Annette Bening has joined the cast of the upcoming Shakespeare in the Park production of “King Lear,” which starts performances on July 22 at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park. She will play Goneril, one of Lear’s not so likable daughters. The cast will also include John Lithgow (as Lear), Jessica Hecht, Christopher Innvar and Jay O. Sanders.
‘Fun Home’ dominates Obie Awards
The musical “Fun Home,” which played a critically-acclaimed Off-Broadway run at the Public Theater during the fall and is expected to transfer to Broadway next season, dominated the Village Voice Obie Awards, which were given out Monday night at Webster Hall. 10-year-old Sydney Lucas, who was recognized for her performance in “Fun Home,” became the youngest person ever to win the award. The musical was also recognized for its music (Jeanine Tesori), lyrics and book (Lisa Kron) and direction (Sam Gold).
Gloria Estefan musical to open on Broadway in fall 2015
A musical about singer Gloria Estefan by her husband Emilio Estefan, to be titled “On Your Feet!,” is slated to open on Broadway in the fall of 2015. It will be directed by Jerry Mitchell (“Kinky Boots”) and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo (“Jersey Boys”). The score will include Estefan hits like “Rhythm is Gonna Get You” and “Conga” plus some new material.
Broadway mourns the closing of ‘Bridges’
The Broadway community came out last weekend to mourn the quick closing of the Jason Robert Brown-Marsha Norman musical “The Bridges of Madison County,” which failed to catch on with audiences. In addition to the thundering ovations that showered its final performance on Sunday, numerous industry figures paid tribute to the show on Facebook. “Even in the coldblooded Darwinian commercial universe of today’s Great White Way, this show deserved a better fate,” actor Nick Wyman wrote. “A very sad testament to the current state of Broadway that this exquisite show will not be seen by more people,” music producer Kurt Deutsch wrote.
Lloyd Webber may bring ‘School of Rock’ to New York
Andrew Lloyd Webber is thinking of bringing his upcoming musical version of the Jack Black film “School of Rock” straight to Broadway, as reported by The Telegraph. Although one might think that Lloyd Webber is eyeing Broadway because “Stephen Ward,” his latest musical, just flopped in London’s West End, the real reason he’s eyeing Broadway has to do with looser requirements for hiring child performers in the U.S. “You don’t have to do all this triple casting, you can cast them as if they’re adults,” Lloyd Webber told the paper.
Spotted …
Tobey Maguire and Nick Lachey at “The Cripple of Inishmaan” … Ricky Martin, Billie Jean King, David Hyde Pierce, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Paul Shaffer at “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” … Ben Stiller at “Rocky.”
