Two weeks since the original cast album of “Hamilton” won a Grammy Award, plans have been unveiled for a new album with major hip-hop artists performing selections from the score and new songs inspired by the musical, as first reported in Vanity Fair. According to Lin-Manuel Miranda, it will include performances from Busta Rhymes, Queen Latifah, Ben Folds and Common.
‘Dead Poets Society’ heading Off-Broadway
A stage adaptation of the 1989 Robin Williams flick “The Dead Poets Society” will be produced Off-Broadway next season by Classic Stage Company, under the direction of John Doyle (“The Color Purple”). The Classic Stage season will also include David Ives’ update of the Corneille farce “The Liar” and the Sondheim musical “Pacific Overtures.”
‘Broadway Backwards’ is back on
“Broadway Backwards,” the annual benefit concert where well-known Broadway songs are cleverly reinvented for a same-sex context, is set to return on March 21 with a cast that includes Chita Rivera, Danielle Brooks, Tituss Burgess, Tony Yazbeck and Len Cariou.
‘Gypsy’ with Imelda Staunton now available online
The recent London revival of “Gypsy” starring Imelda Staunton,” which was filmed and telecast by the BBC, can now be viewed online at BroadwayHD.com, a streaming site that specializes in filmed versions of stage productions. Before the revival’s run ended, there were rumors that it would transfer to New York next year.
Multi-racial cast set for ‘1776’ at City Center
In the style of “Hamilton,” City Center Encores! has revealed multi-racial casting for its upcoming concert-style revival of “1776,” including John Larroquette (Benjamin Franklin), Santino Fontana (John Adams), Christiane Noll (Abigail Adams), Andre De Shields (Stephen Hopkins) and Nikki Renee Daniels (Martha Jefferson).
Mamet’s ‘The Anarchist’ making a comeback
Back in 2012, David Mamet’s two-woman drama “The Anarchist” (which starred Patti LuPone and Debra Winger) crashed and burned in its Broadway debut. The play will receive a short revival in April at the newly-opened Sheen Center with Rebecca Pidgeon (who is Mamet’s wife) and Heidi Sulzman.
‘Parade’ to be explored at Museum of Jewish Heritage
The Museum of Jewish Heritage in Lower Manhattan, where a special exhibition on the Leo Frank case is currently on display, will present a one-night concert and moderated discussion on the 1999 musical “Parade” on March 7. Songwriter and Jason Robert Brown and playwright Alfred Uhry will be joined by Sebastian Arcelus, Stephanie J. Block and Allie Trimm.
Spotted …
Julia Louis-Dreyfus and John Lithgow at “The Humans” … Jude Law, Angela Bassett, Richard Lewis and Gretchen Moll at “Hughie” … Lin-Manuel Miranda at “Fiddler on the Roof” … U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power at “Fun Home.”
