Lauren Graham, who played Lorelai Gilmore on TV's "Gilmore Girls," was announced to play Adelaide. She will act opposite the Nathan Detroit of Oliver Platt — an unconventional choice for the musical role, but then, that's what they said about Nathan Lane in 1992. It will be the Broadway musical debut for both actors, and the Broadway debut period for Graham.
Jersey Boys director Des McAnuff will helm the revival, which will feature choreography by his colleague on that show, Sergio Trujillo. Performances are set to begin at the newly refurbished Nederlander Theatre Feb. 3, 2009, with an official opening scheduled for March 1.
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More news about Jersey Boys alumni.
Chicago will get the first look at the new Broadway-aimed musical based on based on the macabre characters created by cartoonist Charles Addams, The Addams Family. Librettists Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice — who were transformed into hot bookwriters by their success with Jersey Boys, seem to like that toddlin' town. Their Turn of the Century is currently having its world premiere there (to Nov. 2). The show, which has music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, will begin tryout performances Nov. 13, 2009, at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre, and run through Jan. 10, 2010.
No casting has been announced, but Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth played Gomez and Morticia, respectively, in a developmental presentation of the material earlier this year, and are attached to a January 2009 workshop of it. Direction and design are by Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch, of Shockheaded Peter fame. Choreography is by Sergio Trujillo. (Him again! Those Jersey Boys folks are all over the column this week. What? No John Lloyd Young news?)
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Playwright John Patrick Shanley has talked about his dramas Doubt and Defiance being part of a trilogy. But he took a break from writing the third play in the series to create the musical Romantic Poetry with composer Henry Krieger and, well, let's just say the critics wish he had struck with the trilogy. The abstract musical comedy about the irrationality of love (one wife, three husbands) opened Oct. 28 at Manhattan Theatre Club to derogatory reviews. The notices said it was undisciplined and unfunny. One called it stupid — a word critics almost never resort to.
Emily Swallow, Ivan Hernandez, Mark Linn-Baker and Jeb Brown star. The show marked the Bronx playwright's debut as a musical writer.
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Director Peter Brook is another star artist who opened a new work this week. His The Grand Inquisitor opened at Off-Broadway's New York Theatre Workshop Oct. 29. Bruce Myers starred in the title role in Marie-Hélène Estienne's adaptation of the famous Inquisitor chapter of Dostoyevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov." (The action does not actually take place in the novel, but is a long story told by one of the characters.)
Critics said Brook showed his usual command of simple storytelling, but that the piece was a bit dry and academic.
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Michael Cerveris can't not work.
The star of the current Road Show at the Public Theater has been cast to play opposite Mary-Louise Parker in the upcoming Broadway revival of Hedda Gabler. Paul Sparks will also star.
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Violence, rape, cannibalism. People cant get enough of it! The U.S. premiere of late playwright Sarah Kane's bleak, brutal Blasted, has been extended again at Off-Broadway's Soho Rep. It will now play through Dec. 21. Get your tickets now! Jolly Christmas fare!
