Wake Up With BWW 1/8: MEAN GIRLS Will Not Re-Open, and More
Today’s top stories Mean Girls will not reopen, sneak peek at Wayne Brady’s concert with Seth Rudetsky, Spamalot movie adaptation acquired by Paramount, and more
David Bowie’s Lazarus, Starring Michael C. Hall and Sophia Anne Caruso, Streams Beginning January 8
A filmed performance from the London run of David Bowie and Enda Walsh’s Lazarus, starring Michael C. Hall and Beetlejuice alum Sophia Anne Caruso, streams on Dice.fm January 8-10, 2021, to mark Bowie’s birthday and the fifth anniversary of his death. The film is available for three showings only in multiple time zones. Donations will be collected to support Theatre Artists Fund and Help Musicians.
Inspired by Walter Trevis’ novel The Man Who Fell to Earth, Lazarus centers on Thomas Newton (Hall), an alien who “remains still on Earth—a ‘man’ unable to die, his head soaked in cheap gin and haunted by a past love. We follow Newton during the course of a few days where the arrival of another lost soul might set him finally free.”
READ: Playwright Enda Walsh on His Collaboration With David Bowie and the Creation of Lazarus
The production premiered Off-Broadway in 2015, in a production directed by Ivo Van Hove (West Side Story, Network) and starring Hall, Caruso, and Esper. All three reprised their performances for the U.K. transfer, which played at London’s King’s Cross Theatre in 2016. This filmed performance was previously screened at Brooklyn’s King’s Theatre in 2018.
Produced by Robert Fox Ltd. and Jones/Tintoretto Entertainment, Lazarus features scenic and lighting design by Jan Versweyveld, costumes by An D’Huys, video design by Tal Yarden, original sound by Brian Ronan with U.K. sound by Tony Gayle, choreography by Annie-B Parson, hair and wig design by Richard Mawbey, and musical direction by Henry Hey. Casting is by Jill Green.
Tickets for the stream are available at Dice.FM.
First Look at London Premiere of David Bowie’s Lazarus
In the News: Watch RANGE’s 6-Minute Six Tribute, Lena Hall and Michael C. Hall to Salute David Bowie, More
Read on for some recent theatre headlines you may have missed in today’s news.
RANGE Music Releases New Video for Six
The vocal group that made a hit with “Hamliton [in 7 minutes]” is now taking on Six, featuring the female voices of the group RANGE music, including Hannah Corneau (Wicked), Mary Claire King (Chicago, War Paint), Stephanie Jae Park (Hamilton tour, War Paint, The King and I), Sydney Patrick, Erika Peterson, and Angela Travino, with beatboxing from AirLoom Beats. The video mash-up was conceived, arranged, and produced by Ross Baum and Ben Holtzman, with music from Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’ score. Take a look above.
A Bowie Celebration Featuring Lena Hall, Michael C. Hall, More
Celebrate rock legend David Bowie’s birthday with the virtual streaming concert A Bowie Celebration: Just For One Day! January 8. Tony Award winner Lena Hall (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) and Michael C. Hall (who starred in Bowie’s stage musical Lazarus, which is also streaming this weekend), are featured in an all-star lineup of rock talent that also includes Duran Duran, Dave Navarro, Adam Lambert, and Nine Inch Nails. Also billed as The David Bowie Alumni Experience, the concert will feature band members that appeared on all of Bowie’s studio album—from his debut 1969 self titled album to Blackstar, his final album. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Save The Children, a favorite charity of Bowie. For tickets, click here.
Michael Urie, Ann Harada, More to Appear in New Play Smithtown
Michael Urie (Torch Song, Buyer and Cellar), Ann Harada (Avenue Q, Cinderella), Colby Lewis (Chicago’s Hamilton, Chicago Med), and Constance Shulman (The Rose Tattoo, Orange Is the New Black) will star in the new play Smithtown, by Drew Larimore for The Studios of Key West. The comedy is a series of four interconnected monologues that highlight the ways we communicate, or miscommunicate, in a digital era. The virtual production, directed by Stephen Kitsakos in collaboration with videographer-writer Harry Aspinwall, is available February 13-27 via The Studios of Key West.
Watch the Trailer for Soldier Songs From Opera Philadelphia
Baritone Johnathan McCullough directs and stars in Soldier Songs, filmed exclusively for the Opera Philadelphia Channel and available January 22. Penned by composer David T. Little and based on interviews with veterans of five wars, this marriage of theatre, opera, and rock examines the impact of trauma on the life of the soldier.
BWW Roundup: Movie Musicals to Look Forward to in 2021!
After a year like this one, we could all use some musical warmth to look forward to. Luckily, we have it on good authority that several major Broadway musicals will be adapted and released as major motion pictures in the next year
PHOTOS: A Look Back at Theater During 2020
We’re looking back at some of the biggest theater moments of 2020 that defined a year of on-stage and virtual triumphs.
In the News: Beth Leavel Sings Out in In Strange Woods, Joe Iconis and More to Preview New Works in January, More
Read on for some recent theatre headlines you may have missed in today’s news.
A Sneak Listen of Beth Leavel in the Musical Podcast In Strange Woods
In Strange Woods, a new fictional, documentary-style musical podcast created by Jeff Luppino-Esposito, Brett Ryback, and Matt Sav, drops its fourth episode January 4. The story follows 18-year-old Peregrine Wells, played by Lily Mae Harrington (Sing It!, All Rise, The Glee Project), after her brother’s death in the Whitetail National Forest, as she seeks out survivalist skills from the mysterious recluse who found her brother’s body. The podcast, from producers Atypical Artists, features Patrick Page (Hadestown) as that survivalist, Howl. In the sneak listen above, Beth Leavel (The Prom, The Drowsy Chaperone) appears as Howl’s estranged cousin Sandra, who reveals insight about his past as well as a damning family secret. The first three episodes of the five-part series are available wherever you get your podcasts.
Joe Iconis, Rob Rokicki, More Join New York Theatre Barn Programming
New York Theatre Barn will continue its New Works Series in January 2021 with excerpts and conversations with the creative teams of four new musicals: Our New Town and Elektric January 6, and Love in Hate Nation and Experience Marianas on January 20. Our New Town, with book and lyrics by Gabriel Jason Dean and Jessie Dean, and music and additional lyrics by David Dabbon, is set In the aftermath of the deadliest shooting on a college campus in U.S. history. The immersive musical was developed with The Civilians R&D group. Elektric has a book by Emerson Mae Smith and a score by Murphy Taylor Smith. Smith stars in the trans woman-centered retelling of the Oresteia. Next up is Love in Hate Nation from the Be More Chill composer-lyricist Joe Iconis. Set in a 1960s girls’ reformatory, Love in Hate Nation tells the story of young people caught between eras of a changing America. Finishing up the January offerings with Iconis is Experience Marianas from Rob Rokicki (The Lightning Thief) and Sarah Beth Pfeifer. The pair also performs in their rock musical about one woman’s journey to escape an oceanic cult. Watch them on New York Theatre Barn’s YouTube channel.
Millennial-Themed Musical Gets Full Virtual Industry Reading
K-Squared Entertainment will produce an industry reading of the new original musical Millennials Are Killing Musicals, by Nico Juber. An excerpt of the piece premiered earlier this month as part of New York Theatre Barn’s aforementioned New Works Series. Ryan O’Connor directs the reading, starring Asmeret Ghebremichael (The Book of Mormon) as single mom Brenda in her quest to unleash her creative voice and “get it together” like the seemingly flawless moms at kindergarten drop-off.
An Exclusive Look at Maxine Linehan’s “The Perfect Year”
Ring in new year with a new recording of “The Perfect Year” from Sunset Boulevard. MAC Award nominee singer-songwriter Maxine Linehan shares the new video for the song from her first holiday album, This Time of Year.