Ephraim Sykes will star as Michael Jackson in "MJ" the musical on Broadway; Martin McDonagh's "Hangmen" will play a limited engagement at Broadway's Golden Theatre; "Tootsie" will close on January 5th; "Hadestown" recoups; Imelda Staunton will star in "Hello, Dolly!" on the West End; Dominic Cooke will direct “Follies” film; The Drama Book Shop will reopen in a new location in 2020; RIP Laurel Griggs
All tagged Tootsie
REVIEW: “Forbidden Broadway: The Next Generation”
After a five year hiatus, the Broadway parody revue “Forbidden Broadway” is back with a new edition that makes fun of Broadway shows, actors, and personalities through sketches that satirize the form. Mostly funny, this iteration is undercut by a tinge of bitterness and resentment toward shifting cultural mores and trends on Broadway. But, in the end, it’s still the same scrappy, low-budget comedy revue that’s been playing, off and on, since 1982.
REVIEW: “Beetlejuice” is a ghoulishly good time
“Beetlejuice”, the last new musical of the 2018-2019 Broadway season, is a ghoulishly good time that pays loving homage to the mythology of the movie while fundamentally reorienting the story and lending it an unexpected punch of pathos amid its crass and crude mania. Gorgeously designed with a Tim Burton aesthetic, and featuring a relentless series of bawdy jokes and entertaining songs, this hyperactive musical comedy might not meet the elevated aesthetic standards of some, but I had a blast.
"Hadestown" tops the Outer Critics Circle Awards; David Bryne headed to Broadway with "American Utopia"; "My Fair Lady" to close July 7th; "Oklahoma!" and "Tootsie" to tour; City Center Encores! Off Center's "Working" cast announced; "Back to the Future" musical coming to the West End; Andrew Lloyd Webber previews his “Cinderella”; Elton John and Jake Shears working on a Tammy Faye Bakker bio-musical; "The Lion King" welcomes its one hundred millionth audience member; "To Kill a Mockingbird" is the highest grossing American play ever
"The Ferryman" and "What the Constitution Means to Me" are New York Drama Critics Circle’s best plays; "Carmen Jones" tops the Lortel Awards; Broadway.com "Audience Choice" award nominees; "Jagged Little Pill" books Broadway's Broadhurst; Diane Paulus to direct a 2021 Broadway revival of "1776"; "All My Sons" extends; Vanessa Carlton to make Broadway debut in "Beautiful"; "The Prince of Egypt" to open in London; "Pretty Woman" to tour; Roundabout to present Adam Gwon's musical "Scotland, PA"; RIP Harlan Bengel, David Winters, Terry Allen Kramer, and Dave Bova
REVIEW: “Tootsie” is both fun and fraught
“Tootsie” is a mixed bag. A well-constructed, cheerful, and funny musical comedy with a suite of magnetic performances, it has a confused tone, disconnected visual and aural sensibility, and next to nothing smart to say about gender despite gender playing such a central role in the plot. It exists in no consistent reality, and leaves many circles left un-squared.
FEATURE: 2019 Tony Award Nominations
The 2019 Tony Award Nominations were announced this morning by Bebe Neuwirth and Brandon Victor Dixon. Take a look at the list and read my analysis of the surprises and snubs.
"Hadestown" leads in Outer Critics Circle nominations, followed by "Tootsie" and "Oklahoma!"; Disney plans revival of "Beauty and the Beast"; “Sea Wall/A Life" headed to Broadway this summer; Phylicia Rashad to direct "Blue" on Broadway next spring; Mel Brooks will play a two night residency at the Lunt Fontanne Theatre; MCC announces 2019-2020 season; "The Boys in the Band" cast to reunite for Netflix adaptation; "Survivor: The Destiny's Child Musical" will premiere in Houston; Noah Galvin to join the cast of "Waitress"; “The Lehman Trilogy" eyes Broadway; "Nowhere Boy" musical in development; "The Prom" to receive YA novel treatment; cast album news update; RIP Harvey Sabinson
REVIEW: Roundabout’s satisfying but uneven “Kiss Me, Kate”
The Roundabout Theatre Company’s new Broadway revival of “Kiss Me, Kate” is occasionally too darn hot, but mostly just too darn meh. Some key casting mistakes keep this well-appointed production from soaring where it should, but the choreography is a knockout and the musical itself so structurally sound and well-written that it cannot fail to entertain—uneven as it is, but still satisfying.
"Carousel" closing September 16th; “Tootsie” books the Marquis; "Network" to play the Cort; all female revival of "Glengarry Glen Ross" coming to Broadway next May; Michael C. Hall will star in "Thom Pain (Based on Nothing)"; "Pipeline" to play select cinemas; "Once on This Island" wins Equity award for diversity; trans actor Kate Bornstein responds to heckling; list of the most produced high school musicals and plays; producer John Glines dead at 84
Second Stage's "Torch Song" is headed to Broadway in the fall; Gavin Creel out of "Hello, Dolly!" until May - Santino Fontana steps in March 13th; NBC's "Jesus Christ Superstar" telecast announces full cast; the Parkland shooting survivors behind #NeverAgain are drama kids
New lottery for tickets to "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child"; Shakespeare in the Park season and first two 2018-2019 Manhattan Theatre Club plays announced; "Dave" to play D.C., "Tootsie" to play Chicago, "Ain't Too Proud" to play Los Angeles and Toronto; Grammys recap