The Broadway Musical Blog – Musical theater news and gossip from the Great White Way
Dishing out daily (or almost daily) Broadway musical news and gossip. The companion site to The Broadway Musical Home (broadwaymusicalhome.com), a directory of Broadway musicals with the story, songs, merchandise, video clips, lyrics, tickets, rights & awards for almost 200 shows.Archive for Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark
A Big Broadway News Roundup
Next to Normal Looking to Launch a National Tour
Brian Yorkey, the book writer and lyricist for Broadway’s Next to Normal, told Playbill.com, “A tour is in the works. David Stone’s at work putting it together. I think it will launch later this year, in the fall or winter.” In addition to a national tour here in the US, there is also apparently a group working on translating the show for a Scandinavian production.
Chicago Now Broadway’s 6th Longest Running Show
On Jan. 12, the Tony Award-winning revival of John Kander and Fred Ebb’s Chicago played its 5,462nd performance and became the sixth longest-running production in Broadway history, surpassing Beauty and the Beast, which previously held that position.
Finian’s Rainbow Cast Album Available Feb 2
The critically acclaimed revival of Finian’s Rainbow that just closed its doors on Broadway did have the chance to visit a recording studio before the death knells rang – capturing the beautiful voices of Kate Baldwin and Cheyenne Jackson singing some of the best songs in the Broadway musical cannon. Listen to a sample. The album is available for pre-order now.
Hair holding open casting
With nearly all of the original Broadway cast of Hair off to perform in the west-end transfer, producers are looking to cast a new group of Broadway hopefuls. Open auditions will take place from 10 AM-6 PM at the Public Theater on January 21. Actors are asked to prepare 16 bars of an up-tempo pop or rock song (with sheet music), and to bring a headshot and a resume.
Billy Elliot has Recouped its Investment
Producers of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Billy Elliot have announced that it has recouped its $18 million investment. The national tour of the show is set to launch in Chicago on March 18.
La Cage Aux Folles Artwork Revealed
Our Twitter and Facebook followers have had mixed opinions about it. What do you think?
An Obama Musical?
Yes. A company in Germany has created a show based on Obama’s rise to the Presidency. The title: HOPE. The video speaks for itself:
Casting changes
In the Heights
Janet Dacal (who originated Carla) and newcomer David Del Rio will be replacing Mandy Gonzalez (the current Nina) and Robin De Jesus (the current Sonny) when they leave Broadway’s In The Heights next month.
Wicked
Andy Karl (9 to 5, Legally Blonde) will join the Broadway cast of Wicked beginning Feb. 2, succeeding Kevin Kern in the role of Fiyero. Katie Rose Clarke and Jenny Fellner stepped into the roles of Glinda and Nessarose, respectively, on Jan. 14.
Chicago
Former Destiny’s Child member Michelle Williams (Aida) will replace Ashlee Simpson as Roxie Hart in Broadway’s Chicago beginning February 8.
South Pacific
On January 5, Laura Osnes (Grease, Bonnie & Clyde) returned to Broadway’s South Pacific taking over the role of Nellie Forbush from Kelli O’Hara.
Coming soon…
Zorba
The New York Post is reporting that Antonio Banderas (Nine) will be playing the title role in a Broadway production of the John Kander & Fred Ebb musical Zorba, to be directed by Gary Griffin (The Color Purple) and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys).
Monsoon Wedding
Mira Nair is working on a stage version of her film Monsoon Wedding hoping to make its Broadway debut a year from now. The show, co-written by Mira Nair and Sabrina Dhawan with music by Vishal Bharadwaj and choreography by Bill T. Jones, will combine circus acrobatics, aerial acting, theatre, music and dance.
Glee – Golden Globe, 2nd Season, Open Casting
The TV show Glee , which has featured show tunes and many Broadway actors, including Matthew Morrison (Hairspray, Light in the Piazza) and Lea Michele (Spring Awakening), took home the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series (Comedy or Musical) and was picked up for a second season on Fox. Fans will be excited to hear that producers have announced casting for both professionals and amateurs ranging from ages 16-26. Are you enough of a gleek to make the show?
Delays…
All About Me
Previews for All About Me, the Michael Feinstein and Dame Edna show, will begin Feb. 22, three days later than originally announced.
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
Also delayed, not so surprisingly, was Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. The show, which producers had vehemently assured patrons would begin previews on Feb 25, will now be open sometime in 2010 – no specific dates have yet been announced.
Broadway on TV!
John Tartaglia (Shrek, Avenue Q) will appear on the February 3rd episode of Ugly Betty.
Catherine Zeta-Jones (A Little Night Music) will guest on “The Late Show with David Letterman” on Jan. 22.
More Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark gossip
Apparently the title character in Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark won’t sing: the Edge decided that “a guy singing in tights can’t happen.”
This, along with earlier comments such as: “It is much more like opera than a straight musical. We’re actually not calling it a musical for that reason because we don’t want to put people off;” makes me wonder what the Edge is doing writing a Broadway musical since he doesn’t seem to be a fan of the genre.
Is it necessary to love this stuff to make a successful show? Or will he have an advantage in trying to stretch musical theater in a new direction?
There’s so much drama associated with the show – we still don’t know how the Disney aquisition of Marvel is going to affect it. Will the Disney on Broadway franchise get involved or will they let Hello Entertainment keep at the forefront?
I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for the next slice of news about this problem-ridden, extremely expensive show.
RUMOR TIME: Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark is back on schedule, now complete with a leading man …
With all the horrible rumors circulating about the possible demise of one of Broadway’s most expensive shows to date: Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark … the buzz is turning positive once again.
Evan Rachel Wood, the actress cast as Mary Jane Watson, is “100% committed” according to her rep and Alan Cumming is still on board to play the Green Goblin.
What’s more, rumor has it that the role of Spiderman has finally been cast. The buzz is that Reeve Carney, the attractive rocker turned actor who is just finished filming Tempest with Taymor, has accepted the role, though the actor’s management didn’t respond to calls for comment.
Production on Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark has Been Suspended, Possibly Indefinitely
No doubt you’ve seen all the rumors circulating about Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark‘s huge budget (which some are now quoting at a staggering $45 million) and the various financial hiccups it’s run into as of late.
Until the other day, everyone associated with the production had been denying any truth in money problems, so I had chosen to not cover any of the unfavorable gossip on the blog here; but that is no longer the case. Hello Entertainment, one of the show’s producers, released a statement confirming that “due to an unexpected cash-flow problem,” the show “has been forced to suspend its activities,” but that they still plan to start previews for the show in February.
The New York Post is reporting that the crew building the set were put on “hiatus” and the actors released from their contracts (read the article here).
With such a high price tag, it’s not difficult to imagine how the production may have run into some “cash-flow problems,” but many have been predicting that the show will sell extremely well if the current buzz keeps up until opening.
What do you think? Is there any hope left for the show? Or is it doomed?
RUMOR: Larry King’s Wife, Shawn King, Might Play Arachne in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
According to the New York Post, the wife of TV host Larry King, Shawn King, is one of two finalists being considered for the role of Arachne in Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark. Shawn, a country singer whose lucky number is 30, auditioned on June 30 at 3:30 pm with the songs “Turn Off the Dark” and “Rise Above.” Were she to land the role, the show would mark her Broadway debut.
Evan Rachel Wood and Alan Cumming will star in Broadway’s Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark!
Evan Rachel Wood and Alan Cumming (Cabaret, The Threepenny Opera) are set to star in Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark on Broadway as Mary Jane Watson and Norman Osborn (a.k.a. Green Goblin) respectively. The show, written by Julie Taymor (Lion King) and Glen Berger, features music and lyrics by U2’s Bono and The Edge. The production, directed by Taymor, opens at the Hilton Theatre on February 25, 2010. The production dates have been moved back due to the large scale of the production, rumored to have already cost $40 million.
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