‘The Lost Boys’ musical in the works
A stage musical adaptation of the 1987 teen vampire film “The Lost Boys” is in the works, as per Syfy. It is being written by English singer-songwriter G Tom Mac, who wrote the film’s theme song “Cry Little Sister.” The cast of the cult film included Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Patric, Corey Feldman, Dianne Wiest and Alex Winter. Joel Schumacher, who directed the film, died last month at age 80.
‘The Mousetrap’ to reopen in London’s West End
While long-running Broadway hits will not be reopening until early 2021 at the earliest, Agatha Christie’s murder mystery thriller “The Mousetrap,” which ran continuously in London’s West End from 1952 up to the recent shutdown, will reopen in October with extensive health and safety measures in place. “I recognize that for the vast majority of West End productions, operating with social distancing is simply not possible…With the help of our stakeholders, we are able to adapt our economic model to be able to reopen,” producer Adam Spiegel said in a statement. By comparison, Broadway producers and theater owners have thus far shown no interest in reopening with social distancing measures in place that would severely reduce seating capacity.
Met to present opera star recitals
The Metropolitan Opera, which has been streaming free internet broadcasts of previously filmed performances every night since March, will now undertake a series of 12 live concert recitals by opera stars. A ticket to view each recital costs $20. The concerts will be shot with multiple cameras from locations throughout Europe and the U.S. The series will launch on July 18 with a concert by Jonas Kaufmann at a historic abbey in Bavaria. Other participating artists will include Renée Fleming, Anna Netrebko and Bryn Terfel. “This new initiative is intended to create live performance opportunities for our artists and our audiences at a time when they both sorely need it,” Met general manager Peter Gelb said in a statement.
Obie Awards finally go forward
The online broadcast of the 65th Annual Obie Awards, which was delayed a month ago in recognition of Black Lives Matter protests, premiered on Tuesday and is still available for viewing on YouTube. Co-presented by the American Theatre Wing and the Village Voice to celebrate Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway achievement, this year’s various winners included playwright Michael R. Jackson (“A Strange Loop”), director Kenny Leon (“Much Ado About Nothing”) and actress Deirdre O’Connell (“Dana H.”). Performances at the online ceremony included a tribute to the musical “Merrily We Roll Along” from cast members of the original production and subsequent revivals.
This week’s streaming recommendations:
- Heroes of the Fourth Turning (livestream reading of Will Arbery’s acclaimed 2019 drama with the original Playwrights Horizons cast), Sat., July 18 at 8:00 p.m., play-perview.com.
- Broadbend, Arkansas (video-recording of recent Off-Broadway musical about the struggles of an African-American family from the 1960s to present), premieres Mon., July 20, transportgroup.org.
- Red Bull Theater’s Tenth Annual Short New Play Festival (new 10-minute one-acts on the theme of “Private Lives”), Mon., July 20 at 7:30 p.m., redbulltheater.com.
