’13: The Musical’ to premiere on Netflix on Friday
The screen adaptation of Jason Robert Brown’s “13: The Musical” will premiere on Netflix on Friday. “13” played a short run on Broadway in 2008. (I was one of just a few critics who really liked the show, which has a well-crafted score and well-meaning storyline.) Among the original cast, which was comprised entirely of young performers, was an unknown Ariana Grande. The film version includes a handful of new songs and a revised book, plus the addition of adult actors, including Debra Messing, Peter Hermann, and Rhea Perlman.
Lillias White becomes the first female Hermes in ‘Hadestown’
Tony winner Lillias White will take over as Hermes in the Broadway production of “Hadestown” beginning Sept. 13. She will be the first female to play the role, which was originated on Broadway by André De Shields, who won a Tony Award for his performance. “She’s a total legend, has an earth-shattering voice, and will bring a grace and warmth to the role that is completely her own…’Hadestown’ is a myth, and so we’ve always felt these characters can mold to whomever is playing them and take on new life and meaning with each new actor/spirit,” director Rachel Chavkin said in a statement. White most recently appeared on Broadway as Mama Morton when “Chicago” returned following the pandemic shutdown.
Texas church presents edited, unauthorized, livestreamed ‘Hamilton’
There’s been an unusually large amount of news lately involving musicals and copyright infringement. First, Netflix filed a lawsuit against the authors of “The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical,” which won a Grammy Award and was recently performed in concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Now comes word that the Door McAllen church in Texas presented an unauthorized amateur production of “Hamilton” last week, which was also livestreamed on YouTube and included heavy rewrites. “We issued a cease-and-desist letter for the unauthorized use of Hamilton’s intellectual property, demanding the immediate removal of all videos and images from previous productions from the internet…” ‘Hamilton’ press agent Shane Marshall Brown said in a statement to Playbill.com.
Entire ‘Into the Woods’ cast extends for two weeks
The entire Broadway cast of “Into the Woods” will remain with the show through Sept. 4, marking a two-week extension compared with the production’s original closing date. Cast changes will be announced shortly for the remainder of the run, which has been extended through Oct. 16. Cheyenne Jackson recently took over as Cinderella’s Prince and the Wolf for a handful of performances while Gavin Creel was away.
‘Ohio State Murders’ with Audra McDonald set for James Earl Jones Theatre
The previously-announced Broadway revival of Adrienne Kennedy’s graphic mystery drama “Ohio State Murders,” starring six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald and directed by Kenny Leon (“A Soldier’s Play”), will inaugurate the newly renamed James Earl Jones Theatre (formerly the Cort Theatre), with previews beginning Nov. 11. This will mark the first Broadway production of a play by the now 90-year-old Kennedy, a seminal Black experimental playwright who rose to prominence in 1964 with the experimental one-act “Funnyhouse of a Negro.” McDonald appeared in a streaming presentation of the play last year.
