News

Peter Dinklage is set to voice Dr. Dillamond in the upcoming big-screen adaptation of 'Wicked'.Jim Orr, Universal Pictures President of Domestic Theatrical Distribution, shared the news about the 54-year-old 'Game of Thrones' star's casting during the studio's CinemaCon presentation in Las Vegas on Wednesday (10.04.24).Dillamond is a goat professor at Shiz University and a mentor to protagonist Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), who sings the song 'Something Bad' to warn her dark forces threatening the speaking animals of the Land of Oz.In the original Broadway musical in 2003, William Youmans had the part.Ariana Grande, 30, joins Cynthia as Glinda (The Good Witch) in the two-part adaptation, which tells the backstory of 'The Wizard of Oz' and how the Wicked Witch of the West came to be.The films are helmed by John M. Chu and the first part is set for release on November 27, 2024, with the second part to...

Tyrion Lannister is heading to the Wonderful World of Oz. Peter Dinklage has been cast in the upcoming Broadway musical adaptation “Wicked: Part One,” it was announced Wednesday.

Jim Orr, Universal Pictures President of Domestic Theatrical Distribution, announced the news on Wednesday, during the company’s CinemaCon presentation in Las Vegas. Dinklage will voice Dr. Dillamond, a goat professor at Shiz University and a mentor to the musical’s protagonist Elphaba (played in the film by Cynthia Erivo). William Youmans originated the part on Broadway in 2003.

Dinklage is best known for his acclaimed performance as Tyrion in HBO drama “Game of Thrones.” For his part as the scheming political manipulator, the actor won the Primetime Emmy Award for Oustanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series a record four times across the show’s eight seasons. Outside of “Game of Thrones,” Dinklage broke through with the 2003 indie film “The Station Agent,...

Broadway’s To Kill A Mockingbird has rounded out its return-to-stage cast, with Hunter Parrish, Portia, Michael Braugher and Gordon Clapp among the actors joining the previously announced Jeff Daniels and Celia Keenan-Bolger.

Aaron Sorkin’s stage adaptation of the Harper Lee novel resumes performances at the Shubert Theatre on Tuesday, Oct. 5.

Daniels and Keenan-Bolger are reprising their original performances as Atticus and Scout Finch. Joining them will be Portia as Calpurnia, Parrish as Jem Finch, Braugher as Tom Robinson, Russell Harvard as Link Deas, Neal Huff as Bob Ewell, Erin Wilhelmi as Mayella Ewell, Noah Robbins as Dill Harris, Zachary Booth as Horace Gilmer, Clapp as Judge John Taylor, Patricia Conolly as Mrs. Dubose, Christopher Innvar as Sheriff Heck Tate, Ted Koch as Mr. Cunningham, and Amelia McClain as Miss Stephanie, with Ian Bedford, Rosalyn Coleman, Anne-Marie Cusson, Michael Bryan French, Steven Lee Johnson, Tyler Lea, Mariah Lee, Geoffrey Allen Murphy,...

Stars: Caroline Williams, Nicole Kang, Alice Kremelberg, Nicholas Tucci, William Youmans, Adam Weppler, Greg Balla, Martin Sola | Written by Erik Bloomquist, Carson Bloomquist | Directed by Erik Bloomquist

[Note: Ahead of its UK DVD release on Monday, here’s a reposting of our review of Ten Minutes to Midnight from its screening at last years Grimmfest]

Caroline Williams, who is best known for her role as radio DJ Stretch, the heroine of 1986’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, is back in the DJ booth as Amy Marlowe, a veteran late night radio host on the eve of forced retirement trapped inside the station by a violent storm after being bitten by a rabid bat – in Ten Minutes to Midnight, the second feature film from Erik and Carson Bloomquist, the duo behind the likes of the fantastic shorts The Cobblestone Corridor and She Came From the Woods, and their most recent work, their first feature film, Long Lost. Once again with Carson taking writing duties and Erik directing… And...

Do you ever listen to late night radio programmes? There's a special art to presenting at that hour. A lot of listeners are driving and they need to be kept awake but not distracted. Others are lonely, sitting through late shifts with only the radio for company or isolated in their homes. For decades now, Amy (Caroline Williams) has been a lifeline for such listeners. Now, however, her boss (William Youmans) has decided that they (and he) would respond better to a younger woman. He's picked a hell of a night to tell her.

Amy is late to the studio. She's never late. It's understandable, however, given the awful weather and the encounter she had with a bat along the way. Her colleague tells her that she really ought to go to the emergency room and get those puncture marks on her neck checked out, but the storm makes that impossible.

Exclusive: “You thought you knew Scrooge,” an ominous voice intones. “You don’t know this Scrooge.” So get acquainted with Estella Scrooge, the upcoming world premiere streaming musical with a heavy-hitting Broadway pedigree.

This first-look trailer (watch it above) features Betsy Wolfe (Waitress) singing the show’s “Never Look Down” as clips and characters from the cleverly filmed production take us through this new musical spin on Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. References and storylines from other Dickens classics — including Great Expectations, Little Dorrit and Bleak House — are incorporated into the mix.

Estella Scrooge will premiere Friday, November 27 at EstellaScrooge.com. Tickets go on sale Tuesday for $24.99 at Ticketmaster.com.

As Deadline reported in September, Estella Scrooge utilizes greenscreen technology and virtual sets along with individually recorded performances. Billed as “the first fully-realized musical to be filmed in virtual production,” Estella Scrooge uses hundreds of images, animations and digital environments blended...

Stars: Caroline Williams, Nicole Kang, Alice Kremelberg, Nicholas Tucci, William Youmans, Adam Weppler, Greg Balla, Martin Sola | Written by Erik Bloomquist, Carson Bloomquist | Directed by Erik Bloomquist

Caroline Williams, who is best known for her role as radio DJ Stretch, the heroine of 1986’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, is back in the DJ booth as Amy Marlowe, a veteran late night radio host on the eve of forced retirement trapped inside the station by a violent storm after being bitten by a rabid bat – in Ten Minutes to Midnight, the second feature film from Erik and Carson Bloomquist, the duo behind the likes of the fantastic shorts The Cobblestone Corridor and She Came From the Woods, and their most recent work, their first feature film, Long Lost. Once again with Carson taking writing duties and Erik directing… And once again the pair do not disappoint.

Crafted like a modern take on a vampire movie,...

Exclusive With a roster of Broadway actors from such recent or on-pause productions as Waitress, Hadestown, The Play That Goes Wrong and Moulin Rouge!, a new musical inspired by A Christmas Carol and other works of Charles Dickens will make its streaming debut before Christmas utilizing technology to combine socially distanced performances.

Estella Scrooge, with a book and direction by Tony Award winner John Caird and music and lyrics by Paul Gordon (Tony-nominated for 2001’s Jane Eyre), will star Betsy Wolfe (Waitress) as the title character, the niece of Carol‘s Ebenezer Scrooge. Clifton Duncan (The Play That Goes Wrong) will costar as her childhood sweetheart Philip “Pip” Nickleby.

Also featured are Patrick Page (Hadestown), Carolee Carmello (Mamma Mia) and Danny Burstein (Moulin Rouge!) as Ebenezer Scrooge.

Those actors and others will film their performances – separately, live, and one at a time – this week, with...

“Hired to be fired.” That’s what radio DJ Amy Marlowe (Caroline Williams) tells her boss (William Youmans) one rainy night before her show… her final show at Wlst Radio, to be exact, as she’s getting the proverbial boot to make room for young up-and-comer Sienna (Nicole Kang). Amy knows that 30 years at one radio station is a damn good run for any DJ, but that doesn’t make leaving any easier. There’s the lack of respect (and sexual harassment) from her superior, the audacity to be asked to have Sienna shadow her on her last day, the fear of a forced major life change, and then there’s that pesky bite on Amy’s neck that isn’t helping matters, either, especially since it may have come from a bat with rabies… or something much, much worse.

Such is the setup for Erik Bloomquist’s Ten Minutes to Midnight,...

It's time for another episode of BroadwayWorld's newest web series, Rachel Unraveled. In the season finale, Rachel's dad visits for the weekend to convince Rachel to quit show business once and for all. Meanwhile, Jaclyn enlists Spatterman on a special mission. Starring Rachel Ravel, Austin Spero, Olivia Caridi, William Youmans, Jon Rua, Maria-Christina Oliveras. Directed by Rachel Ravel and Austin Spero. Written by Billy Recce, Rachel Ravel, and Austin Spero. Original music and lyrics by Billy Recce.

BroadwayWorld is excited to bring you the premiere episode of Rachel Unraveled.In this episodeRachel auditions for an anti-bullying PSA in hopes of launching her career as a successful actress, but her dad gives her an ultimatum.Starring Rachel Ravel, Austin Spero, Olivia Caridi, William Youmans, Jon Rua, Maria-Christina Oliveras. Directed by Ryan Harrington and Isaac Himmelman. Written by Billy Recce, Rachel Ravel, and Austin Spero. Original music and lyrics by Billy Recce.Watch 'Audition' below and be sure to check back next Wednesday for Episode 2...

Here’s your daily dose of an indie film, web series, TV pilot, what-have-you in progress — at the end of the week, you’ll have the chance to vote for your favorite.

In the meantime: Is this a project you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments.

Rachel Unraveled

Logline: A musical satire following a young actress trying to make it big in the Big Apple.

Elevator Pitch:

“Rachel Unraveled” is a new musical comedy web series created by best friends Rachel Ravel and Austin Spero. A satire of the young-actress-moves-to-nyc trope, the show follows actress/singer/dog whisperer Rachel Ravel as she tries to make it big in the Big Apple. With the help of her best friend, 15-year-old arch nemesis, telepathic dog, and the homeless man who composes her audition songs, Rachel learns the true meaning of friendship, success, and what it takes to “Shine.”

Production...

The new musical Bright Star, from Grammy and Emmy winner Steve Martin and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Edie Brickell, will play a limited engagement at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater from December 2, 2015 to January 10, 2016. Directed by Tony Award winner Walter Bobbie, Bright Star will have its Kennedy Center official opening night on Thursday, December 17.Bright Star will begin performances on Broadway on Thursday, February 25, 2016 with an official Broadway opening night on Thursday, March 24 at the Cort Theatre.Carmen Cusack will make her Broadway debut as Alice, a role she originated in Bright Star's world premiere production, and will be joined by co-stars Paul Alexander Nolan, Tony Award nominee Michael Mulheren, A.J. Shively, Hannah Elless, Tony Award nominee Stephen Bogardus, three-time Tony Award nominee Dee Hoty, Stephen Lee Anderson, Emily Padgett, Tony Award nominee Jeff Blumenkrantz, along with Maddie Shea Baldwin, Allison Briner-Dardenne, Max Chernin, Patrick Cummings, Sandra DeNise, Richard Gatta,...

Lensed at the Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford, Connecticut, Ghost Tour is co-written and directed by Erik Bloomquist, a Connecticut-based actor and filmmaker whose short, The Cobblestone Corridor, we reviewed back in June; and stars William Bloomfield, William Youmans, Natalie Brown, Cliff Miller, Greg Nutcher, Brandon White and Danielle Bonanno.

Set on November 30th 1973, after the final ghost tour at a museum with a legendary dark past, veteran docent Richard Sawyer experiences his first real encounter with the paranormal… Ghost Tour will receive an exclusive online premiere in mid-October to coincide with the peak of the Halloween season, but for now check out the trailer:...

A cast of six will lead a reading of the Broadway-bound What Women Do and men too written by playwright and Broadway performer William Youmans and directed by Don Stephenson. The new play is a battle-of-the-sexes farce set in New York City. The reading, which is being produced by The Resonance Ensemble, takes place tonight,July 7, 2015 at 700 p.m at the Manhattan Theatre Club Studios 311 W 43rd Street 8th Floor and is open to the public.

Popular television star Reg E. Cathey will lead the reading of William Youmans', grandnephew of acclaimed composer and producer Vincent Youmans, Off-Broadway bound production of What Women Do and men too. This new play, directed by Don Stephenson, is a battle-of-the-sexes farce set in New York City. The reading takes place today and Friday, February 26th and 27th, 2015.

Popular television star Reg E. Cathey will lead the reading of William Youmans', grandnephew of acclaimed composer and producer Vincent Youmans, Off-Broadway bound production of What Women Do and men too. This new play, directed by Don Stephenson, is a battle-of-the-sexes farce set in New York City. The reading takes place on Thursday and Friday, February 26th and 27th, 2015.

The York Theatre Company James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director Andrew Levine, Executive Director continues the Winter 2014 Musicals in Mufti Series Celebrating Sheldon Harnick with Dragons with Book, Lyrics and Music by Sheldon Harnick. Directed by Maggie Harrer, and with Music Direction by Beth Ertz, the cast features David Buskin, Ed Dixon, Danny Gardner, Katherine Henly, Mary Page Nance, Camille Palmisano, Laura O. Pfortmiller, Alan Schmuckler, Gordon Stanley, Marcus Stevens, Olga Talyn, Stephanie Umoh, Bray Wilkins, and William Youmans.BroadwayWorld brings you photos from the opening below...

Ghostlight Records will celebrate their Original Broadway Cast Recording of the new musical Hands On A Hardbody another special event this month. Green will host the concert Amanda Green and Friends at Birdland Jazz Club 315 West 44th Street tonight, September 29 at 600 Pm to celebrate the album's release. Her special guests will include Keith Carradine, Allison Case, Jenn Colella, Van Hughes, Janet Krupin, Kathleen Monteleone, Jim Newman, Jacob Ming-Trent, Jon Rua and William Youmans. The singers will be backed by members of the original Broadway 'Pit Crew' for Hardbody, including Musical Director Matt Gallagher on piano, Skip Krevens on pedal steel, Shannon Ford on drums and Skip Ward on bass.

The new American musical Hands on a Hardbody just celebrated opening night on March 21, at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre 256 West 47th Street. Inspired by true events and based on the acclaimed 1997 documentary of the same name, the musical tells the story of ten Texans with dreams of changing their lives by winning a truck. BroadwayWorld recently chatted with the show's stars about bringing the stories of real people to life on the Broadway stage, and in the video below, William Youmans discusses his real-life counterpart- Don Curtis.

The Hangar Theatre has announced casting for its The 38th season, which will include a thrilling line-up of plays and musicals. The season takes off with Ken Ludwigs knock-down, drag it out farce, Lend Me A Tenor June 21-July 7, starring Emily Skinner, Michael McCormick, Janet Dacal, Daniel Berlingeri, Lindsay Clemmons, Eddie Vona and Judy Levitt. That will be followed by the premiere of a strikingly innovative concept of the Tony winning best musical Titanic July 12-July 28, starring Alma Cuervo, William Youmans, Drew McVety, Christianne Tisdale, Phillip Hoffman, Joneil Joplin, and Robert Cuccioli. The sophisticated comedy Full Gallop August 2-August 11 is next, starring Dee Hoty, followed by the area premiere of the Pulitzer Prize winning musical Next to Normal August 16-September 1, with Andra Burns and Chris Hoch. The final offering is a true American classic, Horton Footes The Trip to Bountiful September 13-September 22, featuring Susannah Berryman.