Thursday June 20, 2013
Miss Saigon
© Cameron Mackintosh
In a season already gearing up for major revivals comes news that Miss Saigon will enjoy a revival in London's West End theatre district in 2014.
Legendary producer Cameron Mackintosh announced that Miss Saigon will once again take the stage in London, appearing at the Prince Edward Theatre, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the show's original opening. Directed by Laurence Connor, the operatic-style musical about love and loss amidst the Viet Nam war will open in May 2014.
According to the press release, Mackintosh feels that audiences will relate to the characters' emotions and stories from a more personal perspective now that this generation has experienced the wars and conflicted emotions of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Casting has yet to be announced, but stay tuned for more information as it is released. And yes, I am also interested to see if this means a Broadway revival for Miss Saigon is imminent.
Further reading:
Thursday June 20, 2013
Into the Woods
© Into the Woods
If you're having withdrawals from the fervent speculation of how Hollywood will treat a sacred Broadway musical now that Les Misérables has come and gone, get your thinking caps on! The whispers surrounding the film adaptation of the Sondheim/Lapine classic Into the Woods already have tongues wagging.
As I reported back in January 2012, this official feature-film length version of Into the Woods will be helmed by Academy Award-winning movie musical director Rob Marshall and produced by Disney. This version also features a Book re-written by its Tony-winning librettist James Lapine himself (though, it will be interesting to see what he did with the long dialogue scene in Act II). There is no word on how Stephen Sondheim's Tony-winning musical numbers may or may not have been altered.
The names attached to the project include Meryl Streep for the "Witch," Christine Baranski for Cinderella's "Stepmother," Emily Blunt as the "Baker's Wife," Jake Gyllenhaal for one of the "Princes," with the "Baker" possibly being played by Brit comedic actor James Corden, who won the Tony for One Man, Two Guvnors, and none other than Johnny Depp for the anatomically-correct "Wolf."
For those unfamiliar with their stage work, Gyllenhaal appeared in this season's If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet, and Christine Baranski, known for her work on "The Good Wife," won the 1984 Best Featured Actress Tony for The Real Thing.
Into the Woods has a target date of December 25, 2014, for its movie theater release. Stay tuned for updates!
Further reading:
Monday June 17, 2013
Kinky Boots
© Kinky Boots
Producers Daryl Roth and Hal Luftig have announced that Kinky Boots, the winner of six 2013 Tony Awards, will kick off its national tour in Las Vegas in September 2014.
The tour will open at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Downtown Las Vegas, in response to overwhelming demand by locals to bring the show to the Vegas area.
According to Roth, "We are so excited to take Kinky Boots from coast to coast, so that the entire country can share in the joyousness that our audiences on Broadway experience every night." Luftig concurred, saying, "And what a privilege it is to be the first Broadway show to launch a national tour at the beautiful new Smith Center. We look forward to an exciting opening night in Las Vegas next September."
Written by Tony winner Harvey Fierstein and new Tony Award-winning composer Cyndi Lauper, Kinky Boots tells the true story of how one young man saves the family business by being open to change and taking a risk.
The original Broadway production of Kinky Boots opened April 4, 2013, and recently six won Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score for Cyndi Lauper, Best Choreography for Jerry Mitchell, Best Actor for Billy Porter, Best Orchestrations for Stephen Oremus, and Best Sound Design for John Shivers. The show also received the Best Musical trophies from the Drama League, Outer Critics Circle, as well as many other awards.
Stay tuned for updates about tour dates and cities!
Monday June 17, 2013
Neil Patrick Harris
© Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Neil Patrick Harris will return to the Broadway stage in the 2014 Broadway premiere of Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
Fans of the TV and Broadway star and fabulous Tony Awards host will be thrilled to learn Harris will grace the Great White Way once again. In a statement released by producers, Harris said, "I am simultaneously ecstatic and terrified to be stepping into 'Hedwig's' heels. It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime role, and I can't wait to begin the journey."
Composer Stephen Trask was elated to have Harris cast as the cult favorite "Hedwig": "It's like you're putting together a fantasy rock band and Paul McCartney agrees to play bass."
Hedwig and the Angry Inch was a favorite on stage and in the Sundance award-winning indie film written by and starring John Cameron Mitchell. Talk of a Broadway production has been circulating for years, and now with Harris in the lead, the show seems to finally be on track for a Spring 2014 opening.
The Broadway production is being produced by David Binder, who produced the original Hedwig Off-Off-Broadway in 1997. Says Binder:
"I'm so excited that everything has come into place to bring Hedwig to Broadway. I have always felt that John and Stephen's musical is a masterpiece and deserved to be seen by wider audiences. Neil Patrick Harris is a consummate stage performer who knows how to rock -- there is no one better to play the role of Hedwig on Broadway."
More news on creatives and theatre location will be announced soon. Stay tuned!
