‘Rock of Ages’ to bring on YouTube celeb
Want to be on Broadway? Forget about drama school and all that nonsense. All you need now apparently is a whole lot of people subscribing to your social media profile. Chester See, an actor-musician with more than 1.5 million subscribers on YouTube, will join the Broadway cast of “Rock of Ages” on Oct. 27, taking over the role of rock star Stacee Jaxx. In a statement, a “Rock of Ages” producer claimed the show is “the first on Broadway to recognize the growing importance of digital platforms for reaching new audiences.”
Sondheim working on Buñuel-based musical
Stephen Sondheim, while being interviewed at a New Yorker Festival event last week, revealed that he and playwright David Ives (“Venus in Fur”) are working on a new musical based on the movies of Spanish filmmaker Luis Buñuel, “The Exterminating Angel” and “The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie.” It is unclear when the musical will be ready to be performed.
Parsons back to B’way for one-night reading
Jim Parsons, who starred on Broadway two years ago in a revival of “Harvey,” will headline a one-night benefit reading of George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly’s long-forgotten 1922 comedy “Merton of the Movies” at Studio 54 on Dec. 1.
‘Octoroon,’ ‘Sound and the Fury’ to return
“An Octoroon,” Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ experimental take on a 19th century melodrama, which won critical acclaim during its short run at Soho Rep a few months ago, will receive an encore run at Theatre for a New Audience’s new space in downtown Brooklyn this winter. In similar news, Elevator Repair Service’s wild and confounding production of “The Sound and the Fury,” based on the classic William Faulkner book, which played New York Theatre Workshop back in 2008, will play the Public Theater in May.
Spotted ?
Bruce Springsteen at “The Last Ship” ? Dave Matthews at “Matilda” ? Gerard Butler and Hilary Duff at “Sleep No More” ? Louis C.K., Eddie Izzard and Mike Nichols at “It’s Only a Play.”
