Baryshnikov to appear in ‘The Orchard’
Mikhail Baryshnikov will play both Anton Chekhov and the elderly butler Firs in “The Orchard,” a hybrid adaptation of Chekhov’s tragicomedy “The Cherry Orchard” that can be experienced in-person at the Baryshnikov Arts Center on the West Side and/or virtually as a live interactive experience beginning May 31. The in-person and virtual versions will occur simultaneously and intersect with each other. Baryshnikov will be joined by Jessica Hecht (“Friends,” “Breaking Bad”) as Lyubov Ranesvskaya.
Gaten Matarazzo of ‘Stranger Things’ to join ‘Dear Evan Hansen’
Gaten Matarazzo, who appeared on Broadway as a child in “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” and “Les Miz” before joining the hit Netflix series “Stranger Things,” will join the Broadway production of “Dear Evan Hansen” over the summer beginning July 19. Matarazzo will play the title character’s partner-in-crime Jared Kleinman. In other “Dear Evan Hansen” casting news, Zachary Noah Piser, who has been with the show since 2019, recently became the first Asian American actor to play Evan Hansen full-time. “Being the first Asian American actor to tell Evan’s story means everything to me, and I hope this milestone allows any and all AAPI folks to feel seen, heard, and valued,” Piser said in a statement.
‘Girl from the North Country’ has been filmed
“Girl from the North Country,” which recently reopened (once again) on Broadway for an encore run through June 19, has been filmed for future commercial release. Last weekend, Governor Kathy Hochul visited the show and made onstage remarks. A week earlier, “ER” actor Anthony Edwards took over the supporting role of Dr. Walker at the last minute after Robert Joy tested positive for COVID. Prior to this, Edwards had no formal affiliation with the show, but he must have been very familiar with it by virtue of being married to its lead actress, Mare Winningham.
Heidi Schreck to revisit ‘Constitution’ for one night
Heidi Schreck will give an encore performance of her (mostly) one-woman drama “What the Constitution Means to Me” on June 9 at Cooper Union’s “Great Hall” to benefit the National Network of Abortion Funds. The play (which was filmed with Schreck and is available for streaming on Amazon Prime) is a freewheeling and politically-charged monologue in which Schreck looks back on her teenage hobby of delivering speeches about the U.S. Constitution at American Legion Halls.
Actors’ Equity takes action on non-disclosure agreements
Actors’ Equity Association (the union representing professional stage actors and stage managers) and the Broadway League (the trade group representing Broadway theater owners and producers) have reached an agreement that will release Equity members who worked on shows produced by Scott Rudin (who was accused of workplace abuse last year) from non-disclosure agreements they previously signed that would prohibit them from being able to speak publicly about their experiences with Rudin. In the future, Equity will push for limiting the scope of non-disclosure agreements.
NY Classical Theatre to stage ‘Cymbeline’
Last summer, before the official reopening of professional theater in New York, some of the only plays in town were free outdoor productions of Shakespeare plays. New York Classical Theatre, which last year presented “King Lear,” will return in June with the late romance “Cymbeline,” which will play multiple outdoor locations including Central Park, Carl Schurz Park, and Brooklyn Commons Park at MetroTech.
