On Broadway and beyond, a curtain can rise as quickly as it can fall; a star can be swapped as easily as Bernie Telsey can say, “That’s enough.” Theater is the beating heart of New York show business and if you want to make it here, it’s crucial you’re up to date on incoming projects, the latest castings, and other industry news. Don’t worry, Broadway baby, Backstage has your back. Every week, we’re rounding up the can’t-miss stories no thespian should live without so you can focus on important matters, like hitting your high F. Curtain up and light those lights!
The Boss will rock the Broadway.
It’s true: after speculation, it’s now confirmed that Bruce Springsteen will be making his Broadway debut this fall at the Walter Kerr Theatre. The one man show, “Springsteen on Broadway,” will have its first preview on Oct. 3, and has a slated five-show-a-week run through Nov. 26. The creative team will include Heather Wolensky providing scenic design, Brian Ronan on sound design, and Natasha Katz on lighting. Springsteen has an astounding 20 Grammy Awards to his name, as well as an Oscar.
“Margarittaville” rounds out its cast.
Escapism is the name of the Broadway game this season, exemplified no clearer than by the forthcoming Jimmy Buffett musical, “Escape to Margarittaville.” Featuring the many hits of Buffett’s songbook, the show’s cast will be led by Paul Alexander Nolan and Alison Luff (both of whom have been with the show since its world premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse). The tropical tuner will bow in the dead of winter at Broadway’s Marquis Theatre on Feb. 16, 2018. Tony winner Christopher Ashley (“Come From Away”) will direct.
There's a new advertising agency in town...
...and it’s already bearing the big guns. Ilene Rosen, Pete Milano, and Nick Pramik have joined forces to create RPM, an advertising agency focusing on Broadway and other live entertainment. The three power players, coming from existing bigwig agency SpotCo, boast an already-impressive roster of clients including “Hamilton,” touring productions of Tony-nominated “Waitress,” Broadway’s currently-running “Chicago,” Second Stage Theater (where “Dear Evan Hansen” had its pre-Broadway debut), and American Ballet Theatre.
Here are all the members of the band.
When “The Band’s Visit” opens on Broadway this fall, the cast will include faces both familiar and new. Katrina Lenk, Tony Shalhoub, and John Cariani will reprise their roles following the musical’s acclaimed Off-Broadway run at the Atlantic Theater Company; the trio will be joined by new additions, too, including Adam Kantor and Etai Benson. The musical, based on the film of the same name, features a score by David Yazbek and book by Itamar Moses, and begins previews at the Ethel Barrymore Oct. 7. Expect the heartfelt tuner to be a critical darling this season; it won the Drama Desk Award for best musical this past June.
The band is getting back together on Broadway.
From one band to another! The new musical, “Gettin’ the Band Back Together,” has announced plans to open at the Belasco Theatre, with previews set to begin July 18, 2018. (That means it will not be eligible for the current Broadway season but rather the 2018–19 season.) The musical will be helmed by director John Rando and feature a score by Mark Allen. Broadway producer Ken Davenport will be writing the book, which follows a man with bygone dreams of being Bon Jovi who gets his old band back together.
A Girl is coming back to the New York Stage.
Cristin Milioti, who was Tony-nominated for originating the role of Girl in 2012’s “Once,” will return to the stage in Zoe Kazan’s new drama, “After the Blast.” Milloti, last seen in New York Theatre Workshop’s David Bowie musical “Lazarus,” will lead the drama set in the wake of an environmental disaster. The play kicks off the 2017–18 season of Lincoln Center Theater’s LCT3 program and will begin previews Oct. 7 at the Claire Tow Theater. The limited engagement will play through Nov. 19.
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