‘Sing Street’ postponed to 2021-22 season
The musical “Sing Street,” which had been slated to open on Broadway this past spring immediately following a sold-out Off-Broadway premiere, is now looking to come to Broadway the 2021-2022 season. “We want to be responsible and strategic about creating a proper runway to launch our new musical on Broadway,” its producers said in a statement. “Sing Street” is adapted from John Carney’s 2016 film about a teenage boy who starts a band in 1980s Dublin.
Lloyd Webber blames director for ‘Cats’ disaster
Andrew Lloyd Webber has made no secret of his disappointment with the universally panned film adaptation of “Cats.” In a new interview with the Sunday Times, he said the film was “ridiculous” and faulted director Tom Hooper (who had far more success with the 2012 “Les Miz” film) for not including the show’s original creative team in the production process. A few months ago, Lloyd Webber performed live commentary on YouTube of a well-regarded 1998 film recording of the stage production.
Theater artists launch mask campaign
The theater community is uniting behind #MaskUpCurtainUp, a social media campaign to encourage theater fans to wear face masks in the hope that doing so will bring the country closer to the point where theaters can safely reopen. Theater celebrities who have posted photographs and videos of themselves wearing masks have included Bebe Neuwirth, Michael Urie, Megan Hilty, Alex Brightman and Jerry Mitchell.
Disney Plus to film ‘Once On This Island’
Disney Plus, which began streaming “Hamilton” last month and is expected to make the stage version of “Aladdin” available in the coming months, is at work on a screen adaptation of the Caribbean fairy tale musical “Once On This Island,” which received a critically-acclaimed Broadway revival in 2017. Unlike “Hamilton,” which was filmed live onstage, “Once On This Island” will be reconceived as a film.
‘Addams Family’ tops high school musicals
“The Addams Family,” which bombed spectacularly on Broadway in 2010, nevertheless remains extremely popular among teenagers. According to the Educational Theatre Association’s annual survey of the most frequently performed shows by American high schools and middle schools, “The Addams Family” was the most performed musical during the 2019-20 school year. Right behind “The Addams Family” were “Mamma Mia!” and “Beauty and the Beast.” The most-performed play was the murder mystery/comedy “Clue,” which was previously slated to open the New Jersey’s Paper Mill Playhouse new season.
This week’s streaming recommendations:
- The Understudy (a decade since its Off-Broadway premiere, Theresa Rebeck’s backstage comedy returns with Lesli Margherita and Andrew Kober), Fri. Aug. 7 at 7 p.m., playreadingfridays.com.
- Dutchman (Amiri Baraka’s fiery 1964 drama explores interracial relations through a subway ride, led by cast of 2007 Off-Broadway production), Sat. Aug. 8 at 7 p.m., play-perview.com.
- Carmen (2019 performance of Bizet opera filmed as part of the Live in HD series), Tues. Aug 11 at 7:30 p.m., metopera.org.
