Patti LuPone, the original star of “Evita,” did not hold back her true opinion of the musical’s much-maligned 1996 film version with Madonna while being interviewed by Andy Cohen on Bravo TV. “Madonna is a movie killer,” LuPone expounded. “She’s dead behind the eyes. She cannot act her way out of a paper bag. She should not be in film or onstage.” Two years ago, Madonna was criticized for texting during “Hamilton.”
With ‘Oslo’ and ‘The Band’s Visit,’ Israel is winning the top theater awards
The play and musical that have been racking up the major theater awards so far this year are both about the relationship between Israel and its neighbors. “Oslo” (now on Broadway) and the “The Band’s Visit” (which played a short off-Broadway run at the Atlantic Theater Company) have won Best Play and Best Musical awards respectively from the Drama Critics Circle, Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel Awards. They may also win the same from the Drama Desk.
‘A Doll’s House, Part 2’ adds midnight performance
You may like to stay up late binge watching old TV shows on Netflix, but how about a contemporary American play based on a classic European drama instead? Lucas Hnath’s “A Doll’s House, Part 2,” which opened to mostly positive reviews and received eight Tony nominations last week, will offer a one-time-only midnight performance on Thursday, May 18 to benefit the Actors Fund. Some $59 tickets will be made available to the general public.
‘Once On This Island’ revival coming to Circle in the Square
The upcoming Broadway revival of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty’s Caribbean fairy tale musical, “Once On This Island,” will begin performances on Nov. 9 at Circle in the Square, with the opening slated for Dec. 3. It will be directed by actor Michael Arden, who previously staged the Broadway revival of “Spring Awakening.” As previously reported, the production team has been holding auditions in Haiti, Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Atlanta and New York.
Groban among Theatre World Award winners
The winners of this year’s Theatre World Awards (which recognize outstanding stage debuts) include, among others, Josh Groban, Denée Benton and Amber Gray (“Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812”), Jon Jon Briones and Eva Noblezada (“Miss Saigon”) and Christy Altomare (“Anastasia”). The award ceremony will be held on June 5 at the Imperial Theatre. Glenn Close will receive a lifetime achievement honor.
McGovern goes from ‘Downton’ to Priestley
Elizabeth McGovern, who played Cora Crawley on “Downton Abbey,” will lead the first Broadway revival of J.B. Priestley’s 1937 family drama “Time and the Conways,” which will be produced by the Roundabout Theatre Company at the American Airlines Theatre in the fall. McGovern has not appeared on Broadway since she played Ophelia in a 1992 production of “Hamlet.” Rebecca Taichman (“Indecent”) will direct. Priestley, a prolific English writer, is best remembered today for the 1945 drama “An Inspector Calls.”
‘Angels in America’ gets raves in London before U.S. broadcast
The sold-out revival of Tony Kushner’s landmark AIDS drama “Angels in America” at London’s National Theatre, which stars Nathan Lane, Andrew Garfield and Russell Tovey and is directed by Marianne Elliott (“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”), has opened to rave reviews, which raises speculation over whether it may transfer to Broadway at some point. In any event, both parts of the play will be broadcast in movie theaters as part of the National Theatre Live series, with “Millennium Approaches” on July 20, followed by “Perestroika” on July 27. Other upcoming broadcasts in the series include “Obsession” with Jude Law and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” with Imelda Staunton.
‘Glass Menagerie’ to close early
The current Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie,” which stars Sally Field as the delusional but resolute southern mother Amanda Wingfield, will close early on Sunday, May 21. It was originally expected to run through July 2. Sam Gold, currently one of the most prominent stage directors in New York, attempted to remove all artifice and period flavor from the 1944 drama. Madison Ferris, who is physically disabled, plays the painfully shy Laura. The production earned mixed notices and underwhelming box office returns.
‘School of Rock’ recoups on Broadway
Arts education pays off. A year and a half since opening on Broadway, the musical “School of Rock” has recouped its investment costs, which makes it a financial hit by traditional standards. The London production is on track to recoup in July. A U.S. national tour will launch in September in Rochester.
Mark Rylance to return in ‘Farinelli and the King’
Three-time Tony winner Mark Rylance, last seen on Broadway in the period-style revivals of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” and “Richard III,” will return in December in “Farinelli and the King,” a play with music about the relationship between King Philippe V of Spain (Rylance) and the famous castrato singer Farinelli. It premiered at Shakespeare’s Globe in 2015 and then transferred to the West End.
Spotted …
Josh Brolin at “Sleep No More” … Ron Ben-Israel and Ingrid Michaelson at “Sweeney Todd” … Billy Eichner at “Hello, Dolly!” … Jonathan Groff at “Bandstand” … Rose Byrne at “Sunset Boulevard.”
