This has been quite a week for “Ham4Ham,” the lottery to win a limited number of $10 front row tickets to each performance of “Hamilton.” On Monday, producer Jeffrey Seller announced that due to safety concerns over the massive crowds that have materialized on 46th Street, the lottery would be moved digitally to the show’s website until springtime. But on Tuesday, the website repeatedly malfunctioned as approximately 50,000 people attempted to enter the lottery. And in the end, no one was awarded the tickets. As of Wednesday, the lottery has moved back to outside the Richard Rodgers Theatre. Actors from “Hamilton” and other Broadway musicals have frequently entertained the lottery crowd, and many of those performances can be found on YouTube.
‘Allegiance’ with Takei and Salonga to close
“Allegiance,” the new Broadway musical starring George Takei and Lea Salonga that was inspired by Takei’s childhood experience in a Japanese-American internment camp during World War II, will close on Feb. 24 after a four-month run including previews. “Bringing ‘Allegiance’ to Broadway was not only a labor of love for our entire creative team and this company of extraordinary artists, but it was also a work with deep commitment to social relevance and impact,” the producers said in a statement. Another play or musical is sure to snag the Longacre Theatre in time to open in the spring.
Lewis to take over for Pinkins as Mother Courage
Musical theater actress Kecia Lewis has been called in to take over for Tonya Pinkins in the title role of Classic Stage Company’s current off-Broadway production of Brecht’s “Mother Courage and Her Children.” Last week, Pinkins quit the production over a dispute with director Brian Kulick over how the title character is being portrayed in this production, which has been reset to the modern-day Congo. A new opening date has not been confirmed.
Angus McIndoe shuts down
Angus McIndoe, the restaurant next to the St. James Theatre with a large Broadway clientele (Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane were regulars), suddenly closed for good on Sunday night due to a lease dispute. McIndoe gave only 24 hours notice of the closing via Twitter. This follows the recent closing of Frankie & Johnnie’s Steakhouse, another well-known Theater District restaurant.
‘Fiddler’ actress shames audience member for recording the show
Don’t mess with a daughter of Tevye the Milkman. Samantha Massell, a recent college graduate who plays Hodel in “Fiddler on the Roof,” recently called out an audience member on Twitter for recording the show on his iPhone. “Shame on you! Where’s Patti LuPone when you need her?” Massell wrote online, later adding that “filming a show live is theft.”
‘Smokey Joe’s’ revival in the works
The rock ’n’ roll revue “Smokey Joe’s Cafe,” which achieved a long Broadway run (2,036 performances) in the 1990s, will be revived on Broadway this summer, according to a casting notice. The revue includes songs such as “Jailhouse Rock,” “On Broadway,” “Hound Dog” and “Yakety Yak.” Jerry Zaks, who staged the original production, will return.
Spotted …
Dave Attell at “Hand to God” … Candice Bergen, Alan Alda, Jeffrey Tambor, Bob Saget, Tony Slalhoub and Jonathan Groff at “Fiddler on the Roof.”
