The SpongeBob Musical Live On Stage cast includesEthan Slateras SpongeBob SquarePants,Gavin Leeas Squidward Q. Tentacles,Danny Skinneras Patrick Star,Brian Ray Norrisas Eugene Krabs,Wesley Tayloras Sheldon Plankton,Christina Sajousas Sandy Cheeks andTom Kennyas ‘Patchy the Pirate.’
“Mr. Mayor, are you..are you gay?” Cecily Strong’s character Melissa asks Mayor Menlove, played by Tony winner Alan Cumming, in the above exclusive clip from the upcoming musical comedy series Schmigadoon! from Apple+. You can understand how that might be misinterpreted by an old-timey, Golden Age of Musicals-esque fellow.
The show stars Strong and Keegan-Michael Key as a traveling couple who cross a bridge and are trapped in a magical musical town that appears out of nowhere.
Also featured in the cast are Tony winners Kristin Chenoweth and Jane Krakowski, Tony nominee and upcoming West Side Story star Ariana DeBose, Moulin Rouge! Tony nominee Aaron Tveit, The Light in the Piazza alum Dove Cameron, Avenue Q favorite Ann Harada, Chicago alum Jaime Camil, and Portlandia star Fred Armisen.
The series, created by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, premieres July 16 on Apple+. And is Mayor Menlove gay? Well, he tries to be…”an example of joy and gaiety for the folks in town.”
Casting is now complete for the The Muny’s upcoming production of the hit Broadway revue Smokey Joe’s Cafe, which kicks off the outdoor theatre’s 103rd season. After being closed for a complete season due to the pandemic, performances are scheduled for July 26–August 1.
Dee Roscioli (Wicked, The Cher Show) completes the cast, joining the previously announced Charl Brown, Michael Campayno, Mykal Kilgore, Tiffany Mann, Hayley Podschun, Christopher Sams, Nasia Thomas, and Jason Veasey.
Marcia Milgrom Dodge will direct with music direction by Abdul Hamid Royal and choreography by Josh Walden, based on original choreography by Dodge.
“This amazing, powerful, and joyous show is the perfect production to launch our historic 103rd season,” said Muny Artistic Director and Executive Producer Mike Isaacson. “Set in St. Louis’s historic Gaslight Square, Smokey Joe’s Cafe celebrates what matters most right now: community, music, and the glorious power of pure entertainment.”
The production also includes scenic design by Edward E. Haynes Jr., costume design by Sully Ratke, lighting design by Rob Denton, sound design by John Shivers and David Patridge, video design by Kevan Loney, and wig design by Kelley Jordan. The production stage manager is Matthew Lacey. Casting is by the Telsey Office.
The show, conceived by Tom Viertel, celebrates the music of songwriting duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and features such tunes as “On Broadway,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Hound Dog,” and “Love Potion #9.” It premiered on Broadway in 1995 and earned seven Tony nominations, including Best Musical.
The forthcoming season at The Muny also includes The Sound of Music (August 3–9), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (August 12–18), On Your Feet!, and Chicago (August 30–September 5).
Bailey announced that filming has wrapped on her Instagram account. The film doesn’t yet have a set release date.
1895 Birthday of Oscar Hammerstein II, scion of a notable theatrical family who becomes its most famous and honored member as a lyricist and librettist. Hammerstein enjoys a major career as lyricist for composer Jerome Kern on many musicals and operettas, most notably Show Boat. After a series of flops in the 1930s and the death of Kern in the early 1940s, Hammerstein launches into a second career, and one of the greatest partnerships in American musical theatre history, with composer Richard Rodgers. Hammerstein writes lyrics to classics including Oklahoma!, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music, among others. He also serves as mentor to a friend of his children, whom he recruits as go-fer on his 1947 musical Allegro. The young man who resolves to follow in Hammerstein’s footsteps? Stephen Sondheim.
1984 The Roundabout Theatre Company revives William Inge‘s Come Back, Little Sheba at its Off-Broadway theatre. Philip Bosco, Mia Dillon, Shirley Knight, and Steven Weber are in the cast directed by Paul Weidner. The production marks the first major revival of the play in more than 30 years.
1993 Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s new musical Sunset Boulevard has its world premiere in London starring Patti LuPone.
1995 Something Wonderful, a one-night-only 100th birthday tribute to Oscar Hammerstein II, sells out the Gershwin Theatre with performances by Michel Bell, Liz Callaway, Rebecca Luker, Audra McDonald, and Maureen McGovern.
2000 Charles Nelson Reilly celebrates his 50th year in showbiz with Save It for the Stage: The Life of Reilly, opening at the Falcon Theatre in Burbank, California. The autobiographical solo show, directed by Paul Linke, looks back at the life of the ascot-adorned actor from his fourth-grade portrayal of Christopher Columbus to his Tony Award-winning turn in the original production of How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying to his appearances on TV’s Match Game.
2001 The Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival of George Bernard Shaw‘s classic Major Barbara opens on Broadway at the American Airlines Theatre. Cherry Jones stars as the good Salvation Army major who must fight against her heritage as the daughter of a joyfully wicked (and maddeningly articulate) Victorian industrialist.
2012 As part of its world tour, Fela! returns to Broadway for a month-long run at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. The musical that explores the life of Nigerian musician and political figure Fela Anikulapo-Kuti previously played Broadway’s Eugene O’Neill Theatre for 463 performances from 2009 through 2011.
2013 Fly, a new musical based on J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, officially opens at the Dallas Theater Center. Tony Award-winning producer Jeffrey Seller makes his directorial debut, with choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, music by Tony-winning In the Heights orchestrator/arranger Bill Sherman, book by Rajiv Joseph and lyrics by Joseph and Kirsten Childs.
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2016 The musical Motown returns to Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre. The production was originally seen on Broadway in 2013, where it ran at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre for 738 performances.
2016 Ektor Rivera makes his Broadway debut, stepping into the role of Emilio Estefan in On Your Feet!.
2018 Second Stage Theater celebrates the official opening of Mary Page Marlowe, the new play by Tony-winning playwright and actor Tracy Letts that pieces together a portrait of a woman from 11 key moments in her life—told out of chronological order and portrayed by six different actors: Blair Brown, Emma Geer, Tatiana Maslany, Susan Pourfar, Mia Sinclair Jenness, and Kellie Overbey. Lila Neugebauer directs.
More of Today’s Birthdays: Milton Berle (1908–2002). Joey Faye (1909–1997). John Lahr (b. 1941). Jamey Sheridan (b. 1951). Cheyenne Jackson (b. 1975). Anna Friel (b. 1976). Alison Wright (b. 1976).
Watch Jonathan Groff and Laura Osnes sing a medley of Rodgers and Hammerstein songs:
Row performances are scheduled to take place at the Clark Art Institute through Sunday, August 15. Learn more about the production and how to get tickets here
Musicals of the last decade have taken the world by storm-tacklingheavy issues, retelling classic stories,and creating genre-defying art that has shaped a whole new kind of Broadway audience.Study up on the great musicals of the 2010s with a playlist of 200 showtunes of the era.
As previously announced, Waitress is set to return to Broadway September 2 with Sara Bareilles starring as Jenna. The production is scheduled play a limited engagement at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre through January 9, 2022.
Based on the 2007 film of the same name, Waitress tells the story of Jenna, a waitress and expert pie maker, who is stuck in a small town and a loveless marriage. When a baking contest in a nearby county offers her a chance at escape, Jenna must weigh her commitments against a rare shot at freedom and recognition.
In honor of the show’s return, we’re taking a look back at the many performers who have baked pies at the Brooks Atkinson over the years. Originated by Tony winner Jessie Mueller, the character has since been played by Stephanie Torns, Betsy Wolfe, McPhee, Nicolette Robinson, Bareilles, Shoshana Bean, Alison Luff, and Jordin Sparks.
Look back at each actor’s turn as Jenna below.