You don’t have to be a Broadway baby to scratch your onstage acting itch. In fact, all around the country—and outside of it—there are bustling theater communities producing works so vibrant they’d have Edward Albee rolling over in his grave. Want in on that action? You’d be wise to know the ins and outs of industry happenings, and this is a good place to start: From across the pond and back again, here is the week’s biggest regional theater news.
‘Anastasia’ will journey across the country.
While it still journeys to the past every night on Broadway, “Anastasia” is gearing up for its first national tour and has announced complete casting for the year-long run. The principal cast will be led by Lila Coogan as Anya/Anastasia, Stephen Brower as Dmitry, Jason Michael Evans as Gleb, Joy Franz as Dowager Empress, Tari Kelly as Countess Lily, and Edward Staudenmayer as Vlad. Performances kick off Oct. 9 in Schenectady, New York, and will be ongoing through Sept. 29, with the run concluding in San Francisco.
‘Coming Clean’ is West End-bound.
The 35th-anniversary revival of “Coming Clean,” the 1982 play by Kevin Elyot produced last year by King’s Head Theatre, will make its way to the West End in London. The piece, examining love and fidelity through the lens of a gay couple, will play Trafalgar Studios 2 Jan. 9–Feb. 2, 2019 and will be directed by King’s Head Theatre artistic director Adam Spreadbury-Maher. Casting for the transfer will be announced shortly.
A director swap is afoot in Chicago.
The Goodman Theater artistic director Robert Falls has stepped in to direct the Chicago theater’s upcoming production of “We’re Only Alive for a Short Amount of Time,” an autobiographical solo show from David Cale. Falls replaces previously-announced director Tony Speciale at the helm of the piece. Cale, whose one-man show “Harry Clarke” ran Off-Broadway last spring, will star in this production, beginning performances Sept. 15 and running through Oct. 21.
‘Pinter’ pulls out all the stops.
A stellar slate of talent has been announced for “Pinter at the Pinter,” London’s six-month presentation of all 20 of the eponymous Harold Pinter's one-act plays. Joining the lineup will be Russell Tovey, Sir Anthony Sher, Penelope Wilton, Jessica Barden, Kate O’Flynn, Hayley Squires, and Luke Thallon. Ongoing through February 2019, the series of performances will run—where else?—at the Harold Pinter Theatre.
A new Roxie Hart heads to the West End.
West End veteran Alexandra Burke, who most recently starred in “The Bodyguard,” will step into the currently-running London revival of “Chicago.” Burke, known to many from her 2008 stint on “The X Factor,” will star as Roxie Hart in the Phoenix Theatre production beginning Aug. 13, playing a limited engagement through Oct. 14.
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