Despite divided reviews and widespread ridicule of Eddie Redmayne’s performance as the mysterious Emcee on the Tony Awards (which may seem bewildering and creepy when taken out of context), the new Broadway revival of “Cabaret” has managed to remain a hot-selling ticket.
That’s mainly due to Redmayne’s star power and the ingenuity, energy, and expense of its immersive concept, including a 75-minute pre-show in which audience members engage with performers and imbibe alcoholic drinks throughout the theater. Now comes the big question: Will the show (which reportedly has substantial weekly running costs) survive financially after Redmayne and Gayle Rankin, who plays Sally Bowles, exit the show on Sept. 14?
Last week, the show announced that Adam Lambert (a 2009 standout of “American Idol” who has gone on to front for the rock band Queen and record solo albums) and 23-year-old Auli’i Cravalho (the voice of the title character in the film “Moana”) will take over as the Emcee and Sally Bowles, respectively, beginning Sept. 16 for a limited run through March 30. Both will be making their Broadway debuts.
Years ago, Lambert appeared in the national tour of “Wicked,” and Cravalho recently appeared in the film adaptation of “Mean Girls” and a one-night concert production of “Children of Eden” at Lincoln Center. Both Lambert and Cravalho will only play seven performances a week rather than the standard eight.
Peter Dinklage and more will lead starry ‘Twelfth Night’ next summer
If one thing in particular is missing this summer in New York, it is Shakespeare in the Park, which is currently on hiatus due to long-overdue reconstruction work at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park.
Looking to the future, the Public Theater has released initial casting for the production of “Twelfth Night” that will reopen the Delacorte in August 2025, including Peter Dinklage (“Game of Thrones”) as Malvolio, Jesse Tyler Ferguson (“Modern Family”) as Andrew Aguecheek, Lupita Nyong’o (“12 Years a Slave”) as Viola, and Sandra Oh (“Grey’s Anatomy”) as Olivia.
In 2009, the Public Theater presented an extraordinary Shakespeare in the Park production of “Twelfth Night” with Anne Hathaway, Hamish Linklater, Audra McDonald, and Raul Esparza. In 2018, a musical adaptation of “Twelfth Night” was produced as part of the Public Works series with Shaina Taub and Nikki M. James.
Osborne joins Washington and Gyllenhaal for ‘Othello’
Molly Osborne, a little-known English actress, will play Desdemona in next season’s Broadway production of “Othello” opposite Denzel Washington as Othello and Jake Gyllenhaal as Iago.
In a statement, director Kelly Leon praised Osborne’s “unique blend of heart and intellect, coupled with a natural vulnerability.” By comparison, a high-profile 2016 Off-Broadway production of “Othello” featured David Oyelowo as Othello, Daniel Craig as Iago, and a then-unknown Rachel Brosnahan as Desdemona.
Shaina Taub lands another activist role in ‘Ragtime’
In our last piece of casting news this week, Shaina Taub, who recently won Tony Awards for her score and book for the new musical “Suffs,” and who plays the women’s rights activist Alice Paul in the musical, is set to portray another early 20th–century political activist, Emma Goldman, in the upcoming City Center gala presentation of the musical “Ragtime” in the fall.
Also new to the cast are Colin Donnell (“The Shark is Broken”) as Father, Ben Levi Ross (“Dear Evan Hansen”) as Younger Brother, and Joy Woods (“The Notebook”) as Sarah. They join the previously announced Caissie Levy (“Frozen”) as Mother, Joshua Henry (“The Scottsboro Boys”) as Coalhouse Walker, and Brandon Uranowitz (“Falsettos”) as Tateh.
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