Week in Review 11.13.15

Casting News
Broadway—Additional casting has been announced for the Broadway bow of American Psycho. Next to Normal co-stars Alice Ripley and Jennifer Damiano will reunite for the new musical. Helene Yorke (Masters of Sex) also joins the company, which will be led by the previously announced Benjamin Walker. Opening night has not been set, but previews, at the Schoenfeld Theatre, begin March 24, 2016. Theater Mania has more.

TV—Andrew Call (American Idiot, Brooklynite) and Ana Gastayer (A New Brain) have joined the cast of the upcoming Fox telecast of Grease. Call will play T-Bird Sonny, and Gastayer will delight as Principal McGee. They join a cast that is led by Aaron Tveit as Danny Zuko. Broadwayworld.com has more about Call and Deadline has the report on Gastayer.

Off-Broadway—The Vineyard Theatre production of Colman Domingo's Dot will be led by Leslie Uggams. Directed by Susan Stroman, previews begin February 4, 2016, with opening night scheduled for February 23. Theater Mania has more, including the full cast list.

Off-Broadway—Stage and screen star Phylicia Rashad will return to the stage in the Public's production of Head of Passes, the new play by Tarell Alvin McCraney (Choir Boy). Rashad will be joined by Kyle Beltran (The Fortress of Solitude, Gloria), among others. Previews begin March 15, 2016, with opening night scheduled for March 28. Theater Mania has more.

Justin Peck Evolves
The New Yorker offers a preview of exciting dance-world happenings this winter, and Justin Peck's first narrative ballet, based on Hans Christian Andersen's "The Most Incredible Thing," is on the list. The ballet will premiere on February 2, 2016, and this week on Instagram, Peck posted a brief clip of rehearsal, along with a statement about the creative process. Speaking about the nine muses in the divertissement section, Peck says, in part, "One thing I've always been challenged by is striking the right balance between classicism and new ideas. ...In this divertissement, we take some of the language and shape that Balanchine created in his genius 'Apollon Musagete' and use them as building blocks to create something new and extended. This moment in the dance literally constructs and then deconstructs one of Balanchine's iconic poses in a matter of seconds. ...Art is an evolution." Amen.

Tony Awards Update
The Tony Awards Administration Committee met for the first time this season to determine Tony eligibility of 10 shows that have opened thus far. Unless noted below, eligibility is consistent with opening night credits. This means that actors billed above the title are eligible in Lead Actor categories, while actors billed below are eligible in the Featured Actor categories. Tony nominations will be announced April 2016, and Tonys will be handed out on Sunday, June 5. Herein, the eligibility determinations: (see the press release for more)
  • Scott Pask and Peter Nigrini will be jointly eligible in the Best Scenic Design of a Play category for An Act of God

  • Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom, Jr., and Phillipa Soo will be eligible in the Lead Actor/Actress categories for Hamilton

  • Austin P. McKenzie and Sandra Mae Frank will be eligible in the Lead Actor/Actress categories for Spring Awakening; for the same show, Dane Laffrey and Lucy Mackinnon will be jointly eligible in the Best Scenic Design of a Musical category

  • Sam Rockwell and Nina Arianda will be eligible in the Lead Actor/Actress categories for Fool for Love; the production will be eligible in the Best Revival of a Play category

  • Robert Sella and Julie White will be eligible in the Featured Actor/Actress categories for Sylvia

  • Cary Tedder and Eloise Kropp will be eligible in the Lead Actor/Actress categories for Dames at Sea; the production will be eligible in the Best Revival of a Musical category

  • Gabriel Ebert and Judith Light will be eligible in the Featured Actor/Actress categories for Therese Raquin
Thanksgiving Day Broadcasts
We learned last week which shows would perform on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which is broadcast on NBC. This week, we learned that Renee Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton) will stop by the CBS Thanksgiving Day Parade. The CBS broadcast will also feature performances from a couple of Broadway shows, including Beautiful. Visit Broadway.com for more about that broadcast. In addition, it was announced that TLC will air Broadway at the White House, a one-hour special in which high school students will participate in master classes with Broadway stars. Kristin Chenoweth (On the Twentieth Century) and Matthew Morrison (Finding Neverland) host the special, which will also feature performances from An American in Paris and other shows. Broadway.com has details.

Coming to the Stage
A few tidbits on shows that will are heading to New York:
  • Entertainment Weekly has your first look (at right) at the all-star cast of the Roundabout revival of Noises Off. The cast includes Tony winner Andrea Martin (Pippin), Tony nominee Jeremy Shamos (The Qualms, Clybourne Park), Tracee Chimo (Bad Jews, The Heidi Chronicles), Megan Hilty (Smash, 9 to 5), and more. Directed by Jeremy Herrin, previews begin December 17, and opening night is set for January 14, 2016.

  • Maurice Hines's autobiographical show, Tappin' Thru Life, will play off-Broadway this winter. Previews begin December 23, and opening night is scheduled for January 11, 2016. In addition to the famed hoofer, Tappin' Thru Life will also feature some of Hines's siblings, will play at New World Stages. Broadway.com has more.

  • The Broadway dates for Bright Star has changed; previews will now begin February 25, 2016, and open March 24. It will play the Cort Theatre. Broadway.com has more.
Dig This
  • The Frank Sinatra gala performance, hosted by Seth MacFarlane and featuring performances from Sutton Foster, Sting, and others, will be broadcast on PBS on December 18 as part of the Live from Lincoln Center series. Playbill has details.

  • Vulture caught up with comedian John Mulaney, whose new special, The Comeback Kid, is now streaming on Netflix.

  • Tiler Peck and Robert Fairchild (An American in Paris) spoke to the New York Post about their favorite New York haunts.

  • Vulture spoke to Javier Munoz, who is Lin-Manuel Miranda's alternate in Hamilton. Munoz steps into the title role whenever Miranda is unable to go on, and also regularly plays A. Ham on Sunday afternoons. (I've seen him twice, and he's fantastic.)

  • Nina Arianda and Sam Rockwell, stars of Fool for Love, answer fans' questions in the latest installment of Broadway.com's "Ask a Star" feature, and it's hilarious.

  • Playwrights Rajiv Joseph (Guards at the Taj), Annie Baker (The Flick, John), and others talked to Playbill about what winning the Steinberg Playwright Award, which comes with a $50,000 prize, meant/means to them.

  • Bernard Telsey (who has probably cast some of your favorite shows), Michelle and Robert King (creators of The Good Wife), and director Danny Boyle (Steve Jobs) will be honored at the Artios Awards, which honor excellence in casting. Ceremonies will be held on January 21, 2016. Playbill has more.

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