London ‘Angels in America’ revival set for Broadway transfer
The National Theatre’s revival of Tony Kushner’s opus “Angels in America” (led by Nathan Lane and Andrew Garfield, directed by Marianne Elliott) will transfer to Broadway’s Neil Simon Theatre, with performances beginning Feb. 23. This marks the first Broadway revival for the two-part play set during the AIDS epidemic of 1980s America. “It is now time for an entirely new generation to be mesmerized, stirred, and astonished by its humor, poetry, and power at a time that feels more relevant than ever,” producers Tim Levy and Jordan Roth said in a joint statement with National Theatre director, Rufus Norris.
Bernadette Peters taking over for Bette Midler in ‘Dolly!’
Producer Scott Rudin announced this week that Bernadette Peters (“Into the Woods,” “Sunday in the Park with George”) will inherit from Bette Midler the role of Dolly Gallagher Levi in “Hello, Dolly!” beginning Jan. 20. Victor Garber will take over for David Hyde Pierce as Horace Vandergelder on the same date. Unlike Midler, Peters will play all eight performances of “Hello, Dolly!” each week. Donna Murphy will give her last performance as the alternate Dolly on Jan. 9.
‘A Doll’s House, Part 2’ sets closing date
“A Doll’s House, Part 2,” Lucas Hnath’s high-powered sequel to Henrik Ibsen’s classic 1879 drama, will play its final performance on Broadway on Sept. 24. The play opened to virtually no buzz back in April but quickly found an audience thanks to many rave reviews, and its limited run was extended from July to early January. The new closing date is likely the result of diminished ticket sales. Julie White recently took over the lead role of Nora from Laurie Metcalf (who won a Tony for her performance) and won raves herself from critics who revisited the production.
Aaron Sorkin to adapt ‘Mockingbird’ for Broadway
Aaron Sorkin (“The West Wing,” “A Few Good Men”) will author a new stage adaptation of Harper Lee’s seminal 1960 novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” which will come to Broadway in December 2018. The news was quietly revealed in a newspaper advertisement instead of a news release. Bartlett Sher (“South Pacific”) will direct the production.
Spotted…
RuPaul at “Dear Evan Hansen”… Selena Gomez at “A Bronx Tale”… Tituss Burgess at “Sweeney Todd” and “Hello, Dolly!”… Joel Grey at “Groundhog Day”… Janeane Garofalo and Jesse Eisenberg at “The Terms of My Surrender”
