The acclaimed London revival of the musical “Gypsy” starring Imelda Staunton may come to New York after all in 2017, according to the Daily Mail. New York is no stranger to “Gypsy” revivals. Bernadette Peters and Patti LuPone have each played Mama Rose on Broadway in recent years. Before the Staunton revival ended its London run, it was filmed by the BBC for a future broadcast.
Off-Broadway musical to be streamed live for free
Tickets to see the two-character Off-Broadway musical “Daddy Long Legs” range from $59 to $99. But on Dec. 10 at 8 p.m., you can watch it on your computer for free at DaddyLongLegsMusical.com, making it the first Broadway or Off-Broadway show to be streamed live at no charge. You can also listen to the cast album on Spotify at any time. The cast is currently made up of real-life married couple Megan McGinnis and Adam Halpin.
The Palace Theatre is floating on air
In a strange turn of events, the New York City Landmarks Commission will allow Broadway’s Palace Theatre to be lifted up by 29 feet in order to allow commercial space and other facilities to be built below it. The lobby, currently one of the few that actually fronts Broadway, will be moved to 47th Street. It is currently unclear when construction will take place and how it will affect “An American in Paris,” which is currently playing at the Palace.
‘Les Miz’ to close in September
The barricades are coming down, but not for another 10 months. Producer Cameron Mackintosh announced Wednesday that the Broadway revival of “Les Miz,” which opened in spring 2014 at the Imperial Theatre, will close on Sept. 4 after a run of just over two and a half years. Alfie Boe, who currently plays Jean Valjean, will be replaced on March 1 by John Owen-Jones, who played the role on Broadway in 2007. Many suspect that Mackintosh’s upcoming revival of “Miss Saigon” will open at the Imperial after “Les Miz” closes.
‘Waitress’ and ‘Eclipsed’ make history
The new musical “Waitress,” which is based on the 2007 film of the same name about a small town pie maker and has songs by Sara Bareilles, will be the first musical in Broadway history where the four-person creative team (book writer, songwriter, choreographer and director) is made up entirely of women, its producers said on Tuesday. However, in a footnote to the news release, they paid tribute to the 1978 musical “Runaways,” which had book, score, choreography and direction all by Elizabeth Swados.
In similar news, the producers of the drama “Eclipsed” (which will move to Broadway in February following its sold-out run at the Public Theater) have announced that it will mark the first Broadway show where the cast, director and playwright are all women.
‘Fiddler’ cast makes the rounds for Hanukkah
“Fiddler on the Roof” is celebrating Hanukkah. On Dec. 6, cast members from the Broadway revival (which is currently in previews) will make appearances at Macy’s Holiday Reading Circle and at Hanukkah parties held by the elderly outreach organization DOROT and the gay Jewish group Hebro. “Fiddler” lyricist Sheldon Harnick will also be interviewed at the Museum at Eldridge Street.
Spotted …
Ben Stiller at “Hand to God”…Michael Eisner, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas at “School of Rock”…Kristin Chenoweth at “Something Rotten!”…Michael Feinstein at “Allegiance.”
