The 50th anniversary Broadway revival of Mart Crowley’s landmark gay drama “The Boys in the Band” has recouped its $3.5 million investment costs, officially making it a hit by traditional standards. It was also recently announced that a special midnight performance to benefit the Actors Fund will be held on July 26. The production (which stars Jim Parsons, Matt Bomer, Zachary Quinto and Andrew Rannells) will end its limited run on Aug. 11.
Marx Brothers at Met’s Summer HD Festival
The Metropolitan Opera’s annual Summer HD Festival, in which filmed recordings of recent Met productions (including Gonoud’s “Romeo et Juliette” and “Madama Butterfly”) are screened outside at Lincoln Center Plaza, will be held Aug. 25 through Labor Day. Three thousand seats will be available for each screening and no tickets will be required to attend. The classic Marx Brothers’ comedy “A Night at the Opera” will also be screened as a pre-festival showing on Aug. 24.
‘Legacy Robe’ replaces ‘Gypsy Robe’ at Actors’ Equity
In April, Actors’ Equity announced that it would rename the long-observed “Gypsy Robe” ritual (which celebrates chorus singers and dancers, who were historically referred to as “gypsies”) due to the sensitivity surrounding the use of the word. In accordance with the results of a survey of Equity members, the union has renamed it the “Legacy Robe.”
‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ extends run
“The Play That Goes Wrong,” an English backstage farce about an unlikely group of thespians, which became an unlikely hit after opening on Broadway a year ago, has done something else unlikely. After announcing that the play will close at the end of August, its run has been extended through the beginning of January. At that time, it will have become the longest-running show to play the Lyceum Theatre since “Born Yesterday” in 1947.
Spotted…
Amy Poehler at “Mean Girls”… Fran Drescher at “Once On This Island”… Jodi Benson at “Frozen.”
