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.

It’s Only a Play (PLAYS)

• The Hummingbird's Tour, a new play about three aging siblings and their nanny who are thrown into a frenzy by an unexpected guest, will begin its five week run at the Theatre at St. Clement's Oct.18. 
• Shear Madness, will be produced Off-Broadway at long last this fall. The original Boston staging recently celebrated its 35th year of performances. 

One Song Glory (ALBUMS)

• It Shoulda Been You has pushed back the release date of its cast album. The album will be released digitally on Aug. 21, and on CD Oct. 9. The dates were originally announced as Aug. 14 and Sept. 18, respectively.

They Mean Chicago, Illinois (CHICAGO NEWS)

• David Arquette will star as Sherlock Holmes in a newly imagined Sherlock Holmes at Chicago's Oriental Theatre Nov. 24-29. 

A Foggy Day in London Town (UK NEWS)

• The previously announced U.K. premiere of Xanadu, the 2007 Tony-nominated Broadway musical version of the cult 1980 film about a woman who makes dreams come true, has announced preliminary casting. 
• London's Courtyard Theatre will stage Shakespeare's celebrated play of family betrayal and greed, King Lear, with a cast made up of live sheep. Helmed by director Missouri Williams, the production opens Aug. 12. 

Let Me Be Your Star (TV NEWS)

• James Earl Jones and Ernie Sabella are set to reprise their voice roles as Mufasa and Pumbaa, respectively, in the new Disney Channel movie "The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar." "The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar" is a continuation of Disney's "The Lion King". The movie will serve as a precursor to the new Disney Channel series "The Lion Guard," which tells the story of Simba and Nala's second-born cub, Kion.

Stop! Wait! What?! (EVERYTHING ELSE)

• Nathan Lane and Debra Messing are among stars scheduled to take part in an Oct. 26 reading of six new 10-minute plays by actor/playwright Wesley Taylor in New York as a benefit for the Actors Fund of America. 
• Thom Yorke will compose original music for the Broadway revival of Harold Pinter’s Old Times, which opens on Broadway this fall. 
• A song list has been posted for Act I of the Japanese world premiere of Prince of Broadway.