Week in Review 5.13.16

Royal Baby News
I don't typically include artists' personal or lifecycle event information in these posts, but I'm making an exception. Shuffle Along... leading lady, Audra McDonald, and her husband, Will Swenson, are expecting a child! (Both actors have a child/children from their respective previous marriages.) Of course, this means that a casting shuffle is due at Shuffle Along... The pregnant McDonald will continue with the show through July 24 before going on maternity leave; she intends to return to the show this winter. (This also means that the Lady Day... West End production is postponed. Broadway.com has more about that.) Filling McDonald's tap shoes will be Rhiannon Giddens, making her Broadway debut. In addition, over the summer, the show's Tony-nominated choreographer, Savion Glover, will appear in the show, though, as Broadway.com reports, it has not been announced which track he'll take on. Congratulations to McDonald and Swenson!!!

Encores! 2017 Season
The 2017 season for City Center Encores! has been announced. The season will begin with Big River, a take on Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn. It features a book by William Hauptman and a score by Roger Miller. Performances run February 8, 2017, through February 12. Next up is The New Yorkers, a Cole Porter musical (with a book by Herbert Fields) from the 1930s. That runs March 22-26. Concluding the season will be The Golden Apple, name-checked in [title of show], and not seen in New York since its original 1954 run. The Golden Apple puts an American spin on The Iliad and The Odyssey, and was written by John Latouche and Jerome Moross. The Golden Apple runs May 10-14. Subscriptions go on sale July 25, 2016, and single tickets go on sale September 26. Broadway.com has more.

Casting News
  • Almost full casting has been announced for the Broadway revival of Cats. (The exception is the role of Grizabella.) The cast includes Quentin Earl Darrington, Eloise Kropp, and NYCB soloist Georgina Pazcoguin. Previews begin July 14, and opening night is July 31. Broadway.com has the cast list.

  • Darren Criss will play Hedwig in the national tour of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Criss was one of the replacement Hedwigs in the recent, Tony-winning revival. The tour launches on October 4 in San Francisco. Broadway.com has more.

  • Two-time Tony winner Christian Borle (Peter and the Starcatcher, Something Rotten) will star in the Broadway bow of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (playing Willy Wonka, not Charlie, of course). Performances begin in March 2017 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. This will mark Borle's second show of the 2016-2017 Broadway season, as he'll appear in Falsettos in the fall. Theater Mania has more.

  • Tony nominee Megan Hilty (Noises Off) will appear in the upcoming CBS series, BrainDead, which comes from Robert and Michelle King, The Good Wife creators, and stars Aaron Tveit. Broadway.com has more.

  • Beginning June 7, Bryce Ryness (Hair, Fly by Night) is taking over the role of Miss Trunchbull in Matilda, Ryness previously played the role on tour. Broadway.com has more.
Theatre Award Season Updates
Winners of the Outer Critics Circle Awards have been announced. (The OCC is made up of journalists outside New York covering the New York theatre scene.) Dear Evan Hansen won for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical. Visit Theater Mania for the full list of winners. The Henry Hewes Design Award winners were announced. Scenic designer Riccardo Hernandez won for The Invisible Hand, and Hamilton's costume, Paul Tazewell, lighting, Howell Binkley, and sound, Nevin Steinberg, designers are the other winners. Playbill has more. New York Times theatre critics Ben Brantley and Charles Isherwood make their Tony predictions, including who will win; who should win; and who should have been nominated.

Hamilton in the News
Tony nominee Daveed Diggs spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about learning to sing for Hamilton, his daily routine, and Sunday brunch. He also stopped by The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and showed off it unparalleled rapping skills. ... Tony nominee David Korins spoke to The Wall Street Journal about his role as a scenic designer. ... The New York Times features a profile of Tony nominee Leslie Odom, Jr. Odom talks about pursuing Burr and what comes next. ... The Hamilton national tour will make a stop in Washington, DC, taking up a slot in the Kennedy Center's 2017-2018 season. Exact dates have not been announced. Playbill has more.

Dig This
  • Jessie Mueller stopped by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and Playbill tagged along for a peek behind the scenes. Mueller, who won a Tony for Beautiful, is nominated for a Tony this year for her work in Waitress.

  • Get a peek inside five NYCB dancers' customized travel cases, their go-to packs that they bring from gig to gig, ensuring they have everything they need. Visit AnOther to learn more.

  • Remember when, last week, Steven Pasquale teased that there would be a The Robber Bridegroom revival cast recording? It is now confirmed. The album will be recorded on June 1. A release date has not been announced, but you can visit sh-k-boom.com to sign up for alerts.

  • Variety checks in on three-time Tony winner and recent Oscar winner Mark Rylance (Twelfth Night, Bridge of Spies). His latest film, The BFG (that is, "The Big Friendly Giant) is now at the Cannes Film Festival.

  • What's in a bow? The New York Times asked several Tony-nominated actors about their bowing technique.  

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