Love Never Dies, It Just Gets Postponed

9/3/10 If you are one of the three or four people who cannot wait for the sequel of Phantom of the Opera to make it to Broadway, don't hold your breath. Love Never Dies was expected to make its New York debut this spring but it has been put on hold. With composer Andrew Lloyd Webber's recent health issues and the fact the show got pretty much panned in London, it may be a good idea. The New York Post says that Lloyd Webber's plan is to now mount two separate productions with two different creative teams in Australia and Toronto. He will then choose the stronger of those productions to bring to New York at a date to be announced. You can go here to check out the official site of the show.

Patti LaBelle on Broadway

9/2/10 Fela! is getting a new diva soon as Lillias White leaves the show and Patti LaBelle takes over the role of Funmilayo Anikulapo-Kuti. She will first appear in the show on September 8th and 9th, before beginning her regular run, September 14th through January 2nd. LaBelle has been on Broadway in self-titled concerts in 1984, 1986, and 1998. She also starred in a 1982 musical revival of Your Arms Too Short to Box With God. I had heard that Aretha Franklin was going into the show but I guess the fall that she took last month kept her from Broadway. Good news for Patti fans though. Read the Theasy review of Fela! here.

I Know You Are But What Am I?

9/2/10 Call me excited because Pee-Wee Herman (Paul Reubens) is weeks away from being on Broadway. "Pee-wee" begins performances October 26, 2010 at the Stephen Sondheim Theater. Advance sales for the Broadway incarnation have proved strong enough that the limited run has extended through the holidays, with the show now set to shutter January 2, 2011. Also in the show are original cast members John Moody (as Mailman Mike), John Paragon (as Jambi and Pterri) and Lynne Marie Stewart (as Miss Yvonne). Is anyone else as excited about this as I am?

All-American Girls Opens Off-Broadway

8/25/10 All-American Girls, which is billed as "the untold story of the all-Negro female baseball team in 1945 Chicago,"  officially opens Aug. 25 following previews that began Aug. 4 at the Actors Temple Theatre.

Penned by Layon Gray, the production runs in repertory with Gray's Black Angels Over Tuskegee.

The cast of All-American Girls features "One Life to Live" star Daphnee Duplaix and model Mari White as well as Setor Attipoe, Yasha Jackson, Ashley Jeffrey, Arlene McGruder, Chantal Nchako, Catherine Peoples and Antoinette Robertson. 

According to press notes, is "a tale [of] racism, deceit and betrayal after the coach of an all-Negro female baseball team goes missing in 1945 Chicago. The drama captures an era in American history when women were called on to keep baseball alive as the men went off to fight in World War II."

Jerry Lee Lewis on Broadway

8/20/10 Jerry Lee Lewis will join the cast of the hit Broadway musical Million Dollar Quartet for a one-time jam session. Producers say the artist will perform an undisclosed song September 10 during the show's finale. Levi Kreis won a Tony Award for his portrayal of Lewis, and they recently recorded the classic 1959 song "Money" for Lewis' upcoming album "Mean Old Man." The two of them together on stage will be crazy. Million Dollar Quartet tells the story of an actual impromptu jam session in 1956 among Sun Recording artists Lewis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley. The 74-year old Lewis is the only one still living.  The show is pretty fun.  Read the Theasy review for it here.

Casting News

8/20/10 The Public Theater has announced casting for Lisa Kron's In the Wake, to run October 19th - November 21st. Leigh Silverman will direct the production, which will open officially on November 1st.

The play, which played earlier this year at Berkeley Rep and the Kirk Douglas Theatre, centers on a freelance writer and her friends as they try to make sense of the contested presidential election of 2000.

The company will feature Jenny Bacon, Michael Chernus, Marin Ireland, Susan Pourfar. Miriam F. Glover, Deirdre O'Connell, and Danielle Skraastad.

More Casting News

8/19/10 The latest American Idol castoff to make his Broadway debut is none other than Justin Guarini. Don't remember him? He was the one who got second place to Kelly Clarkson on the first season of the show. He will be in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown with A-list Broadway stars Patti LuPone, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Sherie Rene Scott and Laura Benanti. The show is directed by Bartlett Sher with a book by Jeffrey Lane and music and lyrics by David Yazbek. It is to begin previews at the Belasco Theater on October 2nd and will open on November 4th.

American Idol:  Shortcut to Broadway

8/19/10 And its a good week for American Idol alumni, because Jordin Sparks will also be making her Broadway debut in In The Heights.  She will be playing Nina Rosario and will play a limited 12-week engagement through November 14th, beginning on August 19th. Also on August 19th, Kyle Beltran (10 Things to Do Before I Die at Second Stage) joins the cast as Usnavi after playing the role across the country in the national tour of In the Heights.  As much as I usually despise American Idol people breezing onto Broadway, I can actually see this casting working really well. Read the Theasy review of the show here.