A decade ago, a musical adaptation of the 1988 Winona Ryder-Christian Slater teen film “Heathers” opened Off-Broadway and did not transfer to Broadway despite strong buzz and a surprisingly solid pop-style score. Later, “Heathers” became a hit in London, where it received a pro-shot video recording, and has continued to win young fans thanks to the spread of its cast album on social media.
A few months ago, the show’s website teased that a return engagement of the show was in the works. It has now been confirmed that “Heathers” will play a limited run at New World Stages, the same Off-Broadway venue it played in 2014, beginning June 22.
Cole Escola set for encore run in ‘Oh, Mary!’ with original cast
Cole Escola, the writer and original star of the surprise smash comedy “Oh, Mary!,” will return to the role of Mary Todd Lincoln on April 8. This comes as no surprise, as Escola will be a strong contender for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. Conrad Ricamora and James Scully will also return to the Broadway production on that date, uniting the entire original cast. Betty Gilpin is currently playing Mary through March 16 and will be followed by Tituss Burgess (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), who will play Mary for three weeks. “Oh, Mary!,” an irreverent, unhinged farce of alternate history, is built around an alcoholic, foul-mouthed, self-obsessed, perverted, needy, and dim-witted reinvention of 19th-century First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln.
‘Drag: The Musical’ to close
“Drag: The Musical,” which has been running Off-Broadway at New World Stages, will play its final performance on April 27 following 215 performances. In a statement, the show’s producers called it “a celebration of community, self-expression, and unapologetic joy” and said that a London production is in the works. (One suspects that it will not be playing the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. any time soon given the anti-drag stance of its new management.) In the campy, sequin-studded musical, two Drag Houses, “both alike in indignity,” vie for supremacy, with two estranged queens opening competing clubs. The cast includes Nick Adams (“La Cage Aux Folles,” “Priscilla Queen of the Desert”) and Adam Pascal (“Rent”) in the “straight man” role.
Bebe Neuwirth sets final performance in ‘Cabaret’
Bebe Neuwirth will give her final performance as Fraulein Schneider in the divisive and immersive Broadway revival of “Cabaret” on March 31. She will be replaced in the role by Ellen Harvey (“Present Laughter,” “How to Succeed”). Adam Lambert and Auliʻi Cravalho will end their runs as the Emcee and Sally Bowles, respectively, on March 29, and will be replaced by masked country singer Orville Peck and Eva Noblezada (“Hadestown”).
