VIDEO: WICKED’s Alexandra Billings Tributes Understudies and Swings at the Curtain Call
WICKED starAlexandra Billingspaid tribute last night at the show’s curtain call to the production’s swings and understudies and shared the video on TikTok.
VIDEO: Hugh Jackman Releases Holiday Video from the Winter Garden Theatre to Broadway
‘Humbled and Inspired’ star of stage and screen Hugh Jackman now back on the boards in The Music Man has released a holiday message to the Broadway community, straight from the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway where the show recently began previews.
New COVID Cancellations From Broadway and Beyond, Including The Music Man, Flying Over Sunset, More
More shows have canceled performances, some through Christmas and beyond, as the number of breakthrough COVID cases rise in New York City due to the Omicron variant.
As is the case with all shows facing similar challenges, reopening dates are subject to change as the companies’ situations develop and testing continues. Affected ticketholders will be refunded at the point of purchase.
The Music Man, currently in early previews at the Winter Garden Theatre, has canceled its December 25 performance and the December 26 matinee, with plans to resume with the 8 PM evening show on December 26. Visit MusicManOnBroadway.com for more.
Lincoln Center Theater’s Flying Over Sunset has cancelled performances December 25 and 26, with performances expected to continue from December 28. For an updated schedule, visit LCT.org.
Moulin Rouge! The Musical has canceled performances for December 23–25 due to positive COVID results in the company, but plans to resume with the 2 PM matinee on December 26. Visit Jujamcyn.com for an up-to-date schedule.
The return Broadway engagement of Sara Bareilles’ Waitress will not reopen at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre due to COVID-19. Waitress had previously extended its cancellations to December 23, following initial announcements of December 21–23. Visit WaitressTheMusical.com for more.
WEEKLY SCHEDULE OF BROADWAY SHOWS
David Byrne’s American Utopia, which did not play December 22, has canceled its December 23 performances. The rock spectacle’s next scheduled show is 5 PM ET on December 26. Visit Jujamcyn.com for an up-to-date schedule.
Come From Away, after initially canceling only the December 21 evening and December 22 matinee performances, has extended closing through December 25 due to breakthrough COVID-19 cases in the company. Performances are set to resume at 2 PM December 26. Check ComeFromAway.com for updates.
MJ the Musical, one of the first shows to announce cancellations through the Christmas holiday, will stay closed an additional day. The production is now expected to resume previews on December 29. For more information about future performances, visit MJtheMusical.com.
The Broadway production of Six has announced a continuation of its cancellation period. Initially only calling off the December 20 performance, the pop musical will now go dark through December 28, with plans to resume performances December 29. Tickets will be refunded at the point of purchase. For more information, visit SixOnBroadway.com.
Disney’s The Lion King is canceling performances through December 26 after detecting COVID-19 cases within the company. Performances are expected to resume with a Monday matinee December 27; check LionKing.com for more.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child also recently expanded upon its previous cancellations. The Tony-winning play expects to return December 28. For more information, visit HarryPotterThePlay.com.
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, which had canceled some performances earlier in the month, will again go dark through December 24, with the next performance scheduled for Christmas Day. See TinaonBroadway.com for more.
As previously announced, Hadestown has extended its closure to include the week of performances beginning December 20 through December 27. It is scheduled to resume performances December 28 at the Walter Kerr Theatre. Visit Jujamcyn.com for an updated schedule.
Dear Evan Hansen has announced a week of performance cancellations. the Tony-winning musical will close from December 20–26, with performances expected to resume December 27 at the Music Box Theatre. For more information, check DearEvanHansen.com.
The Broadway production of the Tony and Pulitzer Prize–winning musical Hamilton, which has been closed since December 15 due to breakthrough cases of COVID-19 in the company, has canceled performances through December 27. The show is scheduled to resume performances December 28 at 7 PM at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. For more information about future performances, visit HamiltonMusical.com.
Aladdin, which had canceled its December 19 performance over the weekend, will now be closed through December 28, with the hope of welcoming audiences back beginning December 29 (check AladdintheMusical.com for updates). Ticketholders will be refunded at their point of purchase (or can submit a request if purchased in-person here).
Ain’t Too Proud—The Life and Times of the Temptations, has extended its cancellation through December 27. The show previously had to cancel its December 14 performance, then initially announced a closure for December 20–21. The next scheduled performance is December 28. For an updated schedule, visit Ain’tTooProudMusical.com.
The Off-Broadway production of Jersey Boys at New World Stages canceled performances December 22–26 with plans to return December 27. Visit JerseyBoysInfo.com for more information.
Stand-up comedian Alex Edelman’s Off-Broadway solo show Just For Us has paused the production beginning December 22. Rather than ending its run as planned on January 8, the show will return on January 24 and run through February 19 at Cherry Lane Theatre. For more, visit JustForUsShow.com.
New York City Ballet has canceled performances of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker through December 27 at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. It is currently scheduled to resume performances on December 28 at 7 PM and continue as scheduled through January 2.
The Off-Broadway theatre complex Theatre Row has closed the entire venue through the holiday, affecting Winnie The Pooh: The New Musical Stage Adaptation, which plans to return on December 26, and Santa’s Sing-A-Long, which was only scheduled through December 23 and will not return.
Classic Stage Company’s star-studded Off-Broadway revival of Assassins has canceled performances for December 22–23. Check ClassicStage.org for more information.
The Cirque du Soleil production of Twas the Night Before… at Hulu Theatre at Madison Square Garden has extended its cancellation through the end of its run scheduled run on December 27. Visit MSG.com for more.
Playbill Vault’s Today in Theatre History: December 24
1904 Lillian Russell, a.k.a Diamond Lil, stars in Lady Teazle, a musical based on The School for Scandal. John Kendrick Bangs and Roderic C. Penfield provide the music to a score by A. Baldwin Sloane. The 86 chorus girls fill the theatre for just 57 performances.
1914 The Lie by Henry Arthur Jones opens at the Harris Theatre in New York, where it runs for 172 performances. The cast includes C. Aubrey Smith and Margaret Illington.
1917 You get the Parlor, Bedroom, and Bath at the Republic Theatre. The comedy by C. W. Bell and Mark E. Swan runs for 232 performances. Inhabiting the rooms are Helen Menken, Francine Larrimore, and May Vallen. The show becomes a film vehicle—a talkie—for Buster Keaton.
1950 José Ferrer and Gloria Swanson star in the first Broadway revival of Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur‘s comedy Twentieth Century. Originally announced as a limited two-week engagement at the ANTA Playhouse, it quickly transfers to a commercial run at the Fulton Theatre where it runs an additional six months.
1962 British actor Jean Forbes-Robertson dies at the age of 57. She appeared in Berkeley Square, as the lead in Peter Pan, and in Time and the Conways.
2000 Victor Borge dies at 91. Borge was a comedy legend who performed almost all of his life. His solo Broadway show, Comedy in Music, ran for 849 performances and was Borge’s biggest American break.
2001 Boldly going where he’s been three times previously, Star Trek star Patrick Stewart returns to Broadway with his one-man performance of Charles Dickens‘ A Christmas Carol.
2008 Harold Pinter, the one-time British actor who tried his hand at writing in the 1950s only to become one of the most prominent and influential playwrights of the second half of the 20th century, dies at age 78. The winner of the 2005 Nobel Prize for Literature, his plays included The Birthday Party, The Caretaker, The Homecoming, and Betrayal.
2012 Jack Klugman, who brought a straight-forward, salt-of-the-earth quality to scores of roles over a long career, and became famous as the television embodiment of Neil Simon‘s Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple, dies at age 90. Klugman was Tony-nominated for his performance as Herbie in the original production of Gypsy. His other Broadway credits included productions of The Odd Couple, I’m Not Rappaport, and The Sunshine Boys.
Today’s Birthdays: Harry Warren (1893-1981). Brooke Johns (1893-1987). Carol Haney (1924-1964). Norman Allen (b. 1939). Jeremy Davidson (b. 1971). Ricky Martin (b. 1971). Daniel N. Durant (b. 1989).
Evita on Broadway With Elena Roger, Ricky Martin, and More in 2012
THOUGHTS OF A COLORED MAN Ends Broadway Run
TheKeenan Scott IIplay, directed bySteven H. Broadnax IIIhas tried its hardest to safely navigate the current health crisis, even putting the playwright on stage with script this past Tuesday evening, but eventually was not able to continue under the unfortunate conditions of Covid exposure in the city and country.
Listen to Ashley Park Sing the New Original Tune ‘Mon Soleil’ From Emily in Paris Season 2 Soundtrack
Quel suprise! MTV Entertainment Studios and Netflix have dropped the first single from the Emily in Paris Season 2 Soundtrack—”Mon Soleil” performed by Tony nominee Ashley Park.
Park stars alongside Lily Collins (the titular Emily) in the Darren Star rom-com series on Netflix. If the track list for the Season 2 soundtrack is an indicator, it looks like we’ll be getting a few on-screen musical treats this season from the Broadway favorite. In addition to “Mon Soleil,” Park’s other numbers on the soundtrack include “La Vie En Rose” and “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.” The full album comes out December 31.
“When Darren approached me with the idea of an original song for Emily in Paris, I knew I wanted Freddy Wexler to write it,” said Park in a statement. “The entire process was a labor of love from everybody involved and captures the essence of the story line between Mindy and her bandmate, Benoit (beautifully portrayed by guest star, Kevin Dias), who writes the song for her.” Listen to the single below.
“Paris has music built into its DNA—the sounds of the city beg you to fall in love,” said Wexler, the tune’s composer. “With Darren’s incredible storytelling and Ashley’s brilliant performance, I hope that together we captured a bit of Parisian magic in this song.“
Season 2 of Emily in Paris is out now on Netflix. Watch the trailer here.
ASSASSINS Cancels December 22 & 23 Performances
Performances of Assassins have been cancelled for December 22 and 23, out of an abundance of caution due to increasing Covid-19 positivity rates.
How Well Do You Know the Broadway Credentials of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Stars?
As much as the Marvel Cinematic Universe is defined by its characters, it is also known for its vast cast of performers bringing the action-packed series to life. Though most are famous for their film work, many of MCU cast members have also starred on Broadway, having appeared in gripping dramas, soaring comedies, and more.
With the recent release of Spider-Man: No Way Home and the upcoming the season finale of Hawkeye, test your theatre knowledge—how well do you know the Broadway credentials of the MCU’s stars?