A Very Random Theatre News Roundup

• Massachusetts- Barrington Stage Company has announced full casting for its upcoming production of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance. It will run July 15-August 13. Directed by John Rando and choreographed by Joshua Bergasse, it will feature Will Swenson and Scarlett Strallen as the Pirate King and Mabel, alongside Kyle Dean Massey as Frederic, David Garrison as the Major General, Jane Carr as Ruth, and Phillip Boykin as Samuel.
• Broadway Will Chase will join the Broadway production of Something Rotten! on July 18 as William Shakespeare. On the same day, the roles played by Cariani, Blickenstaff, and Reinders will be taken over by Josh Grisetti, Leslie Kritzer, and current Something Rotten! ensemble player Catherine Brunell. Rob McClure recently took over the role of Nick Bottom from Brian d'Arcy James.
• Broadway Fun Home will end its run after 26 preview and 582 regular performances at the Circle in the Square Theatre on September 10, 2016, at 8pm
• San Diego Megan McGinnis will head the cast of the new Paul Gordon Sense and Sensibility musical from July 6-August 14 at the Old Globe Theatre. (Further casting in article.)
• Invitation Only Ragtime will receive a one-night site-specific developmental concert on Ellis Island on August 8. Laura Michelle Kelly as Mother, Brandon Victor Dixon as Coalhouse Walker Jr., Michael Park as Father, Robert Petkoff (reprising his 2009 Ragtime Broadway revival role of Tateh), Shaina Taub  as Emma Goldman, Cooper Grodin as Harry K. Thaw, Aisha Jackson as Sarah's Friend, Jeremy Morse as Harry Houdini, Rod Singleton as Booker T. Washington, and Annie Sherman as Evelyn Nesbit. In addition, Georgia Engel will perform a selection of songs from the musical. Full casting will be announced at a later date, and this summer's performance will be by invitation only.
• The Kilroys has released its third annual list of industry-recommended new plays, featuring the most-nominated, unproduced plays written by female and trans* writers, following a survey of 230 professional artistic directors, literary managers, professors, producers, directors, and dramaturgs.
• The Tony Awards Administration Committee has announced its 2016-17 Broadway season nominating committee, which will comprise 51 members.
• Off-Broadway Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man, written by Matt Murphy and based on the best-selling book by Dan Anderson and Maggie Berman, has announced that the Skivvies, Lauren Molina and Nick Cearley, will join the cast from July 16-July 30 at the 777 Theater.
• Phillipa Soo will head the cast of the pre-Broadway and Broadway runs of Amélie, A New Musical. Soo will take on the title role when the show runs at the Ahmanson Theatre December 4-January 15, with a Broadway production to follow in 2017.
• New York City Center's Encores! Off-Center has announced this year's lineup for the Lobby Project series of free pre-show events.
• Sierra Boggess will depart the Broadway production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's School of Rock on August 8
• New York City's Caedmon School will present an invitation-only concert of songs from the new musical La Dottoressa on Thursday, June 30 at 7pm. The musical is written by Daisy Eagan and Matty Selman. It tells the story of Maria Montessori, one of the first woman doctors in Italy whose teaching methods changed the world.
• Fuerza Bruta will end its nine-year run at the Daryl Roth Theatre on Sunday, August 28. The show began its run in 2007 and will have played over 3,000 performances.
• London The British premiere of Murder Ballad will feature Ramin Karimloo, Kerry Ellis, Norman Bowman, and Victoria Hamilton-Barritt. Performances begin September 29 at the Arts Theatre, with opening night set for October 5.
• Broadway The new musical A Bronx Tale will see its Broadway premiere this fall, beginning performances at the Longacre Theatre on Thursday, November 3. It will open December 1.
• Off-Broadway Ruthless! The Musical has recorded a brand-new cast album featuring performances by the entire original cast of the current off-Broadway production, now running at St. Luke's Theatre. The company will include Peter Land, Kim Maresca, Tori Murray, Rita McKenzie, Andrea McCullough, and Tracy Jai Edwards.

Marguerite Review

From a marketing standpoint Marguerite doesn't seem like the easiest sell for American general audiences. Florence Foster Jenkins, upon whom the titular fictional character of Marguerite is based, is far from a household name in America. Perhaps a few of you may have come across her story in a Cracked article. For that matter, I don't imagine that Catherine Frot, the French actress who imbues Marguerite with her humanity and enduring optimism, is much better known here in the states. Did I mention that this movie is entirely in French and is about a woman's love of opera? Each of these elements has its fans but combine them all and you'd seem to arrive at a very small subsection of the populace to whom Marguerite would appeal.

And yet, in many ways, Marguerite is actually rather conventional fare. Although it is fictional (despite drawing inspiration from some real life figures) it doesn't stray far beyond the confines of a typical period piece biopic. Once the players are established, the story doesn't truly go anywhere you don't expect it to. There's a comfort to the formulaic nature of movies like this. In the case of Marguerite, I enjoyed being in the world director Xavier Giannoli created. It was beautiful without the artificial high glamour of typical Hollywood movies. It had the trappings one would expect in a movie about the wealthy in post WWI France, with the added fanciful flair of Marguerite's frivolous expenditures (a large eyeball, a pair of wings, a Brunhilde costume). They successfully brought to life the world of a woman who spends without being concerned about where the money is coming from.

If I'm giving the impression that the movie was simple fluff, I do not mean to. Certainly it has many moments of levity and silliness but there are also nefarious threads weaving through the story, threatening to burst the bubble of Marguerite's happiness more than the revelation that her singing voice is really not very good. The Baroness Dumont's delusion persists for so long because she lives among liars who find it convenient to tell untruths for one reason or another. There are the charming young people who scheme to various degrees but all benefit from her largesse. There is her blackmailed singing teacher and his helpers who introduce a vulgarity into her orderly world. There is her faithful servant Madelbos who tries the hardest to shield her from the truth. How much of that is out of affection and how much of it is driven by his own selfish needs and artistic project is up to your interpretation. The movie also hints at class issues with the hypocritical wealthy music club which tolerates her patronage but this thread doesn't go much of anywhere.

Speaking of which, the degree to which the story has been fictionalized both helps and hurts. The movie can be quite charming and amusing and has its fun with various quirky personages but when the time comes for things to come to a close, none of the threads are resolved in a truly satisfying way. The future of the relationship of the young couple that we keep revisiting throughout the story is left a mystery. Marguerite ends the movie in a faint and the states of her health and sanity and singing voice are unconfirmed. The growing intrigue concerning Madelbos is cut off before he can really be developed as a character.

Having given it some thought, I would lay much of the blame for this on the choice to focus so much of the movie on the ultimate deception in Marguerite's life, that of her faithless husband. Almost all their interactions seem grounded in falsehood. He engages in petty deceptions to avoid being honest about her lack of singing ability and more importantly about his lack of love and respect for her. Her pursuit of music is driven by his inattention. As Marguerite states at one point, it is all he has left her. Frot plays the part of the neglected wife well but it was difficult to find much depth in this well-trodden territory. Although her husband was the biggest liar of them all, his lies felt the most ordinary. Perhaps this might have been more compelling if we had any reason to root for their reconciliation. Without it, though the movie is enjoyable in the moment, all the anarchists and bearded ladies and unexplained fire imagery ended up being more interesting set dressing to disguise the unremarkable plot at the center of the narrative. You can feel the movie skimming the surface when it might be better served by diving deep into the world of the liars that Marguerite herself passes through without seeing for what they are.

But that would be another movie. Like Marguerite, this one refuses to live in the real world until the final frame. With that said, if it at all appeals to you, I would urge you to give it a chance in spite of its weak fifth act. The performances are solid, the movie is pretty, and the operatic numbers, both good and bad, are well-chosen and enjoyable. It's probably not necessary to see it in the theater but at home, on Netflix, I think there's plenty there that will charm you. Personally, I am intrigued by what Catherine Frot and Xavier Giannoli will move onto next.

Theatre News Roundup: 1/20-1/25

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

• MTC's Broadway production of Our Mother's Brief Affair officially opened Jan. 20
• The Glory of the World, by frequent collaborators Charles Mee and Les Waters, officially opened at the Brooklyn Academy of Music Jan. 21
• The Alving Estate, a new immersive theatre experience inspired by Henrik Ibsen's classic play Ghosts, officially opens in New York Jan. 21. The Alving Estate is scheduled to continue through Feb. 26. Each show admits a limit of 35 audience members per performance.
• Stephen Karam’s The Humans begins its Broadway engagement Jan. 23 at the Helen Hayes Theatre.
• The Burial at Thebes officially opened Jan. 24. The Off-Broadway engagement is scheduled to run through March 6 at the DR2 Theatre in Manhattan's Union Square.
• Death of the Liberal Class opened 1/25

The Party’s Over (CLOSINGS)

• The New York Theatre Workshop production of David Bowie and Enda Walsh's musical Lazarus played its final performance Jan. 20.
• Deaf West Theatre's Broadway production of Spring Awakening ended its limited run Jan. 24.
• Clever Little Lies ended its run Jan. 24 at 3 PM.

TKTS (TICKETS/RUSH/ETC)

• The box office at the Cort Theatre (138 W. 48th St.) opens Jan. 25 for the Broadway premiere of the new musical Bright Star, which will begin previews Feb. 25 prior to an official opening March 24.

I Wanna Be A Producer (IN DEVELOPMENT)

• Empire, a new musical about the building of the Empire State Building in New York City, will have its world premiere Jan. 23 at the La Mirada Theatre
• Plot details of the Spongebob musical

Everyone’s a Critic (REVIEWS)

• Our Mother's Brief Affair

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• The Public Theater has announced complete casting for the world premiere of Sarah Burgess' comedy drama Dry Powder. The complete cast now includes Claire Danes, Hank Azaria, Sanjit De Silva, and John Krasinski.
• "Ken Watanabe will return to the role of the King of Siam in the Broadway revival of the King and I, for seven weeks starting March 1. Jose Llana, who succeeded Watanabe in the role last fall, will succeed him again for two weeks, April 19-May 1. Daniel Dae Kim will assume the role next from May 3-June 26."
• Denée Benton will make her Broadway debut as Natasha in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
• "Jenna Leigh Green and Sally Schwab have joined the cast of the forthcoming The Marvelous Wonderettes revival. They join the previously announced Christina Bianco and Kathy Brier. Performances of the 1950's-set high school comedy are set to begin March 23 at New York’s Theatre Row. The show opens April 28."
• Matthew Morrison, who starred as J.M. Barrie in Finding Neverland, exited the production Jan. 24. Tony Yazbeck began performances Jan. 26.
• Kelsey Grammer will now end his run in Finding Neverland March 26.
• Spongebob musical casting
• Wicked cast changes
• Taylor Richardson has replaced Julia Garner in the New York premiere of Smokefall by Noah Haidle.

I Heard It Through the Grapevine (RUMORS)

• Claire van Kampen's Farinelli and The King, which made its debut at Shakespeare's Globe, is headed to New York in November, according to London's Daily Mail

Come to the Cabaret (CABARETS/CONCERTS/ETC)

• Darren Criss replaces Jeremy Jordan in a New York Pops concert March 11 at Carnegie Hall.

A Musical (MUSICALS)

• Cats has booked the Neil Simon Theatre, with previews beginning July 14 and an official opening set for Aug. 2.

Theatre News Roundup: 1/15-1/19

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

• The Glory of the World from Charles Mee and Les Waters opened Jan. 16
• Previews began Jan. 19 for John Patrick Shanley's Prodigal Son at Manhattan Theatre Club.
• Dominique Morisseau’s Skeleton Crew officially opened Jan. 19. It is scheduled to play through Feb. 14 at Atlantic Stage 2.

The Party’s Over (CLOSINGS)

• A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder played its final performance on Broadway Jan. 17 at the Walter Kerr Theatre.

TKTS (TICKETS/RUSH/ETC)

• "The Broadway revival of Les Misérables, which plays the Imperial Theatre, has launched a daily digital lottery for this winter for a limited number of $37 tickets. The lottery will continue through March 20. Entries can be submitted each day at LesMiz.com/lottery. For matinee performances, entries must be submitted by 11 AM and for evening performances by 3 PM. The production’s rush ticket program also will continue offering a limited number of $37 tickets beginning each day at 10 AM at the Imperial Theatre box office."
• "The School of Rock digital lottery will open daily at 12:01 AM ET for entrants to win a limited number of $37 same-day tickets to that day’s performance(s) at schoolofrocklottery.com. The lottery will remain open until 10:59 AM ET for matinees and 2:50 PM ET for evening performances."

I Wanna Be A Producer (IN DEVELOPMENT)

• The University of Texas at Austin Department of Theatre and Dance presents free workshop performances of Helldrivers of Daytona, a rock musical about the world of NASCAR, Jan. 15-16.

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• "Bette Midler has announced that she will play Dolly Gallagher Levi in a Broadway revival of the blockbuster 1964 musical, Hello, Dolly! Previews are scheduled to begin March 13, 2017 with an opening date of April 20."
• Complete casting for Tuck Everlasting 
• New York Theatre Workshop has announced full casting for next month's production of Red Speedo by Lucas Hnath.
• "Patrick J. Adams ("Suits") and Troian Bellisario ("Pretty Little Liars") have been cast in The Old Globe's world premiere of The Last Match, Anna Ziegler's new play that takes place during the U.S. Open tennis semifinals. The San Diego production is scheduled to run Feb. 13-March 13."

I Heard It Through the Grapevine (RUMORS)

• "Boston's Huntington Theatre Company's stage adaptation of "A Confederacy of Dunces," is now being "fine tuned for Broadway."
• "The Play That Goes Wrong, a comedy about an amateur university production that goes hopelessly awry is eyeing Broadway for 2017."

Come to the Cabaret (CABARETS/CONCERTS/ETC)

• Matthew Morrison has scheduled several concert dates following his departure from Finding Neverland.

A Musical (MUSICALS)

• Atlantic Theater Company has announced the world-premiere production of Marie and Rosetta by George Brant. Billed as a play with music, it tells the story of famed gospel singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

It’s Only a Play (PLAYS)

• Theater for the New City will stage Dare to be Black: The Jack Johnson Story next month, making it the second show of the season to explore the famous boxer's story.
• "Chris Foley tells how he escaped a Wall Street career and embraced his inner performer in Off The Desk (Tales of A Mediocre Stockbroker), his new solo show starting previews Jan. 20 at the WorkShop Theater Main Stage in New York."

One Song Glory (ALBUMS)

• Johnny Gallagher — also known as Tony-winning Spring Awakening actor John Gallagher, Jr. — released his debut solo recording Jan. 15.
• "Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin," will be released on Feb. 26.
• Original cast recording for Merman's Apprentice available 

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

• Once tour

They Mean Chicago, Illinois (CHICAGO NEWS)

• The Lyric Opera of Chicago has announced productions of Carmen and My Fair Lady

A Foggy Day in London Town (UK NEWS)

• The world premiere of Miss Atomic Bomb, a new musical comedy starring Catherine Tate will open in March
• Casting for Nick Payne's Elegy 
• Audra McDonald will star as Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill, beginning performances June 25 prior to an official opening July 5 at Wyndham's Theatre, for a run through Sept. 3.

Let Me Be Your Star (TV NEWS)

• Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey have penned a new song for Fox's Grease: Live for Carly Rae Jepsen's Frenchy.
• Tim Curry will play The Criminologist who narrates the story in Fox's Rocky Horror Picture Show
• Debra Messing will play Baby's mother in ABC's Dirty Dancing
• "A host of theatre actors can be seen in the six-part series Mercy Street"
• A feature-length documentary titled "Hamilton's America," will be broadcast as part of PBS' "Great Performances" series in fall 2016.

Stop! Wait! What?! (EVERYTHING ELSE)

• A new exhibition, Curtain Up: Celebrating 40 Years of Theatre in London and New York, will be presented in both cities, transferring to New York's Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center (Oct. 19, 2016-June 2017).
• "Applications are now being accepted for the sixth annual Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, which provides a secluded summer getaway for writers of new musicals."

Theatre News Roundup: 1/8-1/14

Sorry for the long hiatus! I have been quite sick. Let's get right into things.

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

• Mac Wellman's The Offending Gesture officially opened Off-Broadway Jan. 9
• Maurice Hines Tappin' Thru Life officially opened Jan. 11
• "Death of the Liberal Class has its world premiere at Off-Broadway's New Ohio Theatre Jan. 10-Feb. 13, officially opening Jan. 25."
• Noises Off officially opened Jan. 14 at the American Airlines Theatre.
• The Burial at Thebes began performances Jan. 14

The Party’s Over (CLOSINGS)

• The Off-Broadway revival of Annie Baker's The Flick ends its run Jan. 10 at the Barrow Street Theatre.

TKTS (TICKETS/RUSH/ETC)

• The daily discount lottery at Hamilton will continue to be offered outdoors on the steps of the Richard Rodgers Theatre, but Ham4Ham has moved online.

I Wanna Be A Producer (IN DEVELOPMENT)

• The Prom, a new musical comedy featuring a book by Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone) and  Chad Beguelin (Aladdin), with music by Matthew Sklar (Elf), and lyrics by Beguelin, will receive its pre-Broadway premiere in August as part of the Alliance Theatre's upcoming season in Atlanta.
• That Lovin' Feelin', a new musical chronicling the life and music of The Righteous Brothers, Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield, is currently playing a West Coast premiere engagement in Los Angeles.
• Unexpected Joy, a new musical by lyricist-librettist Bill Russell and composer Janet Hood, will make its world premiere at the Wellfleet Harbor Actors
• "Mark Medoff has written a new drama, Marilee & Baby Lamb: The Assassination of an American Goddess about film icon Marilyn Monroe, which is scheduled for an invitation-only industry reading Jan. 21 and 22 at the Birdland Jazz Club in New York."
• Arlington's Signature Theatre has announced the world premiere production of Freaky Friday, Bridget Carpenter, Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey's new musical. Performances are set to begin Oct. 4, running through Nov. 13 in Signature's MAX Theatre.

Everyone’s a Critic (REVIEWS)

• Noises Off

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• Nick Cordero will take over the role of Earl, the oppressive husband of lead character Jenna, in the upcoming musical Waitress.
• Roundabout Theatre Company has announced complete casting for the New York revival of Alfred Uhry and Robert Waldman’s musical comedy The Robber Bridegroom.
• Complete casting has been announced for the new musical American Psycho.
• Jenna Gavigan has joined the cast of Scott Elmegreen and Drew Fornarola's Straight
• David Beach has assumed the role of Brother Jeremiah in Something Rotten
• "Lilli Cooper has joined the cast of The Wildness: Sky-Pony’s Rock Fairy Tale. The Wildness: Sky-Pony’s Rock Fairy Tale will begin performances Feb. 16, with an official opening night slated for Feb. 29. The Off-Broadway production is scheduled to run through March 19 at Ars Nova. Joining Cooper and the duo, the complete cast also includes David Blasher, Jeff Fernandes, Katie Lee Hill, Jamie Mohamdein, Sharone Sayegh and Kevin Wunderlich."
• Arlington's Signature Theatre has announced the cast of Road Show, its 26th Stephen Sondheim production.
• Alison Luff assumes the role of Fantine in the Broadway production of Les Misérables beginning Feb. 4 at the Imperial Theatre.

Theatre News Roundup: 1/6-1/7

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

• Dominique Morisseau’s Skeleton Crew begins previews Jan. 6 at the Atlantic Theater Company

The Party’s Over (CLOSINGS)

• Allegiance will close Feb. 14 after 37 previews and 113 regular performances.

TKTS (TICKETS/RUSH/ETC)

• Spring Awakening will offer a special Buy One/Get One Free "Teen Night" Jan. 19 at 7 PM at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.

I Wanna Be A Producer (IN DEVELOPMENT)

• Jarrod Spector has replaced the previously announced Gabriel Ebert in the Jan. 14-15 industry readings of Death — The Musical. 
• Stephen Adly Guirgis (Between Riverside and Crazy) will write a new play based on the movie "Dog Day Afternoon."

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• Tony Yazbeck will take over the role of J.M. Barrie in Finding Neverland beginning Tuesday, January 26
• Signature Theatre has announced casting for the revival of Martha Clarke and Alfred Uhry's Angel Reapers.
• Rita Rudner joins Charles Shaughnessy in the U.S. premiere of the play Act 3 at Laguna Playhouse in California

Come to the Cabaret (CABARETS/CONCERTS/ETC)

• Daniel Reichard Celebrates Rodgers and Hammerstein will play Feinstein's/54 Below Feb. 5
• John Riddle Keep It Simple will play Feinstein's/54 Below Jan. 21

It’s Only a Play (PLAYS)

• "Bobby Steggert is scheduled to star with Heidi Armbruster this February in the world premiere of Boy, a new Off-Broadway play by Anna Ziegler."

I Want to Go to Hollywood (MOVIE NEWS)

• Emma Stone is in negotiations to play Cruella de Vil in Disney's live-action "Cruella."

Let Me Be Your Star (TV NEWS)

• The HBO adaptation of Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, starring six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald as Billie Holiday, will premiere on March 12.
• Boyz II Men will sing Beauty School Dropout in Grease Live

Stop! Wait! What?! (EVERYTHING ELSE)

• The Public's Under the Radar Festival 
• "New York City Center is celebrating the 75th anniversary of Carol Channing's New York stage debut with a podcast entitled "Carol Channing on Auditions, Communists, and Her Stage Debut."
• Jeanine Tesori has added Elizabeth Swados' 1978 musical Runaways to the 2016 Encores! Off-Center season.  
• Tony eligibility

Theatre News Roundup: 1/2-1/5

The Party’s Over (CLOSINGS)

• Dames at Sea closed with a 1/3/16 matinee. Therese Raquin ended its limited run the same way.
• The Humans ended its run at the Laura Pels 1/3/16
• 39 Steps ended its run at the Union Square Theatre
• Sylvia closed 1/3/16
• Hand to God ended its Broadway run 1/3/16
• Lord of the Dance ended its run and will head back out on tour
• Joe DiPietro's new comedy, Clever Little Lies, which officially opened Oct. 12 at the Westside Theatre Upstairs, will end its run Jan. 24.

TKTS (TICKETS/RUSH/ETC)

• Hamilton lottery going digital. Predictably there were some issues. Producers announced that they would return to a live lottery outside the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Jan. 6.
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is also offering a digital lottery. Tickets are $30 and limited to two per person. To enter the digital lottery, visit CuriousOnBroadway.com/Lottery.

I Wanna Be A Producer (IN DEVELOPMENT)

• Corbin Bleu, Emma Hunton, and Jared Gertner will head the cast of the world-premiere staging of Diana Amsterdam's new play The Dodgers, about a group of musicians and friends facing the Vietnam draft lottery.
• Free reading of Stephen Kaplan's The Community

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• Kyle Selig has been cast as Elder Price in the Book of Mormon. His run will be 1/5-2/21.
• Kecia Lewis will replace Tonya Pinkins in CSC's Mother Courage and Her Children
• Victoria Justice (Janet) and Ryan McCarten (Brad) have been cast in Fox's Rocky Horror Picture Show. Reeve Carney (Riff Raff) and Staz Nair also cast.
• Complete casting for Disaster!
• Full cast for Cirque du Soleil's Paramour
• Casting for Familiar by Danai Gurira
• Casting for LCT3's production of Greg Pierce's Her Requiem

Brush Up Your Shakespeare (SHAKESPEARE)

• First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare will tour. (June 7-July 17: New York Historical Society, New York, NY)
• Emma Rice has announced her first season as artistic director of Shakespeare's Globe

Come to the Cabaret (CABARETS/CONCERTS/ETC)

• Tommy Tune at Cafe Carlyle 
• Valentine’s Day with Megan Hilty and the NJSO
• I Do! I Do! in concert at 54 Below Feb 14

Theatre News Roundup: 12/25-1/1

Hello my dears,

I took a break for the holidays. I saw Tappin' Thru Life with Maurice Hines and his amazing all-female band. If you've been thinking about seeing it, do. It's a fun night out.

Another Op’nin, Another Show (OPENINGS)

• The Changeling began performances 12/26. It is scheduled to open 1/10 and run through Jan. 24, 2016.
• Previews began Dec. 28 for Our Mother's Brief Affair

Closed for Renovations (CANCELLATIONS)

• "Tonya Pinkins, who is currently starring in the title role of the Classic Stage Company production of Bertolt Brecht's Mother Courage and Her Children will depart the production Jan. 5, 2016. Her statement."
• Hughie first preview pushed back 3 days

TKTS (TICKETS/RUSH/ETC)

• "Broadway Week returns Jan. 19-Feb. 5, 2016. The semi-annual promotion offers theatregoers the chance to purchase two-for-one tickets to a range of Broadway shows."
• New York will get its first peek at Sarah Jones' new solo show, Sell/Buy/Date, in a reading Jan, 6-16 at New York Live Arts. Tickets start at $25."

I Wanna Be A Producer (IN DEVELOPMENT)

• An industry reading of Death — The Musical will be presented Jan. 14-15, 2016, in Manhattan. The new musical features book, lyrics and music by Paul Gordon. The cast will be headed by Gabriel Ebert with Megan McGinnis, Sarah Litzsinger, Beth Leavel, Kate Reinders and Leigh Ann Larkin.
• Burning Desire, a new play written by and starring Lou Diamond Phillips, will make its world premiere in February 2016 at Connecticut's Seven Angels Theatre.

Everyone’s a Critic (REVIEWS)

• Gotta Dance

I Hope I Get It (CASTING)

• Brandy will star in the April 26-May 1, 2016, engagement of Chicago's national tour at the Pantages Theatre

I Heard It Through the Grapevine (RUMORS)

• Smokey Joe's Café, featuring the songs of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, will return to New York City, according to an Equity casting notice.

Come to the Cabaret (CABARETS/CONCERTS/ETC)

• Feinstein's/54 Below's "54 Sings" concert series will continue Jan. 7, 2016, with a concert version of Kiss Me, Kate. The performances will feature the talents of Robert Cuccioli, Lesli Margherita, Danny Gardner, and Carole J. Bufford.