‘Game of Thrones’ play on the way
If Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry can come to Broadway, why not Westeros? As per the Hollywood Reporter, a big-budget, non-musical stage adaptation of the blockbuster HBO series “Game of Thrones” is currently in development and eyeing runs on Broadway and in London and Australia. Whereas “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” (another play based on a well-known film and screen series) takes the form of a sequel, the “Game of Thrones” piece is expected to be a prequel dramatizing “The Great Tourney at Harrenhal,” which involved a 15-year-old Jaime Lannister and 18-year-old Eddard Stark and led to Robert Baratheon’s rebellion against the Targaryen dynasty. “Game of Thrones” creator George R.R. Martin is directly involved with the project, which could be seen as soon as two years from now.
Drama League recognizes pandemic-era shows with nominations
While the Tony Awards for the truncated 2019-2020 Broadway season will apparently be unveiled at some point in the near future, another well-known theater awards organization, the Drama League, announced Tuesday that it will move forward this year with a new set of awards that will recognize the digital, audio and socially-distanced productions created during the pandemic. Among the nominees are “Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical,” Out of the Box Theatrics’ site-specific “The Last Five Years,” “Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration” and Joshua William Gelb and Katie Rose McLaughlin’s closet-based “Theater in Quarantine.” The awards will be presented on May 21.
‘Diana’ sets dates for Netflix and Broadway
Back in August, the producers of “Diana,” a Princess Diana bio musical that was in previews when the Broadway shutdown began, announced that the show would be filmed for Netflix. This week, they advised that the show will premiere on Netflix on Oct. 1 and is tentatively set to resume performances on Broadway on Dec. 1. Tickets are even on sale again. Public scrutiny of the late Princess Diana has intensified over the past year following season four of the Netflix series “The Crown.”
‘Uptown Shakespeare in the Park’ returning to Harlem
On the heels of the news that the Public Theater will bring back Shakespeare in the Park this summer, word now comes that the Classical Theatre of Harlem will bring back its “Uptown Shakespeare in the Park” series. The company will present a free production of “Seize the King,” Will Power’s lyrical adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Richard III,” at the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater in Marcus Garvey Park in July. Safety measures will be in place including masks, digital playbills and distanced seating.
This week’s streaming recommendations…
“John Cullum: An Accidental Star” (one-man show of stories and songs by the 91-year-old two-time Tony Award winner), April 8-22, vineyardtheatre.org…”Amour” (digital production of short-lived 2002 musical with music by French composer Michel Legrand), April 2-4, stellartickets.com.
