Three-time Tony nominee Andy Karl (who made headlines last year when he injured his knee during one of the final preview performances of “Groundhog Day” but returned to the show in time for opening night) will play Edward in the upcoming Broadway musical adaptation of “Pretty Woman,” which begins previews on July 20. Karl is replacing Tony winner Steve Kazee (“Once”), who is departing the production for family reasons. (Kazee’s home in Kentucky burned down earlier this month.) Karl is married to Orfeh, who is already set to play Kit in “Pretty Woman.” Karl and Orfeh previously appeared on together on Broadway in “Legally Blonde” and “Saturday Night Fever.” “I always figured I’d be playing the part of ‘audience member’ for ‘Pretty Woman,’” Karl said in a statement.
Broadway grosses $1.65 billion for the season
Broadway shows collectively grossed a record-breaking $1.65 billion during the 2017-2018 season, representing a 14.4 percent increase over last season’s intake, as per the Hollywood Reporter. Although attendance levels remain unchanged, grosses continue to increase due to rising ticket prices (as seen in the increased acceptance of premium seating by audience members), which big hit shows like “Hamilton,” “Springsteen on Broadway” and “Hello, Dolly!” can command.
Bernstein’s ‘Peter Pan’ receiving rare revival
Compared with the 1954 Broadway musical “Peter Pan” (which has starred Mary Martin, Sandy Duncan and Cathy Rigby over the years), little is remembered of Leonard Bernstein’s musical adaptation of “Peter Pan,” which played Broadway in 1950 and starred Boris Karloff as Captain Hook. The piece will receive its first major revival this summer as part of the SummerScape festival at Bard College. Technically speaking, this will be the only Bernstein musical to receive a full professional production in the New York area during Bernstein’s centenary year. Three summers ago, Bard premiered the experimental production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!” that will play St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn in the fall.
Off-Broadway ‘Sweeney Todd’ to close the pie shop in Aug.
The intimate Off-Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd” at the Barrow Street Theatre (which is built around the novelty of a working pie shop environment) will close at the end of August following numerous extensions and cast changes. “Sweeney Todd” will also mark the final show to be produced by the Barrow Street Theatre at Greenwich House in the West Village. The experimental music and theater company Ars Nova (“Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812”) will take over the space beginning next season.
BAM reveals contents of annual Next Wave Festival
Brooklyn Academy of Music (which is currently presenting a short run of a London production of Eugene O’Neill’s “A Long Day’s Journey Into Night” with Jeremy Irons) announced the lineup of its 2018 Next Wave Festival this week, which will include 27 engagements spanning the genres of music, opera, theater, dance and film. Some highlights include the Greek tragedy “The Bacchae” directed by the noted acting teacher and theorist Anne Bogart, a Russian-language production of Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure” presented by Cheek by Jowl (which is known for its spare, highly physical work) and Moscow’s Pushkin Drama Theatre, Philip Glass’s 1979 Sanskrit opera “Satyagraha” and Mark Morris’ freewheeling “Nutcracker” update “The Hard Nut.”
Obie Awards recognize Off-Broadway and off Off-Broadway achievement
Winners at the 63rd Annual Obie Awards (copresented by the American Theatre Wing and the Village Voice) on Monday night included actors Billy Crudup (“Harry Clarke”), Jessica Hecht (“Admissions”), Will Swenson (“Jerry Springer — The Opera”) and Carrie Coon (“Mary Jane”), playwrights Dominique Morisseau (“Pipeline”) and Amy Herzog (“Mary Jane”) and director Jesse Berger (“The Government Inspector”). Unlike other theater awards, the Obies focus exclusively on Off-Broadway and off Off-Broadway and do not name nominees in addition to winners.
Spotted …
Carol Burnett at “The Band’s Visit” … Lin-Manuel Miranda at “Mean Girls.”
