Theatre News Roundup: 8/28-8/30

The unexpected passing of Kyle Jean-Baptiste was heartbreaking news. If you can, please consider giving to the scholarship in his name.

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

• The Christians began performances August 28. Performances continue through October 11 with an opening night on September 17.
• Hamlet in Bed began performances August 28. Performances continue through October 25 with an opening night on September 17.
  

Everyone’s a Critic (REVIEWS)

• Whorl Inside A Loop 
• October Sky in Chicago

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• Complete casting for Perfect Arrangement 
• Phantom gets a new Christine Alternate and Monsieur Firmin 
• Alfie Boe takes over from Ramin Karimloo in Les Miserables starting September 1

I Heard It Through the Grapevine (RUMORS)

• Lynn Nottage's Sweat may be moving Off-Broadway courtesy of The Public
  

A Musical (MUSICALS)

• That Was Then, a one act musical play
• Jason Robert Brown, musical supervisor and arranger for Prince of Broadway, is composing an 8 minute ballet

It’s Only a Play (PLAYS)

• Key Change will have a New York run from January 6 through January 31, 2016 after winning the Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh award.
• Tim Firth's Calendar Girls will play Georgia

One Song Glory (ALBUMS)

• Frances Ruffelle I Say Yeh-Yeh

Theatre News Roundup: 8/25-8/27

Sorry for the delay, my dears. I've been very busy this week. Whorl Inside a Loop opens tonight. You know what I think. I think you should see it. I had a busy but very entertaining day yesterday. First I saw a matinee of Far From Canterbury which is currently playing the 19th annual NYC Fringe Festival. It's great. It's renewed my faith in new work from untested artists. I will write a full review (eventually) but for now I'll just say that it's a very smart take on the Wife of Bath's tale with solid lyrics, good form, and some strong ideas. It was the perfect kind of amateur production to see at Fringe NYC. I also caught Zoe Sarnak's concert at Joe's Pub. Her music is just so fantastic. I'm less of a fan of the harder rock songs because that's just not my style. I find them repetitive. But I've definitely got her Romeo and Juliet and Civil War musicals on my radar, as should you.

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

• Whorl Inside A Loop opens August 27
• A Delicate Ship opens August 27

Closed for Renovations (CANCELLATIONS)

• Some Fringe NYC relocating after AC issues

TKTS (TICKETS/RUSH/ETC)

• The box office for the first Broadway production of Dames at Sea will open Monday, August 31, 2015 at 10am at the Helen Hayes Theatre. Patrons who go to the box office from 10AM - 6PM will be able to purchase tickets for preview performances for $19.33 each. Limit four per transaction. Between the hours of 10AM - 11AM, dancers will have the opportunity to demonstrate their own original 60-second tap combination for Assistant Director and Choreographer Emily Morgan, to win the chance to join the cast of Dames at curtain call of the Gypsy Run.
• Sheen Center grand opening events. First 100 tickets for paid events are only $10 ($13 with fees)
• Tickets are now on sale for Trip of Love, the 1960's jukebox musical 
• Tickets on sale for A View From the Bridge

I Wanna Be A Producer (IN DEVELOPMENT)

• Edenville, a new musical from Joe Drymala, will have a developmental reading

Everyone’s a Critic (REVIEWS)

• Reviews of Benedict Cumberbatch's Hamlet

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• Amy Yakima, winner of SYTYCD, will take over as Peter Pan in Finding Neverland for fellow SYTYCD winner Melanie Moore 
• An Act of God with Sean Hayes in LA
• Kevin Bacon will return to the stage this fall in the world premiere of Rear Window in Connecticutt
• Misty Copeland begins her run in On the Town August 25

Come to the Cabaret (CABARETS/CONCERTS/ETC)

• Lillias White is set to perform at this year's Bucks County Cabaret, a one-night-only concert produced by and benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The event will take place October 24 at the Bucks County Playhouse.
•  The Broadway Sings concert series will continue this fall with its ninth installment, titled Broadway Sings Sara Bareilles.
• Drama League Up Close speakers/guests announced

It’s Only a Play (PLAYS)

• Africa My Beautiful August 31- September 30 
• Project Shaw

One Song Glory (ALBUMS)

• Broadway stars featured on upcoming album from Jonathan Reid Gealt released November 9
• Track list for upcoming compilation album "We Love Disney" featuring Jessie J, Ariana Grande, Kacey Musgraves, Yuna, etc.

Theatre News Roundup: 8/23-8/24

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

• A.R. Gurney's Love and Money officially opens August 24

TKTS (TICKETS/RUSH/ETC)

• Box office open for Sam Shepard's Fool for Love 
• Onstage seating for A View From The Bridge. $50 during previews; $135 after opening

I Wanna Be A Producer (IN DEVELOPMENT)

• Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical private industry reading

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• Forest Whitaker will make his Broadway debut in a revival of Eugene O'Neill's Hughie
• Complete casting for Clever Little Lies 
• New cast announced for The Flick
• Charlotte Kate Fox to play Roxie in Chicago on Broadway November 2-15. She will then play the role in Tokyo and Osaka.

A Musical (MUSICALS)

• RENT to play Long Island City, Queens in the fall

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

• Alan Cumming will tour Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs across the US
• Hugh Jackman will perform a 5-city tour of his show Broadway to Oz in Australia

They Mean Chicago, Illinois (CHICAGO NEWS)

• The 1973 musical La Revolution Francaise with music by Schönberg and Raymond Jeannot, original text by Boublil and Jean-Max Riviere, and English adaptation of book and lyrics by Michael Mahle will be performed in concert September 28 at Thalia Hall in Chicago.
• The Black/White Love Play (The Story of Chaz and Roger Ebert) has cast Kevin Pollack as Roger Ebert. Performances will begin in September.

Stop! Wait! What?! (EVERYTHING ELSE)

• Soho Rep 2015-2016 season

Theatre News Roundup: 8/22

Sorry for the late TNR, my dears. For some unknown reason Google Chrome refuses to open on this computer and I am subject to the emotional whims of my electronic devices.

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

•  Off-Broadway's Mint Theater Company begins performances of its summer revival of Harold Chapin's comedy The New Morality Aug. 22, starring Christian Campbell.  
•  Erasmus Fenn's Drop Dead Perfect officially opens Off-Broadway Aug. 23 starring Everett Quinton. Previews began Aug. 19. 

The Party’s Over (CLOSINGS)

•  The Off-Broadway world premiere of Douglas Carter Beane's semi-autobiographical play Shows for Days, starring Patti LuPone and Michael Urie, concludes its Lincoln Center Theater run Aug. 23 at the Mitzi E. Newhouse.

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• Carly Hughes returns to Chicago August 22- September 4

Come to the Cabaret (CABARETS/CONCERTS/ETC)

•  Stephanie J. Block and Aaron Lazar will join forces to take part in the New York Pops' annual A Cabaret Evening at 54 Below. The event will take place on September 28 and serve as a benefit for the Pops' PopsEd Programs and Ronald McDonald House New York.

A Musical (MUSICALS)

•  From October 6-November 8 at the Connelly Theater, Soho Rep. and Ars Nova will present the New York premiere of Futurity, a new musical by César Alvarez and the Lisps.

Theatre News Roundup: 8/21

TKTS (TICKETS/RUSH/ETC)

• Lorenzo Thione and Andrew Treagus, producers of the forthcoming new Broadway musical Allegiance, have announced a partnership with Inspire Change, an arts program that works alongside commercial theatre productions to provide students across the tri-state area with no-cost and low-cost tickets paired with educational programming.

I Wanna Be A Producer (IN DEVELOPMENT)

• A reading of the new musical The Sting, based on the 1973 film of the same name, was held in Manhattan. Bob Martin has teamed up with Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis to adapt the film for Broadway. The reading featured Tony winner Shuler Hensley and Mandy Gonzalez as, respectively, the mob boss and Billie.

Everyone’s a Critic (REVIEWS)

• Reviews of Waitress at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, MA

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• Canada's Theatre Calgary has announced casting for the world premiere of The Little Prince – The Musical, adapted and composed by Nicholas Lloyd Webber — son of Andrew Lloyd Webber — and James D. Reid. The cast will feature Sarah Caraher in the title role of the Little Prince, Adam Brazier as The Pilot, Mamma Mia!'s Louise Pitre as The Snake and Elicia MacKenzie as The Rose. The ensemble comprises Chelsey Duplak, Kevin Forestell, Julio Fuentes, Jocelyn Gauthier, Keely Hutton, Joe Matheson, Andrew McAllister, Jennie Neumann, Alexander Nicoll, Nicole Norsworthy, Justin Raisbeck, Yemie Sonuga and Jena VanElslander.

It’s Only a Play (PLAYS)

• The Manhattan Theatre Club, which produces both on and Off-Broadway, has announced that the eighth show of the season will be The Ruins of Civilization by U.K. playwright Penelope Skinner, to be staged in Spring 2016.  

One Song Glory (ALBUMS)

• The It Shoulda Been You album is released digitally Aug. 21. The CD will be released Oct. 9.

Theatre News Roundup: 8/19-8/20

Be sure to read to the end for the Kinky Boots contest! :)

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

• Previews begin Aug. 20 for the New York premiere of Matthew Lopez's The Legend of Georgia McBride, about an Elvis impersonator turned drag queen. 

TKTS (TICKETS/RUSH/ETC)

• Broadway Week returns Sept. 7-20. The biannual promotion offers theatregoers the chance to purchase two-for-one tickets to a range of Broadway shows. Tickets are on sale as of Aug. 19.
• Changes in the ticket lottery system have been announced for Hedwig and the Angry Inch. According to a tweet from the official Hedwig Twitter account, "New lottery timing--you may now enter 2 hours before each performance; winners drawn 90 minutes prior to show time."
• IRT Theater proudly presents Troy Deutsch’s In a Tilted Place, a kaleidoscopic play directed by Ashley Brooke Monroe and Courtney Ulrich. Tickets are $18 and are available online at BrownPaperTickets.com or by phone. Tickets are also available to purchase a half hour before each performance.

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• Alix Korey will play Yente in the forthcoming revival of Fiddler on the Roof, which will begin previews Nov. 12 prior to an official opening Dec. 17 at The Broadway Theatre.
• Casting has been announced for the Cleveland Play House's world premiere of Ken Ludwig's A Comedy of Tenors. The cast will include Ron Orbach (Saunders), Antoinette Lavecchia (Maria), Bradley Dean (Tito/Beppo), Kristen Martin (Mimi), Bobby Conte Thornton (Carlo Nucci), Rob McClure (Max) and Lisa Brescia (Tatiana Racón). 
• Christopher Denham will join Al Pacino in the Broadway debut of David Mamet's China Doll, which will begin previews Oct. 21. Denham replaces Fran Kranz, who had to withdraw from the production due to scheduling issues. It has also been announced that the limited engagement, originally scheduled for 87 performances, will now play 97 shows.
• casting for Carrie the Musical, which will play the historic Los Angeles Theatre, the first theatrical musical at that venue.

Come to the Cabaret (CABARETS/CONCERTS/ETC)

• Brian Stokes Mitchell will play Café Carlyle Sept. 15-26. Mitchell's new show, entitled Plays With Music, will feature Broadway favorites, standards and jazz. The acclaimed singing actor will be accompanied by a trio led by his long-time pianist and collaborator, Tedd Firth, with Gary Haase on bass and Mark McLean on drums.
• Amanda McBroom will return to 54 Below this fall over two nights with her new solo show, Up Close and Personal. McBroom is a Golden Globe winner for Best Original Song for "The Rose," the Oscar-winning 1979 film starring Bette Midler. McBroom will hit the stage at 54 Below on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 in a show that will feature previously unheard songs from her personal songwriter’s trunk, plus music by some of her favorite writers. McBroom's song "Errol Flynn," which she wrote about her father, was recently featured on NPR’s "Songs We Love." 

A Musical (MUSICALS)

• Cirque du Soleil will take over Broadway’s Lyric Theatre next spring for its first-ever made-for-Broadway musical, Paramour, the story of a young poet in Hollywood. The songs are credited to Cirque songwriting team "Bob & Bill" (creative aliases for Guy Dubuc and Marc Lessard) but no librettist is listed. 
• Who's Your Baghdaddy? Or How I Started The Iraq War, the new musical by Marshall Pailet and A.D. Penedo, will begin performances Off-Broadway Sept. 26. The musical comedy follows members of a support group for those who started the Iraq War. With an official opening night slated for Oct. 17, performances will run through Nov. 22 at the Actors Temple Theater.
• Welcome to My World, a new "one-girl musical" written for and about a 14-year-old, will make its world premiere Sept. 10-27 at the Grove Theatre in Burbank, CA. Sami Staitman will star in the limited engagement, which will officially open Sept. 12 at 8 PM.
• Theater for the New City will stage Bike Shop, The Musical next month, helmed by Gretchen Cryer. Bike Shop, The Musical features a libretto by Elizabeth Barkan, who also stars, lyrics by Caroline Murphy and music by Youn-Young Park. Performances will run Sept. 11-27 at TNC's Cino Theater. Told through narrative and song, the musical follows three generations of a bike-obsessed Jewish-American family.

Theatre News Roundup: 8/17-8/18

Hello my loves,

My current recapping gig has come to an end so I am all yours. That means that reviews are finally coming. Maybe. Hopefully. ;)

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

• Deborah Zoe Laufer's Informed Consent officially opens Aug. 18 at the Duke on 42nd Street, following previews that began Aug. 4. 
• The Playwrights Realm's New York premiere of Anna Ziegler's A Delicate Ship begins previews Aug. 18 prior to an official opening Aug. 27 at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater.
• Philip Ridley’s Mercury Fur officially opens Off-Broadway Aug. 19, following previews that began Aug. 5. The limited run is scheduled through Sept. 27.
• Following last year's sold-out run, Erasmus Fenn's Drop Dead Perfect returns Off-Broadway Aug. 19 starring Everett Quinton, long-time member of the Ridiculous Theatrical Company.  

The Party’s Over (CLOSINGS)

• Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the 2014 Tony Award-winning Best Musical Revival, will play its final performance at the Belasco Theatre Sept. 13 at 3 PM. Taye Diggs is the show's final star. 

TKTS (TICKETS/RUSH/ETC)

• The Off Broadway Alliance's 20at20, the bi-annual celebration of Off-Broadway that steeply discounts tickets to many NYC shows, will be offered Sept. 14-Oct. 4. Tickets, priced $20, will be available for 31 Off-Broadway productions 20 minutes prior to curtain. All 20at20 ticket sales are cash only.
• The Brooks Atkinson Theatre box office for Deaf West's production of Spring Awakening, which will begin Broadway performances Sept. 8, opens Aug. 17. Opening night is set for Sept. 27. 
• The box office at Broadway's Marquis Theatre opens Aug. 17 for On Your Feet! Broadway previews are scheduled to begin Oct. 5 at the Marquis Theatre. Opening night on Broadway is set for Nov. 5.
• The Middle Voice Theater Company will present a workshop production of Steve DiUbaldo's Exposure beginning Aug. 20 at WorkShop Theater. All tickets are free with a suggested donation of $5. 

I Wanna Be A Producer (IN DEVELOPMENT)

• In Your Arms, a new "dance-theatre musical" will open the 2015-16 season at Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, CA. The show will star Donna McKechnie and George Chakiris. Christopher Gattelli will direct and choreograph. The show's ten vignettes have been written by an eye-popping lineup of award-winning librettists. The show, which has an original score by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, will run Sept. 16 – Oct. 25, 2015. Contributing scenes to the production are Douglas Carter Beane, Nilo Cruz, Christopher Durang, Carrie Fisher, David Henry Hwang, Rajiv Joseph , Terrence McNally, Marsha Norman, Lynn Nottage, and Alfred Uhry.
• Flight, a new musical by Michael Potsic described as a fresh retelling of the Greek myth "The Flight of Icarus," will receive a reading starring Broadway actors Hannah Elless and Adrian Aguilar this month. 

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• Broadway's Matilda The Musical is bringing in a new set of leads Sept. 8 to support the ongoing Christopher Sieber as Miss Trunchbull, including Amy Spanger as Mrs. Wormwood and Allison Case as Miss Honey. Also joining the cast are Rick Holmes as Mr. Wormwood and Natalie Venetia Belcon, who returns to the cast as Mrs. Phelps. They will be welcomed by Mattea Conforti, Rileigh McDonald, Mimi Ryder and Alexandra Vlachos, the four girls who will continue sharing the title role.
• Kate Baldwin and Erin Dilly will star in Songbird, a play with music, which begins performances Oct. 20 as part of the 59E59 Theatres' 5A Season. Songbird is written by Michael Kimmel with music and lyrics by Lauren Pritchard. The limited engagement will continue through Nov. 29. The complete cast, announced Aug. 18, also includes Kacie Sheik, Andy Taylor, Ephie Aardema and Adam Cochran.
• The Public Theater has announced complete casting for the Off-Broadway premiere of Danai Gurira's Eclipsed. Joining Lupita Nyong’o and Saycon Sengbloh will be Pascale Armand, Akosua Busia, and Zainab Jah.
• Russell Tovey and Richard Hansell will be part of the cast of this fall's Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge. Tovey will play the role of Rodolpho, and Hansell, a member of the original Young Vic company, will reprise his role as Louis. 
• Complete casting for Manhattan Theatre Club’s upcoming Broadway premiere of Fool for Love, which will begin previews Sept. 15 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. Previously announced Nina Arianda and Sam Rockwell will be joined by Tom Pelphrey andGordon Joseph Weiss.
• A host of Broadway talent will be featured in North Carolina Theatre's upcoming production of Into the Woods, which will be presented Oct. 20-25 at the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium in the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts. 
• Rachel Tucker will join the Broadway company of Wicked next month in the role of Elphaba, a part she played in the London production for over three years. Tucker will be joined by Jonah Platt, who will be making his Broadway debut in the role of Fiyero, also on Sept. 15.

Come to the Cabaret (CABARETS/CONCERTS/ETC)

• On Sept. 27 LiveNation and iHeartRadio will present Elsie Fest, a one-day outdoor music festival celebrating songs from the stage and screen, at JBL LIVE at Pier 97 in New York City. Tickets, which go on sale Aug. 21 at 10 AM, will be available at Ticketmaster.com. Tickets cost $49 for general admission and $250 for VIP seating. 
• Baayork Lee is hosting Past, Present & Future, an Oct. 5 benefit gala celebrating five years since the founding of her organization, the National Asian Artists Project, which aims to raise the profile of Asian-American theatre artists. The 8 PM benefit will be held at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, 56 LaGuardia Place in New York's Greenwich Village. 
• Charlie Rosen's Broadway Big Band will return to 54 Below Aug. 22 to continue an official residence for 2015. Guest vocalists Gerard Canonico, Adam Kaplan, Samantha Massell , Lauren Pritchard, Kacie Sheik, and Alex Wyse will all make their Broadway Big Band debuts alongside returning favorite Margo Seibert.
• Cry-Baby, the 2008 Broadway musical, is getting a long-delayed original cast album--and an original cast reunion concert. 

Theatre News Roundup: 8/16

OK, I feel like I can finally talk about Informed Consent now, the play that I hinted about being late for in a past TNR. Well, I can talk about it briefly as I'm saving most of my thoughts for an organized review. Oh God, how sick are you of hearing me say that? I think it's a pretty solid play but not a great play. Do not go expecting a science/biology/genetics lesson. The science is rudimentary and borderline incorrect. I rather detest the device of the characters announcing themselves instead of trusting the audience to follow the plot. But there are some very good moments and performances and the ones that connected really connected for me. I don't know if it will be for everyone but if you're considering it, and particularly if you have some interest in any of the issues it concerns itself with, I would check it out.

Come to the Cabaret (CABARETS/CONCERTS/ETC)

• 54 Below will present The Songs of David Reiser on August 27 at 9:30pm. The concert will feature songs from Reiser's new musical Joni, as well as selections from his other shows, which include an original version of Charlotte's Web, Way, and Walker in Babylon.

One Song Glory (ALBUMS)

• Eden Espinosa reached her Kickstarter goal for her second album

I Want to Go to Hollywood (MOVIE NEWS)

• Fathom Events and Turner Classic Movies are screening the sing-along version of the 1978 movie "Grease" in 500 theatres across the U.S. on Aug. 16 and 19.
• Lin-Manuel Miranda has been tapped to write music for Moana, an upcoming film from Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Stop! Wait! What?! (EVERYTHING ELSE)

• excerpt from Mary Louise Wilson's new memoir My First Hundred Years in Show Business.

Theatre News Roundup: 8/14-8/15

I'm not a professional reviewer. Am I allowed to review Whorl Inside a Loop while it's in previews. Whatever, knowing me I won't get around to a review until it closes September 20. I saw it for the second time tonight. It's fantastic. I cannot believe they are in previews. I don't see what they could change about the show and the level of the acting is already there. Go see it while you can. 

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

• The 19th Annual New York Fringe Festival, billed as the largest multi-arts festival in North America, is set to roll out nearly 200 plays, musicals, solo shows and specialty shows over the course of 16 days starting Aug. 14. 
• A.R. Gurney's Love and Money begins performances tonight.

I Wanna Be A Producer (IN DEVELOPMENT)

• MCC has announced the line-up for its annual PlayLabs reading series. Audiences will have a chance to experience new plays from notable playwrights and participate in post-show conversations that will aid the development of the works. All tickets are $15.

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• Willemijn Verkaik has joined the cast of Disney's Tarzan in Germany. Verkaik will play Tarzan's adoptive ape mother, Kala.

I Heard It Through the Grapevine (RUMORS)

• The new U.K. revival of Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart's 1974 Broadway musical Mack & Mabel, starring Michael Ball and Rebeccca LaChance in the title roles, is considering a Broadway transfer, according to The New York Post. The Post reported, "some commercial producers are moving Mack and Mabel to London’s West End later this year. If it works there, they’ll be looking to partner up with some New York producers for a Broadway revival next season." 

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

• LaChanze, Anthony Rapp, and James Snyder will join Idina Menzel on the If/Then tour in select cities this fall.

A Foggy Day in London Town (UK NEWS)

• A cast of more than 60 performs a marathon reading of the complete "The Iliad" as part of the Almeida Theatre's Greeks Festival, beginning at the British Museum and culminating on the Almeida stage Aug. 14. It is also being live-streamed on the Almeida's website.
• The original cast recording of the West End's Bend It Like Beckham is now available to buy on digital platforms, with a CD release to follow Sept. 11. Booking has also now been extended through Feb. 2016, with an additional 140,000 tickets now on sale. 

Theatre News Roundup: 8/12

Hello my dears,

I am just back from seeing King Liz at the 2ST Uptown McGinn Cazale Theatre. Sadly, the show is closing with two performances on Saturday but I'd urge you to see it this Friday or Saturday if you can. It's not perfect, but you'll learn that I rarely if ever describe anything as perfect. For the price of the ticket, it's well worth your time. I'll go more into it in my review but there were very strong performances and in particular, female characters that aren't seen as often on stage. Of course I have my criticisms but again, I'd try to check this out for yourself while you can.

Closed for Renovations (CANCELLATIONS)

• The Gin Game will begin previews Sept. 23 at the Golden Theatre, five days later than previously scheduled. Changes were made so Tyson can attend the 67th Annual Emmy Awards Sept. 20 in Los Angeles, where she is nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for ABC’s “How to Get Away with Murder.” 

TKTS (TICKETS/RUSH/ETC)

• Jersey Boys announced that, beginning Aug. 14, it will be offering a limited number of tickets at each performance to winners of an online digital lottery. Tickets will cost $27 each and be limited to two per person. 

I Wanna Be A Producer (IN DEVELOPMENT)

• Writer-director Randy Johnson, who created A Night With Janis Joplin, is working on a musical about another female rock pioneer, Rosetta Tharpe. 

Everyone’s a Critic (REVIEWS)

• Three reviews for Grey Gardens in Sag Harbor
• Reviews of Annie Baker's John

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• Manhattan Theatre Club has announced casting for the world premiere of Prodigal Son by John Patrick Shanley. The cast will be led by Timothée Chalamet alongside Robert Sean Leonard.
• Wayne Brady will join the Broadway company of Kinky Boots Nov. 21.
• Ne-Yo and Elijah Kelley have joined the cast of NBC's The Wiz
• The Public Theater has announced complete casting for the world premiere of Barbecue, written by Obie Award winner Robert O'Hara.
• Casting has been announced for the Off-Broadway staging of Alan Hruska's Laugh It Up, Stare It Down, beginning this month at the Cherry Lane Theatre.

Come to the Cabaret (CABARETS/CONCERTS/ETC)

• Michael Arden, Karen Ziemba, Ben Crawford, and more Broadway stars will perform in the 15th edition of If It Only Even Runs A Minute, a series of rare songs, behind-the-scenes tales, and photos from lesser known Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals at 54 Below.
• The Other Direction, a new musical about the rise and fall of the world's biggest all gay boy band, will perform a concert version of their show at 54 Below on Aug. 21 at 11:30 PM. 
• Child performers from Broadway shows School of Rock, Finding Neverland, Matilda the Musical and others will gather Sept. 2 and 3 at 54 Below cabaret to perform and record the score to the 1967 musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown for Broadway Records. 

A Musical (MUSICALS)

• Waitress, has announced that it will move to Broadway in the spring. Previews begin in March 2016 and opening night is scheduled for April at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. Precise dates have not yet been announced.
• Second Stage Theatre in association with Stacey Mindich Productions will present the New York premiere of the new musical Dear Evan Hansen by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. It will open at Second Stage's Tony Kiser Theatre in spring 2016 under the direction of Michael Greif.

Theatre News Roundup: 8/10-8/11

Sorry! Playing catch up. My recap took an unusually long amount of time to write this week.

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

• The Shakespeare in the Park staging of Cymbeline, starring Patrick Page, Hamish Linklater, Lily Rabe and multi-Tony nominee Raúl Esparza, officially opens Aug. 10 following previews that began July 23 on Central Park's Delacorte stage. The show is set to play through Aug. 23. 
• The world premiere of Annie Baker's John officially opens Off-Broadway Aug. 11. 

TKTS (TICKETS/RUSH/ETC)

• Single tickets are on sale Aug. 10 for the Brooklyn Academy of Music's 2015 Next Wave Festival, which kicks off in September. 
• Tickets go on sale today to see Marlo Thomas in Joe DiPietro's Clever Little Lies Off-Broadway this fall.

I Wanna Be A Producer (IN DEVELOPMENT)

• You're Standing in My Way: A New Song Cycle, the latest complete set of lyrics from William Finn, the composer of Falsettos, A New Brain and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, will have its world premiere Aug. 14 at the Barrington Stage Company (BSC) in Pittsfield, MA. 

Everyone’s a Critic (REVIEWS)

• The Shakespeare in the Park staging of Cymbeline
• A Moon for the Misbegotten
• Up Here

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• Camryn Manheim, Patrick Page, and Russell Harvard have completed the cast for Deaf West's production of Spring Awakening, which will begin Broadway performances Sept. 8.  
• Montego Glover will assume the role of Fantine in Broadway's Les Misérables beginning Sept. 1, the same date the previously announced singer-actor Alfie Boe is scheduled to succeed Ramin Karimloo as Jean Valjean. Also on September 1, Alex Finke makes her Broadway debut in the role of Cosette, succeeding Samantha Hill.
• Laura Osnes, Corey Cott, and Beth Leavel will star in Bandstand, a new musical directed and choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler at Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey, according to a report in Variety. 
• Duke Lafoon will play the role of George Bailey in A Wonderful Life, a stage musical adaptation of the holiday classic “It’s a Wonderful Life," being presented this fall at Goodspeed Opera House. 
• Lauren Marcus will replace Anneliese van der Pol as Audrey in the Sharon Playhouse production of Little Shop of Horrors. 
• New York City Ballet soloist Georgina Pazcoguin steps into the role of Ivy Smith Aug. 11-23 in the Tony-nominated Broadway revival of On the Town, which plays the Lyric Theatre. 

I Heard It Through the Grapevine (RUMORS)

• David Byrne working on a Joan of Arc musical?