‘Titanic’ musical will be screened in movie theaters
A live capture recording of a recent UK production of the 1997 Tony Award-winning musical “Titanic” will be screened in over 700 movie theaters nationwide via Fathom Events on Nov. 6 and 8. The musical is also set to receive concert production this season as part of the Encores! series at City Center. The original Broadway production of “Titanic” coincided with the release of the blockbuster 1997 film of the same. Its preview performances were plagued by technical issues that caused the ship to not sink. Notwithstanding any special effects, the musical has a sweeping score by Maury Yeston (“Nine”) and a panoramic book by Peter Stone (“1776”) that explores numerous characters of different backgrounds and social classes. The original Broadway cast included Michael Cerveris, Victoria Clark, David Garrison, and Brian d’Arcy James.
‘My Son’s A Queer’ to transfer to Broadway
“My Son’s A Queer (But What Can You Do?),” a solo comedy written and performed by Rob Madge about “the journey of a family as they explore their son’s love for all things Disney, theatre, and their identity as a Queer human,” will play Broadway’s Lyceum Theatre in the spring following runs in London’s West End and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Madge, who is 27 years old, started out as a child stage actor in “Mary Poppins,” “Les Miz,” “Oliver!” and “Matilda.”
Groban and Ashford confirm ‘Sweeney Todd’ exit date
Now this is intriguing news. The smash Broadway revival of “Sweeney Todd” has confirmed that the production will extend into the spring of 2024 after Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford complete their runs as Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett respectively on Jan. 14. Needless to say, anticipation is already building over the question of who will take over these much prized roles. I give my vote to Brian Stokes Mitchell (who played Sweeney Todd two decades ago in Washington, D.C.) and Audra McDonald (who previously played the Beggar Woman in concert productions at the New York Philharmonic). Mitchell and McDonald famously starred together in the original cast of “Ragtime.”
‘Forbidden Broadway’ to return and pay tribute to Sondheim
“Forbidden Broadway,” Gerard Alessandrini’s much-beloved, long-running parody of Broadway musicals, which was last seen in New York in 2019, will return in a new edition paying tribute to Stephen Sondheim titled “Forbidden Sondheim: Merrily We Stole a Song.” It will play the new Green Fig Cabaret Theater at the Yotel on 10th Avenue from Oct. 27 to Nov. 27. The show will include new parodies in addition to earlier spoofs from the show’s 40-year history. In a statement, Alessandrini noted that Sondheim was a big fan of “Forbidden Broadway” who urged Alessandrini to be as vicious as possible. Notably, the original logo of “Forbidden Broadway” was a takeoff of the logo of the original Broadway production of “Merrily We Roll Along,” which both began performances in 1981.
‘Suffs’ heads to Broadway with Clinton and Malala onboard
“Suffs,” an all-female musical by Shaina Taub about the movement for women’s voting rights, which premiered last year at the Public Theater, will transfer to Broadway in the spring, opening at the Music Box Theatre on April 18. Not only that, Hillary Clinton and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai have signed on to join the producing team. “Many women around the world are still fighting for equality — and we draw inspiration and strength through learning the stories of those who came before us,” Malala Yousafzai said in a statement.
