Elizabeth Stanley, whose Broadway credits include “On the Town,” “Million Dollar Quartet” and “Company,” will lead the cast of the new Alanis Morissette musical “Jagged Little Pill” when it premieres in May at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge. It is being directed by Diane Paulus (“Waitress,” “Pippin”) and has a book by Diablo Cody (“Juno”). Idina Menzel previously took part in a developmental reading of the musical.
Canceled ‘When Pigs Fly’ revival set for one-night concert
Earlier this season, a planned Off-Broadway revival of the 1996 musical comedy “When Pigs Fly” was called off at the last minute due to a shortfall in funding. Nevertheless, the revival’s cast members and creative team will perform the musical as a one-night-only benefit concert for The Actors Fund on April 9 at the Gerald Lynch Theatre.
Paper Mill announces new season
New Jersey’s Paper Mill Playhouse revealed its upcoming season this week, which consists of two family-friendly musicals with popular appeal (“Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn” and “Beauty and the Beast”) and three new musicals: “Unmasked” (a biographical Andrew Lloyd Webber revue), “My Very Own British Invasion” (a tale of young love containing 1960s British pop hits) and “Benny & Joon” (an adaptation of the 1993 film with Johnny Depp and Mary Stuart Masterson). The theater’s current season continues later this month with a musical adaptation of the 1973 film “The Sting” starring Harry Connick Jr.
‘Little Women’ to receive new stage adaptation
Actress-playwright Kate Hamill (who has penned and starred in stage adaptations of Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility” and “Pride and Prejudice” and Thackeray’s “Vanity Fair”) will now tackle Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women.” Her adaptation will be produced next year Off-Broadway by Primary Stages. The company’s upcoming season will also include “Final Follies” (three one-acts by the prolific playwright A.R. Gurney, who died last year at age 86) and “Downstairs” (a new play by Theresa Rebeck starring siblings Tyne Daly and Tim Daly).
NBC pushes back ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ again
NBC’s planned live television broadcast of “Bye Bye Birdie” (which was originally slated for December 2017 and then pushed back to 2018) has been pushed back yet again. According to Variety, the project will not come to fruition until at least 2019 due to the scheduling commitments of Jennifer Lopez (who will play the role of Rosie) and producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (who are currently readying “Jesus Christ Superstar” for a live broadcast on April 1). “Birdie” was last seen on Broadway in 2009 in a panned revival led by Gina Gershon and John Stamos.
Spotted . . .
Chris Rock at “Waitress” . . . Hugh Jackman and David Alan Grier at “Once On This Island” . . . The U.S. Olympic Curling Team at “The Play That Goes Wrong” . . . Michael Urie at “Hello, Dolly!”
