News

What To Do (Without Broadway!): A Day-to-Day Schedule

Source: Broadway.com | Posted: November 19 2020 @ 10:00 am

Even with Broadway on hold, there's plenty to do. Trust the Broadway.com editors to get you in on the best online events, theater-centric films, TV shows and more!

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19
Uncle Vanya @ 8PM ET
Neil LaBute’s world premiere adaptation of Anton Chekov’s Uncle Vanya stars Tony winner Alan Cumming in the title role. The starry Actors Fund benefit also features Constance Wu, Samira Wiley, K. Todd Freeman and Ellen Burstyn. Tony winner Gabriel Ebert narrates. Danya Taymor directs.
Get Tickets.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20
Harmony Release
Josh Groban's new album includes a collection of timeless songs along with two originals. The track list includes duets with Leslie Odom Jr. and Sara Bareilles.
Pre-Order

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20
Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn on Great Performances
Bryce Pinkham, Lora Lee Gayer, Megan Lawrence, Danny Rutigliano, Megan Sikora and Corbin Bleu star in this high-kicking show in the latest installment of Great Performances Broadway's Best lineup.
Watch on PBS

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20
Les Misérables – The Staged Concert Releases
Recorded live at London’s Gielgud Theatre last year, this new album features Michael Ball as Javert, Alfie Boe as Jean Valjean, Carrie Hope Fletcher as Fantine, Rob Houchen as Marius, Bradley Jaden as Enjolras, …

Produce Theatre? In A Pandemic? In Finland? Of Course – It’s “Essential”

Source: ArtsJournal.com | Posted: November 18 2020 @ 4:01 pm

“I shouldn’t have been so surprised. Art has played a major role in bringing this once poor and isolated country into the international arena, and the government subsidizes culture in a big way. That’s why artists continue to be employed — and why, even though socially distanced performances will never cover their costs, companies in […]

Tony & Emmy Winner Billy Porter to Make Feature Film Directorial Debut with What If?

Source: Broadway.com | Posted: November 18 2020 @ 3:51 pm

Billy Porter is taking his directing skills to the big screen. The multi-talented artist is set to helm the coming-of-age film What If?, according to Deadline . The screenplay was written by Alvaro García Lecuona and follows high school senior KHAL who posts on r/relationships about his crush on Kelsa, a trans girl at his school. The two navigate a high school senior year relationship that neither could have expected. Casting and a timeline for the movie will be announced later.

Porter received a 2013 Tony Award for his lperformance as Lola in the Tony-winning musical Kinky Boots. He won a 2019 Emmy Award for playing Pray Tell on Pose. He is set to play the Fairy Godmother and Audrey II in forthcoming films Cinderella and Little Shop of Horrors, respectively.

As previously reported, Porter will direct a revival of The Life for Encores! at New York City Center. He garnered an Elliot Norton Award nomination for helming The Purists at Huntington Theatre Company in Boston.

Into the Woods Added to Upcoming New York City Center Encores! Season

Source: Broadway.com | Posted: November 18 2020 @ 2:04 pm

Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Into the Woods will be part of Encores! series, helping to usher in a new tradition at New York City Center celebrating iconic American musicals. Encores! Artistic Director Lear deBessonet will direct.

“If the reason to revive a hidden gem is to discover it, then the reason to revive a beloved musical that holds enormous meaning to so many people is to discover what we have in common, and how our experience with these shows connects us," deBessonet said in a statement. "Among its many rich layers, Into the Woods is a fable about how humans pursue their wishes, and what happens when they set aside their individual wishes to create a greater community wish.”

Into the Woods joins a previously announced lineup that includes The Life, adapted and directed by Tony and Emmy winner Billy Porter, and The Tap Dance Kid, directed by Tony winner Kenny Leon.

With theaters still shut down due to the COVID-19 crisis, performance dates, casting, and more will be announced later.

Odds & Ends: Spike Lee Is Collaborating with Passing Strange Duo on Viagra Movie Musical & More

Source: Broadway.com | Posted: November 18 2020 @ 1:15 pm

Here's a quick roundup of stories you might have missed recently.

Spike Lee Collaborates with Passing Strange Duo for Viagra Movie Musical
Fresh from helming David Byrne’s American Utopia for HBO, Spike Lee has got his next gig lined up. According to The New York Times, the Oscar-winning director is collaborating with Passing Strange creators Stew and Heidi Rodewald on a movie musical based on the article All Rise: The Untold Story of The Guys Who Launched Viagra. (Like American Utopia, Lee also filmed Passing Strange during its Broadway run.) With a screenplay written by the Kwame Kwei-Armah, who is the artistic director of London’s Young Vic, the film is inspired by the true events surrounding the drug manufacturer Pfizer’s discovery and launch of the erectile dysfunction drug. Casting and a timeline for the film will be announced later.

Mary-Louise Parker Joins Colin Kaepernick Netflix Series
Tony and Emmy-winning actress Mary-Louise Parker, who was set to appear on Broadway in How I Learned to Drive this past season and recently earned her fourth Tony nomination for The Sound Inside, is heading to the small screen. According to Deadline, Parker has joined Netflix's upcoming Colin …