Remembering Paul Sorvino in ‘The Most Happy Fella’
Film star Paul Sorvino, who died this week, was not generally known as a musical theater performer. However, he did appear in the little-remembered 1960s musicals “Bajour” and “Skyscraper.” And in 2006, Sorvino headlined a New York City Opera revival of the 1956 musical romance “The Most Happy Fella” at Lincoln Center. While some complained that Sorvino’s voice was not up to the vocal challenges of Frank Loesser’s robust score, Sorvino gave a dramatically sound performance. I even preferred that production (which sported a big orchestra and chorus) to the musical revivals on Broadway at the time.
Yiddish ‘Fiddler’ to return Off-Broadway
The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene’s (NYTF) Yiddish language production of “Fiddler on the Roof,” which premiered at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in 2018 and then transferred Off-Broadway, will receive an encore seven-week run in the fall, beginning Nov. 13 at New World Stages. It will again be directed by Joel Grey, with Steven Skybell playing Tevye. “The fictional Anatevka of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ is based on shtetls that were located outside of Kyiv in present-day Ukraine. We can’t help but think of the displaced residents of Anatevka while a new generation of refugees are fleeing their homeland due to the current crisis,” NYTF artistic director Zalmen Mlotek said in a statement. NYTF recently presented the New York premiere of the musical “Harmony,” which had original music by Barry Manilow.
‘Stranger Things’ parody to receive update
“Stranger Sings!,” an Off-Broadway musical parody of “Stranger Things,” will return Off-Broadway in the fall, beginning Sept. 12 at Playhouse 46 at St. Luke’s. The production (which features ‘80s camp, dancing monsters, and a plea for justice for Barb Holland) will be updated to include new jokes and music and an immersive in-the-round staging. A cast album was released last fall.
Optional mask policy to continue into August
Broadway will continue the current policy in which face masks are only optional (which began in July) in August. Meanwhile, actors continue to test positive for COVID, and it is unclear whether that has been exacerbated by the new mask policy. Brian d’Arcy James tested positive right before opening night of “Into the Woods,” which makes it unclear whether he will be eligible for Tony Award consideration since he was not in the “opening night cast.” Rob McClure tested positive last week, right after joining the Off-Broadway production of “Little Shop of Horrors.” The Thursday, July 21 performance of “Beetlejuice” had to be canceled due to multiple COVID cases.
Frida Kahlo musical in the works
A bio musical about the surrealist Mexican artist Frida Kahlo is being developed for Broadway, as per the Kahlo family, which owns the rights to her estate. An initial workshop is currently slated for 2023. It will have music by Mexican composer Jaime Lozano and lyrics by Obie winner Neena Beber. Kahlo’s life was previously dramatized in the 2002 Julie Taymor film “Frida,” in which Salma Hayek played Frida and Alfred Molina played Diego Rivera.
Minor character in ‘The Crucible’ inspires new play
Rebecca Nurse, a relatively minor character in Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” who is accused of witchcraft and hanged at the end along with protagonist John Proctor, will receive more attention in “Becky Nurse of Salem,” a new play by Sarah Ruhl (“In the Next Room”), which will be produced Off-Broadway in the fall by Lincoln Center Theater. Deirdre O’Connell, who just won a Tony Award for her performance in “Dana H.,” will play the title character, who is a contemporary descendent of Rebecca Nurse who works at the local witch museum.
