The 2018 Lucille Lortel Award nominations, which focus solely on Off-Broadway productions, were revealed this week. “KPOP,” an immersive and elaborate musical about the Korean pop music industry, led with nine. Playwright Eve Ensler (“The Vagina Monologues”) and the late composer Michael Friedman (“Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson”) will receive special honors. The awards will be held May 6 at NYU Skirball.
Olivo, Burstein, Tveit set for ‘Moulin Rouge!’
Karen Olivo (Tony winner for “West Side Story”), Danny Burstein (“Fiddler on the Roof”) and Aaron Tveit (“Next to Normal”) have been cast in the Broadway-bound adaptation of Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 movie musical “Moulin Rouge!” as Satine, Harold Zidler and Christian, respectively. The production (directed by Alex Timbers, “Peter and the Starcatcher”) will receive its out-of-town premiere over the summer in Boston. A Broadway theater and opening date have not yet been announced.
‘School Girls’ to receive Off-Broadway encore
MCC’s Off-Broadway production of Jocelyn Bioh’s “School Girls: Or, the African Mean Girls Play” will return to the Lucille Lortel Theater in the fall for an encore engagement following a short run in L.A. One of the most acclaimed dramas of the season, “School Girls” observes how teenagers at a boarding school in Ghana are affected by the chance to compete in the Miss Universe Contest.
ALW working on new musical about ‘person who’s alive’
Following the live television broadcast of “Jesus Christ Superstar” on Sunday, Andrew Lloyd Webber revealed in an interview with NBC that he is working on a new musical that “involves a person who’s alive” and said that it “could make a great story.” By comparison, Lloyd Webber’s best-known musicals have involved biblical figures, felines, a political diva, a screen diva and a tormented musician. A revue of Lloyd Webber’s music, “Unmasked,” will premiere this fall at Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey.
‘Frozen’ does ‘Oklahoma!’
The cast of “Frozen” recognized the 75th anniversary of the opening night of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!” (which played the St. James Theatre, now home to “Frozen”) Saturday with an a cappella rendition of “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” performed first by Jelani Alladin (Kristoff) and then the entire cast.
Spotted . . .
Mark Hamill, Kevin Kline, Drew Barrymore, Paul Rudd and John Cleese at “In & Of Itself” . . . Bryan Cranston at “Come From Away” . . . Paul McCartney at “The Band’s Visit” . . . J.K. Simmons at “Sweeney Todd” . . . Stephen Sondheim at “The Low Road.”
