‘The Mousetrap’ to finally play New York
Agatha Christie’s mystery thriller “The Mousetrap,” which opened in London in 1952 and is the world’s longest-running play, will play Broadway for the first time in 2023. “I feel after the longest out of town try-out in history, ‘The Mousetrap’ is finally ready to transfer to Broadway,” UK producer Adam Spiegel said in a statement. As it happens, the longest-running play in New York is another murder mystery, “Perfect Crime,” which has been running Off-Broadway since 1987.
Hirschfeld celebrated in new book and exhibition
After more than 60 years, “The American Theatre as Seen by Hirschfeld,” the 1961 book containing more than 250 drawings by the late caricaturist Al Hirschfeld from the first 40 years of his career, has received a sequel: “The American Theatre as Seen by Hirschfeld, 1962 – 2002,” which features nearly 300 works from the four subsequent decades of Hirschfeld’s career. The book coincides with an exhibition on Hirschfeld at the newly opened Museum of Broadway. “No one saw more opening nights on Broadway than Hirschfeld, and both the new exhibition and book show his archive of drawings as a contemporaneous account of the productions and performers who helped shape our popular culture over much of the 20th century and into the 21st,” editor and curator David Leopold said in a statement.
‘Phantom’ extends Broadway run just a bit
“The music of the night” will linger on Broadway a little bit longer. The longest-running musical in Broadway history, which was slated to play its final performance in February, will run for an additional eight weeks through April 16 thanks to exceptionally strong ticket sales since the closing notice went up. In a statement, the show’s producers warned that there would be no additional extensions due to upcoming restoration work at the Majestic Theatre.
Nicole Kidman bids 100K for souvenir at ‘The Music Man’
How much would you pay for a memento from “The Music Man”? On Saturday, in the midst of a post-curtain call speech, Jackman sought to raise money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS as part of the organization’s fall fundraising campaign by auctioning off a signed straw hat. It was purchased for no less than $100,000, by no less than Nicole Kidman, who happened to be attending the show. The moment was filmed via smartphone and posted on social media. After placing her bid, Kidman grabbed a microphone and declared “I love Broadway” and “this show is extraordinary.”
