What's Up Broadway‪?‬ Broadway Podcast Network

Your Broadway news and trending theater social mentions in a New York Minute!
Episode run-down:

Tons of Tony Awards eligibility notes.

Hadestown & Dear Evan Hansen Broadway casting update!

A musical based on the life of Steven Spielberg?

A Soldier's Play & MJ the Musical go on tour.


....and of-course lots happening over on theater socials!
Find co-hosts on Twitter at @AyannaPrescod, @CLewisReviews, and @TheMartinAcuna. Subscribe To BPN's newsletter HERE. Follow @BwayPodNetwork on Twitter.
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New Layout: Broadway news in a New York Minute!
NEWS:
“Kimberly Akimbo” will transfer to Broadway this fall. The new musical, with book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanine Tesori, will start previews on Oct. 12, ahead of a Nov. 10 opening.
The new musical KPOP has its eye on a fall Broadway bow! It was previously announced that the show was set to come to Broadway within the year, but according to an Equity casting notice, the production is now expected for Fall 2022.
Hugh Jackman will receive the Drama League’s Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater Award, the organization announced Wednesday.
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS will donate $300,000 to humanitarian organizations working in Ukraine.
The Cort Theater will be renamed the James Earl Jones Theater.
Ariana DeBose won the Screen Actors Guild Award for - Outstanding performance Female Actor in Supporting Role; BAFTA - Best Supporting Actress; Critics Choice Award - Best Supporting Actress.
Pamela Anderson will make her Broadway debut in the long running musical on April 12 through June 5.
Daniel Radcliffe will star in “Merrily We Roll Along” at New York Theatre Workshop in late 2022.
Theater Twitter Talk:
T. Oliver as a Swing and Patti Lupone gets her flowers.
Find co-hosts on Twitter at @AyannaPrescod, @CLewisReviews, and @TheMartinAcuna. Subscribe To BPN's newsletter HERE. Follow @BwayPodNetwork on Twitter.
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Opening night (Feb 10, 2022) interviews with the stars on the red carpet! We hear from Hugh Jackman, Sutton Foster, Jayne Howdyshell, and so many more!
Follow @BwayPodNetwork on Twitter. Find co-hosts on Twitter at @AyannaPrescod and @CLewisReviews.
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Broadway News:


Mrs. Doubtfire will reopen on Broadway April 14 at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.

The Tony Award-winning musical Jagged Little Pill is expected to make its London debut in November.

Pop superstar Ariana Grande attended the Broadway production of Wicked February 19, and shared praise for co-stars Brittney Johnson and Lindsay Heather Pearce on Instagram.

Shows set to open in April on Broadway: Plaza Suite - March 28; Paradise Square - April 3; Take Me Out - April 4; Beetlejuice - April 8; Birthday Candles - April 10; The Little Prince - April 11; American Buffalo - April 14; The Minutes - April 17; How I Learned to Drive - April 19; For colored girls - April 20; Hangmen - April 21; Funny Girl - April 24th; A Strange Loop - April 26; Mr. Saturday Night - April 27; Macbeth - April 28  


Casting:

Lana Gordon has officially taken over the role of Persephone in the Broadway production of the Tony-winning musical Hadestown full-time. The previous lady of the underground, Amber Gray's will join the cast of Macbeth set to open in April. 

Jessica Lee Goldyn, who has appeared on Broadway in A Chorus Line, Finding Neverland, Tuck Everlasting, and Hello, Dolly!, steps into the role of Nini in the Tony-winning Moulin Rouge! The Musical February 22. Jessica succeeds original cast member Robyn Hurder, who scored a Tony nomination for her performance and played her final show February 20 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre.

Jordan Fisher played his final performance of Evan in Dear Evan Hansen on February 20th. Several actors are scheduled to succeed Fisher in the coming months including Zachary Noah Piser, Ben Levi Ross, And, Sam Primack.


Find co-hosts on Twitter at @AyannaPrescod, @CLewisReviews, and @TheMartinAcuna. Subscribe To BPN's newsletter HERE. Follow @BwayPodNetwork on Twitter.
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Broadway News:

Brittney Johnson made history as the first Black Glinda on Broadway on Valentine's Day!

Broadway theaters will still require audience members to wear masks and show proof of vaccination for entry through April 30.

“American Utopia” has extended its Broadway run through April 3. This is the final extension of the show, which has been playing the St. James Theatre since Sept. 17, 2021. “American Utopia” was originally scheduled to run through March 6.

Cast albums by release date: Love in Hate Nation by Joe Iconis, Witness Uganda and Space Dogs (Feb 11); Flying Over Sunset (Feb 18); Back to the Future (London - March 11); Assassins (March 18) 

 West Side Story is arriving on Disney+ on March 2.

Newsies will celebrate 10 years with a reunion of the Broadway and tour cast at 54 Below on March 28th and 29th.

Broadway premiere of Skeleton Crew, written by Tony Award nominee Dominique Morisseau and directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson, moves into its final week of performances.


Casting:

Elizabeth Teeter will take on the role of Lydia when Beetlejuice returns to Broadway this spring. Teeter, who recently led the Off-Broadway musical The Secret Life of Bees, will star alongside Alex Brightman as Beetlejuice. Returning original cast members include Kerry Butler, Adam Dannheisser, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, Kelvin Moon Loh, Danny Rutigliano and Dana Steingold.

Amber Grey will play Banquo in Macbeth this spring. She joins previously announced Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga in the upcoming revival, directed by Sam Gold. Maria Dizzia will play Lady Macduff, opposite Grantham Coleman as Macduff. 


SIX North American tour tour will feature Khaila Wilcoxon as Catherine of Aragon, Storm Lever as Anne Boleyn, Jasmine Forsberg as Jane Seymour, Olivia Donalson as Anna of Cleves, Didi Romero as Katherine Howard, and Gabriela Carrillo as Catherine Parr. 

The upcoming Broadway musical Paradise Square has announced its complete 40-member cast, which includes Tony nominees Joaquina Kalukango and John Dossett, and Chilina Kennedy. Rehearsals are underway for the production that will begin previews March 15 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. Following its 2019 world premiere at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Paradise Square will officially open on Broadway April 3.


Find co-hosts on Twitter at @AyannaPrescod, @CLewisReviews, and @TheMartinAcuna. Subscribe To BPN's newsletter HERE. Follow @BwayPodNetwork on Twitter.
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Broadway News:

Ariana DeBose was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Anita in West Side Story. DeBose's nomination follows Rita Moreno's historic 1961 Oscar win, playing the same role in the earlier film adaptation. Lin-Manuel Miranda received a Best Song nomination for his "Dos Oruguitas" from Encanto, a nod that could achieve EGOT status. Miranda's screen adaptation of Jonathan Larson's biomusical tick, tick...BOOM! was recognized, with Broadway alum Andrew Garfield getting a nomination for Best Actor for his performance as Larson. 

Tony nominee Amber Gray will play her final performance as Persephone in Hadestown February 19. Casting for the role of Persephone will be announced shortly.

A musical adaptation of “Smash” is setting its sights on Broadway! The musical, based on the NBC television show, will feature a book by Bob Martin and Rick Elice and a score from Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, who wrote original songs for the television show. Steven Spielberg, Robert Greenblatt and Neil Meron, all of whom worked on the television show, will produce the new musical. Production dates have not yet been announced.

The Public Theater recently announced the line-up for the 60th Anniversary Season of Free Shakespeare in the Park at The Delacorte Theater. This summer, Free Shakespeare in the Park will begin with the drama Richard III, directed by Tony nominee Robert O'Hara and featuring Danai Gurira in the title role. The season will continue with the return of the free Public Works musical adaptation of As You Like It after it was originally scheduled for the 2020 season, but delayed due to the pandemic. Adapted by Public Theater Artist-in-Residence Shaina Taub and Director of Public Works Laurie Woolery, with music and lyrics by Shaina Taub.


Casting:

Color Purple movie musical casting including American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino has been cast as Celie. It’s a reprise of a role she held on Broadway in 2009. Tony nominee Danielle Brooks will take on the role of Sofia. She also starred in a different revival of The Color Purple on Broadway. Fantasia and Brooks will join the previously reported Taraji P. Henson as Shug Avery, Corey Hawkins as Harpo, Oscar and Grammy winner H.E.R. as Squeak, Halle Bailey as Young Nettie, and stage and screen star Colman Domingo as Mister.

Full casting has been announced for the Broadway revival of Neil Simon's Plaza Suite starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick. Tony winner John Benjamin Hickey directs the production, which will now begin previews February 25 at the Hudson Theatre for a limited engagement through June 26. Opening night is set for March 28. Joining Parker and Broderick in Suite 719 of the Plaza Hotel will be Danny Bolero as The Waiter, Molly Ranson as Jean McCormick/Mimsey Hubley, and Eric Wiegand as The Bellhop/Borden Eisler. Tony winner Michael McGrath and Tony nominee Erin Dilly will standby for Broderick and Parker, respectively, with Laurie Veldheer and Cesar J. Rosado serving as understudies.

The upcoming Broadway revival of Funny Girl has unveiled the complete company as they begin their official first day of rehearsals. The production, starring Beanie Feldstein as Fanny Brice and Tony and Olivier nominee Rameen Karimloo as Nick Arnstein, begins March 26 at the August Wilson Theatre ahead of an April 24 opening night. Additional previously announced cast members include Jared Grimes as Eddie Ryan, and Emmy winner Jane Lynch as Mrs. Rosie Brice. They will be joined by Peter Francis James as Florenz Ziegfeld, Ephie Aardema as Emma/Mrs. Nadler, Debra Cardona as Mrs. Meeker, Toni DiBuono as Mrs. Strakosh, Martin Moran as Tom Keeney, and Julie Benko as the standby for Fanny Brice. 


Follow @BwayPodNetwork on Twitter. Find co-hosts on Twitter at @AyannaPrescod, @CLewisReviews, and @TheMartinAcuna. Subscribe To BPN's newsletter HERE.
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