Immediately following the Tony Awards, fans of the sci-fi teen musical "Be More Chill" were in an uproar on social media over the fact that James Corden, Sara Bareilles, Josh Groban and Neil Patrick Harris performed an elaborate homage to “Michael in the Bathroom” (a showstopping solo in “Be More Chill”) without actually giving any credit to “Be More Chill” or songwriter Joe Iconis (who received a Tony nomination for his score).
Iconis also revealed on social media that he had received no advance notice about the sketch. In reaction, Corden sent out a tweet acknowledging the source of “James in the Bathroom,” expressing his admiration for the original song and posting a link to it.
“Our song ‘James in the Bathroom’ is a parody of an incredible Joe Iconis song from the musical @BeMoreChill it’s my favourite song of the season and here is the original,” Corden tweeted.
‘Gary’ to close on Sunday
“Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus,” an oddball, gross-out comedy by the gender-bending performance artist Taylor Mac (“A 24-Decade History of Popular Music”), will end its Broadway run on Sunday, June 16, several weeks earlier than originally planned. The production (which stars Nathan Lane as a clown who has been hired to clean up the bloodbath at the end of Shakespeare’s tragedy) has done underwhelming business at the box office since it opened in late April. Lane is joined by Kristine Nielsen and Julie White (who joined the cast after Andrea Martin suffered an injury during rehearsals).
Yiddish ‘Fiddler’ to donate seats to refugees
The Yiddish-language production of “Fiddler on the Roof” (which transferred earlier this year from the Museum of Jewish Heritage to Off-Broadway) will recognize World Refugee Day by donating every seat at the performance on Thursday, June 20, to refugees from around the world.
At the end of “Fiddler,” Tevye and his family become refugees themselves when they are forced out of the village of Anatevka by governmental decree. Political consultant Luis A. Miranda Jr. (who is the father of Lin-Manuel Miranda) will moderate a town hall-style event following the performance.
‘Moulin Rouge!’ to sell tableside seating
“Moulin Rouge!,” which begins previews on June 28, will sell “Can Can! Table Seating” at each performance. These stage-side seats will be located directly in front of the stage and be surrounded by a runway. The producers also plan to sell discounted $29 tickets through a daily lottery system.
Spotted…
Spike Lee at “Burn This." Liev Schreiber and Joshua Jackson at “Much Ado About Nothing” at Shakespeare in the Park. Catherine O’Hara at “Beetlejuice." Elaine Paige at “Tootsie." Mike Birbiglia at “Hadestown." Arturo Castro at “Be More Chill.”
