Alan Tudyk (“Firefly”) has departed the cast of Steve Martin’s new Broadway comedy “Meteor Shower” (which is currently in rehearsals) due to apparent “creative differences.” The show’s starry cast includes Amy Schumer, Keegan-Michael Key and Laura Benanti. Tudyk will be replaced by stage actor Jeremy Shamos (who has a fair share of screen credits including “Better Call Saul” and “Birdman”). The play (which is being directed by Jerry Zaks, “Hello, Dolly!”) begins previews on Nov. 1 at the Booth Theatre.
‘Rocktopia’ to play short Broadway run
“Rocktopia,” an elaborate stage concert mixing rock hits (Queen, Journey, U2, Pink Floyd, The Who) with classical music (Mozart, Beethoven, Handel, Tchaikovsky) and incorporating lead vocalists, a five-piece band, 20-piece orchestra, and 40-person choir, will play a six-week engagement at the Broadway Theatre beginning March 20. “We want to break down barriers and any preconceived notion of what either genre is about,” creator and singer Rob Evan (“Jekyll & Hyde”) said in a statement.
‘Hello Again’ secures national film release
The film adaptation of songwriter Michael John LaChiusa’s 1994 Off-Broadway musical “Hello Again” will receive a limited national release in movie theaters beginning Nov. 8. Its cast includes Audra McDonald, Martha Plimpton, Tyler Blackburn, T.R. Knight and Rumer Willis.
‘Of Thee I Sing’ to play Carnegie Hall
“Of Thee I Sing,” George and Ira Gershwin’s 1931 operetta-style satire of presidential politics (which became the first musical to win the Pulitzer Prize), will receive a one-night-only concert production on Nov. 2 at Carnegie Hall, produced by MasterVoices (formerly the Collegiate Chorale). Broadway actors joining the group’s large choir and orchestra will include Bryce Pinkham (“A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder”), Denée Benton (“The Great Comet”) and Elizabeth Stanley (“On the Town”).
‘Come from Away’ breaks even at box office
The producers of the Broadway musical “Come From Away” announced this week that the show has recouped its $12 million capitalization costs (less than eight months since opening night), officially making it a hit by traditional standards.
Broadway League plots to get every NYC high school student to Broadway
The Broadway League announced the creation of Broadway Bridges this week, a program intended to get every NYC public high school student to see at least one Broadway show before graduating. High schools will be able purchase $10 tickets for 10th-grade students. Last winter, more than 1,100 students attended a Broadway show through a pilot version of the program. The Broadway League hopes to increase the number to 7,500 students this season.
Spotted…
Reese Witherspoon at “Dear Evan Hansen”…Tina Fey at “KPOP”
