“Waitress,” the musical adaptation of the 2007 film of the same name, which has a score by singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, will play its final performance on Broadway in early January, following a very impressive run of 1,544 performances over three and a half years. Despite opening in the shadow of “Hamilton,” “Waitress” managed to hold its own by appealing to a largely female audience and incorporating exciting cast changes including Bareilles (who took over the lead role of Jenna three times), Katharine McPhee, Shoshana Bean, Jenna Ushkowitz, Joey McIntyre, Al Roker and June Squibb.
Cirque du Soleil to present new holiday show at MSG
“‘Twas the Night Before…,” a new holiday-time, family-oriented acrobatic spectacle by Cirque du Soleil inspired by the poem “The Night Before Christmas,” will play the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden from Dec. 12 to 29. A decade ago, Cirque du Soleil presented the holiday-time show “Wintuk” at the same venue.
‘What the Constitution Means to Me’ breaks even
It pays to read the U.S. Constitution. The producers of Heidi Schreck’s largely one-woman autobiographical drama “What the Constitution Means to Me” announced this week that the show has recouped its $2.5 million capitalization costs, making it a hit by traditional Broadway standards. The show will end its limited run at the Hayes Theatre on Aug. 24 and then embark on a national tour. We recently interviewed Schreck about the play.
‘Slave Play’ set for Broadway transfer
“Slave Play,” an academic (steeped in queer theory, American history, racial studies, performance art and clinical psychology), divisive and discomforting drama by Jeremy O. Harris (“Daddy”), will transfer to Broadway in the fall after its premiere last season at Off-Broadway’s New York Theatre Workshop. The work observes three mixed-race couples that engage in masochistic role-play invoking plantation life in the Old South.
Spotted …
Vanessa Hudgens at “Oklahoma!”…Alex Orbison and Wesley Orbison at “Pretty Woman.”
