Deadline’s Most Valuable Blockbuster tournament is back. While studios during Covid wildly embraced the theatrical day-and-date model when cinemas were closed, they soon realized there’s nothing more profitable than a theatrical release and the downstreams that come with it. If anything, theatrical is the advertisement for a movie’s longevity in subsequent home entertainment windows. Entering the conversation in 2023 were the streamers, such as Apple, who have also realized the necessity of theatrical to eventize their movies. The financial data pulled together here for Deadline’s Most Valuable Blockbuster Tournament is culled by seasoned and trusted sources.
The Film
Wonka
Warner Bros
As moviegoers returned post-Covid, movie musicals were thought dead after the dismal performances of feature takes of Broadway musicals West Side Story, Dear Evan Hansen and In the Heights. Then along comes Wonka, an original feature musical with songs from Divine Comedy lead singer Neil Hannon,...
The Film
Wonka
Warner Bros
As moviegoers returned post-Covid, movie musicals were thought dead after the dismal performances of feature takes of Broadway musicals West Side Story, Dear Evan Hansen and In the Heights. Then along comes Wonka, an original feature musical with songs from Divine Comedy lead singer Neil Hannon,...
- 4/30/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Ben Platt will play a concert residency at the newly remodeled Palace Theatre on Broadway.
The three-week residency, which runs from May 28 through June 15, will feature selections from Platt’s upcoming album, Honeymind, as well as his prior two albums, Reverie and Sing to Me. Michael Arden, director of Parade on Broadway, which starred Platt, directs the residency.
This is the first announced event at the Palace Theatre since the Nederlander-owned Broadway house closed in 2018 for remodeling. The theater has been raised 30 feet in the air, to make space for retail on the ground and lower floors, as well as refurbished with a new lobby, marquee and backstage area. The next Broadway show to play the theater has not yet been announced; however, additional events may be announced in the coming months.
“It is far beyond my wildest imagination to play a residency of my own music in a house as storied as the Palace.
The three-week residency, which runs from May 28 through June 15, will feature selections from Platt’s upcoming album, Honeymind, as well as his prior two albums, Reverie and Sing to Me. Michael Arden, director of Parade on Broadway, which starred Platt, directs the residency.
This is the first announced event at the Palace Theatre since the Nederlander-owned Broadway house closed in 2018 for remodeling. The theater has been raised 30 feet in the air, to make space for retail on the ground and lower floors, as well as refurbished with a new lobby, marquee and backstage area. The next Broadway show to play the theater has not yet been announced; however, additional events may be announced in the coming months.
“It is far beyond my wildest imagination to play a residency of my own music in a house as storied as the Palace.
- 3/18/2024
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Andrew Barth Feldman, Kaia Gerber and Finn Wolfhard round out cast of Sony Pictures’ SNL 1975 (working title), which will be directed by Jason Reitman and based on the real-life behind-the-scenes accounts of the opening episode of Saturday Night Live. Reitman and Gil Kenan penned the script.
Gerber is playing Jacqueline Carlin, Wolfhard will play an NBC page, and Feldman is playing Neil Levy.
On October 11, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television forever. SNL 1975 is the true story of what happened behind the scenes that night in the moments leading up to the first broadcast of NBC’s Saturday Night Live. It depicts the chaos and magic of a revolution that almost wasn’t, counting down the minutes in real time to the infamous words, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”
The screenplay is based on an extensive series of interviews conducted...
Gerber is playing Jacqueline Carlin, Wolfhard will play an NBC page, and Feldman is playing Neil Levy.
On October 11, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television forever. SNL 1975 is the true story of what happened behind the scenes that night in the moments leading up to the first broadcast of NBC’s Saturday Night Live. It depicts the chaos and magic of a revolution that almost wasn’t, counting down the minutes in real time to the infamous words, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”
The screenplay is based on an extensive series of interviews conducted...
- 3/12/2024
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Lighthouse Management + Media has signed buzzy writer-director Laura Kosann for representation in all areas.
A fast-rising star, Kosann was a 2021 Academy Nicholl Fellow and has had three features on The Black List in the last two years.
Currently, she is scripting Sony’s English-language remake of Hi, Mom, the Chinese film from director Jia Ling which, before Barbie, was the highest-grossing pic helmed by a solo female director. Escape Artists’ Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch and Becky Sanderman will produce alongside Wenxin She (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood).
Previously, Kosann adapted the comic book Mercy Sparx for MGM, with The Picture Company producing. She’s rewriting the live-action musical Santa Is Real, which Stephen Chbosky (Dear Evan Hansen) is set to direct for Amazon and Shiny Penny Productions, and is also working on a horror project for a streamer that is currently under wraps. Additionally, her Black Listed sci-fi thriller script,...
A fast-rising star, Kosann was a 2021 Academy Nicholl Fellow and has had three features on The Black List in the last two years.
Currently, she is scripting Sony’s English-language remake of Hi, Mom, the Chinese film from director Jia Ling which, before Barbie, was the highest-grossing pic helmed by a solo female director. Escape Artists’ Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch and Becky Sanderman will produce alongside Wenxin She (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood).
Previously, Kosann adapted the comic book Mercy Sparx for MGM, with The Picture Company producing. She’s rewriting the live-action musical Santa Is Real, which Stephen Chbosky (Dear Evan Hansen) is set to direct for Amazon and Shiny Penny Productions, and is also working on a horror project for a streamer that is currently under wraps. Additionally, her Black Listed sci-fi thriller script,...
- 12/7/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Hell’s Kitchen, the musical based loosely on the life of Alicia Keys, is headed to Broadway this spring. The show, with a score written by Keys and a book by Kristoffer Diaz, made its world premiere at the Public Theater on Nov. 19. The show will transfer to the Shubert Theater on Broadway starting March 28, with an opening night on Apr. 20.
“Good things take time and for 13 years, I’ve been dreaming, developing and finding inspiration for a musical based on my experience growing up in Hell’s Kitchen, NYC.
“Good things take time and for 13 years, I’ve been dreaming, developing and finding inspiration for a musical based on my experience growing up in Hell’s Kitchen, NYC.
- 12/5/2023
- by Carita Rizzo
- Rollingstone.com
Netflix is kicking off “Stranger Things Day” this morning with a first look at “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” a live stage play that’s headed to London later this month.
“Stranger Things: The First Shadow” is said to be a “new story live on stage,” and it’s set in Hawkins, 1959. “The First Shadow” takes place “before the world turned upside down.”
The World Premiere takes the stage December 14 at the Phoenix Theatre on London’s West End, with previews beginning November 17. Go behind the scenes in the video below!
The cast includes Louis McCartney (Silent Roar, Hope Street, Game of Thrones) as Henry Creel, Ella Karuna Williams (The Equalizer) as Patty Newby and Patrick Vaill (Oklahoma!, Macbeth, Dash & Lily) as Dr. Brenner.
Oscar Lloyd (The 47th, Hotel Portofino, 4 O’Clock Club) takes on the role as Jim Hopper, Jr., Isabella Pappas (Finding Alice, The Villains of Valley View,...
“Stranger Things: The First Shadow” is said to be a “new story live on stage,” and it’s set in Hawkins, 1959. “The First Shadow” takes place “before the world turned upside down.”
The World Premiere takes the stage December 14 at the Phoenix Theatre on London’s West End, with previews beginning November 17. Go behind the scenes in the video below!
The cast includes Louis McCartney (Silent Roar, Hope Street, Game of Thrones) as Henry Creel, Ella Karuna Williams (The Equalizer) as Patty Newby and Patrick Vaill (Oklahoma!, Macbeth, Dash & Lily) as Dr. Brenner.
Oscar Lloyd (The 47th, Hotel Portofino, 4 O’Clock Club) takes on the role as Jim Hopper, Jr., Isabella Pappas (Finding Alice, The Villains of Valley View,...
- 11/6/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Eight-time Grammy winner Gloria Estefan is writing the music and lyrics for an original stage musical called Five Notes about Paraguay’s Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, the singer announced today.
In an Instagram post, Estefan said she’s collaborating with her daughter Emily Estefan for the music, with the book written by playwright Karen Zacarías. Dear Evan Hansen director Michael Greif will direct Five Notes, according to Estefan.
Five Notes is inspired by the Orquesta De Reciclados De Cateura, also known as The Recycled Orchestra of Cateura or simply the Recycled Orchestra, an orchestra composed of children from Asunción, Paraguay, who played musical instruments made from scrap materials collected from a local landfill. Formed in 2012, the orchestra performed internationally with Stevie Wonder and the American heavy-metal bands Metallica and Megadeth, and was the subject of the 2015 documentary Landfill Harmonic.
Estefan writes that the new musical – which she says is in...
In an Instagram post, Estefan said she’s collaborating with her daughter Emily Estefan for the music, with the book written by playwright Karen Zacarías. Dear Evan Hansen director Michael Greif will direct Five Notes, according to Estefan.
Five Notes is inspired by the Orquesta De Reciclados De Cateura, also known as The Recycled Orchestra of Cateura or simply the Recycled Orchestra, an orchestra composed of children from Asunción, Paraguay, who played musical instruments made from scrap materials collected from a local landfill. Formed in 2012, the orchestra performed internationally with Stevie Wonder and the American heavy-metal bands Metallica and Megadeth, and was the subject of the 2015 documentary Landfill Harmonic.
Estefan writes that the new musical – which she says is in...
- 10/6/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Scott Bakula will return to the New York stage this winter in an Off Broadway, world premiere production of the new musical The Connector, conceived and directed by Daisy Prince with music and lyrics by Tony winner Jason Robert Brown (Parade) and a book by Jonathan Marc Sherman.
A production of the acclaimed Off Broadway non-profit company McC Theater, The Connector will begin performances at McC Theater’s Newman Mills Theater on January 12, 2024, with an opening night set for February 6. The limited engagement will run through February 18, 2024.
Set in the rapidly changing media and magazine worlds of the late 1990s (the title refers to a revered publication), The Connector also will feature choreography by Karla Puno Garcia, co-choreographer of the Broadway-found Days of Wine and Roses.
In addition to Bakula, who will play a character named Conrad, the large cast of The Connector will include Sweeney Todd‘s Joanna Carpenter,...
A production of the acclaimed Off Broadway non-profit company McC Theater, The Connector will begin performances at McC Theater’s Newman Mills Theater on January 12, 2024, with an opening night set for February 6. The limited engagement will run through February 18, 2024.
Set in the rapidly changing media and magazine worlds of the late 1990s (the title refers to a revered publication), The Connector also will feature choreography by Karla Puno Garcia, co-choreographer of the Broadway-found Days of Wine and Roses.
In addition to Bakula, who will play a character named Conrad, the large cast of The Connector will include Sweeney Todd‘s Joanna Carpenter,...
- 10/5/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
In season three of Only Murders in the Building, Broadway director Oliver Putnam, played by Martin Short, lands on the idea of turning his murder mystery play Death Rattle into a musical after the shocking death of his leading man.
The musical, in which a detective investigates the murder of a woman in a lighthouse that was only witnessed by her infant triplets, is meant to salvage the show, and his career. But it also acts as a motif for the rest of season, wherein the Broadway numbers performed by cast further the plot of the actual murder mystery being solved by Short, Selena Gomez and Steve Martin, the trio at the center of the series.
And so to make the already over-the-top musical feel as real as possible, the Only Murders in the Building writing team called on the Tony- and Oscar-winning songwriting duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul,...
The musical, in which a detective investigates the murder of a woman in a lighthouse that was only witnessed by her infant triplets, is meant to salvage the show, and his career. But it also acts as a motif for the rest of season, wherein the Broadway numbers performed by cast further the plot of the actual murder mystery being solved by Short, Selena Gomez and Steve Martin, the trio at the center of the series.
And so to make the already over-the-top musical feel as real as possible, the Only Murders in the Building writing team called on the Tony- and Oscar-winning songwriting duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul,...
- 10/4/2023
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Anyone who knows and loves a theater kid understands that they can be… a little much. To their credit, theater kids accept and embrace this reputation. Both the excessiveness of theater kids and their willingness to celebrate their extremities can be seen in the comedy Theater Camp, directed by Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman. After winning over critics and earning a strong, if limited, return in theaters, Theater Camp has come to Hulu.
Based on a short film that Gordon and Lieberman made with Ben Platt and Noah Galvin, Theater Camp features a group of theater kids trying to save their camp from the founder’s jerky son, who wants to sell it off for something more profitable. Both self-aware and sincere, Theater Camp is a love letter to the over-the-top nerds who can sing every word of A Chorus Line and know that Andrew Rannells was in Street Sharks.
Based on a short film that Gordon and Lieberman made with Ben Platt and Noah Galvin, Theater Camp features a group of theater kids trying to save their camp from the founder’s jerky son, who wants to sell it off for something more profitable. Both self-aware and sincere, Theater Camp is a love letter to the over-the-top nerds who can sing every word of A Chorus Line and know that Andrew Rannells was in Street Sharks.
- 9/14/2023
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
“I’ve been thinking. I can’t run this club forever,” Tom Hardy’s character Johnny says in the opening for The Bikeriders trailer. “I built this from nothing. This is our family.”
The scene — which sees Benny, played by Austin Butler, ruminating over Johnny’s words — sets the tone for the upcoming film, which follows the evolution of a fictional Midwestern motorcycle club known as the Vandals. The duo will be joined by the incredibly talented Jodie Comer (The Last Duel, Killing Eve), Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road, George & Tammy...
The scene — which sees Benny, played by Austin Butler, ruminating over Johnny’s words — sets the tone for the upcoming film, which follows the evolution of a fictional Midwestern motorcycle club known as the Vandals. The duo will be joined by the incredibly talented Jodie Comer (The Last Duel, Killing Eve), Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road, George & Tammy...
- 9/7/2023
- by Charisma Madarang
- Rollingstone.com
The cast of Barbie is packed to the brim, so much so that the trailer for the comedy was able to fill the screen with all of their names. The director of the movie, Greta Gerwig, is no stranger to working with a talented ensemble, already helming critical darlings like Lady Bird and Little Women. Two notable actors from those past films would not get to be included in the pink-laded summer hit, — Saoirse Ronan and Timothée Chalamet. Though, not for the lack of trying.
The star of the Dune films, another Warner Bros. production, still managed to step foot on the set, according to Variety. As Gerwig admitted she hadn’t succeeded in getting Ronan and Chalamet parts in Barbie, she was still excited to see him visit the set. “I tried to get them both in it. They both couldn’t do it. Although Timothée did come by the set and then said,...
The star of the Dune films, another Warner Bros. production, still managed to step foot on the set, according to Variety. As Gerwig admitted she hadn’t succeeded in getting Ronan and Chalamet parts in Barbie, she was still excited to see him visit the set. “I tried to get them both in it. They both couldn’t do it. Although Timothée did come by the set and then said,...
- 8/17/2023
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
Meryl Streep has captured the hearts of the last remaining humans unaware of her enchanting charm with her performance of “Look for the Light” from the latest episode of Only Murders in the Building Season 3.
In the newly-released clip, Streep’s long-suffering actress Loretta reveals her powerful musical stage chops in front of the show’s familiar residents of The Arconia including Martin Short’s normally fickle Oliver and Steve Martin’s noticeably befuddled Charles. Without giving away too many plot details, Streep sings the lullaby-tinged number with the conviction of an actress whose career is on the line, yet she’s clearly struck a chord with the audience as she’s joined mid-song by fellow Season 3 recurring cast-member and real-life Broadway star Ashley Park. Watch the full solo showcase-turned-duet below.
“Look for the Light” was written specifically for Streep’s character by Sara Bareilles along with the Grammy, Oscar,...
In the newly-released clip, Streep’s long-suffering actress Loretta reveals her powerful musical stage chops in front of the show’s familiar residents of The Arconia including Martin Short’s normally fickle Oliver and Steve Martin’s noticeably befuddled Charles. Without giving away too many plot details, Streep sings the lullaby-tinged number with the conviction of an actress whose career is on the line, yet she’s clearly struck a chord with the audience as she’s joined mid-song by fellow Season 3 recurring cast-member and real-life Broadway star Ashley Park. Watch the full solo showcase-turned-duet below.
“Look for the Light” was written specifically for Streep’s character by Sara Bareilles along with the Grammy, Oscar,...
- 8/16/2023
- by Bryan Kress
- Consequence - Music
Angelina Jolie and Vivienne Jolie-Pitt are teaming up for an upcoming Broadway venture, Et has learned.
Angelina will serve as a lead producer for the musical The Outsiders, an adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s novel and Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 film.
Vivienne, the 15-year-old daughter of Angelina and Brad Pitt, will serve as her mom’s volunteer assistant and will be involved in the production.
“Viv reminds me of my mother [Marcheline Bertrand] in that she isn’t focused on being the center of attention but in being a support to other creatives,” Angelina says in a statement to Et. “She’s very thoughtful and serious about theatre and working hard to best understand how to contribute.”
This is an exciting time for the mother-daughter duo as a source tells Et that Angelina has been taking Vivienne to the theater “since she was a little girl, and Vivienne loves musical theater.
Angelina will serve as a lead producer for the musical The Outsiders, an adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s novel and Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 film.
Vivienne, the 15-year-old daughter of Angelina and Brad Pitt, will serve as her mom’s volunteer assistant and will be involved in the production.
“Viv reminds me of my mother [Marcheline Bertrand] in that she isn’t focused on being the center of attention but in being a support to other creatives,” Angelina says in a statement to Et. “She’s very thoughtful and serious about theatre and working hard to best understand how to contribute.”
This is an exciting time for the mother-daughter duo as a source tells Et that Angelina has been taking Vivienne to the theater “since she was a little girl, and Vivienne loves musical theater.
- 8/15/2023
- by Emerson Pearson
- ET Canada
Update, with revised preview date: A new stage musical adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks novel The Notebook will arrive on Broadway this spring, with music and lyrics by multi-platinum singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson and a book by playwright and This Is Us writer/producer Bekah Brunstetter, producers Kevin McCollum and Kurt Deutsch announced today.
Previews will begin at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on Saturday, February 10, 2024, ahead of a Thursday, March 14 opening night.
The production will be directed by Michael Greif and Schele Williams, with choreography by Katie Spelman (Associate Choreographer on Moulin Rouge! The Musical).
Casting will be announced at a later date.
The novel, which chronicles the lifelong romance of couple Allie and Noah, was published in 1996 and has since sold millions of copies. A hit 2004 film adaptation, directed by Nick Cassavetes and written by Jeremy Leven and Jan Sardi,...
Previews will begin at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on Saturday, February 10, 2024, ahead of a Thursday, March 14 opening night.
The production will be directed by Michael Greif and Schele Williams, with choreography by Katie Spelman (Associate Choreographer on Moulin Rouge! The Musical).
Casting will be announced at a later date.
The novel, which chronicles the lifelong romance of couple Allie and Noah, was published in 1996 and has since sold millions of copies. A hit 2004 film adaptation, directed by Nick Cassavetes and written by Jeremy Leven and Jan Sardi,...
- 8/3/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Lorna Courtney was barely out of the University of Michigan when Broadway first came calling. A native New Yorker – Queens, to be exact – and graduate of Manhattan’s performing arts Laguardia High School, Courtney was a standby in Dear Evan Hansen in 2019 and 2020 before being cast in director Ivo van Hove’s boldly reimagined West Side Story, a production that did away with the iconic Jerome Robbins in favor of the riskier, more avant-garde stylings of Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker.
Both shows, but particularly the short-lived 2020 West Side Story – which closed due to the Covid pandemic shutdown and never re-opened – were learning experiences for Courtney, who now draws upon those earlier shows for her Tony-nominated performance as the star and title character of & Juliet. The musical, which features songs written by hit-maker Max Martin, has become one of Broadway’s most successful crowd-pleasers, routinely pulling in weekly grosses well in excess of $1 million and filling seats at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.
Deadline spoke this week to Courtney as she gears up for Sunday’s Tony Awards. She’d just taped an appearance for The View and seemed to be operating on a combination of excitement, pride and maybe a jitter or two. She spoke of & Juliet, the Tonys, West Side Story, and the responsibilities and joys of leading a Broadway production night after night.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
Lorna Courtney, ‘& Juliet’ (Credit: Matthew Murphy)
Deadline: So, congratulations. What has this week been like for you?
Lorna Courtney: This week has been challenging in the best ways and also tiring in the best ways. Today I got up at 4:30 and performed on The View, and I met Whoopi Goldberg.
Deadline: Is it just the crazed schedule that’s challenging or are there other things weighing on you?
Courtney: Because this is my first lead role I didn’t know what to expect. I knew what it took to be a leader, but I didn’t know all of the expectations and all of the press things. It’s more than just doing the eight shows a week, and that I didn’t know, and I didn’t know how it would affect my body. First and foremost, I want to be as healthy as possible so I can do my job every night.
Deadline: I thought you were going to say “First and foremost I want to sleep.”
Courtney: Well, that too.
Deadline: You said you know how to be a leader. But I’m wondering how you learned that. This is your first lead role on Broadway.
Courtney: I like to think it’s because I take everyone into consideration and have everyone’s thoughts in my mind, that way I don’t not include anyone’s voice, by making sure everyone is heard, their concerns even if it’s like something in their personal life, I’ll talk to them and I’ll check in with them. I also like to bring a positive attitude to work, an uplifting one because we’re all tired these past couple of weeks. If one of us or some of us can at a ten while others are maybe at a a six or a seven, then it balances everything out.
Deadline: You were working at an Equinox Health Club when you got the news that you’d been cast in & Juliet. What a ride this must have been. How do you think coming so far so quickly impacts your performance as a leader?
Courtney: I think that because of all this great press and publicity that there are certain expectations of excellence, right? Well, this is live theater. Anything can happen, particularly with my character. The reason I love my character so much – and she’s a lot like me – is that she learns there is no such thing as perfection and it’s in the imperfections that we find grace and that we learn and that we grow as human beings. That’s what I love about my job, knowing that I don’t have to carry all of the burden because it’s really not about me. It really does take every single person in our production to make this show happen every night, and every single person was specifically picked for a reason that’s so individual, even in the way that they move. We don’t all move the same.
Deadline: Let’s talk about the Max Martin songs. Did knowing these hits beforehand give you any trepidation in performing them?
Courtney: I think initially the thought came into my head that, oh my gosh, these are songs that everyone knows and everyone knows so well. There is a bit of fear associated with that if you think of it as doing a cover version, but we are not doing covers of the songs. We’re actually storytelling using the lyrics, and even though a lot of the songs are recognizable, I think because of the new orchestrations they’re a bit different than what people expect. So you might not realize what the song is until certain lyrics come up, and then some people chuckle or giggle or laugh because they’re like, Oh! I know this song. Then they really listen because they’re hearing the words in a completely different way. And that’s how I approached them as an actor. Who am I talking to with this song, what am I trying to say? And that’s how I was able to disassociate them from the fact that they’re so famous. And it works.
Deadline: So there wasn’t the pressure of thinking, Ok, I’ve got to sound like Britney Spears here.
Courtney: I could try and sound like Britney Spears if we were doing that type of, like, impersonation, you know, that type of musical, but we’re not, and there’s so much freedom in that. Not once did Max say to me, ‘You need to sound this way.’ Maybe he gave me a little, like, ‘Oh you can scoop up on this part,’ but I think that’s why they chose me – they liked all of the musical experience and background that Lorna has, which comes from gospel music, jazz, R&b, pop, and studying opera in high school and musical theater in college.
Deadline: Yes, I suppose the songs have to be recognizable for the show but at the same time you have to bring yourself to them, or what’s the point?
Courtney: Exactly.
Deadline: Speaking of bringing yourself, let’s talk about the shows you did before & Juliet. What did you learn from Dear Evan Hansen and West Side Story. Especially West Side Story, which I think was a really interesting production that should have lasted longer.
Courtney: With Dear Evan Hansen, I went into that show a week after I graduated from U Mich and I was thrown into a show that had already been set, a show that was a commercial success. The direction was very specific and particular because they knew what worked and what didn’t. So there was some room for creativity but not much. But I will say that working with a smaller cast was really amazing and you become like family, which I love.
And then on the flip side of that, there was West Side Story, a revival. We all know West Side Story, but that version completely turned everything on its head and really looked at it with a different lens, literally because they integrated film into the musical and that was the first time that I’ve ever experienced having mixed media with theater. I thought it was beautiful. I mean, it took all of the elements of why we love film, the close-ups and the things that we normally wouldn’t be able to see sitting in a large Broadway theater.
And the dance was all new choreography, and the fight scenes looked like actual fight scenes because they weren’t doing ballet. They had knives. So it was dark, but it was human, and it was beautiful. We had two months of rehearsals figuring out what to do and creating a show as if it was a workshop, but we were going to Broadway. The cast was huge, and the orchestra was huge, and it was an amazing experience.
But Mia [Pinero] – the other understudy for the role of Maria – and I were put in an uncomfortable position. I didn’t even have a dance call for the show and I was thrown in as a dancer. It was completely new to me. I had no clue what style of dance [choreographer] Anne Teresa creates, and I didn’t know how to move my body like that, so it was very challenging. I think in the end it helped push me into expanding beyond what I think I can’t do, if that makes sense.
Courtney (Credit: Matthew Murphy)
Deadline: What you think you can’t do that maybe you actually can.
Courtney: Exactly. Exactly. I can do it. And with this show, & Juliet, I mean, it is pretty impossible to do eight times a week. It’s very, very hard. Physically and of course vocally, it’s very challenging. The way I’m able to do it is when I’m not on stage I spend time working on my body and working with [movement consultant] Marcia Polas, who does craniosacral therapy and myofascial release techniques, and with Matt Farnsworth, our voice consultant for this show, to ensure that I’m keeping myself as healthy as possible. I haven’t had an injury. Yay!
Deadline: That’s really good to hear. People who are do eight shows a week, injuries are pretty common.
Courtney: After the show I get home as quickly as I can. I run a bath with Epsom salt. Heat up my prepared meals from CookUnity, and to save time I eat in the tub. Then after that I get on the ground and use different Pilates balls to release tension and reset my spine before I go to bed. Sometimes I’ll put on magnesium lotion and arnica gel. Cool down vocally. And then do it all again the next day.
Deadline: What’s the day like before you go into the show?
Courtney: It changes every day but as of late I haven’t had a day off really for the past month. Today is a Monday and I’m working. I’m doing performances whether it’s singing or interviews, which I’m happy and I’m blessed to do. I’m so blessed that this show is what it is and that people react to it the way that they do. The crowd goes wild, they absolutely love it, and they have the best time and they come back. They often message me or I’ll see them at the stage door and they’ll tell me, especially little girls, that they look up to me and are inspired. I’ll see them in the audience and that’s all that I want to do, to be there for them. I want them to be able to see themselves on stage and to see themselves as a lead and as a person of color who’s a lead.
Melanie La Barrie and Courtney (Credit: Matthew Murphy)
Deadline: And Juliet is, finally, a lead in her own story. She’s not the plus-one anymore.
Courtney: And she let’s girls see that there is no such thing as perfection. As Mel [Melanie La Barrie, who plays Juliet’s nurse] sings, ‘You’re f’ing perfect to me.” It’s okay to make mistakes and it’s okay to pick yourself up and to try again. Juliet realizes that she loves herself, and that maybe the people who you think you should love the most, when they’re not there for you, it’s okay. You have your friends. You have the people in your life that are not your biological family but are family to you. She gives so much of her heart and supports everyone in the show, and by the end when she needs the support everyone comes to her, and she’s able to rise up on that platform and sing.
Deadline: One more question then I’ll let you go. The Tonys are this Sunday. What do you plan to do that day?
Courtney: You know, I don’t even have a dress yet, I really don’t. But I’m not worried about it. I’m hopeful everything will come together. I’m taking it as an opportunity to celebrate Broadway, to celebrate my peers, and I’m really glad that it’ll be happening and that it’s happening at the United Palace theater, such a historic theater, such a beautiful venue and space. And I will be performing at the Tony Awards! Like, I could cry. I will actually be performing on the Tony Awards, and that in and of itself is it for me. I’m so glad that I’m doing it with this show and with this cast. And then we’ll just see how the rest of the night goes.
Both shows, but particularly the short-lived 2020 West Side Story – which closed due to the Covid pandemic shutdown and never re-opened – were learning experiences for Courtney, who now draws upon those earlier shows for her Tony-nominated performance as the star and title character of & Juliet. The musical, which features songs written by hit-maker Max Martin, has become one of Broadway’s most successful crowd-pleasers, routinely pulling in weekly grosses well in excess of $1 million and filling seats at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.
Deadline spoke this week to Courtney as she gears up for Sunday’s Tony Awards. She’d just taped an appearance for The View and seemed to be operating on a combination of excitement, pride and maybe a jitter or two. She spoke of & Juliet, the Tonys, West Side Story, and the responsibilities and joys of leading a Broadway production night after night.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
Lorna Courtney, ‘& Juliet’ (Credit: Matthew Murphy)
Deadline: So, congratulations. What has this week been like for you?
Lorna Courtney: This week has been challenging in the best ways and also tiring in the best ways. Today I got up at 4:30 and performed on The View, and I met Whoopi Goldberg.
Deadline: Is it just the crazed schedule that’s challenging or are there other things weighing on you?
Courtney: Because this is my first lead role I didn’t know what to expect. I knew what it took to be a leader, but I didn’t know all of the expectations and all of the press things. It’s more than just doing the eight shows a week, and that I didn’t know, and I didn’t know how it would affect my body. First and foremost, I want to be as healthy as possible so I can do my job every night.
Deadline: I thought you were going to say “First and foremost I want to sleep.”
Courtney: Well, that too.
Deadline: You said you know how to be a leader. But I’m wondering how you learned that. This is your first lead role on Broadway.
Courtney: I like to think it’s because I take everyone into consideration and have everyone’s thoughts in my mind, that way I don’t not include anyone’s voice, by making sure everyone is heard, their concerns even if it’s like something in their personal life, I’ll talk to them and I’ll check in with them. I also like to bring a positive attitude to work, an uplifting one because we’re all tired these past couple of weeks. If one of us or some of us can at a ten while others are maybe at a a six or a seven, then it balances everything out.
Deadline: You were working at an Equinox Health Club when you got the news that you’d been cast in & Juliet. What a ride this must have been. How do you think coming so far so quickly impacts your performance as a leader?
Courtney: I think that because of all this great press and publicity that there are certain expectations of excellence, right? Well, this is live theater. Anything can happen, particularly with my character. The reason I love my character so much – and she’s a lot like me – is that she learns there is no such thing as perfection and it’s in the imperfections that we find grace and that we learn and that we grow as human beings. That’s what I love about my job, knowing that I don’t have to carry all of the burden because it’s really not about me. It really does take every single person in our production to make this show happen every night, and every single person was specifically picked for a reason that’s so individual, even in the way that they move. We don’t all move the same.
Deadline: Let’s talk about the Max Martin songs. Did knowing these hits beforehand give you any trepidation in performing them?
Courtney: I think initially the thought came into my head that, oh my gosh, these are songs that everyone knows and everyone knows so well. There is a bit of fear associated with that if you think of it as doing a cover version, but we are not doing covers of the songs. We’re actually storytelling using the lyrics, and even though a lot of the songs are recognizable, I think because of the new orchestrations they’re a bit different than what people expect. So you might not realize what the song is until certain lyrics come up, and then some people chuckle or giggle or laugh because they’re like, Oh! I know this song. Then they really listen because they’re hearing the words in a completely different way. And that’s how I approached them as an actor. Who am I talking to with this song, what am I trying to say? And that’s how I was able to disassociate them from the fact that they’re so famous. And it works.
Deadline: So there wasn’t the pressure of thinking, Ok, I’ve got to sound like Britney Spears here.
Courtney: I could try and sound like Britney Spears if we were doing that type of, like, impersonation, you know, that type of musical, but we’re not, and there’s so much freedom in that. Not once did Max say to me, ‘You need to sound this way.’ Maybe he gave me a little, like, ‘Oh you can scoop up on this part,’ but I think that’s why they chose me – they liked all of the musical experience and background that Lorna has, which comes from gospel music, jazz, R&b, pop, and studying opera in high school and musical theater in college.
Deadline: Yes, I suppose the songs have to be recognizable for the show but at the same time you have to bring yourself to them, or what’s the point?
Courtney: Exactly.
Deadline: Speaking of bringing yourself, let’s talk about the shows you did before & Juliet. What did you learn from Dear Evan Hansen and West Side Story. Especially West Side Story, which I think was a really interesting production that should have lasted longer.
Courtney: With Dear Evan Hansen, I went into that show a week after I graduated from U Mich and I was thrown into a show that had already been set, a show that was a commercial success. The direction was very specific and particular because they knew what worked and what didn’t. So there was some room for creativity but not much. But I will say that working with a smaller cast was really amazing and you become like family, which I love.
And then on the flip side of that, there was West Side Story, a revival. We all know West Side Story, but that version completely turned everything on its head and really looked at it with a different lens, literally because they integrated film into the musical and that was the first time that I’ve ever experienced having mixed media with theater. I thought it was beautiful. I mean, it took all of the elements of why we love film, the close-ups and the things that we normally wouldn’t be able to see sitting in a large Broadway theater.
And the dance was all new choreography, and the fight scenes looked like actual fight scenes because they weren’t doing ballet. They had knives. So it was dark, but it was human, and it was beautiful. We had two months of rehearsals figuring out what to do and creating a show as if it was a workshop, but we were going to Broadway. The cast was huge, and the orchestra was huge, and it was an amazing experience.
But Mia [Pinero] – the other understudy for the role of Maria – and I were put in an uncomfortable position. I didn’t even have a dance call for the show and I was thrown in as a dancer. It was completely new to me. I had no clue what style of dance [choreographer] Anne Teresa creates, and I didn’t know how to move my body like that, so it was very challenging. I think in the end it helped push me into expanding beyond what I think I can’t do, if that makes sense.
Courtney (Credit: Matthew Murphy)
Deadline: What you think you can’t do that maybe you actually can.
Courtney: Exactly. Exactly. I can do it. And with this show, & Juliet, I mean, it is pretty impossible to do eight times a week. It’s very, very hard. Physically and of course vocally, it’s very challenging. The way I’m able to do it is when I’m not on stage I spend time working on my body and working with [movement consultant] Marcia Polas, who does craniosacral therapy and myofascial release techniques, and with Matt Farnsworth, our voice consultant for this show, to ensure that I’m keeping myself as healthy as possible. I haven’t had an injury. Yay!
Deadline: That’s really good to hear. People who are do eight shows a week, injuries are pretty common.
Courtney: After the show I get home as quickly as I can. I run a bath with Epsom salt. Heat up my prepared meals from CookUnity, and to save time I eat in the tub. Then after that I get on the ground and use different Pilates balls to release tension and reset my spine before I go to bed. Sometimes I’ll put on magnesium lotion and arnica gel. Cool down vocally. And then do it all again the next day.
Deadline: What’s the day like before you go into the show?
Courtney: It changes every day but as of late I haven’t had a day off really for the past month. Today is a Monday and I’m working. I’m doing performances whether it’s singing or interviews, which I’m happy and I’m blessed to do. I’m so blessed that this show is what it is and that people react to it the way that they do. The crowd goes wild, they absolutely love it, and they have the best time and they come back. They often message me or I’ll see them at the stage door and they’ll tell me, especially little girls, that they look up to me and are inspired. I’ll see them in the audience and that’s all that I want to do, to be there for them. I want them to be able to see themselves on stage and to see themselves as a lead and as a person of color who’s a lead.
Melanie La Barrie and Courtney (Credit: Matthew Murphy)
Deadline: And Juliet is, finally, a lead in her own story. She’s not the plus-one anymore.
Courtney: And she let’s girls see that there is no such thing as perfection. As Mel [Melanie La Barrie, who plays Juliet’s nurse] sings, ‘You’re f’ing perfect to me.” It’s okay to make mistakes and it’s okay to pick yourself up and to try again. Juliet realizes that she loves herself, and that maybe the people who you think you should love the most, when they’re not there for you, it’s okay. You have your friends. You have the people in your life that are not your biological family but are family to you. She gives so much of her heart and supports everyone in the show, and by the end when she needs the support everyone comes to her, and she’s able to rise up on that platform and sing.
Deadline: One more question then I’ll let you go. The Tonys are this Sunday. What do you plan to do that day?
Courtney: You know, I don’t even have a dress yet, I really don’t. But I’m not worried about it. I’m hopeful everything will come together. I’m taking it as an opportunity to celebrate Broadway, to celebrate my peers, and I’m really glad that it’ll be happening and that it’s happening at the United Palace theater, such a historic theater, such a beautiful venue and space. And I will be performing at the Tony Awards! Like, I could cry. I will actually be performing on the Tony Awards, and that in and of itself is it for me. I’m so glad that I’m doing it with this show and with this cast. And then we’ll just see how the rest of the night goes.
- 6/7/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Ambassador Theatre Group has announced an exclusive three-year partnership with the newly formed Bad Robot Live, the theatre division of J.J. Abrams’s Bad Robot Productions. As creative collaborators and co-producers, Atg will help bring to the stage Abrams’s “unique producorial vision.”
The joint development arrangement will provide Atg, a prominent player on both Broadway and London’s West End, with partnership opportunities on Bad Robot Live’s current and future theatre projects, and give Bad Robot Live the opportunity to collaborate on those projects with Atg Productions, one of the world’s leading producers of theatrical events including recent productions of Cabaret, Cyrano, Plaza Suite, David Byrne’s American Utopia, (and the previewing Broadway versions of A Doll’s House and Parade).
The first joint project under the new Atg and Bad Robot Live agreement is Liz Kingsman’s critically acclaimed solo show, One Woman Show, which recently enjoyed...
The joint development arrangement will provide Atg, a prominent player on both Broadway and London’s West End, with partnership opportunities on Bad Robot Live’s current and future theatre projects, and give Bad Robot Live the opportunity to collaborate on those projects with Atg Productions, one of the world’s leading producers of theatrical events including recent productions of Cabaret, Cyrano, Plaza Suite, David Byrne’s American Utopia, (and the previewing Broadway versions of A Doll’s House and Parade).
The first joint project under the new Atg and Bad Robot Live agreement is Liz Kingsman’s critically acclaimed solo show, One Woman Show, which recently enjoyed...
- 3/7/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
If American Idol keeps this up, we’re going to have a serious tissue shortage in this country.
The third week of Season 21 auditions wrapped by introducing viewers to 21-year-old golden child Elijah McCormick, whose mom already submitted him to audition in 2019 before a near-fatal car accident required him to relearn how to walk and talk. And, of course, sing.
More from TVLineThe Good Doctor's Hill Harper Eyes U.S. Senate Run -- Is Dr. Andrews Scrubbing Out Ahead of Potential Season 7?Grey's Anatomy Recap: Which Pairing Was Dealt a Blast From the Past?A Million Little Things Recap: Regina...
The third week of Season 21 auditions wrapped by introducing viewers to 21-year-old golden child Elijah McCormick, whose mom already submitted him to audition in 2019 before a near-fatal car accident required him to relearn how to walk and talk. And, of course, sing.
More from TVLineThe Good Doctor's Hill Harper Eyes U.S. Senate Run -- Is Dr. Andrews Scrubbing Out Ahead of Potential Season 7?Grey's Anatomy Recap: Which Pairing Was Dealt a Blast From the Past?A Million Little Things Recap: Regina...
- 3/6/2023
- by Andy Swift
- TVLine.com
In the first trailer for Hulu’s musical comedy series “Up Here,” Mae Whitman and Carlos Valdes are young New Yorkers who meet and immediately click … if only they could both silence the voices in their heads telling them they’re doing everything wrong.
The series, from “Hamilton” director/producer Thomas Kail, is written by Tony-winning playwright Steven Levenson and Danielle Sanchez-Witzel (NBC’s “The Carmichael Show”) It is set to premiere March 24 on Hulu.
Whitman, who starred in NBC’s “Good Girls” from 2018 to 2021 and “Parenthood” from 2010 to 2015. plays idealistic Lindsay. Her musical career includes guest vocals with indie band Fake Problems and singing “Gardenia” with Landon Pigg on a 2010 episode of “Parenthood.”
Valdes, who played Cisco Ramon on The CW series “The Flash,” is the equally self-doubting Miguel. He’s appeared in stage productions of “Jersey Boys,” “Once,” and “Zorba!”
“Up Here” is set in “the waning days...
The series, from “Hamilton” director/producer Thomas Kail, is written by Tony-winning playwright Steven Levenson and Danielle Sanchez-Witzel (NBC’s “The Carmichael Show”) It is set to premiere March 24 on Hulu.
Whitman, who starred in NBC’s “Good Girls” from 2018 to 2021 and “Parenthood” from 2010 to 2015. plays idealistic Lindsay. Her musical career includes guest vocals with indie band Fake Problems and singing “Gardenia” with Landon Pigg on a 2010 episode of “Parenthood.”
Valdes, who played Cisco Ramon on The CW series “The Flash,” is the equally self-doubting Miguel. He’s appeared in stage productions of “Jersey Boys,” “Once,” and “Zorba!”
“Up Here” is set in “the waning days...
- 2/28/2023
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Impossible Dream Entertainment and Double G Films have set a stacked cast for their dramatic comedy Lost & Found in Cleveland, marking the feature debut of writer-directors Marisa Guterman and Keith Gerchak. Leads for the film, currently in production in Cleveland, include Emmy and Golden Globe winner Martin Sheen (Grace and Frankie), Golden Globe nominee Dennis Haysbert (Far from Heaven), Oscar nominee June Squibb (Nebraska), Golden Globe winner Stacy Keach (Nebraska), Independent Spirit Award winner Yvette Yates Redick (Inherent Vice) and Tony Award winner Santino Fontana (Broadway’s Tootsie).
An adult drama targeted toward the audience that recently made Paramount & Fifth Season’s 80 for Brady a hit, Lost & Found in Cleveland is billed as a new American fable about the post-Industrial American Dream in the Industrial Midwest — a slice-of-life depiction over a 24-hour period that follows the personal odysseys of five very different people, whose lives intertwine when...
An adult drama targeted toward the audience that recently made Paramount & Fifth Season’s 80 for Brady a hit, Lost & Found in Cleveland is billed as a new American fable about the post-Industrial American Dream in the Industrial Midwest — a slice-of-life depiction over a 24-hour period that follows the personal odysseys of five very different people, whose lives intertwine when...
- 2/10/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
A new musical featuring the music and lyrics by Alicia Keys, and apparently based on the R&b singer-songwriter’s young life, is in development at New York’s Off Broadway Public Theater.
The production, titled Hell’s Kitchen after the Manhattan neighborhood where Keys was raised, has some high-profile names attached. According to an Actors’ Equity audition call sheet posted this week, Michael Greif is attached to direct, with a book by Kristoffer Diaz (the Public’s 2019 stage adaptation of Disney’s Hercules) and choreography by Camille A. Brown.
Though casting hasn’t been announced, most if not all of the lead roles have already been filled, including the roles of Ali, “a strong, stubborn girl with a rebellious streak” apparently based on Keys, Jersey, “Ali’s mother,...
The production, titled Hell’s Kitchen after the Manhattan neighborhood where Keys was raised, has some high-profile names attached. According to an Actors’ Equity audition call sheet posted this week, Michael Greif is attached to direct, with a book by Kristoffer Diaz (the Public’s 2019 stage adaptation of Disney’s Hercules) and choreography by Camille A. Brown.
Though casting hasn’t been announced, most if not all of the lead roles have already been filled, including the roles of Ali, “a strong, stubborn girl with a rebellious streak” apparently based on Keys, Jersey, “Ali’s mother,...
- 2/7/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
David Byrne, “This Is a Life”
Everything Everywhere All at Once
The former Talking Heads frontman, who won the best original score Oscar 35 years ago for The Last Emperor, teamed with Son Lux’s Ryan Lott (who curated Everything’s soundtrack) and the Grammy-nominated Japanese artist Mitski for this end-credits tune.
Drake,”Time”
Amsterdam
Drizzy penned the closing number of David O. Russell’s film, on which he was a producer, in collaboration with rising star Giveon Evans (who sings it), 2020 song Oscar nominee Daniel Pemberton (who also scored the film) and Grammy-winning producer Jahaan Akil Sweet.
Lady Gaga, “Hold My Hand”
Top Gun: Maverick
This Oscar’s winner for A Star Is Born’s “Shallow” is back with another power ballad — written with Michael ‘BloodPop’ Tucker — for the year’s biggest blockbuster. Already up for Critics Choice, Golden Globe and Grammy awards, Tom Cruise has called it “the heartbeat of our film.
Everything Everywhere All at Once
The former Talking Heads frontman, who won the best original score Oscar 35 years ago for The Last Emperor, teamed with Son Lux’s Ryan Lott (who curated Everything’s soundtrack) and the Grammy-nominated Japanese artist Mitski for this end-credits tune.
Drake,”Time”
Amsterdam
Drizzy penned the closing number of David O. Russell’s film, on which he was a producer, in collaboration with rising star Giveon Evans (who sings it), 2020 song Oscar nominee Daniel Pemberton (who also scored the film) and Grammy-winning producer Jahaan Akil Sweet.
Lady Gaga, “Hold My Hand”
Top Gun: Maverick
This Oscar’s winner for A Star Is Born’s “Shallow” is back with another power ballad — written with Michael ‘BloodPop’ Tucker — for the year’s biggest blockbuster. Already up for Critics Choice, Golden Globe and Grammy awards, Tom Cruise has called it “the heartbeat of our film.
- 1/15/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Julianne Moore says someone in the film industry once made an inappropriate comment about her looks in a new interview with The Times.
The actress recalls, “Someone in the film industry said to me, ‘You should try to look prettier.’ I was like, ‘I don’t know if I can.’ Obviously, ours is a business where there is some physicality involved, but beauty and prettiness are subjective,” People reports.
Moore tells the paper how growing up, her red hair made her feel like an “outsider.”
Read More: Julianne Moore, John Lithgow Are Surrounded By ‘Secrets And Lies’ In Trailer For Neo-Noir Thriller ‘Sharper’
The star continues, “Redheads are 2 of the global population. Nobody wants to feel like they’re in the minority, particularly as a young child.”
She adds, “Now, I feel very identified with my hair and freckles, but there’s still a part of me that would rather be a tanned blonde.
The actress recalls, “Someone in the film industry said to me, ‘You should try to look prettier.’ I was like, ‘I don’t know if I can.’ Obviously, ours is a business where there is some physicality involved, but beauty and prettiness are subjective,” People reports.
Moore tells the paper how growing up, her red hair made her feel like an “outsider.”
Read More: Julianne Moore, John Lithgow Are Surrounded By ‘Secrets And Lies’ In Trailer For Neo-Noir Thriller ‘Sharper’
The star continues, “Redheads are 2 of the global population. Nobody wants to feel like they’re in the minority, particularly as a young child.”
She adds, “Now, I feel very identified with my hair and freckles, but there’s still a part of me that would rather be a tanned blonde.
- 1/12/2023
- by Becca Longmire
- ET Canada
Parade, the Jason Robert Brown-Alfred Uhry musical revived at New York City Center in November starring Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond will move to Broadway, following the successful recent path of City Center’s Into The Woods.
The limited engagement, revealed in a tweet this morning, will begin Feb. 21 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, with an expected closing date set for August 6. Opening date will be March 16.
The move to Broadway of the well-reviewed Off Broadway production has been speculated for weeks, and was announced in a tweet this morning and confirmed by producers Seaview and Ambassador Theatre Group. Platt and Diamond also discussed the Broadway move on Morning Joe today.
Real Big News: Parade, starring Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond, is headed to Broadway this spring. Tickets on sale now: https://t.co/wvkZWzKH1g pic.twitter.com/f9L1uuaBdS
— Parade on Broadway (@paradebway) January 10, 2023
Inspired by historical events,...
The limited engagement, revealed in a tweet this morning, will begin Feb. 21 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, with an expected closing date set for August 6. Opening date will be March 16.
The move to Broadway of the well-reviewed Off Broadway production has been speculated for weeks, and was announced in a tweet this morning and confirmed by producers Seaview and Ambassador Theatre Group. Platt and Diamond also discussed the Broadway move on Morning Joe today.
Real Big News: Parade, starring Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond, is headed to Broadway this spring. Tickets on sale now: https://t.co/wvkZWzKH1g pic.twitter.com/f9L1uuaBdS
— Parade on Broadway (@paradebway) January 10, 2023
Inspired by historical events,...
- 1/10/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
After a whirlwind Broadway run, which involved getting handed a closing notice, seeing a ticket resurgence and then re-emerging at a different theater two years later, Beetlejuice is moving on to its afterlife.
The musical, based on the 1988 Warner Bros. Film, will close at Broadway’s Marriott Marquis Theatre on Jan. 8 after a nine-month run and then continue on its recently launched national tour, as well as upcoming international productions in Brazil and Japan. It’s one of many shows now contending with a different Broadway environment and one that has been testing out the changed waters for movie musicals.
The show has an unconventional Broadway trajectory: The musical began previews at Broadway’s Winter Garden Theatre in March 2019 and initially saw weeks of low grosses, until a creative Tony Awards performance served as a catalyst, alongside growing fan support and a robust TikTok presence, and helped lead the musical to break box office records.
The musical, based on the 1988 Warner Bros. Film, will close at Broadway’s Marriott Marquis Theatre on Jan. 8 after a nine-month run and then continue on its recently launched national tour, as well as upcoming international productions in Brazil and Japan. It’s one of many shows now contending with a different Broadway environment and one that has been testing out the changed waters for movie musicals.
The show has an unconventional Broadway trajectory: The musical began previews at Broadway’s Winter Garden Theatre in March 2019 and initially saw weeks of low grosses, until a creative Tony Awards performance served as a catalyst, alongside growing fan support and a robust TikTok presence, and helped lead the musical to break box office records.
- 1/6/2023
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A follow-up to 2007’s charming fish-out-of-water musical fantasy can’t quite recapture the magic
Two years after Amy Adams broke out and secured an Oscar nomination for her dizzy, disarming turn in modest indie Junebug, she found a way to smartly parlay that same wide-eyed ebullience to a much grander stage. The Disney caper Enchanted was a canny, crowd-pleasing charmer that stood as proof of Adams’s warm movie star appeal while also managing to stand out in a busy post-Shrek crowd of progressively grating fairytale meta snark.
The sequel, Disenchanted, is landing on Disney+ rather than in cinemas suggesting, yes, ongoing corporate greed, but also an understandable wariness over how a 15-year gap might have affected audience interest. As well-received as the film was back at the time (a 340m global gross and a 93 positive rating from critics), it’s not something that’s necessarily had a visible cultural...
Two years after Amy Adams broke out and secured an Oscar nomination for her dizzy, disarming turn in modest indie Junebug, she found a way to smartly parlay that same wide-eyed ebullience to a much grander stage. The Disney caper Enchanted was a canny, crowd-pleasing charmer that stood as proof of Adams’s warm movie star appeal while also managing to stand out in a busy post-Shrek crowd of progressively grating fairytale meta snark.
The sequel, Disenchanted, is landing on Disney+ rather than in cinemas suggesting, yes, ongoing corporate greed, but also an understandable wariness over how a 15-year gap might have affected audience interest. As well-received as the film was back at the time (a 340m global gross and a 93 positive rating from critics), it’s not something that’s necessarily had a visible cultural...
- 11/18/2022
- by Benjamin Lee
- The Guardian - Film News
Like a too-generous parent on Christmas morning, “Spirited” keeps doling out the shiny presents long after the recipients are sated. But if there’s a genre that begs to be maximalist, it’s a musical comedy with its roots in Charles Dickens; it’s not so much whether or not you like what “Spirited” has to offer but how much of it you can take in one sitting.
The whole “one sitting” concept may be an outdated one, since this is a film that’s going to live its life (and its Christmases Yet to Come) on Apple TV+, where there’s always a pause button. But viewers who can see “Spirited” projected on the big screen absolutely should, if only to fully appreciate the splashy (sometimes in a literal sense) choreography from Chloe Arnold, one of the film’s true MVPs.
Not that the marquee names are slacking — the...
The whole “one sitting” concept may be an outdated one, since this is a film that’s going to live its life (and its Christmases Yet to Come) on Apple TV+, where there’s always a pause button. But viewers who can see “Spirited” projected on the big screen absolutely should, if only to fully appreciate the splashy (sometimes in a literal sense) choreography from Chloe Arnold, one of the film’s true MVPs.
Not that the marquee names are slacking — the...
- 11/17/2022
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
Click here to read the full article.
Will Ferrell’s signature comedy style is halfway between obnoxious and endearing, a naïve man-child whose excitable energy is matched by his fearless disregard for dignity. Anyone who’s been missing that persona should find something to enjoy in Spirited, Ferrell’s bid to headline another holiday perennial to sit alongside Elf. His delivery remains inspired and his chemistry with Ryan Reynolds, playing the smarmy Scrooge figure in this busy 21st-century riff on A Christmas Carol, has lots of fizz, even if a supposed romance with Octavia Spencer’s character doesn’t. But is the movie any good?
That will depend on how closely you identify with the delicious disdain of Patrick Page as the chain-rattling Jacob Marley, upholder of the Dickensian tradition, who rolls his eyes and begs for a reprieve almost every time someone bursts into song. Because, yes, it’s a musical.
Will Ferrell’s signature comedy style is halfway between obnoxious and endearing, a naïve man-child whose excitable energy is matched by his fearless disregard for dignity. Anyone who’s been missing that persona should find something to enjoy in Spirited, Ferrell’s bid to headline another holiday perennial to sit alongside Elf. His delivery remains inspired and his chemistry with Ryan Reynolds, playing the smarmy Scrooge figure in this busy 21st-century riff on A Christmas Carol, has lots of fizz, even if a supposed romance with Octavia Spencer’s character doesn’t. But is the movie any good?
That will depend on how closely you identify with the delicious disdain of Patrick Page as the chain-rattling Jacob Marley, upholder of the Dickensian tradition, who rolls his eyes and begs for a reprieve almost every time someone bursts into song. Because, yes, it’s a musical.
- 11/9/2022
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As production begins in the U.K. on the upcoming Star Wars spinoff The Acolyte, Disney+ has officially announced the cast for the highly-anticipated sci-fi series, including Squid Game lead Lee Jung-jae and His Dark Materials star Dafne Keen. Keen and Jung-jae join the previously announced Amandla Stenberg (Dear Evan Hansen), alongside fellow new additions Manny Jacinto (The Good Place), Jodie Turner-Smith (White Noise), Rebecca Henderson (Sex Appeal), Charlie Barnett (Russian Doll), Dean-Charles Chapman (1917), and Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix Resurrections). Created by Leslye Headland (Russian Doll), The Acolyte is a mystery-thriller that takes viewers into a galaxy of shadowy secrets and emerging dark-side powers in the final days of the High Republic era. It follows a former Padawan who reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes; however, the forces they face are more sinister than they ever anticipated. Headland serves as showrunner and executive producer on...
- 11/7/2022
- TV Insider
The Ghost of Christmas Present is putting a modern twist on a beloved tale of holidays past.
Apple Original film “Spirited” stars Will Ferrell as the Ghost of Christmas Present who selects grumpy corporate executive Clint Briggs (Ryan Reynolds) as his newest project. However, Clint soon flips the script on the Christmas spirit and instead visits the spirit’s past, present, and future.
Inspired by Charles Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol,” the musical film also stars Octavia Spencer, Sunita Mani, Patrick Page, Joe Tippett, Marlow Barkley, and Jen Tullock. “Daddy’s Home” helmer Sean Anders directs from a script he co-wrote the script John Morris.
“Spirited” features original songs penned by “Dear Evan Hansen” and “La La Land” Oscar and Tony Award winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
“The rumors stop here. Will and I did Not lip sync our dancing in ‘Spirited,'” Reynolds joked in a teaser video he recently tweeted,...
Apple Original film “Spirited” stars Will Ferrell as the Ghost of Christmas Present who selects grumpy corporate executive Clint Briggs (Ryan Reynolds) as his newest project. However, Clint soon flips the script on the Christmas spirit and instead visits the spirit’s past, present, and future.
Inspired by Charles Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol,” the musical film also stars Octavia Spencer, Sunita Mani, Patrick Page, Joe Tippett, Marlow Barkley, and Jen Tullock. “Daddy’s Home” helmer Sean Anders directs from a script he co-wrote the script John Morris.
“Spirited” features original songs penned by “Dear Evan Hansen” and “La La Land” Oscar and Tony Award winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
“The rumors stop here. Will and I did Not lip sync our dancing in ‘Spirited,'” Reynolds joked in a teaser video he recently tweeted,...
- 11/2/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
In certain years, we see actors constantly. But perhaps because of the pandemic, some actors took a bit of a pause and hung out with family instead. This seems to be the case with six-time Oscar-nominated Amy Adams, who we haven’t really seen on screen since 2021, roles she all shot in 2020 at least.
Continue reading ‘Disenchanted’ Trailer: Amy Adams Returns To A Fairy Tale Classic With A Wicked Twist at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Disenchanted’ Trailer: Amy Adams Returns To A Fairy Tale Classic With A Wicked Twist at The Playlist.
- 11/1/2022
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
Ben Platt is calling out the criticisms of the “Dear Evan Hansen” movie.
The 2021 film, which starred a then-27 year old Platt as a high school student, received immediate backlash for the odd makeup choices to de-age the “Pitch Perfect” actor. Vulture compared the film to the age-bending “The Orphan” horror movie, while IndieWire’s coverage likened Platt’s looks to that of a “serial killer” and the D-rated review drew attention to the “cascade of glaring distractions that continuously point out the artificiality of the genre.”
Now, Platt is addressing the hit-musical-turned-movie box office flop heard ’round Broadway.
“It was definitely a disappointing experience and difficult,” Platt told The New York Times. “It definitely opened my eyes to the Internet and how horrific it can be.”
Platt added, “You’d think, after doing ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ onstage for four years, I would have already known that. I try my...
The 2021 film, which starred a then-27 year old Platt as a high school student, received immediate backlash for the odd makeup choices to de-age the “Pitch Perfect” actor. Vulture compared the film to the age-bending “The Orphan” horror movie, while IndieWire’s coverage likened Platt’s looks to that of a “serial killer” and the D-rated review drew attention to the “cascade of glaring distractions that continuously point out the artificiality of the genre.”
Now, Platt is addressing the hit-musical-turned-movie box office flop heard ’round Broadway.
“It was definitely a disappointing experience and difficult,” Platt told The New York Times. “It definitely opened my eyes to the Internet and how horrific it can be.”
Platt added, “You’d think, after doing ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ onstage for four years, I would have already known that. I try my...
- 11/1/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Social media and the rest of the internet can be a really difficult thing for a teenager to deal with. It can be even harder for an almost 30-year-old playing a teenager on screen. When Ben Platt started playing the role of Evan Hansen in the Broadway musical, Dear Evan Hansen, back in 2015, he was in his early 20s. For adult actors portraying teenagers, that is already pushing what you can pass for unless you’re a Michael J. Fox or a Ralph Macchio. Once the film adaptation came around, he was in his late 20s.
Ben Platt opens up in a report from The Hollywood Reporter about his experience with the film being difficult as they tried to adapt the Tony Award-winning musical into a movie to a disastrous degree. Platt explains,
It was definitely a disappointing experience and difficult, and it definitely opened my eyes to the internet...
Ben Platt opens up in a report from The Hollywood Reporter about his experience with the film being difficult as they tried to adapt the Tony Award-winning musical into a movie to a disastrous degree. Platt explains,
It was definitely a disappointing experience and difficult, and it definitely opened my eyes to the internet...
- 11/1/2022
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
Actor says the mockery which greeted his performance on screen playing a teenager as a 27-year-old was ‘a disappointing experience, and difficult’
Ben Platt, who won a Tony award for his role as depressed teenager Evan Hansen on Broadway but was mocked for also taking on the part in last year’s big screen transfer, has said he found the movie’s reception “disappointing”.
In a new interview with the New York Times, Platt said: “It was definitely a disappointing experience, and difficult, and it definitely opened my eyes to the internet and how horrific it can be.”...
Ben Platt, who won a Tony award for his role as depressed teenager Evan Hansen on Broadway but was mocked for also taking on the part in last year’s big screen transfer, has said he found the movie’s reception “disappointing”.
In a new interview with the New York Times, Platt said: “It was definitely a disappointing experience, and difficult, and it definitely opened my eyes to the internet and how horrific it can be.”...
- 11/1/2022
- by Catherine Shoard
- The Guardian - Film News
Ben Platt has reflected on the trolling he experienced after last year’s film adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen.
The actor may have won a Best Actor prize at the Tony Awards for his performance as high school student Evan Hansen in the Broadway musical, but the film adaptation was not so well received.
Before it even came out, the film’s trailer was ridiculed on social media, with many pointing out that Platt, then 27, was too old to play teenager. In May 2021, the actor responded on Twitter, calling out “randos being jerks about age”.
The film has a 29 per cent rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, and The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey gave the film two stars in her review, writing that it was “one giant gamble that’s quite disastrously failed to pay off”.
In a new interview with The New York Times, Platt, 29, said: “It was definitely a disappointing experience,...
The actor may have won a Best Actor prize at the Tony Awards for his performance as high school student Evan Hansen in the Broadway musical, but the film adaptation was not so well received.
Before it even came out, the film’s trailer was ridiculed on social media, with many pointing out that Platt, then 27, was too old to play teenager. In May 2021, the actor responded on Twitter, calling out “randos being jerks about age”.
The film has a 29 per cent rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, and The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey gave the film two stars in her review, writing that it was “one giant gamble that’s quite disastrously failed to pay off”.
In a new interview with The New York Times, Platt, 29, said: “It was definitely a disappointing experience,...
- 11/1/2022
- by Ellie Harrison
- The Independent - Film
Click here to read the full article.
Ben Platt is opening up about dealing with the social media backlash to last year’s film adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen.
During an interview with The New York Times that published online Monday, the actor said he felt “really grateful” for his time spent playing the title role in the Broadway production of the musical that made him a star. However, he also said it was difficult to deal with negative response to the movie version of the same name, released by Universal Pictures in September 2021.
“It was definitely a disappointing experience, and difficult, and it definitely opened my eyes to the internet and how horrific it can be,” Platt said. “You’d think, after doing Dear Evan Hansen onstage for four years, I would have already known that.”
He continued, “I try my best to focus on people who tell me...
Ben Platt is opening up about dealing with the social media backlash to last year’s film adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen.
During an interview with The New York Times that published online Monday, the actor said he felt “really grateful” for his time spent playing the title role in the Broadway production of the musical that made him a star. However, he also said it was difficult to deal with negative response to the movie version of the same name, released by Universal Pictures in September 2021.
“It was definitely a disappointing experience, and difficult, and it definitely opened my eyes to the internet and how horrific it can be,” Platt said. “You’d think, after doing Dear Evan Hansen onstage for four years, I would have already known that.”
He continued, “I try my best to focus on people who tell me...
- 11/1/2022
- by Ryan Gajewski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Director Bill Oliver has rounded out the cast for his drama Our Son, with Andrew Rannells (Girls5eva), Robin Weigert (American Horror Story) and Kate Burton (Inventing Anna) signing on for roles, along with Phylicia Rashad (This Is Us), Cassandra Freeman (Bel-Air) and Isaac Powell (Dear Evan Hansen).
The recently-wrapped film starring Luke Evans and Billy Porter will follow a divorcing couple fighting for custody of their eight-year-old son. Oliver and Peter Nickowitz wrote the script, with Fernando Loureiro (Frances Ha) and Guilherme Coelho (Fala Tu) producing via their company Tigresa, along with Eric Binns (Lansky), Jennifer 8. Lee (The Price) and Christopher Lin. Alex Peace-Power is serving as co-producer, with CAA Media Finance representing the film’s distribution rights.
Rannells is a Grammy winner and Tony Award nominee whose recent credits include Peacock’s Girls5eva and Showtime’s Black Monday, along with such films as The Boys in the Band and The Prom.
The recently-wrapped film starring Luke Evans and Billy Porter will follow a divorcing couple fighting for custody of their eight-year-old son. Oliver and Peter Nickowitz wrote the script, with Fernando Loureiro (Frances Ha) and Guilherme Coelho (Fala Tu) producing via their company Tigresa, along with Eric Binns (Lansky), Jennifer 8. Lee (The Price) and Christopher Lin. Alex Peace-Power is serving as co-producer, with CAA Media Finance representing the film’s distribution rights.
Rannells is a Grammy winner and Tony Award nominee whose recent credits include Peacock’s Girls5eva and Showtime’s Black Monday, along with such films as The Boys in the Band and The Prom.
- 8/10/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Broadway’s heavy hitters withstood New York’s heatwave last week, with Mj, Dear Evan Hansen and Hamilton selling out and Hadestown, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Into The Woods, Moulin Rouge!, Six, The Book of Mormon, The Lion King and The Music Man coming very close.
In all, the 23 Broadway productions took in 27,682,655 during the week ending August 7, down about 6 from the previous week’s 24-show roster. Attendance of 212,341 was down about 5 from the previous week.
Among the sell-outs, Mj set another house record at the Neil Simon Theatre – the show’s fourth – with a gross of 1,746,901. Dear Evan Hansen took in 915,655, and Hamilton grossed 2,219,057.
Filling at least 90 of their seats were Aladdin, Hadestown, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Into The Woods (at 99 of capacity), Moulin Rouge!, Six (also at 99), The Book of Mormon, The Lion King, The Music Man and Wicked.
In all, the 23 Broadway productions took in 27,682,655 during the week ending August 7, down about 6 from the previous week’s 24-show roster. Attendance of 212,341 was down about 5 from the previous week.
Among the sell-outs, Mj set another house record at the Neil Simon Theatre – the show’s fourth – with a gross of 1,746,901. Dear Evan Hansen took in 915,655, and Hamilton grossed 2,219,057.
Filling at least 90 of their seats were Aladdin, Hadestown, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Into The Woods (at 99 of capacity), Moulin Rouge!, Six (also at 99), The Book of Mormon, The Lion King, The Music Man and Wicked.
- 8/9/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Broadway box office held steady last week, with most productions keeping pace, for better or worse, with their recent trends. In all, the 25 shows took in a total 29,531,601 for the week ending July 24, up about 2 from the previous week.
Total attendance was 224,884, not much difference from the previous week.
Some notable figures:
Company, in its final weeks before a July 31 closing, grossed a hefty 1,014,883, filling 99 of its seats. Into The Woods, currently scheduled to end its limited engagement on August 21 but widely expected to get an extension, continued along its merry way with a big take of 1,890,615 and 98 of seats occupied. Mj was at 100 of capacity, grossing 1,525,812 for seven performances. The Kite Runner, which opened to very mixed reviews on July 21, grossed 277,621, a drop of 53,890 from the previous week attributable in part to press and opening night comps. Attendance was at 87 of capacity. Funny Girl filled 72 of its seats, grossing 799,725. In its final week,...
Total attendance was 224,884, not much difference from the previous week.
Some notable figures:
Company, in its final weeks before a July 31 closing, grossed a hefty 1,014,883, filling 99 of its seats. Into The Woods, currently scheduled to end its limited engagement on August 21 but widely expected to get an extension, continued along its merry way with a big take of 1,890,615 and 98 of seats occupied. Mj was at 100 of capacity, grossing 1,525,812 for seven performances. The Kite Runner, which opened to very mixed reviews on July 21, grossed 277,621, a drop of 53,890 from the previous week attributable in part to press and opening night comps. Attendance was at 87 of capacity. Funny Girl filled 72 of its seats, grossing 799,725. In its final week,...
- 7/26/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s a tale (almost) as old as time: You just finished watching a show you couldn’t get enough of, and you want to watch something in the same vein instead of just rewatching Outlander for the seventh time. (Just me?) Well, look no further. From movie musicals to dark comedies and sci-fi, we’ve broken down three streaming movies/shows you may have enjoyed paired with what you should watch next, with all of the recommendations premiering at the end of July. Check out the breakdown, below, and enjoy your next streaming favs. If you liked: Dear Evan Hansen on HBO You may like: Not Okay on Hulu This film plays like more of a satire as a young woman (Zoey Deutch) fakes an Instagram-ready trip to Paris for some social media attention and gets that and more when a tragedy occurs at the exact place and time she was “there.
- 7/24/2022
- TV Insider
Click here to read the full article.
Mr. Saturday Night’s Broadway run is coming to a close.
The Tony-nominated stage show co-written by and starring Billy Crystal will end its run at the Nederlander Theatre on Sept. 4. The show originally opened March 31 after a limited engagement at the Barrington Stage in October 2021.
“Bringing Mr. Saturday Night to the Broadway stage and experiencing the laughter and tears this show generates has truly been one of the high points of my career,” said Billy Crystal in a statement Sunday. “It has been a joyous experience to make my musical comedy debut at the age of 74, and I thank everyone involved.”
Crystal went on to celebrate his co-writers Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, director John Rando, the show’s composer and lyricist Jason Robert Brown and Amanda Green, music director David O, vocal coach David Stroud, choreographer Ellenore Scott, Scott Pask and...
Mr. Saturday Night’s Broadway run is coming to a close.
The Tony-nominated stage show co-written by and starring Billy Crystal will end its run at the Nederlander Theatre on Sept. 4. The show originally opened March 31 after a limited engagement at the Barrington Stage in October 2021.
“Bringing Mr. Saturday Night to the Broadway stage and experiencing the laughter and tears this show generates has truly been one of the high points of my career,” said Billy Crystal in a statement Sunday. “It has been a joyous experience to make my musical comedy debut at the age of 74, and I thank everyone involved.”
Crystal went on to celebrate his co-writers Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, director John Rando, the show’s composer and lyricist Jason Robert Brown and Amanda Green, music director David O, vocal coach David Stroud, choreographer Ellenore Scott, Scott Pask and...
- 7/17/2022
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Over a decade later and “The Orphan” has been adopted for a prequel.
The 2009 horror film starred Isabelle Fuhrman as the titular sociopathic orphan Leena, who set out to torture a family and seduce her adoptive father after escaping an orphanage. While everyone thought Leena was nine years old, it turned out she was secretly a 33-year-old woman with a medical condition that made her look like a child. And yes, the movie is as amazing as it sounds.
Now, Leena finally gets her origin story thanks to the upcoming prequel film “Orphan: First Kill.” It’s directed by William Brent Bell (“The Boy”) from a script by David Coggeshall. The film hits theaters, digital, and streaming on Paramount+ on August 19.
“First Kill” returns its focus to Leena, with original actress Fuhrman reprising her role. “Following an escape from an Estonian psychiatric facility, Leena comes to America by impersonating the...
The 2009 horror film starred Isabelle Fuhrman as the titular sociopathic orphan Leena, who set out to torture a family and seduce her adoptive father after escaping an orphanage. While everyone thought Leena was nine years old, it turned out she was secretly a 33-year-old woman with a medical condition that made her look like a child. And yes, the movie is as amazing as it sounds.
Now, Leena finally gets her origin story thanks to the upcoming prequel film “Orphan: First Kill.” It’s directed by William Brent Bell (“The Boy”) from a script by David Coggeshall. The film hits theaters, digital, and streaming on Paramount+ on August 19.
“First Kill” returns its focus to Leena, with original actress Fuhrman reprising her role. “Following an escape from an Estonian psychiatric facility, Leena comes to America by impersonating the...
- 7/13/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Broadway box office held steady last week, with total grosses of 30,789,627 showing a 4 increase over the previous week even with two fewer shows on the boards. Of particular note, A Strange Loop and Mj have held on to their post-Tony Award strength: Both productions were among the roster’s full houses.
A Strange Loop, which won the Tony for Best Musical, broke the Lyceum Theatre box office house record for a standard 8-performance week, taking 860,496 for the week ending June 26, a 15,183 bump over the stellar previous week.
Mj pocketed 1,681,671, a 20,693 jump and setting a new house record at the Neil Simon Theatre for an eight-performance week.
See What Shows Are About To Close
Other strong performers of the week were Six, playing a seven-performance week due to one non-Covid cancelation and still grossing 1,200,308 (attendance was at 100.3 of capacity), and The Music Man, with Hugh Jackman back from his Covid quarantine...
A Strange Loop, which won the Tony for Best Musical, broke the Lyceum Theatre box office house record for a standard 8-performance week, taking 860,496 for the week ending June 26, a 15,183 bump over the stellar previous week.
Mj pocketed 1,681,671, a 20,693 jump and setting a new house record at the Neil Simon Theatre for an eight-performance week.
See What Shows Are About To Close
Other strong performers of the week were Six, playing a seven-performance week due to one non-Covid cancelation and still grossing 1,200,308 (attendance was at 100.3 of capacity), and The Music Man, with Hugh Jackman back from his Covid quarantine...
- 6/28/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: The Jewish non-profit Reboot has launched its own production company Reboot Studios, which will provide seed funding for and develop Jewish content across theater, television, film, podcasts, music and publishing.
The new banner stems from Reboot’s past successes funding projects across all media, including Saturday Night Seder, with Jason Alexander, Billy Porter, Henry Winkler, Pamela Adlon, Cynthia Erivo and more. That virtual Passover production was put on as a means of bolstering the CDC Foundation’s Coronavirus Emergency Response Fund in the early days of the pandemic, and would ultimately raise more than 2.9M.
Reboot Studios’ advisory board, comprised of distinguished industry leaders and creators who will be actively shepherding and guiding projects, includes Showtime’s EVP of Scripted Programming, Amy Israel; Oscar, Grammy, Tony, and Golden Globe Award-winning songwriter Benj Pasek (Dear Evan Hansen); Searchlight Pictures President David Greenbaum; Amblin Partners’ President of Production Jeb Brody; Tony...
The new banner stems from Reboot’s past successes funding projects across all media, including Saturday Night Seder, with Jason Alexander, Billy Porter, Henry Winkler, Pamela Adlon, Cynthia Erivo and more. That virtual Passover production was put on as a means of bolstering the CDC Foundation’s Coronavirus Emergency Response Fund in the early days of the pandemic, and would ultimately raise more than 2.9M.
Reboot Studios’ advisory board, comprised of distinguished industry leaders and creators who will be actively shepherding and guiding projects, includes Showtime’s EVP of Scripted Programming, Amy Israel; Oscar, Grammy, Tony, and Golden Globe Award-winning songwriter Benj Pasek (Dear Evan Hansen); Searchlight Pictures President David Greenbaum; Amblin Partners’ President of Production Jeb Brody; Tony...
- 6/28/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
The television landscape is so sprawling and, especially these days, full of A-list actors. The rise of prestige television has given fans shows where some of our favorite movie stars are transitioning from the silver screen to the small screen. But that’s no reason to discount the up-and-coming actors that have made their mark with one specific performance.
We’re looking at eight performances that broke through the sheer abundance of TV and made us take notice. These actors didn’t just give great performances, but gave us characters who went into our hearts and transformed their respective shows into something special.
In no order, below are the 8 best breakthrough performances of 2022, so far:
1. Iman Vellani (“Ms. Marvel”)
Iman Vellani may have dressed up as Ms. Marvel for Halloween, but no amount of costumed shenanigans prepares an actor for the role of a lifetime — the role she was born to play.
We’re looking at eight performances that broke through the sheer abundance of TV and made us take notice. These actors didn’t just give great performances, but gave us characters who went into our hearts and transformed their respective shows into something special.
In no order, below are the 8 best breakthrough performances of 2022, so far:
1. Iman Vellani (“Ms. Marvel”)
Iman Vellani may have dressed up as Ms. Marvel for Halloween, but no amount of costumed shenanigans prepares an actor for the role of a lifetime — the role she was born to play.
- 6/28/2022
- by Kristen Lopez
- Indiewire
Mary Mara, a character actress known for her extensive resume of guest-starring roles on shows like “E.R.,” “Shameless,” and “Law & Order,” died Sunday, her manager Craig Dorfman confirmed to TheWrap. She was 61.
The New York State Police announced in a press release that Mara died by possible drowning in Cape Vincent, New York. After receiving a call Sunday morning at 8:10 a.m., Cape Vincent Fire and Ambulance recovered her body from the St. Lawrence River. According to initial reports, there were no signs of foul play. An autopsy is being conducted at the Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s Office as part of an ongoing investigation into her death.
“Mary was one of the finest actresses I ever met,” Dorfman said in a statement. “I still remember seeing her onstage in 1992 in ‘Mad Forest’ Off-Broadway. She was electric, funny, and a true individual. Everyone loved her. She will be missed.
The New York State Police announced in a press release that Mara died by possible drowning in Cape Vincent, New York. After receiving a call Sunday morning at 8:10 a.m., Cape Vincent Fire and Ambulance recovered her body from the St. Lawrence River. According to initial reports, there were no signs of foul play. An autopsy is being conducted at the Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s Office as part of an ongoing investigation into her death.
“Mary was one of the finest actresses I ever met,” Dorfman said in a statement. “I still remember seeing her onstage in 1992 in ‘Mad Forest’ Off-Broadway. She was electric, funny, and a true individual. Everyone loved her. She will be missed.
- 6/28/2022
- by Harper Lambert
- The Wrap
Click here to read the full article.
Carlos Valdes is returning to his musical theater background.
The Flash alum has been tapped to star opposite Mae Whitman (Good Girls, Parenthood) in Hulu’s original musical Up Here. The casting marks a return to musicals for Valdes, who made his Broadway debut in 2013 in the Tony-winning Once.
Up Here is described as a musical romantic comedy that is set in New York City in the waning days of 1999. It follows one couple as they fall in love and discover that the single greatest obstacle to finding happiness together might just be themselves — and the treacherous world of memories, obsessions, fears and fantasies that lives inside their heads.
Valdes will play Miguel, who is described as sensitive and thoughtful with an artistic sensibility and romantic streak. The character has always struggled with the feeling that he doesn’t quite belong but after a cataclysmic break-up,...
Carlos Valdes is returning to his musical theater background.
The Flash alum has been tapped to star opposite Mae Whitman (Good Girls, Parenthood) in Hulu’s original musical Up Here. The casting marks a return to musicals for Valdes, who made his Broadway debut in 2013 in the Tony-winning Once.
Up Here is described as a musical romantic comedy that is set in New York City in the waning days of 1999. It follows one couple as they fall in love and discover that the single greatest obstacle to finding happiness together might just be themselves — and the treacherous world of memories, obsessions, fears and fantasies that lives inside their heads.
Valdes will play Miguel, who is described as sensitive and thoughtful with an artistic sensibility and romantic streak. The character has always struggled with the feeling that he doesn’t quite belong but after a cataclysmic break-up,...
- 6/13/2022
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Image Source: Getty / Gregg DeGuire / Stringer
Jordan Fisher from "To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You" just announced that he and his wife, Ellie Woods, have welcomed their first child, Riley William Fisher. The pair made the announcement via a joint Instagram post, along with a caption that read, "what a journey this has been. we're so incredibly blessed to finally meet our first born. riley william fisher - june 7… at 4:20pm."
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Jordan Fisher (@jordanfisher)
The pair announced on Instagram last December that they were expecting their first child, sharing a video of Fisher finding out the news. They were married in November 2020 in a private ceremony at Disney World.
Jordan Fisher is a singer, actor, and dancer known for winning Season 25 of "Dancing With the Stars" in 2017 alongside Lindsay Arnold. He played John Laurens/Philip Hamilton...
Jordan Fisher from "To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You" just announced that he and his wife, Ellie Woods, have welcomed their first child, Riley William Fisher. The pair made the announcement via a joint Instagram post, along with a caption that read, "what a journey this has been. we're so incredibly blessed to finally meet our first born. riley william fisher - june 7… at 4:20pm."
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Jordan Fisher (@jordanfisher)
The pair announced on Instagram last December that they were expecting their first child, sharing a video of Fisher finding out the news. They were married in November 2020 in a private ceremony at Disney World.
Jordan Fisher is a singer, actor, and dancer known for winning Season 25 of "Dancing With the Stars" in 2017 alongside Lindsay Arnold. He played John Laurens/Philip Hamilton...
- 6/10/2022
- by Eden Arielle Gordon
- Popsugar.com
Click here to read the full article.
Dear Evan Hansen actor Ben Platt, Booksmart actor Noah Galvin, actress Molly Gordon and filmmaker Nick Lieberman are set to star in the comedy Theater Camp, based on their 2020 short film of the same name.
Picturestart and Topic will finance the film, with the companies producing alongside Will Ferrell and Jessica Elbaum’s Gloria Sanchez Productions.
The film “follows the eccentric staff of a rundown theater camp in upstate New York who must band together with the beloved founder’s bro-y son to keep the camp afloat when she falls into a coma right before the summer session is set to begin.”
Platt, Galvin, Gordon and Lieberman wrote the screenplay, with Gordon and Lieberman making their directorial debut on the film. Galvin, Gordon, Lieberman, Platt, and Mark Sonnenblick are behind the original music for the film.
Amy Sedaris, Patti Harrison, Owen Thiele, Jimmy Tatro,...
Dear Evan Hansen actor Ben Platt, Booksmart actor Noah Galvin, actress Molly Gordon and filmmaker Nick Lieberman are set to star in the comedy Theater Camp, based on their 2020 short film of the same name.
Picturestart and Topic will finance the film, with the companies producing alongside Will Ferrell and Jessica Elbaum’s Gloria Sanchez Productions.
The film “follows the eccentric staff of a rundown theater camp in upstate New York who must band together with the beloved founder’s bro-y son to keep the camp afloat when she falls into a coma right before the summer session is set to begin.”
Platt, Galvin, Gordon and Lieberman wrote the screenplay, with Gordon and Lieberman making their directorial debut on the film. Galvin, Gordon, Lieberman, Platt, and Mark Sonnenblick are behind the original music for the film.
Amy Sedaris, Patti Harrison, Owen Thiele, Jimmy Tatro,...
- 6/9/2022
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sza is marking the fifth anniversary of Ctrl by dropping a deluxe edition of her impressive 2017 debut studio album. The set includes seven new songs.
As she indicated in a tweet about the record, the new tracks were “made in 2014-2016/17,” when she was culling her debut, including an alternate version of “Love Galore” featuring Travis Scott. It also includes the songs “2Am,” “Miles,” “Percolator,” “Tread Carefully,” “Awkward,” and “Jodie.”
Everything made in 2014-2016 /17… not new lol to be absolutely clear .
— Sza (@sza) June 9, 2022
Ctrl earned Sza several nominations at the 2018 Grammy Awards,...
As she indicated in a tweet about the record, the new tracks were “made in 2014-2016/17,” when she was culling her debut, including an alternate version of “Love Galore” featuring Travis Scott. It also includes the songs “2Am,” “Miles,” “Percolator,” “Tread Carefully,” “Awkward,” and “Jodie.”
Everything made in 2014-2016 /17… not new lol to be absolutely clear .
— Sza (@sza) June 9, 2022
Ctrl earned Sza several nominations at the 2018 Grammy Awards,...
- 6/9/2022
- by Althea Legaspi
- Rollingstone.com
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