News

At the end of 2023, it was announced that Patrick Wilson, who has starred in the likes of three Conjuring movies and three Insidious movies (one of which he directed), is producing a stage musical adaptation of Joel Schumacher’s 1987 vampire classic The Lost Boys (watch it Here). There was an industry presentation of the show in 2024, with Frozen‘s Caissie Levy, Dear Evan Hansen‘s Nathan Levy, and & Juliet‘s Lorna Courtney being cast in major roles. Now, producers James Carpinello, Marcus Chait, and Patrick Wilson have confirmed (via Deadline) that The Lost Boys: A New Musical is coming to Broadway, as it’s set for a spring 2026 debut at the Palace Theatre.

The producers have teamed up with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia writer/executive producer David Hornsby, Parade director Michael Arden, and the pop rock band The Rescues to make this stage musical happen, through a special arrangement with Warner Bros.

The Lost Boys is coming to Broadway!

Producers James Carpinello, Marcus Chait and Patrick Wilson announced the new musical will arrive on Broadway Spring 2026 at the legendary Palace Theatre (160 West 47th Street).

The new musical will feature direction by Tony Award winner Michael Arden, book by David Hornsby, and music and lyrics by The Rescues, with music supervision by Tony Award nominee Ethan Popp and choreography by Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant.

The cast will be announced at a later date.

“Michael Arden is one of the most dynamic directors working today, and to have him reimagine an iconic film like The Lost Boys is thrilling, especially when we consider how it will come to life at the legendary Palace Theatre,” the producers said in a statement.

Keep reading to find out more…

“David Hornsby and Chris Hoch have done a remarkable job of honoring this classic film and its beloved characters,...

While we wait for the franchise’s return to the screen, The Lost Boys is taking to the stage with The Lost Boys: A New Musical, officially announced for Broadway premiere next year.

For the first time in 15 years, the franchise is back in The Lost Boys: A New Musical, an official stage adaptation that’s coming to Broadway in Spring 2026 at the Palace Theatre.

The Lost Boys: A New Musical will be Directed by Michael Arden, featuring Music and Lyrics by The Rescues, Book by David Hornsby & Chris Hoch, Story by James Jeremias & Janice Fischer, and Produced by James Carpinello, Marcus Chait & Patrick Wilson (The Conjuring) by special arrangement with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures.

“Michael Arden is one of the most dynamic directors working today, and to have him reimagine an iconic film like The Lost Boys is thrilling, especially when we consider how it will come to life at the legendary Palace Theatre,...

A musical adaptation of the 1987 cult horror-comedy The Lost Boys is planned for Broadway.

The Lost Boys, A New Musical is set to arrive on Broadway in spring 2026 at the Palace Theatre. The musical will feature a score by The Rescues, direction by Tony Award winner Michael Arden (Parade, Maybe Happy Ending), and a book by David Hornsby, a writer and producer on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Chris Hoch.

There will be a private invitation-only industry presentation of the musical March 14. Broadway actors Broadway and film actors James Carpinello, Marcus Chait and Patrick Wilson are producing the show.

“Michael Arden is one of the most dynamic directors working today, and to have him reimagine an iconic film like The Lost Boys is thrilling, especially when we consider how it will come to life at the legendary Palace Theatre,” Carpinello, Chait and Wilson said. “David Hornsby and Chris Hoch...

In need of a warm hug? How about from a robot? It doesn’t get cozier than the utterly lovely Maybe Happy Ending, the cyborg-centric musical with a miniature cast and a gigantic heart now playing at the Belasco Theatre. And if you find yourself melting with just a few flourishes from the strings section, blame Will Aronson, the composer of what’s surely the lushest score to reach Broadway since Adam Guettel’s The Light in the Piazza nearly 20 years ago. Maybe Happy Ending is a throwback, in a sense, laced with croony jazz touches to boot, but it induces a toasty nostalgia through the lens of a colder vision of the future.

In 2060s Seoul, retired humanoid HelperBots Oliver (Darren Criss) and Claire (Helen J. Shen) repeat the same tasks day after day in neighboring apartments: They’ve been abandoned by their owners, their critical parts no longer manufactured,...

If you think Broadway is all jukebox musicals, movie adaptations, or revivals of classic shows, get yourself to the Belasco Theatre to see the fully original show Maybe Happy Ending as soon as you can.

Darren Criss and Helen J. Shen lead the brand new musical, which celebrated its gala performance on Monday night (November 11) in New York City.

The two lead actors walked the red carpet with co-stars Dez Duron and Marcus Choi, as well as director Michael Arden.

“People are always like, ‘There’s no one creating original things,’” Darren told Broadway.com. “They are. It’s just really, really hard to produce them because you really have to believe in something hard enough to be Ok with the risk.”

“This show is very technologically advanced. I think it’s kind of the ace in the hole that people aren’t expecting,” he said, adding that it’s “a big-a** mother**king spectacle.

Darren Criss is returning to Broadway in the original new musical Maybe Happy Ending and first look photos have been revealed!

The Emmy-winning actor is playing a retired robot alongside Helen J. Shen in the new musical, directed by Tony winner Michael Arden.

Maybe Happy Ending is the offbeat and captivating story of two outcasts near the end of their warranty who discover that even robots can be swept off their feet. Inside a one-room apartment on the outskirts of Seoul, Oliver (Criss) lives a happily quiet life listening to jazz records and caring for his favorite plant. But what else is there to do when you’re a HelperBot 3, a robot that has long been retired and considered obsolete? When his fellow HelperBot neighbor Claire (Shen) asks to borrow his charger, what starts as an awkward encounter leads to a unique friendship, a surprising adventure, and maybe even…love?...

Dez Duron will be making his Broadway debut next month in a new musical alongside Darren Criss!

The 34-year-old singer was a fan-favorite on the third season of NBC’s The Voice and we’re excited to see him back on stage – this time on Broadway.

Dez joined Darren and co-stars Helen J. Shen and Marcus Choi for a photo call to promote the show on Monday (September 16) in New York City. They were joined by Tony-winning director Michael Arden.

Here’s the musical’s synopsis: “Inside a one-room apartment on the outskirts of Seoul, Oliver (Criss) lives a happily quiet life listening to jazz records and caring for his favorite plant. But what else is there to do when you’re a HelperBot 3, a robot that has long been retired and considered obsolete? When his fellow HelperBot neighbor Claire (Shen) asks to borrow his charger, what starts as an...

The Queen of Versailles, a new musical based on TV personality Jacqueline “Jackie” Siegel, is scheduled to come to Broadway in the 2025-2026 season.

The musical, which features a score by Stephen Schwartz, is currently playing an engagement in Boston’s Emerson Colonial Theatre, with Wicked star Kristin Chenoweth as Siegel and The White Lotus’s F. Murray Abraham as her husband, David. The musical is set to open in Boston on Aug. 1, before opening Aug. 25 and then later heading to Broadway.

“The entire Queen of Versailles company is having an incredible time building this new original American musical with the gracious and arts-loving audiences in Boston,” said producers Bill Damaschke, Seaview and Chenoweth’s Diva Worldwide Entertainment. “We look forward to the journey ahead and bringing this story to Broadway in the 2025-26 season.”

Exact dates, theater and casting for Broadway have not yet been announced.

The musical is...

Updated: The Queen of Versailles has set its date with Broadway. The musical starring Kristin Chenoweth and F. Murray Abraham will bow during the 2025-26 season, producers announced Monday.

“The entire Queen of Versailles company is having an incredible time building this new original American musical with the gracious and arts-loving audiences in Boston,” said The Queen of Versailles producers Bill Damaschke, Seaview and Diva Worldwide Entertainment. “We look forward to the journey ahead and bringing this story to Broadway in the 2025-26 season.”

The show will run through August 25 at Boston’s Emerson Colonial Theatre.

See details below.

Previous, July 15: Producers of the Broadway-bound musical The Queen of Versailles released first look images of Kristin Chenoweth and F. Murray Abraham in character as one-time Florida billionaires Jackie and David Siegel.

Based on Lauren Greenfield’s award-winning 2012 documentary film The Queen of Versailles and the life stories of Jackie and David Siegel,...

You could say that Kate Hudson is extremely famous as an actor and almost famous as a singer. That last part is changing as the public gets a gander of the promotional appearances she’s been doing for her debut album, “Glorious,” everywhere from the “Voice” finale to Howard Stern’s show. There’s a nearly universal reaction: “Wow, you can sing… really sing” — which maybe shouldn’t come as such a great surprise after her vocal appearances in the musical films “Nine” and “Music” and a prominent guest spot on “Glee,” and yet, maybe there was a suspicion in those instances that some sort of studio trickery was helping out a slumming movie star.

Now that she’s been doing live TV appearances and making her public performance debut at a star-filled L.A. show, it’s clear that she’s the real deal, as a rocker, and could...

The Palace Theatre in New York City will house performances from Ben Platt for 18 shows, running from May 28 through June 15. Each night, the attending audience will be treated to a surprise appearance from a special guest. For the opening show, Platt kicked off the nightly tradition with country star Kacey Musgraves to perform a duet of “Rainbow” from the singer’s Grammy Award-winning album Golden Hour.

At the first night of his residency on Broadway at the Palace Theatre, Ben Platt brought out Grammy winner Kacey Musgraves as his special guest to perform “Rainbow.

Darren Criss will return to Broadway this fall in the new musical Maybe Happy Ending.

The musical features music by Will Aronson, lyrics by Hue Park, a book by Aronson and Park and direction by Michael Arden, who last directed Parade on Broadway. Criss will star opposite Helen J. Shen (The Lonely Few, Teeth) and Dez Duron (NBC’s The Voice), who will both be making their Broadway debuts.

Maybe Happy Ending will start previews at the Belasco Theatre on Sept. 18, ahead of an opening night on Oct. 17, 2024.

The musical follows two lonely robots in Seoul (Criss and Shen), who have a chance encounter that charts a path for friendship and maybe more.

Maybe Happy Ending was written in both Korean and English. The Korean-language version opened in December 2016 at DaeMyung Culture Factory in Seoul, while the English-language version had its U.S. premiere at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta...

Emmy and Golden Globe-winner Darren Criss will return to the stage alongside Helen J Shen in the Broadway premiere of the new musical Maybe Happy Ending.

Maybe Happy Ending will begin previews on Wednesday, September 18, at the Belasco Theatre, with an opening night on Thursday, October 17.

With music by Will Aronson, lyrics by Hue Park and book by both Aronson and Park, Maybe Happy Ending will be directed by Tony Award-winner Michael Arden.

Maybe Happy Ending will also feature Dez Duron (NBC’s The Voice) who makes his Broadway debut along with Shen.

Final casting as well as ticketing and on-sale information will be announced at a later date.

The synopsis: “Inside a one-room apartment in the heart of Seoul, Oliver (Criss) lives a happily quiet...

Ben Platt is heading to Broadway for a very special exclusive concert residency!

The 30-year-old actor and singer will play an exclusive concert residency at Broadway’s recently refurbished Palace Theatre (located at West 47th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues), in celebration of the release of his upcoming third album Honeymind.

The residency will be directed by Tony winner Michael Arden, who collaborated with Ben on the 2023 revival of Parade, and will play Tuesday, May 28 through Saturday, June 15 for 18 performances only. Click here for all ticket info!

Keep reading to find out more…

His upcoming album Honeymind drops May 31.

Per a release, here’s what to expect: “The evening, the latest chapter of a storied career jam-packed with hits and acclaimed performances in Dear Evan Hanson, Pitch Perfect, and Parade, will showcase Platt’s insightful original lyrics and breathtaking vocals from the new album, selections from Reverie and Sing to Me Instead,...

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 entertainment news cycle these days is so crazy that even “slow news weeks” bring with them a deluge of news. And that’s especially true here in the horror world, with new movies and TV shows being announced every single day. How the hell are we supposed to keep up?!

Well, we like to think we do a good job of keeping up here on Bloody Disgusting on a daily basis, but we also understand that it’s impossible to read Everything we publish on here.

As a result, you may miss some pretty awesome trailers for upcoming horror projects from time to time. So let’s take a look at the five best from January 22 – January 26, 2024.

The Lost Boys: The Musical – Coming Soon

One of the most attention grabbing trailers of the week wasn’t for a movie or TV series but rather a musical. Joel Schumacher’s...

Last month, it was announced that Patrick Wilson, who has starred in the likes of three Conjuring movies and three Insidious movies (one of which he directed), is producing a stage musical adaptation of Joel Schumacher’s 1987 vampire classic The Lost Boys (watch it Here). Now that project is taking a big step forward, as Deadline has learned that there’s going to be an industry presentation of the show next month, with Frozen‘s Caissie Levy, Dear Evan Hansen‘s Nathan Levy, and & Juliet‘s Lorna Courtney having been cast in major roles. This private presentation is scheduled to be held on February 23rd – and even though only industry insiders will get to watch it, that’s enough to inspire the people behind the show to release a teaser trailer for what they’re calling The Lost Boys: A New Musical. You can check it out at the bottom of this article.

For the first time in almost 15 years, The Lost Boys are back in The Lost Boys: A New Musical, an official stage adaptation of the classic 1980s movie that’s headed our way soon.

Rewind back to the 1980s and watch the musical’s teaser trailer below!

The Lost Boys: A New Musical will be Directed by Michael Arden, featuring Music and Lyrics by The Rescues, Book by David Hornsby & Chris Hoch, Story by James Jeremias & Janice Fischer, and Produced by James Carpinello, Marcus Chait & Patrick Wilson (The Conjuring) by special arrangement with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures.

Joel Schumacher directed the original The Lost Boys movie in 1987, wherein two brothers move to a new town and discover that the area is a haven for vampires.

That movie introduced Corey Feldman, Corey Haim and Jamison Newlander as the vampire-slaying Frog Brothers, who later returned in two direct-to-video sequels.

Over the years,...

The Lost Boys, the previously announced, in-development stage musical adaptation of 1987 horror classic, has set an invitation-only industry presentation for next month, with Frozen‘s Caissie Levy, Dear Evan Hansen‘s Nathan Levy and & Juliet‘s Lorna Courtney in pivotal roles.

The private presentation in New York City will take place on February 23. A high-concept teaser trailer was released today, which includes a snippet of a haunting song with the repeated lyrics “when the secret comes out…” Watch it above.

The new musical, announced in December, will feature a book by David Hornsby (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia writer/EP) & Chris Hoch, music & lyrics by pop-rock band The Rescues. Tony winner Michael Arden (Parade), will direct.

Caissie Levy will play Lucy Emerson, the recently divorced mom who unwittingly moves herself and two sons to a vampire-infested California beach town. The younger son is Sam, to be played by Nathan Levy.

The Lost Boys is getting the musical treatment. The 1987 vampire-themed horror-comedy is being adapted for the stage by Parade’s Michael Arden, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s David Hornsby, and more.

Though no casting details nor production timeline have been made public, Deadline and other outlets have confirmed that work is underway, with Arden directing and Hornsby writing the book alongside Chris Hoch. Additionally, Ethan Popp (Tina: The Tina Turner Musical) will serve as Musical Supervisor, with the pop band The Rescues contributing original music.

The Lost Boys musical will be produced by three veteran actors: Patrick Wilson, James Carpinello, and Marcus Chait (Broadway productions of The Pirate Queen and Urban Cowboy). According to Deadline, the show will be “produced by special arrangement with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures.”

The original version of The Lost Boys made waves when it debuted, and has become a celebrated early entry in...

Patrick Wilson is no stranger to the horror genre, having starred in the likes of three Conjuring movies and three Insidious movies (one of which he directed), among other things – but I never would have predicted that his name would be attached to a stage musical adaptation of Joel Schumacher’s 1987 vampire classic The Lost Boys (watch it Here). Especially not as a producer. But producing a The Lost Boys stage musical is exactly what Wilson is doing, according to Deadline.

Wilson and fellow producers James Carpinello and Marcus Chait are teaming up with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia writer/executive producer David Hornsby, Parade director Michael Arden, and the pop rock band The Rescues to make this stage musical happen, through a special arrangement with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures. Hornsby will be writing the book with Broadway actor Chris Hoch, while The Rescues provide the music and Ethan Popp...

New small screen and big screen takes on 1980s classic The Lost Boys have failed to materialize in recent years, but Deadline reports that an official musical is now in the works.

Actors Patrick Wilson (The Conjuring, Insidious), James Carpinello (Midway) and Marcus Chait (Million Dollar Baby) are on board to produce The Lost Boys musical.

Deadline reports, “In addition to Michael Arden (Parade), The Lost Boys will feature a creative team that includes book writers David Hornsby (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and Chris Hoch; and music by The Rescues, with Ethan Popp (Tina: The Tina Turner Musical) serving as Music Supervisor.”

The site also notes that the upcoming musical “will be produced by special arrangement with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures.” Stay tuned for more as we learn it.

Joel Schumacher directed the original The Lost Boys movie in 1987, wherein two brothers move to a new town and discover...

The Lost Boys, the 1987 cult classic horror-comedy about hunky teenage vampires that made stars of Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland and Coreys Feldman and Haim, is being adapted as a stage musical by a team that includes co-book writers It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia writer/EP David Hornsby and Chris Hoch, Parade director Michael Arden and pop-rock band The Rescues.

The project is being produced by first-time collaborators – and noted stage and film actors – Patrick Wilson, James Carpinello and Marcus Chait. The musical will be produced by special arrangement with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures.

Casting and a production timeline were not announced.

The Lost Boys is Arden’s first-announced musical project since he won the 2023 Tony Award for Best Direction/Musical for Parade, the smash Broadway hit starring Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond. Earlier today, Parade producers announced a 2025 North American tour, with casting to be announced later.

In addition to Arden,...

For the second consecutive year, Broadway cast albums made a clean sweep of the Grammy nominations for Best Musical Theater Album, shutting out both the West End and Off Broadway.

Competing for the 2023 Grammy will be Kimberly Akimbo, Parade, Shucked, Some Like It Hot and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Three of the five nominees are new shows, while two – Parade and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – are revivals.

With today’s announcement, the Grammys reprise last summer’s Tony Awards, when all five of the productions made strong showing in both nominations and wins. At the Tonys, Kimberly Akimbo won top honors for Best Musical and Best Original Score, while Parade was named Best Musical Revival – three wins that might be most relevant as a Grammy predictor.

Still, the Tonys also awarded performances from Some Like It Hot and Shucked – Kimberly Akimbo‘s Victoria Clark and Bonnie Milligan took the Actress nominations in those categories – while Parade‘s Michael Arden was honored for his direction. David Lindsay-Abaire won Best Book for Kimberly Akimbo.

Like last year, all five of the nominees are Broadway cast albums, bucking a previous nomination trend that saw strong showings from both London, Off Broadway and even a concept album from a TikTok musical (the 2022 winner The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical).

Related: 2023-24 Awards Season Calendar – Dates For Oscars, Emmys, Grammys, Tonys, Guilds & More

Even in years when the nominations are more representative of theater both Broadway and non-Broadway, the Grammy winner almost always is a Broadway cast album, Bridgerton being the notable exception. The 2023 winner was the revival of Into The Woods, which began life Off Broadway as an Encores! presentation but took the Grammy for the recording of its subsequent Broadway staging.

Also worth noting: Of the five 2024 nominees, one has already closed (the limited engagement of Parade starring Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond), two will definitely be closed by the time the winners are announced on Feb. 4; and one – Sweeney Todd – will have lost its original leads (the final performances of Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford are January 14; Aaron Tveit and Sutton Foster step in beginning February 9 for 12 weeks only).

The 2024 Best Musical Theater Album nominees, as listed by the Grammys, are:

Kimberly Akimbo – John Clancy, David Stone & Jeanine Tesori, producers; Jeanine Tesori, composer; David Lindsay-Abaire, lyricist (Original Broadway Cast)

Parade – Micaela Diamond, Alex Joseph Grayson, Jake Pedersen & Ben Platt, principal vocalists; Jason Robert Brown & Jeffrey Lesser, producers; Jason Robert Brown, composer & lyricist (2023 Broadway Cast)

Shucked – Brandy Clark, Jason Howland, Shane McAnally & Billy Jay Stein, producers; Brandy Clark & Shane McAnally, composers/lyricists (Original Broadway Cast)

Some Like It Hot – Christian Borle, J. Harrison Ghee, Adrianna Hicks & NaTasha Yvette Williams, principal vocalists; Mary-Mitchell Campbell, Bryan Carter, Scott M. Riesett, Charlie Rosen & Marc Shaiman, producers; Scott Wittman, lyricist; Marc Shaiman, composer & lyricist (Original Broadway Cast)

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street – Annaleigh Ashford & Josh Groban, principal vocalists; Thomas Kail & Alex Lacamoire, producers (2023 Broadway Cast)...

New York city certainly hasn’t been immune to the effects of the strikes. But while Hollywood has largely been at a standstill, major players in theater, music, sports and tech have been as busy as ever. In The Hollywood Reporter’s NYC spotlight, meet the 25 attorneys handling big-ticket catalog deals, navigating AI copyright fights, buying and selling sports teams, and helping clients chase Broadway dreams.

Profiles by Winston Cho, Kirsten Chuba, Mesfin Fekadu, Caitlin Huston, Katie Kilkenny, Sydney Odman and Alex Weprin.

Lisa Alter

Alter Kendrick & Baron

NYU School of Law

Selling off big-deal music catalogs has been a growing phenomenon, and Alter is helping her clients profit. She represented Primary Wave in buying a stake in the catalogs of The Doors and Huey Lewis and the News; BMG Rights Management in the acquisition of rights from Peter Frampton and The Hollies; and Influence Media Partners in acquiring...

Lea Michele channeled her inner Rachel Berry at the 76th annual Tony Awards at the United Palace Theater on Sunday.

The 36-year-old wore a floral red and white dress to the event and later stunned everyone as she performed as Fanny Brice from Funny Girl at the awards ceremony and sang “Don’t Rain on My Parade.”

Like her Glee character, Rachel Berry, Michele has always been a big fan of Barbra Streisand, who first popularized the role of Fanny Brice. She took to Instagram to express her gratitude and happiness for her experience on Sunday.

“I thought a lot about what to say for this post. There’s so much to say. But the simple truth is that.. I’ve waited my whole life for this moment. An actual dream come true and an unbelievable honor to finally be Fanny Brice at the Tony Awards,” she wrote under her post.

Out of all the winners (and also-rans) in the 26 competitive categories at the 2023 Tony Awards, 34 results stand out as particularly noteworthy when considered in the context of history. So what were this year’s most interesting facts, records, and milestones? Check out the complete list of winners here.

1. The productions that received multiple Tony nominations, but went home empty-handed were “& Juliet,” “Ain’t No Mo’,” “Between Riverside and Crazy” “Camelot,” “A Christmas Carol,” “Cost of Living,” “Death of a Salesman,” “A Doll’s House,” “Fat Ham,” “Into the Woods,” “Kpop,” and “The Piano Lesson.”

2. This year marked the first time a Broadway production of “Into the Woods” didn’t win a single Tony. The original won three awards in 1987 for Best Lead Actress in a Musical (Joanna Gleason), Best Book of a Musical (James Lapine), and Best Original Score (Stephen Sondheim). The 2002 remounting won two for Best Revival of a Musical...

Washington Heights, a neighborhood in northern Manhattan that’s best known to theater lovers as the setting of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first hit show, played host to thousands in the Broadway community on Sunday night. The 76th annual Tony Awards moved uptown to the United Palace Theater, the third venue change in three years for Broadway’s biggest night. This one surprised even Miranda, who excitedly dolled out high-fives to those camped outside the venue as he walked to the red carpet.

Once he was inside the lavishly decorated theater, Miranda jokingly thanked everyone for coming all the way to 176th Street. “Never in my wildest dreams…” he said before presenting a life achievement award to “Cabaret” composer John Kander during the non-televised portion of the Tonys.

The new location was the least of the grand changes for the Tony Awards, which were script-less in solidarity with the WGA strike.

A show about a 16-year-old girl with an affliction that causes her to age four times as fast as normal? Or about a Jewish family in the decades leading up to the Holocaust? Or about antisemitism in early 1900s Georgia?

Those are the loglines of three of the four shows that were awarded top prizes at Sunday night’s 76th Tony Awards — best musical winner Kimberly Akimbo, best play winner Leopoldstadt and best musical revival winner Parade, respectively. (The fourth, best play revival winner Topdog/Underdog, closed back in January.)

Needless to say, they aren’t exactly easy sells on paper, and haven’t proven to be blockbusters on Broadway. But voters strongly embraced them anyway — not only as a way of celebrating acclaimed work, but also, one can reasonably assume, as a way of putting a little wind behind their sails (and sales) by providing some eye-catching material for their marquees and advertisements.

Here’s the thing about this year’s Tony Awards: They didn’t just want to exist. They needed to exist.

So in that brief moment last month when, after not getting a waiver from the WGA, it was unclear how or if the show was going to go on at all, the theater community freaked out. A little. But justifiably. The relationship between the Tony Awards and not just Broadway, but the theatrical community on every level — from touring productions to regional shows to unlicensed summer-camp versions of the classics — is entirely unlike the relationship between the Oscars and movies, Emmys and television, or Grammys and music.

Every award show is, by nature, half a commercial for the industry being honored and half a nice chance to honor talented people. But if those other industries get a boost or general infusion from their respective kudos-fests, Broadway gets full-on dialysis.

Winners at Sunday night’s Tony Awards were quick to express support for the WGA and striking writers, but the awards ceremony itself, broadcast on CBS and streamed on Paramount+, might well have been at cross-purposes. The harsh truth is, the show didn’t seem to suffer much at all.

No scripted banter, acceptance speeches kept to a minimum and a charming and seemingly off-the-cuff hosting performance by Ariana DeBose all made for a terrific evening that showcased Broadway in just the right light. Even the new venue — new for the Tonys, that is — turned in a star performance: The United Palace in New York City’s Washington Heights looked absolutely gorgeous.

Related: Tony Awards 2023: The Best Of The Red Carpet

There were a few surprises, but no shocks. Jessica Chastain lost out to Jodie Comer, but really, that was a 50-50 chance going in. Other big names that...

Kimberly Akimbo was the big winner at the 76th annual Tony Awards, which were handed out Sunday night in New York. It won five awards including Best Musical and Lead Actress for Victoria Clark.

Related: Tony Awards Review & Recap: A Writer-Less Ceremony Goes Off Without A Hitch As Broadway Improvises A Winner

Leopoldstadt won four Tonys including Best Play, tying for second-most with Some Like It Hot. See the full list of winners below.

Julie Comer and (Prima Facie) and J. Harrison Ghee (Some Like It Hot) took Lead Actress and Actor in a Musical, respectively, and Sean Hayes won Lead Actor in a Play for Good Night, Oscar, which was that shows lone win – as was Comer’s for Prima Facie.

Related: Tony Awards 2023: The Best Of The Red Carpet

Eleven Tonys were presented during the hour-plus preshow, and 15 more are were doled out in primetime. Oscar...

Parade director Michael Arden addressed the rise of white supremacy and antisemitism within the U.S. while accepting his win for best direction of a musical at the 2023 Tony Awards on Sunday night.

Taking the stage at the United Palace in New York’s Washington Heights, Arden dedicated his lengthy speech to “the battalion of people who made Parade and who bring it to life so beautifully and terrifyingly every night.” He then pivoted to the larger conversation around the themes of the show, which tells the story of a Jewish man and factory worker in Georgia in the early 20th century who was falsely accused of murdering a teenage girl and later lynched by an antisemitic mob.

“Parade tells the story of a life that was cut short at the hands of the belief that one group of people is more or less valuable than another and that they...

Here’s to some real-life New Directions! In one of the earliest awards handed out in the 76th Tony Awards telecast on CBS and Paramount+, history was made as Alex Newell became the first-ever openly non-binary actor to win a Tony award, in the Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical category, for their showstopping role as cornpone character Lulu in the musical comedy “Shucked.”

Then, in the show’s final hour, that record was upheld by nonbinary actor J. Harrison Ghee, who won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical in the Marc Shaiman/Scott Wittman tuner “Some Like it Hot”, based on Billy Wilder’s classic 1950s comedy. Ghee, late of musicals such as “Kinky Boots” and “Mrs. Doubtfire”, was a favorite for their bold reimagining of the Jerry/Daphne role made famous by Jack Lemmon in the original film.

Tony Awards nominations were announced on Tuesday, May 2 by Lea Michele and Myles Frost. While the nominations for the 76th annual Tony Awards were determined by 40 theatre professionals, winners were decided by over 750 members of the Broadway community.

A whopping 38 shows were eligible for consideration by the nominating committee. On the play side, there were 17 original works and six revivals in the running for nominations. Over on the musical side, nine new tuners were in contention for bids as were six musical revivals. The cutoff date for eligibility was April 27.

The Tony Awards are set for June 12 at United Palace Theatre in Washington Heights and will be hosted for the second year in a row by Oscar winner Ariana DeBose. The earlier “Act One” ceremony will be hosted by Julianne Hough and Skylar Astin.

Musicals

Best Musical

& Juliet

X — Kimberly Akimbo

New York, New York

Shucked

Some Like It Hot...

When Jefferson Mays wanted to perform a solo version of “A Christmas Carol,” scenic designer Dane Laffrey knew right away that it wasn’t going to be a simplistic approach with an actor and a stool. When he and director Michael Arden pitched their approach, Laffrey told the actor: “We’re pretty interested in turning this into a real ghost story, a real phantasmagoria. Where there’s a really substantial physical production around you.” Mays was instantly on board. Laffrey then created a set which focused on the power and mystery of the unseen, and earned a Tony nomination for his efforts. Watch the exclusive video interview above.

Laffrey’s puzzle box of a set contains around 30 automated effects, which aide in the many surprise scenic transitions in the piece. This includes walls which slide in and out of place, turntables, deck tracks, flown set pieces. “It’s a shapeshifter,...

The Outer Critics Circle has named Some Like It Hot as the year’s Best New Broadway Musical and Leopoldstadt as Best New Broadway Play, the organization announced today.

The Circle, made up of writers on New York theater for out-of-town newspapers and national publications, also named Parade in the musical revival category, and Topdog/Underdog as the outstanding play revival.

In all, Some Like It Hot topped the list in number of wins – five, in all – with Leopoldstadt coming in second with three awards.

Winners of the 72nd Annual Outer Critics Circle Awards will be honored at a ceremony on Thursday, May 25 at the Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center’s New York Public Library for The Performing Arts.

Here is the complete list of winners:

Outstanding New Broadway Musical

Some Like It Hot

Outstanding New Broadway Play

Leopoldstadt

Outstanding New Off Broadway Musical

The Harder They Come

Outstanding...

“The whole point of the piece to me is that if we don’t grapple with the trauma and the history of our past, we are bound to repeat it,” explains Michael Arden of “Parade.” The director recently earned a Tony Award nomination for the revival of this Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry musical, which tells the true story of the trial of Leo Frank. This tragic tale of antisemitism in America is often left out of history books, putting pressure on Arden’s production to illuminate the details for a contemporary audience. “I think I’m mostly attracted to shows, and stories, that can help people reexamine the thoughts they have,” notes Arden, “the actions they take.” Watch the exclusive video interview above.

The country’s current moment of division and vitriol is an ideal time to investigate the events of “Parade” according to Arden. “We see mob...

No matter where fate propels Oliver Twist—from the workhouse to the funeral home to the hideout of a master pickpocket—the orphan maintains a fierce sense of who he is, plus a willingness to stand up for himself and, yes, even ask for more in his pursuit of a loving home. And Benjamin Pajak, the actor who plays him, is on a similarly dogged quest: a nearly one-kid glorious mission to rescue the New York City Center’s lumpy revival of Lionel Bart’s 1960 musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’s classic novel Oliver Twist.

If it felt like hyperbole to praise the 10-year-old playing Winthrop Paroo in the revival of The Music Man as the most electrifying performer on stage, there’s no need to pull punches now that he’s taken on a title role. Indeed, Pajak, now 12 years old, is a marvel in Oliver! For one, his...

On Tuesday, performers Lea Michele and Myles Frost presented the nominees for the 76th annual Tony Awards live on “CBS This Morning” before finishing the list from the heart of Broadway at the Sofitel New York.

Recognizing the best in live theatre, the Tony Awards cap off a strong year for Broadway, which bounced back during the 2022-2023 season with a number of acclaimed and groundbreaking productions. In total, there were 38 eligible shows, including 17 original plays and nine new musicals as well as six play revivals and six musical revivals.

Earning the most of any production, Some Like It Hot came out on top, with a total of 13 nominations. The most nominated play, meanwhile, is Ain’t No Mo’, which garnered six. Additionally, Sweeney Todd and A Doll’s House were the two most recognized revivals of the year, collecting eight and six nominations, respectively.

When it comes to the acting prizes,...

The 2023 Tony Awards nominations were announced on Tuesday, May 2 by Lea Michele and Myles Frost. The reveal of the roster of contenders was carried on the Tonys YouTube channel. While the nominations for the 76th annual Tony Awards were determined by a few dozen theater professionals, winners will be decided by upwards of 800 members of the Broadway community.

A whopping 38 shows were eligible for consideration by the nominating committee. On the play side, there are 17 original works and six revivals in the running. Over on the musical side, nine new tuners were in contention as were six musical revivals. The cutoff date for eligibility was April 27.

The Tony Awards are set for June 12 at United Palace Theatre in Washington Heights and will be hosted for the second year in a row by Oscar winner Ariana DeBose.

The 2023 Tony Awards nominations list below includes all 26 competitive categories.

Musicals

Best Musical

& Juliet

Kimberly Akimbo

New York,...

Update: The biggest surprise at the State Dinner was not any unexpected guest, but South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol singing a rendition of American Pie.

Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol sings “American Pie” by Don McLean during entertainment portion of State Dinner with President Biden. pic.twitter.com/M91Tj4WrHa

— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) April 27, 2023

Previously: Angelina Jolie, Reginald Hudlin and Chip and Joanna Gaines are among the boldfaced names on the guest list for tonight’s White House State Dinner for South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol.

The dinner follows President Joe Biden’s meeting with Yoon and subsequent press conference. The U.S. and South Korea announced an agreement designed to deter North Korea.

Jolie is scheduled to attend the dinner with son Maddox Jolie-Pitt. She has visited the Biden White House on reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.

Hudlin is attending with his wife,...

The Outer Critics Circle (Occ), the official organization of writers on New York theatre for out-of-town newspapers and national publications, today announced the nominees for the 72nd Annual Outer Critics Circle Awards, honoring the 2022-2023 Broadway and Off-Broadway season.

“New York, New York” received a major backing from this announcement, which coincides with the production’s opening night. The new musical with songs from John Kander, the late Fred Ebb and Lin-Manuel Miranda earned a whopping 12 nominations, the most of any production. “Some Like it Hot” trails just behind it with 10 nominations. The most nominated plays of the season are the Off-Broadway sensation “Downstate” and Broadway epic “Leopoldstadt,” both with six nominations apiece.

This is the first season with newly reconstructed acting categories, which have removed gender specifications, and have been expanded to separately include off-Broadway performers. In the previous configuration, actors in Broadway and off-Broadway productions competed in the same category.

Alex Joseph Grayson sees the Broadway revival of “Parade” as a chance to grow “more relaxed and more present as a performer.” The actor plays Jim Conley in the Michael Arden-helmed production, a man who testifies against Leo Frank (Ben Platt). It’s the first time Grayson has originated a role on Broadway rather than understudy, but you would never know it. The actor adeptly navigates the heavy material in songs “That’s What He Said” and “Feel the Rain Fall” in a way that evolves night after night. Watch the exclusive video interview above.

“It’s educational, it’s like free acting class,” notes Grayson of his experience in the musical. Unlike most shows, where actors head backstage when not performing a scene, the players in “Parade” often stick around. They grab a chair on the sides of the stage as ever-present onlookers to the action taking place.

Micaela Diamond, currently costarring in Broadway’s hit musical revival Parade, has signed with CAA.

After graduating from New York City’s performing arts school Fiorello H. Laguardia High School, Diamond made her professional debut as a featured member of the ensemble in NBC’s Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert.

On Broadway, Diamond originated the role of “Babe” (the youngest version of Cher) in The Cher Show, a performance that made her a 2019 Theatre World Awards honoree. She also originated the roles of “Lindy” and “Dorothy” in the world premiere of Ethan Coen’s A Play Is A Poem at Los Angeles’ Mark Taper Forum.

In her critically acclaimed performance as the wife of the falsely accused Leo Frank in Parade, Diamond costars opposite Ben Platt and is directed by Michael Arden. Both Platt and Arden are CAA clients, as is Parade‘s composer Jason Robert Brown.

Diamond is...

Neo-nazis tend to be a noisy bunch, and it takes an extraordinary and confident work of art to drown out their loud, ugly racket. Parade, opening tonight on Broadway at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, is that work of art.

With a serendipitous advertising slogan – “This Is Not Over Yet” – borrowed from one of the most powerful songs from a lovely score, the revival of 1998’s Parade arrives just when it’s needed most, providing an eloquent smackdown response to the rise in antisemitism made all too clear by the hate group protesting outside the show’s first preview (they haven’t been back).

With a cast as fine as it is large, led by Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond – two of the best singers currently on Broadway – Parade, set in 1913 Georgia, scores its topical points with all the artistry and theatrical know-how to meet and exceed its noble intensions.

Tonight’s performance of Parade, the Broadway musical revival starring Ben Platt as Leo Frank and Micaela Diamond as wife Lucille Frank, was canceled 20 minutes after the scheduled 8 p.m. curtain due to what an announcement said was technical difficulties involving video projections.

The Saturday evening performance was one of several in which critics were invited prior to the Thursday, March 16 opening night. The opening date is not expected to be impacted by tonight’s cancelation.

Performances will resume with the Sunday matinee tomorrow.

The doors at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on W. 45th Street remained closed until just 15 minutes before the scheduled curtain time, giving ticket-holders a briefer than usual 15 minutes to take their seats. The house lights remained on until about 8:20 p.m., with a black-and-white street scene video image projected against the back wall of the stage seemingly frozen.

The much-anticipated Parade revival had drawn a full house tonight,...

Some recent Broadway arrivals added both star power and box office receipts to the weekly grosses reports, with both Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Parade selling out (the latter despite some loudmouthed neo-Nazi protesters), and A Doll’s House starring Jessica Chastain and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Bad Cinderella coming close.

The musical revival Parade, starring Ben Platt as Leo Frank and Micaela Diamond as wife Lucille Frank, played four preview performances last week – only one of which, the first, drew the antisemitic protesters – and was at standing room only, grossing $587,006 with an average ticket price of $143.24. The Alfred Uhry-Jason Robert Brown musical, directed by Michael Arden, opens at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on March 16.

Jessica Chastain (Credit: Giampaolo Sgura)

Sweeney Todd, the revival of the acclaimed Stephen Sondheim-Hugh Wheeler musical starring Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford at the Lunt-Fontanne, sold out its first preview,...

Exclusive: Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil, John Berendt’s 1994 bestselling book and Pulitzer Prize finalist is being developed into a new musical by playwright Taylor Mac, with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, choreography by Tanya Birl and Sarah O’Gleby and direction by Rob Ashford.

An invitation only industry reading will take place May 12 and 13 in New York.

Mac is the MacArthur Fellow, Pulitzer Prize Finalist, a Tony Nominee perhaps best known for the critically acclaimed Off Broadway production of A 24-Decade History of Popular Music.

Ashford is a Tony Award, Olivier Award, Emmy Award, Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award-winning director and choreographer whose Broadway credits include Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Frozen, How To Succeed In Business, Promises, Promises, Evita, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Shrek, John Water’s Cry Baby, Curtains, and The Wedding Singer.