Theatre News Roundup: 7/20

I had a lot of fun tonight at the Broadway Sings Bruno Mars concert. I'm thinking about Broadway Sings Sara Bareilles if I can get a discounted ticket. The performers were all great but I didn't love all of the arrangements and it was only a little over an hour so I don't think I'd ever pay as much as I would for a ticket to an actual show. 

Apropos of nothing, does anyone have any recommendations for the upcoming NY Fringe Festival? Any friends who have projects you're excited about? Obviously, I've mainly got my eye on the musicals. I like the sound of Far From Canterbury (even though it's not one of my favorite actual stories in The Canterbury Tales) and Plath (because The Bell Jar got too real at times). Beware the Chupacabra, Under: A New Musical, and The Portable Dorothy Parker (not a musical) also peaked my interest. But I'm not in a place where blindly spending $18 on unknown shows is a great use of discretionary funds so I would appreciate some recommendations from someone who knows something about the creatives or the material. Thanks!

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

• Following previews that began July 10, the "all-singing, all-dancing demented cabaret on acid," Mrs. Smith's Broadway Cat-Tacular! by performance artist and writer David Hanbury, officially opens July 20 Off-Broadway at the 47th Street Theatre. 

I Heard It Through the Grapevine (RUMORS)

• Matilda The Musical composer/lyricist Tim Minchin says he is working on a film adaptation of the long-running show. In a July 19 interview, Minchin confirmed that there is a movie version of Matilda in the works and that he will write additional music for it.
• In a recent interview Stephen Schwartz said The Hunchback of Notre Dame would soon be licensed for regional productions, which likely means a Broadway staging will not be happening in the immediate future.

Come to the Cabaret (CABARETS/CONCERTS/ETC)

• Whistle Down the Wind—the Louisiana-set rock musical penned by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman—will make its New York City debut in December at 54 Below. Whistle Down The Wind: In Concert will be presented at the intimate nightclub Dec. 13 at 7 PM and 9:30 PM. 
• Cabaret favorite Andrea Marcovicci, who was a mainstay at the now-closed Algonquin Hotel's Oak Room for more than two decades, will make her debut at Manhattan's 54 Below this fall.

A Musical (MUSICALS)

• Disney's hit Broadway musical Newsies is getting a makeover in an all-new Italian production, which is set to premiere Oct. 31 in Milan. The Italian-language staging will feature the work of a new design team.

One Song Glory (ALBUMS)

• The Two River Theater production of Be More Chill, a new musical with music and lyrics by Joe Iconis and book by Joe Tracz, based on the acclaimed 2004 novel by Ned Vizzini, will be recorded by Sh-K-Boom & Ghostlight Records.

A Foggy Day in London Town (UK NEWS)

• James Phillips' McQueen is set to transfer to the West End's Theatre Royal, Haymarket, beginning performances Aug. 13 prior to an official opening Aug. 27, for a limited run through Nov. 7. Stephen Wight will reprise his original performance in the title role, newly joined by Carly Bawden as Dahlia, originated by Dianna Agron but who is not transferring owing to filming commitments.

Stop! Wait! What?! (EVERYTHING ELSE)

• Video of Ariana Grande singing Take Me or Leave Me from Rent and doing an impression of Carolee Carmello in Mamma Mia backstage on tour
• The July 17 PBS broadcast of Driving Miss Daisy, starring multiple Tony Award winners Angela Lansbury and James Earl Jones, is now available to watch for free via the PBS website.
• The Ziegfeld Club, the organization dedicated to helping women in theatre since 1936, has announced that it is accepting submissions for the inaugural Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award, offering $10,000 and professional mentorship. The Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award 2015 will be given to an emerging, female composer-lyricist (or team of composer and lyricist), who "compellingly demonstrates financial need, professional initiative, and outstanding artistic promise in musical theater songwriting."
• Downtown Off-Broadway house New York Theatre Workshop has announced the playwrights and directors selected for the 2015/16 season 2050 fellowship, named in celebration of the U.S. Census Bureau’s projection that by the year 2050, there will be no single racial or ethnic majority in the U.S.
• Andy Karl is among the Broadway performers featured in the line-up for The 5th Avenue Theatre's inaugural NextFest: A Festival of New Musicals in Seattle this summer.