It’s worth noting that once “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” ends its two-year run on Broadway on Sunday, “The Humans” will be the only play left on Broadway. The Tony-winning play premiered off-Broadway a year ago, played a limited run at the Helen Hayes Theatre and recently transferred to the larger Schoenfeld Theatre. But the drought won’t be for long. The Roundabout’s revival of Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard” begins previews on Sept. 15.
‘Ham4Ham’ bites the dust
The Broadway musical “Hamilton” is going to be around for a very long time, but “Ham4Ham,” the program of free concert performances outside the Richard Rodgers Theatre as the lottery for a limited number of deeply discounted tickets is being held, has reached its end. On Tuesday, the show announced on Twitter that the last “Ham4Ham” performance would be held the following day. In recent months, the number of “Ham4Ham” performances has been reduced as the ticket lottery has moved to a digital format.
Actors’ Equity endorses Clinton
Actors’ Equity Association has voted to endorse Hillary Clinton for president, marking the first time that the union (which represents the actors and stage managers on Broadway and professional stages throughout the country) has made such a major political endorsement. “Our union has historically chosen to remain nonpartisan and above the fray. But at such a critical time in our country’s history, this union does not have that luxury if we hope to protect our members,” actress Kate Shindle (who serves as Equity president) said in a statement.
‘Once on This Island’ revival in the works
Producer Ken Davenport and director Michael Arden (who worked together on the recent Broadway revival of “Spring Awakening”) will team up again for a new Broadway production of the 1990 Caribbean-style musical “Once on This Island.” No casting has been announced yet. The musical, which has a score by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (“Ragtime,” “Seussical”) and a heartwarming, fairy tale story, is frequently produced by school groups.
‘My Fair Lady’ directed by Julie Andrews begins Australia run
Julie Andrews is ready to “dance all night” again, but in another capacity. The original Eliza Doolittle is directing a 60th anniversary revival of “My Fair Lady” that will tour Australia. It officially opens next week at the Sydney Opera House. Her staging is based on the original 1956 Broadway production, which was directed by the legendary Moss Hart. Past rumors have indicated that she is looking to bring the revival to Broadway and bring in stars to play Eliza and Henry Higgins.
New York Philharmonic to present ‘West Side Story’ film with live orchestra
How do you really make a film really come alive? Add a live soundtrack. The New York Philharmonic will screen the film version of the musical “West Side Story” with live orchestral accompaniment on Sept. 13-15. The company will also give the same treatment to Woody Allen’s “Manhattan” (which has a score made up of Gershwin standards) on Sept. 16 and 17. The new Philharmonic season will officially begin on Sept. 21 with a gala concert that includes Gershwin’s “Concerto in F” and Dvorak’s crowd-pleasing “New World Symphony.”
‘Avenue Q’ adds Trump lyric
The off-Broadway puppet musical “Avenue Q,” which made headlines when it first opened with the infamous lyric “George Bush is only for now,” is tackling politics once again. That lyric has been changed to “Donald Trump is only for now.” The show has also teamed up with singer-songwriter Ledinsky for a new video version of his protest song “DonaldTrumpMakesMeWannaSmokeCrack,” which premiered last week on RollingStone.com.
Spotted …
The U.S. Olympics Women’s Gymnastics team at “Hamilton” … Marisa Tomei and Kate Mulgrew at “The Layover” … Debra Messing at “The Color Purple.”
