A musical based on the life of Cher and incorporating her hit songs will be workshopped in New York in January, according to a casting notice posted on Playbill.com. It will be directed by Jason Moore (“Avenue Q”), written by Rick Elice (“Jersey Boys”) and produced by Jeffrey Seller (“Hamilton”). Cher will apparently be played by three characters who represent her at different points in her career. Other characters will include Sonny Bono, David Geffen, Robert Altman, Bob Mackie and even Sigmund Freud.
Lloyd Webber to Trump: Don’t see ‘School of Rock’
Donald Trump apparently wanted to attend opening night of the Broadway musical “School of Rock” last fall but Andrew Lloyd Webber urged him not to come, the famed composer divulged on “The Graham Norton Show.” According to Lloyd Webber, he told Trump that his presence would take attention away from the kids in the cast.
‘Newsies’ to be screened in movie theaters
A live recording of the recent Broadway musical “Newsies,” shot while the national tour was playing in Los Angeles, will be screened in movie theaters in February. Jeremy Jordan, Kara Lindsay and Andrew Keenan-Bolger, who led the original Broadway cast, returned to their roles for the filming.
‘Play that Goes Wrong’ goes to Broadway
Fans of the madcap backstage farce “Noises Off” (which was revived on Broadway just last year) ought to enjoy “The Play That Goes Wrong,” another English comedy about a group of actors working under chaotic conditions. It will arrive on Broadway this spring, following a three-year hit run in London. Among the show’s producers is J.J. Abrams.
‘Amelie’ sets theater and opening date
The new musical adaptation of the 2001 French film romance “Amelie” is set to open at Broadway’s Walter Kerr Theatre in April. It will star Phillipa Soo, who played Eliza in “Hamilton” and Natasha in “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812” when it premiered off-Broadway in 2012. She will be joined by Adam Chanler-Berat (“Peter and the Starcatcher”).
Lewis and Carmello to slice away in ‘Sweeney’
Broadway regulars Norm Lewis (“Porgy and Bess”) and Carolee Carmello (“Parade”) will partner up as Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett in the upcoming off-Broadway revival of “Sweeney Todd” beginning April 11. They will replace the stars of the original English production, Jeremy Secomb and Siobhan McCarthy, who are set to repeat their performances for a short time. The environmentally-staged revival (which is set around a working pie shop environment) begins previews at the Barrow Street Theatre in the West Village in Feb.
Spotted …
John Cameron Mitchell and Jesse Tyler Ferguson at “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812” … Mandy Patinkin at SAG-AFTRA screening of “Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened” … Geraldo Rivera at “Oh, Hello.”
