Morrison, Grammer officially find ‘Neverland’
As many have been suspecting for months, Matthew Morrison, who appeared in multiple Broadway musicals before becoming a national celeb through “Glee,” will play “Peter Pan” scribe J.M. Barrie in “Finding Neverland,” which starts previews on Broadway in March. Jeremy Jordan played the role during the show’s recent regional tryout. It has also been announced that Kelsey Grammer will join the show in a supporting role.
Hall extends ‘Hedwig’
run through Jan. 18Michael C. Hall, who recently took over as the notorious transsexual rocker in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” has extended his run in the Tony-winning musical through Jan. 18. The next actor to take on the meaty role will be announced in the coming weeks.
Kline film ‘Dave’ being turned into musical
The next movie to be made into a musical is “Dave,” the 1993 film comedy about an ordinary guy (originally played by Kevin Kline) who is made to impersonate the President of the United States by the government, as reported by Variety. It is being written by Tom Kitt (“Next to Normal”), Nell Benjamin (“Legally Blonde”) and Thomas Meehan (“The Producers”).
‘The Audience’ getting makeover for Broadway
“The Audience,” Peter Morgan’s drama depicting Queen Elizabeth II meeting with various prime ministers over her long reign, will have a new ending when it comes to Broadway in the spring, director Stephen Daldry told the Los Angeles Times. “The end will have to change quite radically to reflect the exact moment in current events,” Daldry said.
‘Elephant Man’ crushes competition at box office
The Broadway revival of “The Elephant Man” with two-time Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper did smashing business during its initial preview performances last week, reaching 102.8% attendance and an average ticket price of $163.45. By comparison, the Michael Cera-led revival of “This is Our Youth” made less money over eight performances than “The Elephant Man” did in four performances.
‘Belle’ is moving back to Amherst
The Off-Broadway revival of “The Belle of Amherst,” a one-woman show in which Joely Richardson plays Emily Dickinson, will shutter early on Nov. 23. To be fair, the play, which was made famous in the 1970s by Julie Harris, was billed from the start as a limited run.
Sondheim getting Medal of Freedom
Apparently there was an award that Stephen Sondheim had not yet won. The master songwriter will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom later this month along with a number of others including Meryl Streep, Marlo Thomas, Stevie Wonder and Tom Brokaw.
Spotted
?Barbra Streisand at “The Elephant Man”?Martin Short at “Beautiful.”
