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Amy Ryan to Take Over in Doubt on Broadway; Tyne Daly Withdraws

Darryn King — Tue, 06 Feb 2024 22:46:48 +0000

Two-time Tony nominee and Oscar nominee Amy Ryan will assume the role of Sister Aloysius in the Broadway revival of Doubt, replacing Tony winner Tyne Daly. Ryan begins performances February 13 while Tony nominee Isabel Keating, an understudy for the production, will perform the role through February 11.

Tyne Daly (Photo: Marcus Middleton)

Daly was hospitalized with an undisclosed illness on February 2, the first day of previews, and has withdrawn from the production while she receives medical care. She is expected to make a full recovery. “With respect and admiration for Tyne, we wish her the best and a quick recovery,” the show's director Scott Ellis said in a statement. “We are grateful that Amy Ryan said yes—in a quick minute—to join our company and take on the role of Sister Aloysius. We deeply appreciate Isabel Keating, who remarkably stepped in with a day of rehearsal and allowed us to get the production up on its feet during this first week of performances.”

Ryan earned Tony nominations for her performances in A Streetcar Named Desire and Uncle Vanya. Her screen credits include an Oscar-nominated role in Gone Baby Gone and A24’s Beau Is Afraid. Keating’s …

Purple Rain Stage Musical to Have Pre-Broadway World Premiere in Spring 2025

Hayley Levitt — Tue, 06 Feb 2024 20:30:00 +0000

Purple Rain, the new musical based on Prince’s 1984 film, will have its pre-Broadway world premiere in Prince's hometown of Minneapolis, MN in spring 2025. The show will run at Hennepin Theatre Trust’s historic State Theatre, with production dates and additional details to be announced in the coming weeks.

As previously announced, Purple Rain will feature a book by two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (Appropriate), based on the original screenplay by Albert Magnoli and William Blinn. Tony Award nominee Lileana Blain-Cruz directs. With music, lyrics and a story by Prince, Purple Rain follows The Kid (originally played by Prince in his film debut), an up-and-coming rock musician in the Minneapolis club scene, as he contends with a tumultuous home environment, a rival band and a budding romance.

“Prince talked about adapting Purple Rain for the stage for years. It’s only fitting that we launch this world-premiere musical version in the city where it all began, Prince’s hometown, Minneapolis,” said L Londell McMillan, former Prince manager, attorney and Chairman of The NorthStar Group, and Larry Mestel, Founder & CEO of Primary Wave Music. “We’re very excited for the creative team to be inspired by the Minneapolis sound and the unparalleled …

Broadway Theaters Will Dim Lights in Honor of Chita Rivera

Darryn King — Tue, 06 Feb 2024 18:43:38 +0000

Broadway's theaters will dim their marquee lights on February 17 to honor the memory of two-time Tony Award-winning actress Chita Rivera. Rivera died on January 30 at the age of 91. The lights will dim for one minute at 7:45pm.

“Chita Rivera was Broadway royalty, and we will miss her with all our hearts,” said Charlotte St. Martin, president of The Broadway League. “For nearly seven decades she enthralled generations of audiences with her spellbinding performances and iconic roles. The triple threat actor, singer and dancer leaves behind an incredible legacy of work.”

Rivera was nominated for 10 Tony Awards throughout her career, winning two for The Rink (1984 Best Actress in a Musical) and Kiss of the Spider Woman (1993 Best Actress in a Musical). She is also remembered as the original Anita in West Side Story, Rose in Bye Bye Birdie and Velma Kelly in Chicago. In 2018, she was presented with a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement.

The Broadway League decides who receives the light-dimming honor, continuing a tradition that began in the 1950s. In 2023, the lights were dimmed to honor Tony-winning Fiddler on the Roof lyricist Sheldon Harnick, Roundabout Theatre Company artistic …

Jayne Atkinson and Tim Daly to Lead New York Premiere of Still Off-Broadway

Hayley Levitt — Tue, 06 Feb 2024 17:36:30 +0000

Colt Coeur will present the New York premiere of Lia Romeo's comedy Still, starring two-time Tony nominee Jayne Atkinson and Tim Daly. Performances will run from April 13 through May 18 at DR2 Theatre with an official opening on April 18. Adrienne Campbell-Holt directs.

Atkinson and Daly return to the play following a successful run at the Dorset Theatre Festival in 2023. They take on the roles of Helen and Mark, a couple who broke up 30 years ago but never completely forgot about each other. When they meet for dinner to catch up, the flame is rekindled. However, Mark is running for Congress, and Helen has a secret that could derail his bid.

Atkinson made her Broadway debut in the first revival of Arthur Miller's All My Sons. Her other Broadway credits include The Rainmaker (Tony nomination), Our Town with Paul Newman, Enchanted April (Tony nomination) and Blithe Spirit with Angela Lansbury. Daly has appeared on Broadway in Coastal Disturbances and The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, and is well known for his role on the NBC sitcom Wings as well as his Emmy-nominated performance as J.T. Dolan on The Sopranos.

The creative team for Still includes scenic design by …

The Denim Diaries with A Beautiful Noise’s Amber Ardolino, Episode 2: More Than Just Blue Jeans

Darryn King — Tue, 06 Feb 2024 15:19:16 +0000

In January, Amber Ardolino donned the blue jeans (and blond wig) to play Marcia Murphey in A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical opposite Nick Fradiani’s Neil Diamond. Now she’s taking fans behind the scenes of the hit-packed, sequin-studded musical.

In the second episode of The Denim Diaries, Ardolino shows off her ten (count ’em!) costumes and rapid-fire changes. She also meets a special guest from The Golden Bachelor and interviews a couple of A Beautiful Noise's veteran performers, Michael McCormick and Mark Jacoby.

Episodes air on Broadway.com every Tuesday. You can also catch highlights on The Broadway Show with Tamsen Fadal.

Tom Holland to Star in Jamie Lloyd's Romeo & Juliet in London

Darryn King — Tue, 06 Feb 2024 15:12:11 +0000

Tom Holland will play Romeo in a West End production of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, directed by Tony nominee Jamie Lloyd (A Doll’s House). The show will begin performances at the Duke of York’s Theatre on May 11 and run through August 3.

Best known for his portrayal of Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Holland made his West End debut at the age of 12, playing a supporting role in Billy Elliott before being promoted to the lead role. “Tom Holland is one of the greatest, most exciting young actors in the world,” Lloyd said in a statement. “It is an honor to welcome him back to the West End.”

The show will feature sets and costumes by Soutra Gilmour, lighting design by Jon Clark, sound design by Ben and Max Ringham, video design and cinematography by Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom and music by Michael “Mikey J” Asante. Ingrid Mackinnon will serve as intimacy coordinator and Nina Taleghani edited the text.

Lloyd has two productions opening in New York this year: The Effect, by playwright Lucy Prebble, and the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Sunset Boulevard, starring Nicole Scherzinger.

Boy George Will Swing From the Chandelier in Moulin Rouge! Starting Tonight

Darryn King — Tue, 06 Feb 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Boy George, the vibrant English singer, songwriter, fashion designer and producer, takes over the role of the impresario Harold Zidler in the Tony Award-winning musical Moulin Rouge! on February 6. He replaces Eric Anderson in the role for a limited engagement through May 12.

George is a globally renowned musical superstar, known for his soulful voice as well as his penchant for glamorous eye makeup and flamboyant headwear. As the lead singer of the ‘80s new wave trailblazers Culture Club, he sang such timeless hits as “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” and “Karma Chameleon.”

He is also no stranger to Broadway. The musical Taboo, starring George as Leigh Bowery and loosely based on his life, featured his lyrics, as well as music by George, John Themis, Richie Stevens and Kevan Frost. It opened on Broadway in 2003 and earned him a Tony Award nomination for Best Original Score. Most recently, he played Captain Hook in Peter Pan: The Arena Spectacular in the U.K.

George joins a cast that includes Courtney Reed as Satine, Derek Klena as Christian (returning to the role, also on February 6), André Ward as Toulouse-Lautrec, David Harris as the Duke …

Drama Desk Awards Sets Date for 68th Ceremony

Darryn King — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 21:33:17 +0000

The 68th Annual Drama Desk Awards, honoring work on Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway, will be presented on June 10. The nominations will be announced on April 29, with the venue and more details to be announced in the coming months. To be eligible for consideration, productions must open no later than April 25.

Along with its production and technical categories, the Drama Desk Awards will retain the gender-neutral performance categories introduced in 2023: Outstanding Leading Performance in a Play, Outstanding Leading Performance in a Musical, Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play and Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical. Each of these categories has twice as many nominees as the former gendered categories, with voters casting two votes in each to render two winners per performance category.

First bestowed in 1955 (as the Vernon Rice Awards), the Drama Desk Awards are voted on by theater critics, journalists, editors and publishers covering theater. The nominating committee comprises Martha Wade Steketee (UrbanExcavations.com), Linda Armstrong (New York Amsterdam News), Daniel Dinero (Theatre Is Easy), Peter Filichia (Broadway Radio), Kenji Fujishima (TheaterMania), Margaret Hall (Playbill) and Charles Wright.

Complete Cast Set for Encores! Jelly’s Last Jam, Led by Nicholas Christopher

Darryn King — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 18:46:05 +0000

The complete cast is set for the Encores! production of Jelly’s Last Jam. Directed by Robert O’Hara, performances will run from February 21 through March 3 at New York City Center.

Joining the cast are Okieriete Onaodowan, playing ragtime cornetist Buddy Bolden, with Alaman Diadhiou taking on the role of Young Jelly. Onaodowan originated the roles of James Madison and Hercules Mulligan in Hamilton. His other Broadway credits include Rocky and A Doll’s House. Diahiou, an accomplished tap dancer, is making his New York stage debut.

They join previously announced cast members Nicholas Christopher as Jelly, John Clay III as Jack the Bear, Tony Award winner Joaquina Kalukango as Anita, Tiffany Mann as Miss Mamie, Tony Award winner Billy Porter as Chimney Man, Tony Award winner Leslie Uggams as Gran Mimi and original Broadway cast members Mamie Duncan-Gibbs, Stephanie Pope Lofgren and Allison M. Williams reprising their roles as the Hunnies.

Jelly's Last Jam examines the life of New Orleans jazz great Jelly Roll Morton, with a book by George C. Wolfe, music by Morton and lyrics by Susan Birkenhead, plus, musical adaptation and additional music by Luther Henderson. Choreography is by Edgar Godineaux with tap choreography …

The Who's Tommy Completes Broadway Casting for Spring Revival

Hayley Levitt — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 14:00:00 +0000

Casting is complete for the Broadway revival of The Who's Tommy, beginning preview performances March 8 at the Nederlander Theatre. The production will officially open March 28.

As previously announced, the cast will star Ali Louis Bourzgui as Tommy, Alison Luff as Mrs. Walker, Adam Jacobs as Captain Walker, John Ambrosino as Uncle Ernie, Bobby Conte as Cousin Kevin and Christina Sajous as The Acid Queen, all reprising their roles from the mounting at Chicago's Goodman Theatre this summer.

Rounding out the company will be Haley Gustafson, Jeremiah Alsop, Ronnie S. Bowman Jr., Mike Cannon, Tyler James Eisenreich, Sheldon Henry, Afra Hines, Aliah James, David Paul Kidder, Tassy Kirbas, Lily Kren, Quinten Kusheba, Reese Levine, Brett Michael Lockley, Nathan Lucrezio, Alexandra Matteo, Mark Mitrano, Reagan Pender, Cecilia Ann Popp, Daniel Quadrino, Olive Ross-Kline, Jenna Nicole Schoen, Dee Tomasetta and Andrew Tufano.

Helmed by the musical’s original Tony Award-winning director, Des McAnuff, the revival is a reimagined version of the show, which first opened on Broadway in 1993. The Who’s Tommy features a Tony-winning score by The Who’s Pete Townshend, who co-wrote the Tony-nominated book with McAnuff.

The Who’s Tommy tells the story of Tommy Walker, a boy cut off …

Lola Tung and Ani DiFranco, Hadestown’s New Righteous Babes, Are a Match Made in the Underworld

Darryn King — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 14:00:00 +0000

On February 9, two righteous babes—to borrow the name of the record label that released a concept album called Hadestown back in 2010—will make their Broadway debuts in the Tony-winning musical of the same name. Lola Tung, the breakout star of The Summer I Turned Pretty, will play Hadestown's Eurydice, while Ani DiFranco, the “Not a Pretty Girl” singer, alternative folk trailblazer—and owner of the aforementioned record label—will take on the role of Persephone.

One is a Gen Z it girl, the other an icon for Gen Xers and older millennials. Both have forged their own paths and attracted intensely devoted followings. Both, too, are passionate about personal expression, change-making and the power of art. As it turns out, there's plenty of reasons to wonder: Did fate bring them together?

Catching the Performing Bug at a Young Age

In sixth grade, Tung was cast in her school production of The Wizard of Oz. “I got the role of Tinman and had the greatest time doing the show,” she told Numéro. “I loved every part of the process. I loved rehearsing, learning my lines, the costumes, the makeup and most of all, performing the …

Cara Delevingne Sets Stage Debut as Sally Bowles Alongside Luke Treadaway in West End Cabaret

Hayley Levitt — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 13:01:37 +0000

Actor and model Cara Delevingne will make her stage debut as Sally Bowles in Rebecca Frecknall's Olivier Award-winning West End revival of Cabaret. She joins the production alongside Olivier Award winner Luke Treadaway, who will assume the role of the Emcee. The pair will lead the production at London's Playhouse Theatre from March 11 through June 1, taking over for Rebecca Lucy Taylor and Jake Shears, who play their final performances on March 9.

Delevingne launched her acting career with a small role in the 2012 film version of Anna Karenina, adapted by Tom Stoppard and directed by Joe Wright. Her other notable film roles include Paper Towns, Suicide Squad and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. On television, she starred in American Horror Story: Delicate and had a featured role in the second season of Only Murders in the Building.

“There are no words to explain the excitement I have to return home to make my stage debut in such an iconic role," said Delevingne in a statement. "I am so inspired by the brilliant actors who have played Sally in past productions around the world and in this one in the West End. I cannot wait …

Some Like It Hot Wins Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album

Hayley Levitt — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 02:44:56 +0000

Some Like It Hot, the musical adaptation of Billy Wilder's 1959 film, won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. The honor was announced at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony, held on February 4 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw, Some Like It Hot ran at the Shubert Theatre from November 1, 2022 through December 30, 2023. The show featured a book by Matthew López and Amber Ruffin, music by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman. The Grammy is awarded to Shaiman and Wittman as well as the musical's principal vocalists, Christian Borle, J. Harrison Ghee, Adrianna Hicks and NaTasha Yvette Williams, along with album producers Mary-Mitchell Campbell, Bryan Carter, Scott M. Riesett, Charlie Rosen and Shaiman. Shaiman and Wittman won the same award in 2003 for their musical Hairspray.

Some Like It Hot was nominated for 13 2023 Tony Awards, taking home four trophies: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical (J. Harrison Ghee), Best Choreography (Casey Nicholaw), Best Costume Design of a Musical (Gregg Barnes) and Best Orchestrations (Charlie Rosen and Bryan Carter).

Also nominated this year for Best …

A Tribute to Chita Rivera on Elaine Paige on Sunday

Broadway.com Staff — Sun, 04 Feb 2024 14:00:00 +0000

Olivier-winning actress Elaine Paige is giving Broadway.com listeners a chance to hear her BBC Radio 2 show Elaine Paige on Sunday. This week, Paige pays tribute to Broadway icon Chita Rivera, who the theater community recently lost at the age of 91. She also plays a selection of show tunes to welcome the musicals Hadestown and Standing at the Sky's Edge to the West End. Catch the full episode by clicking the link below!

Fawlty Towers, Adapted by John Cleese, to Play the West End

Darryn King — Fri, 02 Feb 2024 15:54:18 +0000

John Cleese’s official theatrical adaptation of Fawlty Towers, the acclaimed British sitcom, will open in the West End this spring. Performances will begin May 4 at London’s Apollo Theatre ahead of a May 15 opening.

Widely considered one of the greatest television comedies of all time, Fawlty Towers centered on a Torquay hotel and beleaguered hotelier Basil Fawlty, played by Cleese. The adaptation, which premiered in Australia in 2016, is by Cleese with Connie Booth, his co-writer and co-star on the original series, as well as his wife at the time. It combines three episodes of the show: “The Hotel Inspector,” “The Germans” and “Communication Problems.”

“I’ve adapted three of my favorite episodes for the stage and written one huge finale,” Cleese said in a statement. “We’ve been involved in the casting process for some time, being constantly reminded of what a wealth of acting talent we have in Britain—sorting the very, very, very good from the merely very, very good. Finally, we assembled a top-class group of comedy actors.”

The London cast features Adam Jackson-Smith as Basil Fawlty, Anna-Jane Casey as his wife Sybil, Hemi Yeroham as the waiter Manuel and Victoria Fox as Polly. The show is directed …

Sara Bareilles and Sarah Ruhl to Develop Musical Adaptation of Meg Wolitzer's The Interestings

Darryn King — Fri, 02 Feb 2024 14:00:00 +0000

Two-time Grammy Award winner and three-time Tony Award nominee Sara Bareilles has teamed up with Pulitzer Prize finalist and Tony Award nominee Sarah Ruhl to develop a new musical, The Interestings. Based on the New York Times bestselling novel by Meg Wolitzer, Bareilles will write the music and lyrics with Ruhl penning the book.

“I wrote the first song for The Interestings before I even finished the book,” Bareilles said in a statement. “To borrow a quote from one of our main characters: ‘I have fallen in love...with a group of people.’ Meg Wolitzer's extraordinary creation, The Interestings, was such an immediate and fascinating world of humanity and ache and adolescence and regret. I found so many moments that felt like singing. Making this musical has been a conjuring, a deep listening to the themes of the beautiful novel and a tremendously energizing creative conversation with the wild wisdom and endless talent of Sarah Ruhl as my collaborator, bringing these new friends to life in a new way. I am so thrilled to be a part of this wonderful team.”

The Interestings tells the story of six teenagers who meet at summer camp in the 1970s and form a …

Tyne Daly and Liev Schreiber Begin Run in Broadway Revival of Doubt Tonight

Hayley Levitt — Fri, 02 Feb 2024 05:00:00 +0000

The Broadway revival of John Patrick Shanley’s Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning play Doubt: A Parable begins performances February 2 at Roundabout Theatre Company’s Todd Haimes Theatre (formerly the American Airlines Theatre). Directed by Tony nominee Scott Ellis, the production will have its press opening on February 29.

The cast of Doubt is led by Tony winners Tyne Dale and Liev Schreiber as Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn, respectively. They are joined by Quincy Tyler Bernstine as Mrs. Muller (the role that won Adriane Lenox a Tony Award in 2005) and Zoe Kazan as Sister James.

The story follows Sister Aloysius (Daly), the principal of a Catholic school in a working-class part of the Bronx, who is feared by students and colleagues alike. But when she suspects nefarious relations between the charismatic priest Father Flynn (Schreiber) and a student, she’s forced to wrestle with what’s fact, what’s fiction, and how much she’ll risk to expose the difference—all the while wrestling with her own bone-deep doubts.

Shanley wrote and directed a 2008 screen adaptation of Doubt, starring Meryl Streep as Sister Aloysius, Philip Seymour Hoffman as Father Flynn, Viola Davis as Mrs. Miller (the name was changed for the film) and …

Black History Month Spotlight: Tony Winner and Purlie Victorious Star Leslie Odom Jr.

Hayley Levitt — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 20:28:32 +0000

Throughout the month of February, The Broadway Show will be celebrating some of the theater industry’s most influential Black artists. This week, the spotlight is on Leslie Odom Jr.

Perhaps best known for his Tony Award-winning turn as Aaron Burr in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s landmark musical Hamilton, Odom’s Broadway career began at just 17 years old in the cast of Rent. Now only an Oscar away from an EGOT, he finds himself wrapping up a successful five-month run in the first-ever Broadway revival of Ossie Davis’ Purlie Victorious—a production he championed as both star and producer.

Learn more about his auspicious career in the segment below.

Cynthia Nixon Takes a Break From Your TV to Return to the Stage in The Seven Year Disappear

Hayley Levitt — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 18:30:00 +0000

“It’s been seven years since I’ve been on stage,” Cynthia Nixon tells Tamsen Fadal on The Broadway Show. “I can’t remember another time in my life when I haven’t been on stage for seven years.”

Coincidentally, the play that brings her back to the stage after this extended hiatus is called The Seven Year Disappear, a New Group production written by Jordan Seavey and beginning performance February 6 at the Pershing Square Signature Center. In it, Nixon plays a world-famous performance artist who disappears for seven years just as she premieres a new work at MoMA. “The other actor is the amazing Taylor Trensch who's playing my son,” says Nixon. “I'm a single mom and he's my gay son and we're incredibly close. And so he goes into total free fall: Where did I go and why did I go? But I also then play all the people in his life in that interim seven years.”

After a bit of quibbling over the math, Nixon counts a total of eight characters that she’ll be playing in the production. “Different ages, genders, ethnicities, classes, you name it,” she says.

Cynthia Nixon in "The Gilded Age" and "And Just Like …

Craig Lucas and Adam Guettel Reach for Precision and the Ecstatic in Days of Wine and Roses

Hayley Levitt — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 18:00:00 +0000

Days of Wine and Roses, now running at Studio 54, is the second Craig Lucas-Adam Guettel collaboration to make it to Broadway. The first, as fans of their partnership remember, was The Light in the Piazza—Elizabeth Spencer’s story of a stunted young woman’s awakening during an Italian vacation with her mother. It opened on Broadway in 2005, earning Lucas a Tony nomination for his book, winning Guettel a Tony Award for his first-ever Broadway score and launching Kelli O’Hara as Broadway’s premier ingenue. Beyond awards, it also introduced Broadway to a new kind of musical—one that embraced the legit vocal style of the golden age but through modern, chromatic melodies, and that leaned into as many ambiguities in its narrative resolutions as in its musical ones.

"Days of Wine and Roses" book writer Craig Lucas (Photo: Rebecca J Michelson)

Twenty years later, there’s still nothing that sounds quite like a Lucas-Guettel project. And for a second time, their approach to their source material—Blake Edwards’ 1962 film (adapted by JP Miller from his original 1958 teleplay) about a marriage and family ravaged by alcoholism—is a reminder of how malleable musical theater can be. It almost makes you forget how …