Oscar Isaac will play Hamlet at the Public Theater this summer under the direction of Sam Gold (“Fun Home”). This staging of “Hamlet” will take place at the Public’s downtown space, separate and apart from the Shakespeare in the Park season, which will consist of free productions of “Julius Caesar” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” In fact, single tickets for “Hamlet” will start at $95. Isaac will be joined by Keegan-Michael Key (“Key & Peele”) will play Horatio. The production was originally slated to be produced by Theatre for a New Audience but Isaac and Gold withdrew due to disagreements with the theater’s staff. Before he achieved fame as a film actor, Isaac appeared in the Shakespeare in the Park productions of “Two Gentlemen of Verona” and “Romeo and Juliet.”
McFerrin taking over the title role of ‘Hamilton’
Jevon McFerrin, who joined the Broadway cast of “Hamilton” in September as an alternate, has taken over the title role in light of physical injuries recently sustained by Javier Munoz, who inherited the part after Lin-Manuel Miranda left the show. Munoz, who revealed the news himself on Twitter on Feb. 19, is expected to return following his recuperation. McFerrin is the son of musician Bobby McFerrin (“Don’t Worry, Be Happy”).
Mueller and Henry rumored for ‘Carousel’ ride
Jessie Mueller (“Beautiful”) and Joshua Henry (“Shuffle Along”) are slated for a Broadway revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Carousel” next season directed by Jack O’Brien (“Hairspray”), as per a new segment the theater program On Stage on NY1 in which an anonymous insider shares industry gossip. “Carousel” received an acclaimed Broadway revival in 1994 at Lincoln Center Theater. Two years ago, it was staged in Chicago with Stephen Pasquale and Laura Osnes.
Letts’ ‘The Minutes’ confirmed for Broadway following Steppenwolf
“The Minutes,” a new play by Tracy Letts (“August: Osage County”), is set to open on Broadway next February following a regional run at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre. The play is described as a comedy about a town council meeting where “petty policy matters give way to the truth roiling just beneath the surface of the town’s historical mythology.” “Man from Nebraska,” also by Letts, is currently running off-Broadway at Second Stage.
‘Hamilton’ producers settle lawsuit over counterfeit goods
The producers of “Hamilton” announced Wednesday that they have settled a copyright and trademark lawsuit sparked by the sale of counterfeit merchandise containing the musical’s well-known logo (i.e. a star with Alexander Hamilton at the top, raising his dueling arm). There is no shortage of official merchandise to choose from on the show’s website, ranging from T-shirts to limited edition portraits of various cast members that sell for $3,000 each.
30 years later, ‘Perfect Crime’ keeps running
As the world around it changes, “Perfect Crime” somehow manages to keep running, even with its original leading lady (Catherine Russell) in tow. The off-Broadway murder mystery will reach its 30th anniversary on April 18, making it the first play in New York City to achieve that feat. As of that date, it will have played 12,312 performances. A few months ago, Gary Busey did a short stint in the show in which he freely added and deleted dialogue and urged audience members to pay attention.
‘Tales from the City’ getting single Broadway performance
“Tales from the City,” a rock musical based on Armistead Maupin’s novels about San Francisco in the 1970s, will receive a one-night concert staging at the Music Box Theatre on Broadway on March 27 to benefit the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center (where the musical was initially developed) and the Trevor Project (a suicide prevention hotline for gay youths). The cast will include performance artist Justin Vivian Bond, Betsy Wolfe (“Falsettos”) and Jose Llana (“The King and I”).
Rivera and Tune to tour together
Chita Rivera and Tommy Tune, musical theater legends who have each done plenty of solo nightclub shows, will team up for a concert tour this fall. Tune has not been represented on Broadway since the early 1990s, while Rivera has appeared in “The Visit” and “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” in recent years.
Spotted …
Steven Spielberg at “Sunset Boulevard” … Tom Brokaw at “Come From Away” … George Takei at “In Transit” … Adam Lambert at “Chicago” … Melissa McCarthy at “Hamilton.”
