Broadway to be featured in Thanksgiving Day Parade
Four Broadway musicals – including “Hamilton,” “Jagged Little Pill,” “Ain’t Too Proud” and “Mean Girls” – will be featured in this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, as first reported by the New York Times. In typical years, full casts perform live along the parade route. However, this year’s performances will be filmed at the Broadway theaters where each musical played prior to the shutdown. They are also expected to be scaled-down due to health precautions.
‘Jagged Little Pill’ cast to reunite for concert
The cast and band of the 15-time Tony-nominated Alanis Morissette musical “Jagged Little Pill” will reunite on Dec. 13 for “Jagged Live in NYC: A Broadway Reunion Concert,” which will be filmed at Shubert Studios and made available for streaming. Diane Paulus, who directed the Broadway production, will also stage the concert. The event will raise money for theaters throughout the country including the Count Basie Center for the Arts and State Theatre in NJ.
‘Grinch’ stage musical to air on NBC
More than two years since “Jesus Christ Superstar: Live in Concert,” the last Broadway musical to be performed on NBC, the network announced that it will air “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Musical!” on Dec. 9. This appears to be the same “Grinch” musical that played Broadway in 2006 and 2007. It will be filmed at the Troubadour Theatre in London. Leading the cast are Matthew Morrison (“Glee”) as the Grinch and Tony winner Denis O’Hare (“American Horror Story”) as Old Max.
Noblezada to play Selena at theatrical drive-in
Eva Noblezada (“Hadestown,” “Miss Saigon”) will pay tribute to the late Tejano singer-songwriter Selena in “Selena: A Live Drive-In Experience,” which will combine live performances with segments from the 1997 Jennifer Lopez film, on Nov. 20 and 21 at Radial Park at Halletts Point Play in Astoria. Other upcoming attractions at Radial Park include a Gerard Canonico (“Spring Awakening”) concert and “The Christmas Show.”
‘Hamilton’ brings together international cast for Australia
“Hamilton” has unveiled an internationally diverse cast for its upcoming Australian production, including performers from Australia and New Zealand who have Aboriginal, Samoan, Nigerian, Japanese and Filipino backgrounds. Alexander Hamilton will be played by Jason Arrow, a little-known West Australian actor. It is slated to open in Sydney in March. “While theaters across the world have been forced to temporarily shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have taken this time to bring together a truly incredible ensemble to tell this story,” Lin-Manuel Miranda said in a statement.
This week’s streaming recommendations…
“The Threepenny Opera” (digital presentation of gritty 1928 Weill-Brecht musical), through Sun., citylyricopera.org…”On Beckett/In Screen” (Bill Irwin’s latest meditation on absurdist writer Samuel Beckett), Nov. 17-22, irishrep.org…”Until the Flood” (one-woman drama exploring the shooting of Michael Brown in 2014), Sun. at 8 p.m., rattlestick.org.
