Tony and Grammy Award-winner John Lloyd Young returns to The Space in Las Vegas on Saturday, October 3 with John Lloyd Young’s Broadway, an intimate and unforgettable evening of Broadway favorites and classic showtunes. With Tommy Faragher on piano, the live streamed pay-per-view concert will begin at 6:00 PM ET. The virtual after-party will begin at 7:45 PM ET and include a talk-back, surprises and an encore performance. In his signature passionate and thrilling style, Tony and Grammy Award. Please visit www.thespacelv.com
Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley announced today that the landmark 200th episode of “Stars in the House” will reunite the cast of “Night at the Museum” in support of The Actors Fund! LIVE on Thursday, September 10th at 8 PM ET, Owen Wilson, Hank Azaria, and Steve Coogan will leave their exhibits to join museum staffers Ben Stiller and Carla Gugino and reminisce about the making of the beloved trilogy. No word yet on whether Rexy, the Tyrannosaurus skeleton, will be able to sneak away from his spot to join! The celebration and reunion will stream exclusively on PEOPLE social platforms YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, as well as PeopleTV’s Facebook and Twitter.
BroadwayHD’s show stopping September includes streaming debut the critically acclaimed production Happy Birthday Doug, by producer Michael Urie, will be available to subscribers starting September 24th. Following a brief, but successful run at SoHo Playhouse that ended prematurely this spring due to the pandemic, this knock-out new production is a one man play that visits with Doug as he celebrates his 41st birthday in a wine bar. And classic films The Music Man, The Jazz Singer, Gershwins’ Porgy & Bess, Del Shores’ Sordid Lives, with Leslie Jordan and Olivia Newton John. www.broadwayhd.com
New York Philharmonic To Partner with Switched on Pop Jaap van Zweden, Deborah Borda, and New York Philharmonic Musicians Featured in “The 5th,” a Podcast Miniseries on the Legacy of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony
Episodes Dropping September 8, 11, 15, and 18. Visit the Newsroom for photos and details about the 2020–21 season
A collection of Roundabout Theatre Company’s treasured alumni and artist friends will offer one-of-a-kind conversations and encounters for “Bid for Roundabout,” a fundraiser to support the theater in the face of an unprecedented financial deficit due to the COVID shutdown. The auction, powered by Charitybuzz, begins Tuesday, September 8, 2020 (auction link).
Theatre lovers and fans can bid for private virtual conversations and experiences with stars: Kristen Bell, Rachel Brosnahan & Michael Zegen, Alan Cumming, Sutton Foster, Victor Garber & Jennifer Garner, Whoopi Goldberg, Maggie Gyllenhaal & Peter Sarsgaard, Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Lane, John Lithgow, Rob McClure, Debra Messing, Sienna Miller, Liam Neeson, Phylicia Rashad, Marisa Tomei, Chita Rivera & Scott Ellis, Blair Underwood and Vanessa Williams.
“New York City can’t rebound without Broadway. And Broadway’s road back is uncertain.” by The Washington Post’s Peter Marks – “For months now, Thomas Schumacher‘s dining room table has been taken over by a master list of every Broadway show that’s seeking to reopen or schedule an opening night — from the established “The Lion King” to the new “Diana: A True Musical Story.” Since the pandemic-related shutdowns, the Disney Theatrical Group president and his colleagues have been working through various scenarios to get New York theater back on its feet.
As Scott Rudin, producer of now-dormant Broadway hits such as “The Book of Mormon” and “To Kill a Mockingbird,” explains, the other variables that must be taken into account are mind-boggling. “How many shows come back and at what level of attendance?” he said in a Zoom interview. “What will labor do? What will [theater] owners do? What does working from home mean for the nightlife of New York? What happens to hotels, restaurants, tourism? How many people leave the city and don’t come back?” …
The practical challenges of recovery are so vast that Broadway has set up, through its trade group, the Broadway League, 42 task forces to address the crisis. Some 350 of its 800-plus members are involved. “There are 20 labor task forces, one for each union,” said Charlotte St. Martin, the league’s president.
Among the most pressing concerns is the health of the people who will be in the theaters and halls every day. “From our perspective, the top of the list is safety,” said Kate Shindle, president of Actors’ Equity Association … “This is a frustrating thing for live performance to be open, because there is not a national strategy on testing,” said Mary McColl, executive director of Actors’ Equity. …
— Jeffrey Seller, lead producer of “Hamilton,” said that when things do finally get back to something recognizably functional, he’ll have a backlog of four new musicals waiting to be unveiled, in four successive seasons. “There will be an explosion of creativity when we return,” he said. “I believe in my heart and in my soul that when we feel confident, we’re all going to be back together. We need it. We yearn for it.”
TONYS: “What’s at Stake in the 2020 Tony Awards” by Observer’s Billy McEntee – “The Tonys will hopefully offer a time to reflect and act, but also to mourn. … While some shows staged pre-shutdown will not be honored, it is worth noting, especially as the theater world strives to create a more equitable ecosystem, that this could be the first time in the history of the Tonys where the majority of the eight acting winners are Black artists.” http://bway.ly/uaabc6
NETFLIX: “Netflix will screen controversial ‘Diana’ the musical that features the Queen labelling her a ‘TART’ – as Prince Harry is urged to get show cancelled … “ by The Daily Mail’s James Robinson – “Now a former bodyguard of the late princess is calling on her son to get the musical pulled from the streaming service … ” http://bway.ly/uc1hbv
FILM: “‘Dear Evan Hansen’: Universal Pic Adds Broadway ‘Mean Girls’ Actor DeMarius Copes” by Deadline’s Anthony D’Alessandro – “Copes will be making his feature debut playing Oliver, one of Zoe Murphy’s friends.” http://bway.ly/u3ayui
“The cost of ‘Hamilton’? Kennedy Center paid more than $50 million.” by The Washington Post’s Peggy McGlone – “The Kennedy Center paid the tour’s producer $50.4 million for 112 performances in the 2,362-seat Opera House, according to its recently filed tax return. … In fiscal year 2018, program revenue jumped $49.6 million from the prior year, to $135.6 million. (Not all of that can be attributed to “Hamilton,” arts center officials said, but it was by far the biggest event of the year.)” http://bway.ly/42dboo
ACROSS THE POND:
“Government is planning ‘SEAT out to help out’ plan with cut-price tickets to get theatres open and fans back in sports grounds” by The Daily Mail’s Georgia Simcox – “Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said that mass indoor events are now in his sights and, along with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, is looking to encourage crowds back into large venues. The Eat Out To Help Out scheme could be reformed into ‘Seat Out To Help Out’, with one idea seeing discounted meals on Mondays for those with a ticket that day … November 1 is the first day social distancing measures could be lifted, according to the Government’s roadmap to easing lockdown restrictions. Accelerated plans and on-the-day coronavirus tests mean theatres and sports stadiums could reopen within weeks without social distancing measures.” http://bway.ly/596jmp
Producer Colin Ingram and Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, the creators of the Back To The Future film trilogy, have announced that Back to the Future The Musical will transfer to the Adelphi Theatre in London’s West End following an out-of-town opening at Manchester Opera House in March 2020. Previews will begin on May 14, 2021.
“Songs for a New World Begins Performances at the London Palladium This Fall” by Playbill’s Dan Meyer – “An in-person staging of Jason Robert Brown’s Songs for a New World will play two performances at the London Palladium October 11. The one-day-only event is the first musical to return to the West End since the theatre shut down in March due to COVID-19.” http://bway.ly/e3xirj
ALBUM: “Hedwig’s John Cameron Mitchell Releases Benefit Album New American Dream (Part One)” by TheaterMania’s David Gordon – “The album was recorded during lockdown with 40+ collaborators across the United States and Europe.” http://bway.ly/n2mizq
IN THEATERS: “Ian Rickson’s Olivier-Nominated Uncle Vanya, Starring Toby Jones and Richard Armitage, Will Be Streamed in Cinemas Prior to BBC Broadcast” by Playbill’s Andrew Gans – ” … with dates to be announced.” http://bway.ly/cg7glt
