News

West Side Story‘s Isaac Powell to Join Dear Evan Hansen Film

Source: BroadwayDirect.com | Posted: November 12 2020 @ 4:16 pm

Isaac Powell, the star of West Side Story on Broadway directed by Ivo van Hove, has been cast in the upcoming Dear Evan Hansen film from Universal. This film will mark Powell’s feature film debut. Powell will play high school jock Rhys in the feature adaptation of the six-time Tony-winning Broadway musical, as reported by Deadline. Previously announced, he…

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Ryan Murphy to Produce Matthew Lopez's The Legend of Georgia McBride for Netflix

Source: Broadway.com | Posted: November 12 2020 @ 4:00 pm

Acclaimed producer/director Ryan Murphy is on a quest to bring theater adaptations to the small screen. After the recent The Boys in the Band and the highly-anticipated movie adaptation of The Prom, Murphy has revealed his next project will be producing Matthew Lopez's The Legend of Georgia McBride for Netflix, according to Deadline. Playwright Lopez recently earned a 2020 Tony nomination for penning The Inheritance.

"I’m doing another musical called The Legend of Georgia McBride, also for Netflix, which is written by Matthew Lopez, who just wrote The Inheritance," Murphy said in an interview. "I’m producing that with Jim Parsons. So I have a passion for it, and I think people love musicals."

The Legend of Georgia McBride played at off-Broadway's MCC Theatre in 2014 and tells the story Casey, a young and broke expectant father, who is fired from his gig as an Elvis impersonator in a run-down, small town Florida bar. When the bar owner brings in a B-level drag show to replace his act, Casey finds that he has a whole lot to learn about show business—and himself. According to Deadline, Parsons is set to play Miss Tracy Mills, a veteran drag queen …

Broadway's Lawrence Clayton, Who Appeared in The Color Purple & Dreamgirls, Dies at 64

Source: Broadway.com | Posted: November 12 2020 @ 3:25 pm

Lawrence Clayton, who was last seen on Broadway in the Tony-winning revival of The Color Purple, has died at the age of 64. According to Deadline, he passed away on November 2 after a two-year battle with glioblastoma cancer.

Born on October 10, 1956 in Mocksville, North Carolina, Clayton went on to study at North Carolina Central University. He made his Broadway debut in the Tony-winning musical Dreamgirls as the replacement for Obba Babatundé as Effie’s songwriting brother C.C. White.

Lawrence Clayton in a publicity photo for Dreamgirls (Photo by Martha Swope)

His stage credits included touring productions of Dreamgirls as well as Jesus Christ Superstar and the 25th anniversary tour of Les Misérables, in which he took on the iconic musical theater roles of Judas Iscariot and Jean Valjean, respectively. Clayton's additional Broadway credits included The High Rollers Social and Pleasure Club, Once Upon a Mattress, The Civil War, It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues and Bells Are Ringing.

His screen credits included appearances on The Big C, The Equalizer, Elementary, Homeland and, most recently, a memorable 2019 episode of Pose in which he played the stepfather to Tony and Emmy winner Billy Porter's …

Theater Couple Emily Padgett & Josh Young Welcome Baby Boy

Source: Broadway.com | Posted: November 12 2020 @ 3:10 pm

Broadway couple Emily Padgett and Josh Young have announced the birth of their second child Leo Elliott Young, born on November 11; their first child, a daughter named Adele May, was born on February 3, 2019. The pair was married on June 3, 2018.

Young announced the news on Instagram with a video theater fans are sure to appreciate.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leo Elliott Young - 11/11/2020 #babiesofinstagram #newborn #broadwaybabymamas #broadwaybaby

A post shared by Josh Young (@joshpaulyoung) on Nov 12, 2020 at 5:42am PST

Padgett has been seen on Broadway in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Bright Star, Side Show, Rock of Ages, Grease and Legally Blonde. Her other stage turns include the touring production of Flashdance the Musical and a Chita Rivera Award-nominated performance in Sweet Charity.

Young earned a Tony nomination and a Theatre World Award for his Broadway debut as Judas Iscariot in Jesus Christ Superstar. He has also been seen onstage in Amazing Grace, Evita and Les Misérables.

West Side Story Leading Man Isaac Powell Joins Dear Evan Hansen Movie

Source: Broadway.com | Posted: November 12 2020 @ 1:03 pm

Something's coming, something good! Isaac Powell, who was wowing audiences as Tony in Ivo van Hove's innovative West Side Story revival ahead of the Broadway shutdown, will make his feature film debut in Universal's upcoming Dear Evan Hansen movie adaptation. Deadline reports that the young talent will play high school jock Rhys.

The cast of the eagerly anticipated Dear Evan Hansen movie will include Tony winner Ben Platt in the title role, Oscar winner Julianne Moore as Heidi Hansen, six-time Oscar nominee Amy Adams as Cynthia Murphy, Danny Pino as Larry Murphy, Colton Ryan as Connor Murphy, Nik Dodani as Jared Kleinman, Amandla Stenberg as Alana Beck and Kaitlyn Dever as Zoe Murphy.

Still a hit at the Music Box Theatre at the time of the Broadway shutdown, the Tony-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen features a book by Steven Levenson and music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Filmmaker Stephen Chbosky will direct, with Levenson writing the screenplay.

In addition to West Side Story, Powell has also been seen on Broadway in Once On This Island.