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, 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 C. Curtain up and light those lights!
Broadway, here he comes.
Jake Gyllenhaal just can’t stay away from the stage. The Academy Award nominee has set his return to Broadway, appearing opposite Tom Sturridge in the double-bill production “Sea Wall/A Life.” The piece, which both actors starred in this winter at the Public Theater Off-Broadway, is actually two monologue plays performed back-to-back. Performances will begin July 26 at the Hudson Theatre under the direction of Carrie Cracknell, with an official opening Aug. 8.
MCC slates an ambitious new season.
Living up to its reputation for staging some of the most ambitious new works, MCC Theater has announced its 2019–20 slate of programming, featuring both plays and musicals. Among the notable productions will be “The Wrong Man,” a new musical reuniting “Hamilton” director Thomas Kail with orchestrator Alex Lacamoire; the New York premiere of Theresa Rebeck’s “Seared,” directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel; the world premiere of Jocelyn Bioh’s “Nollywood Dreams,” which brings the playwright back to the Off-Broadway institution; and the world premiere of Lucy Thurber’s “Perry Street,” which will be directed by Thomas Sadoski.
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An icon heads (briefly) back to Broadway.
As part of the “In Residence on Broadway” series, Mel Brooks will return to the Broadway stage for two nights only. The Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony winner will perform an entirely non-scripted show at the Lunt Fontanne Theatre, combining off-the-cuff comedy with personal stories from his life and career, as well as clips from some of his most memorable work of the stage and screen.
Our lady of Broadway.
Phylicia Rashad is heading back to the Great White Way—in a new capacity. The Tony Award–winning actor will make her Broadway directorial debut, helming the Broadway premiere of Charles Randolph-Wright’s “Blue.” The play with music will begin performances at a to-be-announced theater and date at some point in the spring of 2020. No casting has been announced at this time (so be sure to keep checking Backstage for the upcoming Equity casting notice!).
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