Musical Theatre

The new musical Lempicka, about Polish painter Tamara de Lempicka, will arrive at the Longacre Theatre in 2024, with previews scheduled to begin on March 19 ahead of an opening night set for April 14.

Eden Espinosa, a stage veteran who originated the musical’s title role in out-of-town stagings with Williamstown Theatre Festival and the La Jolla Playhouse, will headline the Broadway production.

Helmed by Tony-winning director Rachel Chavkin (“Hadestown”) and created by co-book writers Matt Gould and Carson Kreitzer (the latter of whom devised the musical’s original concept), “Lempicka” charts the painter’s journey through decades of political and personal turmoil, told via a pop-infused score (with music by Gould and lyrics by Kreitzer).

After seeing Here We Are, I’m wondering: have other shows premiered after one of the writers has passed away?

Musicals mentioned in the article include:

• Stephen Sondheim: Here We Are
• Fred Ebb: Curtains, The Scottsboro Boys, The Visit and New York, New York (all Broadway)
• Jonathan Larson: Rent (off-Broadway then Broadway) and tick tick Boom! (off-Broadway)
• Howard Ashman: Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin (all Broadway) and Little Shop of Horrors (premiered off-Broadway while Ashman was alive, but on Broadway after his death)
• Wendy Wasserstein and Cy Coleman: Pamela’s First Musical (New Jersey)

This is a New York (and New Jersey) centred article but there must be other shows which received their premieres after one of the writers died. Chime in if you know of any.

The soundtrack for Maestro is set for release in November, featuring music from West Side Story, Candide, On the Town, and more.

Candide will be represented on the soundtrack by its overture, "Paris Waltz," and "Make Our Garden Grow."

From On the Town, the film will feature "I Get Carried Away / You've Got That Look (That Leaves Me Weak" and "Lonely Town. Pas de deux."

The prologue from West Side Story is also included.

All the music in the film was chosen by Cooper, and the new recordings on the soundtrack were made by the London Symphony Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who also worked closely with the actor-director as conducting consultant before and throughout the film-making process.

The album also presents excerpts from works as varied as Mass, Chichester Psalms and Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3, among others. It also includes music by Beethoven, Mahler, Schumann and Walton, used to illustrate key moments in Bernstein’s career and marriage.

The album will be released digitally on November 17, 2023, and on CD and vinyl on December

EGOT winner Jonathan Tunick officially joined Sardi’s Wall of Fame on Thursday, October 26 2023. Jonathan Tunick’s orchestrations can currently be heard in three Broadway Sondheim productions this season, Here We Are, Merrily We Roll Along and Sweeney Todd. Casts and crews from Mr. Tunick’s productions were in attendance to salute the famed orchestrator. Those in attendance included Jonathan Groff, Micaela Diamond, Judy Collins, Josh Groban, David Hyde Pierce and others.

The acclaimed Chicago stage production of The Who's Tommy directed by Des McAnuff is heading to Broadway. The newly reimagined production will begin previews March 8, 2024, at the Nederlander Theatre, with an opening night set for March 28.

After its opening in June at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre, the revival won nine of the city’s Joseph Jefferson “Jeff” Awards and became the highest grossing production in the Goodman’s history. The Chicago engagement ran from June 13 to August 6.

Broadway casting for The Who’s Tommy will be announced soon.

Instead of participating in tomorrow’s International Opera Day, Israel Opera in Tel Aviv has recorded “Bring Him Home” from Les Miserables. The company is appealing to every opera house across the globe to join efforts towards the safe return of all who are held hostage in Gaza.

Songs from Les Miserables have often been used in circumstances that have a political and humanitarian dimension, although it's usually "Do You Hear the People Sing" that is repurposed.

Les Miz has been translated into both Hebrew and Arabic, among many other languages, and has been produced in Israel, Egypt, the UAE and elsewhere.

One of the stories Seth Rudetsky tells in his latest Playbill column:

Emily confirmed that a story I had heard about the Broadway musical Jekyll And Hyde was true. It was Emily’s first Broadway show and she was Linda Eder’s understudy. Well, early on in the preview period, poor Linda lost her voice and couldn’t sing, but Emily wasn’t ready to go on because she hadn’t had any rehearsal. She knew her lines and all the songs, but she hadn’t learned any of the many fight scenes, which can be dangerous to perform if not rehearsed. Emily also didn’t have any costumes yet. So, it was decided that Linda would go on and speak her lines, but when she got to the songs, Emily would stand in the wings, sing into a microphone and Linda would lip synch. For real!

The audience came to the show and watched, but they weren’t told what was happening. How bizarre it must have been to see Linda moving her mouth and not understand why the sound sometimes didn’t match. The nice part is, at the end of the show, Linda Eder went to the wings and brought Emily out for a well-deserved bow.

More stories including one about Sebastian Arcelus playing Roger in Rent with his pants having fallen down, and one about Andrea McArdle changing the choreography in Annie because Henry "the Fonz" Winkler was in the audience.

Britney Spears revealed that she turned down a role in the Chicago movie musical in her new memoir. Spears regrets turning down the role of an unspecified murderous villain in the film after she became too engrossed in her character from Crossroads.

Writes Spears:

When it came to Chicago, I should've done it. I had power back then; I wish I'd used it more thoughtfully. Chicago would have been fun. It's all dance pieces – my favorite kind: prissy, girly follies, Pussycat Doll-like, serve-off your-corset moves. I wish I'd taken that offer.

While she does not reveal what role she was offered, she shared that she "would have gotten to play a villain who kills a man, and sings and dances while doing it, too."

Which, in Chicago, doesn't exactly narrow it down. I don't know if Spears had the perceived acting chops to be cast as either Velma or Roxie, so my guess is that she was offered the part of one of the murderess row.

By the way, if anyone happens to be reading this in Australia I highly recommend the one-woman show Britney Spears: The Cabaret starring Christie Whelan Browne, written and directed by Dean Bryant, and with musical arrangements by Mathew Frank. It's playing for two nights in Melbourne at Chapel off Chapel on 26 & 27 October and for one night only in Sydney at the Hayes Theatre on 29 October. Britney Spears the Cabaret is at the top of my list of best Australian musicals (along with Muriel's Wedding).

Gaten Matarazzo, who is currently playing Toby in the Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd, has set his final performance date. As shared on social media, Matarazzo will play his final show on November 5, 2023. A replacement for the role has yet to be announced.

This means Matarazzo will leave before Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford, who will play their final performance on Sunday January 14, 2024.

Personal opinion: I thought Matarazzo was one of the highlights of this production, probably the cast member I liked the most.

As I suspected, Eddie Redmayne will reprise his turn as the Emcee in the Broadway season of Rebecca Frecknall's production of Cabaret. Gayle Rankin will star as Sally Bowes.

Performances will start April 1 2024 at the August Wilson Theatre, which is being renovated, to designer Tom Scutt’s specifications, for conversion into the decadent Berlin club in which the musical is set. (Tickets go on sale to the general public on Nov. 2 at 10 a.m. Eastern at kitkat.club.)

From the Post story:

“It’s just been a character that has swum around inside me for 25 years,” the 41-year-old Redmayne said in a Zoom interview, explaining that he first played the Emcee in high school. “My mum dug out a very embarrassing video the other day of my 15-year-old version, and I’m not sure a lot has changed, to be honest,” he added, laughing.

The actor-turned-director created the role of Charley Kringas in the musical's infamous original production.

Couple of highlights from the interview which is well worth reading for any Merrily fan:

It's almost surreal to have worked with those men and to get to do that material, which is just so extraordinary—and some of it written on me! "Franklin Shepard Inc." came in three days before previews began. Hal spent five weeks saying, "And then he sings a song here and let’s move on." And then Steve wrote that song. You feel like the greatest tailor in the world just built you a gold suit. He knew that I was good with a lot of words. I had three good notes, and he kept hitting him.

Lindsay’s just doing one of the great performances ever. And Daniel—so good. Watching him, I didn’t miss me at all.

I learned how to be in the theatre from Hal and Steve. I learned respect. They respected the stage doorman the same way they respected Angela Lansbury. Hal was always about everyone’s important and everybody’s a part of this. You need everybody—we’re all in together. These two men just had enormous respect for everybody in their orbit. And everybody working—we were kids!—and we were treated like we were big stars.

At 20 years old, Wicked may now be a Broadway stalwart. But the show had a very dramatic journey its first few years.

Haydn Gwynne has died aged 66.

Gwynne appeared in Billy Elliot (both in the West End and on Broadway, garnering an Olivier and Tony nomination and winning a Drama Desk Award for her portrayal of Mrs Wilkinson), Anything Goes, The Threepenny Opera, City of Angels and The Great British Bake Off Musical.

Last spring, she appeared in the special concert staging of Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends, singing “Ladies Who Lunch”, but pulled out of the current West End production.

Gwynne died in the early hours, surrounded by her family, following a recent cancer diagnosis.

In a statement her agent said: “It is with great sadness we are sharing with you that, following her recent diagnosis with cancer, the star of stage and screen Haydn Gwynne died in hospital in the small hours of Friday 20 October, surrounded by her beloved sons, close family and friends."

Cameron Mackintosh said: “The tragic news that the much loved actress, Haydn Gwynne, has died this morning after a very short illness is an enormous shock; even to those of us involved in Sondheim’s musical celebration Old Friends at the Gielgud, who already knew she was ill and forced to leave rehearsals for a show in which she already had a sensational success at its Gala Premiere last year, stopping the show singing ‘The Ladies Who Lunch’.

“Haydn was a truly wonderful person, as well as a phenomenally talented actress and singer, so it is a double tragedy for everyone to be deprived of both her spectacular talent and her company so abruptly.

“The company of Old Friends is dedicating tonight’s performance to her memory and extraordinary career. As Haydn raised a glass to the audience and said, ‘I would like to propose a toast…’, everyone in the Gielgud Theatre tonight would like to propose a toast to dear Haydn. God bless her.”

What's On Stage has collated more tributes.

Twenty years after its initial run, Miss Saigon will return to Manila.

The Cameron Mackintosh production of Miss Saigon will play at the Theatre at Solaire in Parañaque City in March 2024.

In 2000, Mackintosh brought the show to the Cultural Center of the Philippines, where Filipinos had their first look at Lea Salonga in the role of Kim.

The initial production gracing London’s West End stage dates back to 1989, catapulting Lea Salonga into stardom.

The West End’s revival from 2014 to 2016 bore witness to the talents of Filipino performers Rachelle Ann Go, Eva Noblezada, and Tanya Manalang.

Carlos Candal, CEO of GMG Productions, remarked, “Filipinos have a deep connection with Miss Saigon because it has been the stage where countless Filipino artists have had their moment to shine,” naming other Filipino talents who have joined the production, including Jon Jon Briones and Joanna Ampil. “We’re excited to welcome a new company of world-class performers to share the new staging of this phenomenal production,” he added.

The Evening Standard have announced the 2023 shortlist for the 67th Evening Standard Theatre Awards, which covers both musicals and plays.

The current revival of Guys and Dolls at the Bridge Theatre has the most nominations with five: Best Design, Emerging Talent, Musical Performance, Director and Musical.

The Broadway production of A Strange Loop, which played at the Barbican Centre, picked up two noms: Musical Performance and Musical.

The Jamie Lloyd production of Sunset Boulevard also picked up two noms: Director and Musical Performance.

The Donmar production of Next to Normal has one nomination: (for Emerging Talent), as does the revival of Crazy For You (for Musical Performance) and the Almeida production of Tammy Faye (for Best Musical).

Winners will be announced on 19 November.

& Juliet is set to embark on a UK tour commencing on 8 July 2024. Casting details for the tour have yet to be revealed.

The tour will start in Manchester at the Manchester Opera House, and run from 8 to 20 July, before visiting Blackpool’s Winter Gardens (23 to 27 July), Norwich Theatre Royal (30 July to 3 August), Glasgow Kings Theatre (13 to 24 August), Oxford New Theatre (2 to 7 September), Sunderland Empire (9 to 21 September), Hull New Theatre (23 to 28 September), Plymouth Theatre Royal (30 September to 5 October), Wolverhampton Grand (7 to 12 October), Marlowe Theatre Canterbury (14 to 19 October), Liverpool Empire (28 October to 2 November), Southampton Mayflower (5 to 9 November), Edinburgh Playhouse (12 to 16 November) and Leeds Grand (18 to 30 November).

Into 2025, the show will visit Bristol Hippodrome (14 to 25 January), New Wimbledon Theatre (27 January to 1 February), His Majesty’s Theatre Aberdeen (4 to 8 February), Curve Leicester (17 to 22 February), Woking New Victoria (11 to 15 March), Bradford Alhambra (24 to 29 March), Milton Keynes Theatre (31 March to 12 April), Nottingham Theatre Royal (14 to 19 April), Birmingham Hippodrome (21 April to 3 May), Southend Cliffs Pavilion (5 to 10 May), Stoke Regent (12 tto 17 May), Sheffield Lyceum (20 to 31 May), Newcastle Theatre Royal (2 to 7 June), Truro Hall for Cornwall (10 to 14 June) and Cardiff Millenium Centre (16 to 28 June), with further dates to be confirmed.

An article by Jennifer Tepper on the (now basically forgotten) show Blossom Time, which had to separate productions running simultaneously on Broadway in 1923.

The story is pretty interesting - the producers (The Shuberts, whose family now owns many Broadway theatres) apparently wanted to take the show to London and set two different touring casts against each other to see who would make the trip overseas, by having them play in two different Broadway theatres at the same time. It gets weirder: if you bought a ticket to the show you could use it at either theatre! And you then filled in a survey asking you what you thought of the cast. It's like an early 20th century version of a reality TV competition, but on Broadway!

While this situation hasn't recurred on Broadway for a hundred years I will take the opportunity to point out again that in October 2010 London hosted not two, but three, different productions of Les Miz at the same time: the original production at the Queens (now Sondheim) Theatre, the new UK tour production, which ended its run at the Barbican Centre, and the 25th anniversary concert at the O2 Arena.

Though details haven't yet been announced, October 2025 will undoubtedly also see both the current production at the Sondheim and the forthcoming arena tour playing in London at the same time for the 40th anniversary celebrations.

Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford will take their final bows as the Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett on 14 January 2024. The show will continue to run at least until Spring, with new leads to be announced.

Who would you like to see take over the roles?

Tom Kitt and Cameron Crowe are coming back together to redevelop their musical adaptation of Almost Famous.

The musical, which snagged a Tony nomination last season for Best Score, ran for 77 performances at the Jacobs Theatre on Broadway. Now, the team is reentering the development stage with a residency at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center.

The move is not one without precedent: Many musicals have, historically, been retooled after their Broadway debuts, although Almost Famous' entry into a development residency within a year of its closing is notable.

“Cameron and I are thrilled that the O’Neill is giving us this wonderful opportunity to dive back into the world of Almost Famous. Having previously experienced the magic of the O’Neill, I know that our time there will be inspiring and transformative,” says Kitt, who is a member of the O’Neill’s Board of Trustees.

In a previous interview with Playbill, Kitt had teased the project's continued life, saying, "This is the music that changed my life. I think with every show, more life is better than not. If you're lucky, you hit it out of the park the first time, but most often with a new musical there's stuff to learn every step of the way. It's been a wild ride with Almost Famous, first with the Old Globe in San Diego, and then on Broadway, and we've learned a lot in both incarnations. I'm excited to see what 'more life' is for this show."

In celebration of BroadwayWorld's 20th anniversary, Broadway's biggest national competition for High School and College students is back bigger and better for our fourth season.

BroadwayWorld is inviting high school and college-aged students to enter by submitting videos of themselves performing a song from the musical theatre canon.

Submissions for the contest are now open through November 9th. The first round of voting will begin on November 13th, and the first results show will air on December 1st.

More details here

Hillary Clinton has joined the team backing “Suffs,” a new musical about the women’s suffrage movement, as has Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner. The producing team announced Wednesday that the show, which had an Off Broadway run last year at the Public Theater, will transfer to Broadway in the spring, opening at the Music Box Theater on April 18 2024.

“Suffs” explores the early-20th-century struggle for women’s voting rights in the United States; the dramatic tension involves an intergenerational struggle over how best to hasten political change. The musical is a longtime passion project for the singer-songwriter Shaina Taub, who wrote the book, music and lyrics; Taub also starred in the Off Broadway production, but casting for the Broadway run has not yet been announced.

The musical is being directed by Leigh Silverman (“Violet”); the lead producers are Jill Furman (“Hamilton”) and Rachel Sussman (“Just for Us”). The show is being capitalized for up to $19.5 million, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission; Furman said the actual budget will be $19 million.

The Off Broadway production of “Suffs” opened to mixed reviews; in The New York Times, the critic Maya Phillips wrote that “the whole production feels so attuned to the gender politics and protests of today, so aware of possible critiques that it takes on its subject with an overabundance of caution.” But “Suffs” sold well, and Taub and the rest of the creative team have been reworking the show over the past year.

“We’ve done a lot of work on it — we’ve listened to the critics, and we listened to the audiences,” Furman said. In the months since the Public run, Furman and Sussman added, Taub has rewritten some songs, distilled the book, removed recitative and shortened the running time. “We feel really confident in what we’ve created,” Sussman said.

The lead producers said Clinton and Yousafzai would be ambassadors for the show, helping to promote it as well as offering input.

Clinton is a lifelong theater fan who, in the years since her bid for president, has become a frequent Broadway (and sometimes Off Broadway) theatergoer. Last year, a special performance of “Suffs” was held to raise money for groups including Onward Together, which she co-founded to support progressive causes and candidates; Clinton attended and participated in a talkback.

Yousafzai, an advocate for women’s education, also saw the show, and called it “amazing.”

“Suffs” is joining what is shaping up to be a robust season for new musicals on Broadway: It is the 11th new musical to announce an opening this season, with at least a few more still expected.

“The season is very crowded, and we recognize that,” Furman said, “but we think there is a market for this kind of story.”

Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth reveals that she turned down a Sondheim show in favor of playing the iconic role of Glinda in WICKED.

The letter is dated November 2002. Wonder what Sondheim show it was?

Interesting look into how songs for the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds musical episode "Subspace Rhapsody" was written - in only five weeks, with specific instructions dictated by the needs of the plot, and tailored to the vocal abilities (or limitations) of the cast.

I enjoyed this episode a lot, but did feel the songs weren't as strong as ideally they could have been. Knowing the circumstances that they were written under makes this more understandable.