Week in Review 7.28.15

Forest Whitaker to Make Broadway Debut
Academy Award-winner Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) will make his Broadway debut this spring in a revival of Eugene O'Neill's Hughie. Exact dates, a theatre and a co-star for the two-hander have yet to be announced, but we do know the production will be directed by Michael Grandage (Red, The Cripple of Inishmaan). As mentioned on Theater Mania, Hughie takes place in a hotel lobby, and focuses on Erie (Whitaker), a hustler mourning the death of the hotel's old clerk (the titular Hughie) as he talks with the new clerk, Charlie. Additional details will be announced in the coming months.

Drama League "Up Close" Series
Guests for the Drama League's "Up Close" series, in which artists are interviewed by their collaborators, have been announced. (I went to an Up Close event last year in which Steven Pasquale interviewed his The Bridges of Madison County collaborator, Jason Robert Brown.) The fall slate includes two-time Tony winner Christian Borle being interviewed by Peter and the Starcatcher writer Rick Elice, and Tony winner Julie White (Little Dog Laughed, Airline Highway) being interviewed by her upcoming Sylvia co-star, Tony winner Annaleigh Ashford (You Can't Take It With You). Additionally, several workshops have been announced. Visit Broadwayworld.com for details.

Casting News
Off-Broadway—The downtown production of The Flick, Annie Baker's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, will welcome three new cast members on September 1st. Kyle Beltran (The Fortress of Solitude, Gloria), Nicole Rodenburg and Brian Mizkell will take over for Aaron Clifton Moten, Louisa Krause and Alex Hanna, respectively. The fantastic Matthew Maher continues with the production. The Flick continues through January 10, 2016. Broadway.com has more.

Film—Tony and Emmy winner Bryan Cranston (All the Way, Breaking Bad) will team up with James Franco (127 Hours) for the John Hamburg (Safe Men) comedy, Why Him? A production timeline has yet to be announced, though the film takes place over the December holidays. Variety has more.

Film—Two-time Tony Award winner Viola Davis will star in a film adaptation of the August Wilson play, Fences. Davis appeared in the most recent Broadway revival of the play, and won her second Tony for that performance. The film adaptation will be directed by Denzel Washington, who appeared alongside Davis in the Fences revival, also winning a Tony for his performance. Broadway.com has more.

Hamilton Opening Night: Behind the Scenes
On opening night, a small camera crew followed around members of the Hamilton company to document the experience. From those making their Broadway debut, like Anthony Ramos and Jasmine Cephas Jones, to veterans like video producer Leslie Odom, Jr., this behind-the-scenes video offers an intimate look at a life-changing night. (In other Hamilton news, Odom spoke to Interview magazine about his experience with the hit show.)


Michael Fassbender in Character
Posters for two upcoming Michael Fassbender-led films were released this week: one for Steve Jobs, written by Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network), in which Fassbender (Hunger, 12 Years a Slave) plays the titular tech icon; and two for the latest adaptation of Macbeth, in which Fassbender plays the title role opposite Marion Cotillard (Inception, The Dark Knight Rises), whose performance as Lady Macbeth is eagerly anticipated. Steve Jobs is set for release on October 9; a release date for Macbeth has not been set, but it will most likely be released in December.

Dig This
  • Gold Derby spoke with House of Cards creator Beau Willimon about the hit Netflix series.

  • Guests for the first week of Late Show with Stephen Colbert have been announced, and include George Clooney, Elon Musk, Kendrick Lamar, Amy Schumer and more. Deadline has the full lineup and schedule.

  • Variety named its 10 Actors to Watch, and the list includes theatre veterans Christopher Abbott (John) and Bel Powley (Arcadia).

  • Playbill has Broadway's Thanksgiving week schedule. Many shows have canceled performances for Thanksgiving night but added matinee performances for the next day, Friday, November 27.

  • Visit Broadway.com to get to know Chris Myers, one of the stars of the terrific new play, Whorl Inside a Loop.

  • Difficult People, the Hulu comedy series starring Julie Klausner and Billy Eichner has been renewed for a second season! The show's debut season is airing now. Deadline has more.

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