It was unexpectedly announced on Tuesday night that the Broadway revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Carousel,” which opened in April to mixed reactions (given the extensive edits made to the classic script and score by director Jack O’Brien), will close on Sept. 16. No official reason was provided, but it is likely due to a dip in its weekly box office grosses, which have gotten thinner over the summer. A new tenant for the Imperial Theatre ought to be announced shortly.
Michael C. Hall to lead Eno’s ‘Thom Pain’
Stage and screen actor Michael C. Hall (“Dexter,” “Six Feet Under”) will lead the Signature Theatre’s upcoming Off-Broadway revival of Will Eno’s enigmatic monologue “Thom Pain (based on nothing),” which begins performances on Oct. 23. In 2014, Hall appeared on Broadway in “The Realistic Joneses,” Eno’s similarly strange and experimental drama about two suburban couples. Signature’s new season will also include revivals of plays by Athol Fugard (“Boesman and Lena”), Lynn Nottage (“Fabulation,” “By the Way, Meet Vera Stark”) and Sam Shepard (“Curse of the Starving Class”).
Public Theater will lead the ‘Resistance’
The Public Theater will present “We Rise: A Celebration of Resistance,” a free one-night-only which is intended to serve a public forum and will include musical performances and speeches exploring civil engagement and resistance. It will take place on Monday at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park. Participants will include Renée Elise Goldsberry (“Hamilton”), singer-songwriter Shaina Taub (“Twelfth Night” musical adaptation) and the Resistance Revival Chorus (an all-female group specializing in protest music).
Sayreville, NJ is now a Broadway producer
The town of Sayreville, NJ, which serves as the setting of the new Broadway musical “Gettin’ the Band Back Together,” is now also a co-producer of the show, which opens on Monday night. The town’s residents were recently invited to attend the final dress rehearsal. “While I don’t know if an entire town has ever gotten Broadway billing, we want to acknowledge their invaluable contribution to the show,” producer Ken Davenport said in a statement. The musical centers on a 40-year-old banker who loses his job, moves back in with his mom and tries to win a Battle of the Bands contest with his old friends.
Rosemary Harris joins ‘My Fair Lady’
Tony winner Rosemary Harris (who is probably best remembered today as Aunt May Parker to Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man) will take over the small but distinguished role of Mrs. Higgins in Lincoln Center Theater’s Broadway revival of “My Fair Lady” beginning Sept. 11. Diana Rigg (who received a Tony nomination for the role) will play her final performance on Sept. 9. The production made news last month with the announcement that Lauren Ambrose will only play Eliza Doolittle in seven out of eight weekly performances.
Spotted…
Julia Roberts at “Pretty Woman”…Beyoncé at “Frozen”…Rod Stewart at “Gettin’ the Band Back Together”…Sean Hayes at “Hello, Dolly!”…Isabella Rossellini at “Fiddler on the Roof” (Yiddish language production)…Diane Lane and Laura Dern at “The Band’s Visit.”
