In the News: Jonathan Pryce to Play Prince Philip in Final The Crown Seasons, Michael Urie Directs George Takei in Silver Foxes Reading, and More | Playbill

Industry News In the News: Jonathan Pryce to Play Prince Philip in Final The Crown Seasons, Michael Urie Directs George Takei in Silver Foxes Reading, and More Plus: Get the details on the upcoming Madonna of Damascus live stream, benefitting the NAACP.
Jonathan Pryce Joseph Marzullo/WENN

Read on for some recent theatre headlines and videos you may have missed.

Jonathan Pryce Joins The Crown
Tony winner Jonathan Pryce, recently seen on Broadway in The Height of the Storm and Oscar-nominated for The Two Popes, has been cast as Prince Philip in the final two seasons (five and six) of Netflix's The Crown. He'll appear opposite fellow Olivier winners Imedla Staunton and Lesley Manville, who, as previously announced, will play Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret. Season 4 of the drama is expected to drop on the streaming platform later this year, with Olivia Colman returning to play the Queen.

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Michael Urie and George Takei

George Takei, Daniel Davis, More Will Be Silver Foxes in Virtual Industry Reading
An industry-only streamed reading of Silver Foxes, an original play written by TV stalwarts Stan Zimmerman and James Berg (The Golden Girls, Gilmore Girls), will be presented August 19 at 6 PM ET. Michael Urie (Torch Song, Ugly Betty) will direct a cast that includes George Takei (Star Trek, Allegiance), Daniel Davis (The Nanny, Noises Off), Jim J. Bullock (Too Close for Comfort), Garrett Clayton (Hairspray Live!), and Daniele Gaither (MadTV). Inspired by Gen Silent, a 2010 documentary about LGBT+ seniors, Silver Foxes concerns Benny and Chuck, two older gay men (Takei and Davis), who rescue their dear friend Cecil (Bullock) from a homophobic senior living facility and bring him to live with them in Palm Springs. Hannah Woodward serves as the stage manager. The link will be sent to industry members who RSVP via [email protected].

Madonna of Damascus Reading to Benefit NAACP
Hypokrit Theatre Company and Rebel Theatre Company are joining forces to present a live stream benefit reading of Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj's Madonna of Damascus August 30. The 5 PM ET virtual reading will be followed by a 30-minute conversation between the cast, creative team, and the audience. Viewers can sign up here; there is a suggested donation of $10 to benefit the Equity in the Arts & Culture Committee of the Brooklyn Branch of the NAACP. Directed by Hypokrit Theatre Company Artistic Director Arpita Mukherjee, the cast features Aya Aziz, Mariam Bazeed, and SEVAN.

Beanie the Spy
Beanie Feldstein, who made her Broadway debut in the recent revival of Hello, Dolly! and is slated to star in the film adaptation of Merrily We Roll Along (filmed over two decades), will voice the title role in an animated adaptation of Harriet the Spy. The new series recently landed a series order at Apple TV+; the cast will also include fellow Broadway alum Jane Lynch (Glee) and Lacey Chabert (Mean Girls).

Roundabout Youth Ensemble Will Present Virtual Collaboration Hidden Truths
This summer, 37 NYC high school students in the Roundabout Youth Ensemble came together virtually to collaborate on a new work, Hidden Truths, inspired by Shakespeare’s Othello. The play by Xavier Chavez, Jaden Tench, and Nicaulis Mercedes follows Omari, a boy who often faces discrimination due to the color of his skin. When faced with opposition, he must pick between the girl he loves and the education he’s always desired. Hidden Truths will be performed live August 14 at 5 PM ET on YouTube. The presentation, directed by Tyia Boateng, will remain online through August 28. For more information, click here.

Signature Tunes
The second episode of The Signature Show, from the Arlington, Virginia, theatre company, features a moving performance of "I Know Where I've Been" from Hairspray, a throwback to its production of West Side Story, a new song by the writers of Gun & Powder, Signature Co-Founder Donna Migliaccio (War Paint) performing a tune from Sweeney Todd, and more. Participating artists include Ross Baum, Angelica Chéri, Austin Colby, Andre Hinds, Ashleigh King, Migliaccio, Nova Y. Payton, Nickolas Vaughan, Kara-Tameika Watkins, and Kanysha Williams. Watch the episode below.

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