The Weekend Report: Mean Girls Day, Return to the Forbidden Planet, and Alan Cumming Honored
Welcome to TheaterMania's Weekend Report, where you'll find recent news stories from the New York theater scene and beyond.
"On October 3rd, he asked me what day it was…"
(© David Gordon)
Tina Fey and Busy Philipps will host a Mean Girls Day event on Thursday, October 3, on Facebook Live. Fey's beloved film will be streamed live beginning at 8pm, and she and Phillips will take part in trivia, answer questions, and give away prizes including tickets to see Mean Girls at the August Wilson Theatre. Click here for more info.
Red Bull Theater Will Do the Monster Mash in Return to the Forbidden Planet
(© David Gordon)
Red Bull Theater has announced casting for its October 21 concert reading of Bob Carlton's Return to the Forbidden Planet at Symphony Space. The 1991 jukebox musical, which blends Shakespeare's The Tempest, the film Forbidden Planet, and songs ranging from "Great Balls of Fire" to "Monster Mash," will be directed by original cast member Gabriel Barre.
Tony nominees Steven Boyer, Patrick Page, and Mary Testa head the company, alongside Kim Exum, Jo Lampert, and Amy Spanger. Special guests will include F. Murray Abraham, Derrick Baskin, Bryan Batt, Emily Bergl, Arnie Burton, Veanne Cox, Robert Cuccioli, Paige Davis, Chad Kimball, Laila Robins, Derek Smith, Emily Swallow, Marc Vietor, and astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson.
Go Beyond Babel at the Gym at Judson This Winter
Dancers Keone and Mari Madrid will direct and choreograph the New York premiere of Beyond Babel, cocreated with Josh Aviner and Lyndsay Magid Aviner of Hideaway.
Running January 21-March 29 at the Gym at Judson, the dance theater piece is inspired by Romeo & Juliet, as well as contemporary stories of love and separation from around the world. The story is told entirely through West Coast Urban Dance, and will feature the Madrids, who famously choreographed and starred in Justin Bieber's "Love Yourself" video, in the central roles. Opening is set for February 2.
Dancers will also include Hugh Aparente, Olivia Battista, Melissa De Jesus, Noelle Franco, Selene Haro, Shannon Kelly, Samuel Moore, Mikey Ruiz, Julian "Juju" Sena, and Fabian Tucker.
Find Out Who'll Star in Transport Group's Broadbend, Arkansas
(© Tricia Baron)
Justin Cunningham and Danyel Fulton will star in Broadbend, Arkansas, a new musical produced by Transport Group at the Duke on 42nd Street. Presented in association with the Public Theater, the production will begin performances October 25, with opening set for November 10.
Broadbend, Arkansas is written by Ellen Fitzhugh and Harrison David Rivers, with music and additional lyrics by Ted Shen. The work follows an African-American family as it grapples with decades of inequality, violence, and oppression in the American South. The creative team will include Jen Schriever (lighting), Peiyi Wong (costumes), Walter Trarbach (sound), Dane Laffrey (scenic consultant), Deborah K. Abramson (musical direction), and Michael Starobin (orchestrations).
The Gala Report
• Notables including Katie Finneran, Tony Goldwyn, and Matthew Saldivar will join the previously announced Ann Harada, Kristine Nielsen, Will Roland, and Julie White to perform in the Primary Stages 35th Anniversary Gala on October 16 at Tribeca 360. The gala will honor playwright Theresa Rebeck and producers Jamie deRoy, Dasha Epstein, Susan Rose, and Cheryl Wiesenfeld.
• Alan Cumming will receive the Jason Robards Award for Excellence in Theatre at Roundabout Theatre Company's 2020 gala, held March 2 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom. Fashion designers Michael Kors and Lance Le Pere will receive the Ovation Award for Excellence in Philanthropy.
• The 76th annual Theatre World Awards will be presented June 1, 2020, at Broadway's Circle in the Square Theatre.
Here Are Some Highlights From the Red Carpet This Week
