Theatre News Roundup: 7/31-8/1

My Doctor Zhivago album finally came in the mail today. I'm listening to it now. It's a good recording but I don't think anything can compare to the impact of seeing the show and hearing those vocals live.

As always, remember to click "Read More" to see all the stories.

I Wanna Be A Producer (IN DEVELOPMENT)

• This summer, Connecticut's Sharon Playhouse will stage the new musical comedy True Love, bringing to the stage the popular romance comics of the 1940's and 50's. Formerly titled Love Comics, it features a book by Sarah Schlesinger and David Evans, music by Evans and lyrics by Schlesinger.
• An injury suffered by co-author Melissa Manchester has forced a postponement of a planned Aug. 7 reading of the new musical Sweet Potato Queens. The show is still scheduled for a March 2016 world-premiere presented by Texas's TUTS Underground.
• Unknown Soldier, about a photograph that leads a woman on a journey to uncover the truth about her deceased grandmother and a soldier in a photograph, officially opens Aug. 1 at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. The cast features David Greenspan, Estelle Parsons, Eric Lochtefeld, Lauren Worsham, Jessica Phillips, Derek Klena, Clara Young and Christina Sajous.

Everyone’s a Critic (REVIEWS)

• Reviews of Dear Evan Hansen (only one at time of posting)

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• Christine Baranski is among the line-up of celebrities planned for the Public Theater's Public Forum Series, now in its sixth year. Drama Club: An Evening with Cleopatra is an exploration of modern women in power via dramatic depictions of the famous Egyptian queen-goddess.  Tickets to the general public will be available Aug. 6.
• Atlantic Theater Company has announced complete casting for Caryl Churchill's play Cloud Nine, which will begin previews Sept. 16 prior to an official opening Oct. 5 at the Linda Gross Theater. The cast will comprise Brooke Bloom, Sean Dugan, Lucy Owen, Chris Perfetti, John Sanders, Izzie Steele and Clarke Thorell.

One Song Glory (ALBUMS)

• The short-lived Broadway musical Doctor Zhivago, which ended its run May 10 at the Broadway Theatre, is available for digital download from the official Broadway Records website beginning July 31. To download the album, visit BroadwayRecords.com. Pre-orders for the physical CD will begin shipping Aug. 3. It will be released in-stores and digitally on iTunes Aug. 7. 

A Foggy Day in London Town (UK NEWS)

• Richard O'Brien, the original creator of The Rocky Horror Show, is to return to the show to make his first stage appearances in the U.K. in over 10 years. He will play the Narrator in a short return season for the show that will run at the West End's Playhouse Theatre Sept. 11-19 only, with a gala charity performance being staged in aid of Amnesty International Sept. 17 that will also be broadcast live to cinemas across the U.K. and Europe.
• The sold-out production of Aeschylus' Oresteia, re-imagined for the modern stage by director/adaptor Robert Icke, is to transfer from the Almeida to the West End's Trafalgar Studios, beginning performances Aug. 22 prior to an official opening Sept. 7, for a limited run to Nov. 7.
• A new London production of the 1989 Tony-winning musical Grand Hotel begins performances July 31, prior to an official opening Aug. 5, for a run through Sept. 5, at Southwark Playhouse. 

Let Me Be Your Star (TV NEWS)

• The complete lineup and broadcast dates have been announced for the annual PBS Arts Fall Festival. Highlights include LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER –Kern & Hammerstein’s Show Boat in Concert with the New York Philharmonic Oct. 16, 9 PM-11 PM ET, GREAT PERFORMANCES  — Chita Rivera: A Lot of Livin’ to Do Nov. 6, 9 PM-10 PM ET, FIRST YOU DREAM—THE MUSIC OF KANDER & EBB Nov. 20, 9 PM-10 PM ET.
• The two-hour series finale of "Looking" will air during the first half of 2016.

Stop! Wait! What?! (EVERYTHING ELSE)

• Grand Central Publishing has acquired the rights to Lin-Manuel Miranda's new Broadway musical Hamilton. The book, which will be released in April 2016 in hardcover and ebook, will include the script to the musical as well as photos, essays, interviews and more.
• Joe's Pub at the Public Theater will present a yearlong retrospective of Justin Vivan Bond's career as a performance artist, writer, activist and transgender icon.