News

Nik Dodani & Colton Ryan Join the Cast of Upcoming Dear Evan Hansen Film

Source: BroadwayDirect.com | Posted: August 19 2020 @ 6:01 pm

Today, it has been revealed that Nik Dodani and Colton Ryan will join the cast of the upcoming Dear Evan Hansen film adaptation with music and lyrics by Academy Award-winning Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, according to Deadline. Dodani will play Jared, who is Evan Hansen’s funny and sarcastic friend. Ryan will play Connor Murphy, a troubled…

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Colton Ryan and Nik Dodani Set for Dear Evan Hansen Movie

Source: Broadway.com | Posted: August 19 2020 @ 5:14 pm

Today's going to be a good day because there's new casting for the previously announced Dear Evan Hansen movie. Colton Ryan and Nik Dodani will join the cast and play Connor Murphy and Jared Kleinman, respectively, according to Deadline.

Ryan, most recently appeared on Broadway in Girl From the North Country. He made his Broadway debut in Dear Evan Hansen as an understudy for Evan Hansen, Jared Kleinman and Connor Murphy. He can also be seen on screen in Little Voice. Dodani is known for his turn as Zahid on Netflix's Atypical. His other screen credits include Trinkets, Murphy Brown, Escape Room and more.

Tony winners Pasek and Paul sold the musical's rights to Universal Pictures with Marc Platt and Adam Siegel producing through Marc Platt Productions. Dear Evan Hansen's Tony-winning book writer Steven Levenson is writing the script for the movie and is executive producing alongside Pasek and Paul. Stephen Chbosky, known for his screenplays for the movie musicals Rent and Beauty and the Beast, is set to direct.

They join the recently announced Amandla Stenberg who will play Alana Beck in the film. As previously reported, Dear Evan Hansen Tony …

Cameron Mackintosh Companies Eliminate 850 Theatre Jobs

Source: ArtsJournal.com | Posted: August 19 2020 @ 4:01 pm

Theatre union: “The entire industry has been shocked by Cameron Mackintosh’s unwillingness to use the coronavirus job retention scheme in full or deploy resources beyond the furlough months to support his backstage and front of house staff. Other West End employers have done their utmost to find creative ways to safeguard the livelihoods of their […]

Hugh Jackman May Be in Your Virtual Dance Class

Source: Broadway.com | Posted: August 19 2020 @ 2:11 pm

Before the coronavirus crisis shut down Broadway theaters, Tony winner Hugh Jackman was scheduled to return to Broadway as Harold Hill in The Music Man this fall. The revival, which will also star Tony winner Sutton Foster, is now set to hit the stage at the Winter Garden Theater in April 2021. On August 18, Jackman appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to talk about how he's using this extra time to prepare for the role. "I sing every day, it drives my kids crazy," he said . "I do singing lessons every week. I do dance lessons with our choreographer too." The demands of the role have also led to Jackman joining in on popular virtual dance classes: "Sometimes I do Broadway Dance Center." Hear that, hoofers? Although he says he "never has the camera on," there's a chance Jackman could end up in your dance class! Check out the full interview below.

Tony Winner Sophie Okonedo Tapped for Amazon Fantasy Epic The Wheel of Time

Source: Broadway.com | Posted: August 19 2020 @ 1:40 pm

Sophie Okonedo, who won a Tony Award for her performance in the 2014 revival of A Raisin in the Sun, is set for a recurring role on the new Amazon series The Wheel of Time. The show is based on Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson's fantasy book series of the same name. Deadline reports that Okonedo will take on the role of Siuan Sanche.

The book series is set in a world where magic exists and only certain women are allowed to access it. Academy Award nominee Rosamund Pike will star as Moiraine, a member of the incredibly powerful all-female organization called the Aes Sedai as she embarks on a dangerous journey. The Amazon show will also star Broadway alum Kate Fleetwood, Game of Thrones' Kae Alexander, Peter Franzén and Clare Perkins.

Okonedo garnered an Oscar nomination in 2005 for her performance in Hotel Rwanda. She was also seen on Broadway in the 2016 revival of The Crucible. Her screen credits also include The Secret Life of Bees, The Slap, Skin and more.