‘Hamilton’ earns back a quarter of its investment
The hit hip-hop musical “Hamilton,” which has been drawing sellout crowds since it officially opened on Broadway in August, has already recouped a quarter of its initial investment costs, according to Deadline. For those unable to afford a ticket, or who can’t win the lottery for the limited number of $10 seats, the two-disc cast album can be streamed on Spotify.
Perform ‘School of Rock’ at your school
In an extremely unusual move, the rights to perform the new Broadway musical “School of Rock” will be released to school groups ahead of the show’s opening night, which is set for Dec. 6. Typically, amateur rights are not released until a new musical has completed its Broadway run. “This musical is entirely about empowering kids to rock out, so what better way to herald its arrival and celebrate its themes than to allow youth performances from coast-to-coast,” composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, who wrote new tunes for the musical, said in a statement.
Wooster Group to tackle Pinter
The Wooster Group, the much-accomplished experimental theater company, is set to tackle the work of the late English playwright Harold Pinter in a three-part series beginning with “The Room,” Pinter’s first play. Although “The Room” will not open in New York until next season, the company will offer advance showings at the Performing Garage from Oct. 28 to Nov. 14 before taking the show to Los Angeles.
Lucas to lead ‘The Secret Garden’
12-year-old Sydney Lucas, who finished her Tony-nominated run in “Fun Home” last week, will lead an upcoming concert production of the 1991 musical “The Secret Garden,” which will play David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center on Feb. 21 and 22. The cast will be back by a full orchestra and choir.
‘Beauty and the Beast’ remake will ax songs written for Broadway
The upcoming live-action film remake of “Beauty and the Beast” will not include any of the songs written expressly for the Broadway stage version, composer Alan Menken said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. Instead, three new songs have been written for the film, and the well-known songs from the original film have been carried over.
‘Spring Awakening’ struggling at the box office
The Broadway revival of the rock musical “Spring Awakening” increased its weekly box office intake by about $70,000 last week, but the show could still be doing a lot better. The weekly total was $474,057, playing to just 68.4% of capacity. By comparison, the musical “Beautiful,” which is in a theater with the same number of seats, grossed $1,124,410 last week. The revival, which was praised for its incorporation of American Sign Language, is a limited run through Jan. 24.
Off-Broadway theater to be renamed for John Cullum
The Chernuchin Theatre, an Off-Broadway space located on 54th Street in midtown, will be renamed in honor of veteran stage actor John Cullum on Friday. Cullum appeared in the original Off-Broadway production of “Urinetown” at the theater back in 2001. As it happens, a new production of “Urinetown” is now playing there.
Spotted …
Jessica Lange, Olivia Wilde, Emily Blunt, John Krasinski and Jason Sudeikis at “Fool for Love” … Bill Gates at “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” … Matthew McConaughey at “Hamilton.”
