American Idiot You know it’s always award season, right? Well, American Idiot’s casting directors, Jim Carnahan and Carrie Gardner, just won the Artios Award for excellent casting for a Broadway musical. This is a respectable achievement in and of itself but what I find remarkable is that this team beat out the casting directors of the star-heavy shows A Little Night Music, The Addams Family and Promises, Promises. Way to go American Idiot: Substance over style!
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it was announced this week that American Idiot would perform on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! Also performing will be the casts of Memphis, Million Dollar Quartet and Elf: The Musical. I don’t know about you, dear reader, but I love watching the musical performances on the parade. It’s just not Thanksgiving unless I see some Broadway babies out in Herald Square. Tune in on November 25 to watch the Idiots take over the “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” (or, more accurately, 34th street).
Rally to Restore Sanity Thanks to Rolling Stone (and a YouTube user), here’s some coverage:
Bloody Bloody Bits The campaign may be over, but rock star POTUS Andrew Jackson is still out on the trail. Check out the latest Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson commercial.
Aaron Sorkin on Broadway As mentioned last week, Aaron Sorkin is currently writing the book for Houdini. What is new this week is that the creative team has sort of set a deadline: The still-in-formation show hopes to come to the Great White Way in 2012 after a reading planned for January 2011. The musical would tell the story of the famed magician. With his bona fide musical theatre chops and a stint as a magician already under his belt (thanks to the remarkable The Prestige), Hugh Jackman is set to star in the musical, which will be directed by Jack O’Brien and boast music written by Danny Elfman. Stay tuned for further updates.
What’s in Brian d’Arcy James’s Dressing Room? You may recall that from time to time Broadway.com is invited into theatre actors’ dressing rooms for a peak at how they make their home away from home homey. This week, we get to see what inspires the endlessly talented Brian d’Arcy James, including photos of his family and a hand-crafted collage from Times Stands Still playwright, Donald Margulies.
Hockadoo! Last month the Tony Award winning musical Memphis celebrated its one-year anniversary on Broadway. This week on Broadway.com, Memphis star Chad Kimball takes us behind the velvet rope and in to Memphis’s anniversary party. Watch to see him calculate the number of times he’s kissed his lovely leading lady, Montego Glover, and to see James Monroe Iglehart give an freestyle celebratory rap. Hockadizzle!
Catch Me Update This week, rumors surfaced in Variety that super-talents Norbert Leo Butz and Aaron Tveit are likely gearing up to reprise the roles they created in Seattle, where Catch Me if You Can played last summer. The show, an adaptation of the eponymous movie, is set to arrive on Broadway at the Neil Simon theatre this spring, with previews beginning March 7 in anticipation of an April 10 opening. No official word but I’ll keep you updated.
Spidey Caught in a Web The ginormous-budget musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark has delayed previews, once again. You may remember that Spider-Manwas originally supposed to debut on Broadway in February 2010. Due to financial problems, Spidey delayed swinging in to Broadway until this fall, with previews beginning November 14. But the highly buzzed about show is delayed again. This time, the delay seems two-fold: (1) The show is still coming together. At this writing, they still have not run through the show in its entirety and they’ve not worked out basic segues and scene shifts. Simply, the show hasn’t fully gelled yet. (2) Actors are getting injured. Director Julie Taymour wanted this to be a theatrical experience like nothing else which meant that a slew of Spider-Men would be swinging about the theatre, with some being catapulted – like a sling shot, really – from the back of the house, over the audience’s heads and onto the stage. Already two actors have sustained injuries, with one actor breaking both wrists. And thus, Spider-Man will have to chill out on his web a little longer before making his public debut. The show is now set to begin previews on November 28 and open on January 11, 2011.
Spidey Gets a New Aunt and Uncle In other Spider-Man news, some casting was announced – or rather rumored – this week regarding the new Spider-Man movie, which, you’ll remember, is set to star The Social Network’s Andrew Garfield as Spidey and the very funny Emma Stone as his love interest, Gwen Stacy. This week, we heard that President Bartlet Martin Sheen and Sally Field will play Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben and Aunt May, respectively. In the comic, Peter is raised by his aunt and uncle. Sounds like good casting, don’t you think?
Rent is Back?!? Though it is technically unconfirmed, reports surfaced this week that Rent will return to New York, this time off-Broadway. The show is said to be taking up residence at New World Stages (Avenue Q’s off-Broadway home) beginning June 2011. This new production will feature a brand new cast of virtual unknowns but will be directed by the show's original director, Michael Greif. (Greif also directed the incredible Next to Normal.) Not sure what to make of this, but I do know I’ll end up seeing it. How could I resist?
American Idiot
Rally to Restore Sanity
Aaron Sorkin on Broadway
What’s in Brian d’Arcy James’s Dressing Room?
Hockadoo!
Catch Me Update
was originally supposed to debut on Broadway in February 2010. Due to financial problems, Spidey delayed swinging in to Broadway until this fall, with previews beginning November 14. But the highly buzzed about show is delayed again. This time, the delay seems two-fold: (1) The show is still coming together. At this writing, they still have not run through the show in its entirety and they’ve not worked out basic segues and scene shifts. Simply, the show hasn’t fully gelled yet. (2) Actors are getting injured. Director Julie Taymour wanted this to be a theatrical experience like nothing else which meant that a slew of Spider-Men would be swinging about the theatre, with some being catapulted – like a sling shot, really – from the back of the house, over the audience’s heads and onto the stage. Already two actors have sustained injuries, with one actor breaking both wrists. And thus, Spider-Man will have to chill out on his web a little longer before making his public debut. The show is now set to begin previews on November 28 and open on January 11, 2011.
Spidey Gets a New Aunt and Uncle
Rent is Back?!?
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