Its a beautiful sunny Saturday that feels like early April. You shouldn’t be at your computer. But, since you are, here are some theater happenings for your weekend consideration. We even let our intern write a few of them this week!
- Ah, speculation. Sometimes it bites you in your gossipy ass. Guess who’s NOT doing the Les Miserables movie? Ramin Karimloo, who said as much this week on Twitter. Wonder killer. On the bright side, he’s extended his run as Jean Valjean on the West End, so his fangirls now have 24 additional stagedoor opportunities.
- Death of a Salesman was forced to cancel its first preview when star Phillip Seymour Hoffman was felled by the flu. Which sucks for a lot of reasons. Like the fact that this officially means there was one less opportunity to see the beautiful Andrew Garfield and Finn Wittrock on the Broadway stage.
- Matt Cavenaugh is knocked up, you guys! So you should go ahead and enjoy your instantaneous Matt-cradling-an-infant mental image.
- Complete casting was announced for Peter and the Starcatcher. Joining the previously announced Christian Borle is… the entire original, off-Broadway cast. We just got a little tingly. Adam Chanler-Berat, Greg Hildreth, and Carson Elrod oh my!
- Newsies will have a cast album, clearly. Aside from the one that’s been playing on a loop in your mind for the last 20 years.
- The Pasadena Playhouse’s Sleepless in Seattle Musical is on ice for now. In more important news, check out this miniscule yet creepily amazing show logo.
- And because no fucks were given anywhere on planet Earth in regards to human decency or appropriate timing, the stage musical version of The Bodyguard will open in London in November.
- Meanwhile, the Broadway to Hollywood lovefest continues. First, the August: Osage County film landed both Her Royal Streepness and a Pretty Woman. Then, How to Succeed star Michael Urie picked up a pilot for CBS called Partners and HBO bought a theater-themed series called 44th Street by NewsRadio creator, Paul Simms. And in the week’s most deeply disconcerting development, the beautiful Steven Pasquale landed the lead in the Michael Mayer directed NBC pilot Do No Harm. We’re crying tears of simultaneous joy and sadness. Steven, please don’t keeping leaving us! Please! Come sing on our stages again!
- The Book of Mormon is set to open in London in March, 2013. In related news, Sophie G, The Craptacular’s UK-based intern, is howling so loudly with joy that you can probably hear her from across the Atlantic.
- Julie Taymor and Spidey have have begun to settle their legal dispute over the show’s creative rights. Basically, Julie’s getting royalties, and she’ll get more money when the show recoups. The best part of this story, though, was the typo in the original BroadwayWorld article, which read, “The Producers has agreed to pay Julie Taymor…” We just had visions of Nathan Lane handing her wads of cash.
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I understand that The Bodyguard announcement was ill-timed and in bad taste, but can we pause for a moment and rejoice that Heather Headley is going to be in a musical again for the first time in like a decade? If only it could feature an original score. :/