when it opened, so I'm so pleased that you finally made it there. As you know, I agree that it's essential for anybody into theater.

 

Let's expand the conversation about it, now that there are two of us. How about that Bernstein score, huh? And the orchestrations, played by that near-30-strong orchestra? And our three sailors, as played by Tony Yazbeck, Clyde Alves, and Jay Armstrong Johnson? And that stageful of stunning dancers? Most particularly Megan Fairchild as Ivy?

 

I'll stop now.

[Sara2009]

Aradia22, just out of curiosity, what do you have against " Gigi?" I think I missed something.

[aradia22]

Sara, I don't have anything against Gigi. I just enjoy a show getting skewered with well-crafted prose and theatre reviews tend to be better than those in other mediums. I'm just fine with admitting that I'm deriving joy from someone else's misfortune. 

[aradia22]

Theatre News Roundup 

 

Everyone’s a Critic (REVIEWS)

• Reviews for Wolf Hall Parts I and II (Henry VIII's rein and those of his children have fascinated me for a long time but I honestly don't know if I have the patience for this. I forgot to start taping the show as well.)

I Heard It Through the Grapevine (RUMORS)

• To celebrate the 40th anniversary of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," the Fox network is planning a reimagined two-hour taped broadcast of the campy sci-fi musical, according to a report on Deadline Hollywood. The working title is "The Rocky Horror Picture Show Event," and it is being produced by the film's original producer, Lou Adler, along with Gail Berman and Danny Ortega. Ortega will also direct and choreograph the TV special. (Look, I'll probably watch it but I don't have a lot of confidence in this.)

Brush Up Your Shakespeare (SHAKESPEARE)

• Double Falsehood, a play script first believed to be a long-lost Shakespeare original, then derided as a fake, then accepted as real, then dismissed as a fake again, is now being touted as the real deal once more by Shakespearean scholars in Texas.

Come to the Cabaret (CABARETS/CONCERTS/ETC)

• Broadway Bares, Broadway's sexiest night of the year, which benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, will be presented June 21 at 9:30 PM and midnight at the Hammerstein Ballroom.

One Song Glory (ALBUMS)

• The world-premiere cast album of the new musical Fun Home, which was released by PS Classics last winter, will be updated with select new material that reflects slight changes to the Broadway version and previously unrecorded material from the original Off-Broadway production.

They Mean Chicago, Illinois (CHICAGO NEWS)

• Lyric Opera of Chicago's new production of Carousel is presented April 10-May 3. (If anyone sees this, report back.) Here are some photos.

A Foggy Day in London Town (UK NEWS)

• Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens is to be revived at the West End's Criterion Theatre for a one-night charity benefit May 31 for The Make A Difference Trust.

I Want to Go to Hollywood (MOVIE NEWS)

• Every major Hollywood studio has bid on a new untitled movie musical project being pitched by a Alan Menken, Stephen Schwartz, writer-director Jeremy Garelick and Josh Gad, according to Deadline Hollywood.

Stop! Wait! What?! (EVERYTHING ELSE)

• The Brooklyn Academy of Music has announced the appointment of Katy Clark as the incoming new president, taking the reigns from Karen Brooks Hopkins in June.
• Goodspeed Musicals kicks off its 2015 season at the Goodspeed Opera House with Guys and Dolls, which begins performances April 10, prior to an official opening April 29, in East Haddam, CT.
• Matilda celebrates two years on Broadway

Edited April 10, 2015 by aradia22

[Milburn Stone]

I'm so very glad you saw it, Milburn Stone! I know you were regretful you couldn't get to it back in the fall, when it opened, so I'm so pleased that you finally made it there. As you know, I agree that it's essential for anybody into theater.

 

Let's expand the conversation about it, now that there are two of us. How about that Bernstein score, huh? And the orchestrations, played by that near-30-strong orchestra? And our three sailors, as played by Tony Yazbeck, Clyde Alves, and Jay Armstrong Johnson? And that stageful of stunning dancers? Most particularly Megan Fairchild as Ivy?

 

All of the above. I'll add that the production powerfully communicates not just the bittersweet tragedy of time for three pairs of lovers with 24 hours to spend, but the tragedy of time that is the human condition. When, in "Some Other Time," Claire or Hildy (or both) sing the oft-overlooked (or seemingly anodyne) line in the introductory verse, "Even a lifetime isn't enough," I felt profound agreement in my sixty-five year old soul. The same with its companion line in the main body of the song, "Haven't done half the things we want to." That the twenty-something Comden and Green, for all their lightness of touch, understood this inevitability--that at their tender ages they found in the story of sailors on leave this universal condition of regret that takes most people their whole lives to register--seems a miracle. In their epiphany, they transformed Carpe Diem from words on a motivational poster to urgent truth. They were right, they knew it at the time, although how could they have known it at the time? Even a lifetime isn't enough.

Edited April 11, 2015 by Milburn Stone

[Rinaldo]

 Very well said, Milburn Stone. (And of course the poignancy is augmented in this case by our understanding -- as this production makes sure we do by opening with the 48-star flag and the National Anthem which started all shows during WWII -- that one or all of these boys may very well not return at all. It's never stated in words, but anybody seeing it in 1944 would have known.)

 

I slag on Comden and Green a lot, as I consider them grossly overrated as comedic lyricists and as librettists/screenwriters. (There's some evidence nearby these days in On the Twentieth Century.) But every now and then they could make up for everything, with beautifully simple, right words for a quiet, thoughtful song. They did it with "Make Someone Happy," with "Just in Time," and they do it here with "Some Other Time."

[aradia22]

Theatre News Roundup: Not having any luck with those digital lotteries so far. Thinking about seeing Ghosts at BAM when I get back. Also, The Other Mozart. Definitely going to do rush for The Visit. 

 

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

• Underland by Australian playwright Alexandra Collier with Annie Golden officially opens April 11, following previews that began April 3.

Come to the Cabaret (CABARETS/CONCERTS/ETC)

• Nellie McKay is set to present a week of shows at 54 Below, April 13-18. (I caught a rerun of her American Songbook show in New Jersey. If I'm being honest it wasn't that great. And that's me being very kind.)
• Brent Barrett will be part of Guys Sing Dolls — A Feminine Toast with a Twist of Testosterone, which celebrates female lyricists and songwriters and will be presented May 23 at 2 PM and 8 PM at Cabaret Jazz at The Smith Center in Las Vegas

A Musical (MUSICALS)

• Abrons Arts Center and 7 Daughters of Eve Thtr. & Perf. Co. will present the world premiere of Let Us Now Praise Susan Sontag, written and directed by Sibyl Kempson, from April 28-May 17. Set in the South during the Dust Bowl, Let Us Now Praise Susan Sontag is a story of an extended family of sharecroppers who are visited, interviewed, and photographed by two reporters — and also, possibly, by an ancient Mesopotamian sage. The work is described as "an irrational musical contemplation of the ethical pitfalls of poetic journalism."

I Want to Go to Hollywood (MOVIE NEWS)

• Ian McKellen  is the latest among a host of stars who have signed on for the upcoming live-action film version of Beauty and the Beast, according to Variety. The actor will play the wise clock Cogsworth. (Oh, come on now.)

 

[Milburn Stone]

 (And of course the poignancy is augmented in this case by our understanding -- as this production makes sure we do by opening with the 48-star flag and the National Anthem which started all shows during WWII -- that one or all of these boys may very well not return at all. It's never stated in words, but anybody seeing it in 1944 would have known.)

 

Yes. And I know you know I know that, and you know I know you know that. :) But good to point out for those who don't default to thinking of context as we do--or aren't interested in anything that happened before their births, as sadly so many today aren't.

 

I didn't comment on that because it seems to me a given. What didn't seem to me a given was the power with which the production underlines the mortality of us all. We are all sailors with 24 hours leave. 24 hours, 82 years (if we're lucky to be us), whatever--they amount to the same thing.

Edited April 12, 2015 by Milburn Stone

[Charlie Baker]

Eloquently said, Mr. Stone. 

[Rick Kitchen]

Broadway Sacramento announced their season starting in November:

 

Elf: The Musical

Pippin

The Little Mermaid (which Broadway Sacramento is co-producing with Disney; Glenn Casale, Broadway Sacramento's music director, has redesigned the Broadway flop - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-hill/how-glenn-casale-helped-t_b_5612802.html)

The Book of Mormon

Newsies

Motown the Musical

 

I def. want to see Book of Mormon and Newsies, I'll try to see Pippin and maybe Motown, but I'm not sure of that.

[aradia22]

Theatre News Roundup: Sorry, I got caught up marathoning all the available episodes of season 6 of Community on Yahoo Screen. Now listening to The Pirate Queen for the first time. It's... um... interesting.

 

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

• An American in Paris, the new stage incarnation of the classic Gershwin film, arrives at Broadway's Palace Theatre, officially opening April 12 at 5 PM following previews that began March 13.
• The Brooklyn Academy of Music presentation of Almeida Theatre's production of Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts officially opens April 12, following previews that began April 5.

The Party’s Over (CLOSINGS)

• The Roundabout Theatre Company production of Fiasco Theater's Into the Woods plays its final Off-Broadway performance April 12.

Everyone’s a Critic (REVIEWS)

• Reviews of An American in Paris

It’s Only a Play (PLAYS)

• The previously rumored Great White Way transfer of London's King Charles III, which won Best New Play at the 2015 Oliviers, will open at the Music Box Theatre in October.

Stop! Wait! What?! (EVERYTHING ELSE)

• Olivier Awards winners

[SilverShadow]

Broadway Sacramento announced their season starting in November:

 

Elf: The Musical

Pippin

The Little Mermaid (which Broadway Sacramento is co-producing with Disney; Glenn Casale, Broadway Sacramento's music director, has redesigned the Broadway flop - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-hill/how-glenn-casale-helped-t_b_5612802.html)

The Book of Mormon

Newsies

Motown the Musical

 

I def. want to see Book of Mormon and Newsies, I'll try to see Pippin and maybe Motown, but I'm not sure of that.

 

I'd maybe see Mermaid as well. I've seen it with the new book they've been using since the European productions and it's a lot better.

[aradia22]

I'm going to a concert at Avery Fisher Hall tonight. Very cheap goldstar tickets. No expectations. I was thinking of bringing along my Playbill to try and pop by The King and I but I can't imagine the concert will be longer than an hour or two and it starts at 7. Which means I'd be hanging around a really long time at The King and I stage door. I think I should just skip it and try later in May or June. Anyway, this is all to say that the TNR will probably be late tonight or will be on hold until tomorrow. Also, this is one of my last nights before I'm on vacation. So far no one has stepped in to take over for me so I guess TNR will just be on hiatus until I get back.

[Rick Kitchen]

Who is performing at the concert, aradia?

[Charlie Baker]

If no one can fill in for aradia while she's away--and that's a tough act to follow, delivering those round-ups--perhaps some of us could link to individual stories that might be of interest?  That I could probably manage a time or two. 

[aradia22]

Rick, I didn't know before I went but it was one of those Distinguished Concerts things where they bring in high school students. This time they were students from 5 different high schools as a choir, then a Washington high school orchestra, and then that same high school's band. SO MUCH NOSTALGIA. I did this when I was in high school but they sent us to Carnegie Hall, not Avery Fisher. I remembered so many things... the way probably too many girls claimed to be first sopranos, the way consonants can easily get muddled (we were better than they were), the long concert gowns. It made me feel old but also really happy. Watching the orchestra I had a bit of an epiphany. I'm spoiled when it comes to string sections because I'm used to soundtracks and school orchestras. As part of the choir, I also went to a lot of orchestra concerts and sometimes I just wanted to hang out and support my orchestra friends. I think that's why string sections are so often lacking for me. I'm used to hearing more instruments. It's interesting though how sound carries. I noticed it with the choir, orchestra, and band. When there's one solo instrument it somehow cuts through and reaches you with more intensity than the entire group.

 

If no one can fill in for aradia while she's away--and that's a tough act to follow, delivering those round-ups--perhaps some of us could link to individual stories that might be of interest?  That I could probably manage a time or two.

Oh, that's so sweet. I will leave it to you to sort things out. We're going to have some openings in the next few weeks, which means reviews. I'd also appreciate it if you could be on the lookout for any productions or concerts in NY that you think might interest me since I probably won't have time to wade through all the articles that are posted while I'm away.

[aradia22]

Theatre News Roundup: Still listening to The Pirate Queen. I'm up to "The Waking of the Queen" as I begin this. Still... interesting... The music isn't great and then the lyrics are just so... I can't tell which is worse... probably the lyrics? Er... Let's just say I'm not surprised this closed so quickly. And some of the singing... especially Hadley Fraser... I mean it's not as bad as the Chris on the Miss Saigon OBC recording but... No. Do Schonberg and Boublil find guys who sing like this or are they just forced to sing like this because of how high the notes are?

 

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

• The Off-Broadway return of Patrick Barlow's 39 Steps officially opens April 13, following previews that began April 1 at the Union Square Theatre.
• The new musical play Iowa officially opens April 13 following previews that began March 20.
• The York Theatre Company presents the new musical Lord Tom, inspired by the seminal anti-slavery novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin." There are five performances only, continuing through April 17.

I Wanna Be A Producer (IN THE WORKS)

• Zapata! The Musical will receive industry-only readings in New York City April 15-16. Zapata! features music and lyrics by Peter Edwards and a book by Peter and Ana Edwards. "Emiliano Zapata was one of the leading figures in the Mexican Revolution," press notes state. "One hundred years ago in a village outside Mexico City, the people enlisted a reluctant, young Zapata to help reclaim their stolen ancestral lands. Battered by the conflicting passions of his enchanting wife, his hotheaded brother and a succession of corrupt presidents, Zapata must ultimately relinquish his love of peace to fight — and sacrifice — for a greater cause."
• The Sheryl Crow-Barry Levinson musical Diner will receive additional regional development with a second production slated to take place this December at the Delaware Theatre Company. Scheduled to run Dec. 2-27, Diner will again be directed and choreographed Kathleen Marshall.
• Because of Winn-Dixie, the new musical by Duncan Sheik and lyricist Nell Benjamin, based on the children's novel of the same titled, is being presented at the Delaware Theatre Company. It runs through May 3 in Wilmington, DE. An official press opening has been set for April 18. The pooch central to the story is played by Bowdie, who television audiences may recognize as Nana from Peter Pan Live!

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• Ana Villafañe and Josh Segarra have been chosen to play the leads in On Your Feet! – the new Broadway musical based on the lives of seven-time Grammy winner Gloria Estefan and her husband, producer-musician-entrepreneur Emilio Estefan.
• British actor Earl Carpenter will return to the role of Javert in the revival of Les Misérables beginning May 12 at the Imperial Theatre, while Will Swenson, who created the part in this production, will play his final performance May 10.

It’s Only a Play (PLAYS)

• King Charles III will transfer to Broadway this fall.

A Musical (MUSICALS)

• Constantine Rousouli and Lindsay Pearce star in Cruel Intentions: The Completely Unauthorized Musical Parody. Performances continue through April 25 in Los Angeles.

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

• A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder will launch its first national tour in September. The tour route includes stops in Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Washington DC, and Toronto, among many other markets.

I Want to Go to Hollywood (MOVIE NEWS)

• The Walt Disney Studios announced it will co-produce and co-finance Steven Spielberg's "The BFG." Tony Award winner Mark Rylance heads the cast as the titular “Big Friendly Giant" with newcomer Ruby Barnhill as Sophie, Penelope Wilton as The Queen and Rebecca Hall as Mary, the Queen’s maid. Bill Hader, Jemaine Clement, Michael David Adamthwaite, Daniel Bacon, Chris Gibbs, Adam Godley, Jonathan Holmes, Paul Moniz de Sa and Olafur Olaffson are all cast as giants.

Stop! Wait! What?! (EVERYTHING ELSE)

• Laura Benanti will pen a collection of comedic essays for St. Martin’s Press, according to Entertainment Weekly. The book is planned for publication in fall 2016.
• To celebrate Hillary Rodham Clinton's recent announcement that she will again run for the office of President of the United States in 2016, producers are offering all tickets for Clinton The Musical through April 19 for $20.16.
• Roundabout Theatre Company will host its first annual Casino Night May 11 at 6:30 PM in the Penthouse Lobby at the American Airlines Theatre; proceeds will benefit Roundabout's Education programs and the Musical Theatre Fund. The casino event will include a Texas Hold 'Em poker tournament featuring celebrity players and Roundabout alums, such as Jennifer Tilly, Richard Kin, Santino Fontana, Gina Gershon, Bobby Cannavale, Sebastian Arcelus, Andy Karl, Bill Heck, Colin Donnell, Orfeh and others.
• Peter Morgan's The Audience, which stars Oscar winner Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II, has recouped its $3,400,000 production cost in eight weeks.
• All tickets for the Actors Fund's one-night-only Broadway concert of Bombshell, the fictional musical about Marilyn Monroe that was central to the NBC series "Smash," sold out in just over an hour after tickets were released via a special pre-sale April 13. (As was clear from the theatre boards, this was a mess.)

Edited April 14, 2015 by aradia22

[aradia22]

By the way, did anyone else catch Norm Lewis' Who Am I special? I enjoyed it. And I definitely preferred it to the Billy Porter special.

[Charlie Baker]

Agree about Norm Lewis. Not that there was anything wrong with Billy Porter's show--maybe it's just a matter of taste/preference.

[aradia22]

Theatre News Roundup: I will miss you so much while I'm away but I'll be back at the end of the month! 

 

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

• It Shoulda Been You officially opens on Broadway April 14 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.

I Wanna Be A Producer (IN THE WORKS)

• The stage musical adaptation of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's animated feature "Anastasia" will head back into the rehearsal studio for an additional staged reading set to take place this summer. (I think it was DisneyBoy I was talking to this about. Here's your update.)

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• Rebecca Naomi Jones joins the Broadway cast of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, playing the role of Yitzhak, April 14. Lena Hall played her final performance April 4, and Shannon Conley played the role of Yitzhak in the interim. (Well, I guess I will not be seeing John Cameron Mitchell as Hedwig.)
• Jake Gyllenhaal will play Seymour in New York City Center's Encores! Off-Center production of Little Shop of Horrors this July. Also announced for the production are Chuck Cooper as The Voice of Audrey II and Taran Killam as Orin. The Urchins will be portrayed by Tracy Nicole Chapman, Marva Hicks and Ramona Keller. Patricia Wilcox will choreograph with musical direction by Chris Fenwick. (I already have my ticket. I don't really know how I feel about this. My automatic reaction was neither joy nor horror. Just kind of... confusion. Is anyone else going? I think they're adding a matinee.)
• Casting is now complete for the upcoming one-night-only reading of Tennessee Williams' The Rose Tattoo, starring Patti LuPone and Bobby Cannavale, to benefit The Acting Company.

Brush Up Your Shakespeare (SHAKESPEARE)

• The 5th Annual Shakespeare's Birthday Sonnet Slam--featuring 154 volunteer readers performing all 154 of Shakespeare's Sonnets in numerical order--will be held April 24 from 1 PM-4 PM at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park.

Come to the Cabaret (CABARETS/CONCERTS/ETC)

• In celebration of the anniversary of the Reefer Madness movie, the musical will be presented in concert April 19-20 at 54 Below, starring a slew of original cast members from the stage production and the film. (I continue to struggle to grasp that 2005 was 10 years ago. I don't know why that year sticks with me so much.)
• Ciara Renée will make her 54 Below solo debut May 15. The evening promises "jazzed-up arrangements of songs from everyone's favorite female artists including Judy Garland, Whitney Houston, and even Taylor Swift in a show entitled Lady Boss.
• Lindsay Mendez and Kyle Dean Massey are set to join previously announced Tom Kitt in An Evening With Jason Robert Brown, a concert curated by and featuring the Tony-winning composer April 20 at Subculture music club in New York.
• Words on Dance and Symphony Space will present From Ballet to Broadway, an evening with acclaimed choreographer and director Christopher Wheeldon (An American in Paris) in live conversation with Rita Moreno, an Oscar, Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award-winning actress. From Ballet to Broadway will take place April 27 at Symphony Space at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre. (I have my ticket!)
• Duets with The Write Teacher(s) will be held May 2 at 54 Below. Broadway actors from Newsies, Side Show and Jersey Boys will duet with Broadway hopefuls.

One Song Glory (ALBUMS)

• The Broadway-bound Off-Broadway musical Hamilton will release its cast album this September.
• The new Fun Home album with additional material will be released digitally and in stores May 19. Theatregoers attending Fun Home on Broadway will have the opportunity to purchase the album beginning May 5 at Circle in the Square. It will also be available for purchase from PSClassics.com on the latter date.
• PS Classics has released three clips from its forthcoming live album of the rarely-seen 1954 musical The Golden Apple.

  Due in stores June 2, the album features nearly 90 minutes of previously unrecorded material from the John Latouche and Jerome Moross musical. The sound clips are currently streaming at PSClassics.com.

A Foggy Day in London Town (UK NEWS)

• Casting has been announced for Damsel in Distress, a stage version of the 1937 film of the same name with songs by Ira and George Gershwin that will begin performances at Chichester Festival Theatre May 30 prior to an official opening June 10, for a run through June 27.
• The full cast has now been announced for the Donmar Warehouse's world premiere of James Graham's The Vote that will begin performances at London's Donmar Warehouse April 24 for a theatre run through May 6 before giving a live television broadcast from the theatre May 7, the night of the U.K's next general election. 
Set in a fictional London polling station, The Vote dramatises the final ninety minutes before the polls close in this year’s General Election. on that exact day May 7, and at that precise time (8:30 to 10 PM) that the play will be broadcast on TV.

I Want to Go to Hollywood (MOVIE NEWS)

• "The Stephen Sondheim Collection," a six-DVD set, is released April 14 from Image Entertainment. It includes a mixture of original cast albums, revival and concert recordings of Sondheim classics. The 747-minute collection features Into the Woods, Company, Sunday in the Park With George, Follies In Concert, Sweeney Todd and "Sondheim: The Birthday Concert."
• Broadway actors Michael Urie and Randy Harrison star in the new comedy film "Such Good People," about a gay couple who find a million dollars while house sitting in L.A. The film is out April 14 on VOD and DVD.
• Disney's live-action movie musical Beauty and the Beast has cast Gugu Mbatha-Raw, according to People.com. Mbatha-Raw will play role of Plumette, the feather duster in the Beast's castle. (If I wanted to make this a thing I'd ask why the only actress of color confirmed for this cast... Audra is still apparently in negotiations, is playing a maid.)

Let Me Be Your Star (TV NEWS)

• "Ford’s Theatre: America’s Playhouse" makes its premiere at 10 PM ET April 14 on Ovation.

Stop! Wait! What?! (EVERYTHING ELSE)

• Connecticut theatre Sharon Playhouse has announced casting and creatives for its 2015 season. Jason Tam is set to star in the summer production of Merrily We Roll Along. Sharon Playhouse's 2015 season will feature the musicals My Fair Lady, Merrily We Roll Along and Little Shop of Horrors, as well as Ed Dixon's new play Georgie: The Life and Death of George Ross and True Love. (I forget who the big Jason Tam fan was, but here you go. This one's for you.)

Edited April 15, 2015 by aradia22

[Rick Kitchen]

Ugh, Jake Gyllenhaal is horribly miscast as Seymour.  Can he sing?

[aradia22]

Some more information (sort of) on Anastasia.

[Amello]

aradia22, I was the big Jason Tam fan, so thank you. It's a treat to see what he's up to these days, even if I won't usually get to see it myself. Much appreciated.

[DisneyBoy]

Ugh, Jake Gyllenhaal is horribly miscast as Seymour.  Can he sing?

 

 

Um, I haven't read the details but I assumed he'd play the dentist...the other guy named is a more natural Seymour.

 

Some more information (sort of) on Anastasia.

 

 

Interesting.  Gleb is a boring name and could be a boring character and bring the show down.  Hope they really worked out the book to include him in Rasputin's place and not make him unimportant to the narrative.  Also: hope he gets a cool song!  Great music in this film/show, and Rasputin's Dark of the Night will be missed.

[bosawks]

Got my Fun Home tickets, got my Fun Home tickets!

 

I'm interested to see what changes were made from Off Broadway to Broadway.

[Rinaldo]

Just because of the theater name, I must mention that last night I attended a performance of Sondheim and Goldman's Follies, whose personnel included several of my students and a surprise appearance by a fellow TARcon-ite from years past, at the Milburn Stone Theatre on the campus of Cecil College in North East, MD.

[Milburn Stone]

So happy you and your students were able to benefit from my munificence, Rinaldo. :)

Edited April 18, 2015 by Milburn Stone

[Rinaldo]

There was a little celebrity kerfuffle at Hamilton over the weekend. (Not her first time, as she was famously "banned" from a movie chain for doing likewise.)

[Milburn Stone]

There was a little celebrity kerfuffle at Hamilton over the weekend. (Not her first time, as she was famously "banned" from a movie chain for doing likewise.)

 

What the hell is wrong with her.

[Julia]

What the hell is wrong with her.

 

My guess would be narcissism.